Author: straightnewsng.com

An Italian priest was kidnapped, Monday, in south Niger, near the border with Burkina Faso, the second abduction of a European in the West African country this year. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the kidnapping, which was confirmed on Tuesday by the Nigerian and Italian governments. West African states have been struggling to gain the upper hand over jihadist groups, including some affiliated with al Qaeda and Islamic State, which are active along Niger’s porous borders with both Mali and Burkina Faso. The kidnapping took place in the village of Bomanga, in the southern Makalondi district, about…

The trade war between the United States and China again escalated Tuesday, as Beijing announced 10 percent tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. imports. This comes one day after President Donald Trump announced a 10 percent tariff on $200 billion in Chinese imports starting next week. The U.S. administration said the tariffs will rise to 25 percent in January. Trump reacted on Twitter, promising “great and fast economic retaliation against China if our farmers, ranchers and/or industrial workers are targeted.” Trump added that many of those workers back his presidency, saying the Chinese tariffs are an attempt to influence U.S.…

A Magistrates’ Court in Minna on Tuesday ordered the remand of one Ade Ilesanmi in prison for allegedly causing the death of his wife. Ilesanmi had pleaded not guilty to a count of culpable homicide, contrary to Section 221 of the Penal Code. The Prosecutor, Sergeant Aliyu Malami, had told the court that one Blessing Kunle reported the matter at the A Division Police station in Suleja. Malami said that the accused hit his wife, Patience, with his fist over a minor misunderstanding on August 31 at 9:30 p.m. He said that the blow caused blood…

Elder statesman, Tanko Yakasai, has challenged the agitators of restructuring to tell Nigerians its real meaning. There has been an ongoing debate on the issue of restructuring the country, with some of its proponents expressing different views on what it entails. Speaking at a public lecture organised by Africa Research and Development Agency, ARADA, in Kano on Sunday, Yakassai said “It is upon those who are agitating for restructuring to tell Nigerians the real meaning of restructuring. For example, how will Nigeria look like after restructuring? What is your fate? “If restructuring means constitutional amendments, there is…

The emergence of Senate President Bukola Saraki and his predecessor, Senator David Mark, in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential primaries contest has reshaped the permutations on the ticket as their separate bids cause divisions in their strongholds in the National Assembly and North Central geo-political zone. The campaign of the third aspirant from the North-Central, Senator Jonah Jang, who is also a serving senator, has, however, failed to pick momentum. Senator Rabiu Kwankwanso from Kano State is the fourth member of the National Assembly involved in the PDP presidential contest, but he is from the North West…

Ahead of October 6 Presidential convention of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, slated for Port Harcourt, some aspirants are not comfortable with the use of the Rivers state capital for the all-important event. The aspirants, Vanguard gathered, are demanding an alternative venue. It would be recalled that last Thursday, when the PDP governors and the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party held a meeting with the aspirants, the governors had picked Port Harcourt, ditching  Enugu and Akwa Ibom, on the excuse that Port Harcourt had more hotel space than the two states. In that meeting held at Ekiti State Governor’s Lodge,…

The Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, a faction of Boko Haram has killed one of the three humanitarian workers abducted in Rann, Kala Balge local government area of Borno State. The victim- Saifura Ahmed- was abducted alongside Leman and Alice Ngaddah, a mother of two, who are the ones in captivity among the three people abducted in Rann during a raid on a military facility in the area on March 1. In a video seen by TheCable, the deceased was wearing a white hijab. She was shot from behind. At least four soldiers, policemen and three humanitarian workers were killed in…

The Senate President and presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Bukola Saraki, Monday, said the Nigerians need a president who can save the soul of a divided country. “In Nigeria, we are at the crossroad and we need to save the soul of this country because we have not been so divided like we are facing currently across the country. Saraki, who spoke at the PDP Secretariat in Lagos State noted,”There are many killings across the country and this makes some section of the country to be wondering if they are part of this country,”…

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the Federal High Court, Abuja, Monday, barred its judges across the federation from granting ex-parte orders in any political case brought before the court. It equally directed that all pending political cases that could affect the opportunity of candidates to pursue their political ambition should be concluded before the end of next month. Chief Judge of the High Court, Justice Abdul Abdu-Karafati, who gave the directives during a special session the court held to mark the commencement of its 2018/2019 Legal Year, said the decision was aimed at forestalling hiccups and the…

French Telecoms company- Orange and leading West African Connectivity and Data Centre services provider, MainOne- have struck a partnership deal to improve internet access in French West Africa countries. The deal will see the French telecoms giant co-invest in two new cable landing stations in Dakar, Senegal and Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, while MainOne will provide additional capacity via its 7000km cable system from Europe to Africa, with landing stations in Nigeria, Ghana and Portugal. The partnership is to reinforce the position of both companies in the African telecommunications ecosystem. With this new cable connection, several countries in…