Nigeria Today

Nigeria's Senate has ordered an investigation into reports that one of its members has married a 13-year-old Egyptian girl.

Ahmad Sani Yerima, 49, is alleged to have married her at the national mosque in Abuja several weeks ago.

Senators called for the investigation after receiving a petition by protesting women's groups, who believe Mr Sani has broken the law.

The senator has not spoken publicly about the reports of his marriage.

The BBC's Caroline Duffield, in Lagos, says Nigeria's human rights commission has already begun an investigation.

Some top officials of the Delta State Government are believed to have gone underground as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission continues the search for evidence that could help its investigation into an allegation of graft against former Governor James Ibori.

The officials, said an EFCC source on Wednesday, were mostly heads of some ministries and departments in the oil-rich state.

The source, who pleaded not to be named, did not give the names of the officials. But he told one of our correspondents that the operatives began the search of some ministries and departments in the state on Monday for incriminating materials against Ibori.

A statement from his Media Assistant, Mr. Tony Eluemunor, quoted the former governor as saying that his legal counsel had written the EFCC over the matter, stating why Ibori would not honour the invitation that day.

The statement said: “Ibori’s counsel, Mr. J. B. Dauda wrote a letter dated 16th April, 2010, and addressed to the Chairman of the EFCC, titled “Re: your reply to our letter concerning Mr. James Ibori; report of EFCC manhunt in Nigerian dailies”, where he adduced reasons that constrained Ibori from showing up.

“Such reasons include the fact that our client has, to your knowledge and that of the Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation, filed an action seeking for enforcement of his fundamental human rights to liberty, fair

Acting President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday met behind closed doors with the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Robert Dewar, and United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms Robin Sanders.

Jonathan first met with Dewar at about 1pm in his official residence at Akinola Aguda House in the Presidential Villa before he had audience with Sanders in the evening.

Journalists were initially invited to cover both engagements but the Presidency later decided that they (meetings) should be “private.”

Details of what transpired at the meeting between the Acting President, Dewars and Sanders were not made known by any of the attendees.

Any hope that ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua will return to office might just be forlorn after all, as an intensive care expert has advised Nigerians to perish the thought.

Following the visit of some Islamic and Christian clerics to Yar’Adua in the Aso Rock Villa, there have been claims that the President was recuperating fast and could resume duties soon.

But in an exclusive interview with Sunday Sun, a renowned cardiologist, Dr. Y. N. Eronmwon, said: “At this point in time, one can medically predict that President Umaru Yar’Adua is in what we medical professionals call a Persistent Vegetative State (PVS). This is a condition where an individual in a state of coma is alive but unable to move or respond to his or her environment.”

Suspected Fulani gangs on Sunday burned homes in the village of Kura Jenta in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. The Berom village of Kura Jenta has been at the centre of bosom-for-tat attacks this year which have left hundreds dead.

The suspected Fulani attackers targeted homes belonging to three top officials in Kura Jenta, according to residents.

”Apparently the attackers were on a murder mission, they wanted to use the same tactics used in Dogo Nahawa, setting homes ablaze and then waiting for people to come out to be killed,” a local cleric Raymond Gboum told AFP.