COLU @ CONCEPTS

‘Who The Hell Is Bamaiyi That I Would Want To Kill Him? – Obasanjo Speaks On Former Army Chief’s Claims Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday, April 9 denied claims by former Chief of Army Staff, Ishaya Bamaiyi in his book, ‘Vindication of a General’ that he plotted to kill him for fear of overthrowing his government. The former President made the disclosure while playing host to members of the Correspondents Chapel, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ogun Chapter, at his hilltop residence in Abeokuta. Obasanjo explained that his administration only asked Bamaiyi to answer to those that he was alleged to have killed, saying that the decision was legitimate. “That I wanted to kill him? What of the people he killed? My government did not plot to kill him. “My government asked him to answer to those that were alleged to have been killed by him and that is legitimate. “That if there is an allegation that you have done something, that you have committed a crime, th...

In Uganda US to give $25m in aid to government for refugees The United States will give over $25 million in humanitarian aid to Uganda, to help the nation cope with a huge influx of refugees fleeing conflict in east Africa, the US ambassador in Kampala said Tuesday. The United States will give over $25 million in humanitarian aid to Uganda, to help the nation cope with a huge influx of refugees fleeing conflict in east Africa, the US ambassador in Kampala said Tuesday. Uganda is hosting more than a million refugees, nearly 700,000 of whom escaped the brutal civil war raging in neighbouring South Sudan since December 2013. US ambassador Deborah Malac praised Uganda's "very progressive policy" towards refugees. "We applaud that the government is committed to keeping the door open to refugees," she told reporters. The $25.2 million (24 million euros) will be used to improve water and sanitation in refugee camps, fight gender-based violence and...

In Mali Five dead in jihadist attack A Malian military official confirmed the deaths, saying that "it was terrorists from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb who were responsible for the attack...." Malian army soldiers, pro-government militia members and former rebels, take part in their first joint patrol in Gao in northern Mali in February  (AFP/File) A Tuareg-led group in Mali said five of its fighters were killed Saturday in an attack blamed on jihadists, a week after a national peace summit called for talks with militants in the country's north. "Our base in Gargando was attacked early Saturday by Islamist terrorists," Oumar Ag Keling, a member of the Tuareg-led Congress for Justice in Azawad, told AFP. Gargando is a small town about 170 kilometres (106 miles) west of the historic city of Timbuktu. "They killed four of our fighters, as well as the village chief," Keling said, adding that the jihadist rebels were "of many na...

US manhunt underway for alleged gun thief who wrote manifesto to Trump Some 150 local, state and federal police officers and personnel are searching for Joseph Jakubowski, who is considered "highly-dangerous" (AFP Photo/Rock County Sheriff's Office PHOTOGRAPHER) Chicago (AFP) - A massive manhunt was underway in search of a "highly-dangerous" Wisconsin man who US authorities said robbed a gun shop and sent a lengthy manifesto to President Donald Trump. Some 150 local, state and federal police officers and personnel were searching for Joseph Jakubowski, 32, who on Tuesday allegedly stole some 16 "high-end firearms" from a gun store in Janesville, Wisconsin and set fire to a car nearby, according to Rock County Sheriff Robert Spoden. Spoden said the suspect had written a 161-page long anti-government manifesto, which he had mailed to the White House. Police obtained a copy. "Joseph Jakubowski has been highly agitated by national pol...

Will NFL, with a team headed to Las Vegas, punish players for arm wrestling tourney in Vegas? James Harrison  was one of the NFL players who participated in an arm-wrestling tournament in Las Vegas. (AP) It used to be easier for the NFL to take a hard stance against everything Las Vegas. When the NFL pressured  Tony Romo  to  cancel a fantasy football event in Las Vegas  in 2015 because it was going to be at a convention center attached to a casino, it was silly (the silliest instance of the NFL’s anti-gambline policy in action), but those were the rules. Players aren’t allowed to take part in promotional events at casinos. That line has been blurred in a big way, with the NFL allowing the  Oakland Raiders  to  move to Las Vegas . That makes their upcoming decision on a few players who participated in an arm wrestling tournament at MGM Grand in Las Vegas very interesting.  ESPN  and  USA Today  reported that...

Trump and taxes: Back to drawing board, seeks GOP consensus WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has scrapped the tax plan he campaigned on and is going back to the drawing board in a search for Republican consensus behind legislation to overhaul the U.S. tax system. The administration's first attempt to write legislation is in its early stages and the White House has kept much of it under wraps. But it has already sprouted the consideration of a series of unorthodox proposals including a drastic cut to the payroll tax, aimed at appealing to Democrats. Some view the search for new options as a result of Trump's refusal to set clear parameters for his plan and his exceedingly challenging endgame: reducing tax rates enough to spur faster growth without blowing up the budget deficit. Administration officials say it's now unlikely that a tax overhaul will meet the August deadline set by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. But the ambitious pace to figure ou...