Residents of Makurdi are now living in fear following reports of uncommon happenings at the mountainous Mkomon community in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State where a volcanic eruption claimed two lives while property worth millions of Naira have also been destroyed.

The absence of the politicians is attributable to the struggle for governorship which has divided the entire Yewa into two camps.

HIS real name is Obioma Nwankwo, alias Osisikankwu, a former hunter and ex-fighter of the Icelander Confraternity, founded by ex-militant leader and Rivers State warlord, Ateke Tom. Between him and 10 other kidnap kingpins, notably, Mopol -a dismissed policeman, Stone, Tallest, 10-10, IK in Ukwa West local government area; Onyeme – a dismissed soldier and King Solomon in Abala; Dan Fryo and Susu in Umuezi axis, Abia State was held captive in the past two years until their handgrip went beyond the elbow region, in the last two to three months.

The origin of this piece will certainly read like a fairy tale. A young man walked into the Vanguard Office, Owerri, to discuss placement of 15 full pages of colour advertisement. After discussing with our Correspondent, Chidi Nkwopara, the potential client left but promised that he would call to confirm the next line of action.
About four days after the visit, a call came through an MTN number. The message was simple: “We have accepted to place the advert in Vanguard. You have to come to Aba and pick the money”.
For the reporter, Aba was a no-go area and the caller was told so. A deal was struck that the reporter should come to a place close to Osisioma. He thereafter left Owerri for the designated place on the appointed day.

The environment at the Olomi area secretariat of the Oyo State purportedly proscribed National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, can be likened to a war situation. Stern-looking union members were scattered around the area in groups and it was easy to see and smell hidden weapons all over the place.

SIGNS that the late rainy season is eventually coming to an end, appears to have raised hope that the flood ravaging some communities abutting the Ogun River will soon subside. While the Lagos State government has offered a temporary relocation at Agbowa, an outskirt of Ikorodu, some residents of Isheri community in Ogun State still battle with the flood even as many of them claim they were duly warned about the situation by the state government.

Recent indications appear to suggest that all is not well with the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) established in year 2000 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The agency under Dr. Magnus Kpakol is believed to be crumbling because it has been turned into a house of insidious intrigues and infighting.

RECENT developments have once again reaffirmed the imperative by government to provide adequate security for the Nigerian citizenry. Curiously, whereas the Nigeria Police Force which primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of the teeming populace has continuously complained of inadequate logistics and wherewithal to effectively fight crimes, the largest and most sophisticated weapons are in the hands of the enemies of the state.

NIGERIANS woke up Wednesday morning to be confronted with the shocking news of the importation of 13 container load of what can be termed the largest quantity of arms and ammunition into the country. The discovery of the arms and ammunition which include rocket launchers, cartridges and hand grenades and others at the A P Moller Terminals in Apapa Port, brings to question the level of security in and around the country, especially in the light of the October 1 bomb blast during the nation’s 50th anniversary celebration.

For quite some time, Bauchi State has been in the news for the wrong reasons largely due to the level of insecurity in the State. This is because cases of armed robbery, kidnapping and terrorist acts of the dreaded Islamic sect, known as Boko Haram, are all becoming the order of day and this is giving everybody a cause for concern.

Now Signs that the late rainy season is eventually coming to an end, appears to have raised hope that the flood ravaging some communities abutting the Ogun River will soon subside.

Lottery in many countries is a lucrative revenue earner and even the mainstay of the economy. For instance, it is said that the famous Great Wall of China and many notable projects in the United States of America were successfully executed courtesy of proceeds from lottery. This is so because lottery is not perceived as gambling as is the case here. While gambling is a risk taken in the hope of gaining advantage, lottery seeks to create job opportunities and bring development to the countries that accept it as a legitimate business.

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, promised to make funds available immediately to the Lagos State government to find permanent solution to the menace of perennial flooding in parts of the state as a result of water from Oyo_Ogun basin.

For some weeks, many commuters and motorists have had bitter tales to tell of their experiences in coping with the challenges arising from the recent flooding of their communities which cut off the sole access road there.

FOR residents of Isheri, Warewa, Mile 12 and other communities on the beds of the Ogun River in Ogun and Lagos states, these are certainly not the best of times. Some have lost their homes, some their shops and means of livelihood they have laboured for all their lives.