Abuja Bloggers

Abuja Bloggers: My services are still available – Boko Haram negot... : Northern-born journalist widely reported to have strong ties with the Boko Haram sect, Ahmad Salkida, has said that he is still readily ...

Northern-born journalist widely reported to have strong ties with the Boko Haram sect, Ahmad Salkida, has said that he is still readily available to render his services to bring an end to the insurgency in the country. Salkida was said to be close to the late Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf, as well as many top shots of the group. He had since fled to the United Arab Emirates on account of an alleged threat to his life over what he described as his “professional closeness” to the insurgents. “My first-rate exclusive reports on the insurgency in northern Nigeria served by the Boko Haram militant group unsettled a section of the local authorities. This consequently led to threats to my life. I now live with my family and work part-time in the United Arab Emirates,” a post on his LinkedIn page read. But, writing on Twitter, Salkida stated that despite being “gagged for doing his work dutifully and lawfully,” he is still willing to make use of his “rare” working rel...

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday granted an application by the Federal Government to call two additional witnesses against Senator Aliyu Ndume, who is facing charges of sponsoring the violent Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram. The proposed witnesses, according to the Federal Government, are the MTN and a forensic expert. Three prosecution witnesses had already testified in the case. Justice Gabriel Kolawole, after dismissing Ndume’s opposition to the prosecution’s application on Tuesday, gave the Federal Government seven days to file its additional proof of evidence and serve same on the defence. Ndume had through his lawyer, Mr. Rickey Tarfa (SAN), argued that the request to call additional witnesses by the prosecution was “a ploy to bring back through the back door”, exhibits which the Court of Appeal had ruled were wrongly admitted by the trial court. But Justice Kolawole held that the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, delivered by J...

An overwhelming number of Nigerians are of the view that the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government should not release detained Boko Haram members in exchange for the 234 girls abducted from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14. In a well-circulated video showing some of the abducted girls, the leader of the violent Islamist sect, Abubakar Shekau, had given the proposal as a condition for the release of the abducted pupils. Respondents, in a poll conducted by PUNCH ONLINE on the question ‘Should the FG agree to Boko Haram’s proposal to free detained terrorists before the sect releases the 234 abducted Chibok schoolgirls?’ voted overwhelmingly that it would be a wrong step for the FG to succumb to such a demand. The poll opened on May 15, 2014. At the end of the poll on May 23, 2014, one thousand and seventy seven respondents had taken part, choosing either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the poll question. The outcome showed that 869 resp...

Boko Haram insurgents continued their rampage on Monday night, killing 49 security operatives and civilians in two communities in Yobe and Borno states. In the attack on Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, they left 20 soldiers and 20 policemen dead while in   Chinene, Gwoza LGA of Borno State, they cut the lives of nine civilians short. The Divisional Police Officer   and the Divisional Crime Officer of the Police Station in Bunu Yadi were believed to be among the victims of the attack by the insurgents who stormed the town with an Armoured Personnel Carrier and Toyota Hilux vans. Residents said the attackers dressed in camouflage and   hoisted Boko Haram’s flag on the APC and the vans. They said   the gunmen,   on arrival moved straight to the military formation in the town from where they launched the attack which lasted over two hours. The attackers were said to have set the military formati...

Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson, speaks with Abuja Bloggers on her marriage and acting career Any conversation that Nollywood star Mercy Johnson will have with you nowadays can hardly be complete without her making intermittent reference to her husband of three years, Odianosen Okogie. Mention his name and her face instantly lights up. Besides her exploits in Nollywood, she professes finding fulfilment in her marriage even though the road to the union was fraught with obstacles that made news. At a time many celebrity marriages are collapsing, the Kogi-State born thespian is eager to share what she describes as her winning formula. She says, “It is simply commitment, having a great husband and being submissive as a woman. And I must add knowing how to deal with your differences with love. Motherhood is just the best thing to have happened to me and in no way would I say it has slowed me or my career down. “I thank God I am a mother because it has given me the ...

The 2014 African Nations Championship Most Valuable Player, Ejike Uzoenyi, alongside Almeria midfielder   Ramon Azeez and Belgium-based Michael Uchebo were impressive during the Super Eagles training on Tuesday ahead of the friendly game against Scotland on Wednesday (today). Coach Stephen Keshi will certainly be in good mood as the team’s more established players also gave a good account of themselves at the Craven Cottage training pitch under chilly conditions, as the fight for the 2014 World Cup places intensified. Forward Nnamdi Oduamadi, who missed the first training session of the team, arrived in camp after lunch time yesterday after a visa mix-up but France-based Sunday Mba, remained the only player yet to join the team in London. There are doubts over the ability of the midfielder, who scored the winner to hand the Eagles a third Africa Cup of Nations title last year, to arrive in time for the match against the Scots. Meanwhile, players have ...

‘Ori Owo’crooner, Tillaman has debuted new singles, photos and name. Tillaman, who has a few popular songs to his credit, bagged a political appointment as Youth Musical Ambassador in his home-state, Oyo State, but it seemed all did not fetch him the ‘superstar’ status he craved. According to a recent release, this was because “the brand needed to come of age”. Hence, the birth of TILLA. “TILLA is everything TILLAMAN was, in higher measures, and a lot more. Not only are we just about to experience the VOICE in all its richness, strength at ranges and pitches unimaginable, we’re also just about to meet the sweet, smooth, sensual gentleman that is the new man, TILLA. All name labels and other representations will henceforth bear the name “TILLA” instead of “TILLAMAN”. TILLA also recently teamed up with producer J-Fem (best known for producing W4′s monster-hit, Kontrol) and in introducing us to the new man TILLA as well as this new musical synergy between him and J-Fem, The songs ar...

A bill requiring pornographic film actors to wear condoms during sex scenes easily passed through the California State Assembly on Tuesday in Sacramento, in the U.S. Its passage was in spite of resistance from most of the adult film industry. The bill would also require employers to test pornography film actors regularly for sexually transmitted diseases. The lower house passed the measure 48-13, with 19 Assembly members not voting, and the bill now goes to the Senate. State Assembly member Isadore Hall, a Democrat from Compton who authored the bill, has hailed the measure as a public health effort. The legislator said the bill was aimed at reducing the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, within the pornography industry. Adult film actors are 10 times more likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease than the general public, according to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the group which sponsored the bill. The Free Speech Coalition, which represents the pornography in...

Bomb blast kills 3 people in Jos, Plateau State Nigeria. The casualities was said to have been watching a champion's leaque football match. An eye witness said that it was a suicide bomber who carried out the attack.

If  you  think the menace of hooliganism is limited to Lagos, then be prepared to face the social miscreants, popularly known as area boys, in the Federal Capital Territory and other parts of the country such as Oyo, Kwara, Ogun, Osun, Sokoto and  Bauchi  as they are fast spreading their tentacles across the nation. The hangouts of the so-called area boys, who are either forced into that way of life or are born into that particular social strata, are bus stops, major highways and the streets where they steal from pedestrians or  forcefully take  money from people going about their daily businesses. With  little or no education, they are products of  broken homes while their criminal activities range from rape, theft, arson, intimidation to extortion. Many FCT residents have had experiences with  the area boys. They have been made to part with money and precious items by the boys. One Mohammed Shehu, a self-confessed  area boy, told Sunday Vanguard how he had dropped out of secondary sc...

The Nigerian Society of Engineers has advised the Nigerian government to privatise the Nigeria Railway Corporation in order to create an alternative transport system and decongest the nation’s roads. Addressing a news conference in Abuja on Friday, the President of the Society, Mr Ademola Olorunfemi, attributed the high volume of traffic on the nation’s highway was due to the inability of the Federal Government to provide alternative means of transportation. Part of the President Jonathan’s administration’s agenda is the reform of Nigeria’s rail system to provide an alternative means of transportation for persons, goods and service from one part of the country to another, but the group said the sector is yet to showcase the efficiency need in the sector. However, since the reform began there have been reports of improvement in the rail sector, as the Lagos Kano route commenced operation, but the union is calling for its privatisation in order to facilitate the reform. ‘Collapse Of B...

The Bomb blast exploded in a vehicle loaded with explosives. The bomb exploded after few minutes after the car was parked near a crowd of people close the same location where the previous blomb blast took place 2weeks ago.