BREAKING: Dual Suicide Bomb Attacks In Maiduguri, At Least 30 Killed

The first blast occurred in a mosque, and has killed at least 30 people according to eyewitnesses and sources who spoke with our Sahara Reporters correspondent.

Two separate suicide bombs rocked Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, has killed at least 30 people and injuring scores of others, according to sources at the scene who spoke with SaharaReporters.

The total tally of dead and injured is not known at the time of publication but is believed to be at least 30 people dead. It is known that the suicide bombings took place at the mosque and market this evening.

The first blast occurred in a mosque, and has killed at least 30 people according to eyewitnesses and sources who spoke with our SaharaReporters correspondent.

The second blast occurred at Baga market area of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, at about 4pm, killing scores of people and injuring many others, according to reports. There are no confirmed death tolls from the market bomb attack.

Sources at the scene said that two vehicles of policemen rode to State Specialist Hospital, followed by CJTF vehicles bringing some injured people from the Baga market blast.

SaharaReporters also observed some police utilities vehicles and CJTF entering State Specialists Hospital with injured people.

A local trader Usman Kaka told SaharaReporters that ''many people may have dead and that blood stains everywhere, I saw dead bodies in policemen van.'' he told SaharaReporters by phone.

Buhari to remove oil subsidy

ABUJA—President Muhammadu BuhariPLANS to totally remove fuel subsidy and use the proceeds for the provision of free and compulsory primary/secondary education across the country.

The administration is also said to be working on unbundling the Nigerian National PetroleumCORPORATION, NNPC, to make it more efficient in the production and delivery of products to Nigerians.

MUHAMMADU BUHARI

These proposalsFORM part of the strong recommendations made by the transition committee raised by Buhari to work out a blueprint for his administration.

Asked if the proposal forTOTAL subsidy removal had been discussed with labour, the source said that members of organized labour in the country were consulted by the committee and they made presentations on what should be done over the matter.

The source said: “ Labour is part of the decision; they have accepted the proposal of fuel subsidy removal.

“A committee is likely to be set up by the federal government to work out the modalities of what is to be done in that respect.

“But the truth is that total removal of fuel subsidy has been recommended with adequate provisions for palliatives on free education andSOCIAL WELFARE for the unemployed”, a member of the transition committee said.

The source pointed out that unlike in the past, the Buhari administration is considering the provision of free meals for students to serve as incentives for them to enroll in school.

The source explained that the committee also recommended the unbundling of NNPC to reposition theAGENCY to serve the needs of Nigerians better.

According to him, all refineries in Nigeria are to be made to work at maximum capacity by the federal government to be able to deliver adequate products to the consumers.

Corruption

He said that the era of allocating more crude than any refinery in Nigeria can process was over, as it was discovered that the policy encouraged corruption and diversion of FUNDS.

In a tone that suggested that the Buhari administration might probe the operations of the NNPC, the committee member further disclosed that the federal government was set to block all channels of FUND leakages in the corporation.

He said: “The federal government is keen on plugging all areas of leakages in the corporation and whoever must have caused them must be made to account for such unpatriotic wastages. We don’t know whether that is what you call probe or not”, he said.

It could not be established as at last night whether such decisions of the officials were influenced by the PLANNED beaming of search light on the operations of the government agency.

FG to pay the controversial N160 billion subsidy claims

Meanwhile, hopes for resolution of outstanding subsidy issues hampering normal supply of petroleum products across the country appear kindled as the special investigation team on subsidy claims verification recommends payment of the controversial N160 billion claimed byOIL MARKETERS.

As a result, bankers have resumed credit lines to the sector while importation by marketers have resumed though it is still on cautious notes.

The supply shortages witnessed across the country since last month was as a result of a disagreement between the federal government andOIL MARKETERS over the subsidy claims resulting in the marketers’ refusal to import more products under the subsidy programme.

In the last week of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, the FINANCE ministry had paid a part of the subsidy claims totalling about N131 billion in the wake of the supply crises arising from this disagreement.

The former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had doubted the additional N160 billion claims ascribed to EXCHANGE RATE differential and interest rate charges on banks’ funding for the petroleum products imports.

She had subsequently set up a special investigative team made of representatives of Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Committee (PPPRC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the DebtMANAGEMENT Office (DMO) and the finance ministry to investigate the claims before she can approve the payment.

The team couldn’t conclude their assignments before the expiration of ex-president Jonathan’s government and exit of the minister, hence validating the allegation of some of the marketers that the investigative team was designed to provide escape for the ministry from the agreement they had reached on subsidy payment. The marketers had also wondered why the setting up of the team whereas this assignment has always been done by PPPRC without any issues.

Return of confidence

Bankers who spoke to Vanguard last week said that their confidence was gradually returning to theOIL MARKETING sector which they had classified as ‘high-risk’ in the wake of the subsidy claims disagreement, indicating that some of them have resumed granting loans to the sector.

The disagreement had put about N300 billion banks’ risk assets (loans) in danger of default, escalating the industry non-performing loan ratio to almost 4.0 per cent with the worst performing banks hitting above 8.5 per cent aggregate and over 40 per cent on the oil sector. The industry red line is 5.0 per cent at which any bank’s exposure would be dangerous and unacceptable.

Top executives of the oil marketers’ associations told Vanguard that they have information that the investigative team has validated the marketers’ claims in their report to the finance ministry two weeks ago.

However, they said that actual payment is waiting for the settling down of President Mohammadu Buhari’s government, a situation which they also said cannot last for too long otherwise the renewed confidence of theirFUNDING banks may wane.

One of theMARKETERS informed that following a meeting with the permanent secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources two weeks ago, some of them have begun importation of products on a low scale while helping the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to distribute its stock to lessen the supply crises. The focused cities are Abuja and Lagos which according to him has been very successful.

He added that the agreement reached with the ministry was just a palliative to welcome the new government of Mohammadu Buhari, adding that eventually they will have to address the issue in a more lasting policy.

Okoroji loses N750m libel suit against Onyeka Onwenu

Onyeka Onwenu

A Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square has dismissed a N750m libel suit filed by the Chairman, Board of COPYRIGHT Society of Nigeria, Chief Tony Okoroji, against a popular Nigerian musician, Mrs. Onyeka Onwenu.

Okoroji had approached the court claiming that Onwenu was responsible for an article in the Vanguard Newspapers of October 14, 2011 which Okoroji considered to be a deliberate attempt to malign or defame him.

In the said publication which Okoroji described as “unjustified, unwarranted, malicious, wicked, reckless and libellous”, it was claimed that he diverted N3m donated by the Cross Rivers State Government towards the final burial of the late Nigerian musician, Essien Igbokwe.

The said article had been published after Onwenu sent an e-mail to members of the late Igbokwe burial committee, accusing Okoroji of diverting N3m donation into his private bank ACCOUNT.

Both Okoroji and Onwenu served on the committee for the final burial of Igbokwe.

Okoroji, in the suit, asked for an ORDER directing Onwenu to pay him N750m as general damages and to tender a full page “unreserved apology to be published in every edition of The Vanguard, The Guardian and www.vanguardngr for seven consecutive days.”

But Onwenu, through her lawyer, Mr. Fred Agbaje, in response to Okoroji’s claims, argued that Okoroji failed to link Onwenu to the said Vanguard Newspapers publication.

Agbaje, who pointed out that the e-mail SENT by Onwenu was to members of the late Igbokwe’s burial committee and not to Vanguard Newspapers, maintained that Onwenu “was duty-bound to comment on issues affecting the well-being and smooth-running of the committee, and this she did by complaining to the claimant and other members of the committee.”

The trial judge, Justice I.O. Kasali, in her judgment, said though she had noDOUBT that “the words complained of, in their ordinary meaning, and also with reference to the circumstances in which they were written, were libellous of the claimant”, but Okoroji failed to show the evidence that the words had negatively altered a third person’s perception of him.

The judge held, “For words to be defamatory of a party, the said words must have lowered that party in the estimation of right-thinking members of the public and there must be evidence of this from a person whose views of that person have been so adversely affected.

“In the absence of any evidence of what CW2, CW3 and CW4 think about the claimant upon reading the publication, which has affected the good name,REPUTATION and estimation in which the claimant stands in the society of their fellow citizens, it cannot therefore be said that the claimant has been defamed.

“After a careful consideration of all the materials before me, I have come to the conclusion that the claimant has not been able toESTABLISH that the e-mail alleged to have been sent to members of the of the committee by the defendant defamed him.”

NNPC slashes Nigeria’s crude oil prices over supply glut

ABUJA — The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, weekend, reduced the prices of Nigeria’s crude oil grades — Bonny Light and Qua Iboe — to their lowest points in over a decade.

The decline, according to reports, was due to declining demand for the country’s crude oil in the international market. The action, according to oil traders, was engendered by the need for the country to join in the fight for market share.

Specifically, the NNPC in a statement, weekend, said it will sell July supplies of Bonny Light crude at 23 cents more than Dated Brent. This, according to oil trading sources, was the smallest differential since 2005 and compares with a 50 cent premium in June and $2.55 a year earlier.

The NNPC also lowered the official selling price for Nigeria’s largest crude oil stream, Qua Iboe, to dated Brent plus 35 cents per barrel, the lowest differential since May 2005.

Dated cargoes

Dated Brent is a market term for a cargo of North Sea Brent blend crude oil that has been assigned a date when it will be loaded onto a tanker. Cargoes that have been assigned loading dates are referred to as dated cargoes, wet cargoes or wet barrels. Dated Brent prices are used, directly and indirectly, as a benchmark for a large proportion of the crude oil that is traded internationally.

The drop follows North Sea crude, which hit a 10-year low earlier this week as all Atlantic Basin sellers, particularly those with light, sweet oil, struggle to place cargoes.

Rising output from US shale formations had over the last couple of months contributed to a market glut that drove crude down almost 50 per cent last year, roiling global markets as producer nations lost revenue and foreign-exchange reserves.

Speaking on the development, Hong Sung Ki, a commodities analyst at Samsung Futures Incorporated said: “Nigeria has no choice but to cut their price differential to fight for market share. The US was its key oil buyer in the past but imports have been shrinking with more shale output in an already oversupplied market.”

Also speaking, Kash Kamal, senior research analyst with Sucden, said: “They’re playing along now, towing the line with other OPEC members to try and capture market share.

“It’s a really messy situation. Saudi Arabia, with a marginal cost per barrel at around $30 and substantial cash reserves, can afford to stick it out with crude at these levels. But Nigeria needs crude around $115-120 to balance their budget.”

Data obtained from Bloomberg showed that horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, that unlocked supplies in shale formations in North Dakota, Texas and other states has boosted US output to the highest in more than three decades, forcing overseas producers, whose exports to the US are shrinking, to find new markets for their crude.

The report noted that the US has bought an average 30,000 barrels a day of Nigerian crude this year, shipping almost one million barrels a day from the country in 2010.

In addition, the US Energy Information Administration noted that w hile the United States once absorbed more than a third of Nigeria’s nearly two million barrels per day (bpd) of exports, this slumped to close to 60,000 barrels per day on average for the first three months of this year.

Nigeria having particularly hard time

Energy sources stated that Nigeria is having a particularly hard time with the glut, as the shale boom in its once-key market the United States has all but shut out its exports.

According to oil traders, sellers of Nigerian crudes have aggressively pushed into new markets from Uruguay to China, but are coming up against other crude producers, including fellow members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, as well as new refineries that are geared towards heavier oil.

As a result, the traders said, as much as 10 million barrels of Nigerian grades that have already loaded are floating in vessels, taking months in some cases to find buyers.

James Ackerman: Sunshine Coast Falcons player dies after injury

A rugby league player seriously injured during a Queensland Cup match in Australia has died in hospital.

James Ackerman, 25, was playing for the Sunshine Coast Falcons when he suffered a head injury in a tackle five minutes into a game against Norths Devils.

The father-of-two was treated on the field at Bishop Park, before being taken to hospital in Brisbane, and the game on Saturday was then abandoned.

Queensland Rugby League (QRL) said on Monday that Ackerman had passed away.

A minute's silence was held for Ackerman prior to Monday's NRL game between St George-Illawarra Dragons and Sydney Roosters.

Both sets of players also wore black arm bands.

According to Australian newspaper the Courier-Mail, Francis Molo, 20, who made the tackle on Ackerman, is "struggling to cope".

Sunshine Coast Falcons chief executive officer Chris Flannery described Ackerman as a "champion guy" and "one of our leaders".

Flannery added: "He lived for rugby league. He was a tough competitor and a fine player who in many ways was the heart and soul of our team."





Sunshine Coast Falcons tweeted their condolences after the death of forward James Ackerman

QRL managing director Robert Moore said it was a "very difficult and traumatic time".

He added: "We send our deepest condolences to James's family and friends, and the Sunshine Coast club.

"One of the strengths of rugby league is the game's ability to rally behind its own - and I have no doubt this will happen throughout this challenging period."

Moore also said it was not an appropriate time to comment further on the incident itself.

A statement from Ackerman's family, including wife Saraa, children Olliver and Milly, brothers Andrew and Thomas and parents Michael and Sonya, thanked the medical staff at both clubs, paramedics, the hospital and the "overwhelming" support from his current and former team-mates.

It said: "James loved the game of rugby league, he always played the game with his heart on his sleeve. We will miss you."

The Falcons are a feeder team for NRL side Melbourne Storm, as are Norths Devils for Brisbane Broncos.

NRL chief executive Dave Smith said: "This is such a tragedy and we send our sympathies to everyone who knew and loved James."

Taliban attack on Afghan parliament in Kabul ends

A co-ordinated Taliban attack on the Afghan parliament in Kabul has ended with all six gunmen killed, the interior ministry says.

Attackers detonated a huge car bomb outside the gates, stormed the compound, then entered a building next to the chamber.

Police evacuated the premises, while trying to fight the gunmen off.

The Taliban say they carried out the attack to coincide with a vote to endorse a new defence minister.

The spokesman for the interior ministry, Sediq Seddiqi, said the gunmen had attempted to storm the parliament building itself after the gates were breached by the suicide bomb.

They were fought off and entered a building under construction next to parliament. MPs were showered with broken glass, and the chamber filled with smoke as the fighting went on. It took nearly an hour before all the firing stopped.

At least 18 people are reported to have been wounded. Mr Seddiqi said no MP had been injured.

Pictures on social media showed parliament full of smoke and people running for cover.

One MP took photos of the attack from inside parliament

The parliamentary chamber could be seen full of smoke

MPs were escorted out of the building

The gun battle ended after about one hour

Television was broadcasting live from the parliament building when the attackers struck. MPs were seen fleeing the building.

Media caption Army vehicles and the emergency services streak past the BBC's Harun Najafizada on their way to the parliament attack

Even by Afghan standards, these were very dramatic scenes, and police had a complex operation on their hands, says the BBC's David Loyn in Kabul.

The Taliban were extracting maximum propaganda advantage by doing it on the day that parliament was meeting to consider the appointment of new Defence Minister Massoom Stanekzai, our correspondent says.

Local media reported another explosion in the Dahmazang area of Kabul city.

The Taliban have launched complex attacks on government buildings in the capital in the past.

They have made substantial gains recently in Helmand in the south-west, and have been advancing across the north of the country, capturing two districts of the Kunduz province in recent days.

Militant violence has increased across the country since the departure of most US and Nato forces last year.

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Taliban try to attack Afghan Parliament, Dounding Dozens of Civilians

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN)Taliban militants detonated explosives and fired rockets in an attempted attack Monday on the Afghan Parliament that wounded dozens of civilians and startled lawmakers.

A large car bomb exploded near the outer wall of the parliament compound, sending a thick plume of smoke into the sky. Six Taliban fighters then tried to storm inside, said police spokesman Ebadullah Karimi.

Afghan security forces managed to fend off the attackers, who then moved into nearby building, firing rockets and AK-47 machine guns. All six attackers were killed in the ensuing firefight, Karimi said.

Inside the parliament building, lawmakers were gathered in the meeting hall when the first explosion struck, Arif Rahmani, a member of parliament, told CNN.

The blast shattered glass and shook loose a layer of the ceiling that filled the hall with a cloud of dust, he said.

The members of parliament had assembled for a general meeting at which Mohammad Masoom Stanikzai, the government's nominee for defense minister, was to be introduced in order to present his plans and policies ahead of a confidence vote.

All the lawmakers were evacuated from the parliament building unharmed, according to Karimi.

But at least 31 civilians were wounded in the attack, including three children, said Dr. Kabir Amiri, head of Kabul Central Hospitals.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on his Twitter account that the militant group chose to target the parliament on the day the defense minister was to be introduced to lawmakers.

The U.N. mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack, calling it "a clear and deliberate affront to democracy in Afghanistan."

Monday's assault is the latest in a string of high-profile attacks by insurgents in the Afghan capital. Recent targets have included hotels housing foreigners.

More broadly, Afghan forces are grappling with a Taliban offensive across different parts of the country. American-led international troops pulled out of Afghanistan last year.