ENYA'S GIST BLOG

 Five expatriates and two Nigerians were on Wednesday kidnapped at the Idundu area of the Calabar-Oban Road by suspected militants. The incident happened at about 6am when the foreigners and their Nigerian colleagues, working for MacMahon Construction Company, were on their way to work. The construction firm is located at the Mfamosing Plant of the United Cement Company of Nigeria Limited in the Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State. The company is said to be one of the major contracting firms to Lafarge Holcim, owners of UniCem. The workers, who were conveyed in four MacMahon vehicles, had been escorted by a security pickup that had four armed policemen when they were attacked by the gunmen before the Idundu Bridge. The armed police escort team could do nothing while the attack lasted. One of the expatriates identified as Tim Croot, an Australian and the driver of one of the vehicles, identified as Henshaw, were said to have escaped, while a...

Andy Murray has been seeded second for this year's Wimbledon with Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams the top seeds. Wimbledon gets underway on Monday with the draw set to take place on Friday at 10am and Murray has not reached the final since he won the title in 2013, while his other final appearance came in 2012 when he lost to Roger Federer. The British number one has lost both Grand Slam finals to number one seed Djokovic this year and Wednesday's announcement confirms that the pair cannot meet at the All-England Club until a potentially record-equalling eighth slam final between them. Djokovic heads to London as the first man since Jim Courier in 1992 to win the first two majors of the year and the red-hot favourite to add a fourth Wimbledon crown and third in succession to his collection of 12 Grand Slam titles.

President Muhammadu Buhari will announce a former Kano State Police Commissioner, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris as the new acting Inspector General of Police. Mr. Idris is an Assistant Inspector General of Police who once led the Kano state police command. Idris will replace Solomon Arase, who retires from the police force today. The President is currently meeting with the new IGP for a presidential briefing. President Muhammadu Buhari will announce a former Kano State Police Commissioner, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris as the new acting Inspector General of Police. Mr. Idris is an Assistant Inspector General of Police who once led the Kano state police command. Idris will replace Solomon Arase, who retires from the police force today. The President is currently meeting with the new IGP for a presidential briefing.

Bemba, a former Democratic Republic of Congo vice-president, is the first person that the global war crimes court has held directly responsible for his subordinates' crimes. Congolese politician  Jean-Pierre Bemba  was sentenced to 18 years in prison by the International Criminal Court on Tuesday for heading a 2002-03 campaign of rape and murder in neighbouring  Central African Republic . Bemba, a former Democratic Republic of Congo vice-president, is the first person that the global war crimes court has held directly responsible for his subordinates' crimes. Judge Sylvia Steiner said troops from the Movement for the Liberation of Congo  (MLC ), which Bemba directed, had acted with " particular cruelty " when they rampaged through the neighbouring country in support of then-president  Ange-Felix Patasse . One victim had described how, still a virgin, she had been raped in front of her father while other soldiers held the father at gunpoint. " After t...

An EFCC source made the disclosure to Punch following the freezing of Fayose’s accounts by the agency. “The entire fraud started from the company that Obanikoro’s sons were operating. The company was set up by some people but curiously made Obanikoro sons signatories to the account,”  the source said. The owner of A. A. G. B. S Oil and Gas confirmed to us that the company is a BDC but was only bearing the name of an oil company. He confirmed that he received N168m from Sylvan McNamara and $1m was delivered to Obanikoro in cash while he was the Minister of State for Defence based on the exchange rate at the time,”  an EFCC detective told Punch. Obanikoro acknowledged receipt of the cash and we have recovered evidence. Some of the remaining dollars was received by Obanikoro’s son, Gbolahan. “On June 12, 2014, barely 10 days to the Ekiti State governorship election, Obanikoro and a man, who claimed to be his Aide-de-Camp by the name of A. O. Adewale, chartered a private ...