Author: straightnewsng.com

The Nigerian Army has flared at claims by Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmed Gumi that it deploys troops to fight insecurity based on ethnic and religious lines. In a video that went viral in February, the renowned and respected Islamic scholar alleged that non-Muslim soldiers were responsible for the attacks against bandits. The Islamic scholar was seen telling the bandits that the soldiers involved in most attacks against them were non-Muslims, insisting that they should be aware that soldiers are divided into Muslims and non- Muslims. Gumi is a retired army Captain and knew the import of making such weighty claims. In a statement…

A 31-year-old man from Ikot Akwa in Obot Akara Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State who turned to a pastor in the courtroom failed to dissuade the presiding Judge from sentencing him to death. Edidiong Pius Ototi was accused of killing his father, Pius David Ototi, whom he accused of being a wizard, quoted Bible portions, and begged the Judge to forgive him in tempering justice with mercy. Despite the tricks, Akwa Ibom State High Court in Ikot Ekpene, Monday, still sentenced him to death for killing his father. In its judgment, the court, presided over by Justice Augustine Odokwo,…

French billionaire politician, Olivier Dassault, has died in a helicopter crash in north-western France. The accident occurred on Sunday evening, March 8 in Normandy where he had a holiday home. The 69-year-old, who was the eldest son of the late French billionaire Serge Dassault, was returning to Paris following a weekend in the English Channel resort of Deauville when his AS350 Squirrel crashed. The father-of-three, who was heir to the Dassault Aviation fortune, died alongside the helicopter’s pilot. ”They had just taken off, when the helicopter got into difficulty and came down on private land,’ said an investigating source. France’s…

Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has bemoaned the negative impacts COVID-19 has had on women in the country. Mrs Buhari, in a message she released to mark the 2021 edition of International Women’s Day on Monday, said that she was not unaware of the impact the action had on reversing the gains already made on girl-child education. The First Lady, who has been out of the country for many months and had not been heard about,  enumerated the impacts to include disrupted education and careers, lost jobs, descent into poverty, and proliferation of domestic violence. She said, “Many have also…

As today is marked as International Women’s Day globally, some women in Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom State have voiced out their love for womenfolk, saying ‘’We have no regret being women.’’ One of the women is Augustina Wilfred Ikowa from Ibeno Local Government Area. Ikowa who dressed traditionally to reflect the culture of her area joined her contemporaries from the 31 local government areas to congregate at Ibom Hall Grounds, IBB Avenue, Uyo in marking the epoch-making day. With traditionally sewn raffia hat and wrapper and singlet to match, Mrs Ikowa was excited to attend the ceremony which she saw as…

Meghan Markle, wife of Prince Harry, said she contemplated suicide while she was staying in the royal family. In a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said she asked officials at Buckingham Palace for medical help but was told it would damage the institution. The embattled Duchess of Sussex said of her suicidal thoughts: “I was ashamed to have to admit it to Harry. I knew that if I didn’t say it, I would do it.” She admitted to Oprah that she would have committed suicide and since the royal family won’t help her, claiming to have turned to a…

President Muhammadu Buhari has celebrated Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, remarking that he puts the interest of Nigeria above other narrow considerations. Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s spokesman, in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, quoted Buhari as saying this in a message to celebrate the Vice President on his 64th birthday on March 8, 2021. Buhari said the vice-president is a cool-headed gentleman, who puts the interest of Nigeria above other narrow considerations. The President described Osinbajo as “a reliable and dedicated deputy, who is not only admirably competent, but also exudes confidence and passion in the performance of his job.”…

Enugu State in Nigeria has sacked other states after recording 78 COVID-19 new cases on Sunday, March 7, latest figures from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control have shown. This was as Nigeria recorded 269 new confirmed cases and five deaths on Sunday against 195 recorded on March 6. NCDC in its Twitter handle of Sunday, March 7 said ”On the 7th of March 2021, 269 new confirmed cases and 5 deaths were recorded in Nigeria. According to the public health agency, ”The 269 new cases are reported from 19 states- Enugu (78), Bauchi (37), Rivers (22), Imo (18), Ogun (16),…

Manchester United ended Manchester City’s English top-flight record winning streak of 21 games in all competitions with a 2-0 derby win at the Etihad on Sunday. Bruno Fernandes’s early penalty and Luke Shaw’s first Premier League goal for three years moved United back into second place, 11 points adrift of runaway leaders City. A landmark win for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men has almost certainly come too late to reignite the Premier League title race. But just a third win in nine league games takes United back above Leicester and opens up an eight-point cushion in the battle to secure a…

Oyo residents have heaved a sigh of relief following the arrest of a notorious Fulani warlord, Ishikilu Wakili, who terrorised Oyo communities for a long time. A joint team of Ibarapa security operatives, including Oodua Peoples Congress, Vigilante, and other groups arrested Wakili after several failed attempts in a gun battle. Unconfirmed reports said that Wakili and his gang were involved in the killings and kidnapping of several people in Ibarapa, Oke Ogun, Oyo State. Wakili was nabbed barely seven days after his second-in-command, Isiaka Muhammadu, was arrested alongside four others. The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, confirmed…