A statue of Satan standing proud with a huge erection has been swiftly taken down by city officials in East Vancouver.

The nine foot underworld ruler mysteriously appeared on Tuesday morning.

It was on display near the Clark Drive SkyTrain station – raising hell with shocked commuters.

But it didn’t last long, and was removed hours later.

The small square where the devil appeared was originally home to a statue of Christopher Columbus, but that has since been moved to Hastings Park, report CTV News.

 Rizwan Naseer, Pakistani Rescue official, said on Wednesday in Islamabad that the death toll from a week of flooding in Pakistan has risen to 250.

He said the authorities rushed to evacuate nearly 1 million people from the southern province of Sindh.

Naseer said more than 24 people died when the roof of a mosque collapsed on worshippers overnight in the eastern city of Lahore.

The National Disaster Management Authority said mudslides and flooding killed around 250 in the central province of Punjab and parts of the Kashmir region divided between Pakistan and India.

The agency spokesman, Ahmed Kamal, said two eastern rivers were still in high flood.

He said the Chenab and Jhelum rivers have breached their banks and inundated more than 350,000 acres (142,000 hectares) of cropland in Punjab.

“Flooding has destroyed cotton, sugarcane and rice crops,’’ he said.

Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister, said authorities on Wednesday used explosives to divert River Chenab away from entering the southern city of Jhang.

Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, said thousands of troops and rescue workers were evacuating nearly 1 million people in Sindh province, as floods headed towards the region.

He said military helicopters and rescue boats were taking part in the evacuation operation.

Television footage showed people standing on overloaded boats taking them to safety, leaving their houses and cattle behind in flooded villages.

 President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday directed the immediate removal of the “#BringBackJonathan 2015” signs and banners around Abuja.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, said in a statement in Abuja that the signs were offensive and repugnant to Jonathan and many Nigerians.

The statement said: “Jonathan wholly shares the widely expressed view that the signs, which were put up without his knowledge or approval, are a highly insensitive parody of the #BringBackOurGirls hash tag.

“Jonathan appreciates the enthusiastic show of support for his administration by a broad range of stakeholders.

“But he condemns the #BringBackJonathan 2015 signs which appear to make light of the very serious national and global concern for the abducted Chibok girls.

“The president assures all Nigerians and the international community that his administration remained fully engaged with efforts to rescue the abducted girls.

“He will not knowingly promote any actions that will fly in the face of the seriousness of their plight and the anguish of their families.”

Adamawa Acting Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri on Tuesday commended officers and men of the Nigerian Army for their effort in containing insurgency in the state.

Fintiri lauded armed forces when he visited Lt. Col. Adeboye Obasanjo, who was recuperating from injuries at the Federal Medical Centre, Yola.

Obasanjo sustained injuries in a battle to repel insurgents in Bazza town of Michika Local Government Area of the state.

Fintiri was received at the hospital by the Chief Medical Director, Dr Aliyu Danburam, who said younger Obasanjo was recuperating and in stable condition.

Meanwhile, transport fare has sky rocketed following mass movement of people from the northern part of the state to other parts as a result of threats from the insurgents.

Our correspondent reports that transport fare from Mubi to Yola has risen by 400 per cent.

“We used to pay N1,000 from Mubi, but today I paid N5,000,” said Aliyu Buba, a student from Mubi. (NAN)

Global Commission on Drug Policy on Tuesday in New York, at its annual meeting, called for a fundamental change of global drug policies and decriminalisation of drug use.

Members of the commission are drawn from political leaders, including, former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo, former Colombian president Cesar Gaviria, former Swiss president Ruth Dreifuss.

The group also includes former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group.

The commission called for a complete overhaul of the global drug prohibition regime and focus on the promotion of the health and welfare of people instead of continuing to criminalise drug use.

It agreed that there must be an immediate end to punitive enforcement of drug policies, including jail time for non-violent, low-level users and producers of drugs.

It therefore recommended the redirecting resources to prevention and treatment of substance use.

It noted that repressive drug policies have lead to corruption and violence.

The group called on countries for outright legalisation of certain drugs such as cannabis, coca leaf and some other psychoactive substances.

Annan said at the occasion that the facts has spoken for themselves, and now is time for immediate change.

He said there was the need for drug policies informed by evidence of what actually works, rather than policies that criminalise drug use while failing to provide access to effective prevention or treatment.

Annan said such policies have led not only to overcrowded jails but also to severe health and social problems.

He said the report of the meeting was coming two years ahead of the next UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs, set for 2016.

Annan said at the session will enable world leaders decide on new global drug control policies.

A beggar, Gboyega Dauda, who allegedly attempted to kidnap a toddler, Ismail Abdullahi, was on Tuesday, charged before a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

Dauda, 31, of no fixed address is standing trial on a one-count charge of attempted kidnap.

The Prosecutor, CPL. Koti Aondohemba, told the court that the offence was committed on Sept. 8, at about 4 p.m., at No. 15, Idita St., Elegbata, Lagos Island.

Aondohemba alleged that the accused attempted to run away with the toddler, but was caught.

“But as he crossed the road, some passers-by who noticed the strange movement of the accused quickly apprehended him before he could abscond with the boy,’’ the prosecutor said.

Aondohemba said that the offence contravened Section 404(2) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Dauda, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge levelled against him.

The Magistrate, Mr M.L. Owolabi, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case till Oct. 10, for report on legal advice. (NAN)

Former governor of Anambra State and Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige has described the death of Dimgba Igwe as a loss for the media profession and concomitantly the development of Nigeria as a country.

Senator Ngige said this in a letter to both the chairman and managing director, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and Femi Adesina respectively.

“It was with great shock that I received the news on the loss of Dimgba Igwe, a veteran journalist, columnist and first class editor of various leading dailies in Nigeria. I have known Dimgba Igwe and enjoyed his writings, particularly his column ‘The Side View’ where he spotlighted grave national issues using wit, sarcasm and pun.

His loss will be seriously felt within the Nigerian mediasphere particularly the Sun Newspapers which he helped nurture from infancy to become one of our nation’s leading newspapers.

I therefore sympathise with the Igwe family, the Sun Newspapers, colleagues and friends, I urge them to show great strength at this period in time, dwelling on the fact that he was indeed an literary giant, while here on earth.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday night in Monrovia predicted that Liberia would see thousands of new cases of Ebola virus in coming weeks as the virus was spreading exponentially.

It said it would take more than nine months to contain and there was possibility of the virus infecting more than 20,000 people before the time.

It said in Liberia the disease has already killed 1,089 people.

“Transmission of the Ebola virus in Liberia is already intense and the number of new cases is increasing exponentially,” it said.

“The number of new cases is moving far faster than the capacity to manage them in Ebola-specific treatment centres,” it added.

WHO said as soon as a new Ebola treatment centre was opened, it immediately overflows with patients.

“In Monrovia, taxis filled with entire families, of whom some members are thought to be infected with the Ebola virus, crisscross the city, searching for a treatment bed,” it said.

It said the WHO investigative team estimated that 1,000 beds are urgently needed for Ebola patients, as motorbike-taxis and regular taxis have become “a hot source” of Ebola transmission.

Liberia’s government announced that it was extending a nationwide night time curfew imposed last month to curb the spread of the disease.

Meanwhile, Sierra Leone has ordered a four-day countrywide “lockdown” starting Sept. 18, as part of tougher efforts to halt the spread of Ebola.

—Reuters

Nigeria’s militant Islamist group Boko Haram has captured the key north-eastern town of Michika, residents say, gaining more territory in its efforts to create an Islamic state.

People fled into bushes as gunfire rang out in the town, they added.

Boko Haram has changed tactics in recent months by holding on to territory rather than launching hit-and-run attacks.

The government called on Nigerians not to lose hope.

The military was committed to defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity, it said.

Soldiers killed 50 militants during a raid on their hideout in the small north-eastern town of Kawuri at the weekend, the army said.

Last month, Boko Haram said it had established an Islamic state in areas it controls in north-eastern Nigeria.

Michika is a trading centre in Adamawa state not far from the Cameroon border.

Concern is mounting that the group plans to target Maiduguri, capital of neighbouring Borno state, says the BBC Hausa Service’s Bilikisu Babangida.

Thousands of people who have fled towns and villages captured by Boko Haram are taking refuge in the city, which has a population of about two million.

The fall of Michika will add to the fear and panic that has gripped the north-east, as it shows Boko Haram is gaining territory not only in their heartland of Borno but also in Adamawa state, our reporter says.

Amid fears that Boko Haram could advance further into Adamawa, the university in Mubi town has shut, she says.

On Thursday, the militants captured the small town of Gulak after earlier seizing Madagali, which borders Adamawa and Borno states.

Residents told the BBC that Boko Haram fighters entered Michika on Sunday in a convoy of vehicles.

A military jet circled over the town, causing the militants to hide in people’s homes, they said.

There was confusion as people ran into the bush fleeing gunfire, residents added.

It was unclear who opened fire as the insurgents often wear uniforms similar to the Nigerian soldiers, they said.

Last year, President Goodluck Jonathan imposed a state of emergency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, vowing to send more troops to crush the insurgency.

However, Boko Haram has stepped up its offensive since then.

In April, the militants captured more than 200 girls from a boarding school in the town of Chibok, also in Borno state.

Countries such as China, France, the UK and US have sent military assistance to help find the girls but they have not yet been rescued.