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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are getting divorced. The same week they celebrated their 10-year anniversary, the couple released a statement to People confirming their "After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce," the couple said in a joint statement. "We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time. This will be our only comment on this private, family matter. Thank you for understanding." The couple have three children together: Violet, 9, Seraphina, 6, and Samuel, 3. Affleck was famously engaged to Jennifer Lopez, and Garner was previously married to actor Scott Foley

Residents of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State were on Monday thrown into panic when a facility belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company went up in flames after two explosions, thereby cutting of 20,000 barrels per day of crude oil production. Reuters quoted an official of the company as saying that the fire, which has not spread beyond the tanks’ containment basin, started on Sunday evening and firefighters were trying to contain the blaze. “The impact on production net to Eni is approximately 20,000 bpd,” the source said, adding, “I can’t confirm when production will start again.” The official said the cause of the fire was being investigated. Some residents of Ebeocha town, who were getting set for their various businesses, were jolted by the deafening sound of an explosion in the facility. The people became more apprehensive because a similar explosion had occurred at the same point around 10pm on Sunday. An eyewitness told our correspondent that no ca...

Authorities of the Presidential Villa, Abuja have ordered a comprehensive audit of security personnel and forces deployed in the seat of power. The audit may have been necessitated by the ongoing inter-agency rivalry in the Villa. According to a memo signed by the Aide-De-Camp to the President, Lt. Col. Lawal Abubakar, the exercise was needed for “accountability and deployment.” The memo dated June 25, 2015 was titled, “Request for strength returns of security personnel and forces deployed within the Presidential Villa, Abuja.” Abubakar requested that the required information should be forwarded to his office latest by Monday (yesterday). The memo read, “The need for proper accountability by all security forces and personnel deployed within the Presidential Villa cannot be over-emphasised. “This has made it imperative to collate an updated nominal roll for all security forces and personnel deployed within the Presidential Villa performing physical security duties for proper accou...

A Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani, said on Monday that it was morally wrong for the Peoples Democratic Party to say that President Muhammadu Buhari was too slow in just one month into his four-year administration. He said the PDP antic was to rush President Buhari into the ‘landmines’ it had set for the administration after its painful defeat at the March 28 presidential election. According to him, the PDP government had destroyed Nigeria and its economy as well as impoverished Nigerians in the last 16 years of ruling the country. Sani spoke to newsmen shortly after his visit to the National Library, Kaduna. Sani, a pro-democracy activist, said President Buhari was too experienced to fall into the ‘devilish’ tricks of the PDP, noting that the President’s current pace was deliberate and calculated to work in the best interest of Nigerians. The former president of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria added that the Jonathan administration laid a l...

Some of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria have been forced to join Islamist militant group Boko Haram, the BBC has been told. Witnesses say some are now being used to terrorise other captives, and are even carrying out killings themselves. The testimony cannot be verified but Amnesty International says other girls kidnapped by Boko Haram have been forced to fight. Boko Haram has killed some 5,500 civilians in Nigeria since 2014. Two-hundred-and-nineteen schoolgirls from Chibok, are still missing, more than a year after they were kidnapped from their school in northern Nigeria. Many of those seized are Christians. Three women who claim they were held in the same camps as some of the Chibok girls have told the BBC's Panorama programme that some of them have been brainwashed and are now carrying out punishments on behalf of the militants. Seventeen-year-old Miriam (not her real name) fled Boko Haram after being held for six months. She was forced to marry a militant...

The battle for the control of the National Assembly may be long drawn as the leadership of the All Progressives Congress on Monday insisted on removing the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, of the minority Peoples Democratic Party. One of our correspondents learnt on Monday that the ruling APC was still miffed that Ekweremadu emerged as the deputy senate president and had vowed never to allow “a senator from a minority party take over the duties statutorily assigned for the majority party.” A leader of the APC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that Ekweremadu as deputy senate president would hamper the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. The APC leader said, “As deputy senate leader, Ekweremadu is automatically the Chairman, Senate Committee on Constitution Amendment. This is a sensitive position that, statutorily, should not be held by the minority. “Ekweremadu and his PDP co-travellers will hamper the policies of the Buhari government. By the virtue...

Looks like Katy Perry needs some divine intervention — or maybe just a good real estate attorney. The "Roar" superstar singer recently made a $14.5 million deal with Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez to purchase a hilltop property that was once the convent of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. But the sisters had their own sale pending, and recently signed papers to sell the acreage and villa-style building to a restaurateur for $15.5 million. That sale went through two weeks ago, reported the Los Angeles Times. Now, things have gotten into a holy mess as the archbishop argues with the sisters over who actually has the right to sell the property. At one point, 52 Immaculate Heart sisters lived in the convent, said the Times, but in 2011, the diocese moved the remaining sisters to other locations. There are five sisters still living, and two of them are saying the property is theirs. The convent Katy Perry wishes to make her home. Perry even made a personal bid t...

Certainly, it does. Following an electric intro performance by Kendrick Lamar, announcing the 2015 BET awards show kicked off at LA's iconic Staples Centre with the rap singer winning the best rap artiste award. Shortly afterwards, Nicki Minaj upped the ante of excitement by winning the best female hip hop artiste again. She,collected the award with her mom, Carol, by her side. For the first time ever, Nicki confirmed her relationship status with Meek Mill, another rap artiste, with a shout out to her "baby, Meek Mill" to his obvious delight as he beamed widely in delight from his seat in the audience. The crowd approved as they chanted " We love Nicki" and "Mama Carol" as they returned the their seats. Not long afterwards, Sam Smith won for best new artiste. The person who collected the award on his behalf humorously said Sam Smith couldn't come personally because he thought he won't win because "he's white." P. Diddy b...

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief Security Officer, Abdulrahman Mani, has revoked the order by the Aide-De-Camp to the President, Lt.-Col. Lawal Abubakar, removing operatives of the Department of State Services from giving Buhari close body protection. Mani, in a memo countermanding the ADC’s order, said the DSS operatives should disregard the directive by Abubakar. He said the order was a misrepresentation of Buhari’s directive. Buhari’s ADC had on Wednesday last week issued a memo redeploying the DSS officials from 10 beats that they had hitherto manned inside the Presidential villa, explaining that the decision to strip the DSS officials of their traditional roles was part of efforts to enhance general security within the villa. He also claimed that the development was necessitated by “recent events,” which he did not disclose. The ADC consequently directed personnel of the Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police to take over the DSS officials’ duties of providing “close/immediate ...

A Deputy Superintendent of Police, Tamuno Jacob Igbomie, who was Principal Security Officer to the wife of the former President, Patience Jonathan, has been shot dead by unknown assailants. Igbomie’s corpse was found in his Honda Accord car last Friday along the Airport Road, Abuja. The former PSO, who was married with two children, was believed to have been killed by assassins who shot him at close range in his car and left the engine running. A source said the body of the DSP was found early in the morning with all his phones, wallet and other personal effects in tact in the car. “We believe Tamuno was killed by hired assassins because they did not take away anything in his car. His phones and wallets were still with him when his body was found in the car with the engine steaming. “He was shot in the night and his body was found early in the morning; we don’t know if he was killed over a business transaction or disagreement with someone,” the source who served with the deceased...

UNDER past administrations, especially the Goodluck Jonathan epoch, calls for the recovery of outstanding revenues from oil companies fell on deaf ears. The demand resonated recently in the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative reminder to President Muhammadu Buhari of the $19.1 billion still outstanding, part of which the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation collected but refused to pay into the Federation Account as required by law. A statement by NEITI’s spokesman, Ogbonnaya Orji, said that some oil companies were in default in the payment of royalties and rents, just as under-assessment of taxes was rampant, all of which amounted to $7.5 billion. There was also the $11.6 billion paid by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas to the Federal Government, which the NNPC sequestered for inexplicable reasons for years. “Our 2012 Audit Report discovered that total dividend loans and interest repayment from LNG paid to the NNPC in 2012 was $2.8 billion; however, in the cour...

The lawmaker representing Lagos-Central in the Senate, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, says the Eighth Senate will not disappoint Nigerians. According to a statement by her media aide, Maxwell Adegbenro, on Sunday, Tinubu made the promise on Saturday during a meeting with the All Progressives Congress ward leaders in the Yaba Local Government Area of the state. The senator, while thanking the party’s leaders for their support during the last elections, promised to continue the empowerment programme she started in 2011. She said, “Words cannot quantify the support I have received from the members of this constituency. It is my belief that we have achieved so much with the first four-year mandate given to me by my constituents, and I feel the need to do more. This is, indeed, a very critical time for our nation but I strongly believe we shall, irrespective of distraction and overzealousness of some people, fulfil the change. “The 8th Senate shall witness lots of activities for the benefit of th...

Ex-militant leader, Boyloaf Former militant leader, Ebikabowei Victor-Ben, popularly known as ‘General’ Boyloaf, has said no youth in the Niger Delta would go into the creeks should the Federal Government revoke pipeline surveillance contracts awarded to ex-agitators in the region. Boyloaf, who is one of the beneficiaries of the government’s pipeline protection contract, told SUNDAY PUNCH in a telephone interview that since the Federal Government had declared amnesty, it would be a wrong decision for any person to go into the creeks with the intent of blowing up pipelines and other oil installations. He assured the Federl Government that no Niger Delta youth would get violent as long as the government did not hurt them. He maintained that the people of the oil-rich region were not known for blowing up pipelines. Boyloaf said, “The youths are not ready to go to the creeks because there is amnesty. No Niger Delta youth will blow up any pipeline as long as the government did not hurt ...

Pandemonium enveloped the premises of the Ade Maternity Home, Sagamu, Ogun State on Saturday as scores of grieving students of the Olabisi Onabanjo University forcefully removed the corpses of their colleagues who were killed in a crash the previous day from the hospital’s morgue. Our correspondent gathered that the management of the hospital had wanted to collect N20,000 per corpse before the corpses could be released to their families. This was said to have angered the students who stormed the private hospital’s morgue and evacuated their dead colleagues forcefully without paying a dime, and moved them to the morgue of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu. The police had a hectic time trying to keep the students under control. Head of the teaching hospital’s Morbid Anatomy and Histopathology Department, Dr Deji Agboola, said the   corpses were traced to Ade Maternity Home their colleagues had combed private morgues in Sagamu. He confirmed that the a...

Commercial activities were paralysed on Saturday in Anambra State following protests by traders across the state. The traders, who closed their shops as early as 9am in major cities of Onitsha, Awka, Nnewi, Ekwulobia and Agulu, took to the streets protesting what they termed plan by the Federal Government to transfer Boko Haram detainees to prisons in the state. At Tarzan junction, Nkpor in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state, traders and other residents blocked the Enugu – Onitsha Expressway chanting songs suggesting they would be forced to revive the clamour for Biafran Republic if pushed to the wall. The traders carried placards bearing inscriptions like ‘Buhari should not destroy the peace in Anambra State,’ ‘Biafra kanyi choro’ (We want Biafra), ‘Buhari, Igbos cannot accept your prisoners, ‘We do not want Boko Haram in Anambra,’ ‘Federal Government, why extend Boko Haram to Anambra?’ and ‘Boko Haram prisoners are not allowed here.’ Speaking with journalists during...

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday night met with the Senate Unity Forum led by Senator Ahmad Lawan. SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that during the meeting, which was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Buhari insisted on party supremacy and supported steps taken so far by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress on the National Assembly crisis. The APC, had before the National Assembly leadership election, endorsed Lawan as its sole candidate for the senate presidency, but Senator Bukola Saraki defied the party to emerge as the senate president. The party had also on Wednesday wrote the Senate President and submitted   names of its candidates for the senate principal offices. In the letter, it named Lawan as its choice for the majority leader; Prof. Sola Adeyeye as the chief whip; George Akume as deputy majority leader; and Abu Ibrahim as deputy chief whip. But on Thursday Saraki read nominations by the APC zonal caucuses for the positions. The North-East caucus of the...

The All Progressive Congress (APC), Scandinavia chapter has described the current crisis in the party as one thing that would further strengthen the party. The statement was made on Thursday by the National Coordinator, APC Scandinavia, Mr. Ayoola Lawal,  during a caucus meeting in Sweden. Lawal explained that Nigerians and the International communities should not be exceedingly alarmed at the crisis facing the party, stating that: “Crisis is normal in any system and we want to assure everyone that APC will overcome this current crisis and come out stronger and better than it was known before now.” Nigerians are yearning for change that APC promises and indeed we shall deliver on our promises. “For us at APC, the current trend of behaviours of some of our lawmakers and Senators are superable challenge and a test of the resilience of our party leadership  which Nigerians can testify to over the years even before we won the last general elections at the federal level. “The ...

Flying Eagles defender Wilfred Ndidi has given an insight into why they fell to the Germans and crash out of the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Round of 16. The lanky defender said the Germans had spied on the Nigeria U-20 before the tournament and therefore had a tactical edge during the Round of 16 match, which they won 1-0. Having won the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup and the 2015 U-20 African Championship with largely the same team, Nigeria was among the favourites to win U-20 World Cup, which ended last week in New Zealand. Nigeria began the tournament losing 4-2 to Brazil, who were eventually beaten 2-1 in the final by Serbia. Nigeria went on to thrash North Korea 4-0 and beat Hungary 2-0 in their last two group games. While many Nigerians have remained puzzled by the African champions’ poor outing at the World Cup, Ndidi, in an interview with our correspondent noted that the Germans got vital information about their Nigerian opponents cheaply during the Flying Eagles pre-tourna...

The All Progressives Congress is undecided on how to handle the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakuubu Dogara, for disregarding its directive on the choice of principal officers of the National Assembly. Saturday PUNCH learnt on Friday that the party’s National Working Committee was undecided on whether or not Saraki and Dogara should be punished. It was learnt that while some members believed that the party should handle the issue with care; others insisted that the Senate President and the speaker should be punished. The division among the NWC members had prevented the committee from taking a definite decision on the alleged anti-party activities by the Senate President and the Speaker. Saraki and Dogara, had on June 9 defied the directive of the party by contesting the senate presidency and the speakership. The APC leaders were particularly angry because the Peoples Democratic Party got the senate deputy presidency. Sa...

The United States State Department has said that Boko Haram killed the most number of people in 2013 and 2014 when compared with other terrorist groups in the world. The State Department, in a recent report, compiled a list of the world’s deadliest terrorist groups, with the total fatalities that they caused in 2013 and 2014. The Boko Haram group killed the highest number of people in the period. The Boko Haram group has killed thousands and displaced millions of Nigerians as a result of its activities in the North-Eastern part of the country. The report said the Boko Haram group caused about 8,239 deaths in the period; the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Iraq killed about 8,038 people. The Taliban group in Afghanistan caused 5,848 deaths. The Al-Shabaab group in Somalia killed around 1,539 people in the period, while the Maoists/Communist Party of India-Maoist killed 188. A security expert based in Abuja, Mr. Lanre Tella, said it was high time the Federal Government wor...

The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, in a letter written to the All Progressives Congress, said his hands were tied with regard to the selection of principal officers of the upper chamber. This was contained in a Friday report on www.thecable.ng . The National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had on June 23, written to Saraki, stating the party’s choice of principal officers of the senate. The APC had nominated Ahmad Lawan as senate majority leader, George Akume as deputy majority leader, Olusola Adeyeye as chief whip, and Abu Ibrahim as deputy chief whip. However, Saraki, on Thursday, announced Ali Ndume as majority leader, Bala Na’Allah as deputy majority leader and Francis Alimikhena as deputy chief whip after the various APC senate caucuses nominated them. In his letter dated June 25, Saraki was said to have explained to the party that the APC senate caucuses had already taken a decision on the matter before he received Odigie-Oyegun’s letter. Saraki’s letter read...

The Federal Government has started tracing looted Nigerian funds to foreign nations with the aim of recovering and repatriating them. The Federal Government specifically targets the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland and other European jurisdictions where it believes corrupt officials have been stashing public funds. This move came on the heels of the declaration by President Muhammadu Buhari on his first day in Aso Villa office that he inherited an almost empty treasury from his predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, thus vowing that his administration would recover all the looted funds stashed in foreign banks by corrupt Nigerians. “The next three months may be hard, but billions of dollars can be recovered, and we will do our best,” the President was quoted as saying in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina. Some of the countries where looted funds from Nigeria have been kept in the past include Liechtenstein, Luxembo...

Almost a month after he assumed office, President Muhammadu Buhari has dissolved the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation with immediate effect. The announcement was made in a terse statement issued on Friday by the Director of Communications in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Haruna Imrana, on behalf of the HoS, Mr. Danladi Kifasi. “The directive to that effect was conveyed in a letter signed on Friday, by Kifasi. In it, the President thanked members of the dissolved board for their services to the nation. Following the victory of Buhari at the presidential election on March 28, there had been growing calls on the new government to tackle the alleged corruption in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, which currently contributes over 80 per cent of the country’s revenue. Specifically, there had been calls from several quarters for the reform of the NNPC, as the corporation had been described as one of the world’s most opaque nationa...

  John Kirby, U.S. Department of State Spokesperson, issued a press statement condemning the spate of Boko Haram terrorist killings most especially in recent days. " " We offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of the victims of recent attacks in Borno State, attacks that resulted in more than 40 deaths.  We condemn in the strongest terms the continued and widespread violence inflicted by Boko Haram on innocent men, women, and children in Nigeria, " adding, " Those responsible must be held accountable. " Furthermore, Kirby said, " These latest attacks serve as a reminder that despite progress on the battlefield, Boko Haram remains capable of deadly and destabilising acts of terrorism.  We commend the efforts by the Nigerian military, as well as the militaries of Chad, Niger, and Cameroon for the gains they have made fighting Boko Haram.  We encourage the government of Nigeria to take steps to secure and gove...

A female suicide bomber on Tuesday detonate her Improvised Explosive Devices in Nannawaji village of Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State in north-east Nigeria, killing scores of people and injuring 26 others. Witnesses said those injured in the suicide bomb attack had been taken to the Damaturu specialist’s hospital for treatment. An eyewitness, who accompanied the victims to the hospital in Damaturu, Mallam Adamu, told Channels Television that the suicide bomber attacked the market around 10: 30 in the morning. He claimed many people were killed but could not give the figure. “The market was in disarray after the attack,” he said. Mallam Ademu, however, stated that 26 victims had been taken to the Damaturu Specialists Hospital for treatment. Security forces are yet to confirm the attack but the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Garba Fika, told Channels Television that 26 patients had been brought to the hospital and were being treated. He said three patients had b...

2 hours ago   From the section US & Canada Protesters rallied to have the flag taken down on Tuesday Charleston church shooting Man cited in 'Charleston manifesto' speaks out The power of prayer in Charleston What victims' families said to Dylann Roof Who are US white supremacists? Pressure is mounting to withdraw the Confederate battle flag across the US, after South Carolina lawmakers called for its removal from the state house. Protesters rallied in Columbia on Tuesday to demand the flag's removal from South Carolina's state capitol. Efforts are under way in four other states - Texas, Mississippi, Virginia and Tennessee - to remove state-sponsored Confederate tributes. And some major retailers like Amazon and Walmart are also removing it. The murder of nine parishioners at a historical black church in Charleston, South Carolina, last week renewed debate about the place of the flag in US culture. The suspec...