Tommy's will

By Luminous Jannamike ABUJA – Parents of the 110 abducted Dapchi schoolgirls on Thursday marched to the National Assembly to register their pains with the federal lawmakers in continuation of their clamour for the release of the pupils abducted by Boko Haram terrorists penultimate week. Wearing swollen faces that bore marks of pain and agony, some of the parents recounted their ordeals since the abduction of their daughters, saying that it had been a heartbreaking experience and nightmare since their daughters went missing. The parents, who wore adorned in black shirts with inscription, “We are Dapchi People”, said that they had not come to criticise and attack the government but to demand the rescue of their daughters.

Sensing death,  The buzzards gather —  Noting the last struggle  Of flesh under weather,  Noting the last glance  Of agonized eye  At passing wind  And boundless sky.

The hamstring injury suffered by Andres Iniesta during last Sunday's match against Atletico Madrid means the Blaugrana captain is a major doubt for the Champions League second leg against Chelsea, but he has not yet been ruled out of that match. The Catalan club will wait until next Tuesday before deciding if he can play or not. Philippe Coutinho's ineligibility for the Champions League would make it an even bigger blow than usual if Iniesta were to miss out.

Lionel Messi’s €700 million release clause may not be big enough to prevent rivals clubs from matching it, Barcelona’s financial and strategy director Pancho Schroder says. The Argentine committed his future to the club in November after coming perilously close to the time at which he could have started to negotiate with other sides, given his previous deal was up in June 2018. Included in the fresh terms, which run until 2021, is a €700m release clause designed to put rivals off making a move for the club icon, just as Paris Saint-Germain did to sign Neymar for €222m last August – a fee that many thought was impossible. “We set up a clause which we think is enough to have Messi retire at FC Barcelona,” Schroder told Sky Sports . “But having said that, we thought a year ago that the clause for Neymar was also good enough to retain the player, and that proved last summer not to be the case. “Looking at the future, I think, is difficult, but I don't have a crystal ball and ...

Britain will build a new wing at Kirikiri Prison in the Nigerian city of Lagos so that it can transfer Nigerian prisoners there, the government in London has announced. The new 112-bed wing, which will cost 700,000 pounds (973,000 dollars) and be compliant with UN standards, will make it easier for Britain to comply with a prisoner transfer agreement it signed with Nigeria in 2014. Prison Under that deal, eligible prisoners serving criminal sentences in Nigeria and Britain can be returned to complete their sentences in their respective countries. The British government did not indicate how many prisoners might be moved or when the project is likely to be completed. Nigerian prisons — many of them built by British colonisers more than 100 years ago — are severely overcrowded, leading to the spread of diseases. The government in Abuja has said it is developing a strategy to tackle the issue. Britain’s own prison system has been showing signs of severe strain in recent years, with overcro...

By Chinonso Alozie, Owerri Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha, said Thursday, that the time has come for his son-in-law, Mr. Uche Nwosu, to be the next governor of Imo state. Okorocha Okorocha in a release to newsmen in Owerri, through his Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, was apparently reacting to a statement credited to a group, called Restoration Coalition of APC, that vowed to stop the endorsement of his son-in-law, Nwosu, to be the next governor of the state. The governor bragged that the group was only envy of his son-in-law. Okorocha defended his support for his son-in-law that, “Endorsement is a Public Statement or action showing support of something or somebody. It has been part of our democracy. “And it is surprising that some people have been loosing sleep over the several endorsements the young Uche Nwosu has been getting. The difference is that his own endorsement is like a revolution, and almost all the other aspirants are feeling threatened.” The release ...

By Festus Ahon, Perez Brisibe & Davies Iheamnachor ASABA—GOVERNOR Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, yesterday, said the state was under siege by herdsmen. Governor Okowa, who spoke at Isiokolo, Ethiope East Local Government Area, in continuation of the town hall meetings across the state, insisted that the state will not cede land to the establishment of cattle colonies, asking the Federal Government to come out with a definite policy to end herdsmen’s attacks. Gov. Okowa Okowa said: “Unfortunately, in our state, we are under siege.  But we are trying to manage it the best way possible. “We have made a statement that we will not support cattle colonies in Delta State because we do not have enough land for our farmers, considering the fact that a lot of our land is already degraded from oil exploitation activities. “We have raised these issues, along with other states, as we have no doubt that the clashes we have here is not limited to Delta State. “We believe the Federal Governmen...

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri ABUJA – The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, on Wednesday, fixed March 13 to commence hearing on a suit seeking to jail one Ladi Hassan, who was agent of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, during the collation of results of the 2015 Kwara Central Senatorial District election. President of the Nigerian 8th Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/92/2018, is alleging that Hassan, alongside the collating/returning officer for the Kwara Central Senatorial poll, Mrs. Mulkah Ahmed, manipulated the outcome of the election. The case was lodged before the court by a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Abdurahman Abdulrazaq. The plaintiff is seeking an order of mandamus compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which is the sole defendant in the case, to prosecute the duo. Abdulrazaq who was the Senatorial candidate of the PDP in Kwara Central, told the court that Saraki was declared the w...

By AbdulSalam Muhammad KANO- Inter cultural marriage between the Fulanis and the Yorubas in Kano weekend threw up an engaging drama between Governor Isiaka Ajimobi, and his Governor in-law Abdullahi Umar Ganduje over the amount set as dowry. P resident Buhari with Father of the Bride and Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Emir of Kano H.H. Muhammadu Sanusi II, Father of the Groom and Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Groom Idris Abiola Ajimobi and Jigawa State Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar as he attends Wedding Fatiha of Idris Abiola Ajimobi and Fatima Umar Ganduje at the Mallam Aminu International Airport Kano State on 3rd Mar 2018 Ganduje who was overwhelmed by turn out the creme and dela creme within and outside the shore of Nigeria fired the first salvo when he ordered his in-law to pay N50.000 as dowry Ganduje had ordered Ajimobi “your son will pay N50.000 as dowry my brother. Ajimobi who was taken aback by ...