GLOBAL COMMUNITY REPORTERS

The ghost town sit-at-home order by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Monday (today) got bloody in Nnewi as two people have reportedly died in an alleged confrontation between the Army and suspected members of the IPOB. According to an eyewitness account, the confrontation occurred at the Izuchukwu junction area of the roundabout in the industrial town and the two people who are reported to have died include a leader of Eastern Security Network (ESN) and a commercial motorcyclist. THE AUTHORITY, an online news platform, claimed that the incident started around 7.00 am in the morning when some members of IPOB came out to enforce the sit-at-home order and in the process barricaded the major roads in Nnewi, an industrial town in Anambra State. The eyewitness stated that some unidentified soldiers, however, showed up to clear the roadblock items leading to an altercation between them and the IPOB members. Sources mentioned that the two victims were actually killed by gun...

Nigerians In Chinese Prisons Seek Transfer To Kirikiri Many prisoners have inundated Nigeria, asking to be transferred from Chinese prisons, but such transfers are impossible for now. Many prisoners have inundated Nigeria, asking to be transferred from Chinese prisons, but such transfers are impossible for now. Transfer of prisoners from China to Nigeria can only be possible if there is a signed treaty to the effect by the two countries. There is no treaty between the countries for prisoners’ transfer, when that exists the transfer of prisoners would be possible, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said. Dabiri-Erewa said at the seminar on Nigeria-China relations in Abuja on Thursday that, “We get a lot of appeals and some prisoners say they want to move from one prison there to another, it is not going to happen.” “We have been talking to them but their law is their law. My appeal to Nigerians is to obey the l...

By Dennis Naku A nine-year-old girl has died after her mother applied a pesticide, Sniper, on her hair to kill lice. A paediatrician at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Dr Gloria Nwosu, disclosed this in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while addressing journalists on Thursday. Nwosu said the woman followed the advice of her hairdresser and put the pesticide on two of her daughters, aged nine and four, respectively. She noted that while the nine-year-old convulsed for hours before giving up the ghost, doctors at the teaching hospital saved the four-year-old. “Their mother felt that the hairdresser would know what to do since it has to do with lice. We did everything we could to bring the child back to normal, but it was all abortive. “She (the deceased) was very sick. The second child slumped in our presence and we immediately admitted her and gave her an antidote. So, the question now is how many of these children may have gone through this?” Nwosu said. She explained that t...

Doublet earthquakes jolted Indonesia’s Bengkulu province on Wednesday, the country's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency said. The first temblor of 6.6 magnitude was reported at 5.23 a.m. local time [2223GMT, a day earlier] with the epicenter located 169 kilometers (105 miles) southwest of Bengkulu at a depth of 24 km (15 mi). It was followed by a magnitude 6.7 quake, six minutes later at 5.29 a.m. local time [2229GMT, a day earlier] with the epicenter being 78 km (48.5 mi) southwest of northern Bengkulu at a depth of 86 km (53.4 mi). Besides surrounding cities such as Mukomuko, Seluma and Kepahiang, the tremors were felt in the neighboring Singapore as well. No damage or casualties were immediately reported, and a tsunami alert was not issued. The Southeast Asian country has suffered deadly earthquakes and tsunamis in the past, including the most devastating one in 2004, which killed thousands of people. *Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo from Anadolu Agency's...

By Samuel Awoyinfa Two persons were confirmed dead, while seven others were injured in an explosion at a gas plant in the Adigbe area of Abeokuta, Ogun State.  It was gathered that the incident occurred around 11.30am on Thursday.

Amanda Miller has her hands in the soil as she builds a garden in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace. Crouched on a bank beside a stream, she is putting the final touches to a garden that attempts to convey the solitude of depression. Her creation is one of several at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show exploring links between health and horticulture. "The one I've focused on is depression because I have family members and friends who have suffered from it," she says. "Rather than being inspired to do it, I was compelled to do it."

By Jerrywright Ukwu Electricity consumers ​not provided with prepaid meters ​as at​ March 1 2017 have been told to stop paying electricity bills -  This is the directive from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) The Distribution Companies (DISCOs) have however fired back saying the rule is not applicable to all Nigerians The NERC has ​declared that electricity consumers ​that were ​not provided with prepaid meters ​as at​ March 1 should stop paying electricity bills presented by DISCOs on the basis of estimated billing methodology. The commission also ordered the DISCOs not to disconnect any such customer that refuses to pay the bills and further advised such customers to report to the commission if disconnected. The NERC said​ the new directive is in line with its mandate of protecting the rights of customers. NAIJ.com checks reveal that the NERC had in June 2016 directed DISCOs to conclude metering of all customers before Nove...

By Seyi Anjorin Lugbe is one of the popular suburban settlements in the FCT, along the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport road, in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) with more than 20 housing estates developed and still developing, spanning over 15kilometres on the Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua expressway. Since the introduction of the cashless policy in Nigeria and FCT, as a resident of Lugbe, it is safe not to run out of cash with the intention of getting the ATM to dispense cash, particular in an emergency period. A visit to Federal Housing Estate in Lugbe shows that there are only three banks namely Skye, Fidelity and Wema Banks that services the whole of the Lugbe environs until Shoprite Nigeria opened its Novare Gateway mall in Lugbe, housing just two ATM points from Zenith Bank. It has been a nightmare for residents of Lugbe who want to make withdrawals, especially during the weekends as most of the ATMs operated by these banks either run out of cash or are not capab...

BY SAHARA REPORTERS "On 23 November, 2018, at about 1930 hours, Sergeant Timadi Emmanuel, attached to a patrol team of Akenfa Division, while on patrol at Tenacious Road, Edepie, under questionable circumstances shot one Tariela Nikade 'm' 20 years. The victim was rushed to the hospital, where he was later confirmed dead," the Bayelsa Police Spokesman said. Nikade Tariela, 300 level Engineering student of Niger Delta University, has been shot dead by a policeman at Ebisam road, Akenfa in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. The murder of the student led to a protest by residents of Akenfa area on Saturday. The policeman, identified as Sergeant Timadi Emmanuel, is attached to the Akenfa Police Division patrol team. It was gathered that the police raids, which have been ongoing in most parts of the state, caused confusion following the killing of the student on Friday. The Bayelsa State Police Command has, however, condoled with the family, and ...

Taliban has declared the war in Afghanistan over after taking control of the presidential palace in Kabul as Western countries scrambled to evacuate their citizens. The Taliban has declared the war in Afghanistan over after taking control of the presidential palace in Kabul as Western countries scrambled on Monday to evacuate their citizens amid chaos at the airport as frantic Afghans searched for a way out. President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday as the Islamist militants entered the capital virtually unopposed. He said he wanted to avoid bloodshed while hundreds of desperate Afghans flooded Kabul airport. “Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen. They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years,” Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the Taliban’s political office, told Al Jazeera TV. “Thanks to God, the war is over in the country.” It took the Taliban just over a week to seize control of the country after a lightning sweep...