Jammeh declares state of emergency in Gambia

Buhari, Sirleaf, Jammeh, Koroma ... how did the parley go wrong?

A day before the official end of his tenure, Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has declared a 90-day state of emergency, Gambian State television has announced.

The terms for the state of emergency are not known as the announcement did not provide further details.

Gambians flee, Barrow/Buhari leaves Gambia...

Adama Barrow - President-elect

President Muhammadu Buhari and other West African leaders have tactically taken Gambia’s president-elect, Adama Barrow, into safety after a botched attempt to persuade President Yahya Jammeh to voluntarily cede power after he lost the 1 December election.

Mr. Jammeh’s tenure ends January 19. And both ECOWAS and the AU have said he would cease to be leader of West Africa’s smallest country by January 20.

Black Lady Liberty on US gold coin

In April, the U.S. Mint is releasing a gold coin that will mark American currency history. For the first time, the coin will show a black Lady Liberty, rather than the white, European-esque woman gifted by France.

On Thursday, the Mint and the Treasury Department announced the 24-karat coin -– worth $100 at face value -– will be available for purchase on April 6th.

However, they won't be circulated like typical currency. The New York Times reported that only 100,000 coins will be produced and, depending on the value of gold, could be worth upwards of $1,000.

Army releases B/Haram suspects

Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor

The Armed Forces Remembrance Day in Borno State was marked with the release of 257 suspected Boko Haram members arrested by the Army at the expansive Ramat Square, Maiduguri.

Handing over the suspects to the Deputy Governor Usman Mamman Durkwa, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, said they were thoroughly screened before their release.

Late Justice Oputa will 'cringe in his grave' - Charly Boy

Charly Boy Oputa

An activist and former President of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Charles Oputa, a.k.a Charly Boy, said in Lagos on Sunday that his late father, a retired justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, will be cringing in his grave over corruption in the nation’s judiciary.

He spoke at the 13th Chief Gani Fawehinmi Annual Memorial lecture and symposium with the theme, “Nigeria Anti-Corruption War: Whither The Legal Profession and The Judiciary?”

Bird -flu hits Kano

Agriculture Minister - Audu Ogbeh

The Kano State government said it would soon begin disinfection of all poultry farms and markets as part of measures to curb the spread of the recent outbreak of bird flu in the state.

The Director, Veterinary services of the state Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Shehu Bawa, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Kano.

UNFPA/Kano to end child marriage

Abdullahi Umar Ganduje - Kano State Governor

A new deal is being worked out towards ending child marriage in the country, as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Kano State Government and the Emirate Council in the state have come together to push for its legislation.

Already, the Kano State government and the Kano Emirate Council have set up committees to fine-tune legislations that would make it criminal for anybody in the state to marry a girl below the age of 18.