These are the stories that got people talking today.

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The Nigerian Senate has approved the death sentence for abduction, wrongful restraints or wrongful confinement for ransom. This followed the passage of a bill on abduction, wrongful restraints or wrongful confinement for ransom.

The Bill was sponsored by Senator Isa Hamma Misau (Bauchi, APC).

This comes after Lagos State approved same for kidnapping.

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ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi released a new recording disclaiming reports that he has been killed.

The 46-minute tape was released via the Al-Furqan news organisation and does not give a date of recording, but his reference to the recent missile tests and war of words between North Korea and the US suggests the recording is recent.

He vowed to continue fighting and praised his followers despite the loss of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

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Timaya has replied Eedris Abdulkareem who described him as an ingrate.

Eedris had said Timaya is an ingrate who forgot him after making him popular.

He took to Instagram to call Eedris an empty barrel who has refused to work. In the video, the singer said Eedris disregarded him and never took him seriously.

He wrote, “I tried so hard to resist responding to an EMPTY BARREL…But i am sick and tired of all these misconceptions…Sometimes you just need to tell people the HARD TRUTH. FUCK U EEDRIS ABDÜLKARİM.”

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The Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, at the end of the monthly Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting on Thursday in Abuja, said that the Federal Government, state and local governments shared a total of N637.704 billion in September.

He said the sum indicated a rise in the revenue shared by the three tiers of government of N169 billion for September compared to about N467.8 billion shared in August – inclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT).

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Seven-time Nigerian footballer of the year, Ronaldinho‘s mentor at Paris Saint Germain, a member of Pele’s FIFA 100 list and arguably one of the greatest free agents Bolton Wanderers ever signed – Jay Jay Okocha – has been named as best ever player to play at Reebok/Macron Stadium – the Bolton Wanderers stadium in the last twenty years.