Goodluck Ebele Jonathan   Former President Goodluck Jonathan, a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), as well as some members of the National Assembly may have received about $400m from the $1.3bn paid by oil giants Shell and Eni, into a Federal Government escrow account, a new report suggests.   A former Russian Ambassador and Intelligence Officer, Ednan Agaev, was quoted as saying this while speaking with officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States as well as Italian prosecutors, according to a report by an  American news website, Buzzfeed.   Detectives in the US, the Netherlands and Italy are jointly investigating the $1.3bn Malabu scam which Nigerian officials have described as the biggest single scam ever perpetrated against the Nigerian people.   Agaev’s testimony has since been tendered in an Italian court as evidence where Adoke and a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, D...

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo   Former President Olusegun Obasanjo  has denied allegations by a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, that he (Obasanjo) planned to kill the former army chief.   Obasanjo said his government between 1999 and 2007 arrested the former COAS to clear his name for allegedly killing other people during the reign of military dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha.   He gave the answer on Sunday at his Presidential Hilltop residence in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital while hosting members of the Ogun State Correspondents’ chapel. Obasanjo said that the former Chief of Army Staff was arrested by law enforcement agencies in the country for alleged criminal acts.   But, Bamaiyi, in his recent book,  ‘Vindication of A General’,  had accused Obasanjo of plotting to kill him to scuttle any plan by the former army chief from toppling his administration.   Bamaiyi wrote in his book:  “Upon handin...

Mustapha Shehuri   Mustapha Shehuri, the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, on Sunday said Nigeria is slowly getting out of economic recession.    Premium Times reports that Mr. Shehuri spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, while on an inspection tour of housing projects initiated by the federal government.   The minister appealed to Nigerians to exercise patience, and support President Muhammadu Buhari in his efforts to tackle the numerous challenges bedevilling the country.   “We are slowly going out of recession. Nigerians should (be) rest assured that the economy is being well managed,”  he said.   “Government is focused on revamping the economy. Corruption is being tackled head-on. “Nigerians need to be patient considering the circumstances Nigeria was in when this government assumed office,”  Mr. Shehuri added.   Commenting on the housing projects, the minister said the Buhari admini...

  File photo used only for illustrative purpose   In what will come across as a shocking incident, residents of Madzivadondo Villafge in Gokwe, Zimbabwe, have been left in fear after making a strange discovery.   The villagers reportedly found a baby’s head was found beside a grave last week on Saturday morning.   According to B-Metro, Moses Chipere who is the deceased baby’s uncle, revealed that one-month-old Tawonga had been buried in the grave a day before his head was found outside it.   “Baby Tawonga died on Thursday afternoon after a short illness. Burial arrangements were made and he was laid to rest on Friday morning. He was buried in the garden that is our homestead. "As per our custom, the elders have to go and check the grave every morning for two weeks. Upon arrival at the grave site, they discovered that the grave had been tampered with,”  said Chipere.   “There was a big opening on the grave and the baby’s body...

    Operatives attached to the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit in company with some marine policemen and hoodlums, have reportedly demolished no fewer than 150 structures on waterfronts in Otondogbame, in the Lekki area of Lagos State.   According to Punch Metro, the operatives stormed the community around 5am on Sunday, shooting indiscriminately, during which a resident, identified as a 20-year-old David Aya, was killed by a stray bullet.   It was gathered that several others, including one Monday Idowu, were also said to have sustained gunshot injuries as the team wet the structures with kerosene and set fire to them.   Photos released online showed that some of the displaced residents, who had yet to find alternative settlements, stayed on boats.     While speaking with a correspondent, a resident identified as Jonathan Zosu, disclosed that the demolition was carried out w...

EFCC officials   A fresh report by the New Telegraph has revealed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is currently facing a major integrity test in its recruitment process.   The report shows that as many as 24 cadets who were part of the ongoing training at the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) have allegedly been dismissed in questionable circumstance and their positions taken over by others who were not part of the initial recruitment exercise.   In a protest letter dated January 16, 2017 and addressed to the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the affected cadets, through their lawyer, Olusoji Toki, said they were unfairly dismissed after they had passed all the necessary tests, including medical examination.   A copy of the petition, which was exclusively obtained by New Telegraph, has also been sent to the Acting Chairman of the EFCC and receipt duly acknowledged by the antigraft agency. In the letters, the petitione...

Big Brother Naija winner, Efe     Housemate, Efe secured 57.61 per cent of votes to emerge winner of the 2017 Big Brother Naija ‘See Goobe’ reality TV show on Sunday.   The Warri-born up and coming rap artist beat Bisola, who became the 1st runner up with 18.54 per cent of the vote at the grand finale.   Tboss scored 13.60 per cent to emerge the 2nd runner up; Debie-Rise 8.78 per cent, 3rd runner up while Marvis scored 1.47 per cent. Efe was given a brand new Kia Sorento SUV and N25 million naira cash prize. Efe who had never failed to stress that he was real was nominated for eviction in January and March but survived.   The Economics graduate had stressed that his humility, simplicity and being real would make him win the hearts of viewers. His emergence came after Marvis, Debie-Rise and Tboss were evicted during the grand finale.   Efe who was Marvis’ love interest in the house said in spite of the attraction between them, he wa...