Gunmen kill 19 in midnight attack in Kogi

At least 19 persons were killed after gunmen attacked Tawari community in Kogi local government area of Kogi state.

Williams Anya, spokesman of the Kogi police command, confirmed the incident to NAN on Friday.

The gunmen, who invaded the community on Thursday night, also burnt down buildings including worship centres and palace of the chief of the community.

A resident identified as Comfort Solomon told NAN that the gunmen numbering about 100 invaded the community came on motorcycles and launched the attack which lasted untill Friday morning.

Solomon said some places of worship as well as the palace of the Akuma of Tawari were razed by the attackers.

“The gunmen were up to 100 in number. They came into the community with motorcycles around 11:15 p.m. when villagers were sleeping,” he was quoted as saying in tears.

“They entered selected houses, packed foodstuff and motorcycles and burnt selected houses, including homes of clerics.

“They killed more than 15 men. The attackers were communicating with each other in Hausa language,” Solomon stated, weeping profusely.”

Rita Nuhu, another source from the area, was also quoted as saying her father’s house was burnt down during the attack.

“My mother and her sister were ordered out of the house after which the house was set ablaze, while about 15 men were killed,” she said.

“We are calling on security agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice. We appeal to the federal and state governments to come to our aid.” she pleaded.

Idris Yusuf, chief of Tawari, said it was the first time the community was experiencing such an attack, and that “our community has been very peaceful”.

The police spokesman said a security team has visited the community for an assessment of the situation and for investigation.

-THECABLE

8 years after, Seun Kuti to perform at Coachella 2020

Seun Kuti, Nigeria’s Afrobeat singer and son of the Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, would be performing at the 2020 edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival alongside his Egypt ’80, his late father’s band.

Organizers of the annual event, on Friday, released the full list of the global artistes billed to perform at the two weekends event as well as its headliners for the 2020 edition.

Last year, Burna Boy and Mr Eazi gave memorable performances at the festival. While Kuti emerged as the only Nigerian on this year’s lineup to take the international stage alongside their global peers.

Seun, whose album was nominated for Grammy 2019 took to his Instagram page to announce the news with a clip from his performance eight years ago as the first Nigerian artiste to perform at the festival.

He wrote, “Coachella 2020 announced and We are going going back back to Cali Cali!! Swipe left for the atmosphere the last time we were there 8 years ago! @chefyeide in the background helping her partner build his dreams, be like her, #africanawomanism #getthesax @shapiroshapiroandshapirollp how many pounds of Cali Green we gonna burn thru? #WADP #coachella.”

While Rage Against the Machine, Travis Scott, and Frank Ocean emerged the headliners, other artistes that also made the list are 21 Savage, Koffee, Megan the Stallion, Denzel Curry, and Aya Nakamura.

Coachella, which holds annually, is one of the most famous and profitable music festivals in the United States and all over the world.

Coachella takes place on the weekends of April 10-12 and April 17-19 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.

- PM NEWS

UNILAG: How fake lecturer collected N250,000 for admission

The police in Lagos on Friday arraigned a 39-year-old fake lecturer, Isaac Obi, in an Ojo Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

Obi is charged with three counts of false pretence, fraud and stealing, NAN reports.

The prosecutor, Insp. Simon Uche, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on Nov. 1, 2019 in Lagos.

He alleged that the defendant presented himself as lecturer from the University of Lagos to one Lucky Ikeduba.

The prosecution also alleged that the accused lied to Ikeduba that he can secure admission into the university.

According to prosecution, the defendant requested and obtained N250,000 from the complainant to ”facilitate” the admission process.

The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 78, 287, 314 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the offence.

Magistrate A.A. Adesanya admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum

He adjourned the case until March 4, for mention.

- DAILY POST 

111 people burnt to death in Kano

No fewer than 111 people have been burnt to death in series of fire incidents in Kano State, State Fire Service disclosed on Friday.

The losses were recorded in 813 fire incidents in Kano between January and December, 2019, Saidu Muhammed, Fire Service Public Relations Officer said.

Also, the fire service said its men saved 1,055 lives and property worth N1.9 billion from 813 fire incidents during the period.

Muhammed, however, said that 111 lives were lost during the period.

“597 people were involved in road accidents, seven in collapsed buildings, 54 fell inside well, 58 fell inside open water and the remaining 97 were involved in flood, domestic fire incidents among others,” he said.

Muhammed said that property valued at N679 million were destroyed during the period, while the service received 744 rescue calls and 180 false alarms from residents.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria that road accidents, inferior electrical materials; use of boiling rings, as well as poor handling of electrical appliances, cooking gas and fireplace were major causes of the inferno.

-PM NEWS

Southern Kaduna: El-Rufai hates Christians, only ‘Biafra’ can save them – Nnamdi Kanu

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has alleged that the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai hates Christians in the state.

Kanu alleged that El-Rufai’s hatred was responsible for the dichotomy between Christians and Muslims, especially in Southern Kaduna.

In his live broadcast yesterday, the IPOB leader stated that contrary to what Christians in Southern Kaduna were told, only “Biafrans” can save them from the hatred of El-Rufai.

According to Kanu: “The mistake the Southern Kadunas are making is that they think Biafrans hate them, but only Biafrans can save them.

“No amount of peaceful resolution of intervention can save them because their Governor hates them and has confirmed that the state is divided between Muslims and Christian.

“The dichotomy that exists in Kaduna State between Muslims and Christians has never existed in any part of the country, El Rufai said his state is divided between Muslims and Christians and if it wax IPOB that said it, they will say we are stoking crisis.”

- DAILY POST

Nigerians going to US reduce sharply, largest global drop-off

Data from the US travel and tourism office shows a 21 per cent drop in the number of Nigerians travelling to the country, the largest global drop-off in visitors to the US.

As of 2019 October, 34,000 fewer Nigerians travelled to the US compared to the previous year. After a sustained period of growth between 2011 and 2015, the number of Nigerian visitors to the US started to plateau in 2016 until the big drop-off last year.

The dip in Nigerian visitors to the US followed a string of visa clampdown measures by the Trump administration.

After indefinitely suspending its visa interview waiver for Nigerian applicants (the waiver allowed frequent travellers renew their visa without going through in-person interviews each time), the Trump administration also raised visa application fees for Nigerians by including additional “reciprocity fees” ranging from $80 to $303 depending on the class of visa. And even though the Nigerian government immediately slashed visa application fees for American applicants in a bid to get the US to reverse its price increase, the reciprocity fees remain in place.

The measures followed reports that the Trump administration was looking to impose visa restrictions on countries whose citizens have a track record of overstaying beyond the validity of their short-term US visas. As it turns out, Nigerians were the highest-ranked African country for US visa overstays in 2018.

Even though official data confirm the effects of the measures, there were already warning signs the administration’s policies were having an adverse impact on potential travellers. The policies also spawned fear-fuelled rumours among locals as well: mid-last year, the United States embassy in Nigeria was forced to deny a widespread rumour that it had placed a ban on issuing student visas to Nigerians.

Despite the Trump administration’s policies, the US remains a popular destination for Nigerian students seeking foreign degrees as the economic impact of spending by Nigerian students studying in the United States reached $514 million over the past academic year.

The second-largest drop was for visitors from Venezuela (17.7%). The South American country is in the midst of an economic and political crisis which has seen more than four million people flee the country and the US is restricting entry to Venezuelan migrants.

Argentina followed with 15.6 per cent drop and Sweden, 11.1 per cent.

- Quartz Africa

Buhari may not survive 2020 – Prophet Chukwuma releases shocking prophecies

The Presiding Pastor of Christ Foundation Miracle International Chapel, Lagos, Prophet Josiah Onuoha Chukwuma has revealed what God told him about President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigeria, with regards to the year 2020.

Chukwuma disclosed that God showed him that Buhari will be removed from office either through impeachment or sickness before the end of 2020.

Chukwuma, who spoke to Vanguard, also disclosed that God told him he would expose fake pastors in Nigeria this year as well as ritualists parading themselves as politicians.

He said: “I saw danger, chaos!, Buhari should be careful. If Mr President survives what awaits him, as God showed me, from now till November ending, then he will serve out his term. But as it stands now, Buhari would be removed either by impeachment or sickness this 2020. This is the much that I would disclose.

“The President must be very careful from now till November, to avoid crashing out! If by any chance he survives the red flags ahead of him in the spiritual realm from January to November ending, then he will complete his second tenure.

“God hinted that he will expose many fraudulent, fake pastors, especially ritualists parading themselves as men of God. The same fate awaits occult politicians, except if they repent, as God warned that the power of the kingdoms that they have rested their fate in will disappoint many of them. Many politicians will lose what they have in 2020. Let them return to God and be saved.

“There would be more difficulty in 2020. Let Nigerians pray for God’s mercy, that God may help the country and her citizens. Except by God’s mercy, there is danger ahead and things would get worse for the country.

“Politicians beware! Many politicians, who feel that they have amassed enough wealth would become hungry. Many politicians will go to prison and baring any divine intervention we already have the list of those that may likely join former Abia State governor at the correctional centre, and they will end up losing virtually all that they have.

“I saw the (All Progressive Congress) APC riddled with immense explosive crisis. I saw the party going into shambles as a result of uncontrollable squabbles that would make some party chieftains to start exposing their dirty secret deals in APC, to the public.

“I see Nigeria being attacked, if care is not taken! I saw a severe outbreak of dire internal crisis which some alien fighters capitalised on to attack the country. The external fighters came through one of the opposing groups.

“The way out is that Nigerians should turn to God. God is angry with Nigerian leaders because countless innocent lives being wasted on a daily basis are crying for vengeance. Let our leaders do the right thing. Over 80 per cent of various calibers of Nigerian leaders are evil, diabolic and they operate under evil influence

“I saw more religious crisis and more Christian killings in the country. Christians should be fervent in prayer. I saw killer Muslims rising against Christians; I saw increased attacks on Christians in parts of the country. I saw some elements attempting to Islamize.”

- DAILY POST