A bomb at an outdoor bar in a remote part of eastern Nigeria killed at least one person and wounded 11 on Thursday, a witness said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast in the town of Jalingo, Taraba state, an area which has been occasionally targeted by Islamist sect Boko Haram.

The sect is waging a low level insurgency against President Goodluck Jonathan’s government and wants to impose sharia law on the northern part of Nigeria, a country whose 160 million people are spilt roughly evenly between Muslims and Christians.

The group has been blamed for hundreds of deaths in bombings and shootings this year.

It usually targets members of the security forces or government officials, though churches and bars are also frequent targets.

Witness Sadiq Adamu said the blast shook the area in the late evening.

“I saw one dead body and three people were critically injured and taken off to hospital,” he said.

Police in the area were not immediately available for comment. In April, a bomb blast struck a police chief’s convoy in Jalingo, killing 11 people, although it has been largely quiet since then.

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(Reporting by Ibrahim Mshelizza; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

A more aggressive President Obama followed up last night’s debate today by saying that viewers did not see “the real’ Mitt Romney.

The Romney at Wednesday’s debate refused to own up to the impact of his proposed tax cuts for the wealthy, education cuts, and past sympathy for outsourcing, Obama told some 12,000 backers at a park in Denver.

“The man on stage last night, he does not want to be held accountable for the real Mitt Romney’s decisions and what he’s been saying for the last year,” Obama said. “And that’s because he knows full well that we don’t want what he’s been selling for the last year.”

Obama also mocked Romney for advocating cuts to public broadcasting, even though he likes the “Big Bird” character.

“Thank goodness somebody is finally getting tough on Big Bird!” Obama said, “We didn’t know that Big Bird was driving the federal deficit.”

At the prompting of a member of the crowd, Obama added: “Elmo too?”

During the debate, Romney listed PBS as part of a series of programs he would cut to help reduce the federal debt, a list that includes Obama’s health care law and programs that can be shifted to state and local governments.

Romney aides said it was the real Romney who appeared on stage Wednesday night. not the caricature painted by Obama and his campaign in recent months. Poll respondents gave Romney a victory over the president at the debate, and GOP aides said the president and his team are trying to recover.

“In full damage-control mode, President Obama today offered no defense of his record and no vision for the future,” said Romney spokesman Ryan Williams in a statement. “Rather than a plan to fix our economy, President Obama simply offered more false attacks and renewed his call for job-killing tax hikes.”

He added: “Last night, Mitt Romney demonstrated why he should be President, laying out the clear choice in this election. We can’t afford four more years of the last four years. We need a real recovery — and Mitt Romney has a real plan to deliver it.”

Obama, criticized by even some Democrats as passive and listless during the debate, turned aggressive in his first post-debate speech.

“When I got onto the stage, I met this very spirited fellow who claimed to be Mitt Romney,” Obama said in beginning his speech at Sloan’s Lake Park in Denver.

“But it couldn’t have been Mitt Romney because the real Mitt Romney has been running around the country for the last year promising $5 trillion in tax cuts that favor the wealthy,” he added. “The fellow on stage last night said, he didn’t know anything about that.”

He maintained the “real Romney” riff on other issues:

“The real Mitt Romney said we don’t need anymore teachers in our classrooms, but … the fellow on stage last night, he loves teachers, can’t get enough of ’em.

“The Mitt Romney we all know invested in companies that were called pioneers of outsourcing jobs to other countries. But the guy on stage last night, he said that he doesn’t even know that there are such laws that encourage outsourcing. … He said that if it’s true he must need a new accountant.

“Now, we know for sure it was not the real Mitt Romney because he seems to be doing just fine with his current accountant.”

Two officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Douglas William and Abba Ishaku, who were arraigned on October 17, 2010, before an Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Abubakar Umar in a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence were on October 4, 2012, sentenced to five years imprisonment without an option of fine.
William and Ishaku were sentenced to two years each on counts one and two; and six months each on counts three and four. The sentences are however to run concurrently.
The two officers were arrested in 2010 in a ‘sting operation’. Until their arrest, the duo were stationed at the reception of the EFCC headquarters in Wuse, Abuja .
Trouble started for the officers when they allegedly demanded for N100, 000 from Kullima Kachalla, a former Chairman of Bama Local Government in Borno state in 2010, by posing as investigators of the EFCC.
They were alleged to have asked Mr. Kachalla to send them the money in order to bribe other investigators of the Commission to destroy a petition written to the EFCC, which indicted him (the former chairman) for alleged mismanagement of public funds.
During trial, the court was told that Mr. Kachalla had alerted the EFCC of the action of the two accused persons, necessitating an undercover operation, where an EFCC officer, posing as Mr. Kachalla’s representative, arranged a meeting with the accused.
Ishaku, second accused, allegedly called Mr. Kachalla by telephone, asking him to bring the money to the Commission’s office in Wuse, Abuja . It was in the course of the receipt of the money that the two staff were arrested and subsequently arraigned.
In his ruling, Justice Umar said because the convicts have suffered enough humiliation, their sentence should start from the date of their arraignment being October 18, 2010.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has called on the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar,
to urgently redeploy the Ondo State Commissioner of Police to forestall a looming chaos in the State.

According to a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
the call was made by the ACN Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, and the party’s governorship candidate for the state, Mr. Rotimi
Akeredolu, at a campaign rally held in Ore on Thursday.

According to them, the Police Commissioner has shown his bias in favour of the Labour Party in the state, instead
of being neutral as demanded by the sensitivity of his high office.

They said unless the highly partisan police boss is removed urgently, the clamour for a free, fair and creditable governorship
election in Ondo State Oct. 20th will be a mirage.

Justifying the call, they said the Commissioner of Police has failed to respond decisively and fairly to attacks on ACN supporters in
the past two days, during the party’s campaign rallies in Ikare and Ondo towns.

”It has become a recurring experience in the past two days for suspected Labour Party thugs to unleash terror on ACN
supporters at the end of their campaign rallies.

”After the rally in Ondo on Wednesday in particular, some chieftain of ACN, including notable artists like Ojo Arowosafe
a.k.a Fadeyi Oloro, and a popular Ewi exponent, Femi Elaloro, were among scores of ACN supporters who were attacked
by suspected LP hoodlums, inflicting on them varying degrees of injuries and damaging vehicles belonging to ACN
supporters.

”The State Commissioner of Police, who was promptly contacted about Wednesday’s incident by the ACN candidate, merely
dismissed his (Mr. Akeredolu) report, claiming instead that the ACN instigated the violence. Such action by the Police Commissioner
is not conducive to the conduct of free and fair election, hence he must be redeployed without delay,” the party said.

· Uduaghan cautions against contracts variations

Delta state government has suspended the award of fresh contracts on road construction pending when all existing contracts have been completed.

Announcing this while addressing contractors handling road and drainage projects in the state, the state governor Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan said that the suspension of new contracts would enable his government concentrate and complete all ongoing road and drainage projects.

He enjoined the contractors to mobilize to site once the rains were over and complete their contracts before the end of December.

He urged them to work day and night and complete their projects so that Deltans would enjoy good roads.

The governor also told the contractors that he would not entertain further delay especially as he had promised to adequately fund the projects. “You should therefore mobilize to site once the rains are over and complete your jobs. There should be no excuses,” he said.

The governor cautioned the contractors against the submission of letters for variation stressing that it was the antics used by the contractors to increase the value of their contracts.

Dr. Uduaghan warned against such antics explaining that any variation made on a contract which was not more than one year would not be entertained.

“I find that contractors are always submitting variation every time and even on contracts that are not up to a year. This is not acceptable because if they did not like the contract value they should not have accepted the contract in the first place,” he said.

The Governor, who admonished those who often abandon their projects only to reappear with variations to either accept contracts as awarded or reject it at the initial stage.

Dr. Uduaghan who explained that the issue of variation often disorganized the budget said “variation is unfair because budgets are planned and acceptance of variation on new projects will not do the state any good. So contractors should either accept contract as it is or reject them from the onset.”

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Works Chief Funkekeme Solomon said his ministry has been reorganized to ensure efficient service delivery.

Chief Solomon said some of the lapses observed in the past had been corrected to ensure that certificates submitted by contractors for payment were promptly processed.

He however enjoined the contractors to work to specification and complete their jobs on schedule.

Some of the contractors who spoke enjoined the governor to pay for the jobs they have completed.

They also appealed to him to intervene in the processing of the certificates of job completed as there were unnecessarily delayed.

Imo state Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorcha has called on the Federal
government to create additional states in the south-east.

Governor Okorocha made the call at Mbutu Aboh Mbaise during the
dedication of St. Peters Anglican Church building Mbutu Mbaise and
church service for the 80th Birthday celebration of Lolo Dorathy Ihedioha, mother of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, Deputy Speaker, Federal
House of Representatives.
According to governor Okorocha, “the need to look into the plight of
Ndigbo in Nigeria has become more necessary than ever. The Igbo
nation of South East of Nigeria is like a football team whose team members were given red card and are playing eight against eleven. The
South East is playing with 15 senators against 22 of other zones, at
the National Assembly, a situation where a particular geopolitical
zone in the North has 186 members in the House of Representatives
against 95 of the South East, this marginalization is unbearable and
cannot give the Igbo nation a chance to win any contest in Nigeria.”
He appealed to the Senate President, David Mark and Deputy Speaker in
the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, all members of
the National Assembly to use their good offices to ensure that one
more additional state is created in the South East to correct the
imbalance and marginalization of the Igbo nation, “a situation where
the South East is the only zone in the country with 5 states and
others are having 6 and 7 states is uncalled for,” he said.
Gov. Okorocha called on all the Igbo politicians to set aside their
differences and unite together to fight for the common course of the
Igbo man, and called for more federal projects in the South East. He
congratulated Lolo Ihedioha on her 80th Birth day and prayed God to
give her good health and many happy days ahead.
The Senate President, David Mark on his own part congratulated Lolo
Ihedioha for attaining her 80th birthday and donated on behalf of the
National Assembly the sum of 5m Naira to support the building project
of St. Peters Anglican church, Mbutu.

He advised politicians to forget politics and love one another as well
as pray for others and appealed to the Clergy to continue to pray and
counsel their flocks particularly the politicians so as to be good
leaders of the people.
In a sermon delivered by the Arch. Bishop Metropolitan and Primate of
the Anglican Communion in Nigeria, Most. Rev. Nicholas Okoh, he
advised the elderly to see their old age as a blessing from God and
serve God in the church ministry of the elders, which he said include;
speaking the truth at all times, counseling the younger ones and
praying for their children, the church and the nation.
Dignitaries from all walks of life including Governors of Abia,
Theodore Orji, Peter Obi of Anambra Deputy Senate President, Ike
Ekweremadu, members of National Assembly and 31 Bishops of the
Anglican Communion graced the occasion.

About 6, 654 persons trapped by the flood that submerged communities in Ibaji Local Government area of Kogi State were evacuated from to safe locations by the National Emergency Management Agency, Director General of the agency Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi has said.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has concluded arrangement to arraign fresh suspects in the ongoing trial of persons and organizations implicated in the fuel subsidy scam. Barring any hitches, 10 suspects comprising four companies and six individuals will be arraigned tomorrow, Friday October 5, 2012 before Justice Habeeb Abiru of the Lagos High Court.
Among the individuals to be prosecuted are Ifeanyi Anosike, Emeka Chukwu, Ngozi Ekeoma, Alhaji Adamu Aliyu Maula, George Ogbonna and Emmanuel Morah. The companies involved are Anosyke Group of Companies Limited, Dell Energy Limited, Downstream Energy Sources Limited and Rocky Energy Limited.
These suspects are among several suspects scheduled for arraignment by the Commission over the theft of N10.6billion in dubious subsidy claims.
Anosyke Group of Companies, Ifeanyi Anosike, Dell Energy Limited, Emeka Chukwu and Ngozi Ekeoma will be arraigned on an eight count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain by false pretence; forgery and uttering false documents to the tune of N1, 537,278,880.82( One Billion, Five Hundred and Thirty Seven Million, Two Hundred and Seventy Eight Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty Naira, Eighty-Two Kobo), being payments fraudulently received from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported supply of 15, 000 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit.
Downstream Energy Sources Limited, Alhaji Adamu Aliyu Maula, Rocky Energy Limited, George Ogbonna and Emmanuel Morah who will be facing trial on an eight count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain property by false pretence; conspiracy to forge documents, forgery and uttering false documents to the tune of N789,648,329.25( Seven Hundred and Eighty Nine Million, Six Hundred and Forty Eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Twenty Nine Naira, Twenty-Five Kobo), being payments fraudulently received from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported supply of 14,273,0227 litres of Premium Motor Spirit.