Donald Trump is attempting to crack Hillary Clinton's blue wall. And Clinton is hoping for a surge in Latino turnout fueled by opposition to Trump.
The two candidates are making a last-minute dash across swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina as the 2016 presidential race enters its final hours. They've also gone north to Michigan and New Hampshire to states Democrats have won in recent cycles but could flip this year.

Here are the key states and signs to study as the night unfolds:


A loss in any of the states would severely complicate Trump's already precarious path to 270 electoral votes. Though if Trump clawed back Pennsylvania or Michigan from the Democrats, who have won both electoral-rich states six times in a row, North Carolina would be more expendable. A win in a state like Pennsylvania or Michigan would allow Trump to offset a loss in North Carolina and still have a shot at reaching 270.

If that doesn't happen, holding North Carolina and Arizona, while reclaiming Florida, Ohio and Iowa from the Democrats -- plus Maine's 2nd District -- would only get him to 260.
Trump would need to tack on 10 more electoral votes somehow. New Hampshire's four and Nevada's six would get him there. Colorado, with nine electoral votes, Michigan with 15 and Pennsylvania with 20 are also possibilities.

In his last 48 hours before Election Day, Trump has been pretty much everywhere, including Colorado, Michigan -- even Minnesota -- searching for the extra votes he needs.

The key question for Clinton is whether her "blue wall" of Democratic-leaning states on the Great Lakes -- Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin -- will hold.

Trump has targeted all three, but Clinton has consistently led polls in all three states. However, most voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania cast their ballots on Election Day -- which means her campaign hasn't built the early voting advantage already in place elsewhere.

If Clinton can do that and pick up just one of North Carolina, Florida or Ohio, she's all but guaranteed to win.

If she can't win one of those three states, she'll need to hold Virginia, vote-by-mail Colorado, New Hampshire and Nevada -- where Democrats have already built a hefty early voting edge.

3. Does Latino turnout surge?
If Clinton wins, her coalition will consist of women, college-educated voters and a swell of new Latino voters.

In early voting in states like Nevada, and Florida, there's already evidence of burgeoning Latino turnout. This is best witnessed by the over 57,000 people who voted in Nevada Friday, with pictures of long lines and extended hours at a Latino grocery store in Clark County.

Many first-time voters, polls show, are turning out to oppose Trump. And Democrats are bullish that Latinos have been under-polled through the entire 2016 election cycle.

For Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman, this is a ghost of elections past. After the 2012 race, the RNC warned that the party needed to do more to court Latino voters. A nominee who roundly rejected that advice could be the reason the party loses a third consecutive presidential race.

Just as Trump's attacks on Mexican immigrants have alienated Latino voters, his attacks on women and allegations of sexual assault have helped Clinton to a large lead among female voters. Clinton's campaign has highlighted Trump's most derogatory remarks in TV ads aimed at moderate, suburban women -- a constituency that has helped Republican nominees in years past. If she succeeds, it would limit Trump's strengths to rural areas.

4. Does Trump have a "silent majority"?
Trump's biggest strength is his overwhelming support from disaffected white voters -- particularly men, and especially those without college degrees.

His campaign has long argued that those voters -- many of them independent or Democrats who buy into Trump's protectionist stance on trade -- will carry him on Election Day.

For this to happen, Trump will also need core Democratic voters to stay at home, as well.
Already, Trump appears poised to win Iowa, and has polled ahead of Clinton in Ohio. He's hoping to win enough blue-collar Democrats in Pennsylvania or Michigan to win at least one of those states.
Michigan, in particular, emerged as a tempting target in the campaign's closing days -- a state hard-hit by the trade deals Trump bemoans. Clinton's campaign raced to play defense, dispatching the former secretary of state there, as well as President Barack Obama, for last-minute rallies.

5. Do African-American voters show up?
Among Democrats' biggest concerns has been whether African-American voters -- a reliably left-leaning constituency -- will turn out in numbers anywhere close to their support for Obama in 2008 and 2012.

If the answer is no, it could hobble Clinton in key states -- particularly Florida and North Carolina.
Obama is helping carry Clinton's load with black voters. In a call to Tom Joyner's radio show, he argued that participating in this election is just as much about him as it is about Clinton.

"And I know that there are a lot of people in barbershops and beauty salons, you know, in the neighborhoods who are saying to themselves 'We love Barack, we love -- we especially love Michelle -- and so, you know, it was exciting and now we're not excited as much,'" he said. "You know what? I need everybody to understand that everything we've done is dependent on me being able to pass the baton to somebody who believes in same things I believe in."

6. The post-Trump GOP starts now
Since Trump clinched the GOP nomination in May, Republican Senate and House candidates have been forced to answer for everything he has said -- from his attacks on a Gold Star family and an Indiana-born judge's heritage to his rejection of conservative orthodoxy.

As soon as the election ends, Capitol Hill Republicans -- especially if they retain control of both the House and Senate -- will regain power.
The party will have to decide just what to do with Trump's rejection of free trade, his calls for a decreased US role overseas and his criticism of GOP congressional leaders -- whether he wins or loses.
But adopting some of Trump's policy planks while rejecting his political style might not help much after an election driven by the candidates' personalities.

7. How the loser handles losing
For a nation divided by a long, bitter contest, this could be the most important question of all: Will the loser concede -- and how will he or she do it?

Trump and Clinton are both historically unpopular presidential nominees. Half the country thinks Clinton is a crook, and the other half thinks Trump is a racist and misogynist.

And Trump, in particular, has cast the election as rigged -- calling into question whether ballots that are mailed in will be counted, playing up inaccurate reports of voter irregularities and claiming that voter fraud is pervasive.

The loser will play a crucial role in legitimizing the victor -- or delegitimizing the winner from the outset. 

President Muhammadu Buhari’s meeting with Niger Delta leaders was expected to put an end to militancy in the region this seems to be just not the case. The Punch reports that the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM) that has been terrorising the region released a statement on Saturday, November 5 threatening total war against the federal government and rejecting the outcome of the president‘s meeting with the Niger ZDelta leaders led by Chief Edwin Clark.

“As a matter of fact, what the Avengers did to the oil industry will be nothing compared to the grand plan already set by our central command. We shall bring Nigeria’s daily output quota to below 500,000 barrels. Just be ready for the approaching tsunami. “The multinational oil companies, we know you are recalcitrant and will always come to test wills, we hope you will continue in this tradition so there will always be reason to let the world know that ‘you don’t contest the corners of a house with the owner of the house.’

“The destruction of the Trans-Forcados Pipeline is just a warning. We warned against the restarting of the facility, but the daring companies won’t listen. That shadow operation that brought the TFP down was only meant to let these companies know that we aren’t kidding with them; when we say stay down, you stay down, and it’s in your best interest.”

The militant group described the president’s meeting with the elders from the region as a humiliation. “The humiliation that came with the meeting of the elders with President Muhammadu Buhari did not come to the NDGJM as a surprise. We expected it because we know even the government knows the character and intent of the man and most of those he led to the meeting.

“The only painful part is the fact that the humiliation is stamped on the collective image of our people. However, we want to dare President Buhari and his administration to attempt or fully carry out his military action against our people and see the response that will follow.

“We want to say here, without mincing words, that we are aware of his intentions. We heard loud and clear his hostile message, we understand his message and the NDGJM is saying we are ready for him. We know he has reportedly threatened war on our people; we had been calm enough not to respond to the threats, but at this point, we believe it is time for us to come out to say to him ‘enough is enough.’

“If it is war, bring it on, we are no cowards, just be sure you can sustain the consequences because this is not going to be another vanquished ‘Biafran Uprising’. Niger Deltans are nobody’s slaves; we shall fight until there’s nothing left to defend.”

Over 1500 employees of Erisco Foods limited are about losing their jobs as the company has begun the process of winding up its tomatoes paste factory in the country sequel to relocating to China. The Company’s President, Chief Eric Umeofia, who announced the plan Tuesday in Lagos, said they are being forced to take the decision due to the refusal of the Central Bank to allocate FOREX to them for importation of raw materials as well as collaboration between some government agencies and importers from Asia to flood the market with substandard paste.

The Company’s President, Chief Eric Umeofia, who announced the plan Tuesday in Lagos, said they are being forced to take the decision due to the refusal of the Central Bank to allocate FOREX to them for importation of raw materials as well as collaboration between some government agencies and importers from Asia to flood the market with substandard paste.

“It is saddening and painful that we have started the process of relocating our factory out of the country, thereby forcing us against our wish to create jobs in foreign lands due to the evil and wicked desires of unpatriotic Nigerians who frustrate every effort we have made to create jobs in the country and earn foreign exchange.”

It will be recall that the Wife of the President, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, in February this year inaugurated the company’s N4 billion tomato paste processing plant that can process 450,000 tonnes of tomatoes in Oregun, Lagos State. According to Umeofia, the idea of the new plant was borne out of the need to resolve the glut in the tomato products from farmers, particularly in the northern part of the country, who are losing about 75 per cent of their produce due to the absence of storage or processing facilities.

While disclosing that it will be taking the company about six months to complete move its factories out of Nigeria, Chief Umeofia said “CBN refused to give us approval till date to use our own deposit of USD460, 000.00 generated from our foreign operations, but the same CBN approves Nigeria’s scarce FOREX to other companies to continue to import sub standards products into the country.”

He added “CBN refused to give us FOREX to import machineries, machine spare parts and raw materials to be used for processing of Nigeria fresh tomatoes into tomato paste in our Lagos factory. In addition, CBN refused to give us enough intervention funds after several promises to import agricultural tractors, improved tomato seedlings, fertilizer, and chemicals for our Katsina Project. Umeofia said it is regrettable that the same CBN approved intervention loan and FOREX to companies mostly owned by foreigners to import finished tomato paste at cheaper rate and other items like frozen fish and other items that can be produced in Nigeria.

“Recently, USD 15.1 million was allocated to an Indian company among others in one bidding at the exchange rate of N280.00 to a dollar and the CBN claimed it was for future contract, while, Erisco Foods is running its big company with FOREX sourced from parallel markets at the exchange rate of over N450.00 to a dollar.” Chief Umeofia said they expected the government to place a ban on the importation of tomatoes paste into the country as they did in banning importation of cement and fruit juice, but regretted that that was not done. He added that the company with over 2, 000 workers has the capacity to meet all the tomato needs of Nigeria and even export if they produce at full capacity. “But since inception, we have been producing fewer than 20% because of dumping of substandard products by Indians, Chinese and some unpatriotic Nigerians.”

The Erisco Foods’ boss noted that the tactical supports given by some government agencies to importers of sub standards tomatoes paste into the country is forcing them to close their factories and join the importers to flood the market with finished goods as they have lost over N3.6 Billion due to dumping of finished products in the past. “We have over N6billion of finished products not sold due to the activities of nefarious activities of importers and over N13 billion of raw materials in our warehouses. Also, our foreign supplier bills for collection line worth over US$20m were cancelled due to CBN frustration.”

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said any Nigeria who has another country to relocate to are free to do so.

On his part, he said he would stay back to solve the nation’s position.

According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President spoke while addressing Niger Delta stakeholders at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“We are determined to make life comfortable and affordable to all Nigerians. If anybody has a country to go to, let him go, we will stay here and salvage our country,” Shehu quoted the President as saying.

Buhari was said to have told the leaders of the Niger Delta that they had more to do than anyone else to bring peace to the region, given the influence they have on militant groups.

He expressed the determination of his administration to stay focused on its key campaign promises of securing the country, fighting corruption and creating jobs through the improvement of the economy.

He said peace, security, investment and prosperity are linked together, adding that “if we give peace a chance, investors will come here to invest.  Nobody will invest in an insecure environment.”

Buhari said the problems his administration found on the ground were many, as illustrated in collapse of oil prices, inability of 27 of the 36 states to pay salaries, absence of savings to fall back and having to deal with an elite who didn’t seem to care.

All these, he said, made his government to conclude that, “life as usual is no longer affordable.”

In welcoming the 16-point request presented for negotiation by the Niger Delta leaders, Buhari said he was still expecting reports from officials he had instructed to review the implementation of the Amnesty programme to determine where government fell short so that amends can be made.

The President said the service chiefs were putting together their own assessment of the militancy situation, saying “when I have these reports, including this one (just presented), we will revisit the situation (in the region) to ensure that we succeed this time.”

The President who delivered his report card on the war against corruption and the efforts to secure the country repeated his call to the Niger Delta leaders to join the administration in bringing peace to the troubled region.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has intensified investigations into N3bn fraud allegedly committed by Malam Gimba Ya’u Kumo, who recently got married to the second daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari, SaharaReporters reports.

According to the news platfrom, Malam Kumo allegedly committed the crime while he was Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.

It was learnt that the new son-in-law to the president had been under probe before his marriage but has now fallen into the spotlight of the anti-graft agency recently.

Sources also revealed that the President has vowed not to get involved in the case as the EFCC continues to find incriminating evidences against him.

Venom derived from the long-glanded blue coral snake - one of Southeast Asia's rarest and deadliest snakes - may help develop better painkiller that could help manage pain without the side effect of addiction.

The snake with electric blue stripes and neon-red head and tail grows up to two metres long. Its venom glands extend to 60 centimetres about a quarter of its body length.

Described as "the killer of killers" due to its taste for young king cobras, this snake is unique among snakes because, like scorpions, its venom causes its prey to spasm.

"This venom hits a particular type of sodium channel that is important for the treatment of pain in humans," said Bryan Fry, from the University of Queensland in Australia.

Researchers identified six unusual peptides in the venom of the blue coral snake that can switch on all of its prey's nerves at once. This immediately immobilises its victim.

The found that the venom used receptors which were critical to pain in humans. Learning how these work may enable improved pain treatment and management, the 'Sydney Morning Herald' reported.

"It's a great example of why studying the really weird animals is a great path for biodiscovery and you can't get any weirder than this snake with the longest venom glands in the world," Fry said.

The findings were published in the journal Toxins.

IGBO leaders have called on the Federal Government to immediately release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and other prisoners of conscience in line with the rule of law, saying that their agitation does not constitute threat to peace.

They also called for the restructuring of the nation so that Igbo that have made the “biggest sacrifice and contribution to the building of modern Nigeria” will be allowed to live and operate freely as equal citizens without discrimination. Rising from a three-day 2016 World Igbo Summit held at Gregory University, Uturu, Abia State, Igbo leaders also condemned in strong terms, the destructive activities of herdsmen and urged governors and the lawmakers in Igbo states to enact laws prohibiting open grazing in Igboland.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the summit, which was attended by prominent Igbo people, including first class traditional rulers and co-chaired by General Ike Nwachukwu, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Col. Joe Achuzia (retd.), Chief Francis Oji and Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, they resolved that Ndigbo should take full responsibility for the rebuilding of Igbo economy and development. Other resolutions, according to the communiqué read by Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, are that governors in Igboland should form a joint commission for the development of their areas; that the 1999 Constitution should be repealed and a new one enacted that will recognise the inalienable rights of each constituent group to self-determination and regional autonomy as enshrined in the 1960 Independence Constitution and 1963 Republican Constitution:

“Ndigbo, hereby, resolve to take full responsibility for the rebuilding of the Igbo economy and development of Ala-Igbo and hereby shall adopt the digital economy as the organising paradigm and implementation framework for the sustainable development of Ala-Igbo. “That Igbo political leadership (elected and appointed) must act in the best interest of Ndigbo and be prepared to be held accountable by the people for all their actions and inactions; that in view of the threat by the herdsmen, which constitute present and imminent danger to peace and security in Igboland, the Igbo governors and the states assemblies should immediately legislate against any form of open grazing in Igboland, among others.” … as minister urges Biafra agitators to follow due process Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, has accused those agitating for the Republic of Biafra of using uncivilised methods, advising them to follow constitutional and diplomatic processes to achieve their aim.

The minister said that MASSOB and IPOB have the fundamental right to clamour for Biafra, “but they should be rational and not emotional in going about it.” He spoke with newsmen in Enugu shortly after the end of a stakeholders/caucus meeting of the Enugu state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Onyeama then urged those spearheading the breakaway project to critically look at the rules relating to secession. According to him, those agitating for Biafra “are not speaking for Ndigbo, as they do not have the mandate of the Igbo race to do so.” He asked them to embrace dialogue rather than resorting to violence.

He, however, called on Nigerians, particularly those from the South-East, to keep supporting the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government, pointing out that the government has the capacity to tackle the current challenges facing the nation. In his remarks, the Chairman of APC in the state, Dr. Ben Nwoye, assured the national leadership of the party that the state chapter was highly committed to wrestling power from Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 2019. Nwoye said that existing political structures are being oiled and strengthened at all levels in the state, calling on true democrats and progressives to embrace the party to ensure a better Enugu State.

The travails of the the Nigerian economy as taken on a sad note as the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), on Wednesday, October 26 issued a 21-day ultimatum to the federal government, to prevent international oil companies operating in the country from sacking oil workers. Mr Igwe Achese, the national president of NUPENG, gave the ultimatum at the end of a meeting of the central working committee of NUPENG, which held in Effurun, Uvwie local government area of Delta state.

Speaking at the meeting, Achese said many oil companies, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, Pan Ocean and Ground Petroleum, were leaving the country due to the recession, which has led to the sacking of about 3,000 oil workers.

The national president said that if the federal government fails to stop the ongoing mass sack in the oil sector, many more would lose their jobs.

Achese said: “It is painful to say as I address you, Chevron has wound up in the East and their offices closed. A total of 1,500 workers were sacked without their entitlements and nobody is saying anything. As we speak, many companies have left and many others are winding up to go.

“Many oil companies are winding up, including ExxonMobil, Pan Ocean, Sapiem Ground Petroleum, and Hercules Offshore Nigeria Limited. About 3,000 workers have already been sacked by the various oil companies.

“The Federal Government should act fast to avert further loss of jobs. There is too much redundancy in the oil industry, which needs urgent action from government to salvage the situation.”

Mr Hodonu Daniel, the Facility Manager, First Storey Building in Nigeria, located in Badagry, Lagos State, says that 1,800 visitors have been there in the last nine months.

Daniel told newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos that visits to the structure, now 170 years, were made between January and September.

The foundation of the house was laid in 1842 and the house was completed in 1845. “Our peak period is during the New Year, Easter, Sallah and Christmas holidays and on public holidays. “We are used to recording about 180 visitors in a month but it varies. We have recorded 1,800 visitors in the last nine month,’’ he said.

He said that some of the visitors that patronised the facility were local and foreign tourists, students, foreigners, adults and children. “Students patronise the building more than others,’’ he added. Daniel said that this year’s patronage was better than the previous years. “The difference in the record of visitors that patronised the building this year compared to last year was not much,’’ he said. He urged the Lagos State Government to support the management in giving the building a facelift that is of international standard.

Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has said that it was impossible for his former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, to have stolen $2.2 billion as being accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Responding to questions after his lecture on Youth Entrepreneurship at the famous Oxford Union in the United Kingdom, former President Goodluck Jonathan, said: “They said the National Security Adviser (Sambo Dasuki) stole $2.2billion. I don’t believe somebody can just steal $2.2 billion. We bought warships, we bought aircraft, we bought lots of weapons for the army and so on and so forth and you are still saying 2.2 billion, so where did we get the money to buy all those things?

“Yes, there were some issues. Yes, there are still corruption issues but some of it were over blown. I’d say exaggerated and they give a very bad impression about our nation. You cannot say the national security adviser stole $2.2billion. It is not just possible.”

To avoid sounding confrontational with the current government, Mr Jonathan explained that some of the corruption cases were still in court and would rather allow the legal processes to reveal the facts of the matter.

He said: “One thing about the issue of corruption is that these matters are in court, let’s allow some of these processes to end. Lately some judges’ (homes) were also invaded. There are so many things involved and we have to follow up these matters to conclusion before we know the fact. “I don’t want to be seen a former president challenging what the sitting government is doing so I have decided to keep quiet for the court to look into them.”

He said allegations of corruption were not unique to his administration or the country. He said: “You will see that it has become a major topic whenever there is a change of government … I am not saying there is no corruption in Nigeria, there is corruption.

If you look at corruption there is almost no country that is free, the degree varies, the perception varies. “Transparency International talks about the way corruption is being perceived in different economies, why do we talk about the way corruption is being perceived, it depends on the issue raised in the media every day.”

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, promised Nigerians that the Federal Government has set machinery in motion to ensure 7,000 megawatts at the first quarter of 2017 . Osinbajo, who acknowledged that the country was battling with 3,000 megawatts, assured that the 7,000mw is achievable.

The vice-President said the Federal Government is currently working on nine transmission stations across the country towards achieving that set target of 7, 000 megawatts electricity generation for the country.

He however, attributed the crisis in the power sector to the vandalisation of the folcado terminal and four other export terminals is responsible to the reduction in the megawatts to as low as almost 2500mw of power .

The VP who said this in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital while declaring open, the 8th Session of the National Council on Industry, Trade and Investment, adding that the work on the critical transmittions would be completed by the first quarter of the year 2017.

Meantime, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called on African countries to explore trading opportunities within the continent as part of efforts to boost their economies. Obasanjo made the call yesterday when a delegation from the National Council on Industry, Trade and Investment paid him a courtesy visit at his hilltop mansion in Abeokuta.

The delegation led by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enalamah, included the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar, and members of some committees of the National Assembly The delegation was in Abeokuta for the eighth edition of the council’s meeting with the theme “Diversification of the Nigerian Economy: From Over Dependence on Oil Exports.”

The former president expressed concern that the share of intra-African trade in Africa’s total trade over the past decade was only about 12 per cent compared to 65 per cent of Asia.The VP further hinted that the federal government is already encouraging a privately owned oil refinery firm in the country which would refine 650, 000 bpd towards easing the petroleum products’ supply and accessibility in Nigeria. According to him, when the privately owned refinery project is completed, Nigeria would be saving about 30 percent of the amount it spends on importation of refined crude into the country.

All iPhones may look the same, but under the hood it's a different story.

Some iPhone 7s use a Qualcomm modem, while others have an Intel modem. That distinction could make a difference in how fast an iPhone 7 Plus can send messages and load your favorite app. A new report from Cellular Insights found that the Qualcomm modem performed 30% better than Intel's. The researchers only tested the iPhone 7 Plus, but the two types of modems are also used in the iPhone 7.

So how do you make sure you don't end up with the slower iPhone? If you have a Verizon (VZ, Tech30), Sprint (S) or SIM-free model, you're in good hands, according to the Cellular Insights report. Another preventive measure is to make sure you buy your phone in the United States, China or Japan. Those are the only countries where the speedy Qualcomm version is sold.
Yet not every iPhone purchased in the U.S. has the faster modem. iPhones from T-Mobile, AT&T and Telstra include the Intel modem.

To determine if your iPhone has the Intel modem, check the model number, found in small print on the back of your smartphone. The Intel modem is in Model A1778 and Model A1784.
While the Intel modem is slower, it may not be slow enough to bother users. Cellular Insights ran comparison tests, showing that the Intel-powered iPhone 7 Plus was in the ballpark of the iPhone 6S in areas with poor reception.


It's unclear why Apple is offering iPhones with two different speeds. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Some reports have suggested that by shifting some of its modem business to a Qualcomm (QCOM, Tech30) competitor, Apple gains leverage to extract better prices from Qualcomm. 

Lagos State Government may soon join the growing number of states including Edo, Ogun and Anambra that have imposed death sentence on kidnappers.According to a private member bill sponsored by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa, “any person, who kidnaps, abducts, detains or captures or takes another person by any means or tricks with intent to demand ransom or do anything against his/her, will commit an offence, and liable to a conviction of death sentence.

The bill, which is titled: ‘A bill for a law to provide for the prohibition of the act of kidnapping and for other connected purposes,’ went through a public hearing in the State House of Assembly, yesterday. Attempt to kidnap was also criminalized under the bill and it was suggested that such a person would be committed to life imprisonment. Also, the bill is against false representation to release a kidnapped or abducted person under Section 4, and this attracts seven years imprisonment.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petition and LASIEC, whose committee handled the public hearing, Hon. Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, had earlier said in her welcome address that the Bill was necessary to curtail kidnapping in the state. “We need laws to safeguard the citizens. We looked at the law on kidnapping and we felt that it should be amended to curb the crime,” she stated.

Raine Spencer who is the stepmother of Diana, the Princess of Wales, has died. She Died Friday morning, aged 87 after a short illness. Countess Spencer died at her London home, her son William Legge, the Earl of Dartmouth and a Ukip MEP, confirmed to press men.

The short statement issued by the family said: 'Raine, Countess Spencer, died peacefully at her home in London on 21st October, 2016, after a short illness.'

The socialite met Earl Spencer, Diana's father, when she was a young Conservative councillor where she was known for her enormous bouffant hair, pearls, scarves and grand tones. They married in 1976 and remained together until his death in 1992.

Countess Spencer, born in 1929, was the only daughter of her parents, Alexander McCorquodale and the novelist Dame Barbara Cartland.

Former Chairman, Appropriation Committee of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin has challenged his suspension from participating in the House’s activities for 180 days.

The legislator, who was recently suspended following his disagreement with the House’s leadership over alleged fraudulent conduct, including padding of the last national budget, is seeking N1billion damages against

The real question that should be on the minds of anyone keen on honestly building up our polity and/or resolving issues along the many gaping faultlines, is this. ARE YORUBAS REALLY AFRAID OF BIAFRA?  ‎ Many of our Yoruba compatriots actually believed the much publicised assertion by Dr Femi Aribisala that NIGERIA CANNOT SURVIVE WITHOUT THE IGBO, long before he brought this opinion into the public domain.

Toyin Aimakhu is seen here crying at the police station, she says the family of Mayowa Ahmed scammed her and other Nigerians into donating money. Watch video below

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole spoke on behalf of the APC Governors Forum yesterday, at the flag-off of the campaign of the candidate of the party in the governorship election in the state, saying the peoples power is behind Buhari. 

“We know that corruption will fight back and it is fighting back. And that is why we went for a tested army general to lead the corruption fight. They will fight back but they will be crushed. We reaffirm our confidence in the President, we don’t want any impeachment, we stand for democracy. The coup was resisted in Turkey, that is how Nigerians will resist any attempt to impeach the President”, 

Governor Fayose of Ekiti State,  has said that he is unmoved by the media trial, allegations leveled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and that “the anti-corruption agency and its collaborators in the All Progressives Congress (APC) should not be in a hurry in their ill-motive, rather they should wait till 2018 after my tenure when I will confront their lies.”