Gunmen on Friday attacked Kashimbilla community in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba, killed two persons and kidnapped two women.

A member of the Taraba House of Assembly, Mr Mark Useni, who represents Takum II Constituency, confirmed the attack to newsmen in Jalingo.

Useni said two women, including a pregnant lady, were taken hostage by the attackers.

He said efforts to trace the whereabouts of those taken hostage did not yielded any result.

The Public Relations Officer of the Taraba Police Command, Mr Joseph Kwaji, who also confirmed the incident, however, said only one person was killed.

Kwali, who is an assistant superintendent of police, said many houses were burnt, alleging that the gunmen were militias who found their way to the area from Benue.

He also said that the gunmen attacked the Jukun, Tiv and Fulani residents in the area.

The spokesman assured the residents of the area that the command was on top of the situation. (NAN)

Equities’ transactions on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) closed on Friday in an upward trend as the the market capitalisation improved by N37 billion.

Tunisia will from April 17 to April 22 host the African Junior Weightlifting Championship.

The Inter African Committee of Nigeria on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children on Friday appealed to the Federal Government to ban female genital cutting.

The National President of the committee, Prof. Modupe Onadeko, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan.

the Parish Priest of St. John Catholic Church, Ugwuoye, Nsukka, Rev. Fr. Simon Ugwueze, has said that the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem signifies victory for the Christian.

Ugwueze told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Christians should use Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week, to reconcile themselves with God and fellow human beings.

“Palm Sunday is the beginning of the Holy Week that leads to the celebration of the Passion of Christ.

“We should use the Palm Sunday and Holy Week to reconcile ourselves with God and fellow human beings.

“Jesus’ riding on a donkey into Jerusalem is to restore the city as well as ensure victory to Christians,’’ he said.

He said that as Christians all over would celebrate the Palm Sunday, they would be celebrating Jesus who willingly embraced the cross to bring salvation to mankind.

‘Palm Sunday plays an important role in the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“It is during Palm Sunday that people spread palm branches along the road, sing hosanna for him and proclaim him as the King of Israel and God’s Ambassador.

“Jesus riding a donkey into the city of Jerusalem fulfilled a prophecy that the King would enter the city riding a donkey,’’ he said. (NAN)

Mauritania’s national football coach, Patrice Neveu, has bemoaned the absence of several foreign-based players as the country plays Mauritius on Saturday in Nouakchott.

Two Nigerian athletics pundits on Friday disagreed on the appointment of U.S. sprint icon, Maurice Greene by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

Naija247news reports that AFN had on April 10 announced the appointment of Greene to groom the country’s athletes to make the podium at international meets.

The pundits are Segun Omodunmi, Chairman, National Association of Athletics Technical Official (NAATO) and Isaac Osagie-Ikhaobomeh, an Assistant National Coach

They expressed their disagreements in separate interviews with NAN in Lagos.

Omodunmi said that it was a good step to take for Nigeria to realise its aspirations in athletics.

“The pedigree of Greene in global athletics should be of interest to any progressive-thinking federation to warrant his employment to help such body to nurture its young ones.

“Greene in the recent past is a name to reckon with as it concerns the track and field, so, it will not be out of place to enlist him as the nation’s relay coordinator.

“The young athletes see him as role model. So, for them to now have him as their instructor will add to their zeal to perform well at national and international events,” Omodunmi said.

According to him the imposing personality of Greene as a former world record holder in 100m with a time of 9.79 secs from 1997 to 2004 is an asset.

He said that national athletes stood to benefit immensely from his robust experience as he would impart into them his winning tactics.

Osagie-Ikhaobomeh in his comment, however, disagreed with Omodunni, saying Greene’s appointment might not meet the AFN’s expected target after all.

The coach said the athletes were home-grown and looked forward to their local mentors as models whom they want to emulate to win laurels.

“The likes of Yursf Ali, Gabriel Okon and Tony Osheku are good hands that can train our young ones to international standard.

“They have got the experience as well know the athletes better than a foreign expert and they can work with the athletes with ease and achieve set targets,” Osagie-Ikhaobomeh said.

According to him, it will be proper for AFN to make use of national experts instead of an international coach.

He added that this would encourage local coaches to develop and be at par with their foreign colleagues.

The Bayelsa Government on Friday in Yenagoa urged its citizens to embrace the wearing of traditional clothes as a means of promoting culture in the state.

A 30-year-old man, Abolade Adefisayo, on Friday  appeared in an lle-Ife Magistrates’ Court charged with assault.

A Kuje Magistrates’ Court, FCT, on Friday reserved judgement untill May 5 in a case involving 22-year-old Abbas Mohammed alleged to have sold a house belonging one Ismaíla Umar.

The presiding officer, Mr Azubike Okeagwu, ordered the accused to be remanded in custody after he pleaded guilty to the offence.

Mohammed, who resides at Gossa, Aiport Road, Abuja, was arraigned on a three-count charge of criminal trespass, theft and cheating by impersonation.

The prosecutor, Cpl. Ocheche Samuel, told the court earlier that the matter was reported at Kuje Police Station on April 6 by Umar, a resident of Giri Village, Abuja.

“On Jan. 22 at about 12:30 p.m., you Mohammed sold a bungalow under construction at Gossa, Airport Road, belonging to Umar at the cost of  N200,000.”

The prosecutor said the offence contravened sections 342, 287 and 321 of the Penal Code. (NAN)

There are two types of Government Reserved Areas (GRA) in Lagos State and, I dare to say, across many states in Nigeria. There is the old, largely colonial era GRA and then there is the modern era GRA. In Lagos, Ikoyi, Apapa, Ikeja, would fall into the colonial era GRA – or if you choose to funkify the term, a la Classic Fm, you could just say these are the proper Old School GRAs. The New School GRAs would include, even if they were not specifically so designated, Lekki Phase 1, Lekki Phase 2, Ogudu, Abijo, Park View, amongst others.

Below are results of Week 6 matches played in the 2013/2014 DSTV Men’s Basketball League at various venues on Friday:

Savannah Conference

Kada Stars   50    Gombe Bulls   60

Plateau Peaks   75     Kano Pillars   82

Mark Mentors      78     Immigration    40

Niger Potters        58     Bauchi Nets    64

Atlantic Conference

Islanders                75     Kwara Falcons  55

Oluyole Warriors    93     Union Bank        82

Dodan Warriors      53     Customs             62

Royal Hoopers        71      Police  Batons   57

The Kwara State Government on Friday in Ilorin inaugurated a seven-man committee to work out modalities for the convening of a sports summit in the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Saheed Popoola, while inaugurating the committee, said the summit would serve as a pacesetter for other states to emulate.

Popoola added that the summit was also to ensure the success of the current administration’s efforts to gainfully engage the youths through sports.

He said the terms of reference of the committee included putting in place the necessary framework for the organisation of a successful summit.

“It is also to advise on the means of financing the summit.

“This included possible ways of generating funds for sports development in the state and to make a holistic appraisal of the situation of sports development in the state,’’ the commissioner said.

He charged members of the committee to be proactive and use only a week to finalise and submit their report.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the committee include the Special Assistant to the State Governor on Sports, Kayode Bankole, who is the Chairman.

Others are the Permanent Secretary of the state’s Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Mrs Rhoda Ajiboye, and the ministry’s Acting Director Personnel, Finance and Supply, Saliu Gegele.

The rest are Director, Sports Development, Sani Lukpan, Director, Sports Council, Tunde Kazeem, the General Manager, Kwara United FC, Haruna Maigidansanma, and Abiodun Taiwo as secretary.

Earlier, Bankole had assured government that the committee would exploit the mandate given to it to address all the bottlenecks in the way of sports development in the state.

Reacting to the inauguration at the occasion, Ajiboye applauded the state government for giving the ministry the go-ahead to organise the summit.(NAN)

The Police in Benue have confirmed that two persons were killed in renewed attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen against Tiv farmers in three communities in the Logo Local Government Area of Benue on Friday.