Cameroon said Friday its army killed 107 Boko Haram fighters, while a police officer told AFP at least 30 civilians were murdered by the Islamist guerrilla group before the ambush.

The combat occurred Wednesday and Thursday after militants from the Nigeria-based Boko Haram drove into the border towns of Amchide and Limani, Cameroon’s defence ministry said in a statement read on state radio.

Officials said eight Cameroonian soldiers died in the battle, which the ministry called “fighting of rare violence”.

It was not possible to independently verify the information or the toll.

Boko Haram rebels, who have been waging attacks in northern Nigeria and who kidnapped more than 200 school girls in April, frequently cross into neighbouring Cameroon.

A police officer speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity said that before the military confronted them, the Boko Haram fighters “cut the throats of many civilians, 30 at least”.

The manager of a money transfer agency was among the murdered, he said, and a Catholic church, a Protestant church and several bars were burnt.

“They wanted to attack the camp” where elite soldiers were garrisoned “with a booby-trapped car, but the soldiers were one step ahead of them and destroyed it,” the police officer said.

A security guard in Amchide at the time of the attack confirmed the officer’s information.

“The Boko Haram fighters killed many people in town. They cut the throats of my neighbours. They killed the Express Union manager and two security guards in his shop. They burned the churches and a mosque,” he said.

“The army told us to leave town, so we did,” he added.

The defence ministry made no mention of civilian deaths in its statement.

It said that the heavily armed Boko Haram members were travelling in armoured vehicles that crossed over from Nigeria.

The fierce fighting started late Wednesday and after a pause resumed on Thursday, ending with Boko Haram fleeing back over the border, according to the ministry.

A tank, a pick-up truck and a Peugeot car packed with ammunition and explosives were destroyed by the soldiers, it added.

“Several light and heavy arms were seized,” the ministry said.

“Calm has returned and our defence forces are in control of the border areas”.

Cameroon shares a border of more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) with Nigeria, where Boko Haram has been waging a bloody insurgency since 2009 in which 10,000 people have died.

 

Boko Haram, FG sign ceasefire deal

 ■ As hope rises for the release of Chibok girls

The federal gov­ernment yester­day announced a cease fire in its war against the Is­lamist terror group, Boko Haram, to give room for negotiation.

Chief of Defence Staff(CDS), Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh, made this known at the closing of a three day con­ference on Nigeria-Camer­oon Trans-border military operations held in Abuja.

Badeh, in his address at the occasion, said “With­out any prejudice to the outcome of our three days interactions and the con­clusions of this forum, I wish to inform this audi­ence that a ceasefire agree­ment has been concluded between the Federal Gov­ernment of Nigeria and the Ahlul Sunna Li Daawa Wal Jihad (Boko Haram.)

As a result, the CDS said “I have accordingly directed, the service Chiefs to ensure immediate com­pliance with this develop­ment in the field”.

Also at a media briefing in Abuja,the Coordinator of National Information Centre, Mr Mike Omeri, said there was no condi­tion attached to the peace deal from Boko Haram.

Omeri, while noting that government has made con­tacts with representatives of Boko Haram sect, said “the discussions are essen­tially in relation to the gen­eral insecurity in the north east and also the need to rescue all captives of the terrorists, including the students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok.”

He said “from the dis­cussions, they indicated their desire for and will­ingness to discuss and re­solve all associated issues. They also assured that the school girls and all other people in their captivity are all alive and well.

According to him, “Al­ready, the terrorists have announced a ceasefire in furtherance of their desire for peace. In this regard, the government of Nigeria has, in similar vein, de­clared a ceasefire.

“Finally, this is to as­sure Nigerians that the greater goal of this pro­cess is to ensure the return of normalcy in the land, especially in parts of the country troubled by the ac­tivities of terrorists.”

The coordinator, while noting that the President of Chad, General Idriss Deby was the one facilitating the ceasefire deal, however re­fused to mention the iden­tity of those negotiating on behalf of the federal gov­ernment, but said the sect leader, Danladi Amodu was leading the group in the peace arrangement.

Answering reporters questions on why past dialogue with the sect had failed, the Director of De­fence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, said such had never been confirmed by the govern­ment, as all of them were still within the realm of ‘hearsay’.

He said: “This time, this is being facilitated by gov­ernment, so it is not just the sect, and I want to say that, I think people are not correct to say that, there has been similar thing be­fore. The previous one is just a speculation, and it has never officially been endorsed anywhere.”

Meanwhile, the peace deal has elicited ,jubila­tion in Adamawa, especial­ly among thousands of vic­tims and displaced persons that are now taking refuge in Yola, the state capital.

A number of the victims who spoke with Saturday Sun described the devel­opment as a cheery news to them as they have been nostalgic of what is hap­pening to their ancestral homes adding that they are eager to continue with their normal traditional life.

One of them, Mr Tizhe, who narrowly escaped to Yola from Michika along with eight of his family members,said the news is a good one as he and his family had been constitut­ing inconveniences to their host relatives,who,though have been their brothers’ keepers,but felt that over dependence on relatives for livelihood is increas­ingly proving burdensome.

Others who spoke with Saturday Sun at Vunoklang ,a suburb of Yola,declared that while they were anx­ious to go back to Gulak, Madagali, Michika and Gwoza,it is only wise for them to critically study the situation and the emerg­ing development as they feared that their joy be short lived.

Joseph Boniface ,who corroborated what others have said,maintained it is dicey for them to start go­ing back to their places of abode when they are still nursing their wounds and the trauma that they had gone through before es­caping to Yola.

According him,he had lost seven sons and an uncle to the Boko Haram onslaught ,and that there might be pockets of insur­gents in some hideouts in their localities,hence the fear to go back to their places of abode.

Mr Vandi, said while it is a welcome develop­ment, government should give the victims,who are virtually going to start life afresh assurance of their safety because of the trau­ma they had gone through.

Investigation by Satur­day Sun reveals that no less than 250,000 persons are presently taking refuge in the displaced peoples’ camps in Yola, Mubi and other villages in Adama­wa State. Apart from the victims in camps,there are those in churches, private schools and mission hous­es within Yola,the state capital and Mubi.

The Boko Haram in­surgency has festered for years in three North East­ern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa but started getting serious global at­tention six months ago following the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from the Government Second­ary School, Chibok, Borno state on April 14.


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■ The lady is my girlfriend –Cleric
■ No, I was meeting him for the first time -Victim

A 29-year-old cleric identified as Anthony Arogunmasa, popular­ly known as pastor at Ikere-Eki­ti community in Ekiti State, has been nabbed for allegedly molesting a 19 -year-old lady in the area.

The victim (names withheld) said that Arogunmasa lured her into his Araromi Street, Ikere-Ekiti residence under the pretence of giving her spiritual cleansing. Describing how the incident happened, the victim in tears, said: “I was just meeting the pastor for the first time in my life. He approached me and told me that I needed some spiritual cleansing. He said that God instructed him to ensure that the spiritual cleansing was done for me. I fell for him because I saw people calling him pastor. He took me to his house and gave me a candle and soap and asked me to start praying. He also brought out certain ob­jects which he said were prayer items for the spiritual cleansing. In the course of the prayers, he asked me to remove my cloth­ing and just tie a wrapper and I obliged. It wasn’t long after that he suddenly jumped on me and eventually had carnal knowl­edge of me forcefully.”

Though he confessed to having carnal knowledge of the victim, the suspect said that the victim is his girlfriend.” It is true that I slept with her on September 23, but I didn’t do it forcefully because she has al­ways been my girlfriend”, the cleric con­fessed.

While confirming the incident, Eki­ti State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Victor Babayemi said that it has been proved beyond any doubt that the victim wasn’t the pastor’s girlfriend.

The PPRO said: “We have proved that it is a clear case of rape. We have a medical proof and during our investigation, we dis­covered that the victim couldn’t have been a girlfriend to the suspect as he (pastor) claims. You can imagine that he doesn’t know the names of the lady, nor where she lives or any of her friends or relations and he claims to be the lady’s boyfriend. How is that possible?”

The police spokesman added: “The sus­pect, who confessed to committing the crime, accosted the victim on September 23 at about 2000 hours and lured her to his house to perform spiritual cleansing because he perceived that the victim was under a spiritual spell. On getting to his room, the victim was threatened and put under fear of harm before being raped. Medical report confirmed that the victim was actually raped by the suspect while preliminary investigation revealed that he is a serial rapist who lures hapless women with ‘spiritual cleansing’ to have unlaw­ful canal knowledge of them. He will be charged to court as soon as investigation into the case in concluded.”


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An angry man in Amukoko area of Lagos State yesterday stripped his wife completely naked in public for dating his friend.

The husband identified as Musibau was said to have trailed the love birds to their nest at a beer parlour, along Alaba Oro Road and pulled the wife, Mulikatu out from the place.

LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that all efforts made by customers at the bar to pacify Musibau proved abortive as he quickly tore his wife’s clothes, including her undies to shred.

An eye witness who identified himself as Kolawole disclosed that immediately the other man, Mufu saw what the woman’s husband was doing to his wife, he took to his heels.

Musibau gave Mufu a hot chase but was lucky to escape.

Some women in the area were said to have brought a wrapper and blouse to cover Mulikatu’s nakedness. The woman had to borrow money from the sympathising residents who advised her to go to her relative’s residence to pass the night because her husband was so angry and could kill her.

Kolawole said while the women were blaming men for infidelity, the women blamed it on the men who could not provide for their families and also satisfy them segxwally.

 Yaoundé – Cameroon said Friday its army killed 107 Boko Haram fighters in ferocious fighting this week in its north, in a claimed success against the Nigeria-based Islamist guerrilla group.

The “fighting of rare violence” occurred in two areas in the north on Wednesday and Thursday and also resulted in the deaths of eight soldiers, the defence ministry said in a statement read on state radio.

It was not possible to independently verify the information or the toll.


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The Senate on Thursday passed the bill for an Act to prohibit violence against persons with provisions strengthening sanctions against offenders, including life jail for rapists.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba, was passed at Thursday’s plenary and it was approved with  favourable voice votes.

Speaking at the session, Senate President, David Mark, said the legislation would address some of the evil customs of the society, adding that the law would sufficiently protect the people from the excesses of such devilish people.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the legislation seeks to eliminate violence in private and public life.

It specifically prohibits all forms of violence, ranging from physical, segxwal, psychological, domestic, harmful traditional practices and discrimination, against persons.

NAN further reports that its provision provides maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment for offenders.

The proponents of the bill had argued that the right of persons to freedom and security must be guaranteed.

Sections one and two of the legislation have now increased punishment for rape and other forceful segxwal activities.

A person convicted under the section, according to the bill, is liable to imprisonment for life

However, where the victim is less than 14 years of age, the offender shall be liable to a minimum of 14 years imprisonment.

“Where the act described under this section is committed by a group of persons, the offence shall be known as gang rape.

“ And on conviction the persons shall be liable jointly and severally to a minimum of 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine.

“The court shall also award appropriate compensation to the victim as it may deem fit in the circumstance,’’ according to the bill.

Similarly, a bill for an Act to amend the 1999 Constitution to correct a fundamental spelling error in the name of Atisbo Local Government Area of Oyo State was passed.

The sponsor of the bill, Sen. Ayo Agboola (PDP-Oyo), averred that the error had affected the status of the local government, its peoples and adjoined towns.

The bill did not attract any objection and therefore made to scale through second reading.

In a related development, the bill for an Act to repeal the Insurance Brokers Act of 2003 was stood down for further consultation to be made.

Sen. Adegbenga Kaka (APC-Ogun), sponsor of the bill, held that legal document when approved would bestow the insurance industry a robust network to grow the sector.

According to him, the bill seeks for insurance and broken companies to be registered in personal names.

Kaka said the document made liability owners to become limited, adding that the Board would therefore become more responsive and diligent.

He said the proposed Act had raised the share capital in the industry to N10 million as against the former N5 million.

NAN reports that the bill had also jerked up the indemnity cover from N10 million to N100 million for effective performance.

On his part however, Sen. Ita Enang (PDP-Akwa Ibom) countered some of the issues raised in the document.

Enang said “the bill could have been to amend and not to repeal the Insurance Broker Act of 2003.This bill is in direct clash with the existing Act.

“President of the Senate, this bill arrogates the power to the operators to operate and to regulate, we know this cannot be done,’’ he said

Also Abdul Ningi (PDP-Bauchi) also projected some of the short falls in the bill, adding that it required some fine tuning.

It was at this point that the President of the Senate, David Mark tactically came to the rescue of the bill by seeking the sponsor to stand it down to another legislative day.

“At this point it may be necessary for Senator Kaka to withdraw further presentation of the bill to seek further consultation,’’  Mark said.

Also stood down is a bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps (NPC) to train, educate and re-orient the youths of the nation.
 
Another bill for an Act to amend the treaties (making procedure) 2004 was also stood down.

It seeks to make the National Assembly as a mandatory part of the treaty-making procedure to all treaties entered into between Nigeria and other countries.

NAN further reports that the Committee report on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions on allegation of wrongful dismissal against the police was deferred.

Also deferred was a report of the joint Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal matters and State and Local Government on Border Communities’ Development Agency Act .


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BAUCHI—THE police in Bauchi State, Tuesday, arrested a man, 35, for infecting a 12-year-old girl with Human Immuno Virus, HIV.

This was disclosed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed, in Bauchi, yesterday, saying the man had been HIV positive and on medication since 2004.

According to him, the suspect had been sleeping with the girl, who is a groundnut hawker, since 2012.

He added that the girl was diagnosed with the disease when she started having strange symptoms.

Mohammed, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said: “On October 14, one Sabo Korau, a 35-year-old male of Unguwan Dawaki, Dass council of Bauchi State was arrested for having segxwal intercourse with a 12-year-old girl, repeatedly, since 2012.

“When the victim began to show strange symptoms, she was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed HIV positive.”

He further said police’s preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect took advantage of the girl, adding that the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigation was concluded.

Meanwhile, Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Shehu Lawal, has ordered the dissolution of Bauchi State Police Community Relations Committee, PCRC, which tenure expired since 2008.

According to him, the dissolution is with immediate effect.

He said all existing PCRC identity cards had been nullified, advising members in possession of same to hand them over to the nearest divisional police headquarters.



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The fatal Ebola virus has claimed the lives of at least two people in Sierra Leone’s last unaffected area.

The victims died in the northern Koinadugu district of Sierra Leone, the country’s officials announced on Thursday.

The Koinadugu district had managed to curb the spread of Ebola in its borders since the outbreak of the deadly epidemic, and had been considered Sierra Leone’s only Ebola-free region.

Disease surveillance officer Abdul K. Sesay said, "We have tightened surveillance around the area and are investigating... how the two confirmed cases might have contracted the disease.”

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization announced that Ebola’s infection rate is likely to exceed 10,000 new cases per week in the next two months, adding that the epidemic’s mortality rate has reached 70 percent.

The Ebola epidemic has so far claimed the lives of nearly 4,493 people all around the world, while more than 8,997 people have been infected.

Ebola is a form of hemorrhagic fever whose symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding. The virus spreads through direct contact with infected blood, feces or sweat. It can also be spread through segxwal contact or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses. There is currently no known cure for Ebola.



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Mr Limpopo himself Kcee was recently at hiptv studio and opted to have a quick meal before an interview session.

What we realize was that Kcee couldn’t resist the aroma of the meal and just couldn’t prevent himself from going hard on it.

See more pictures below;







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The White House has shifted into “crisis mode” over Ebola amid growing fears of wider transmission after two health-care workers were diagnosed with the deadly disease.

Just three weeks ahead of midterm elections, President Barack Obama is facing pointed questions from lawmakers about the way his administration has responded to Ebola.

There is a growing concern about the spread of Ebola in the United States after two health workers involved in the treatment of Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian and the first Ebola patient in the US, were also diagnosed with the virus.

Republican lawmakers, including US House Speaker John Boehner, have criticized the Obama administration for its handling of the disease.

They have called for travel bans for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the three African nations most affected by the Ebola epidemic.

“We need to protect the American people, first and foremost,” said Rep. Fred Upton, (R, Mich.), at a hearing by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee. “People’s lives are at stake, and the response so far has been unacceptable.”

The White House responded by canceling two days of planned campaign events, but has ruled out a travel ban.

More than 8,900 people have been infected by the Ebola virus and 4,500 have died so far in West Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that the number of Ebola infections in West Africa is doubling every four weeks despite efforts to stop its spread.

A computer simulation of the Ebola outbreak has estimated that as many as two dozen people could be infected in the US by the end of the month.

There is currently no known cure for Ebola, which is a form of hemorrhagic fever with diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding as its symptoms.



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An 18 years old housewife in Bauchi State has been arraigned at the Chief Magistrate Court 7, Bauchi, for allegedly killing her husband with hot water.

Aisha Jibrin allegedly killed her husband Mohammad Auwal Ladan following an altercation which resulted in the husband reportedly beating his wife.

Aisha was said to have lost one of her front teeth from beatings received from her husband who accused her of committing abortion without his consent.

It was not ascertain at the time of filing this report whether the bone of contention was over the issue of the paternity of the aborted baby or the abortion itself that aggravated the crisis.

The estranged wife was reportedly also pissed off by her husband’s complaint over her habitual watching of home videos thereby neglecting her prayers.

Aisha was so provoke with their marital squabbles and could not withstand it any longer that she decided to take matters into her hands.

She was said to have poured hot water on the unsuspecting Mohammad Auwal Ladan who was taking his bath, landing him in hospital and subsequently his early grave.

The unfortunate incident happened on Wednesday October 8, at the couple’s residence in Jahun ward in Bauchi Metropolis, at about five in the evening.

According to a close family friend who pleaded anonymity, problem started for the newly wedded Aisha when news reached the abortion reached her husband.

“He was so very  livid that he pounced on her. Auwal a civil servant hit his wife with his hand up to the extent that she sustained serious injury on her mouth and eventually broke one of her front teeth,” the

family friend said.

Daily Sun learnt that the battered and frustrated wife’s sentiments reached boiling point when after the issue had been settled confronted when she was watching film at home.

“On that fateful day when Auwal came back from work he met Aisha watching home video. He asked her if she had said her prayers and she said no. He asked her why and she said nothing was the reason.

“He went into their bedroom and after a while, he came back and met her still watching the film. He stopped the DVD player, brought out the CD plate and broke it in her presence,” the close family friend said.

Auwal then went to have his bath not knowing that the infuriated Aisha who felt scorned was plotting revenge.

“She just opened the bathroom door as he was taking his bath andpoured the hot water on him and ran away.

“The husband shouted and writhed in pain, and was later rushed to the

hospital. Four days later he was brought back home where he died,” he

said.



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A Chinese drug maker with military ties has sent an experimental Ebola drug to Africa for use by Chinese aid workers.

The countries include Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Chief Operating Officer, Jia Zhongxin, said on Thursday in Shanghai that Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd (SPHGL) were formulating clinical trials without ruling out the possibility of using African patients.

“Right now, we’re formulating a plan for clinical trials and don’t rule out the possibility of using African patients,” he said.

“Any outbreak of Ebola in Asia or China will speed up the drug’s time table to market,’’ he added.

Zhongxin said they had supplied several thousand doses of the drug, JK-05, to the region and more doses could be sent if needed.

He said if the trial dosage proved to be an effective cure, it would be a big prize for China’s medical sector and a boost to China’s soft power in Africa

Huo Sihuan, Assistant General Manager SPHGL, said pushing the drugs into the market had become imperative because there were over a million Chinese nationals living in Africa.

She said that over 10,000 of them were in countries most affected by Ebola like Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

Sihuan said the company had signed an agreement with the Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS), a research unit, to seek approval for the drug’s use in China and push it to market.

She said all the aid workers to the Ebola infected countries had already taken the drug with them and if a case broke out amongst them it would become handy for use.



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Enugu – Football fans in Enugu on Thursday commended the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) over the removal of Super Eagles’ interim coach, Stephen Keshi.

The descion was taken on Wednesday in Abuja at the first Executive Committee meeting of the association under the newly elected board led by Amaju Pinnick.





The fans told said that even though the decision was a bit late, the move was a step in the right direction as this could help to restore the fading glory of the Super Eagles.

A businessman, Promise Ugwu, said the NFA had actually met the yearnings of majority of fans in the country by their action.

“Keshi has truly disappointed us and should have been sacked before now. The NFA kept fate with him and this has put us in a tight corner in qualifying for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

“Keshi thought he had arrived after winning the AFCON with Nigeria and the thing got into his head,” he said.

Ugwu said the fortunes of the Eagles eventually took a turn for the worse under the ousted coach.

Justine Chijioke, a civil servant, said the coach lacked the tactical bite to succeed as head coach of the senior national team.

“Keshi deserves to leave. Whatever the Eagles achieved under him was more of the individual brilliance of some players than his tactical competence,” he said.

Chijioke, however, said the choice of Amodu Shuaibu as interim coach was another wrong move by the association.

“We have tried Amodu again and again and he is not the right person for the team. The team only needs his advice and not as head coach.”

Maxwell Nnodi, a student of Enugu State University of Science and Technology said: “I am happy over the change of guard in the Eagles’ coaching crew.

“Our prayer is for the team to win their remaining matches so as to qualify for the 2015 AFCON,”

A fashion designer, Kenneth Nwachukwu, said that Shuaibu lacked the modern knowledge to steer the team to glory.

“Sacking Keshi is the right decision, but I don’t think Amodu has the tactical knowledge to handle the team.

“Let us give him a chance and see what he can do in the remaining matches”.

Keshi was relieved of his position as caretaker coach of the Eagles after the 2015 AFCON qualifying reverse match between Nigeria and Sudan, which the Eagles won, 3-1.

The Eagles were beaten in the first encounter 0-1 in Khartoum. The National team now has four points.



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Eight people in Murke village of Song Local Government Area of Adamawa State were confirmed dead by an epidemic suspected to be cholera while about 117 people are currently receiving treatment in public and private hospitals in the area.

Residents told our correspondent that the epidemic struck the village following the vandalization of the solar-powered borehole provided by the government in the area by vandals making them resort to the use of the only water source in the area which is contaminated due to rainfall.

A resident of the area, Mohammad Chubado said the epidemic struck the town early this week where two people lost their lives but within the next two days, many people were affected, leading to the death of eight people. Many afflicted residents were admitted at medical facilities in the town.

Residents of the area condemned the attitude of the member representing the local government in the state House of Assembly, Simon Issa, as they said he failed to show any show of remorse either through sympathy visit or assistance with drugs, adding that instead, it was the member representing Fufore/Gurin in the House of Assembly, Sadiq Dasin, who deemed it fit to come to their rescue.

In the wake of the epidemic, the member representing Fufore in the state House of Assembly Sadiq Dasin, donated drugs to the village to provide succor to the community.

While donating the drugs, Dasin urged the people to be extra vigilant in protecting infrastructural facilities in other to guard against similar ugly occurrence in the future.

The village head of Murke who confirmed the death of eight people also showed dissatisfaction with the member representing Song for avoiding them in a time of distress.

Also commenting on the issue, the Assistant Director, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Primary Health Care, Eban Mozan Local Government, said eight people have died from the epidemic, adding that blood samples of the affected people have been taken to Abuja and Lagos for test to identify the ailment.



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The Kano State Emergency Service Agency has confirmed the death of 10 teenage girls while two were reported missing after a passenger boat capsized on Lanjan river in Garun Malam local government area of the state.

The state SEMA Director, Abdullahi Aminu told Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that only the captain escaped the incident.

“We went to the scene and 10 bodies of the girls were recovered while two others remain missing, we are still searching for the remaining two,” Aminu said.

He said the boat was ferrying the girls, aged between eight and 14, across the river to the market on Monday when it capsized and sank following a rainstorm.

He said “the operator of the boat swam to safety but was unable to save any of the girls in the turbulent water.”



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Nigeria on Thursday sacked Stephen Keshi as national team coach, despite his side’s home win against Sudan that kept them in the running to defend their African title.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said after an emergency meeting that former coach Shuaibu Amodu would take temporary charge before a foreign manager is appointed.

The Super Eagles were rock bottom of Group A in qualifying for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations after winning just one point in three matches but a 3-1 win against Sudan in Abuja on Wednesday lifted them to third.

Speculation about 52-year-old Keshi’s future has refused to go away since the end of the World Cup finals in Brazil in July, where Nigeria reached the knock-out stages of the competition.

Keshi’s three-year deal ran out after the return from South America while he lost the support of players after much-publicised rows with the likes of Emmanuel Emenike, Peter Odemwingie and Ikechukwu Uche.

His record of five defeats, five draws and just one victory in the last 11 matches has only compounded dissatisfaction and led to calls for him to quit.

In a statement, the NFF said Keshi and his coaching staff had led Nigeria to “glorious accomplishments” in the last three years and called the coach and his assistants “true national heroes”.

“However, in the interest of Nigeria football and the desire to ensure qualification for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals, the (executive) committee decided to relieve them of their duties with immediate effect,” it added.

Unanimous approval was given for a consortium of coaches, led by Amodu, to lead Nigeria in their remaining qualifying matches against Congo and South Africa “after which an expatriate coach will be appointed”.

Amodu’s re-appointment comes four years after he was sacked and stopped from leading the country to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

This will be his fifth stint with the Eagles having first taken charge of the team in 1994.

The 56-year-old will be assisted by El Kanemi Warriors coach Salisu Yusuf, who worked under Samson Siasia both with the Flying Eagles and Super Eagles, and Gbenga Ogunbote of Sharks.

Their immediate task is to secure a win against Congo in Pointe Noire to stay in the reckoning for a place at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in January.

Nigeria have four points from as many matches while Congo are second on seven points. Group leaders South Africa travel to Nigeria for the final qualifying game next month.

Keshi’s sacking comes despite NFF president Amaju Pinnick saying this week that the football association would not rush into a decision over Keshi’s future.

“We want our people to be patient and not stampede the federation to take knee-jerk decisions that will backfire in the end,” he said on Monday.



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Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has appointed former Super Eagles Coach Samson Siasia as the new coach of the Under-23 team.

The NFF took the decision at its Executive Committee meeting which held yesterday and lasted till the wee hours of Thursday at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.





The last time Siasia held that position he won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, losing 1-0 to Argentina in the soccer final, a goal scored by Angel Di Maria for the Argentines.


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A female student of the Federal College of Education, Yaba, Lagos, Uduma Joy, was on Tuesday night shot dead by hoodlums during a clash between two rival groups on Apapa road, Ebute Meta , Lagos.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim, who was identified as a student of the Accounting Department of the college, was passing through the Apapa Road, Ebute Meta, when she was waylaid by the hoodlums.

The late Joy was reported to have resisted attempts by the hoodlums to dispossess her of her valuables. The hoodlums thereby shot her in the head and ran away .Her corpse has since been deposited in a morgue.

The clash between the two rival groups in the area worsened on Tuesday when they attacked one another and unleashed violence in the area, leaving residents to scamper to safety. It was learnt that the intervention of the men of the Iponri Police Division, who came to quell the violence, restored normalcy in the area.

PUNCH Metro had reported on October 6, 2014, that the rival groups, identified as the Otto Boys and Apapa Road Boys, engaged one another in a duel, stealing rams in the area during the Sallah break.

A man who claimed to be an eyewitness of the Tuesday brawl, Mr Ishola Agbodemu, said although normalcy had returned to the area, residents were still apprehensive.

He said, “The Otto boys and Apapa Road boys clashed again on Tuesday morning, causing pandemonium in the area. So on Tuesday night, the Otto boys came to stage a reprisal. About four of them carrying weapons were sighted in the area. On their way, they attempted to rob passersby. In the process, they robbed and killed a lady identified only as Joy, an Accounting student of the Federal College of Education, Akoka, Yaba, and Lagos.”

Some of the residents, who spoke with our correspondent, said they had not been able to sleep because the boys could foment trouble at any time. Some of them also said they had to flee the area for fear of being attacked. The residents urged the police to fish out the thugs and their sponsors so that peace could be restored to the area.

Our correspondent gathered that the hoodlums, believed to be sponsored by politicians in the area, always cashed in on the mayhem to dispossess residents of their valuables.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone, confirmed the incident. Nwosu said normalcy had returned to the area, adding that police were doing their best to arrest the killers of Uduma.

“Right now, many police officers have been dispatched to the area. One student of the Federal College of Education, Yaba, Lagos by name Joy Uduma, was killed,” he said.




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ABUJA—Chiefs of Defence Staff of Nigeria and Cameroon, yesterday commenced the Cameroon-Nigeria trans-border Military Operations Coordinating Conference, with the aim of evolving a joint military offensive strategy to tackle Boko Haram insurgency.





According to Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, the conference was “part of the ongoing efforts at engaging relevant stakeholders in our collective determination to address the challenges of terrorism and other acts of criminality which our two countries in particular and the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) countries in general are currently being confronted with”

Badeh said “the overall efforts is to contain terrorism in the sub region as agreed in previous meeting where it was agreed among other things, to conduct at the bilateral level, co-ordinated patrols along our common borders in order to crack down on Boko Haram, locate and save all abducted persons.

Badeh then recalled the series of meetings held in Paris, Yaoundé and Niamey, which were aimed at articulating a common approach towards addressing the threats posed by Boko Haram in North Eastern Nigeria and Northern Cameroon as well as the Lake Chad Basin.

He said, “specifically, the Yaoundé meeting highlighted the need to enhance the fight against terrorism by operationalizing the LCBC Multi National Task Force (MNTF).

“We agreed to set up an information sharing mechanism to support our joint operations against terrorist, as well as the importance of setting up an information sharing mechanism on gun smuggling and strengthen measures to protect all military hardware and armouries in our two countries”.

With a draft resolution yet to be finalized, Badeh said the need to work together and agree on the operational details that will guide the conduct of troops at the joint operations against terrorism is needed, as he advocated “a robust strategy that would lead to the defeat of terrorism within the sub-region”.

He added that ”While the resolution is being drafted, it is imperative that we work out and agree on the operational details that will guide the conduct of our troops as we jointly conduct operations against terrorists”.

The Cameroonian Chief of Defence, General Rene Claude Meka expressed optimism that the mutual cooperation and the need to strengthen same would be beneficial to the two countries, as both countries need each other.

He presented the souvenir of a Lion to the CDS of Nigeria, saying it indicated that with Nigeria and Cameroon working together, they will finish off Boko Haram in no distant time.

Present at the coordinating Conference were the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General KJT Minimah; CNS, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Rear Admiral Okoi.




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The ongoing promotional examination of policemen to the rank of Sergeant and Inspector, at the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos, turned tragic yesterday after a Police Sergeant attached to the Oyo State Police Command slumped and died.

The Sergeant identified simply as Lekan, reportedly wrote the promotional examination with his other colleagues between Wednesday and Friday last week.

Vanguard gathered that officers who passed the examination were expected to undergo an assessment exercise with a team of senior Police officers headed by an Assistant Inspector General of Police.

Before the assessment, the policemen reportedly assembled in a syndicate of 50 on the parade ground, awaiting their turn.

But the situation took a tragic dimension when Sergeant Lekan, who was to be promoted to the rank of Inspector, reportedly slumped at about 1pm. Members of his syndicate were said to have tried all they could to resuscitate him, to no avail.

A doctor said to have arrived the parade ground informed the perplex policemen that Lekan had passed on.

An ambulance from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH , later arrived the scene and removed the corpse to the mortuary .

Though the situation jolted the policemen but it did not stop the assessment exercise .

Police sources at the college told Vanguard that the deceased came to the college sick.

According to a policeman who spoke on condition of anonymity, “we are from the same command. Lekan was involved in an auto accident back in Oyo state.

“In fact, he managed to come for the promotional course because he had been sick. He passed the examination that was written last week.”



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