- Nigerians on Saturday rejected single term presidency, which is being canvassed by President Goodluck Jonathan, during the House of Representatives Public Hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution at the 360 Federal Constituencies in the country. Also, in most states, the call for the creation of additional states and the recognition of the six geopolitical zones in the constitution were rejected. So, also, the people rejected the idea of rotating the presidency between North and South, as most of them voted for leadership by merit. At the various venues of the public hearing, delegates were asked to tick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ against each of the 43 aspects of…

A fifty-year-old man was on Friday arraigned before an Abakaliki Family Law Center for allegedly defiling his 14-year-old daughter. - The man, John Ude, a corporal with the Nigerian Army, was accused of committing the offence in 2010. The victim (name withheld) told the Chairman of the Centre that her father sexually abused her and caused her physical, emotional and psychological damage. “He usually threatens to kill me anytime I resisted his sexual advances,’’ she said, adding that “he once used his military belt on me for daring to show some resistance. The girl said she constantly pass out urine mixed with blood as a result of the sexual abuse. The estr…

Nigeria's president Goodluck Jonathan has appointed the assistant inspector general of police Mohammed Dikko Abubakar as acting inspector general, replacing Hafiz Ringim who was forced out Wednesday in the wake of heightening insecurity in the West African country. - Ringim turned in his resignation a month early, 10 days after the main suspect in the deadly Christmas Day bomb attack escaped from police custody and five days after the Kano bombings that left 185 people dead. He was due to retire on March 1 when he would have put in 35 years in the Police Force. “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the appointment of Mr. Mohammed Abubakar as Acting Inspector Genera…

Nigerian police said people speaking a Chadian language were among the attackers who waged bombing and shooting sprees in Kano last Friday, killing a total of 185 people according to the first official tally. "The extremists are said to be speaking accented Hausa language, Kanuri and Chad languages," the state police command said in its first account of the carnage. - Friday’s strike was the deadliest yet claimed by the Boko Haram sect, which said it launched the Kano attacks because the security agencies were holding its followers. A statement by Police Commissioner Ibrahim K. Idris late yesterday said 150 of the dead were civilians, 29 were police officers, three were se…

- For the first time ever, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday publicly admitted that members of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, have infiltrated his government. According to him some of them belong to the executive, judiciary and legislative arms of government as well as the armed forces. He also said that this situation has made it very difficult to face the nation's security challenges. The President spoke during an inter-denominational service to mark the 2012 Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the Ecumenical Centre Abuja. Jonathan also described the current security situation in the country as being worse than the civil war experience. "This is a particular time when…

A 15 year old boy was shot dead by policemen this afternoon at the Government House in Kano, Nigeria. Thousands of protesters had massed in front of the Government House protesting the subsidy removal policy. - The protesters had attempted to gain entry into the House to press home their demands and the police, after firing tear gas to drive them back, had to resort to firing live bullets into the crowd, killing the boy in the process. The protesters have beaten a retreat upon coming across the gunfire. Meanwhile, in Ogba, Lagos, another young man has been shot dead. This second killing occurred when the corpse of the first victim was brought back to the area. Youths in the area ha…

The Nigerian senator detained in connection with links to Islamic militant group Boko Haram appeared at an Abuja Magistrate court today to face terrorism charges. The Boko Haram spokesperson, Ali Sanda Umar Konduga, aka, "Usman Al-Zawahiri" was arrested and paraded in public by the Nigerian secret police, State Security Services (SSS). - He spoke openly about Senator Ndume's support in helping the group frame threat text messages to various politicians and Nigerian officials via text messages. Reports monitored through Channels TV in Lagos indicate the State Security Service charged Senator Ali Ndume to court with two counts of breach of official trust by disclosing informa…

- After destruction, chaos, atrocity and killing of innocent Nigerians in post election violence that left almost all northern Nigeria’s states ablaze is still hunting the mind s of patriotic Nigerians on way forward to end this human caused calamity from happening again in future. The Report which was just released said over 5 million dollar worth of properties were lost during the uprising. And more than 1000 people lost their lives; almost 500 are still in the police and military barracks taking refuge from the crisis. To be sincere and frank most of the crisis that erupted in Northern Nigeria is instigated by unscrupulous politicians, as a result of their lectures to their sup…

- The pictures

- The pictures

As the collation of last Saturday's presidential election continue in Abuja, riots in some part of Northern Nigeria erupting, as a result of presidential election result which shows that the incumbent president is about to win the election. Thousands of angry youth in Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi , Gombe and Adamawa states are attacking places of prominent people and set them ablaze. - In Kano state AfricaNews reporter cited some buildings of prominent people on fire. And hundreds of military and mobile police are doing their best to curtail the situation. Two persons were reportedly killed during the riot and hundreds of youth injured. The angry youths who shouted in high tone saying …

- As the farmers said there crop is okay with humans and animals feces.

- As the farmers said there crop is okay with humans and animals feces.

- The place where they are getting human feces is very eye sore and filthy.

- The place where they are getting human feces is very eye sore and filthy.

- The place where they are getting human feces is very eye sore and filthy.

- Farming is the noble occupation among the northern Nigeria’s states with the farming community making over 70 percent of the states’ total population. But it is done mostly at the subsistence level as farmers have over the years, yearned for incentives with only promises without government’s appreciable action. This is made worse by the perennial unavailability of the essential farm input, THE FERTILIZER. In years fast farmers have had bitter experience in the hand of government as tones of fertilizer procured for sale had always ended in the hands of unscrupulous politicians. Due to scarcity and high cost of modern fertilizer scavengers’ and rubbish coll…

- In the night of 13th September in Kano State Northern Nigeria the five people were slaughtered to death. The late Bello Garba a security agent who is on sick leave slaughtered together with his wife, and 3 children, two female and one male in their residence. Sister of the deceased wife told bunch of reporters that her sister called her on her mobile phone around 1:30 am in the night told her that somebody in mask killed her husband and he also heading for them. She continue saying in a shaky voice before the phone call terminated. She said she quickly wake up and tried her brother’s phone but couldn’t reach him. Around 5:00 am in the following morning hundreds of people…

The National Council of State of Nigeria has approved the nomination of Professor Attahiru Jega as the new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria. The Council also approved the nomination of 10 national commissioners presented to it by President Goodluck Jonathan. - The decision of the council was made known at a joint briefing by Governors of the country after the meeting in the State House, Abuja. The council believes the president demonstrated courage and statesmanship in appointing someone who is not known to have any partisan political affiliation and a Nigerian that has distinguished himself in his present and past callings. The council also commende…

- Polio: Bill Gates hailed Traditional Rulers THE Emir of Kano Ado Bayero has hailed the contribution of Bill Gates, co-chair of Bill and Melinda Foundation toward humanitarian services especially in the eradication of polio and other diseases. Receiving Gates at the palace, the emir reiterated the determination of traditional institutions to support the move toward polio eradication in the country. Earlier, Gates had told the emir that he was in the country to review the country's progress on polio and to discuss the remaining challenges to stopping polio transmission. He commended the Nigerian government and traditional institutions for the consistent enlightenment campaign w…

Lead poisoning killed 163 people, including 111 children, in Zamfara State of Nigeria due to illegal gold mining in last months, a senior health official said. The poisonings were caused by the illegal extraction of ore by villagers. - They would extract the ore and haphazardly dispose of the soil containing lead deposits which children would play with. The more than 100 child victims got poisoned through inhalation or hand-to-mouth contamination. Dr. Henry Akpan, Nigeria's chief epidemiologist, told The Associated Press that 100 of the dead were children from five villages in Zamfara state, a near-desert region of the Sahel that has seen a growing food crisis over recent weeks. Akpa…

Acting President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan has been sworn in as head of state in a brief ceremony at the Abuja Presidential Villa hours after the death of substantive president Umaru Yar'Adua. - Yar'Adua died late on Wednesday in the capital Abuja after protracted illness. A new deputy is expected to be announced by Jonathan, who has been at the helm of affairs since February to serve the remaining presidential term until next year’s election. There would be seven days of national mourning. According to AfricaNews reporter the remains of Yar’Adua would be laid to rest in his Katsina hometown at about 2 p.m. on Thursday. The Secretary to the Government o…

A Nigerian senator Sani has denied marrying a 13-year-old girl. Although he confirmed wooing an Egyptian girl he failed to disclose the age. - A group of women massed up against the move in Nigeria and called on senators to block the marriage. They said senator Sani have four wives and divorced one out of the four in order to give way for the incoming bride. When BBC reporter Jimeh Saleh contacted the senator via phone who is now in Egypt for honeymoon, he said nobody in this world can stop him from marrying the girl he wants since Islamic law allows him to do so. Senator Sani also said he has many rivals within and outside Nigeria because of his introduction of Islamic Sharia legal s…

- Professor Maurice Iwu’s controversial five year tenure as chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) came to a swift conclusion yesterday when acting president Good luck Jonathan asked him to proceed on pre-disengagement leave with immediate effect. A statement issued by the acting president’s Senior Special Assistance on media Mr. Ima Niboro, said in Abuja that the directive was in consonance with Section 155(1) (C) of the country’s constitution. The section stipulates that the chairman and members of Independent National Electoral Commission shall hold office for period of five years, the statement said noting that Iwu’s tenure would expire…

- the pictures that I took from the scene

- the pictures that I took from the scene

- the pictures that I took from the scene

- the pictures that I took from the scene

- the pictures that I took from the scene

- the pictures that I took from the scene

- see the pictures that I took from the scene

At least three people have lost their lives in fire outbreaks that engulfed the largest African textile market in Kano, northern Nigeria. Hundreds of traders and would-be buyers were also injured, according to our reporter. The fire started around 3am on Friday and goods worth thousands of dollars have been destroyed. - Fire fighters from the Kano State Fire Service had it tough getting into the market due to congestion and blocked ways. It took the Nigerian Air Force to assign fire fighting helicopters to rescue the market. Eye witnesses told AfricaNews that those who perished were in the process of saving their goods and money from being consumed in the wild fire. When our correspon…

- A student of the school of environmental studies Kano has been shot dead in a protest which broke out in Gwarzo Local government Area at the weekend. The students of the school staged a protest over the death of their colleague, who was allegedly killed by another student from the government secondary school Gwarzo. When I visited the scene, source told me that when the students gathered at the police station they demanded the police to hand them over the suspect in order to avenge the death of their colleague. The police refuse and order them to disperse, while the angry students ignore the order and start throwing pebbles which made the police use tear gas and shot dead one Tahir…

- I found Usman near a dirty pond place using it as toilet. Beside him was the small boy of his age who happens to be his guider waiting for him to finish.Usman who is not sure about his own age, but appears to be around 12-13 years, roaming around barefooted in dirty cloth and seemingly aimlessly, with dirty bowl in hand looking for alms. Burst into tears when I asked him what is wrong with his eyes. Usman who is hail and hearty before he was brought to Kano by his parents to acquires Islamic Education known as Koran school in traditionally set-up run by a single mallam (teacher). Kano state is the choice for rural dwellers to send their children to acquire Islamic education. The studen…