Author: Chronicle Editor

Goods worth about N450 million were destroyed in a fire that gutted Erisco Foods Ltd warehouse in Lagos, Mr Tokunbo Agbede, the company’s General Manager said on Tuesday. Tokunbo made the disclosure at a news conference on in Lagos. Agbede said that the cause of the incident which happened about 6 a.m. on Monday at the Eleganza Warehouse of the company had yet to be ascertained. He said that investigation into the incident was ongoing by the Nigerian Police and the Lagos State Fire Service. “The fire is a colossal loss to the company at a time when we are…

Suspected Boko Haram militants launched three attacks in northern Cameroon within 24 hours, including a thwarted suicide strike on a camp for people who have been displaced by the conflict, security sources said on Tuesday. The Islamist militant group is based in northeastern Nigeria but regularly carries out raids in neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, prompting the four countries plus Benin to create a 10,000-strong joint task force. The frequency of the attacks has dropped in recent months, although more than 1,500 people have been killed in Cameroon by such attacks, International Crisis Group said in a report this month.…

In a major sting operation to checkmate corruption and professional misconduct within and outside the police, the authorities have arrested nine policemen for robbery, kidnapping, aiding and abetting serious crimes. The nine policemen were paraded today at the Force headquarters Abuja. A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Don Awunah, identified the arrested officers as: ASP Yuguda Abbah, Sgt Habila Sarki, Diphen Nimmyel, Sgt Yasan Danda, Sgt Abbas Mailalle, Sgt Bwanason Tanko, Sgt Donan James, Corporal Idris Salisu and CPL Zakari Kofi. The dismissed officers were found guilty of unprofessional conduct, aiding and abetting serious crimes like cattle…

Donald Trump has cancelled a meeting with the New York Times, a day after berating media chiefs at his headquarters for “unfair” coverage. Without elaborating, the US president-elect tweeted that the newspaper had changed the terms of the meeting. He posted: “They continue to cover me inaccurately and with a nasty tone!” Mr Trump has had an antagonistic relationship with the press, railing against liberal bias, even while benefiting from blanket TV coverage. I cancelled today's meeting with the failing @nytimes when the terms and conditions of the meeting were changed at the last moment. Not nice— Donald J. Trump…

Jimoh Ibrahim’s campaign suffered a setback after the Supreme Court ordered the Appeal Court to resume hearing of all appeals relating to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidacy tussle in Ondo state. This followed the withdrawal of 10 motions filed for stay of proceeding by the Ali-modu Sheriff faction which led to a stay of proceeding at the appellate court. The acting Chief Justice of Nigeria who presided over the proceedings, Justice Walter Onoghene, dismissed the motion and awarded a cost of N250,000 against those who filed them. Justice Onoghene ordered the Appeal Court to resume hearing because the…

Boko Haram has cut off up to a million people around West Africa’s Lake Chad despite a regional military offensive against the Islamist militants, a United Nations official said on Tuesday. Boko Haram violence has uprooted more than 100,000 people across the swamplands of Lake Chad, where the borders of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria meet, and disrupted the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of others, according to aid agencies. Security sources say a regional task force is wrestling back control of the lake – where Boko Haram controls part of the fishing industry in a labyrinth of waterways -…

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has directed the Fulani community in Chawai, Kauru Local Government, to produce one Haruna, alleged to have masterminded recent attacks on three communities in the area. The governor, who gave the order when he visited the Chawai area to condole with victims of the attack, said the suspect must be produced or be arrested by security agencies. He said that it was important for Haruna to present himself to the government, “so that we know what his grievances are and find a way to listen to his side of the story. “But if doesn’t…

Two referees and one assistant referee have been suspended for three months by the Confederation of African Football after poor performances in 2018 World Cup qualifiers in November. Ghanaian Joseph Lamptey incorrectly awarded South Africa a penalty in their 2-1 win over Senegal. Kenyan referee Davies Omweno denied Libya what was a valid goal in their 1-0 defeat by Tunisia. His assistant, Berhe O’Michael of Eritrea, had wrongly flagged offside. Caf also warned the other assistant referee in the match, Rwanda’s Theogene Ndagijimana. Public shaming of the match officials is highly unusual in international football. World governing body Fifa and…

A fifth senior Kenyan Olympic official has been arrested as part of the investigation into missing money and equipment following Rio 2016. Police went to the Nairobi home of Ben Ekumbo, who is vice-president of the country’s Olympic committee and head of its swimming federation. He was reportedly hiding under a bed. Officers found boxes of new Nike running shoes and unused Kenyan team uniforms that were meant to be given to athletes competing at the Games. The arrest came as it was alleged in a forthcoming report by investigators that high-ranking sports officials stole more than £6.4m in athletes’…

A cross-dressing social media star dubbed “Africa’s male Barbie” has shot to fame in Nigeria, sparking a charged debate in a conservative country where alternative lifestyles remain frowned upon. Okuneye Idris Olarenwaju, who goes by the name Bobrisky on SnapChat, makes his living selling 100,000 naira ($317) skin-whitening creams while chronicling online his life of luxury in Lagos. But Bobrisky really went viral in late October, when an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari and a marketing executive pulled out of appearing with him on a social media panel in Abuja, the nation’s capital. “The inclusion of Bobrisky unfortunately sensationalises and…