Federal Government’s Effort In Top Gear To Secure List Of Properties Owned By Nigerians In UAE – Min. Foreign Affairs

                        Minister for Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, on Tuesday, said efforts were in top gear to secure list of Nigerians who owned choice properties in the United Arab Emirate (UAE) from proceeds of fraud.

Onyeama said this while briefing the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs during the budget defence of the ministry in Abuja.

He added that the Federal Government was already in talks with the UAE government to get the list of properties owned by Nigerians in that country.

Speaking on money laundering and the role of Nigeria’s foreign missions, he disclosed that the ministry was engaged in recovery of some money laundered in the U.S.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Sen. Monsurat Sumonu, had expressed concern over the working gap between the National Assembly (NASS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

She called for better working relationship between NASS and the ministry to enable them to work to deliver dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

With NTA

KANYE WEST GETS BACKLASH FOR DEFENDING BILL COSBY

American rapper Kanye West has received angry backlash on Twitter for defending Bill Cosby. 

West declared his support for the comedian who is accused of sexually assaulting more than 50 women, in a tweet on Tuesday. 

The post has caused angry backlash from both critics and fans who say they have lost all respect for the hip - hop mogul.

Cosby who has for years denied allegations of assault by dozens of women, was charged in December last year with sexually assaulting a woman in 2004 after plying her with drugs and alcohol.

The charges, filed days before the statute of limitations on the alleged crime was to expire, are the only criminal charges the entertainer faces. 

He has been implicated in allegations of attacks dating back to the 1960s. 

Military Plans To Close Markets Aiding Boko Haram Operations In Borno, Yobe

Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman

The Nigerian Army has announced plans to close designated markets in Yobe and Borno where traders have been found to be aiding Boko Haram terrorists with logistic supplies.

The acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, who disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday, did not name the markets.

Usman said the planned closure was part of measures to contain attempts by some unscrupulous elements to sabotage recent gains recorded by the military in the North-East.

According to the spokesman, any breach of the order will be dealt with accordingly.

He appealed to residents of the affected areas to support the new measures, stressing that they were aimed at permanently ending the insurgency.

Col. Usman said that some unscrupulous elements have been engaged in all manners of illegal commercial activities in markets such as trading and smuggling, especially during late hours; all aimed at sustaining terrorism and insurgency.

He said the Nigerian military and indeed the Nigerian Army is highly concerned with these unpatriotic acts .

Usman said the military was making efforts to consolidate on the gains recently recorded in the war against terrorists in the North-East.

Usman also announced the arrest of two Nigerian Army Explosive Device personnel at Yola park with different kinds of ammunition and military hardware.

He said the soldiers were arrested on Sunday with the unathorised military items to unknown destinations.

“The items include smoke grenade, over 2,000 live rounds of special ammunition, 50 live rounds NATO ammunition, five magazines of AK47 rifles, two browning machine gun live rounds of ammunition,” he added.

Usman said in spite of the setbacks, the military had recently recorded successes in its determination to flush out the elements.

Usman said troops in different operations in the North-East killed many of the terrorists, rescued hundreds of persons held hostage and recovered several arms.

He said several hideouts of the insurgents in remote villages in Borno and Yobe had been destroyed in the operations carried out by troops under the `Operation Lafiya Dole.

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MOURINHO TELLS FRIENDS MAN UNITED JOB IS HIS

Jose Mourinho has told friends and associates that he will replace Louis van Gaal as Manchester United manager at the end of the season, according to reports in several British newspapers on Wednesday.

The Daily Mail, Daily Star, Daily Mirror and Daily Telegraph all quoted an unnamed source close to the 53-year-old Portuguese as saying his installation at Old Trafford was a “done deal”.

The former Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Porto coach was sacked by Chelsea in December but said in an interview last week that he would soon be back in management, preferably in England.

Van Gaal, who has another year left on his contract after this season, has had to deal with constant speculation about his position after United made a stuttering start to the season.

The Dutchman said on Sunday he thought reports of negotiations between United and Mourinho were an invention of the media.

Breaking News: Landmine Kills 3 Soldiers In Mali

Malian officials say three soldiers have been killed after their vehicle hit a landmine in the central region of Mopti.

Two others were wounded and have been taken to a hospital.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. But Al-Qaeda-linked militants have been fighting the Army in northern Mali for years, Channel News reported.

The incident happened in Mondoro, next to the border with Burkina Faso

In January 2013, France, the former colonial power in the country, intervened to stop their advance south to the capital.

But attacks across the country have increased recently, including a shooting at a hotel in the capital, Bamako, that left 22 people dead in November.