Churchill Choken

No fewer than 66 persons have been killed in a fresh outbreak of violence in Kajuru local government area of Kaduna state. The killings reportedly took place in eight settlements across the local government area. Women and children were listed among the victims. In a statement, the Kaduna state government condemned the killings, warning communities against instigating attacks or reprisals. “Security agencies today reported the recovery of 66 bodies that were killed in attacks by criminal elements on various dispersed hamlets in the Maro Gida and Iri axis of Kajuru LGA,” read a statement issued by Sam Aruwan, spokesman of the governor. “The settlements affected include Ruga Bahago, Ruga Daku, Ruga Ori, Ruga Haruna, Ruga Yukka Abubakar, Ruga Duni Kadiri, Ruga Shewuka and Ruga Shuaibu Yau. “Among the victims were 22 children and 12 women. Four wounded persons rescued by the security agencies are now receiving medical attention. “Government condemns the attacks and commisera...

Over a decade ago, Afro-pop singer, Soul E (real name is Emmanuel Okosi), dumped his promising music career, after a stormy breakup with his ex-wife, Queen Ure and a strained relationship with his former records label, Colossal Entertainment. Soul E announced that he had become a preacher and after hanging around Abuja for a spell, virtually vanished from the music scene. Later it turned out that he had relocated from Nigeria to a country in Southern Africa where he remarried and settled down to a new life as a pastor. The singer, in a recent interview with our correspondent, spoke glowingly about  Lesotho where he currently lives and works as a preacher. Claiming that he found that a better place in that country and a better life than what he was used to in Nigeria, Soul E said he had no regret whatsoever. “God has blessed me abundantly. I have no reason to complain. God exposed me to people who I never believed I could meet. Working for God opens doors for you. In my chu...

Update:: New details have emerged about a third Russian linked to the 2018 Salisbury poisonings by the investigative website Bellingcat. According to travel records revealed yesterday by Bellingcat and seen by CNN, the same man appears to have flown in and out of the UK and Catalonia multiple times in the run up to their referendums. Bellingcat claims that a man traveling under the alias Sergey Vyacheslavovich Fedotov—a name they claim was assigned to him by Russia's GRU military intelligence unit—flew into Britain from Moscow on March 2, 2018. Bellingcat says he travelled the same day as two other agents, whose real names were Anatoly Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin. All three had return tickets to leave the UK on March 4, the day former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned. Fedotov skipped his flight, Bellingcat claims, and made his way back to Moscow via Rome instead. The man known as Fedotov was born in Kazakhstan in 1973 and is marri...

Prof. Monday Igbafen, the Chairman of Ambrose Alli University (AAU) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has been suspended by university authorities over allegations of sexual assault. Igbafen, an Associate Professor of the Department of Philosophy, was suspended after his appearance before a disciplinary committee on allegations of sexual misconduct. This was made public in a statement signed by Edward Aihevba, the university’s spokesman, on Wednesday in Benin, Edo State capital. The statement noted that Igbafen had been arraigned before the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee (SSDC) on allegations of gross misconduct bordering on sexual harassment and threatening students to have sex with him in exchange for marks. According to the statement, Igbafen was found culpable by the university’s investigative panel. A relative of one of the victims had threatened to take the institution to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commi...

Update:: The Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi has declared Friday, Feb. 15 a public holiday to enable citizens travel to places they registered for the elections and vote. Umahi made the declaration while addressing newsmen in Abakaliki, noting that the directive was in conformity with the powers vested on him as the state governor. He said that the decision was to prevent such citizens from traveling on Saturday because of transportation challenge that might be experienced on election day. “Some people might have problems accessing transport to their various destinations while some vehicles conveying them might break down on the way. “It is then better for them to travel on Friday to have the latitude of going back to their locations and perform their civic responsibilities,” he said. Umahi wished Ebonyi people a wonderful outing during the elections, enjoining them to turn out en-masse to exercise their franchise. “I want you to come out in your numbers and give m...

Update::   A team of policemen on Thursday morning blocked the entrance to the Rivers State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Port Harcourt. The policemen had apart from cordoning off INEC office, mounted a roadblock on the lane close to the commission. The early morning blockade may not be unconnected with the planned protest of members of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State over the exclusion of their candidates from the general election by court pronouncements. Details later…

Update:: The musical talents of H.E.R. are undeniable. The mystical songstress was honored with a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist and won the Best R&B Album award, achievements that prove her gift to those who have yet to experience it. While her musicality is being celebrated, poetry is her first love. "I started writing the most silly rhymes when I was 5 [or] 6 years old," she told XXL. In school, I used to compete in poetry slams. There used to be a club in my hometown called Listen & Be Heard. That’s where I experienced spoken word. It made me approach my songwriting differently." Her appreciation for lyricism most likely informs the artists she gravitates towards. She named J.I.D. as one of the entertainers she is currently enjoying. In terms of collaborations, H.E.R. aspirations are also top-tier. "J. Cole is in like the top three people who I wanna work with. And Drake, for sure." She pointed to Drake's poetic skills a...