BREAKING: James Ibori released from prison

Former governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori has been released from prison.

His media aide, Tony Elumenor made the disclosure Wednesday afternoon.

He said Ibori was released a few minutes past noon upon a court order.

Ibori was sentenced by a United Kingdom court to prison for 13 years and served out his term midnight yesterday.

It is not yet known if Ibori will return to Nigeria anytime soon as the EFCC is plotting to re-arrest him.

A Southwark Crown court had on April 17, 2012, sentenced Ibori to prison after the ex-governor pleaded guilty to 10 counts of money laundering and stealing $250m.

Following his conviction in the UK, there were criticisms of the Nigerian justice system.

There was national outrage after Asaba High Court struck out the entire 170 charges which the EFCC had brought against Ibori.

I am not fighting with Tinubu – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has debunked rumours that he and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), are at loggerheads with the National leader of the Party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

In a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, Buhari said such rumours were unfounded and mischievous.

He insisted that he was in constant communication with Tinubu before, during and after the Ondo governorship election last weekend.

Buhari hailed Tinubu as a priceless political asset to the party and said the presidency and APC leadership was not working to destroy the former Governor of Lagos State.

Deported Nigerian man re-arrested in US for scamming woman of over $9,000

A 47-year-old Nigerian man, Chigozie Valentine Agu, has been arrested in Vermillion Parish, Louisiana, US, on charges of ‘Felony Theft’ in excess of $5,000, Bank Fraud, Money Laundering, and Racketeering.

Agu was nabbed after he scammed an elderly woman to the tune of nearly $9,000.

The suspect was deported to Louisiana and booked into the Vermillion Parish Correctional Center and was arrested at the weekend by the Metro Washington Airport Authority at Dulles Airport, following an investigation by General Landry’s Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (LBI) as he re-entered the United States.

Malcom McLaren's Son Burns $6 Million Worth Of Punk Memorabilia

The 40th anniversary of Sex Pistol's first single, "Anarchy in the UK" occurred over the weekend and to celebrate Joe Corre, the son of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren and punk designer Vivienne

Westwood, burned $6 million of rare punk memorabilia outside Buckingham Palace. It has been reported that burned items included Sex Pistols recordings, clothing belonging to Westwood and Johnny Rotten, and a Sid Vicious doll with a swastika on it.

In an interview with The Guardian, Corre said that punk has become nothing more than, "McDonald's brand … owned by the state, establishment and corporations." He went on to explain about burning the memorabilia, "I think this is the right opportunity to say: you know what? Punk is dead. Stop conning a younger generation that it somehow has any currency to deal with the issues that they face or has any currency to create the way out of the issues that they face. It's not and it's time to think about something else."

5 Helpful tips for Nigerians who use Wifi

Gone are the days when most Nigerians relied on cables for internet access. With the introduction of Wifi, internet access is seemingly easier, faster and much more convenient. 

Although the almighty Wifi is one of the most useful and important aspects of using a computer, it can also be frustrating as sometimes the Wifi network can be sluggish, defective, and insecure.

If you are plagued with bad reception, slow speeds, and other issues, Jumia Travel, Africa’s No. 1 online hotel booking portal presents 5 ways you can power up the Wi-Fi and improve your network speeds. 

Turkish warplanes launch airstrikes on Syrian city of al-Bab

Turkish warplanes have carried out a series of airstrikes on the Syrian city of al-Bab in yet another blatant act of aggression against the sovereignty of the Arab state.

According to the Turkish military, the airstrikes were conducted against targets in the city of al-Bab, located some 40 kilometers northeast of Aleppo, shortly before 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Friday.

The military claimed the attacks targeted Daesh.

The strikes are part of an ongoing incursion by Turkish military inside northern Syria.

On August 24, Turkish special forces, tanks and jets backed by warplanes from the US-led coalition launched their first coordinated offensive in Syria. On the same day, Damascus strongly denounced the intervention as a breach of its sovereignty.

Senior officials in Damascus have said that any side willing to fight terrorism on the Syrian territory should cooperate with the government and the Syrian army.

The threat of a new political party by Reuben Abati

When aggrieved politicians within the People's Democratic Party (PDP) decided to join forces with members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the All Progressives Peoples Alliance (APGA) to form the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013.

The triumph of the APC in the 2015 elections resulting in victory at the Presidential level, in 23 states out of 36, and also in the legislature, state and federal, was propelled on the wings of the people’s embrace of this slogan of change. Change became the aphrodisiac of Nigeria’s search for democratic progress. The new party’s promises were delivered with so much certainty and cock-suredness. Those who were promised free meals were already salivating before casting the first vote.

The permanently opportunistic players in Nigeria’s private sector could be seen trading across the lines as they have always done. Everyone knew the PDP had too much internal baggage to deal with.

The opposition exploited this to the fullest and they were helped in no small measure, not just by the party’s implosion, but also the offensiveness of the claims by certain elements within the PDP that their party will rule Nigeria forever. This arrogance had gone

Toke Makinwa opens up about her s*x tape, bleaching and estranged husband

Popular media personality Toke Makinwa has released her first book "On Becoming" and we're excited.The TV host and Vlogger talks about contemplating suicide, finding God, bleaching and more.

On sex tape and bleaching,

"At some point while we were dating, Maje had asked if he could tape us having sex. This was a new one for me but I would do anything to keep my man, or so I thought, and so I obliged. But I was nervous afterwards because I didn’t want the tape to get into the wrong hands…. I dragged the file back to his desktop, and I could tell from the stilled image in the video that the person in it was not me…. I clicked play and

Green Party’s Jill Stein raises $4.5 million for presidential vote recounts

US Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein has raised over $4 million to force a vote recount in the three battleground states where Donald Trump scored narrow wins in the 2016 presidential election.

Stein’s website said Thursday it has exceeded its initial goal for raising $2.5 million and has reached its target of raising $4.5 million to force recounts in the states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The deadlines to petition for recounts are approaching in Wisconsin on Friday, Pennsylvania on Monday and Michigan on Wednesday.

"We deserve elections we can trust," Stein’s campaign said, adding that the effort was not intended to help defeated Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Stein’s push for recounts comes as a growing number of academics and computer scientists, as well as election lawyers, believe foreign hackers could have modified vote totals.

Nigerian designer for U.S fashion show

Helen Apreala, a Nigerian born international designer will on November 1 take part in the world highest catwalk at the Grand Canyon Skywalk, on the Colorado River, United States.

The open air catwalk will feature an exquisite combination of Haute Couture and Prêt-à-Porter collections from America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Spanish artist Diego Cortizas is bringing his bold colours of red, yellow, and green to the grand catwalk.

Expressing abstract creativity, Russian sensation Lidia Demidova is combining texture and shapes based on the laws of geometry.

On a softer side, Portuguese fashion house Joana Montez and Patricia de Melo will focus on the usage of multiple layers, light materials, transparency, and floral designs. Lebanese Haute Couture designer Ziad Nakad will demonstrate a captivating fusion of material and colours while celebrating simplicity and sophistication.

Battle erupts over Trump's secretary of state pick

A battle has erupted in Donald Trump's camp over his pick for US secretary of state, with loyal supporters seeking to block the appointment of Mitt Romney, a fierce critic of the President-elect during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The debate over selecting the head the US State Department has led to an internal dispute in Trump’s team between supporters of Romney, those favoring former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and others who believe Trump should keep searching for candidates.

Romney, who was nominated by the Republican Party in 2012 to be US president, is the leading prospect to become America's top diplomat in Trump’s incoming administration.

However, some of Trump's loyalists have united to oppose the appointment of Romney, who called the celebrity businessman a "fraud" and a "conman" during the presidential campaign.

Read Tinubu's letter to Atiku on his 70th birthday

Former Governor of Lagos State and All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has described former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as a man of faith, saying that faith has kept him going and waxing strong.

In a letter he personally signed, Asiwaju Tinubu felicitated with Atiku on attaining the proverbial age of 70 and urged him to accept that “there is a tide in the affairs of men”.

He said in the letter in which he addressed Atiku as his dear brother:

“I write to felicitate with you on the attainment of the proverbial age of three scores and ten, 70.

“Your life has been a life of service to your people, your country and the causes you believe in. Nigeria has been well served by your stewardship and leadership.

China academics expect Trump to pursue 'hegemony' in Asia

An influential government think tank in China says the US will not disengage from Asia and the South China Sea under President-elect Donald Trump and will continue to seek “regional hegemony.”

“There will be no overturning change to US policy in the South China Sea [under Trump],” said Wu Shicun, the head of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, on Friday.

“China could possibly set up an Air Defense Identification Zone in the South China Sea if the US continues to intensify patrols and low-altitude spying in the region,” he further told reporters in Beijing.

The think tank said in a report on the same day that “absolute control” was the ultimate US military strategy in the South China Sea.

Blazes billow across Israel-occupied lands for 4th day

Wildfires rage across Israel for a fourth straight day after a conflagration broke out in the northwestern city of Haifa, prompting tens of thousands of evacuations.

The blazes billowed in many locations throughout the Israeli-occupied territories on Friday. The fire in Haifa, the hardest hit city, has forced some 80,000 people to flee.

The fires are also still burning in the forests west of Jerusalem al-Quds, on central and northern hilltops and in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Police said hundreds of people were evacuated from the village of Beit Meir near Jerusalem al-Quds overnight. They also reported the outbreak of a new fire near the southern town of Kiryat Gat.

The Haifa mayor urged residents with water sprinklers to help put out the flames as thousands of residents of the mixed Jewish-Arab coastal city spent the night in temporary accommodation.

Tunisian president confirms presence of US drones on Libyan border

Tunisia’s President Beji Caid Essebsi has confirmed that the US is operating spy drones over the Tunisian border with Libya, in an admission likely to cause controversy.Essebsi said in a recent interview with the regional channel El Hiwar Ettounsi that the drone flights were needed to avoid such cross-border terrorist attacks as a raid in March on the Tunisian town of Ben Guerdan.

Essebsi said in a recent interview with the regional channel El Hiwar Ettounsi that the drone flights were needed to avoid such cross-border terrorist attacks as a raid in March on the Tunisian town of Ben Guerdan.

“We do not have clear information, and we should act instead of waiting until another Ben Guerdan,” the Tunisian president said.

Dozens of Daesh terrorists stormed the Tunisian border town of Ben Guerdan back then, attacking army and police posts. At least 53 people were killed in the attack, including civilians.

The question of the presence of the US military in Tunisia is likely to

No crisis in APC – Governor Ajimobi insist

The Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi has insisted that there is no crisis within the ranks of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Ajimobi made this remark while addressing reporters after a closed-door meeting held at the government house, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The governor also explained that he was absent during the APC mega governorship rally in Akure, Ondo State last Saturday because he was not in the country.

Recall that Ajimobi, the Lagos governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, his counterpart from Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, and a national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu  were noticeably absent at the APC rally last weekend graced by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Giving reason for his absence, Ajimobi said, “some of us were out of the country. Me for example I was in China”.

The closed-door meeting had

Teenager passes out after pastor raped her during ‘anointing’ in Ogun

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a pastor, identified as Adekunle Francis, for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl, simply identified as Dolapo.

Francis was arrested on November 22 at Ipamesan, Sango Ota, after he allegedly lured his victim into an uncompleted building under the pretext of praying for and anointing her.

He was said to have raped her until she passed out.

The pastor was paraded on Thursday before newsmen at the state police command headquarters.

Parading the suspect, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the victim reported her ordeal at the Sango Police Station.

PDP in Ogun suspends Kashamu, six others

The Ogun state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has announced the suspension of some top members.

This is contained in a statement jointly signed by Hon. Sikirulai Olawale Ogundele, State Chairman, and Hon. Olabode Bankole, State Secretary.

It said the development follows the report of a Panel which was constituted in June, 2016 to investigate allegations of financial improprieties, anti-party activities and sundry reckless acts that are capable of bringing the party to disrepute.

“The Panel on several occasions invited some of the above named who were implicated in the misapplication and outright diversion of party funds to defend and acquit themselves of those allegations but they refused to honour the invitation.”

Nigerian Newspapers: Friday morning

Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know this Friday morning

 Today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers

1. The Supreme Court of Friday threw out the appeal filed before it by business mogul, Jimoh Ibrahim, challenging the decision of the Appellant court, which removed him as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State.

A five man panel led by the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen in its decision said Jimoh’s case lackd merit and should be discarded in entirety.

2. The Upper Chamber of the National Assembly yesterday passed the bill for the establishment of Peace Corps of Nigeria into law. Senator Nafada-led committee recommended that the Nigerian Peace Corps and the National Unity and Peace Corps should be merged as one, since both formations appear the same.

3. The Agusta AW 101, one of the presidential jets recently handed over to the Nigerian Air Force yesterday crashed at the Nigerian Air Force base in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

Neymar responds to legal woes in Instagram post

Barcelona forward Neymar has used an Instagram post to apparently address the latest attempt by Spain's public prosecutor to seek a jail term in relation to his controversial transfer from Santos.

On Wednesday, Judge Jose Perals requested a two-year sentence and a €10 million fine for the Barca striker and his father, along with the same fine and a one-year prison term for his mother, on the grounds of alleged corruption in the Brazil captain's 2013 move from his homeland to La Liga.

The case stems from a complaint by investment group DIS, which owned 40 per cent of Neymar's economic rights and claims it received less money than it was entitled to following the transfer.