A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
L-R Attornery-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, his Wife Justice Suzzeth Wike and President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Augustine Alegeh during the Opening ceremony of the 56th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association Sunday in Port Harcourt. Photo: Nwankpa ChijiokeSokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; Rivers State Deputy Governor, Dr Ipalibo Harry-Banigo and Amb Stanislas Kamanzi, High Commissioner Rwanda High Commission, Nigeria. during the Opening ceremony of the 56th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association yesterday in Port Harcourt. Photo: Nwankpa ChijiokA Cross section of Delegates during the Opening ceremony of the 56th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association yesterday in Port Harcourt.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, his Wife Justice Suzzeth Wike and President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Augustine Alegeh during the Opening ceremony of the 56th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association Sunday in Port Harcourt.
“They turned our wedding into a bloodbath,” said bride Besna Akdogan on Sunday as she left hospital after a suicide bombing killed 51 people at her wedding in southeastern Turkey.
The funerals of some of the victims took place, meanwhile, with feelings running high in the town of Gaziantep near the Syrian border where hundreds gathered following Saturday’s bombing.
Shouts of “shame on you, Erdogan” rang out as others threw water bottles at police, amid anger at the president for not doing more to prevent the attack on a Kurdish wedding which the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said the Islamic State group had threatened to carry out.
A lawmaker from President Recep Erdogan’s Ruling Justice and Development Party for Gaziantep had hoped to attend the funerals but pulled out when the extent of the anger became clear.
“I lost my children, now I will never see them again,” wailed one woman confronted with the sight of rows of freshly dug graves.
Erdogan said earlier that the attack — the deadliest in 2016 — had involved a child aged between 12 and 14, adding that IS was the likely perpetrator of the bombing on a wedding that had many Kurdish guests.
– Suicide vest –People react as they stand around coffins during a funeral for victims of last night’s attack on a wedding party that left 50 dead in Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border on August 21, 2016. At least 50 people were killed when a suspected suicide bomber linked to Islamic State jihadists attacked a wedding thronged with guests, officials said on August 21. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the IS extremist group was the “likely perpetrator” of the bomb attack, the deadliest in 2016, in Gaziantep late Saturday that targeted a celebration attended by many Kurds. AFP PHOTO
With 69 people still in hospital, 17 in a critical condition, the HDP said warnings about IS’s growing foothold in Gaziantep had fallen on deaf ears. IS see Kurds as enemies due to the prominent role of Kurdish militias in fighting the jihadists.
“Over the years, step by step, Gaziantep became a host for IS. For a long time, people who lived in the province said IS was building up a presence,” it said in a statement.
After twin suicide bombings targeting a pro-Kurdish peace rally in Ankara in October 2015 killed 103 people, IS had warned it would attack a Kurdish wedding, it added.
“Unfortunately, the political powers did not take the necessary steps to prevent these plans despite warnings,” it said.
The remains of a suicide vest were found at the scene on Sunday, according to the chief prosecutor’s office.
An AFP photographer who visited the scene found body parts still strewn across the ground along with victims’ belongings.
In a room of a house near to where the bomber struck, debris could be seen everywhere with windows flung open and walls pockmarked with bomb damage.
At local hospitals, relatives of the injured gathered to await news of their loved ones.
Some fainted in the heat as they struggled to comprehend the scale of the loss of life.
The bombing is the seventh major attack in Turkey this year blamed on either IS or The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), a radical offshoot of the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Boko Haram Islamists have killed 10 people and abducted 13 others in a raid on a village near the northeast Nigerian town of Chibok where the militants kidnapped over 200 schoolgirls in 2014, locals told AFP Sunday.
Boko Haram
Armed jihadists on motorcycles invaded Kubrrivu at dawn on Saturday, firing on the residents as they were sleeping and looting and burning homes before fleeing into the bush with 13 women and children seized from the village.
“The Boko Haram attackers rode on four motorcycles, three on each, and opened fire on the village as residents slept,” said Luka Damina, a resident of nearby Kautikeri village where Kubrrivu residents fled to safety following the attack.
“They burnt down the whole village after looting food supplies and livestock and taking away women and children,” Damina said.
Ayuba Alamson, a community elder in Chibok, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away, confirmed the attack, saying 13 people were abducted in the raid.
“After killing 10 people and burning the entire village, the gunmen made away with 13 people, including seven women, five boys and a girl,” Alamson said.
In 2014 Kubrrivu was burnt down in a deadly Boko Haram raid which forced residents to flee. A year later they returned and rebuilt their homes after Nigerian troops recaptured swathes of territory from the Islamists in a series of military successes against them.
Boko Haram, which seeks to impose strict Islamic law in northern Nigeria, has been blamed for some 20,000 deaths and displacing more than 2.6 million people since 2009.
The audacious mass kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in April 2014 provoked global outrage and brought unprecedented attention to Boko Haram’s brutal tactics.
By Monsuru Olowoopejo The Nigerian Army and officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC have uncovered another illegal oil well in Lagos State.
This came barely two weeks after the police and other security agencies discovered about 10 houses on Ibadan and Abeokuta streets in Ilasamaja axis of the state, where wells where linked to oil pipelines through which diesel was siphoned.
Vanguard gathered that the supposed dug well was discovered last Thursday within the premises of Winners Satellite Church, Iyana-Odo, Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Area, LCDA, it was filled Petroleum Motor Spirit, PMS.
The resident pastor, Oladela Paul who narrated to NSCDC Lagos Commandant, Tajudeen Balogun, who led the operation, said that the church had sent a formal complain to Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC when they noticed the well was filled with PMS.
He lamented that months after writing the NNPC for solution, the Church was yet to get any response from the Corporation, adding "well has become a source of harassment to the church and our members. Aside the harassment, we are afraid of the impending hazard which we cannot determine."
Confirming the discovery, Balogun in a statement made available to vanguard by NSCDC Public Relation Officer, PRO, Kehinde Bada, said "the visit is to evaluate the extent of the spillage and take necessary actions."
Donald Trump’s vow to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants if elected president appeared to be undergoing a shift Sunday as the struggling Republican candidate reaches out to minorities alienated by his harsh rhetoric.
The New York real estate magnate intends to lay out specifics of his immigration plan over the next few weeks, Trump’s new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said.
Asked on CNN’s State of the Union whether they will include a “deportation force” that Trump has previously called for, Conway said, “To be determined.”
Trump met with Hispanic supporters at his Trump Tower headquarters in New York on Saturday, when several participants told Spanish-language network Univision that he said his plan will include finding a way to legalize millions of undocumented immigrants.
Trump acknowledged “that there is a big problem with the 11 million people who are here, and that deporting them is neither possible nor humane,” Univision quoted Jacob Monty, a Texas immigration lawyer who attended the meeting, as saying.TRUMP
The billionaire candidate, who has slid precipitously in polls since last month’s Republican convention, told the group of Hispanic conservatives that his plan would grant undocumented immigrants legal status “that wouldn’t be citizenship but would allow them to be here without fear of deportation,” Monty added.
If true, it would mark a sharp reversal for a candidate who launched his campaign for the presidency with a vow to build a giant wall on Mexico’s border, while disparaging illegal immigrants from Mexico as criminals and rapists.
He has repeatedly called for mass deportations of people in the country illegally, a stance critics say is inhumane and unrealistic.
“What Donald Trump said yesterday in that meeting differed very little from what he’s said publicly, including in his convention speech last month in Cleveland,” Conway told CNN.
“It’s that we need a, quote, fair and humane way of dealing with what is estimated to be about 11 million illegal immigrants in this country,” said Conway, who also took part in the meeting.
“Nothing was said yesterday that differs from what Mr Trump said previously,” she added.
“He supports making sure that we enforce the law, that we are respectful of those Americans who are looking for well-paying jobs and that we are fair and humane for those who live among us in this country.”
Senator Jeff Sessions, a Trump adviser, also said the candidate made no firm commitments during his session with Hispanic supporters, “but he did listen and was talking about it.”
According to Sessions, Trump is “wrestling with” what to do about the country’s undocumented immigrants.
Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Gaibnazarov stunned skilful Cuban-born opponent Lorenzo Sotomayor to score an upset Olympic gold medal victory here Sunday.
Gaibnazarov shrugged off significant height and reach disadvantages to win a split decision against Azerbaijan’s Sotomayor, the nephew of Cuban high jump king Javier Sotomayor.
Sotomayor, who moved to Azerbaijan from Cuba in 2013, was the heavy favourite for the gold medal.
But Gaibnazarov fought aggressively throughout and rocked Sotomayor with the best punch of the fight in the second round.
Sotomayor was inconsolable after the decision, led away from the ring in shock as a member of his entourage remonstrated angrily with the scorers table.
By Emman Ovuakporie and Johnbosco Agbakwuru ABUJA – AGAIN, former Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmunin Jibrin has asked Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara to step aside for investigations to commence over alleged padding of the 2016 Budget.
Jibrin in another statement issued yesterday advised the 4 principal officers he accused of padding the budget to quit their positions for a proper investigation to commence by anti-graft agencies.Dogara and Jibrin
In the statement Jibrin said "today marks one month since we commenced the struggle to expose budget fraud and wipe out corruption in the House of Representatives.
"It was a month of startling revelations, 30 days of threats and intimidations and 720 hours of fervent struggle to exterminate corruption in the House.
“Although it is a trite that corruption has eaten deep into the nation’s fabric, but the systemic corruption in the House, especially under the corrupt leadership of Yakubu Dogara, is second to none.
“My resolve to champion this cause was borne out of patriotism and desire to complement the present administration’s anti-corruption war from the legislative front.
“We have remained resolute and steadfast despite the blackmail, propaganda and campaign of calumny sponsored by the corrupt Speaker Dogara and his cabal, while ignoring all the allegations raised against them.
“During this period, they have struggled to settle on one single allegation against me or a single reason for “sacking” me that can stand the test of truth. Every day the reason for “sacking” me continues to change.
“The truth remains that Speaker Dogara, Lasun, Doguwa, Ogor and others committed monumental fraud in the 2016 budget which can be prosecuted under our laws. We will explore all legal avenues to ensure that justice is served.
“I have stated severally that Speaker Dogara and the other accused Principal Officers have completely lost the moral ground to continue in their various offices. They should, therefore, reconvene the House immediately and step aside to allow for investigation without interference. Speaker Dogara can not be a judge in his own case, as the legal maxim, nemo judex in parte sua, provides.
“It will be the 10th wonder of the world if Speaker Dogara and the 3 other Principal Officers are allowed to continue in office. It will amount to having a corrupt man and fraudster as Speaker, as no 4 citizen under this dispensation which has zero tolerance for corruption. “This should go concurrently with wide ranging reforms to restore the glory and honour of the House. Obviously Speaker Dogara lacks the integrity to superintend over such reforms. That is why I keep emphasizing that this whole issue is beyond Speaker Dogara.
“Under Speaker Dogara, corruption in the House has gone nuclear. It is a known fact that legislative investigation is used as avenue to extort money in an organized crime aided and abetted by Mr Speaker.
“This situation has gone so bad that members named such investigations “commercial motions”. “The fact is corruption has become the biggest business in the House under Speaker Dogara and his cohorts.
I” dare say corruption in the House of Representatives today is more than that of the Executive and Judiciary combined. We shall go on and continue to expose corruption and corrupt persons in the House. I have said repeatedly that I will continue this struggle even if Iam alone. I wish to commend the efforts of other comrades and colleagues, especially members of the Transparency and Integrity Group for their courage in standing for the truth. Iam confident that together we shall in the end conquer.
Abuja – In order to fulfil its promise to educate 110,000 Nigerian girls and women with basic literacy and skills development, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, has unveiled two ambassadors for Federal Capital Territory, FCT and Bayelsa State.
UNESCO Abuja Regional Director, Mr. Benoit Sossau, in his address at the occasion in Abuja, said the role of the two goodwill ambassadors is very significant to the project. Sossau, who was represented by the UNESCO Senior Education Specialist, Dr. Saidou Jallow, said “What is expected of these ambassadors is to advocate for the education of girls and women, advocate for additional resources and raise the profile and acceptability of the project to the government.
They need to remind them about their responsibility to educate not only the girl child but also make available resources needed. “We are To Empower 110,000 Women and Girls who are illiterates or at the risk of dropping out of school in Rivers, FCT and Bauchi States”.
?He said about $1,600,000 (USD) from the private sector (Procter and Gamble World wide), would be spent on the project that would be ? from 2014 - 2017.
“The Empowerment of Girls and Women in literacy and skills development through the use of ICTs project funded by Procter and Gamble, aims at accelerating and underpinning the National efforts to achieve SDG goals 4 & 5 and ultimately, contribute to the achievement of the Nigeria's national development goals of empowerment of people, wealth creation and economic growth by supporting 110,000 girls and women, to learn to read, write, compute and acquire life skills”.
He noted that so far, “The programme has successfully developed the Lesson contents into Mobile Applications accessible on Mobile Phones and Computers for the Formal Education Cohort, With the support of the Revitalizing Adult and Youth Literacy (UNESCO-RAYL) Project funded by the Nigerian Government, and the Nigeria National Commission for Mass Literacy Education (NMEC,) developed Radio Primers in different languages for the Non-Formal Education Learners.
“Successfully graduated 10,000 Non-formal learners with an additional 22,500 learners expected to graduate by the end of 2016, About 7,500 students (girls) in JSS II of the risk of dropping out of school have graduated to JSS III with the help of the developed Lesson content with an additional 15,000 expected to graduate to JSS III by the end of 2016.
“With the support of Samsung electronics, we have distributed about 400 Laptops for both the formal and non-formal Educational Cohorts, to the centres in FCT and Rivers States. So far, produced and distributed 60,000 2B and 2D UNESCO-P&G branded Exercise books to Non-Formal Educational Cohorts and over 150 Registers for the Formal Cohorts in FCT and Rivers States,
Carried out high level advocacy to relevant stakeholders with positive outcome to the Project”. The UNESCO Ambassador from Bayelsa State, Mrs. Patience Obuzor, in her acceptance speech said, before now she has always been an advocate of girl-child education, this just an opportunity for her to continue.
The FCT Ambassador, Hajia Fatima Abdulrahman, said she dedicated the appointment to women and girls. Education of women and girls is very important especially those disadvantaged and less privileged. She promised to work in ensuring the education of women and girls in Nigeria.
Around 1,800 people from the Chinese community in France took part in a march near Paris Sunday calling for greater security after a deadly robbery earlier this month.
To cries of “Liberte, egalite, fraternite” (“liberty, equality, fraternity”), demonstrators marched through the northern Paris suburb of Aubervilliers where Zhang Chaolin, a 49-year-old tailor died after being set upon by three thieves on August 7.
The trio had tried to snatch a bag belonging to a friend of Zhang, who died a few days later from injuries sustained in the altercation.
“There are frequent attacks but we don’t sue because we don’t speak good French. And, we’re working, we don’t have time,” said one protester, 26-year-old Paris bar worker Cai Jiang.
“We are appealing to the state because we are French citizens, even if we don’t feel that we are considered as such,” said another participant, 23-year-old shop owner Marina.
The protesters flew several French flags during the demonstration.
One banner read: “I was Charlie like you. I am Chaolin, where are you?” in reference to the “Je Suis Charlie” solidarity slogans widespread after the January 2015 attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper.
There has been a tripling in violent robberies in Aubervilliers targeting the Chinese community, who are seen as lucrative prey as they are thought to carry large sums of cash on their person.
Police there have bolstered their forces and recruited a Chinese-speaking staff member to improve the service to the large community in the suburb.
At the end of the demonstration, the crowd set upon a suspected robber in the protest. Police used tear gas to pull the suspect clear of the angry mob, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
Premier League giants Liverpool are the target of an 800 million pounds ($1 billion, 924 million euros) takeover bid backed by the Chinese government, British newspaper the Sunday Times reported.
China Everbright, a state-backed financial firm, are leading the bid, backed by the country’s main sovereign wealth fund, the China Investment Corporation (CIC), the paper said.
File Photo: UNITED THEY STAND: Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard, fourth left, celebrates with teammates after scoring his second penalty against West Ham at Upton Park in London . (Reuters)
Talks between the Chinese group and Liverpool’s American owners, the Fenway Sports Group (FSG), are ongoing, the Sunday Times said.
But a senior Liverpool source told AFP that although the club was open to outside investment, FSG was not in talks and the club was not the subject of a bid.
On Friday, Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said the club was “not for sale”, but admitted FSG were open to the idea of selling a stake.
FSG bought Liverpool for around 300 million pounds in 2010.
China has been making inroads in English football in recent months.
Earlier this month, Liverpool’s Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion announced a deal to sell the club to a Chinese investment group headed by entrepreneur Guochuan Lai.
Second-tier clubs Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers, both of whom play in the same Midlands region as West Brom, have both been taken over by Chinese investors.
Wolves were bought by Fosun International, while Chinese businessman Tony Xia took charge of Villa.
Birmingham City, another Midlands clubs, are currently in talks with Asian investors seeking to buy the club from Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung, who was jailed for money-laundering in 2014.
Meanwhile, Manchester City announced a 265 million pounds investment deal with Chinese consortium CMC last December.
Liverpool, managed by Jurgen Klopp, were beaten 2-0 at Burnley in their second league game of the season on Saturday, having won 4-3 at Arsenal in their opening fixture.
Troubled French giants Marseille slumped to a 2-1 loss at Guingamp in Ligue 1 on Sunday, leaving the nine-time champions still searching for their first win of the new season.
Meanwhile, Manchester United star Paul Pogba was in the crowd in Saint-Etienne to watch his brother Florentin turn out for Les Verts in a 3-1 win over Montpellier.
In Brittany, Yannis Salibur struck after just 32 seconds with Jeremy Sorbon netting Guingamp’s second shortly after half-time as the hosts withstood late Marseille pressure.Pogba
Substitute Florian Thauvin pulled a goal back on 78 minutes with a low long-range effort, but Guingamp this time held on having thrown away a two-goal lead in last week’s 2-2 draw at Monaco.
Lassana Diarra again skippered Marseille despite swirling speculation about his future, with Galatasaray the latest side to be linked with a move for the France midfielder before the transfer window closes.
But the visitors were rocked inside the opening minute as Marcus Coco burst into the left-hand side of the area and crossed for Salibur to volley past Yohann Pele.
The Marseille goalkeeper made an excellent stop to prevent Jimmy Briand doubling Guingamp’s lead on the quarter-hour, while Bafetimbi Gomis stabbed wide at the other end after a devilish ball in from Bouna Sarr.
Moustapha Diallo blazed over from Jordan Ikoko’s clever cutback early in the second half, but Sorbon made no mistake when Lucas Deaux picked him out in a similar position on 58 minutes.
Thauvin gave Franck Passi’s side hope when he drove the ball beyond Karl-Johan Johnsson from distance, but the Swedish international ensured there was no way back for Marseille by diverting over from Aaron Leya Iseka in stoppage time.
At the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, the world’s most expensive player Pogba — who started for United in their Premier League win over Southampton on Friday — was there to support his brother Florentin, the Guinea defender who turned 26 on Friday.
The elder Pogba played all 90 minutes as Saint-Etienne came from behind after Steve Mounie put Montpellier ahead midway through the first half.
Kevin Monnet-Paquet equalised seconds after the restart before youngster Dylan Saint-Louis scored his first Ligue 1 goal and Slovenia striker Robert Beric came off the bench to clinch the points late on.
Champions Paris Saint-Germain host promoted Metz in Sunday’s late game, while Alexandre Lacazette made it five goals in two games with a brace in Lyon’s 2-0 victory over Caen on Friday.
Monaco warmed up for the second leg of their Champions League play-off against Villarreal, into which they take a 2-1 aggregate lead, by winning 1-0 at Nantes as Gabriel Boschilia netted the only goal from a first-half free-kick.
Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and surprise package Hull City maintained their 100 percent records in the Premier League this weekend, but champions Leicester City and Arsenal remain winless.
Here are five things we learnt:
Pogba gives Manchester United extra heft
Paul Pogba made his second Manchester United debut in Friday’s 2-0 win over Southampton following his world-record 89 million pounds (105 million euros, $116 million) return from Juventus, catching the eye with his purposeful running and shooting. With the rangy Pogba, the gangly Marouane Fellaini, the strapping Eric Bailly and towering striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic — who scored twice — also in the starting XI, United look a more physically imposing team than they have for some time. United no longer instil dread in their opponents as they did under legendary former manager Alex Ferguson, but they look ready to go toe-to-toe with anyone under Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea’s Costa is back to his best/worst
Chelsea have won both their opening league games 2-1. On both occasions, Diego Costa scored a late winner. On both occasions, he was fortunate to still be on the pitch at the time. Against West Ham United, he netted an 89th-minute winner after avoiding a second booking for a wild lunge on goalkeeper Adrian. At Watford on Saturday, he was booked for dissent — as he had been against West Ham — before escaping punishment for an apparent dive on the edge of the hosts’ box. With three minutes remaining he raced onto Cesc Fabregas’s through ball and tucked the winner past Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes. Costa’s 20 goals inspired Chelsea to the title in 2015. He looked a shadow of himself last season, but if Chelsea are to mount a sustained title challenge in 2016-17, new manager Antonio Conte will hope the troublesome Spain international continues to play on the edge.
Stoke no longer provide England’s acid test
When Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona were weaving their dazzling patterns across the top-flight playing fields of Spain in the latter part of the last decade, a common refrain in England was: “Yes, but could they do it on a wet, windy afternoon in Stoke?” Guardiola took his Manchester City team to Stoke City’s newly renamed Bet365 Stadium at the weekend and the weather was appropriately unpleasant. But with Stoke manager Mark Hughes trying to introduce a more expansive playing style, the Potters are no longer the fearsome prospect they were under former manager Tony Pulis. They proved no match for Guardiola’s men as Sergio Aguero and new recruit Nolito each scored twice in a one-sided 4-1 victory.
Burnley prove possession isn’t everything
Another effect of Guardiola’s achievements with Barcelona was a Europe-wide fetishisation of possession, but as Burnley’s 2-0 win over Liverpool proved, it is what you do with the ball that counts. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool saw 80 percent of the ball at Turf Moor, but Burnley’s supreme defensive organisation restricted the visitors to long-range potshots. Sean Dyche’s side prevailed courtesy of well-taken first-half strikes by Sam Vokes and Andre Gray to record their first win since securing promotion from the Championship in May.
Wenger is running out of time, and patience
Arsenal’s supporters could be forgiven for feeling like they have been here before. Just as in 2015, the north London club have made one exciting signing early in the transfer window — Petr Cech last year, Granit Xhaka this — but once again they have failed to strengthen their squad further with any significant signings. Just as in 2015, they were beaten at home in their opening game — by West Ham last year, by Liverpool this — and are already being written off as title contenders. Manager Arsene Wenger angrily hit out at scrutiny of the club’s transfer policy following his side’s 0-0 draw at champions Leicester City and said he would not spend money for the sake of it. But with 10 days until the transfer window closes, the clock is ticking.
Three civilians were killed and around 20 others wounded on Sunday in a suicide attack in northern Cameroon, officials and a vigilante group said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a security official told AFP the attack took place in Mora, a town in Cameroon’s far north near the Nigerian border — an area which has suffered repeatedly from attacks by Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamists.
“A man riding a motorbike blew himself up on a bridge near the market in Mora,” he said.
He said the blast had killed three civilians and the bomber.
An official from a local vigilante group confirmed a toll of “four dead and many wounded”, saying the attack took place at around 7:00am (0600 GMT).
Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of the Far North region, confirmed a “provisional toll” of three civilians plus the suicide bomber.
He identified the victims as a teacher, a high school student and a person from a neighbouring town, and said five of the wounded were in “serious condition”. He said a helicopter was on hand to take them to hospital in Maroua, the regional capital.
Mora is home to the headquarters of a multi-national force fighting Boko Haram, which groups troops from Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and Niger.
There are currently more than 8,000 Cameroonian soldiers deployed in the far north to counter Boko Haram, and there is a large military base for the motorised infantry brigades in the Mora area.
A similar suicide attack in the same area killed at least 10 people in Djakana at the end of June.
Boko Haram’s seven-year insurgency has killed at least 20,000 people in Nigeria and border areas of neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
It has also left more than 2.8 million homeless, fleeing attacks by militants who have ransacked villages across the poverty-stricken region.
Last month, Amnesty International accused Cameroon of rights abuse during its battle to clear the far north of Boko Haram Islamists.
A suicide bomber as young as 12 killed at least 51 people at a wedding in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday, pointing the finger at the Islamic State group.
Erdogan said Saturday’s blast in Gaziantep near the Syria border “was the result of a suicide bomber aged between 12 and 14 who either detonated (the bomb) or others detonated it.”
The explosion was the latest attack to rock the key NATO member in a horrific year that has seen strikes blamed on Kurdish and Islamist militants as well as a bloody July 15 botched coup.
The president said the Islamic State group was the “likely perpetrator” of the bomb attack, the deadliest in 2016, that targeted a celebration attended by many Kurds.
The remains of a suicide vest were found at the scene, the chief prosecutor’s office said Sunday according to broadcaster CNN-Turk.
Gulser Ates, one of scores wounded in the attack, told Hurriyet the attack took place as the party was breaking up in the mainly Kurdish neighbourhood.
“We were sitting on chairs, having a chat with one of our neighbours.
“During the explosion, the neighbour died on top of me. I remember being underneath. If my neighbour hadn’t fallen on top of me, I would have died,” she said.
“The bride and groom’s happiest day was poisoned.”
The bride and groom — Besna and Nurettin Akdogan — were rushed to hospital but were not seriously wounded.
According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, the bride was released from hospital, saying as she left: “They turned our wedding into a bloodbath.”
She later returned to hospital after repeatedly fainting, Anadolu reported.
– Women and children wounded –
Funerals for many of the victims took place on Sunday with an AFP photographer saying that some covered relatives’ coffins with the Kurdistan flag.
As hundreds waited to say their final goodbye, some voiced anger at what they perceived to be the government’s failure to prevent the attack.
Shouts of “shame on you, Erdogan” rang out while others hurled water bottles at police who kept their distance from rowdy crowds for fear of violence.
One distraught mother wailed: “I lost my children, now I will never see them again.”
Erdogan told reporters the death toll was now 51 with 94 hurt in the attack.
A total of 69 people remained in hospital, with 17 in critical condition.
Health Minister Recep Akdag said a large number of those injured were women and children.
– ‘You will not succeed’ –
The bride and groom were reportedly from the mainly Kurdish region of Siirt further to the east and had themselves been uprooted due to the flare-up in violence with Kurdish militants.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said its members had been present at the wedding, also attended by many women and children.
Erdogan said such attacks aimed to sow division between Turkey’s different groups including Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen and to “spread incitement along ethnic and religious lines”.
Many jihadists see Kurds as one of their main enemies, with Kurdish militias playing a significant role in the fight against IS on the ground in Syria.
A defiant Erdogan said there was “no difference” between the group of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen — whom he blames for the failed coup bid — the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) “and Daesh (IS), the likely perpetrator of the attack in Gaziantep”.
“Our country and our nation have again only one message to those who attack us — you will not succeed!” he said.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Gaziantep would show the same spirit it had shown in 1921, when it defeated French forces in Turkey’s Independence War which led to the word Gazi (war hero) being added to its original name of Antep.
World leaders quickly condemned the attack, with President Francois Hollande denouncing the “vile” incident and pledging that France “stands with all who fight against the scourge of terrorism.”
US ambassador to Turkey John Bass condemned the “barbaric attack on innocent civilians”, adding that Washington would “continue to work closely together to defeat the common threat of terrorism.”
The pope called on faithful to pray for the victims while Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the “cowardly and underhand” attack “in the strongest terms”.
– ‘More active’ Syria role –
A major city just 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of the Syrian border, Gaziantep has become a hub for Syrians fleeing the civil war in their country.
But as well as refugees and opposition activists, there have long been fears it was home to a significant jihadist presence.
IS suicide bombers have carried out several attacks in Istanbul this year, while Kurdish militants have hit targets in both Ankara and Istanbul.
On Thursday, 12 people were killed in three bombings blamed on the PKK, who Erdogan said had killed 70 members of the security forces in the last month alone.
The blast in Gaziantep came just hours after Yildirim said Ankara would play a “more active” role in efforts to solve the Syrian civil war.
A Nigerian rebel group has announced a conditional ceasefire and agreed to hold talks with the government following months of attacks on key oil and gas facilities that have hammered the economy.
In a message posted on the Niger Delta Avengers’ (NDA) website late on Saturday, the group said it would “observe a cessation of hostilities,” so long as the country’s ruling party stops what it called harassment of innocent civilians.
It said it would support efforts to negotiate with “the federal government of Nigeria, representatives from the home countries of all multinational oil corporations and neutral international mediators.”
There have been unconfirmed reports for several weeks of talks underway with Abuja, and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has invited rebels to discussions several times.
But the NDA never publicly acknowledged that it was engaged in negotiations, or that it would support efforts by community figures from the area.
The NDA said it would honour its ceasefire pledge “unless the ruling political APC (All Progressives Congress party) continues … to arrest, intimidate, invade and harass innocent citizens and invade especially Ijaw communities.”
Otherwise it warned: “We promise to fight more for the Niger Delta, if this opportunity fails.”
The Ijaw ethnic people of Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa states have long dominated oil rebel groups operating in the area, although experts say militants from other communities have also set up new branches.
– Devastating attacks –
When he took office last year President Buhari announced he wanted to progressively wind down a scheme which had offered amnesty to former members of armed groups in the Delta, notably the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).
The scheme was inherited from the previous government of Buhari’s predecessor Goodluck Jonathan.
Since 2009 large sums of money have been paid in allowances to some 30,000 former fighters, while training programmes were offered to those who pledged to lay down their arms.
MEND, which is in talks with the government, distanced itself from the NDA in a statement Sunday.
“MEND reiterates its full support for the ongoing military presence in the Niger Delta region,” said the statement by its spokesman Jomo Gbomo, accusing the NDA of being supported by former president Jonathan to destabilise the country.
The NDA has carried out a string of devastating attacks on Nigeria’s oil pipelines and facilities since the start of the year.
Two state-owned pipelines were blown up in the delta region on Friday, in attacks blamed on the NDA.
Also on Friday, a newly emerged group calling itself the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM) claimed responsibility for an attack on the same day.
Earlier this month, the NDA threatened to pull the oil region out of Nigeria, accusing the president of fuelling divisions in the country.
– Dire poverty –
Oil majors including Shell, Exxon, Chevron, Eni and the state-run oil group NNPC have all been targeted by attacks this year.
The assaults have reduced Nigeria’s output by 21.5 percent since January, according to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), hammering government revenue at a time of low global oil prices.
Before the attacks, the oil sector accounted for 90 percent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings and 70 percent of government revenue.
Nigeria’s economy has been hit badly by the global fall in oil prices since mid-2014, which has hit government revenues hard and forced up inflation to an 11-year high.
But despite the billions of dollars generated since the discovery of crude in Nigeria in the 1950s, most people live in dire poverty around the creeks and rivers of the oil-producing southern delta region.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says all state councils where salary liabilities of up to three months exist will apply no pay, no work' rule.
Protest against PMS price hike in Abuja
NLC President Ayuba Wabba made this known when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum on Sunday in Abuja.
“We have given instructions to all of our state councils that where there is liability of salary up to three months, they should also apply the rule of `no pay, no work' it is not only `no work, no pay'.
“You can also apply the rule in a reverse order of `no pay, no work' and that is legitimate because the law provides that after 30 days of working, the worker is entitled to be paid.
“How can we encourage people that have put in their best or even those that are still in the system trying to put in their best without addressing this very fundamental issue?
“Those are the situations we have found ourselves across states and across different employments; I feel very sad with that situation but I think we will do all we can within our means and power to try to continue to protect all those workers.''
He said that workers must be seen as an asset to our county instead of shifting all the challenges to the workers.
“The challenges have been there; instead of looking inward to try to address these challenges, the bulk of the issue have been shifted to the workers and that is why I think that you can effectively say that yes these workers are under attack.''
Wabba said that NLC held a meeting with the state councils, where they took inventory of the liability of pension, gratuity and salaries, adding that the data was alarming.
“When you see the data of how much it stands today of liabilities that workers have not been paid, the worst is that of gratuity which some states have a liability of up to 10 years.
“Workers have worked for 30 or 35 years in service; they retired following the normal process but yet after retirement, they were not paid a dime.
“Therefore, it is like they were slaves; It is only slave that will work and not be paid his entitlement.
He decried a situation where the political leaders do not see the payment of workers' salaries as important but rather they see it as a waste.
The president noted that some governors would prefer to award bogus contracts rather than pay workers their wages.
He noted that everywhere in the world workers were seen and placed appropriately for them to contribute their quota.
According to him, due to the neglect and non-payment of workers' salaries, productivity has been at the lowest point.
The Buhari-led APC government which took over mantle of leadership from the now opposition party, PDP, last year, precisely May, has frequently blamed the current economic woes of the country on past administrations, especially the immediate past Jonathan’s administration.
However, arguments as to what PDP would have done about the current economic situation which the APC-led government is not doing or has not done rather x-rayed some economic solutions which could be relevant for discussions by policy makers in Nigeria.
Below are some comments by some Nigerians compiled from a Vanguard’s news story, “Economic Recession: Nigerians have realised electing APC was a costly mistake- Usman” Read.
Let me tell you, building economy is building local industries, not through importation and the countries that are dumping everything on your land keep hailing you. A country that cannot feed itself locally is as poor as Somali land..
Governance is all about the ability to combine economic variables to get a conducive output for the benefit of a state. Those that are poorly educated lack that quality. You cannot plant cassava and go back to reap beans! Never! Buhari’s policies are anti economics.
“What would PDP have done differently?” They would not have waited more than 6 months to appoint a cabinet to tackle the effects of the fall of oil price head on. They would have appointed tested Hands from across Nigeria to manage the situation and come up with economic policies that merit the name.
They would not have wasted time with budget padding but could have gone on to meet the conditions of the World Bank and IMF for bridging loan.
If GEJ really handed over billions of tax payers money to friends, why no convictions since more than a year of APC government? What stops them from prosecuting and jailing those found guilty? The problem is really that Buhari does not trust people outside his ethnic Hausa/Fulani.. he is not easily disposed to suggestions from so-called experts who are not from his religion or ethnic origin. That is why Nigeria is in recession.
Also, PDP would have engaged the services of an Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to brilliantly manage the situation.
ozugwu
Jonathan was voted out because majority believed he was not performing and corrupt fine However, they voted this Govt to provide solutions and not excuses and propaganda It’s clear that we are all suffering and dying and instead of profer solution, all we hear is blame game How many times will Jonathan be voted out? He is already out, let them face governance.
The whole world went into recession in 2008? Did Nigerians suffer like this? Oil was same price then as now Also, when Buhari was announced as winner, Nigerian stocks went up for a month. So what happened? Tell me do United Kingdom depend on oil? Why are they wobbling now?
Simple decision that put investors on edge. I witnessed the pounds rise to about 1:1.5 against the dollar when remainders where thought to have won but crashed to 1:1.2 today.So, what has changed or do they depend on oil too. It’s simple, that's demand and supply. If Buhari had come up with the right policies, investors would have brought in foreign currency to invest increasing supply despite fall in oil.
Obasanjo pointedly told Buhari that he (Obasanjo) came into government when crude was selling for 9 dollars per barrel. He had nothing left in the coffers of State but billions of dollars debt. Nigerians did not suffer like this during Obasanjo’s government. And Obasanjo took over from a string of military governments that stole far more than Jonathan and his gang ever stole.
Buhari, on the other hand, got 30 billion dollars left for him in the treasury by Jonathan. Buhari himself has also told us that he had been recovering billions of dollars stolen money from members of the former government, though he has never told us any names or how much specifically. That in itself is corruption. This also is a plus to the national treasury inherited by Buhari.
Even though the price of oil is down now, is it selling at 9 dollars per barrel as it was when Obasanjo took over? How come Nigerians are experiencing such level of suffering now never seen before, not even under Obasanjo who got no money from the treasury, had nobody to retrieve stolen money from and sold oil for 9 dollars per barrel? Those are the questions you APC supporters should be asking yourselves once in a while.
There was no foreign exchange shortage during OBJ’s era and no pipeline bombings. Besides, the economy is going through hyper-inflation thanks to the economic recklessness of the past administration. Ngozi (Okonjo) Iweala warned everybody to brace up for what we are experiencing today but nobody cared to listen.
There is no quick fix like they are making you believe. Except you want the usual cosmetic surgery (borrowing to eat) which can only help you today but create a bigger problem for you tomorrow. You cannot run away from it.
Let Nigerians be more constructive in national discuss. Do we have a species of Nigerians called PDP and another species called APC? We are all Nigerians and if we are sincere, there is no difference between PDP and APC as a party neither is Buhari any better than other past leaders Tonnero
The president is not a magician. He met an economy that was already ruined. You guys forget that as at February 2015, the Naira was already devalued and there was pressure to devalue even further. At that same time, states were owing up to 10 months of salaries and even the FG borrowed to pay salaries. Marketers were being owed N500b. In short, the economy was already in trouble less than 6 months after the collapse in oil price when the same government had seen a boom for 5 years.
Every failure of APC adds more oxygen to the revival of PDP and removes more shame from the faces of their thieving members who should have been hiding away their faces by now.
We might have to bring back PDP to clean their mess, since the mess is disturbing Buhari.
benue2:
@Funsho ibrahim Please what is the truth? Nigerians are hungry and cannot eat, things are much more expensive than 2015. The Buhari administration promised to fix Nigeria. As at today they are failing to even maintain the economy as it was prior to their taking over the leadership of Nigeria. I do not want to call Buhari a failure yet only because he has been in office for less than 2 years. So i am giving him more time to turn things around, however time is running out. Buhari and his team cannot continue to blame the previous government forever.
ON 24 July 2014, for the first time ever, Nigeria interrupted the transmission of the wild polio virus, leading to its removal by the World Health Organisation (WHO) from the list of countries where the disease is endemic.
On 24 July 2016, Nigeria reached a landmark of two years without a single case of wild polio virus infection.
Polio, a highly infectious disorder suffered by children is transmitted from person-to-person through food or water from where it enters the body system, breaking it down, resulting in paralysis. Nigeria has been chasing the eradication of polio for at least two decades, hence, its feat put the world on track to ensure it is eradicated like smallpox.
Africa and the rest of the World applauded the feat and anticipated that by July 2017, the WHO would officially certify Nigeria and the entire West African region polio free.
All that the nation needed to do was to maintain its zero-case status, strengthen its surveillance system, improve routine immunisation and maintain high quality campaigns. But the unfortunate reappearance of the wild polio virus in two children in Borno State has become a major setback to the global polio eradication drive.
It is obvious that the insurgency in that region and the mass displacement of people played a crucial role in reversing the progress because medical personnel on vaccination missions were targeted and killed by Boko Haram.
This has dashed the hopes of global health authorities to declare the continent polio-free in the near future. With this development, Nigeria has become the last country harbouring the wild polio virus in Africa, which is one of the last two continents (the other is Asia) yet to be certified polio free.
The last thing needed in the fight is complacency. Nigeria's polio eradication drive requires unwavering diligence and absolute care in ensuring that every last child is reached with the oral polio vaccine.
Nigeria defeated polio before. It can, and must, do it again. The attention and commitment focused on the funding of public health programmes at national level should be extended to the states. The same innovative strategies that enabled the country to immunise millions of children even in hard-to-reach and insecure areas, should be reactivated and immediately deployed.
The innovative engagement and partnerships with the WHO, UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the thousands of volunteers that made it possible for the country to win the first round of the fight against polio must be resumed.
More efforts should be put in ending the Boko Haram insurgency and resettle displaced persons to ensure the success of renewed efforts to kick out polio - for the last time - from Nigeria.
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