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DEATH TOLL FROM HAJJ HEAT WAVE RISES TO OVER 1,000 – AFP The death toll from this year’s hajj has exceeded 1,000, an AFP tally said on Thursday, more than half of them unregistered worshippers who performed the pilgrimage in extreme heat in Saudi Arabia. The new deaths reported Thursday included 58 from Egypt, according to an Arab diplomat who …

550 MUSLIMS DIE AT HAJJ AS TEMPERATURES AT MECCA HIT 51.8C At least 550 people have died during the Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in the scorching heat, it has been reported. Temperatures reached at least 51.8C (125F) in the shade in the Saudi Arabian city, as huge crowds of Muslims undertook the annual religious journey – …

AL-QAEDA JIHADIS FROM BENIN MOVE TO NIGERIA, SETTLE AT KAINJI LAKE NATIONAL PARK Jihadi fighters who had long operated in Africa’s volatile Sahel region have settled in northwestern Nigeria after crossing from neighboring Benin, a report said Wednesday, the latest trend in the militants’ movements to wealthier West African coastal nations. The extremists believed to be linked to al-Qaida have …

POLICE REJECT KANO GOV’S DIRECTIVE, SAY WE WON’T EVICT DEPOSED EMIR BAYERO The Kano State commissioner of police, Usaini Gumel, has explained why his men are yet to evict the deposed emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero. Recall that the attorney-general and commissioner for justice in Kano State, Haruna Dederi, had ordered the Bayero’s eviction to pave way for reconstruction …

HEAVY SECURITY AT EMIR BAYERO’S RESIDENCE AS KANO GOVT MOBILIZES BULLDOZERS There is heavy security presence around Nasarawa Palace, the official residence of the deposed 15th emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero. The Kano State Government had ordered the eviction of the deposed traditional ruler. Addressing journalists on Thursday evening, the attorney-general and Commissioner of Justice in Kano State, Haruna …

AS PRICE OF KEROSENE RISES, ENUGU RESIDENTS SWITCH TO CHARCOAL As the price of kerosene continues to rise, many residents of Enugu are abandoning their kerosene stoves in favour of more affordable charcoal stoves. The current cost of kerosene has soared to between N1,350 and N1,600 per litre, prompting a shift in cooking methods among the populace. A News Agency …

RIVERS CRISIS: IGP SAYS POLICE BARRICADE OF LOCAL GOVT SECRETARIATS TO CONTINUE The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has directed the continuation of the police barricade on local government secretariats in Rivers State to prevent a breakdown of law and order. IGP Egbetokun gave the directive while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja on the sideline of a …

SIMON EKPA GIVES NIGERIAN GOVT CONDITION FOR PEACE IN SOUTH EAST The self-styled Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government In-Exile (BRIGE), Simon Ekpa, has told the Nigerian government what must be done for peace to reign in the South-East region of the country. Ekpa called on the Nigerian government to dismantle and withdraw all checkpoints in South-East if it …

NNPP, APC AT WAR IN KANO OVER KWANKWASO’S STATEMENT ON SECURITY THREATS Six months ago, former governor of Kano State and leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, predicted that the new administration in the state would surely revisit the Kano Emirate issue: “Honestly, it is one of those things, which nobody has sat with me to …

KANO GOVT TO RECONSTRUCT EMIR BAYERO’S PALACE, ORDERS POLICE TO EVICT HIM The Kano State Government has ordered the police to remove the 15th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero from the Nassarawa mini palace. Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf had issued a similar directive when Ado Bayero returned to the state two days after his dethronement. Irked by the …