Benchmark Naija

The actor, whose demise hit the movie industry like a shock wave yesterday, was said to have died of kidney failure in an undisclosed hospital in Lagos. According to a source close to the actor, Muna has been battling renal related ailment but has kept it secret for a long time before informing the president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Ibinabo Fiberesima who has since been in touch with him. The source furt her stated that that actor’s drinking habit may not be unconnected to his death. Until his death, the Enugu based actor was one of the controversial actors in the Nigerian movie industry dubbed Nollywood. Muna, who has a knack for acting romantic scenes, once came under attack for grabbing fellow actor, Biola Ige’s breast, in the movie, Pregnant Hawker. However, the actress later denied the story, claiming that the picture which went viral was doctored and that there was no such scene in the movie. Muna on his own part was quoted to have said, “…I don’t remember th...

It was reported now that the President Goodluck Jonathan for the first time in few years, has just landed in Maiduguri Airport in a surprise visit to the hot zone of Boko Haram’s insugency which has claimed thousands of lives in the Nigeria North-East. The President was accompany by the National Security adviser, Sambo Dasuki and Chief of Defense staff, Air Vice Marshall Alex Badeh. The two were said to have arrived at the Maiduguri airport in a separate airplane. It was reported that Governor Kashim Shettima was at the airport to receive President Jonathan. Details later….  

There are indications that Gen. Muhamad Buhari, the APC Presidential flagbearer may be disqualified by INEC. this indicaton was given by former NBA chairman OLISA AGBAKOBA, SAN. He said "When this issue came to the front burner, I did what is expected -research. I called for the past INEC forms filled by Buhari the past three times he had contested for this office. In all of them, he filled them properly because there was no provision for proof of certificates/credentials.But now that the Electoral Act (2011?) is asking for proof of such credentials, INEC has complied by including on its forms, this requirement. Again Buhari filled all other sections of this form correctly. But when he got to the section asking for proof of credentials, he deposed to an affidavit. Without sounding very specific, that was wrong. It is for the candidates to provide proof to claims of certificates, not affidavit.' The closing date for submission of Nomination forms to INEC was December 30th. b...

Pandemonium and chaos was the order of the day as students and teachers of the Government Day Secondary School, Yola, Adamawa State, was thrown into utter confusion when a male teacher reportedly  stabbed  a female student multiple times. Eyewitnesses report that the said teacher who is simply identified as Mr. Babbal, stabbed a Senior Secondary School 2 student, Zainab Adamu, over what some students who are friends of the victim say it had to do with her refusal to have an affair with him which led to a heated disagreement and the girl threatened to report the issue of  sexual harassment  to the school authority. It took the timely intervention of the police attached to the Divisional Police Station, Wuro-Hausa, Yola, to calm frayed nerves as students r eportedly mobbed the erring teacher beating him to a pulp. Babbal was said to have been arrested while other teachers in the school were invited for questioning while the  victim  was rushed to the ...

The turnout of supporters at the declaration ceremony of Tony Chucks Obuh has sent many book makers to retract their analogies concerning his aspiration. Before now many names have been thrown at him; a stooge, fake coke, political neophyte and a man that is not putative by the generality of Delta People, but the mammoth crowd that thronged the declaration of the former Permanent Secretary have cracked their assessment to mire. The morning of Friday, 07 November, 2014 was naturally balmy. As early as 7am, the venue managers had assembled the protocol staff and security operatives for a final briefing. Even as the officials were putting finishing touches on logistics, the crowds started trooping into the Cenotaph, Asaba for the grand declaration of Tony Chucks Obuh for the Governorship seat of Delta State. The supporters and enthusiasts took their seats before 7.30am when the event that was billed to kick start at 10am. Lo, the Cenotaph was full. The central planning committees we...

Benchmark Naija: Uduanghan Picks Nomination form for Senate.

Residents of Kubwa in Abuja were thrown into confusion on Monday, November 3, when they found a middle-aged woman named Ope Kubona, stark naked on top of the roof of the All Saint’s Fellowship Church close to the Kubwa Village market. This attracted a huge number of spectators who branded her a witch. Kubona, who sold beans cake and was well known in the neighbourhood would have been lynched but for the quick intervention of the police, Punch reportsThe police team, led by the Kubwa Divisional Police Officer, Surajudeen Ayobami, brought her down from the roof and asked her children to bring items of clothing for her before taking her to the station. At the Police station, Kubona was said to have lashed out at the policemen and her children, accusing them of disrupting her peace. The woman who described herself as a prayer warrior almost attacked a pregnant woman who attempted to take her picture with her smartphone.