Former Nigeria Vice President Namadi Sambo raided by EFCC

 Nigeria's anti-corruption agency has raided the offices of ex-Vice-President Namadi Sambo, the BBC has learned.

The raid was carried out on Saturday by agents from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as part of a probe into an arms deal, a source said.

Mr Sambo is the most senior member of the former government to be targeted by the EFCC since President Muhammadu Buhari took office last May.

The former vice-president has not yet commented on the raid.

He was believed to have been out of the country when his office in the capital, Abuja, was targeted.

Mr Sambo is not the first ally of former President Goodluck Jonathan to come under scrutiny from the anti-corruption watchdog.

In December, Nigeria's former national security advisor, Sambo Dasuki, was charged over an alleged $68m (£47m) fraud. He denied any wrongdoing.

A wider investigation is currently under way into the disappearance of $2bn of government money, which was meant to be spent on the fight against Boko Haram Islamist militants.

The Islamist militant group has killed thousands in north-eastern Nigeria in its six-year campaign.

Mr Sambo served as vice-president for five years, until the People's Democratic Party (PDP) was defeated in elections last April.

Mr Buhari took office with a pledge to tackle corruption in Africa's most populous state and biggest oil producer.

BBC

Militants in Nigeria hijack merchant ship and demand release of activist

Nigerian militants have hijacked a merchant ship and threatened to blow it up with its foreign crew if authorities do not release a detained leader agitating for a breakaway state of Biafra, according to officers in the military.

The vessel – which has not been identified – was hijacked on Friday and the navy is pursuing it, the officers said.

The hijackers have given the government 31 days to free Nnamdi Kanu, the director of the banned Radio Biafra, who was detained by secret police on 17 October and accused of terrorism.

The ultimatum was given at the weekend by a militant identified by the nom de guerre of Gen Ben. A leader of a Biafran separatist movement, Uchena Madu, said Ben was not a separatist but “some Niger Delta militants have shown interest in working with us”.

The hijacking indicates the separatists could be working with Niger Delta militants blamed for recent bombings of oil pipelines in the oil-rich south, escalating conflict in a country already burdened by Boko Haram’s deadly Islamist uprising in the north-east and violent ethno-religious confrontations between farmers and herders in central Nigeria.

Africa’s biggest economy and oil producer has also been affected by plummeting petroleum prices.

Nigeria’s Igbo people prosecuted a civil war to create a separate state of Biafra in the south-east that killed a million people in the 1960s. Many Igbos claim they still suffer discrimination.

Guardian

Video - Boko Haram attack village in Nigeria - 69 reported dead

At least 69 people have been killed in a spate of attacks near the north-eastern city of Maiduguri. ISIL-affiliated Boko Haram is the prime suspect. It's the bloodiest incident of its kind in Nigeria so far this year.

Nigeria seeking loan from World Bank

Nigeria is holding talks with the World Bank to help it fund a forecast $11bn (£7.7bn) budget deficit.

However, Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun said in a statement that it was not applying for an "emergency loan".

Nigeria is believed to be looking for around $3.5bn from the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

Africa's largest economy has been hit hard by the recent fall in oil prices, and the government needs to find new sources of income to fund its budget.

Last year's government budget was largely financed by oil revenue.

Ms Adeosun said that "Nigeria, as a member of World Bank group is entitled to access available funds like every member-country," but she is also looking at the domestic market as a means to get finance.

"No application for loans have been made. We are simply discussing options for funding [the] 2016 budget," she added.

Chief Africa economist for Standard Chartered bank Razia Khan told the BBC that going to the World Bank could be attractive as it may offer Nigeria better terms for a loan than it would get from the international money markets.

Nigeria is deliberately boosting spending on infrastructure development to try to boost the economy as it tries to deal with the oil price shock, she added.

The country is also under pressure to devalue the currency, the naira, as it tries to cope with the impact of the declining oil price.


BBC

U-17 World Cup winner Kelechi Nwakali joins Arsenal

Nigeria U17 captain Kelechi Nwakali has completed his move to Premier League Side Arsenal according to reports from Metro.

The Nigeria Under-17 captain has been strongly linked with the Gunners in recent days, amid talk a deal has been agreed.

And now Nigerian outlet Tribune reports that Nwakali is flying to London with his agent to complete a move to the Emirates Stadium.

They managed to grab a word with him before his flew out, and the player says he is happy to be moving to the club.

‘I am going to Arsenal to work and try to be the best I can,’ he said.

‘With God anything is possible, to work hard to justify my claim for first team football.’

Nwakali’s Nigeria team mate Samuel Chukwueze is expected to follow him by moving to Arsenal in the next month or so.


Soccerblitz


Related story: Nigeria U-17 World Cup winners being scouted by Arsenal and Manchester City