Seventy-six Boko Haram terrorists, among others, trying to overrun Nigeria’s military formation in Metele, near Kangarwa in Borno, have been killed.

In what was a double blow to the terrorists, Chadian troops also killed another 48 terrorists on the same day.

According to the Nigerian Army Twitter posts, the gallant troops of the 157 Battalion overwhelmed the terrorists, with superior firepower, as they attempted to attack Nigerian positions on 8 October.

“The sustained superior firepower of the troops led to the neutralisation of 76 BHT. Unfortunately, the Nigerian Army lost seven soldiers while 16 were wounded in action.

The Chief of army staff, Lt. General Buratai has commiserated with the families of the deceased and directed that the wounded be given adequate medical attention”.

In Chad, eight soldiers and 48 Boko Haram militants were killed in clashes on Wednesday, officials said. The early morning attack took place in Kaiga Kindji in the Lake Chad region, army spokesman Azem Agouna said, adding that 11 other soldiers were wounded.

The Boko Haram terrorists also regularly launch offensives in Niger and Cameroon. Since 2009, tens of thousands of people in the region have died at the hands of the Sunni fundamentalists and an estimated 2.5 million people fled their homes. The group’s goal is to enforce a strict interpretation of Islamic law, or sharia.

Today, eleven people suffered varying degrees of burns from a gas explosion that occurred at Rosy Restaurant Area 11, Abuja.

The victims who were immediately taken to Asokoro general hospital suffered some 40 to 50 degree of burns. A pregnant woman, who simply identified herself as Ajayi who works at the restaurant, said that they were all going about their normal businesses when the gas suddenly exploded. Ajayi, who is three month pregnant, said that she needed to go for scanning to ascertain the condition of her baby.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the explosion affected her face, legs and hands. She was, however, attended to by the hospital management to know if she would be transferred to where she would be given a better treatment.

Dr Aminu Mile, the Acting Managing Director, Health and Human Services Secretary (HHSS), Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) while on a visit to the victim, said the circumstances surrounding the explosion would be unravelled.

Dr Nnabuchi Chidi, Acting managing Director, Asokoro Hospital said that the hospital would refer some of the victims to the National Hospital. He said that 11 of them were brought to the hospital and the hospital would do everything to ensure they are stabilised.

The West African Examination Council, WAEC, has vowed to publish names of students, staff, and invigilators involved in examination malpractice.

The examination body made this known yesterday as they decried the rate of examination malpractice among students.

In a statement by WAEC’s head, Public Affairs, Mr Demianus Ojijeogu, the decision to publish offenders was part of the 66th Nigeria Examinations Committee, NEC, of WAEC’s resolution held at Ogba, Lagos.

Ojijeogu said:

Candidates, invigilators and supervisors caught aiding and abetting examination malpractice, WAEC, ANCOPSS and the States Ministry of Education will publish their names to serve as a deterrent for others.

States Ministry of Education and school principals are to check the ugly trend by looking at the calibre and integrity of teachers nominated as supervisors for public examinations.

The Committee observed that even with the commendable efforts of the Council in the fight against examination malpractice, the menace is still on the increase.

There was high rate of impersonation as a form of examination malpractice during the WASSCE examinations.

In the course of considering the various reported cases of malpractice, the Committee, after diligent deliberations, approved appropriate sanctions in all established cases of malpractice, as prescribed by the Rules and Regulations governing the conduct of the Council’s examinations. It approved that the entire results of candidates involved in proven cases, which attracts Cancellation of Entire Results, CER, be cancelled, while subject results of those involved in proven cases, which attract Cancellation of Subject Results, CSR, be similarly cancelled.

The trial of Peter Neilsen accused of the grisly murder of his wife Alizee and their daughter Petra is still ongoing.

Recall that Nielson was arrested and arraigned at the Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court for allegedly killing the singer and their daughter in their Lagos home in April. During the court briefing, the police prosecutor, CSP Effiong Asuquo, told the court, that Peter hit his wife’s head on the wall, resulting in her death. He added that the Danish man poisoned their daughter afterwards, before dragging the bodies to the kitchen.

Now, LIB reports that their househelp, Evelyn Gimba, who speaks only Hausa, has testified at the Igbosere High Court in Lagos yesterday, Tuesday October 9th.

Asked if she had ever witnessed the couple fight: ”I never witnessed any violence between my madam (deceased) and the husband (defendant). They were always happy and I never saw Peter (defendant) in a drunken state.”

Asked how she discovered Neilson and the bodies: “I tried to open the door leading to the kitchen but it didn’t open so I went downstairs to the palour. I called one of the children’s number but it was switched off, I knocked at the door several times before it was opened for me. I then asked the girl that opened the door what type of sleep she was still sleeping up to that time. The girl then told me that my madam and her husband were fighting the previous night, I saw little bruises on the defendant’s forehead and hand when he came out from his room. I went to the children’s room for my duties and then l heard Peter shouting from the kitchen, ‘Jesus’.

The case has been adjourned till today October 10th for further hearing.

According to a report by Premium Times, the Federal Government of Nigeria has said after consultations it proposed N24,000 as the new minimum wage for civil servants.

The Minister of Labour and employment, Chris Ngige, stated this Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

Mr. Ngige was responding to media reports quoting the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, saying that the tri-partite committee discussing the demand for new minimum wage has agreed to increase it from the current N19,200 to N30,000.

“Such information is not true,” Mr Ngige said.

The minister said when the committee reconvened on October 5, after the NLC had called off its nationwide strike, “ the organised labour came down to N30,000, the organised private sector came down to N25,000.”

He also said the federal government had to consult with the 36 state governors. After the consultations, he said, the federal government proposed N24,000 while governors proposed N20,000.

Mr Ngige said the government is therefore still consulting and negotiations is ongoing.

He said in accordance with Convention 131 of International Labour Organisation, the most important thing to consider in fixing the new minimum wage is the ability to pay.

The NLC had initially proposed a N50,000 minimum wage for workers, a move opposed by many state governors, many of whom are unable to regularly pay the current N18,000 minimum wage.