Gombe Bomb Explosion: Three (3) Arrested

Three suspects have been arrested in connection with an early morning bomb explosion at the Gombe Motor Park which left an unconfirmed number of persons dead and several others injured.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr Kudu Nma, told newsmen in Gombe that a vehicle with an inscription “Yobe Line’’ was reported to have brought the suspected bombers to the park.

“A vehicle which was suspected to have carried the bombers who came in with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) was recovered. 

“Unfortunately for them, they were caught when they were about to run away,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the explosion had gone off around 9.30 a.m. at the park, leaving many dead and several others with various degrees of injuries.

The explosion had occurred at a time when many passengers were at the park boarding vehicles to various destinations.

NAN reports that there was pandemonium around the area immediately after the incident as hundreds of youths from different directions descended on the park.

They threw stones at security personnel and other rescue workers who were evacuating corpses and the injured. The security operatives had to shoot into the air to disperse the rampaging youths.

The bodies of the victims were later conveyed to the Gombe Specialist Hospital, while those injured were also taken to other hospitals for treatment. At the Specialist Hospital, a mortuary attendant who pleaded for anonymity said 23 corpses were deposited there. Meanwhile, the park and the surrounding area have been cordoned off while normalcy has been restored.

Also, many residents of the city have been visiting the hospital, trying to check if their relatives were among the victims.(NAN

Gombe Bomb Blast Kills 'Many'

Many people' have died in a bomb blast in Central Park in Cross, Gombe State, a senior State Security Service (SSS) official has reported.According to the story the blast happened at about 9:30 am.

“They left the bomb inside one of the vehicles at the park,” said the SSS Official. “The blast went off at about 9:30 am. 

Up till now we don’t know the number of people, but it’s a very busy park so many people will have died in such a bomb blast.”Nigerian army officials, the police (with the commissioner present) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) arrived and cordoned off the scene and began the rescue operations.


A NEMA official speaking with “News Men” noted that more than 30 people have been found dead, as at the first count. He expects the toll to rise while a hospital source quoted by NAN confirmed the death of 23 people, women and school children were among them. At least 34 persons have sustained various degrees of injuries.


A resident of the area, who introduced himself as Abdulrahman Suae, confirmed that many people were being transported to the Gombe General Hospital. However, the condition of these persons could not be verified.The police and security services have reportedly cordoned the area off. Emergency officials are doing the best to continue evacuation of the victims to nearby hospitals.

Mark Predicts What Will Happen In 2015

David Mark

Nigeria’s Senate President, David Mark has predicted what will happen in Nigeria in the year 2015 after the general elections would have passed.

The Senate President in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, expressed optimism that despite the growing anxiety and challenges ahead of the 2015 general elections, Nigeria would come out stronger and more united as a nation.

Mark reportedly made the assertion while playing host to the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Nigeria, Michel Arrion, Nation reports.
Mark assured that the Nigerian government has improved and indeed strengthened political institutions to withstand any storm no matter the circumstances.

“Our political situation is steadily progressing. All Nigerians are now more conscious and indeed aware of elections and the processes. Both the government and the governed are now doing the right thing to guarantee a free, fair and credible election. Steadily, Nigerians have learnt how to play the game according to the rules. I have no doubt that the 2015 elections would be better than our previous elections. It would comply with international best practices. It is going to be exciting and the whole world would appreciate that Nigeria is on the right track democratically,” Mark said.

The senate president, however, appealed to the international election observers to report facts about the elections without sentiment or narrow perspective, and urged the election observers to endeavor to go round in order to get the true position rather than a situation where reports would be based on just a visit to one or two polling units.

Ebola Vaccine Trial To Be Approve By Swiss

Swiss authorities have approved the testing of an experimental Ebola vaccine, as part of an international response to the epidemic in West Africa that has claimed almost 5,000 lives.

On Tuesday, Swiss medical authorities said the trial will be held at Lausanne University Hospital and involve 120 healthy volunteers who will receive the experimental vaccine. The volunteers are all health-care workers who will work on medical teams in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the epicenter of the outbreak.

The Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, known by the shorthand Swissmedic, said the application for the trial “was handled as a priority given the dimensions of the Ebola epidemic.” The application was submitted last month.

The Lausanne trial, which has the backing of the World Health Organization, comes as health authorities around the world grow increasingly alarmed about the outbreak, which has spread to eight countries, including the U.S. and Spain. Reported cases of the Ebola virus disease have topped 10,000.

Health-care workers are at particular risk from contracting the virus, which is transmitted through an affected person’s bodily fluids.

The Lausanne vaccine is based on a modified chimpanzee virus, and the trial will test its safety and ability to provide an immune response to the Ebola disease, Swissmedic said.

Other trials are currently under way in the U.S., U.K. and Mali, and an application for a second trial in Switzerland was submitted earlier this month.

President Jonathan Welcome Emir of Kano; Muhammad Sanusi II

The Emir of Kano pays a visit to President Jonathan.

President Goodluck Jonathan welcomed the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, in Abuja on 30th October, 2014, Thursday. The media described the event as another reconciliation attempt between the two sides.

PremiumTimes reported, with the reference to their source at the meeting, that the emir arrived at the Aso Rock accompanied by the senior members of the council of Kano Emirate.


In his return, Muhammad Sanusi II supported the words of the president, saying he too had forgotten everything that happened

President Jonathan, Emir Sanusi and members of the delegation at Aso Rock, on October 30, 2014.

Jonathan’s administration was represented by the president himself, the Vice President Namadi Sambo, the Attorney General, Mohammed Adoke, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister Aminu Wali and the National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki.

In his address President Jonathan reportedly said he had nothing against the newly-crowned emir. He also urged peace and noted that negative aspects have to be left in the past.

The duration of the meeting was about 15 minutes, the internal sources reported.
Advertisement

The emir and his entourage left for Kano shortly after. They were on their way to the Abuja airport at the time of filing the present report.

POLICE:- SECURITY IN COMPLIANCE WITH CONSTITUTION

The acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Suleiman Abba has has said he ordered the redeployment of its personnel attached to Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tanbuwal in compliance with provisions of 1999 constitution.

A statement by the spokesman of the Force, acting Commissioner of Police (CP) Emmanuel Ojukwu said the order was given because of the Speaker's defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The police said its decision relied on the provision of section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

The statement reads: “In view of the recent defection by the Right Honourable Aminu Waziri Tanbuwal, CFR, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, from the People Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC), and having regard to the clear provision of section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has redeployed its personnel attached to his office.”

Gulder Ultimate Search - Season 11 - Full Episode 22

Catch exciting episodes of Gulder Ultimate Search 11 everyday on African Magic World (DSTV), Real -Stars (Star Times), Minaj TV Obosi (Terrestrial), Ebony Life TV (DSTV), Galaxy TV (Lagos, Ibadan and Ondo), Hip TV (DSTV & GoTV), Nigezie (Star Times) and WapTV (Star Times) from 10pm to 11pm; and

Gulder Ultimate Search XI - BTS - Undercover Selfies

Pope Francis warns: "You are hurting the Church if you are lukewarm".

From the Vatican City, Oct 27, Pope Francis In his homily for Mass celebrated at the Santa Marta residence Monday Him warned against the harm of “lukewarm” Christianity, calling on faithful instead to be “children of light.” The Lord has strong words towards Christian who avoid overstating their Christianity, the Pope told the congregation on Oct. 27. Such Christians do great harm “because their Christian witness is a witness which ultimately disseminates confusion, disseminates a negative witness.” At the End Times, the Pope continued, the Lord will say to these “gray” Christians: “You are neither hot nor cold. If only you were hot or cold. But because you are lukewarm – therefore gray – I vomit you from my mouth’.” Contrasting lukewarm Christians with the “children of light” and the “children of darkness,” the Holy Father described these “gray” Christians as going from one side to the other, making it difficult to determine whether they follow God or the devil. “They are always lukewarm,” he said. “They are neither luminous nor dark.” Pope Francis turned his reflection to the day’s first reading from Saint Paul, calling on Christians to be children of light, rather than children of darkness. In order to know which sort of children we are, the Pope said, we should consider whether the words we use fall into one of four categories: hypocritical, empty, frivolous, or obscene. Such words, he said, are not used by “the children of light. They are not from the Holy Spirit. They are not from Jesus, they are not the words of the Gospel. . . this way of speaking, always speaking of filthy things, or frivolously, or empty, or speaking hypocritically.” Instead, the Holy Father said, citing Saint Paul, we are called to imitate God by walking in charity, goodness, and gentleness. “Therefore, be imitators of God and walk in charity. And this is the word of a child of light.” “There are luminous Christians, full of light,” the Pope said, “who seek to serve the Lord with this light.” He added that there are “dark” Christians “who lead a life of sin, a life far from the Lord.” Warning against being deceived by statements which are “beautiful, well said, but empty,” Pope Francis challenged Christians to ask themselves: “Am I a Christian of light? Am I a Christian of darkness? Am I a Christian of gray?” In this way, he said, we can “take a step forward toward an encounter with the Lord.”

Mark Weeps As Constituents Purchase Nomination Form For Him

Senator David Mark, yesterday wept while accepting the 2015 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nomination form from his Benue South senatorial constituents to return to the Senate next year. Nine local government council chairmen in Benue South senatorial district had purchased the party nomination form in Makurdi, the state capital yesterday, urging Mark to return to the Senate unchallenged. Accepting the nomination form at a crowded gathering in his Otukpo country home, Mark said, “ I will not depart from the path of honour, justice and equity in the service to my country men and women. This is the covenant with my people. Mark intermittently wiped tears of joy from his face on account of the overwhelming crowd surging to have a handshake with him and his wife, Helen, at the event. He said, “ For this trust and confidence reposed on me, I cannot afford to fail. Let us work together as a team. I am prepared to give the last pant of my blood to serve my people diligently .Together, we can reach the Promised Land. A statement by his chief press secretary, Paul Mumeh, also quoted Mark, saying, “This endorsement speaks volume of the immeasurable responsibility on my shoulder by my people. Please pray for me that God almighty gives me the grace, wisdom and courage to continue to serve to the glory of God and benefit to humanity.”

Minimum Wage:- NLC To Mobilise Nationwide Protest

Subsequent to the removal of the minimum wage from the Exclusive List to the coexisting List by the National Assembly (NASS), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)) has said it will mobilize its members to resist the scraping of the national minimum wage by the National Assembly. The union condemned in strong terms the removal in the on-going fourth amendment exercise to the 1999 constitution. In a statement signed yesterday in Abuja by its General Secretary, Dr Peter Ozo-Eson the NLC warned that the removal is “extremely retrogressive and dangerous.” The union stated that, an emergency NEC has been convened for Monday October 27, to mobilize workers for further action. The statement reads in part, “We at the Congress see the removal of Wages from the Exclusive List as an act of treachery masterminded by conservative governors and their cohorts in the National Assembly which will do the polity no good. “We recall that last year our national campaign and mobilisation on this subject matter was suspended at the instance of the leadership of the Senate which promised to revisit the issue now that they “are better informed. ........................................................................" “We advise the National Assembly to hearken to the voice of reason and the voice of the people by urgently retracing their steps because the consequences of their action could be dire for the nation.” It stated that one of the implications of this amendment is the jettisoning by the NASS of the concept of a national minimum wage as enshrined in the 1999 constitution (Item 34 of the Second Schedule), stressing that what this means is that every individual employer will determine its minimum wage. It stated further, “The other implication is that it will turn the wage determination process in states into a ‘legislative’ exercise instead of the universal best practice model of collective bargaining as enshrined in the ILO Convention 154 on Collective Bargaining as well as Convention 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining. “In light of the foregoing, the Congress believes the removal is a deliberate and calculated attempt to move us from the working poor to the slave-poor. “We also believe it is a conscious ploy by some people to truncate the on-going electioneering process. it added.

Nigeria's Super Falcons defeated South Africa

Good news! Nigeria's Super Falcons defeated South Africa (Banyana Banyana) 2-1 to secure the place in the FINAL of the 9th African Women Championship in Windhoek, Namibia. Semi-final #2, Cameroon vs Cote d’Ivoire, is about to start! Congratulations to our girls!

Chibok Parents: - We Are Waiting For Our Girls

Parents of the over 200 Chibok girls kidnapped by the Boko Haram sect are hopefully that their daughters will return back home. Speaking to Premium Times on Wednesday, Mark Enoch, a father whose two daughters were among those kidnapped expressed his disappointment with the way the FG is handling the issue despite FG’s claim of a ceasefire deal with the sect. Mr. Enoch, a Reverend of Church of the Brethren, however, hopeful that his two daughters, 20-year-old Monica Enoch and 18-year-old Sarah Samuel, 18 will return said: He said: “We are expecting they will return; I don’t even know anything about it again. They have been saying something will be done either as from Monday or Tuesday and today is Wednesday. We are waiting”. “We are waiting for the president to hear from him, we the parents we cannot say a word because we don’t know anything,” he said. The Publicity Director, Chibok community, Manasseh Allen, told Premium Times that everyone in Chibok community are expecting the return of the girls. Its been over six months since the over 200 Chibok girls were kidnapped from their school in Chibok, Borno state by the Islamist group, Boko Haram on April 14, 2014.

Senate: - HND Discrimination.

The Bill for an Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination between First Degrees and Higher National Diploma in the same Profession/Field and related matters on Wednesday scaled second reading in the Senate. The bill, which scaled second reading after heated debate at plenary on its relevance, seeks to resolve controversy over wage disparity and gross discrimination against HND holder in public and private sectors of the economy. The Senate President, Sen. David Mark in his remarks, said it would be difficult to legislate on the bill, given that polytechnics were not originally established to be degree awarding institutions. He said rather than canvass for abolishion of the dichotomy, polytechnics should be changed to degree awarding institutions. “ The problem here is whether we can legislate on this. I think obviously that is not going to work for several reasons that we have all advanced here. “We can’t legislate here and say you must employ an HND instead of employing somebody with B.SC. “I think it is more of attitude than what we can legislate on but we can get an arrangement where the polytechnics begin to award degrees, in which case the polytechnics will no more be polytechnics; they will be universities,’’ he said. Mark, who did not outrightly condemn the bill, said it should be sent for public hearing, to get the views of relevant stakeholders on the way forward on the issue of dichotomy. Sen. Abubakar Bagudu ( PDP-Kebbi), a member of Senate Committee Education, said if the dichotomy should be abolished, there would be standardisation of policy. He argued that standardisation of policy was vital because universities and polytechnics had different structures. “The university is theory and research oriented as compared to polytechnic which is supposed to turn out industrial ready graduates,’’ he said. Similarly, Prof. Olusola Adeyeye (APC-Osun), the Vice Chairman of Senate Committee on Education, canvassed for the harmonisation of the institutions to enable polytechnics to award degrees. “I believe that for as long as there is difference in admission standard and training for both institutions of learning, there will be difference in employment. “ Let us go the U.S. way and equalise both polytechnics and universities and have specialised institutions to handle the technical aspect.’’ The lawmaker explained that Nigeria inherited the polytechnic system from the colonial masters, who thought of having a middle level manpower where people could be trained without the lengthy period in university. He further explained that UK subsequently abolished the system after meeting the purpose for which it was established to meet its industrial need. “We need to make the admission standard the same for polytechnics and universities; forget the dichotomy issue. It is a lie to say you need HND to run an industrial state,” he said.(NAN)

Obama: Respect Ceasefire Deal

As controversies and doubts trail the ceasefire deal that was at the weekend reached by the federal government and the Boko Haram Sect in order to facilitate the quick release of the over 200 female students that were abducted by the insurgents in Chibok, the United States president, Mr. Barrack Obama, on Tuesday urged all the parties involved to implement the ceasefire deal. Speaking through the Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department, Ms. Marie Harf, in Washington, DC, President Obama said that it would be a thing of joy for the American government if the federal government and members of the Boko Haram Sect turn in and maintain such a ceasefire. Reacting to this, the Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Professor Adebowale Adefuye, said that he expected all and sundry to laud the capability of the federal government to reach an agreement with the insurgents. Adefuye pressed further that it is the lives of the “innocent” female students that should be paramount to everybody now rather than doubting the ceasefire deal on arrival. Speaking further, the Nigerian envoy said that the United States government and that of Nigeria would be able to discuss more about security and peace in the next US-Nigeria Bi-National meeting which will take place in Abuja next week.

SAINT OF THE DAY - Pope ST. JOHN PAUL II.

Pope ST. JOHN PAUL II. Feast Day: October 22 (Patron of World Youth Day) Best Known As: History's first Polish Pope St. John Paul II named Karol Wojtyla at birth was born in Wadowice, Poland on 18 May, 1920. He was elected Pope on 16 October 1978, becoming the Catholic Church's first non-Italian pontiff in over 450 years. He took the name John Paul II as a nod to his predecessor, John Paul I, whose term lasted only one month. John Paul II became known particularly for his globetrotting ways; as Pope he visited more than 100 countries worldwide. He was also known as a champion of human rights and for his conservative positions on social issues. He died in his apartment at the Vatican on 2 April 2005 and was succeeded by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 April 2005. St. John Paul II, Pray for us!

Helen Paul Opens a Multi-million Naira Film Academy In Lagos!

The Glo ambassador (Helen Paul) said the opening of the Film Academy is a dream come true for her, having nurtured the ambition from childhood. She explained that the effort is also geared towards contributing her own quota to the development of the Nigeria entertainment sector and education in general. “Our classes are going to be more practical, that is why we invested heavily on the studios and other equipment that will make our students one of the best. We have also created a platform that will make it easier for them to get jobs, before and after they finish from the school.” she said.

Falana Tells FG To Sue And Recover the Seized $15M

The advice was contained in a statement issued in Lagos on Friday by Mr. Falana, a copy obtained by the Nation. Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has advised the Federal Government on what to do about the seized $15 million arms purchase money. The legal practitioner told the Federal Government to sue the Isreali and two Nigerians arrested in South Africa in connection with the $15million arms deal with a view to recovering the money.................. According to him, the Asset Forfeiture Unit in the office of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in South Africa had in the past three weeks seized two tranches of funds totalling $15million being payment for the alleged purchase of arms by the Federal Government. He said after the first $9.3 million smuggled into South Africa by an Israeli and two Nigerians was seized last month, the suspicion surrounding the development revealed that the South African company involved in the deal is not a licensed arms dealer and that the jet used to ferry the money belongs to Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, who is an ally of President Goodluck Jonathan.........................

Linda Ikeji Blog Shut Down

The blog lindaikeji.blogspot.com is owned by model turned blooger, Linda Ikeji who is refeered to as Africa riches blogger. The action was carried out on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 by parent body of her blogspot, Google as a result of series of complaints and reports of unethical practices by the millionaire blogger. The blog www.lindaikeji.blogspot.com is known to have become the No 1 online portal for news, gists and entertainment stories but most of her stories are said to be devoid of clear sources as Linda Ikeji is alleged to have been lifting stories from other sources of news both in mainstream media and new media. It got worse when a claim by cybersquatter with the twitter handle ‘AyeDee’ notified Google of her practices. According to Linda, Ayedee informed Google about alleged plagiarism/copyright infringement of his works on her blog and Google shut down the blog. Responding to the sad development, Linda who hails from Imo State and acquired a Range Rover Evoque worth 21 million naira recently says that she has been under severe attacks lately by some internet scammers known as cyber-squatters who are doing everything humanly possible to pull her blog down and they might succeed.

Police Recovered Arms and Ammunition Inside Uncompleted Building In Nnewi

At the time when the Federal Government is waging war against all the acts of terrorism across Nigeria, the Police in Nnewi, Anambra State, eastern Nigeria, has announced that it recovered arms and ammunition from an uncompleted building. According to a report published by Vanguard, the discovery was made on Sunday, 5 October, 2014, at an uncompleted estate owned by an overseas-based businessman at Uruagu Nnewi. Among arms and ammunition recovered from the building there were one AK4, military rifle, handcuffs, 1,500 live ammunition and 30 fully loaded magazines. It was gathered that the cache of arms was recovered following a tip-off. As at the time of compiling this report, the police says it is still investigating to know those behind the act. Advertisement Also, the police uncovered a criminal hideout in Nnewi after a search on an erosion site in Nnewi North Council Area Anambra State.