MUST READ - RISING CASES OF HYPERTENSION AMONGST YOUNG NIGERIANS.

While our health services focus primarily on diseases like malaria, polio and HIV/AIDS, another deadly medical condition – hypertension – is ruining many lives. Hitherto known to be prevalent among the elderly, hypertension has since spread to a new age group – the young people. Even children are now vulnerable. Managing the situation effectively calls for a concerted approach from the government and stakeholders in the health sector.

However, hypertension is a global scourge. According to World Health Organisation statistics from the 2015 World Health Day, hypertension is responsible for an estimated 45 per cent of deaths from heart disease and 51 per cent of deaths from stroke annually. This is unnerving.

POPULAR RAPPER REMINISCE LOSES DAD.

The father of popular local rapper like i, Remilekun Safaru aka Reminisce, is dead.

Alhaji Safaru died on August 1, 2015.

He shared the news on Instagram.

May his soul rest in perfect peace.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL WANTS PROSTITUTION TO BE LEGALISED WORLDWIDE.

Amnesty International, one of the biggest human-rights groups in the world, is calling for prostitution to be legalized worldwide. But it's facing major backlash from human trafficking groups, who say that could do more harm than good.

In August, the group will ask its delegates to vote on a proposal that calls for the decriminalization of sex work. The proposal makes it clear that human trafficking for sexual exploitation should be criminalized around the world, and certainly if the prostitution involves children. "Criminalization, in its varying forms, exposes sex workers to increased risk of human rights abuses," the proposal reads. 

But part of the proposal has led activists to raise their eyebrows: the issue of consent. "By definition, sex work means that sex workers who are engaging in commercial sex have consented to do so," the policy reads. But an open letter signed by more than 400 human rights advocates, plus celebrities like Lena Dunham, Meryl Streep, and Kate Winslet, argues that's not the case. 

KADUNA REFINERY SET TO HIT PRODUCTION OF 3 - 5 MILLION LITERS OF PETROL PER DAY.

The managing director, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company, Saidu Mohammed, on Friday said the refinery will hit 90 per cent production of its 110,000 installed capacity.

It was gathered that the refinery had been operating at 60 per cent production capacity before commencement of the turn-around maintenance in October 2014.

Mr. Mohammed, in an interview after a tour of the refinery with journalists, said the refinery has undergone turn around maintenance.

36,000 POLICE OFFICERS TO ATTEND PROMOTIONAL COURSES IN DECEMBER 2015 - INSPECTOR GENERAL.

The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, said in Abuja on Friday that 36,000 police officers would attend promotion courses in December.

Mr. Arase, who said this during an inspection tour of the FCT Police command, said that 4,000 Inspectors would also attend the board for promotion.

He advised the officers against bribing any instructor during the duration of the course as all expenses would be paid by the police authority.

SARS OPERATIVES DRESSED OUR SON LIKE AN ARMED ROBBER & PLACED A GUN ON HIM - FAMILY OF MURDERED YOUTH. @POLICENG

Eight days after the killing of a 33-year-old man, Orimisan Omoboye, in Ilaje area of Ajah Lagos, during a botched operation by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Lagos, the family said their greatest fear has come true.

The SARS operatives, who mistakenly shot dead the young man during their operation in the area, have labelled him an armed robber, Saturday PUNCH was told.

It would be recalled that when our correspondent spoke with the victim’s 65-year-old mother, Mama Espa Omoboye, on Monday, July 20, 2015 – the day of the incident, she expressed fear that her son might be labelled an armed robber who was shot while trying to escape because the men refused to hand over his corpse after the incident.

WIZARDS PUSHED ME TO RAPE NINE YEAR OLD GIRL. #SAYNOTORAPE.

THE VICTIM                                       ESSIEN THE RAPIST

A 39-year-old father of three, Ekpeyong Essien, has blamed his two sons, whom he alleged are witches, for pushing him into defiling a nine-year-old girl.

Essien, who hails from Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State, had on July 12, defiled the little girl, Bright Benjamin, at Hawkins Primary School in the Calabar South area of the state capital.

He said the girl had approached him for money to pay her fares home, but he simply instructed her to follow him to a nearby primary school where he defiled her with his fingers.

REUBEN ABATI & 11 OTHER CLOSE AIDES OF FORMER PRESIDENT JONATHAN STRIPPED OF THEIR OFFICIAL PASSPORTS.

Two months after leaving power,  no fewer than 12 close aides of former President Goodluck Jonathan have been stripped of their official passports.

A competent source said that the decision to withdraw the official passports of the former aides of Dr Jonathan was to prevent misuse and conflict with new aides and officials of President Muhammadu Buhari, who assumed duties on May 29, 2015.

It could not be established last night whether the affected officials were ordered by the Presidency to surrender the passports or whether they did so voluntarily.

THE LAGOS MASSACRE - HOW A PAINED LOVER KILLED 8 PEOPLE INCLUDING HIS GIRLFRIEND.

HENRY CHIBUEZE

On Saturday, February 16, 2013, Henry Chibueze, a notorious kidnapper terrorizing South East and South South parts of the country, stormed the home of his girlfriend, Sandra Ijedinma, at Igando area of Lagos State, with an AK47 assault rifle and opened fire on everyone present in the apartment, killing his girlfriend, her elder sister Praise Ozor, and her two children.

Not satisfied, Henry proceeded to a nearby street where one of Sandra’s elder sisters resided and killed the woman and three of her children, before fleeing.

His anger was said to have been that Sandra, who was an optician with Madonna University, had called off their relationship, when she learnt that   he was a kidnapper.       

FAMILY REJECTS N25,000 COMPENSATION FROM 41-YR-OLD MAN WHO RAPED THEIR 8-YR-OLD DAUGHTER. #SAYNOTORAPE.

An eight-year-old girl has narrated how she was allegedly raped by their 48-year-old neighbour, Mr. Peter Christopher, one afternoon in the building her family shared with another tenant.

The girl, Blessing (not real name), explained that on Thursday, June 18, 2015, she was about to enter her parent’s apartment when, Christopher, a carpenter, whose lives just two doors away from their apartment, dragged her into his room, locked the door and defiled her.

Punch newspaper had been informed about the girl’s case by a human rights activist, who felt concerned about the pressure being put on the her family to drop the case. But when our correspondent tracked down the girl’s family, they were reluctant to share the story as they said they did not want to be seen as “being disobedient to pastors and elders who asked us to leave the matter to God.”

OONI'S DEMISE - ANXIETY HEIGHTENS AS ORO FESTIVAL BEGINS IN IFE.

The anxiety surrounding the demise of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, has continued to heighten as worshippers of Oro began the annual festival in the ancient town on Friday night.

Oro is a deity worshipped across Yoruba land, which forbids the womenfolk from going outdoors in the night during the period of its festival.

Although, sources in Ife told our correspondent that the festival, scheduled to commence on Friday night had nothing to do with the demise of the Ooni, the public believe otherwise.

WHY I FOLLOWED TOYIN SARAKI TO THE EFCC OFFICE - SEN. DINO MELAYE SPEAKS.

Senator Dino Melaye,Friday, explained that he followed Toyin, wife of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, last Tuesday because he wanted to know the level of culpability in the allegation against her by her petitioners.

Melaye, who is the Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Media and Publicity, said he only went to the anti-graft office in his capacity as an independent investigator.

The lawmaker, who represents Kogi West Senatorial zone in the Senate, said in a press statement, in Abuja, that his explanation became necessary, following the barrage of attacks and criticisms he had so far received from his “brothers, sisters and fellow citizens” since Tuesday, when he was sighted accompanying Mrs Saraki to the headquarters of the commission in Abuja.

DINO MELAYE'S ELECTION MUST BE RE-TRIED - APPEAL COURT DECLARES.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday set aside the decision of the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Kogi which struck out the petition of Sen. Smart Adeyemi.

Adeyemi of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had challenged the election of Sen. Dino Melaye of All Progressives Congress (APC), alleging electoral irregularities and malpractices.

Justice Muhammed Adume held that the tribunal was wrong in striking out Adeyemi’s petition on the grounds of technicalities, instead of substantial justice.

MAN REMANDED IN PRISON FOR DEFILING 11 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. #SAYNOTORAPE.

A middle-aged man (names withheld) has been arrested and arraigned before a Makurdi Court for allegedly having sexual intercourse with his 11-year-old daughter. 

Vanguard learned that the accused was arrested a few days ago after allegedly engaging the girl in days of repeated sexual abuse whenever his wife was away from home.

He was, however, caught in the act by a neighbour, who heard the cry of the girl, while she was allegedly being sexually abused, in one of his escapades.

WHICH WAY FOR BIAFRA?

Since the pogrom against Ndigbo of 1966, that led to the the declaration of the Republic of Biafra among the South Easterners of Nigeria , and the subsequent civil war, from 1967 to 1970, in which Biafrans were defeated,  many do not know what to do with the name Biafra, which was drawn from the Bight of Biafra at the South of the Atlantic Ocean.

Most war veterans from the Nigeria side, especially the leaders treat everything about Biafra with ignominy, disdain, and repulsion. Out of pride and arrogance, they wish the name was crushed out of existence.

The #ATMscandal everyone must learn from........

A twitter user shared this pathetic story of a youth corp member who got into trouble after assisting a stranger at the ATM terminal.

Read and learn...........

THEO WALCOTT SIGNS NEW 4 YR DEAL WORTH £140,000 A WEEK AT ARSENAL.

Theo Walcott has signed a new four-year contract at Arsenal which places him among the club’s top earners.

The England forward’s new deal sees him earn in the region of £140,000 a week alongside the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.

Walcott, who is Arsenal's longest-serving player, suffered an injury-ravaged campaign last season but has been on form this summer, netting the winner against Wolfsburg in last weekend’s Emirates Cup.

GOVERNORS WERE WARNED TO SAVE FOR RAINY DAYS - PETER OBI.

The former governor of Anambra state and president of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Peter Obi, has revealed that governors were warned about saving for the rainy day by the Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former minister of finance. 

According to Post Nigeria, Obi further revealed that the governors were advised to eschew fiscal irresponsibility which was a bane to economic development.

In a recent interview with journalists, Obi explained the the recent bail out approved for states from the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company, dividends by President Muhammadu Buhari and the rationale behind the creation of the Excess Crude Account, as well as the Sovereign Wealth Fund.

EFCC ARREST SACKED NIMASA BOSS.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested the immediate past Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency [NIMASA], Patrick Ziakede Akpobolokemi, two weeks after he was fired from his post.

A source in NIMASA said Mr. Akpobolokemi was arrested in Lagos Thursday morning and was detained at the Lagos office of the EFCC in the Ikoyi area of the city.

“He was taken in this morning around 10 a.m.,” the NIMASA insider said. “Some of our other officials have also been summoned while EFCC operatives have been conducting discreet investigation here. There is tension everywhere.

BOMB EXPLOSION ROCKS MAIDUGURI BUS STATION.

A bomb explosion has rocked a crowded motor park in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, residents and security operatives have said.

The incident occurred at a busy location where tricycles pick passengers, and may have killed dozens and injured even many more. 

The thunderous blast, which sounded at about 6:30am, resonated all over Maiduguri, residents say.