What president Buhari told troop at maiduguri

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday was in Maiduguri, Borno state capital, to celebrate the 57th independence anniversary with the country’s troops.
During the visit, he told the troops on the front line of insurgency in the north-east that if Nigeria ceases to exist, nobody will take another general to preside over his country.
The president added that complete loyalty was expected from the armed forces in the face of agitations from various sections of the county.

 
He told the Operation Lafia Dole troops that he was in Maiduguri to address and commemorate the independence anniversary with them.

He said: “I thought the only honor I can present to the military and other stakeholders on this great day is to come and address you, who are on the front line. I am pleased with the nation and responsible opinions from all over the world, congratulating this administration for the progress we have made”
“Even for selfish reasons, your loyalty ought to be to the center, first The security of this nation is in the hands of God and in the hands of the security.
“If you don’t stand firm, I assure you if Nigeria doesn’t exist, the first to be insecure are the security agencies because no matter how many parts Nigeria will be divided, nobody will take another general to preside over his country.”

Buhari described those agitating for separation as noisemakers, adding that  having participated in the 30-month civil war, he knew much about the nation.

He continued: “I was involved in the civil war for 30 months, I know much about this country.”
“Those making noise about the stability of this country were not born then. They don’t know what it means to be a nationalist.”
“I expect in return from you to be loyal and loyalty is from the bottom upward, from private to lance corporal, corporal, up to sergeant, generals, service chiefs, otherwise the centre will not hold.
“But this centre is determined to hold.”

President Buhari was accompanied to the occasion by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State. They were received by the service chiefs led by the CDS, as well as the state Commissioner of Police and heads of paramilitary agencies in the state.
 
The president, aided by topmost dignitaries, and the Shehu of Borno, cut the 57th anniversary cake.

Police Kills Armed Robber In Imo State “Most Wanted”

The Imo State Police Command has said that its officers have shot and killed the state’s ‘most-wanted’ armed robber identified as Ihechi Nwankwo.
It was gathered that there was jubilation at the Command headquarters in Owerri after the corpse of Nwankwo was brought from Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
Speaking with Southern City News, the spokesman for the Imo State Police Command, Andrew Enwerem, said that the 27-year-old armed robber, who hailed from Amaumara in the Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government Area of the state, had been on the wanted list of the command for a long time.
According to him, Nwankwo had been involved in a series of criminal operations, including robbing a bank customer of N8m at Access Bank at Ahiara Junction on August 8.

The slain suspect was also said to have robbed one Jovita Enwerem of N650,000 at gunpoint at Ahiara Junction on June 21.

Enwerem said: “On September 28, the state police command control room was alerted to a robbery attack along Wetheral Road, Owerri.
“A customer of the Wetheral Road branch of Zenith Bank had gone to the bank to withdraw N50m. On their way, along Wetheral Road, they were confronted by a daredevil armed robbery gang operating with a grey colour Toyota Corolla with number plate ABJ 951AA that blocked the convoy and immediately opened fire on the police escorts.”

The police spokesman stated that the robbers engaged the cops in a gun duel but they were overpowered by the police.
He said three policemen, however, sustained gunshot injuries and were already being treated in the hospital.

He continued: “The criminals escaped from the robbery scene but their vehicle was riddled with bullets. We, however, contacted police in the neighboring states to be on the lookout.
“Subsequently, the criminals were intercepted in Umuahia, Abia State, where they engaged the operatives in a gun duel. One of the gang members was gunned down while the others escaped with bullet injuries and the ash colored Toyota Corolla car was also recovered.”

The police spokesman said investigation by the command’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad operatives revealed that the elder brother of the slain robber, one Chibuike Nwankwo, 42, and Chukwudi Obinwanne, a native of Ugiri in Isiala Mbano LGA of the state, were being held at SARS cell for bank robbery cases.
Source:360nobb

2 died and 24 injured as gun men open fire in Las vegas Music Festival

At least two people are dead and dozens of others are injured after a gunman opened fire on music festival revelers on the Las Vegas Strip.
Crowds were enjoying the Route 91 Harvest country music festival when the shooter reportedly started spraying bullets from a hotel balcony.
As people fled for their lives, patrol vehicles descended on the popular US Strip after officials received reports of an "active" gunman at the scene.
Some officers took cover behind their vehicles while others carrying assault rifles ran into the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department later confirmed on Twitter that one suspect was "down", but warned people to stay away from the area.
The force wrote: ""Confirming that one suspect is down. This is an active investigation. Again, please do not head down to the Strip at this time."
A Las Vegas hospital spokeswoman said two people were killed and at least 24 others are injured following the mass shooting.
Fourteen people are said to be in a critical condition. One report said up to 70 people have been taken to local hospitals after the incident.
Pictures of the scene show victims lying on the ground, covered in blood.
The shooting took place at the end of a performance by Jason Aldean in the Nevada city.
Jon Bessette who was at the festival told NBC: "The band ran off stage and it was pandemonium. Everyone was running, people were getting trampled."
Pictures of the scene show victims lying on the ground, covered in blood.
The shooting took place at the end of a performance by Jason Aldean in the Nevada city.
Jon Bessette who was at the festival told NBC: "The band ran off stage and it was pandemonium. Everyone was running, people were getting trampled."
Some reports suggested some 20 bodies were found inside one location of the shooting scene.
One Twitter user posted that the hotel was on lock down, while another, citing police scanners, posted there were two shooters on the 32nd floor of the hotel who had shot at a bodyguard and police

Boko haram suspect arrested in Ondo State

Another member of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, Mohammed Basha was yesterday arrested by Police detectives in Ondo State while walking about like a confused person. Last week, the state police command confirmed the arrest of one of the suspected commanders of the sect, ldris lbrahim Babawo Mohammed Basha who was arrested in lsua, Akoko South East Area of the state, where Babawo was equally picked up last week.Joseph said that when Babawo was arrested last week and interrogated, police detectives were not convinced of his identity and he was later handed over to the military for further interrogation.In the new catch, the state police command through its image maker Femi Joseph said in a statement in Akure that; “Another Boko Haram member, identified as Mohammed Basha, was arrested in Isua Akoko area of the Akoko South-East Local Government Area of Ondo State yesterday.
“The suspect was arrested while loitering on Isua-Ifira Akoko road by the men of the anti-crime patrol.
“After his arrest and interrogation he confessed that he was a member of the Boko Haram sect.
According to him the suspect told the police detectives that his father is from Niger Republic while his mother is from Maiduguri in Borno State.
“He said when Maiduguri was too hot for him he ran to Nassarawa state last month where he left yesterday (Saturday) to the South-West to hide.He also confessed that one Daffo is his team leader while Shekau is still the overall leader of the group.’’Items recovered from the suspect according to the state police spokesman include “ items suspected to be charms. Joseph added that the suspect was still in the protective custody of the command for further questioning.

Abducted Assistant Commissioner of Police in Zamfara state regains freedom

The Assistant Commissioner of Police in Zamfara state, Emmanuel Adeniyi who was kidnapped alongside three of his Family members while they were traveling in a Hilux bus along the Dandume/Birnin Gwari road (Katsina/Kaduna) road on Wednesday, September 27th, has regained his freedom.  They regained their freedom on Saturday, September 30th. The police say no ransom was paid for the release. Family sources said the kidnappers had initially called demanding for N50 million ransom. Luckily, the police were able to
rescue the victims without any payment of ransom. 

Symptoms,Treatment and causes of hypertension the silent killer disease

Evidently, hypertension remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recent statistics have shown that over 1 billion people are hypertensive although a good proportion of them are not even aware. Sadly, among those who are aware, many refuse to start treatment until dreaded complications of uncontrolled blood pressure such as stroke, heart attack and kidney injury have emerged. Little wonder this silent killer is responsible for at least 7.1 million deaths on an annual basis.

By way of definition, hypertension refers to a blood pressure reading that is persistently higher than 140/90mmHg on two or more separate occasions. Anytime the blood pressure is high, the heart is overworked and strained in trying to pump blood against the high pressure which ultimately leads to hypertensive heart disease and heart attack if left untreated.
This article is intended to educate you on what you need to know about high blood pressure in order to stay healthy at all times.
1. What causes hypertension?
In about 90% of cases of hypertension, an underlying medical cause may not be identified. This is termed essential or primary hypertension. However, the remaining cases (secondary hypertension) can be linked to diseases of the kidneys or endocrine system. For instance, most cases of hypertension in the young fall in the latter category and the blood pressure often returns to normal as soon as the underlying medical problem is treated.

2. Who is at risk of hypertension?
Several factors have been identified as potential risk factors for high blood pressure. A few of them are non-modifiable (that is little or nothing can be done about them) while most can be modified or avoided. Non-modifiable risk factors include ageing, male gender, black race as well as a family history of hypertension in a first-degree relative. The modifiable risk factors which you can do something about include smoking, excess alcohol intake, lack of exercise, obesity, dyslipidemia and diabetes.3. How do I know if I am hypertensive?
The only way to detect if you are hypertensive is to have your blood pressure checked either by yourself or by a trained health professional. If it is persistently high, then you are hypertensive. In most cases, hypertension remains 'silent' and may not produce symptoms until complications arise. However, a persistent headache, blurred vision, poor sleep (insomnia), palpitations (abnormal awareness of heartbeat) or pinprick sensations on the palms and soles may be pointers to elevated blood pressure that may warrant further evaluation.4. Untreated hypertension may be fatal
When high blood pressure is left uncontrolled, blood vessels all over the body begin to undergo progressive damage and eventually become narrowed or blocked (atherosclerosis). Evidently, this may have a fatal outcome depending on the location of the affected blood vessel. No wonder uncontrolled blood pressure has remained a major cause of such conditions as cerebrovascular accidents (Stroke), heart failure, heart attack, kidney injury, blindness and erectile dysfunction among others.
5. Hypertension cannot be cured
This is one grim reality many find it difficult to come to terms with. Many times, individuals on treatment for hypertension may decide to stop their medications under the erroneous impression that they have been cured. Unfortunately, however, some are rushed back to the hospital with a stroke or some other lethal complication which should not have occurred in the first place if they had been compliant with treatment. The lesson is hypertension is a chronic condition that should be managed for life. Apart from blood pressure-lowering drugs, lifestyle modifications are crucial such as avoidance of smoking, regular exercise and adoption of diets appropriate in stopping hypertension (DASH) like green vegetables, fruits, low-fat and low-salt foods.

 

The lawyer said that Nnamdi kanu wants to Negotiate with Nigerian Govt

Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has asked to negotiate with the Nigerian government over the current agitation for Biafra, his lawyers, Ifeanyi Ejiofor and Amoebi Nzelu, have stated. “Nnamdi Kanu is not averse to a political solution in resolving his present politically orchestrated ordeal," Ejiofor said according to The Herald. 

“He welcomes genuine political solution to this case. Nnamdi Kanu has people of proven integrity and impeccable character that will negotiate on his behalf, based on his demands when communication on this effect is established.”

 

5 Delightful Things To Do Before 8am

Life can keep you so busy that it feels like a big challenge to move towards your dreams. It gets even more complicated if you have a full-time job and kids – you would have to wake up as early as 4 am to prep the children and beat the notorious Lagos traffic.

However, no matter how busy your schedule is, there are a few productive things   you should do daily before the day’s activities start and Jovago.com, Africa’s No 1 hotel booking portal outlines five of these important things.

Get healthy sleep

Sleep is as important as eating and drinking water. Despite this the high rate of awareness surrounding this topic, millions of people still do not get enough sleep daily and the consequence of that is that they easily lose concentration. Advantages having a great sleep regimen include increased memory, reduced stress, and decreased risk of depression. So sleep as much as you but do not slumber all day.

Take a cold shower

Taking your bath in the morning is already a tradition.  A cold shower in the morning relaxes the body and improve your
metabolism. The result of this is that it enhances your quality. Of course, a quality life is guaranteed to have a positive impact on your general well-being.

Listen to or read motivational content

A warm morning after having a cold shower is always an opportunity to motivate yourself by listening or reading to motivational contents. You can spend 15-30 minutes to do this. Aside from motivating yourself, it will expand your horizon.

Prayer

Nearly everyone recognizes that there is a Supreme Being who exists. No matter your religious affiliation(s), it is important to spend quiet time in meditation and interacting with the Being in the morning for guidance and peace. It is worth it.

Light Physical activity

Despite countless evidence of the need for exercise, few Nigerians engage in it. Light physical activity like push ups’ will keep the body fit throughout the day and if you make it a part of your routine you will notice a considerable difference in your physical appearance.

Meet The Top 10 Participants Who Are Inline To Win N2m:Lghtupyourdreampromo

If you haven’t been following up with TECNO Mobile on their latest initiative to support SMEs – the TECNO LightUpYourDream promo then I wonder what you’ve been up to lately.
Upon the successful launch of the brand’s newest smartphone series, TECNO Spark and Spark Plus, the Africa’s leading smartphone company had rolled out an empowerment project to reward 2 aspiring Nigerian entrepreneurs who had successfully moved their businesses from ideation stage to the real world.

The activity attracted entries from young entrepreneurs across different business sectors with each entrepreneur sharing insights about their businesses and their long-term goals. After a series of reviews and assessments, 10 budding entrepreneurs were selected to pitch their ideas to a panel of business experts and investors where 2 lucky winners will cart away with N1million each to help scale their business to the next level.

Olushola Adebayo

Shola runs http://YesWebsites.com, a creative website design agency committed to helping small and medium businesses in Nigeria grow.
Chinenye Ojei

Chinenye loves food and is on mission to be recognized globally as a professional chef. Some of her works can be seen on Instagram @aquilas_delite
Nnwogu Adaeze Ruth 
Ruth is a makeup artiste who prides in helping to restore people’s self-esteem with her works. Her works can be seen on @dazeey_makeovers on Instagram.
 Kikelomo Badmus
 
Kike is a self-taught fashion stylist and designer whose knack for creating viral African designs has earned her a lot of recognition. Some of her works are sampled on @chicinvogue on Instagram.
Bolatito Bashiru

 
Tito as she is fondly called is a fashionista who prides in creating custom-made designs to fit each client. She also drives a platform where people get fashion tips. Catch her on Instagram @houseoftito.
Abiola Adesina
 Abiola is a fish farmer whose long-term interest in farming is to help decongest the labour market and empower young people with lucrative means of livelihood. His works are showcased on Twitter @scarycuteface.
Iyanu Oluwa
 Iyanu is the CEO of Lamodabyiyanuoluwa fashion outfit and she is on a run to establish Africa’s most successful fashion brand. On Twitter she is available @nukasi_iyanu.

Adebiyi Bambo Charles
Biyi is a rare breed. He took advantage of the famous ASUU strike 5 years ago to setup what will grow to become a leading fashion line. From cutting his bed sheets to practice and training fellow corps members in Kogi, Biyi wants to change the fashion game. See his works on Facebook.

 Adeleye Adenike Adeola
 
Deola is a high school graduate who took to hair styling and makeup in a bid to fend for herself, boost her self-confidence and restore the self-esteem of ladies. She’s carving a niche for herself in this cutthroat world of ours; check her out on Facebook.
Martha Ocholi Turner
Martha started a poultry farm about a year ago with her husband and today, the number of birds in her farm has more than doubled. She is on a run to position her farm amongst the Top 5 farms in the country. She is now an employer of labour and can be found trading on her Facebook page.
Which two folks are going to scoop the N1million grand investment opportunity? The battle line is drawn and TECNO Mobile is ready to splash the cash to support Nigeria’s next big entrepreneurs.

What a woman did to her husband for cheating on her

Cheating wont do you any good rather it will help in breaking your home.Men try to focus on the women you call your wife there is blessing from that oh...

Twitter will be doubling the length of its tweets characters

World famous social media platform, Twitter is set to increase the number of characters per tweet from 140 characters to 280.

It has been revealed that Twitter is set to double the length of characters per tweet from 140 characters to 280.

Daily Mail UK reports that Twitter said on Tuesday that it would begin a test with a random sample of users allowing them to send tweets that are as long as 280 characters, double the existing cap, in most languages around the world.

The tech company has stood by its short messaging template in the past but the company said it was trialing the new system as it said users tweeting in English and Spanish struggled to express themselves.

In a blog announcement, Twitter said just 0.4 per cent of tweets sent in Japanese have 140 characters, compared to nine per cent of English language tweets.

The trial will be rolled out to a ‘small group of people’ and will run for an unspecified number of weeks in all languages expect Chinese, Japanese and Korean. The company declined to say how many people would be included in the test.

Aliza Rosen, product manager for Twitter, and Ikuhiro Ihara, senior software engineer for the website, wrote in a joint blogpost: ‘Trying to cram your thoughts into a Tweet – we’ve all been there, and it’s a pain.

‘Interestingly, this isn’t a problem everywhere people Tweet. For example, when I (Aliza) Tweet in English, I quickly run into the 140 character limit and have to edit my Tweet down so it fits. 

‘Sometimes, I have to remove a word that conveys an important meaning or emotion, or I don’t send my Tweet at all.’

They added that Twitter still aimed to be about ‘brevity’ and that there has been an ’emotional attachment’ to the 140-character limit, which the site has used since its launch in 2006.

‘In all markets, when people don’t have to cram their thoughts into 140 characters and actually have some to spare, we see more people Tweeting,’ the two employees wrote.

The 140-character limit was based around the SMS text limit, which was 160 character. Chief Exectuive Jack Dorsey wanted a limit just below the SMS limit.

The character limit on Direct messages, which are sent privately between users, were scrapped earlier this year.

Images and other media attachments, such as GIFs, were also removed from the limit too in a bid to broaden the products appeal.

It also stopped counting images and other media attached to tweets as part of the character limit in an attempt to improve the service.

And in 2015, the site was conducting tests which would introduce tweets of up to 10,000 characters, according to reports.

Despite its popularity, the social media website has been crippled financially, reporting a loss of £86million ($116 million) and zero growth in the number of users, at 328 million people. In comparison, Facebook has 2 billion users.

Source: Tori

Why people are obsessed with snapchat

Snapchat may provide the perfect medium for maintaining relationships with close friends, without the pressure to present one self in extraordinary form, say scientists who delved into why people use the addictive social platform which allows short, quick posts. Due to its brevity, Snapchat could be the best form of communication in a world where people struggle with a seemingly diminishing attention span.

In other words, Snapchat, because of its brevity, can provide the perfect medium for those who are hesitant about communicating their life to a public audience, but at the same time can become addictive because those same properties allow for multiple, quick posts that only last a few seconds. "I noticed people were using it all the time. They are constantly on it," said Narissra Punyanunt-Carter, associate professor at Texas Tech University.However, researchers found that the interest and popularity of Snapchat goes beyond just its simplicity. "People use Snapchat a lot because of its entertainment and functional needs," said J J Delacruz, graduate student at Texas Tech University in the US. "For certain people, it enables them to overcome communication apprehension by using a different means of communication where they don't have a threat in their face. At the same time, there are people who are addicted to it," said Delacruz.

"It's very different from the traditional social media because it only records 10 seconds worth of snaps that are very, very quick," said Punyanunt-Carter. "So if I have a lot of friends, that is very time consuming to sit down and watch all their posts on most social media platforms," she said. For the study, researchers recruited students who use Snapchat, and asked them about their reasons for using the medium, including needs and motivations.
It also asked about general social media use motivations, such as personality characteristics and what made them tend to gravitate toward Snapchat as a social medium. It also asked questions to help researchers analyze differences between males and females. The brevity of Snapchat posts was a key factor for two big reasons. People using Snapchat felt much more trustworthy with how they shared content with others.
Since the content disappears quickly, users are able to share their lives and do not feel the pressure to present themselves in any extraordinary form - they can just be their normal, real self. "They thought that was a good way to maintain ties with people they were already very close with, inter personally," Delacruz said. Delacruz said Snapchat is not the preferred social media platform for starting a new relationship.
However, it is an optimal platform for those with whom the user already has a relationship, and therefore do not have to impress in their post. It is used to maintain relationships and establish trust between users. At the same time, Snapchat seems to change faster than other social media platforms, adding things like filters that Facebook and Instagram later added as well. "It takes away the pressure of coming up with a great message or great topic, or coming up with a way to present yourself that is socially acceptable," Delacruz said.

5 Delightful Things To Do Before 8am

Life can keep you so busy that it feels like a big challenge to move towards your dreams. It gets even more complicated if you have a full-time job and kids – you would have to wake up as early as 4 am to prep the children and beat the notorious Lagos traffic.


However, no matter how busy your schedule is, there are a few productive things   you should do daily before the day’s activities start and Jovago.com, Africa’s No 1 hotel booking portal outlines five of these important things.

Get healthy sleep

Sleep is as important as eating and drinking water. Despite this the high rate of awareness surrounding this topic, millions of people still do not get enough sleep daily and the consequence of that is that they easily lose concentration. Advantages having a great sleep regimen include increased memory, reduced stress, and decreased risk of depression. So sleep as much as you but do not slumber all day.

Take a cold shower

Taking your bath in the morning is already a tradition.  A cold shower in the morning relaxes the body and improve your
metabolism. The result of this is that it enhances your quality. Of course, a quality life is guaranteed to have a positive impact on your general well-being.

Listen to or read motivational content

A warm morning after having a cold shower is always an opportunity to motivate yourself by listening or reading to motivational contents. You can spend 15-30 minutes to do this. Aside from motivating yourself, it will expand your horizon.

Prayer

Nearly everyone recognizes that there is a Supreme Being who exists. No matter your religious affiliation(s), it is important to spend quiet time in meditation and interacting with the Being in the morning for guidance and peace. It is worth it.

Light Physical activity

Despite countless evidence of the need for exercise, few Nigerians engage in it. Light physical activity like push ups’ will keep the body fit throughout the day and if you make it a part of your routine you will notice a considerable difference in your physical appearance.

5 reasons why your spouse will never travel with you

Google Images

In every relationship, traveling has been proven to add spice to any romantic relationship. The justification for this is not far-fetched because couples who travel together are certainly guaranteed to spend more time together.
In spite of the seamless advantages of travel in relationships, some people still vehemently reject the opportunity to discover and explore nature when invited. For this reason, Jovago.com, Africa’s No 1 hotel booking portal shares 5 tip on why some people you care about will never go on a trip with you.

Google Images

Terrible planning

Those who do not plan, plan to fail goes a wise saying. Hence, to get your partner riled up about travelling with you, the planning must be near perfect. In other words, spell out your itinerary and ensure that there are no hitches.
The hotels should be booked, the pickup car must arrive at the agreed time, and the choice destination needs to be adorable and charming. Importantly, ensure that you correspond with your partner on getting a convenient time, date and destination to visit. Traveling should not be an element of surprise except both partners understand each other.

They do not love you

Travel fuels love and breeds better understanding among couples. If the timing is right and the vacation is well-thought-out, your partner should readily travel with you. However, if your partner does not love or cherish you, they will reject your advances. It is worthwhile, to look out for signs that she is interested in traveling before making any plans or else you will be disappointed.

Flight Phobia

Flying freaks some people out and they have vowed never to go near an airport! They do not mind driving the entire distance
. In light of this, you would be wasting your hard-earned money if you book a flight for someone that has flight-fright.  Unless you can convince them about flying, plan a road trip.

Google Images

No new adventure

Doing something the same way will yield the same result. When your partner visits the same spot, eat the same food and play the same game over and over again, they get bored. In the long run, they will shrug off all attempts to travel with you. Since variety is the spice of life, try as much as possible to be creative whenever you go on a journey with your significant other.

Cash-strapped

A luxurious getaway is quite expensive even though there are creative ways to travel on a budget. The best time not to travel is when you are cash-strapped because the journey will be replete with avoidable hiccups. If your partner gets a whiff of this they may never go anywhere with you since they do not want the harrowing and depressing reward of a cash-strapped journey.

Almost 800 Injured As Police Try To Stop Voting In Catalonia’s Independence Referendum

The Catalan emergency officials have disclosed that over 761 people were injured on Sunday as police used force to try to block voting in Catalonia’s independence referendum.
This is just as the Catalan Health Department claimed that 844 persons were injured by Spanish police.
Spanish national police launched a widespread crackdown on Catalonia’s disputed independence referendum today, raiding polling stations and firing rubber bullets in a concerted attempt to deny the vote legitimacy.
It is understood that voters were asked to answer the question: “Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic?” –  In a poll deemed illegal by the central government.

Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy speaks during a press statement about the Catalonian referendum. Photograph: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

Speaking soon after the polls closed at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT), Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Catalans had been fooled into taking part in an illegal vote.
He added that there could be “no acceptance of this illegal referendum.”

“What the Spanish people saw today is that the rule of law remains strong in Spain and we remain strong against those who would counter our laws,” he said.

Police officers were said to have prevented some people from voting, seizing ballot papers and boxes at polling stations.
In the regional capital Barcelona, police used batons and fired rubber bullets during pro-referendum protests.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a statement saying that even though Spain’s top court had ruled that the referendum should not go ahead, the state still had a duty to protect the rights to “peaceful assembly and free expression.”

“That applies equally to those who oppose independence and those who support it,” said HRWWestern Europe Researcher Kartik Raj.

Catalonia, a wealthy region of 7.5 million people in north-eastern Spain, has its own language, culture and regional government – or Generalitat – which already has considerable powers over health care, education and tax collection.

Man injured by a rubber bullet fired by Spanish police officers outside the Ramon Llull polling station in Barcelona: AFP/Getty Images

It also has a high degree of autonomy, but is not recognised as a separate nation under the Spanish constitution.
Pressure for a vote on self-determination has grown over the past five years.
Catalonia’s campaign to break away has been gaining momentum since 2010, when Spain’s economy plunged during the financial crisis.
But Spanish unionists argue Catalonia already enjoys broad autonomy within Spain, along with other regions like the Basque Country and Galicia.