Author: straightnewsng.com

Brutal witch-hunts and lynchings have plunged parts of Papua New Guinea’s highlands into a state of terror, as fearful tribes blame dark forces for their rapidly changing world. Mother-of-two Rachel showed the scars from wounds inflicted on her in April 2017 when she was accused of sorcery and witchcraft and tortured with hot machetes, spades and rods in Paua New Guinea. In one particularly horrifying incident, an elderly woman writhed and pleaded hysterically as she was mercilessly beaten, raped and tortured on a hut floor, before her naked body – bloodied and nearly lifeless- was dragged outside, where a village…

The Peoples Democratic Party says it has rejected the appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari, as the Chairperson of INEC Advisory Committee and Presidential Election Collation Centre Committee. The main opposition party said via a statement signed by Kola Ologbondiyan, Director, Media & Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, it has complained to Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC Chairman that Zakari is a niece of President Muhammadu Buhari. Amina Zakari, a national commissioner at the Independent and National Electoral Commission (INEC), Thursday, was appointed to head the collation centre of the elections. Speaking during the inauguration, Yakubu said Zakari was appointed to head…

The maiden visit of Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s president to Akwa Ibom State on Friday, December 28, 2018 for the flag-off ceremony of the All Progressives Congress, APC, South South campaign rally did not come without inconceivable hurdles, Straightnews has exclusively learnt. As critics and cynics were still in shock how a high profile visitor and President’s wife- Her Excellency, Aisha Buhari- was brought to the state for Senator Godswill Akpabio’s empowerment programme, the news of Buhari’s visit dropped like a thunderbolt in the ears of many. “No sooner had the news seeped out than some paid agents, blackmailers and…

Senator Dino Melaye’s prayer to remove police blockade from his residence met a brickwall as a Federal High Court, in Abuja, refused to grant the ex-parte application. Melaye approached the court through his lawyer, Nkem Okoro of the Mike Ozekhome (SAN) chambers, for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights as the police have laid siege in his residence for seven days now. The court had subsequently fixed Thursday for the hearing of the ex-parte application filed together with the enforcement of his fundamental human rights’ suit. In the ex-parte application, Melaye prayed the court for an interim order of…

Nigeria’s oil output has risen by additional 200,000 barrels per day, bpd, following the coming on stream of Egina field. Before the coming on stream of the field, the Federal Government had put Nigeria’s oil output at 2.3 million bpd, meaning that the output has now increased to 2.5 million bpd. Total, operator of the field, Wednesday, stated that it started the production on December 29, 2018, from the Egina field, located in around 1,600 meters of water depths, 150 kilometers off the coast of Nigeria. The company said in a statement: “The Egina field will produce 200,000 barrels of…

Serving Overseer of Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare, has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for putting some square pegs in round holes. In an interview aired in Calgary, Canada on Tuesday and monitored by TheCable, the fiery preacher said: “In Nigeria, what I have found out is we put square pegs in round holes, and round pegs in square holes. For example, the person in charge of budget and planning is a lawyer. “What experience has he gotten other than federal character. You can begin to look at each ministry the same way, and the civil service that is supposed to be…

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has urged Erin-Ile and Offa people to remain calm, following the Supreme Court judgment over their protracted boundary dispute. Ahmed made the appeal in Ilorin Wednesday through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr. Muyideen Akorede as the two communities have had long-drawn boundary dispute, leading to occasional violent clashes between them. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the nation’s apex court on December 14, 2018, re-affirmed its decision of December 10, 1973 that the disputed land at the boundary between the two communities belongs to Erin-Ile. The judgment would lead…

The Federal Government generated more than $2 billion from the renewal of oil block licences for use in funding this year’s budget, Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, has said. Kachikwu said: “We have actually asked for early renewals, because we needed to get money out of it to help finance the budget and from that process, we have actually gotten about $2 billion.” He said his ministry deliberately put a policy in place to hasten renewals with the purpose of funding the 2019 budget. The minister added: “I put a policy of early renewals in place so…

The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has rejected Mathew Kukah’s initiative to train almajiri children. Kukah, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto State, had announced his plans to train 10 million almajiri children in the North. But, MURIC in a statement Wednesday, described Kukah’s proposal as a ploy for “modern colonialism and a potential time bomb.” The group cautioned Muslims elders against accepting the idea, saying they should empower people of the same faith to cater for almajiri children. The statement read: “We all agree that something must be done about the almajiri children. We can welcome ideas from everyone…

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, has said that voters would elect candidates on their personal merit in 2019, unlike in 2015 when they voted “one party all through.” “In 2015, voters were asked to vote APC in all elections. That gave the party a massive momentum and all its candidates were returned elected. “The situation will be different in 2019. Many governors and senators have not performed. They have not replicated President Muhammadu Buhari’s performance. Such people will be voted out,” he told newsmen yesterday in Yola. He said that voters were now more…