Nigeria has been faltering from ethnic discord, a result of a flawed system that has spelt neglect, poverty and agitations. Militancy and separatism are on the increase. Nigerian leaders have turned deaf ears to local and international warnings on her ills. Inaction may lead to a tragedy of an unimaginable proportion in the country.

The Nigerian Times International calls for a law to punish rumour mongers as the man that was rumoured to be dead, Alhaji Umar Shehu Yar'Adua, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), returned to Nigeria from Germany yesterday.

"What is happening in Niger Delta is not being taken seriously and is very sad. It may actually end up being bigger little by little. If we are not careful, chances are that the 140 million Nigerians may end up like a Liberia or a Sierra Leone or a Somalia," Ribadu warned.

The United Nations' top torture investigator Manfred Nowak has discovered the worst violations of human rights he has ever seen in Nigerian police cells.

A leading gay activist in Nigeria has denounced current government efforts to ban homosexuality in the country. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa reports the Nigerian government is facing substantial international pressure over the plan.

"There can be no doubt that AU involvement in Darfur peace process has been a spectacular failure. The collusion of the AU with the Khartoum criminal regime and the imposition of the futile DPA have led to increased death, displacement and suffering in Darfur."

"Investigate Attacks on Anticorruption Campaigner"

Nigerian authorities should immediately investigate and prosecute those responsible for a violent assault and death threats against a leading anticorruption campaigner in the oil-rich Niger Delta, Human Rights Watch said today.

The National Redemption Front (NRF) strongly deplores fatalities on AU forces in Darfur. But regrets that the AU involvement in Darfur peace process has been a spectacular failure.

Presidential Candidate Umaru Musa Yar'Adua is Alive!
On the phone with his associates this afternoon he said, "I wish to thank all my supporters for their well wishes, and want to assure them I'm quite fine and will be back on the campaign trail shortly."

"Nobody is above the law," Senator Wabara said to dismiss the arrogance of President Olusegun Obasanjo on the PTDF-Gate Scandal in Nigeria.

Nigeria's president says escalating violence in the restive Niger Delta has taken on a criminal dimension. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa reports that militants are continuing assaults on foreigners in the region.

Gunmen have kidnapped three Croatian oil workers in the latest in a series of abductions in Nigeria's restive oil-rich Niger Delta. Gilbert da Costa reports for VOA, an American oil worker was released Sunday, hours before the Croatians were attacked.