Bini Times

Some 6000 people in Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo are believed to be infected with yellow fever, six times the number of confirmed cases, but no new infections have been confirmed since July 12, the World Health Organization says. Around 7.7 million people were vaccinated over 10 days in a major campaign in the Congo capital of Kinshasa, Oyewale Tomori, chair of WHO's Emergency Committee, told a news conference on Wednesday. The outbreak does not constitute an international public health emergency, but intense population movements across the border to neighbouring Republic of Congo pose a risk of further spread, the panel of independent experts said. The WHO's global stockpile of yellow fever vaccine has six million doses, but it is working with four vaccine makers to boost production and reach 20 million doses by December, said Dr Peter Salama, executive director of WHO's emergencies programme.

A herdsman has been arrested with an AK-47 assault rifle and 24 rounds of live ammunition in Enugu.  The Police Public Relations Officer, Enugu State Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who announced the arrest on Tuesday, identified the herdsman as Ibrahim Adamumale.  Adamumale, said to be about 20 years old, is from Nasarawa State. He resides at Hausa Quarters in the 9th Mile Area of Enugu, but rears cattle in communities within the Udi Local Government Area and environs.  It was gathered that Adamumale was apprehended in a bush in Affa community, in the Udi area on August 29.  Amaraizu explained that the herdsman was in possession of the “sophisticated” weapon and ammunition when he was accosted by policemen and some members of the community.  He revealed that members of the community had earlier informed security agents about the herdsman’s violent activities in the area.  Amaraizu said Adamumale fired several shots into the air in an attempt to evade arrest, statin

The Federal Government has inaugurated a 26-member Standing Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee to address the rejection of Nigeria`s dry beans by the European Union. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, while performing the inauguration in Abuja on Tuesday, urged the committee members to work as a team to achieve the desired goal. “It is my pleasure to welcome you to this important workshop for members of the Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee on Zero Reject of Agricultural Commodities and Produce/Non-Oil Exports. “We are here to take our destinies in our hands by finding lasting solution to incessant rejection of our agricultural commodities, especially in Europe. “We need to avoid the embarrassment of further rejection in the future by strengthening our regulatory authorities to live up to their mandates. “Our desire for agricultural products and non-oil exports means there will be vigorous pursuit of investment in quality control an

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, the Igbo socio-political organisation, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra have expressed support for the bill assented to by the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, which categorises grazing with arms in the state as terrorism. But the umbrella body for northern groups, the Arewa Consultative Forum, however, said any law which contravened the constitution of the country would be illegal, adding that any Nigerian was free to move in any part of the country. Fayose had, while signing the ‘prohibition of cattle and other Ruminants Grazing in Ekiti 2016’ into law on Monday, said any herdsman, caught with any form of weapons while grazing his cattle in any part of the state, would be arrested and charged with terrorism. Afenifere, which spoke through its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, on Tuesday, described Fayose’s action as courageous and worthy of emulation. Oduma

A 76-year-old man, Ademola Adeniran, has been arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court, Lagos, for an alleged fraud committed by his son, Lukman Adeniran. The septuagenarian was arraigned on Tuesday on two counts bordering on perversion of justice. PUNCH Metro learnt that Lukman was arrested by operatives from the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja for converting a sum of N3m given to him by a firm to his personal use. The firm, whose name was not disclosed, had reportedly contracted Lukman to supply charcoal and given him the money, but he failed to produce the goods. After futile efforts to get the product or retrieve the sum, the firm was said to have reported to the police, leading to Lukman’s arrest sometime in March 2015. Our correspondent gathered that his father, Ademola, approached police operatives at the X-Squad Unit of the state police command, where Lukman was detained, and agreed to stand as a surety for him. The suspect was said to have been grante

The terror caliphate Isis has announced that its chief spokesman and one of its most senior figureheads has been killed in the Syrian city of Aleppo. Abu Muhammed al-Adnani was “martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo,” the group’s Aamaq News Agency said on Tuesday without providing any details. No date of his death was given although a eulogy of Adnani was released, dated 29 August 2016. Read more US urges Turkey and Syrian factions to fight against Isis Adnani was believed to be the second most important leader of Isis, after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in charge of all of its operations beyond the bounds of its self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq. He is also one of the group's longest-serving top commanders. Some western offiicals believe he met al-Baghadi in a US prison camp after being arrested in Iraq in 2005. The Aamaq agency vowed to take revenge against the “filthy cowards in the sect of disbelief.” It said a generation rais

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, is visiting Nigeria for a few days. Zuckerberg says he’ll be “meeting with developers and entrepreneurs, and learning about the startup ecosystem in Nigeria” during his time in Lagos. In line with this, Zuckerberg’s first notable stop was at Co-Creation Hub (Cc Hub), in Yaba, Lagos’ Silicon Valley-style ground zero for start-ups. Over the years, Cc Hub has served as a start-up incubator and accelerator, housing successful start-ups such as BudgIT, a civic enterprise which focuses on accountability and transparency in government budgets. While at Cc Hub, Zuckerberg also met with young kids attending a summer coding camp. Zuckerberg may meet with Nigeria’s president Buhari or vice president Osinbajo before he leaves, according to one person familiar with the plans, but the meeting hasn’t been confirmed. The arrangements for Zuckerberg’s visit to Nigeria were successfully kept under wraps till he appeared in Lagos today (Aug. 30) after a visit to Ro

Blac Chyna is taking a page from Kim Kardashian's book, literally. The future star of E!'s newest series Rob & Chyna is baring her all on the cover of the Beautiful People Class of 2016 issue of Paper magazine. The expecting 28-year-old is seen posing in nothing but her birthday suit and ornate gold headband while holding her baby bump sans her fiancé Rob Kardashian for the fashion publication. Throughout the revealing photo shoot, the future Mrs. Kardashian poses while scantily clad in a series of sexy images. During a trailer for E!'s upcoming six-episode docu-series, Rob and Chyna's love story plays out in front of the cameras for the world to see. "I fell in love with you because I know how good you are and how loyal you are," Rob is seen telling his future wife in one scene. But it's not all lovey dovey for the soon-to-be married duo, as the trailer shows the two in the middle of an argument, dealing with family drama and all of the outlying str

An explosion has occurred around the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek, reports Interfax news agency citing a local emergency ministry's representative. There are no confirmed casualty figures yet. "The exact number is being verified," the representative said. AFP news gency reports that a car exploded after ramming into gate at the embassy, according to local police. Local medics said the driver of the car was killed while two embassy staff and a woman were injured in the blast. aljazeera

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The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command, Abdulmajid Ali, says the case of Joe Chinakwe, who named his dog Buhari, has no connection with President Muhammadu Buhari. The AIG said the man named after his neighbour’s father and not the President. He said Chinakwe was not arraigned for naming the dog Buhari, but for inscribing the name on both sides of the dog and parading it around the Ketere area of Sango Ota, in the Ado Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, adding that his behaviour was capable of causing a breach of the peace. Chinakwe, who had been released on bail, was arraigned after his neighbour, Halilu Umar, whose late father bore Buhari, reported him to the police. In a statement on Monday, by the zone 2 command spokesperson, SP Muyiwa Adejobi, the AIG, stated that the case was misconstrued as an attack on the President. The statement read in part, “The case has nothing to do with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President

Controller-General of Prisons, Dr. Peter Ekpendu Sporadic gunfire caused pandemonium at Kuje Prison, Abuja, on Monday, following a riot by some inmates, who resisted the attempt by prison officials to search their cells for banned items. It was gathered that security operatives fired gunshots and tear gas canisters to restore law and order and control the rioters. This happened 11 days after a similar incident in Abakaliki Prison, Ebonyi State, that led to the death of six inmates and injuries to four prison warders. The Monday riot occurred two months after two inmates, standing trial for culpable homicide, escaped from the Kuje Prison on June 25. The fleeing inmates have yet to be re-arrested. Sources in the prison said the violent protest was brought under control by the armed squad of the Nigerian Prisons Service supported by soldiers providing additional security cover for the formation. The incident, it was learnt, caused panic among residents of Kuje community, who believed

Nigeria’s Dangote Cement has started its shake-up of the Kenyan market with importation of the commodity from its plant in neighbouring Ethiopia as it prepares to establish a local manufacturing plant. Dangote’s targeting of the Kenyan consumer with low-cost cement from Ethiopia is expected to further drive retail prices downward in a market where they have remained static for nearly 10 years. Importing cement into Kenya is seen as Dangote’s short-term market entry plan as it prepares to establish a local plant in 2019. “In addition, we have begun exporting cement to neighbouring Kenya,” the company, which is owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, said in its latest trading update. Dangote said the cement exported to Kenya is priced at about $74 (Sh7,400) per tonne, making it up to 40 per cent cheaper than locally manufactured brands. The price is expected to incorporate the cost of transporting the cement to Kenya as well as taxes where applicable, while still leaving the com

One of the issues believed to have been discussed by President Muhammadu Buhari and the visiting U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, during a closed-door meeting last Tuesday was the return of millions of dollars of Nigeria's money looted by late military dictator, Sani Abacha. However, Nigeria stands the risk of forfeiting a hefty N218.3 billion ($550 million) already recovered from Mr Abacha's estate if a suit filed by an American-based Nigerian lawyer against the Nigerian government in a United States federal court is not quickly resolved. Texas-based attorney, Godson Nnaka, who was contracted by the Nigerian government in 2004 to help find and recover funds siphoned by Mr Abacha and his associates, has asked the court to appoint him a private attorney general of the fund as well as award him 40 percent of the recovered fund. He claimed he made the request in line with United States law. Mr. Nnaka has also accused the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister

President Muhammadu Buhari’s position on unleashing military forces on Niger Delta militants may not have changed 4 months after he stated the position. Recall that in April this during his visit to China, the president while meeting with the Nigerian community there said that saboteurs and vandals of the oil and gas installations in the Niger Delta region would be given the Boko Haram treatment should they continue with their nefarious acts. He had said: “I ask for your support to make our vision of stamping out corruption a reality in the shortest possible time. Whoever is caught will not be spared. The government is still being dared, but those who are sensible should have learned a lesson. Those who are mad, let them continue in their madness. “I am aware that in the last two weeks, the national grid collapsed a number of times. I hope this message will reach the vandals and saboteurs who are blowing up pipelines and installations. We will deal with them the way we

Gov. Fayose just signed the Ekiti State Open Grazing Prohibition Bill into law in the presence of over 3,000 Traditional Chiefs in Ekiti. Under the law, herdsmen are forbidden from carrying arms and movement of cows and other animals from one location to another is prohibited. The law prescribes six months imprisonment without option of fine for any herdsman who violates the grazing prohibition while any herdsman found with arms will be charged with terrorism.

The 2016 MTV Video Music Awards were free of controversy and full of powerful performances. From Beyoncé's surprise stage recreation of "Lemonade," to Britney Spears' big comeback, here are some of the best moments from Sunday's show. Beyoncé brings down the house Queen Bey walked the red carpet with several of the women featured in the "Lemonade" visual album -- mothers of gun violence victims among them. Midway through the show, Serena Williams introduced Beyoncé for an unexpected performance of several of her "Lemonade" hits. The album scored Beyoncé eight Moon Man trophies -- including Video of the Year for "Formation." Britney Spears' triumphant return Back with a capital 'B.' Britney Spears returned to the VMA stage for the first time since 2007 and slayed. The pop star performed her new single, "Make Me" with G-Easy. The two had a clear connection and she was back in the dance form that made her famous.

The impeachment trial of Brazil's Dilma Rousseff will reach a dramatic point on Monday, with the suspended president set to defend herself in the Senate. Ms Rousseff is accused of illegally manipulating the budget to hide a growing deficit. She denies the allegations and says the impeachment proceedings amount to a coup d'etat. Senators are due to vote this week on whether to remove her from office for good or whether to reinstate her. For her to be removed from the presidency permanently, 54 of the 81 senators would have to vote for her impeachment. Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo says it has spoken to all the senators ahead of the vote and that 52 have so far declared themselves in favour of the impeachment. Eighteen told the newspaper they were opposed to the impeachment and 11 either did not say which way they would vote or were undecided. If Ms Rousseff, 68, is impeached, acting President Michel Temer will serve out her term, which ends in December 2018. Mr Temer, who

A suicide bomber killed at least 54 people when he drove a car bomb into a militia compound in Aden on Monday, the health ministry said, in one of the deadliest attacks claimed by Islamic State in the southern Yemeni port city. The director general of Yemen's health ministry in Aden, al-Khader Laswar, told Reuters that at least 67 other people were wounded in the attack in the city's Mansoura district. The militant Islamic State group said in a statement carried by its Amaq news agency one of its suicide bombers carried out the bombing. "Around 60 dead in a martyrdom operation by a fighter from Islamic State targeting a recruitment center in Aden city," the statement said, without giving further details. A security source said the attack targeted a school compound where conscripts of the Popular Committees, forces allied to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, were gathered for breakfast. Witnesses said the suicide bomber entered the compound behind a truck that had br

Some 1100 migrants have been rescued as part of 11 rescue operations by authorities in the Channel of Sicily, the Italian Coast Guard says. Migrants were picked up on Sunday from eight rafts, a boat and two punts by three units of the Italian Navy and the vessel Astral, which is operated by the "Open Arms" NGO, according to public broadcaster Rai. According to data from the Italian Interior Ministry, an estimated 100,328 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean from the North African coast this year, until August 9. After reaching Italian shores, many of the migrants begin their journey to reach countries in northern Europe.

Samson Siasia, Nigeria's Bronze winning coach at Rio 2016 has resigned from his post as head coach despite his team's heroics this summer saying he's doing so because of 'a disrespectful system'     'I have reached that point where I have to say I have had  enough, I've gone several months without getting paid, years of being derided and disrespected by the sports authorities in Nigeria but I am done already." Siasia, whose contract expires at the end of the Olympics, told BBC Sport.     It's sad that after all we went through to get to Brazil and end up winning a bronze medal, the players, coaching and backroom staff never received a 'thank you' in appreciation despite a turbulent time at the Olympics" Sisasia added.     "First we had the minister deride us for camping in Atlanta and even denied our existence as a group before the flight problems," recalled Siasia.     "Players had to embark on a strike to be heard, th

 Actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, her husband Matthew and their children are currently on holiday in the US. Continue to see more photos after the cut...

 There is a riot currently ongoing at Kuje Prison in Abuja. The prison inmates who tried to escape have been teargassed while bullets have been fired into some of the prison cells. The new Comptroller-General (CG) of the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS), Ja'afaru Ahmed, has arrived the prison premises. Mobile police officers have been drafted to the environment.

 Rapper Drake met Rihanna's family backstage at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. He posed for pictures with her dad Ronald Fenty, mother, Monica Braithwaite and other siblings...

 Lawyer to Rivers APC, Ken Atsuete, was murdered by unknown gunmen in Rivers state last night August 29th. According to family sources, he was murdered at his home. Atsuete has been speaking on behalf of the APC for sometime now. The police are already investigating his murder...

A private mining syndicate has made a potentially "world class and highly unusual" Nickel discovery in Nigeria, The Australian, an Australian national newspaper is reporting. The private mining syndicate is reportedly headed by Hugh Morgan, a mining industry veteran. "The discovery is unusual because the nickel is found in small balls up to 3mm in diameter of a high purity in shallow soils in what could be the surface expression of a much bigger hard-rock nickel field," the newspaper said. "The nickel balls, rumoured to grade better than 90 per cent nickel and thought to be a world first given their widespread distribution, offer the potential for early cashflow from a simple and low-cost screening operation to fund a full assessment of the find that has exploration circles buzzing." Details of the discovery are sketchy, according to the newspaper, but it was rumoured to be close to Dangoma, a small farming town about 160km northeast of the Nigerian capi

More than 300 wild reindeer were found dead after lightning struck a central mountain plateau in southern Norway, authorities say. A thunderstorm hit the Hardangervidda mountain plateau on Friday in the Telemark region, where game wardens had so far counted 322 dead reindeer, Knut Nylend, spokesman for the Norwegian Nature Inspectorate, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. Nylen attributed the "unusually high" death toll to the lightning strike and the fact that reindeer often stand close to each other. The Hardangervidda plateau, a large portion of which forms a national park, is a popular destination for outdoor activities and is home to an estimated 10,000 wild reindeer, according to the Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre.

More than 100 lawyers, including 20 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), would be assembled to defend Mr. Joachim Chinakwe Iroko, who has been in detention for naming his dog ‘Buhari’. According to Barr. Inibehe Effiong, convener of the Coalition of Human Rights Defenders (COHRD), who disclosed this on Thursday, it was a move against “injustice, tyranny and arbitrariness.” Also, a similar group has emerged in Abuja declaring that they would ensure that Iroko’s rights are fully protected even if it requires pursuing the case beyond Nigeria’s courts. The group, led by Mr. Joseph Adamu of the Coalition Against Human Rights Abuse (CAHRA), said it would assemble lawyers that would properly assist those who have begun free judicial representation for Iroko even as the group said it would raise financial assistance if needed. Iroko was arrested last week for naming his dog ‘Buhari’, which was deemed offensive by some of his neighbours in an area said to be populated with th

Doctors At Turkish Hospital In Abuja Say Stella Oduah’s Son Died Of Brain Hemorrhage After He Was Rushed From Another Hospital SaharaReporters confirmed from medical professionals at the Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja that Stella Oduah’s son, Maxwell Omabuwa Chinedu Etoromi, died after suffering a brain hemorrhage. According to doctors who spoke with SaharaReporters, anonymously Mr. Etoromi was admitted into their care from another hospital-Zankli Medical Centre-, but died almost promptly. “He was brought to us with the request that we admit him, and we said, why not?” one of the doctors told our correspondent. He added: “Despite our best efforts he died in our care just 30 minutes after we admitted him. We could not do anything to revive him because he arrived in a coma. We tried cardiac life support, but it was too late by the time he arrived.” Another doctor who spoke to SaharaReporters said Mr. Etoromi arrived at their health facility with a “subarachnoid hemorrhage” o

OTUOKE—Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that Nigerians must be prepared to protect and develop the country at all times. He said that the current challenges Nigerians were facing were transient as the country would definitely overcome them and urged Christians to continue to pray for the country. Jonathan stated this at the public presentation of a book entitled The History of St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Otuoke, his home town, in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. According to him, the essence of history was to know how societies or clans evolved and emerged, adding that there was need to capture the spread of Christianity in communities in the Niger Delta. He appealed to indigenes of Otuoke to read the book and volunteer additional information for the next edition. The former President also eulogised the book reviewer, Professor Emeritus, Ebiegberi Alagoa, for his contributions to the documentation of the history of the Niger Delta.