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A 34 year old general merchant, Mr Ndukwe Ekekwe, Tuesday, told the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Enquiry and Restitution for Victims of Special Ant-Robbery Squad (SARS) related abuses and other matters, that he broke his backbone after SAR officers threw him down from a two-storey building which resulted in him being confined in a wheelchair. Ekekwe told the panel that on February 16, 2018, he was at his shop at Alaba Rago, in Alaba International market, when he was arrested, by men of SARS, who handcuffed him. When he asked them to show their identification card, and that he wanted to know his offence, they started shooting and told him that the order was from the Inspector General (IG)of Police. The petitioner, who said he sells phone accessories and other things, said when he was arrested, he was trying to raise alarm, so that other people can see what was happening. The SARS operatives then called one Haruna Amaz and he told them to keep me busy. That was when they pushed me upsta

The United States forces say they have rescued an American citizen who is being held hostage in northern Nigeria. In a statement, Jonathan Hoffman, the Pentagon spokesman, said the rescue operation was conducted on Saturday morning. The American was reportedly abducted in Niger Republic on Tuesday and subsequently moved to Nigeria. “U.S. forces conducted a hostage rescue operation during the early hours of 31 October in Northern Nigeria to recover an American citizen held hostage by a group of armed men,” the statement by the CNN read. “This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State. No U.S military personnel were injured during the operation. “We appreciate the support of our international partners in conducting this operation. The United States will continue to protect our people and our interests anywhere in the world.”

EDidem Ekpo Otu, Obong of Calabar, has asked Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River state, to step aside. According to the newspaper, the prominent traditional ruler blamed Ayade for the vandalism, looting and destruction of public and private property in the state last week. He reportedly said the governor needs to step aside to enable an interim administration come up so that he can learn governance. The Obong spoke when Liyel Imoke, a former governor of the state, paid homage to him. “He (Ayade) has not been holding security meeting regularly. This thing would not have happened if he had called the security people together after hearing what happened in Lagos and other places; If he had called them together and tell them, look my friends; nothing should happen in my state,” he said. “The Governor should be able to open his door for people to come in, and should work with everybody. We have to face it; we don’t need to play around with it; we cannot continue this way. You tell him that t

Nigeria has reported 19,808 coronavirus cases and 506 related deaths Nigerian doctors in state-run hospitals have called off a week-long strike over welfare and inadequate protective equipment as new coronavirus cases spike in the country. The strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), which represents some 40 percent of Nigeria's doctors, began last Monday but had exempted medics treating coronavirus patients. The group's directors decided to suspend the strike action from Monday, June 22, by 08:00am local time (07:00 GMT), the association said in a statement. NARD said the decision, which followed the intervention by state governors and others, was to give the government time to fulfil the outstanding demands. The organisation had called the strike over a range of issues, including the "grossly inadequate" provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) and calls for hazard pay for those workin

by Bernard Dayo An HIV counsellor takes a patient's blood sample during an HIV-testing procedure in Lagos Lagos, Nigeria -  When Andrew* first found out he was HIV-positive in January this year, he suffered a fleeting sense of paralysis, fearing his life was about to change forever.  At 27, it was one of the things he dreaded as a gay man who was still in the closet. Even within the Nigerian LGBT community, HIV discrimination is rife and Andrew noticed no one would reply to him on the dating apps he used when he changed his status. In the weeks after his diagnosis, he developed a routine to deal with the illness: religiously taking his HIV medication and practising celibacy . Andrew is a software developer who views the world through a prism of codes and programs, and as the coronavirus pandemic became very real, with Nigeria comfirming its first case of contagion in February, he felt uneasy. The hysteria on the internet, fe

Muhammadu Buhari's Chief of Staff Abba Kyari is the highest profile person to have died as country remains in lockdown. A handout image made available by the Nigerian State House shows the Nigerian president sitting beside his Chief of Staff Abba Kyari Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's chief of staff has died after contracting the novel coronavirus, the presidency said on Saturday. Buhari's office announced in a statement that it "regrets to announce the passage" of Abba Kyari, who acted as gatekeeper to the president of Africa's most populous nation. "The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging COVID-19, and had been receiving treatment. But he died on Friday, April 17, 2020," the statement said.  "May God accept his soul." Kyari, in his 70s, was the highest-profile  COVID-19  death in the West African country, which has 493 confirmed cases and 17 deaths, according to the Niger

National Human Rights Commission says it received '105 complaints of rights violations by security forces' in 24 states. At least 18 people in Nigeria have been killed by security forces during the enforcement of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, a figure higher than the documented toll inflicted by the disease, the country's human rights body said. In a report released late on Wednesday, the National Human Rights Commission said it had received and documented "105 complaints of incidents of human rights violations perpetuated by security forces" in 24 of Nigeria 36 states and Abuja, the capital. Of these complaints, "there were eight documented incidents of extrajudicial killings leading to 18 deaths", it said. Our correspondent, reporting from Abuja, said "eight of those killed were by correctional officers in the northwest Kaduna state. The police were accused of killing seven and

President Muhammadu Buhari says the nation's response to the COVID-19 disease is a matter of 'life and death'. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has announced a 14-day extension to a lockdown in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun states to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. In a televised address on Monday, Buhari said "it has become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement" that was set to expire later in the day. Initial 14-day lockdowns in the three areas began on March 30.  There are currently 323 confirmed cases of the virus in Nigeria with 71 percent of them registered in Lagos and the capital territory of Abuja. Ten people have died so far. "It is a matter of life and death," Buhari said of the nation's response. "The repercussions of any premature end to the lockdown action are unimaginable."  Economic hardship Nigeria, with 200 million people, is Africa's most

Oluwaseun Osowobi wants to advocate for an end to stigmatisation and demystify myths around COVID-19 in her country. Oluwaseun Osowobi was the flag bearer at the Commonwealth Day Service in London, the United Kingdom. For Oluwaseun Osowobi, the symptoms began shortly after she returned from a trip to London. The 29-year-old Nigerian activist was in the United Kingdom capital to attend on March 9 the Commonwealth Day Service, where she was the official flag bearer. But after arriving in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, she fell ill and decided to get tested for COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. The test came back positive and  Osowobi was taken to a specialised facility to receive medical care.  She remained at an isolation ward until last week, when she was discharged following her recovery from COVID-19. Osowobi, who runs the Stand to End Rape Initiative, a group advocating a