The Big 5: President Buhari travels to UK for medical reasons, Presidency releases details of alleged grand corruption during Jonathan administration and other top stories

These are the stories you should be monitoring today.

President Muhammadu Buhari will today undertake a four-day medical trip to the United Kingdom, his spokesperson Garba Shehu has said.

Shehu said, “In the course of the technical stop-over for aircraft maintenance in London on his way back from Washington last week, the president had a meeting with his doctor.”

The doctor requested “the president to return for a meeting which he agreed to do.”

President Buhari will return on Saturday, May 12th,” he said.


The Nigerian Army says it has rescued more than 1,000 persons held hostage by Boko Haram insurgents in some villages in Bama Local Government Area, Borno.

Brigadier General Texas Chukwu, the Director, Army Public Relations, disclosed this in a statement in Maiduguri on Monday.

Chukwu said the rescue operation was conducted by troops of 22 Brigade of Operation Lafiya Dole in conjunction with allies of Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

He listed the villages to include Malamkari, Amchaka, Walasa and Gora villages of Bama Local Government Area, Borno. He added that the hostages were mainly women, children and young men who were forced to become Boko Haram fighters.


Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has released details of the allegations of grand corruption in the Goodluck Jonathan administration calling it “a tip of the iceberg.”

The details were published Sunday night by the vice president’s office in a reaction to the accusations by supporters of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who reportedly claimed Osinbajo made unsubstantiated allegations about grand corruption during the Jonathan era.

Just for clarity, I quote the Vice President “Grand corruption remains the most enduring threat to our economy. Three Billion US dollars was stolen in what was called the strategic alliance contacts in 2013, three Nigerians were responsible, today three billion dollars is one trillion Naira and our budget is 7trillion!

In clarifying that allegations of corruption against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government, Akande said $3 billion was stolen under the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Strategic Alliance Contracts.

He named three persons reportedly involved in the controversial contract to include Jide Omokore, Kola Aluko and the former Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison- Maduekwe.


No less than 22 All Progressives Congress’ (APC) governorship aspirants have signed a petitioned to the National Chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, as well as leaders of the party, stating fresh conditions for a repeat of the Ekiti primaries.

The petition addressed to the NWC, was also copied to President Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and a national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu.

The petitioners alleged that some members of the NWC who were part of the organising committee of the primaries, were glaringly biased and contributed to the violence that disrupted the primaries.


President Buhari has approved the establishment of a new Battalion of the Nigerian Army, as well as a new Police Area Command in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area, Kaduna.

The approvals are part of measures to scale up the security response to the banditry affecting the area, Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said in a statement on Monday evening.

I am deeply outraged by this unwarranted, unprovoked and reckless destruction of lives by bandits who belong to the lowest level of civilisation. I feel the pains and devastation of the families of the victims, and this administration will do everything possible to ensure we defeat these enemies of humanity,” Buhari was quoted as saying in the statement.


And… stories from around the world.

The University of Zambia, Lusaka, has urged female students to stop visiting the library “half-naked” because it distracts male counterparts.

University authorities stuck up notices around its library telling them to dress more modestly.

It has come to our attention that some female students dress half-naked as they use the library, a situation which is disturbing the male students,” the notice in the library reads.

We therefore advise the female students to dress modestly as you use university facilities. Modest is the way to go!”


New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has resigned following allegations of assault by four women.

The resignation came after The New Yorker magazine published a report quoting the women who accused Schneiderman of hitting them.

Scheiderman has been a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment.

In the privacy of intimate relationships, I have engaged in role-playing and other consensual sexual activity,” he said in an initial statement on Monday. “I have not assaulted anyone. I have never engaged in non-consensual sex, which is a line I would not cross.”

He later said he “strongly contests” the allegations but would step down.


Italy’s coalition-building talks have failed, leaving the country facing fresh elections or a neutral caretaker government until the end of the year.

President Sergio Mattarella said on Monday that those were the only two options left after a third round of negotiations were unsuccessful.

No single party or alliance won a majority in the March general election.


The Malaysian prime minister, Najib Razak, is facing a fight for his political survival when the country goes to the polls this week, after his strong lead over rival Dr Mahathir Mohamad narrowed sharply.

Najib, who has been in power since 2009, was initially thought to be guaranteed an easy win in Wednesday’s elections. But in the past few weeks the tide has turned against him, even in the rural Malay heartlands that have long been strongholds for the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN).


A booklet published by Melania Trump’s new campaign for children’s online safety bears an uncanny resemblance to a document released under Barack Obama’s administration.

Melania’s initiative, Be Best, which launched on Monday, has a page on the official White House website that said near the bottom: “Parents, click here to read Talking with Kids about Being Online, a booklet by First Lady Melania Trump and the Federal Trade Commission.”

Following a backlash on social media, the website’s language was updated to describe the pamphlet as “a Federal Trade Commission booklet, promoted by First Lady Melania Trump”.

Visitors who click on the link are taken to a pdf file of a booklet that is almost identical to one first published by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2014 under the title: Net Cetera – Chatting with Kids About Being Online.

Their front covers, an array of 16 symbols in grey and orange, are the same except for a minor tweak to images of mobile phones to make them look more like iPhones. This upgrade has been carried out throughout the booklet.

The original FTC handbook has a heading that says: “Sexting: Don’t Do It.” The new handbook says: “Sexting.”

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