– When things started to go wrong during a Brazilian amateur football game, the referee took drastic action. Reach for a card? No. He went for his gun! Players and staff of the Amantes da Bola and Brumahdinho teams brawled with referee Gabriel Murta getting kicked and slapped during the melee. So instead of reaching into his shirt for the card, he went back to the changing room for his firearm.

Wild jubilation erupted in major streets of Enugu metropolis,Thursday, as the news of the release of detained Director,Radio Biafra,Nnamdi Kanu filtered in.

Politicians may achieve a lifelong dream of becoming a prime minister or president, but in doing so may face the Grim Reaper somewhat sooner than the expected. So suggests an offbeat study in the Christmas edition of the British medical journal, The BMJ.

Price of some food items like chilli pepper, tomato and onion has soared by over 100 per cent in markets in Lagos a week to the Christmas celebration. A survey by NAN on Thursday showed that a basket of chilli pepper (rodo) is now N25, 000 against N12,000 it sold last week.

“The Force Awakens” picks up the intergalactic story of good versus evil 30 years on from “The Return of the Jedi”, the finale of the original trilogy. Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi master, has disappeared and Princess Leia, now a general, sends fighter pilot Poe Dameron to save him from the evil First Order.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan on Thursday upheld the judgment of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal delivered on Oct. 23 in Abeokuta which upheld the victory of Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun. The five-man panel of the Appeal Court headed by Justice H.M Ogunjimiju unanimously upheld Amosun’s victory and dismissed the appeal filed by Mr Adegboyega Isiaka of PDP.

Russian President Vladimir Putin fired off an angry tirade against Turkey on Thursday, ruling out any reconciliation with its leaders and accusing Ankara of shooting down a Russian warplane to impress the United States. In comments littered with crude language, Putin dismissed the possibility that the downing of the warplane over the Turkish-Syrian border last month was an accident, calling it a “hostile act”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday described US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump as a talented and outstanding man.

Luis Suarez fired a hat-trick as Barcelona overcame the loss of Lionel Messi to kidney problems to beat China’s Guangzhou Evergrande 3-0 and reach the Club World Cup final on Thursday.

“Okere loaded from Guinness Nigeria Plc enroute Aba on Oct. 7, but did not return to Lagos until Dec. 3; a trip that was meant to take five days. “It was later discovered that 26 crates of beer were missing and Okere could not account for them. He also refused to give reasons why the journey took him so long,” Ajebe said.

” We have reviewed the security situation and we are satisfied with the level of compliance with security measures by the public.

” We want to commend the public for the support and to urge them to continue to be vigilant and security conscious,” Sajoh said.

Mr Paul Erinne, an industrialist and founder of Paul Erinne Charity Foundation, has flayed the brazen betrayal of public trust perpetrated by former public office holders now standing trial. Erinne expressed the concern in an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Enugu on the sidelines of an entrepreneural training for youths and women in the state.

Nigerian troops Wednesday buried the bodies of hundreds of victims of an alleged military massacre of Shiite Muslims the Shiite Islamic Movement in Nigeria said, reports AP.

With 65 million Nigerians illiterate, it is time for government, schools and individuals to take action. UNESCO’s National Programme Advisor on Education, Dr Mohammed Alkali recently revealed the results of a UNESCO survey that showed that despite improvements to the country’s education system, 65 million Nigerians remain illiterate.

In his words, ‘It is encouraging to note that there are about fifty universities in the United States awarding different certificate programmes in African languages today. We have to ensure that we give our best to understanding our languages and give it a push it deserves for other nations to appreciate.’