EFCC re- arrest Fani Kayode

 

A former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode was on Tuesday re-invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,(EFCC) following investigations into alleged document falsification

Fani-Kayode alongside a former Minister of State for Finance, Nenandi Usman, is standing trial on alleged N4.6billion money laundering, before Justice Mohammed Aikawa.

Other defendants are Yusuf Danjuma, a former Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), and a company, Jointrust Dimentions Nigeria Ltd.

They are facing a 17 count charge of money laundering preferred against them by the Anti-graft Agency.

They had each pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bails.

The trial had begun before Justice Aikawa and witnesses were still being led in evidence until Aikawa was transferred out of the Lagos division.

The charge was consequently, re-assigned to a new judge, Justice Daniel Osaigor, and the defendants were scheduled for re-arraignment on October, 27.

Meanwhile, at the last adjourned date, Fani Kayode was absent from court, and the defence counsel who appeared on his behalf, Mr Fred Ajudua informed the court that he was on admission at Kubwa General hospital in Abuja.

He had prayed for an adjournment on that grounds on behalf of the second defendant

But, the EFCC prosecutor, Mrs Bilikisu Buhari, informed the court that the same tactics had always been adopted by the defendant whenever he does not want to attend court.

After going through the court’s records, Justice Osiagor noted that it was clear that the defendant had issued a similar letter of excuse five times.

The court had consequently ordered the defendant to be present in court on the next date without fail.

The court also ordered him to pay a fine of N200,000 in addition.

When the matter came up yesterday, all the defendants were present.

Counsel to second, third, and fourth defendants, Morrison Quakers (SAN), and Clement Onwuenwunor, also announced their appearance.

The first defendant’s counsel Chief Ferdinard Orbih, was absent, following a letter to that effect.

The prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo did not oppose the letter of the first defendant counsel.

Oyedepo however, informed the court that the prosecution was glad that the court had figured out from its record that the second defendant (Fani Kayode) had sought repeated excuses from the court.

He told the court that the prosecution had recently discovered that all letters sent by Fani-Kayode were fake.

At this point, the court stopped the prosecutor on the grounds that it was a matter the agency ought to thrash out before the court acted on the letters to grant an adjournment.

Osiagor said that having granted an adjournement on the letters, the court had become functus officio.

In response, Oyedepo told the court that the agency was currently working on the report and will do the needful

A drama however unfolded after the case was adjourned until January, 24.

While Fani-Kayode was still at the corridor of the court an EFCC investigator, Mr Shuaibu walked up to him alongside the prosecutor and after some tete-a-tete, the defendant entered his vehicle and followed the Efcc operatives to their office.

The operative who confirmed the arrest to journalists, said that at the time of filing this report, Fani-Kayode was in their custody on quiz over the false documents.

In the charge, the defendants were alleged to have committed the offences between January and March 2015.

In counts one to seven, they were alleged to have unlawfully retained over N3.8 billion which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act of stealing and corruption.

In counts eight to 14, the defendants were alleged to have unlawfully used over N970 million which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of an unlawful act of corruption.

Meanwhile, in counts 15 to17 Fani-Kayode and one Olubode Oke who is said to be at large, were alleged to have made cash payments of about N30 million, in excess of the amount allowed by law, without going through a financial institution.

Besides, Fani-Kayode was alleged to have made payments to one Paste Poster Co (PPC) of No 125 Lewis St., Lagos, in excess of amounts allowed by law.juui

All offences were said to have contravened the provisions of sections 15 (3) (4), 16 (2) (b), and 16 (5) of the Money laundering (prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.

Naira Marley’s trial stalled due to witness absence

The trial of musician, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday, stalled due to the absence of an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, Mr Augustine Anosike.

Justice Nicholas Oweibo, adjourned Marley’s alleged cybercrime, till February 16, 2022.

Anosike, a forensic analyst, is testifying as a second prosecution witness in the case.

Marley, who was arrested by the Commission, on May 14, 2019, has been standing trial on an 11-count charge bothering on the offence.

According to the EFCC, the defendant committed the offences on different dates between November 26, 2018, and December 11, 2018, as well as May 10, 2019.

The EFCC claimed that some of the credit cards discovered in Marley’s residence bore the fictitious names Nicole Louise Malyon and Timea Fedorne Tatar.


These, the agency alleged, were used in furtherance of internet scams.

Marley, who sang the hit songs ‘Soapy’ and ‘Am I a Yahoo Boy’, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on May 20, 2019, and is out on bail.


The trial has since commenced in the case and Anosike, who concluded his examination in chief on October 27, was scheduled for cross-examination.

When the case came up yesterday, EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo announced an appearance for the prosecution, while Mr Olalekan Ojo (SAN) appeared for the defendant.


Mr Oyedepo informed the court that his witness was unavoidably absent on what he termed “compassionate grounds”.

He added that the witness was in his village, and prayed the court for an adjournment till December 14.

But Mr Ojo lamented the delay, saying “It is rather unfortunate that the matter could not proceed today; the prosecution ought to have given sufficient notice of the witness’ absence.”

Ojo said that in the circumstances, there was nothing he could do. He urged the prosecution to ensure that adequate information reaches him sooner if a similar circumstance occurs.

The prosecutor however clarified that “I only got information as to the witness’ absence, at about 9.30 am while still in the parking lot of the court this morning,” adding that it was not in his character to waste the court’s time.

Following the parties’ agreement, the court adjourned till February 16 and February 17 for the continuation of trial.

The court vacated the previous date of December 14 on the ground that the date was no longer available for the court, following activities for the new legal year.

New Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal Already Under Fire From The Right

Shortly after he was named Twitter’s new CEO, Parag Agrawal drew criticism from conservatives Monday as old social media posts and interviews led some to question how Agarwal will handle censorship, especially of far-right sources, on the social media platform.

Agrawal tweeted in 2010, "’If they are not gonna make a distinction between muslims and extremists, then why should I distinguish between white people and racists.’"

Some conservative commentators also pointed to Agrawal telling MIT Technology Review in 2020 that Twitter, like other private companies, isn’t “bound by the First Amendment,” leading some conservative commentators to speculate that Twitter’s “censorship” of right-wing sources will worsen


Twitter has not yet responded to Forbes’ request for comment.

Twitter co-founder and longtime CEO Jack Dorsey announced he was stepping down from his role at the company Monday morning and that Agrawal will immediately succeed him as CEO. Agrawal has been at the company since 2011 and served as the Chief Technology Officer since 2017. Though he will need to answer investors’ questions about Twitter’s plans to jumpstart user growth and revenue, perhaps Agrawal’s biggest role will be how he navigates issues of censorship, especially controversial public figures. Dorsey received criticism from both the left and the right over Twitter’s decision to permanently ban former President Donald Trump’s account in January for his role in inciting the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Many on the left felt Dorsey should have acted earlier to prevent the spread of misinformation and harmful materials, while others felt Twitter’s ban was setting a dangerous precedent for silencing opposing political views.
CHIEF CRITIC

Jason Miller, CEO of conservative social media platform GETTR, tweeted Monday that Agrawal may be a bigger threat to “free speech” than his predecessor, which is a high bar in Miller’s view, considering he said in a Monday statement Dorsey dedicated his tenure as CEO to finding “new ways to trample freedom of speech.”

SOURCE FORBES

BREAKING: Messi makes history, clinches 7th Ballon d’Or November 29, 2021

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi has been awarded the 2021 Ballon d’Or.

At a star-studded ceremony in Paris on Monday evening, the 34-year-old Argentine forward was crowned the world’s best player for the seventh time.

It is a record seventh occasion overall after seeing off strong competition from the likes of Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, Real Madrid’s Benzema and Chelsea’s Jorginho.

Buzz had been growing for weeks that the Argentine was a cert for soccer’s highest individual accolade.

The brainchild of France Football magazine journalist Gabriel Hanot, the Ballon d’Or is widely seen as the most prestigious award in the footballing calendar.

Stanley Matthews of Blackpool and England was the inaugural winner while Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United and Real Madrid have dominated the 21st century, winning 12 times between them.

Police opens application portal, exempt pregnant women, amputees, from 2021 recruitment

The Nigeria Police Force on Monday said pregnant women, amputees and those with bent legs are exempted from participation in its 2021 recruitment exercise.

This followed the opening of its online application recruitment portal to commence the exercise.

In an announcement, the force said, “Female applicants must not be pregnant at the time of recruitment”.

Other categories of persons who are barred from applying include people with amputation on any part of the body, bow legs, and bent “knees which cannot be straightened when standing at attention.”

The force also stated that applicants must be free from any pecuniary embarrassment.

Also, applicants with impediment of speech, knocked knees, and defective eye sight/squint eyes, would not be accepted for enlistment into the Force.

Requirements for application into the Force include National Identification Number, active email address, and working phone number.

“Applications are to be done online as the application portal is currently open.”

2023: Kogi Gov Declares For President

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, has declared his intention to run for the office of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The governor made the declaration at the launch of a campaign group called the Global Alliance of Progressive Professionals.


Speaking on behalf of the governor, Senator Smart Adeyemi said: “Kogi State is the safest of all the states in northern region and if you talk about the socio-economic development of any entity, you have to talk about how safe the environment is and what the governor has done is to make Kogi State a safe environment for foreign investment.

“I think Nigeria requires a leader who will police the nation well in order to accelerate the socio-economic development of the country.”


He further said: “the governor wants to run for the office of the president and we are delighted that he is running because the younger generation believe in him.

“We are here to know what is required so we can move from here to other parts of the country for campaign.

“Governor Bello is a visionary young man and he has the capacity for leadership. He has courage, he is intelligent and he has demonstrated that in Kogi State where he has been able to police the state effectively.

The coordinator of the group, Amb. Ahmed Chikaji, in his address said: “we are here today firstly for the official launch of a national movement, the Global Alliance Of Progressive Professionals – GAP3, a project of the Grassroots Aids Initiative (GAIN), a non-governmental organisation registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

“We are gathered here to make history in the nation’s political space to formally endorse a man who has distinguished himself in all speres of human endeavours with intimidating political credentials, Yahaya Bello, the executive governor of Kogi State to accept the clarion calls by Nigerians to contest the 2023 presidential election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

[BREAKING] Ballon d’Or 2021: Barcelona star Pedri wins Kopa Trophy as best U-21 player

Barcelona midfielder Pedri has been named the winner of the Kopa Trophy as best U-21 player at the ongoing Ballon d’Or award ceremony.

Pedri joined Barca as a 17-year-old from Las Palmas in the summer of 2020 but quickly established himself as a key fixture in the Catalan club’s midfield.

He made 52 appearances in his first season at Camp Nou, winning the Copa del Rey, and playing a major role in Spain’s run to the semifinals at Euro 2020, where he was named Young Player of the Tournament. He made his international debut in March.

A month after the Euros, he was also part of the Spain under-23 team that reached the final of the Olympic Games, losing to Brazil after extra time.

Injuries have delayed his progress this season, though. He has made just four appearances for Barca thanks to a thigh problem and is expected to remain sidelined for the next few weeks.

Details later…

Coscharis Group’s CEO Cosmas Maduka loses wife, Charity

The wife of the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Coscharis Group, Dr Cosmas Maduka, is dead, 

It was gathered that Mrs Charity Maduka, the Vice-President of the Coscharis Group, died on Saturday evening in Nnewi, Anambra State.

Her namesake and daughter, Charity, confirmed the death of her mother to The journalist on Sunday evening.

“I can confirm that she passed away yesterday (Saturday) evening,” a grieving Charity said amid muttered sobs in a phone conversation with our correspondent.


According to a profile on Coscharis Group’s website, Mrs Maduka was a co-owner of the company founded by her husband.

“In her capacity, she was once the Executive Director supervising the Administrative, Legal, Works / Maintenance, Export, Technologies teams of the organization from 1984 – 2003. Under her tutelage, she was able to grow the business by creating value via the various strategic departments she supervised within the organization.

“As a board member of the group, in the year 2005, she later became the Executive Chairman / COO of two of the subsidiaries of the Coscharis Group namely Coscharis Beverages Limited and Coscharis Properties Limited respectively,” the profile read in part.

The deceased was also a professional teacher and caterer. She attended Teachers’ Training College, Nsugbe in Anambra State from 1979 to 1981. Also attended Consertum Institute of Catering and Hotel Management, Idi-Araba, Lagos State from February to July, 1983.

“She had a brief stint as a teacher at Akamili Central School, Umudim – Nnewi between October and December 1981. Also at Tolu Primary School III, Tolu Village, Ajeromi Ifelodun / Apapa, LGA, Lagos between January 1982 and January 1983. She has equally attended various Leadership and Entrepreneurship training seminars/courses both home and abroad,” it added.

Mrs Maduka got married to Dr Cosmas in 1978 and the union produced three sons and a daughter.

Adunni Ade Reveals How She Was Cut Off Financially By Her Dad After Getting Pregnant In Secondary School

Adunni Ade and her kids

Popular Nigerian actress, Adunni Ade has taken to her Instagram page to talk about her sons and how they give her strength.
The mother-of-two revealed that she was a senior in college when she got pregnant with her first child.
As a result, her father cut her off financially and she had to struggle to make ends meet, though her mother tried to stand by her.
4 years later, she said she was pregnant again and angry with herself for going through the same thing over again.
She says her sons gave her the strength to push through and she sometimes had to hold down 3 jobs at once to make enough to cater for them.

Read her post below.

How We Collect Telecoms Tax Advance To Fund Salaries — Pantami

 

Prof. Ibrahim Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has revealed how the Federal Government collected taxes in advance from telecommunications companies to foot salaries.

According to Pantami, the N25bn approved by the Federal Executive Council to replace infrastructure in the National Identity Management Commission had not been released owing to financial challenges.

The Minister noted that the current administration has prioritised payment of salaries to the provision of infrastructure, revealing that the Ministry is satisfied in as much as it is for the general good.

He made this disclosure on Friday, in Gombe during a convocation lecture with the theme, ‘Deployment of emerging technology to enhance the security of tertiary institutions in Nigeria,’ marking the sixth-35th combined graduation ceremony (1991/1992 – 2020/2021) of the Federal College of Education (Technical).

Pantami said, “When I was given the privilege to supervise the NIMC last year, the database was just 42 million people from 2007 to 2020. In 13 years we were able to gather only 42 million. From that time to this year I have increased the database, with all sense of humility to more than 67 million.
“From that time last year to today, no single Kobo has been released for us to do that, we are leveraging on existing infrastructure. We were able to come up with our innovative solution in which we increased enrolment centres in the country from 1,600 to over 6,000 today.
“The Federal Executive Council has approved N25bn to replace the infrastructure of National Identity Management Commission, but till date, no single Kobo has been released. Why? Because of the challenge of recession we had before, now we have exited recession. Government has made paying salaries and others a priority.
“Many people may not know that sometimes in government we have to collect tax from telecommunications companies in advance in order to pay salary and to share the money in the federation account. During the lockdown, even taxes were collected in advance in the sector to pay salary.”
He said the progression in the ministry’s turnover since assumption of office has witnessed over 600 per cent increase in two years, stressing that the chunk of revenue comes from licensing, tax.
“In the previous years before I was appointed, the annual collection of tax and the rest within the sector was around N500bn to N600bn within two years. But in my first two years in office, I was able to increase that by over N1 trillion. This was through spectrum, licensing, tax. It has never happened in the history of the country.
“In some cases, we increased revenue generation from the sector by over 600 per cent and most of the money is being spent in paying salaries to the extent that the ministry and the parastatal generating the money don’t have money to execute other projects. But we are comfortable to generate for others to spend,” Pantami added.

Judiciary autonomy: Court workers hint at prolonged strike to frustrate pre-2023 election cases

 

Negotiations between governors of the 36 states and the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria over the union’s demand for the financial autonomy of the judiciary at the state level may have hit a brick wall as the union gears up for another long-drawn battle with governors.

JUSUN had in April embarked on a nationwide strike that lasted over two months in its push for the implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary in the 36 states.

For the entire two months, courts were shut nationwide and the country’s justice system was crippled, with detainees in prison or police custody, as well as businesses involved in legal disputes, bearing direct brunt of the industrial action.

Eventually, the National Executive Committee of JUSUN, on June 9, 2021, announced the suspension of the strike, citing the intervention of the National Judicial Council and other stakeholders for the decision.


The suspension of the strike was communicated through a communiqué issued after an emergency meeting of JUSUN’s NEC in Abuja.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had last year signed Executive Order 10 for the enforcement of the constitutional provision of financial autonomy for judiciary at the state level.

But the 36 state governors kicked against the Executive Order.



However, in May, the governors and JUSUN signed a Memorandum of Action for the full implementation of financial autonomy.

The parties agreed in the MoA that “respective states shall credit the accounts of each state House of Assembly and each state judiciary with the pro-rata amount due to each of the two arms of government under the 2021 Appropriation for each state.”

As of June 9 when JUSUN suspended its strike, the MoA had yet to be implemented.

Sunday PUNCH learnt that about five months after the strike was suspended, many governors have yet to grant full financial to the judiciary in their states.

The National Treasurer of JUSUN, Jimoh Musa, told this newspaper that 92 per cent of the states have refused to honour the MoA.

He said, “I will say 92 per cent of the states are not complying. You will find that there are one or two states that are friendly with the judiciary but that is not enough to say that they are complying with the constitutional provisions of this country.”

Musa said JUSUN was disappointment that after the suspension of the strike in June following the intervention of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammed, the “government have turned the whole issue into political and playful issues.”

The JUSUN treasurer said, “They have not done anything about it, rather some states will just tell you that they have passed a law; the governor has not assented to it and up till this moment nothing had happened and we are keenly watching them because there is a committee put in place by the NJC that is going round to make sure that this thing is (pushed) behind us. So, we are still expecting the committee to come out with their report.”

Musa was JUSUN would have no other option but to go back on strike if the governors continued to default, adding that the next strike the timing of the next strike would be strategic in a way that will frustrate hearing of pre-election cases in court ahead of the 2023 general elections.

He noted that courts across the country usually witness a flurry of political lawsuits, arising from disputes from political parties’ conventions, congresses and primary elections.

He noted that JUSUN’s next strike would be planned to put politicians under pressure because of the fact that election-related cases must, by the provision of the constitution, be dealt with and resolved in three months.

Musa said, “They have to understand that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man and it should be respected because they need us more next year and we will be there, waiting for them; we will hold them to ransom.

“When I say they need us more, that means the judiciary is the last hope of the common man and next year will be their political time when they will be running up and down, wanting the courts to do their biddings. I don’t think the courts will be there for them. We are waiting for them seriously.”

Musa said of all the demands of JUSUN, financial autonomy was the most important demand because “money controls everything.”

He said, “When you don’t give the judiciary the free hand to operate financially, that means there is no autonomy in the state. You will go to states and you will find out that the Commissioner for Finance of the state controls the salary of the judiciary; they determine what comes to the judiciary, that is not autonomy at all. We are patiently respecting the highest organ, the CJN of this country and it has set up a committee headed by the Emir of Lafia, who is tirelessly working on the matter, trying to visit the governors to make sure they do the needful.

“But peradventure, if at the end of this nothing comes up, we cannot guarantee what will happen because we are planning to meet latest in the first quarter of next year, January or February.”

JUSUN contended that the Accountant-General of the Federation ought to have acted within the law by deducting from source, money meant for the judiciary and hand it over to the National Judicial Council for onward delivery to the head of courts in the states.

JUSUN shouldn’t have called off strike, say Ozekhome, Ubani

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, said he was not surprised that the governors refused to abide by the MoA after JUSUN called off the strike.

“When they were calling off their strike due to pressure from the Bench and Bar, I knew they would achieve nothing. We are dealing with governments at all levels that cannot be trusted for anything. Ethics and morality have taken the back stage. Governments now lie to the citizens. Transparency and accountability have gone to the dogs,” Ozekhome said.

The SAN advised JUSUN to consider deploying “an order of mandamus against any governor that refuses to abide by its provisions.”


He said, “Any further JUSUN strike will hurt an already battered economy very badly; international investors will continue to run away to friendlier countries. A nation without a stable judiciary to settle business and corporate disputes is not an investor’s dream place.”

Also, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law, Mr Monday Ubani, said, “We told them (JUSUN) not to call off the other strike but they still did. I do not think the NBA will be ready to fight for them this time. We told them not to call off the strike until they are sure that the governors are ready to comply with financial autonomy. What do they want the NBA to do?

“I do not know why we should go back and forth on this issue. I heard one governor saying he is not going to comply but he has been attacking the Federal Government over the same issue.

“I think the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria should sort themselves out because they did not do well by calling the last strike. We had supported them 100 per cent; if they really want the NBA to support them, they should reach out to the leadership. We can still have a round-table discussion to iron out the issues.”

A former Commissioner for Education in Ondo State, Remi Olatubora (SAN), advised JUSUN to enlist the support of the NBA in the push for financial autonomy for the states’ judiciary.

He said, “My advice to the Judiciary workers is that they should not do it alone. They must work together with the Nigerian Bar Association. This is simply because litigation lawyers are also technically judiciary workers. Without lawyers, there is no Judiciary and without judiciary, there are no judiciary workers.”

Also reacting, another SAN, Mallam Yusuf Ali, wondered why the matter of autonomy for the judiciary had dragged for long.

Ali said, “Any form of industrial action affects the economy negatively. Now, a strike by the court is not only economic, it affects the social fabric. It leads to unnecessarily long incarceration of people who are awaiting trial. It disrupts the flow of economic litigation. It puts the government in a bad light. The issue with JUSUN is a simple matter. Our governors should sign up that the judiciary should be financially independent of the executive. Simple! I don’t see why this should be difficult. Of the three arms of government, the judiciary has the best educated people. If the executive can manage its own finances; the legislature can do so, too; why then is it difficult for the most enlightened arm of government to manage its finances?

“It is unfortunate. It should not degenerate to this level because it is a constitutionally guaranteed point for the judiciary to be able to access its fund, administer it and be accountable for it.”

Similarly, Mr Babatunde Ogala (SAN), said, “They (JUSUN) are asking for judicial autonomy as prescribed by law. However, I think that in taking industry actions, the union itself would need to isolate cases where the states and the relevant authorities have all implemented this autonomy. I know in Lagos during the last strike, the state chapter of JUSUN said they didn’t have any problem.

“I will like to appeal to the union to please not let us paralyse the justice sector again. We have yet to recover from the long strike of early this year. Up to today, cases that ought to be heard and concluded are still being rescheduled.

“People whose liberty had been unjustly compromised and curtailed have yet to recover. There are persons whose detention cases did not go on for so long. You cannot punish everyone for the sins of a few. The states should also do that which is right.”

Another SAN, Robert Emukpoeruo, said it would take an amendment to the constitution to finally lay the struggle for financial autonomy for the judiciary to rest.

He said, “I know that this ongoing constitutional amendment has a proposal that would take care of this particular problem. Until that is done, we’d have this back and forth issue of the judiciary not really being fully autonomous. It is a constitutional constraint; that is the real problem. The real solution is to amend the constitution and let the judicial arm and by extension, every arm of government, be financially autonomous.”

2023 Election: Atiku My Presidential Candidate, Not Tinubu - Actor, Mr Ibu Clarifies (Video)

 

It will be recalled that only a few days ago, ace comic actor, John Okafor fondly referred to as Mr Ibu by his admirers was reported to have thrown his weight behind the All Progressives Congress leader, Bola Tinubu, in his quest to become the next president of Nigeria in 2023 presidential election.

In a video that went viral, the funnyman was seen alongside other Nollywood actors ‘pledging alliance’ to the APC leader.

However, in a twist of event, the actor took to his verified Instagram page to make a video to clear the air. Reacting to the viral video, Mr Ibu said, “I do not know why this thing is going on like this.”

Mr Ibu said that Atiku has been like a father to him and the former Vice-President got him a house to ‘use for the main time’. Okafor noted that his presidential candidate in the 2023 election is Atiku Abubakar.

Part of his speech in the video stated, “People approached me about Tinubu’s involvement to contest for the next president of Nigeria. I am a completely independent person; in the area that I perform, I am a comedian, musician and actor. Anything that has to do with anybody, people come to me and I address me in that direction. I know what to do.

“I do not know why this thing is going on like this. From time, I will never run sideways. It has been me and Atiku all this while, he has taken me places. If Atiku is running for president, certainly, because he has done a lot of things for me; there was a time he changed my house. He is like a father to me. He is contesting for president under PDP, certainly, I will be working for him. Atiku is my candidate.”

Wow: This Woman Proposed to a Man 3 Years Ago as a Joke, Now She is Married to Him...See How It Happened

Llia Apostolou

A young lady, Llia Apostolou asked a stranger on Twitter to pretend to be her husband as a joke… and then married him for real three years later.

The woman posted in 2014: ‘Are you a man? Can I borrow you for a wedding next weekend? Bonus points if you can source a baby that I can pretend is mine too.’


Phil Gibson replied taking the bait, saying he was available ‘with a suit and everything’.

She replied: ‘See you at the altar.’

Phil replied, ‘It’s a date! Just a date though, right?’


The bride and groom after their marriage

After he said his grandma was excited to meet her, Llia replied: ‘That’s nice and all, but I didn’t invite her to my wedding. No, wait, THE wedding. Slip of the tongue.’

He didn’t actually go with her to her sister’s wedding, but they arranged to meet up for a drink that week.

Writing on her blog, Llia described how she ‘tried to swat away the feeling that I was heading towards a moment that would change my life forever.’

But as it turns out, that feeling was totally right

Wow! Fuji Star, KS1 Malaika Surprises His Mum With A House (Photos/Video)

Sulaiman Alao Adekunle Malaika, the Fuji star who is popularly known as Ks1 Malaika, has gifted his mum, Alhaja Rukayat Mojirayo, a house.

The singer shared a video showing the moment he surprised his mum with the beautiful house he built for her.

He wrote; ''I took her round the building and showed her the flats we have there. I now handed over all the keys to her saying, IYE (mum) this is the house I built for you…

She was shocked because she never had any idea I was doing this.

ALHAMDULILAH..

Congratulations Alhaja Rukayat Mojirayo..

I love you IYE and I will continue to In shaa Allah.''

Watch below a video showing his mum's excitement after he presented the keys of the house to her

Unbelievable! Pregnant Nurse And Her Lover Killed, Dumped Inside Toilet In Ondo

 

I

n what will come across as a really tragic development, two lovers and their friend have been found dead in their apartment at Aralusi quarters in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

The bodies of the two lovers identified as Ojo Akinro, Mary lgwe, and their friend, Lamidi Sheriff, were found dumped in the toilet of the house on Friday.

It was gathered that Igwe, a nurse, was pregnant before she was murdered.

According to sources in the area, the victims may have drawn the ire of their killers, suspected to be ‘Yahoo boys’, following a deal gone bad.

One of the sources disclosed that they became apprehensive when all the calls put across to the lovers’ phones were not picked.

Following the development, their friends, who decided to visit them, had to break down the front door to gain entrance into the apartment after which the dead bodies were discovered inside the toilet.

Their alarm attracted neighbours who immediately alerted the police.

According to one of their neighbours, “this is a case of murder, the victims must have been silenced over a failed deal. You know all these young boys and girls are into so many shady deals.

“It was unbelievable when their corpses were brought out by the police and taken to the mortuary. The lovers live together, many people even believed they are a young couple.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the death of the three persons including the two lovers to DAILY POST on Saturday.

The PPRO added that it was a case of murder and that detectives have commenced an investigation.

18-year-old Girl Wins BBC Hausa Writing Contest With Story On S*xual Violence

 

 

A young Nigerian girl, Aishatu Musa Dalil has won the British Broadcasting Corporation Hausa short story contest for women with a story on the travails of a girl who was a victim of sexual violence within the family.

According to a release from the BBC Hausa Service, Aishatu, an 18 years old and first year university student of English and French won the contest with her story titled, “Hakkina” which is translated “My Right.”

“Hakkina tells the story of a young woman, Fatima who is raped by her stepfather and is threatened by her mother not to tell anyone about the abuse. In fact, she locks Fatima in a room despite the injuries she sustained during the assault. To Fatima’s mother, silencing her daughter not only covers for her husband but also ‘protects’ her daughter from the stigma faced by victims of rape in the Hausa society,” the BBC said.

“The first runner-up is a story written by Nana Aicha Hamissou Abdoulaye. Titled ‘Butulci’ (Betrayal) it is about a young couple whose new marriage and pregnancy news is marred by the sudden horror of kidnapping. The title of the story stems from the events that led up to the kidnapping and the unexpected revelation of the person involved.


“The second runner-up is ‘Ramat’ by Zulaihat Alhassan. Titled after the protagonist, ‘Ramat’ is a revered police woman whose husband is also in the police. She is caught in a family scandal where she has to choose between her only son and her job,” the organisers of the contest added.

The BBC Hausa women’s short story contest was introduced to give female writers a platform to tell and share their stories.

The Editor of the Hausa Service, Aliyu Tanko, said, “As the competition enters its sixth year, it is satisfying to know that women have accepted it as an avenue to stir conversations in the region through their writing. We’ve seen set after set of remarkable writers emerge from Hikayata competition and this is truly what we’ve always aimed to achieve.”


“This year we have seen an absolute shift in the thematic preoccupation of these stories. It is obvious that women writers in northern Nigeria are becoming aware day by day, of the most pressing issues faced by women in the region. The themes centre around rape, domestic violence, kidnappings, and career choices. The characters this year have been created to represent strong, bold women,” the lead judge, Dr Hauwa Bugaje, said.

The winner, Aishatu, in her remarks noted that she was not expecting to win as she was a new writer and the competition was known to attract great writers.

The winner and runners up were awarded their prizes on Friday, November 26, 2021.

Basketmouth, Daddy Showkey, Others Remember Late Sound Sultan On Birthday

 

Sound Sultan

Some Nigerian entertainers and friends of late popular singer, Olanrewaju Fasasi, popularly known as Sound Sultan, on Saturday remembered the singer on his posthumous birthday.

The popular singer had died on the 11th of July, 2021 after battling Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma. He was buried the same day in the United States, according to Islamic rites.

The singer’s wife, Farida, had earlier celebrated her late husband with a throwback video and an emotional message.

Following suit, comedian Bright Okpocha, popularly known as Basketmouth, also remembered Sound Sultan.

Taking to his verified Instagram page, Basketmouth shared pictures of the singer with messages alongside each of them.

“Sound Sultan was my favorite comedian, actor and musician…he still is. Happy birthday my good friend,” Basketmouth wrote as he shared a video of the late singer on the set of ‘Baba Benji’, a TV series.

Veteran dancehall singer, John Asiemo, popularly known as Daddy Showkey also shared a video of himself and Sound Sultan, with the caption, “I will always celebrate you.”

Comedienne and friend of Sound Sultan, Damilola ‘Princess’ Adekoya, reposted Farida Fasasi’s post on her Instagram page.

Ace music producer, Olumide Ogunade, also celebrated Sound Sultan, as he also hinted at a new song by the late singer.

Sharing a video and picture of himself and Sound Sultan, the producer wrote, “Happy birthday Lanre!!! Today is to celebrate you, my dearest friend, brother and confidant.

“Your memories gladdens my heart knowing you are in a good place and I am so assured that you are resting from all of these wahala especially Lagos hustle. The work is still on and will drop soon to put out your sweet voice laden with truth.


“Lanre, I miss you and I sincerely have not recovered but I am holding up well. 2021 came with very painful losses (I lost my mom-in-law a few days ago) but in all God is still faithful. I pray you keep resting, sweet friend.”

Sharing a video of Sound Sultan, singer Innocent ‘2baba’ Idibia wrote, “A guy” accompanied with love emojis.

Drama As Katsina Residents Travelling With Truckload Of Weapons Are Nabbed In Ondo

As many 18 suspected criminals from Katsina State arrested in Ondo State with over 500 daggers and other weapons have been arraigned and remanded at the Olokuta Correctional Centre in Akure, the state capital.

The South-West security outfit, Amotekun, had found over 500 knives and daggers concealed in a sack filled with tiger nuts inside the vehicle in which the suspects were travelling and promptly arrested all the occupants of the vehicle.

According to Tribune, the trial of the suspects was confirmed on Saturday by the commander of Amotekun in the state, Adetunji Adeleye, noting that the Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ondo ordered the remand of the suspects for allegedly being in possession of concealed dangerous weapons with an intent, allegedly, to conspire to perpetrate illegal act.

He said the arrested suspects would soon appear in the court again.

Other suspects travelling in two other vehicles were said to have escaped arrest.

SaharaReporters had reported that the suspects claimed to have taken off from Kastina State in three 18-seater passenger buses before arriving in Ondo State and refusing to stop at checkpoints within the state.

The Amotekun boss had, after the arrest of the 18 suspects, said: “We got intelligence that a group of men were coming to invade the state, so we set out our monitoring devices. And at precisely 1.30am on Thursday (November 4, 2021), we saw three hummer buses that we had actually been trailing till they entered the state.


“They had a brief stop just before they entered the town and our men tried to stop them but the three buses escaped; so we had to radio all our control points and we were able to bring the three buses to a stop at a point on Ondo Road by a combined team of the police and civil defence.


“The buses attempted to overrun the security agents and sped off. The speed was so much that they hit all the barricades on the road. We found out that it was difficult pursuing them in order not to cause accident, so we radioed our station on Owena and the security men there blocked the road to all vehicles.


“But they were able to escape by hitting the barricades again. We continued pursuing them while we called the Ile-Oluji Junction that they should block the road solidly but the drivers, again, escaped.


“But we later organised a complete blockage before the Akure Garage in Ondo town and we were able to apprehend them.


“They claimed to be coming to Akure and the driver said somebody commissioned them from Katsina State but that he didn’t know the content of the bag filled with tiger nuts.


“On opening the bags, we found some guns, rounds of ammunition and also found under the seat about 500 different types and sizes of daggers and poisonous jack knives cleverly concealed under the seats.


“When we asked them what they intended to do, they told us that they were just given instructions to go and that further instructions would be given to them,” he had said.

Wow! Crowd Goes Wild With Excitement As P-Square Storms Sierra Leone (Video)

 

Nigeria's most successful pop group, P-Square is now in Sierra Leone and they have been given a hero's welcome.

The singing duo stormed Sierra Leone yesterday and were received by a huge crowd who went nuts the singers were sighted.

In a video which has gone viral online, the P-Square brothers are seen standing on their car while a huge crowd surrounding them is heard chanting 'P-Square...P-Square...'. 

Apparently, fans are glad the pop group has reunited after years of beefing that saw the group disband.

Watch the video below:

How Nigerian Actress Nancy Iheme Reacted After A Man Contacted Her Saying His Friend Has A 'Video Of Her"

 

Popular Nigerian actress, Nacy Iheme has called the bluff of a man who contacted her via Instagram DM saying his friend has a "video of her. "

According to the anonymous man, his friend who has the video of Nancy wanted to post it online but he told him not to because he knows her.

The man also mentioned that the people who Nancy regards as friends were dangerous.

Nancy in her response asked the man to tell that his friend to post the video and ensure he makes money from it. She shared a screenshot of their conversation on IG.

See the screenshot below:

20,000 Graduates To Start Paid FG-UNDP Fellowship In January – Osinbajo Reveals

 

He stated this on Friday at the 2021 Presidential Policy Dialogue of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), has said that twenty thousand graduates will commence paid fellowship in January 2022 through the United Nations Development Programme and Federal Government partnership.

He stated this on Friday at the 2021 Presidential Policy Dialogue of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

According to him, the partnership is under the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme, which is aimed at opening up opportunities to address unemployment by providing 20,000 young Nigerian graduates annually with year-long job placement opportunities in both the public and private sectors across the country.

In a statement by his spokesman, Laolu Akande, on Saturday, the VP also stated the Federal Government’s interventions in reducing the country’s youth unemployment gap through job initiatives.

“These include the N-Power scheme (where up to 1.5 million young Nigerians were recruited over two cohorts), and the Jubilee Fellows Programme – in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, the European Union, and other partners – a one-year work placement scheme for 20,000 young Nigerians set to kick-off in January 2022,” the statement read in part.

It was titled, ‘New National Development Plan Depends On Strong Public-Private Partnership – Osinbajo’.

The VP was quoted as saying, “While this was a scratch on the surface as well over two million young people enter into the workforce every year, there is no doubt that the Nigeria private sector has to thrive in order to create the number and kinds of jobs that we need but it is also important for the Nigerian youth to acquire the skills and knowledge of the workplace.”

Osinbajo also disclosed that the collaboration of both government and the private sector “must promote productivity and value addition and move away from the despair of managing limited resources to producing and creating more in a competitive and sustainable manner.”

He said through the new National Development Plan, the Federal Government is placing particular focus on job creation, value addition, and promoting a business-friendly environment.

Explaining how the collaboration would be implemented, the VP stated that the Plan “envisages an investment commitment of N348trillion over the plan period of which it is expected that Government at all levels will come up with about N49.7trillion or about 14%, while the private sector is expected to invest N298 trillion or about 86%.”

Finally Court seals fate of billionaire kidnapper, Evans

Billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike known as Evans the kidnapper has been sentenced to death by a Lagos High Court on Thursday.

At the sentencing by an Igbosere High Court in Lagos, Evans who was charged with kidnapping had pleaded not guilty.

He was also charged for attempt to kidnap the chairman of the Young Shall Grow Motors, Mr Vincent Obianodo.

Other charges against him are bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping and unlawful possession of firearms.

Evans was docked with three other defendants — Joseph Emeka, Chiemeka Arinze, and Udeme Upong

He was apprehended by the Inspector General of police’s Intelligence Response Team led by Abba Kyari.

In 2013, Evans was declared wanted after he allegedly masterminded the attempted kidnap of Mr Vincent Obianudo, a businessman who owns the popular ‘Young Shall Grow Motors’.

The suspect was said to have carried out kidnapping operations for more than five years before he met his waterloo

Chidinma Sold Late Ataga's Laptop to me for N495,000 - Man Tells Court

Chidinma

The witness told the court that it was after he bought the laptop that he saw her (defendant) on social media regarding a murder case.
Chidinma Ojukwu the alleged killer of Super TV Chief Executive Officer, Usifo Ataga sold the dead man's laptop for N495, 000 after allegedly killing him.

The businessman who bought the laptop, Mr. Ifeoluwa Oluwo made the confession before the Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS, on Thursday.


He said Chidinma sold the deceased’s laptop to him.


He said that he bought the laptop from the first defendant for N495,000, on June 18, two days after the body of Ataga’s body was found at the short service apartment in Lekki.

The witness told the court that it was after he bought the laptop that he saw her (defendant) on social media regarding a murder case.

He said as soon as he saw that it was the customer he bought the laptop from, he ensured that all her documents were kept handy.

Oluwo stated this in the ongoing trial of Chidinma Ojukwua a 300-level Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos and two others over Ataga’s murder.

Ojukwu is standing trial alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and one Adedapo Quadri.

The witness said he deals in the sales of phones, laptops and accessories at Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos, and has been in the business for five years,

Oluwo, who is the third prosecution witness (PW3), was led in evidence in chief by the Lagos State prosecuting counsel, Mr. Yusuf Sule.

… back in June

Chidinma, had on June 13, requested for the short service apartment where Ataga was found dead and left the apartment on June 15, before Ataga’s body was discovered on June 16.

The witness who testified before Justice Yetunde Adesanya, and identified the first defendant (Chidinma) a customer, who made a purchase of a phone on April 30 and also made a sale of her laptop on June 18, at the same office.
He told the court that they buy and sell brand new phones and fairly used phones.
Oluwo said: “On June 18, she(Chidinma) sold me a laptop for N495,000, after negotiations and market value comparison.
“In order to make a sale you have to submit some documents and fill form: your government identification card, driver’s license, international passport, voter’s card, NIN.
“You also have to fill a form which includes email, phone number, house address, full name.
“It will also contain the full value of the item, for that day, the name of the item and the serial number of the item.
“This is what we do to contact customer if there is any issues,” he said.
‘She said she had 2 laptops and needed money to pay bills’
He said that he inspected the laptop physically, but that he was unable to access it initially.
Oluwo said: “I asked her (first defendant) to unlock the laptop and she did.
“So I conducted my internal observation which included speed performance, the circle count of the battery and general functionality.

“After that I, proceeded to ask questions: do you have a receipt for this laptop?
“She stated that it was a gift from her boyfriend, and that she has two laptops and needed to sell one to pay for some bills.
“I conducted a check on a website for my market evaluation. I confirmed the value of the laptop. It was $1,000 to $1,200.
“The exchange rate of Dollars as at that time was N400 to N450.
“She wanted to sell for N600,000. We were able to negotiate for N495,000, which I initiated from my bank account to hers.”
When asked if the first defendant produced the receipt of the laptop, Oluwo further told the court that she was not able to provide the receipt as she insisted that it was a gift from her boyfriend.
The witness said: “After the sale of the laptop, we saw her face on social media, regarding a murder case.

Police probe

“Few days later, the Police from State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti, invited my Manager, Olutayo Abayomi.

“A call was made to me by someone else in the office, that he has been invited to the police station. So I proceeded to the station to find out why.

“When I got to the Police Station, I discovered that it was in connection to the laptop we bought from Chidinma on June 18.

“We both made a statement detailing how we came about the laptop and how we made the purchase.

“We gave the police the documents of the former owner, which included a copy of her voters’ card, a copy of our form, all receipts which already have her information, regarding the laptop,” the witness said.

Asked if he can detect that a product is a stolen item, he said no.

“There is no way we can detect that a phone or laptop was a stolen one,” he said.

During cross-examination, the first defendant’s counsel, Mr. Onwuka Egwu, asked if he was shown any documents, receipts or proof of ownership to show that the laptop was not for the first defendant at Panti. He said no.

Justice Adesanya adjourned the case to November 29, for continuation of trial.

The three defendants were arraigned on October 12 on a nine-count charge preferred against them by Lagos State Government.

The first and second defendants were alleged to have conspired and murdered Ataga on June 15, by stabbing him several times with a knife on the neck and chest.

BREAKING: INTERPOL Elects Nigeria's Assistant Police Inspector General, Baba Umar Its Vice President For Africa

 

 

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba on Thursday said Umar was elected in the early hours of that day.

INTERPOL, the International Criminal Police Organization, has elected Nigeria's Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG GARBA Baba Umar as the Vice President (Africa) and Executive Committee Member of the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) - INTERPOL.

Umar was the Head of INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Nigeria.

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba on Thursday said Umar was elected in the early hours of that day "in the 89th INTERPOL General Assembly currently holding at the Halic Congress Hall, Istanbul, Turkey".

The statement said, "The year 2021 General Assembly, which have in attendance 470 Police Chiefs, Ministers and Senior Law Enforcement Officials from the 195 INTERPOL member countries, seeks to identify areas where the organization can reinforce the global security architecture and enhance collaboration against national and transnational crimes.


"AIG Garba, one of Nigeria’s finest criminal investigators and professional strategic police manager, with over thirty (30) years policing experience both at national and international levels, polled the highest number of votes in the elections. With this appointment, which will span through a period of 3yrs, AIG Garba is expected to bring his wealth of experience to bear in coordinating INTERPOL operations targeted at ensuring a safer world for people and communities across the African continent.

"This is in addition to drawing international policing support and cooperation towards advancing public safety and security, protecting the cyberspace and generally addressing challenges faced by law enforcement officers and policing managers in the continent.


"The Nigeria’s delegation to the 89th INTERPOL General Assembly was led by the Honourable Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, ably supported by the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), NPM, fdc. The other members of the delegation are: the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (represented by the Naval Provost Marshal)."

MORE PHOTOS:

Several injured, property destroyed as gunmen invade Kogi community

Gunmen attacked Ewune-Egume village in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, injured several people and destroying property worth millions of naira.

According to an eyewitness, the hoodlums stormed the community in trucks on Saturday, November 20 and started shooting sporadically.

Residents of the village abandoned their property and ran into the bush for safety, leaving the hoodlums to destroy some household appliances, water tanks, among others.

The armed men also drank all the beers and beverages in some restaurants and destroyed empty bottles.

It was gathered that the chief of the community, the Ochai Onu-Egume, Chief Olema Akpali, fainted on hearing gunshots and was rushed to a clinic in the area.





The community leader, Mr Matthew Audu, who spoke to PUNCH said the gunmen invaded the community in five trucks with AK 47 rifles, went away with some domestic animals, 200 Jericans of palm oil, 13 motorcycles and set ablaze other motorcycles while other valuable properties were destroyed.



Audu said that people of the community had reported several threats by this group to the Divisional Police Office Egume and their incessant invasions on Ewune farms.




He added that the attackers were suspected to be a group of saw millers working for an Ejule man in Ofu LGA, Kogi State.



He said when the alleged saw millers of Ejule were confronted over the wanton and indiscriminate felling of their Iroko and economic trees, they allegedly claimed that the government of Governor Yahaya Bello was aware of their activities in the forest.



It was also gathered that these groups of people has been invading the community at will, drinking beer in their restaurants freely, killing their domestic animals whenever they were hungry and leaving the community unchallenged.




In his reaction, the chairman of the security committee of Egume Community, Hon. Gowon Omale condemned the destruction at the Ewune-Egume community, describing it as a terrorist act.



He said efforts must be intensified to forward the matter to the Authority concerned to avoid future occurrences.



Spokesperson of the State Police Command, DSP William Ayah, who confirmed the attack, said one person was shot and presently receiving attention.



The PPRO said the police are working assiduously to arrest the perpetrators of the dastardly act, assured calm has since returned to the community.

63-year-old Nigerian pastor allegedly marries an 18-year-old choir member as second wife

 A 63-year-old Nigerian pastor, Apostle Peter Tom Udofia, has allegedly married an 18-year-old choir member of his church as second wife.

The clergyman, said to be the General Overseer of the Way of Salvation Church of Jesus Christ, Calabar, reportedly tied the knot with his new bride, Sister Blessing Jeremiah Esu in Ikot Akpang Ikpong, Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, on October 16, 2021.

Photos of the couple is currently making rounds on social media and it has generated criticisms from people.

See some reactions below,

@tifeade_ wrote, “And the girl’s parents allowed this to happen??
Because he’s a pastor or what??”

@lascodeaminu wrote, “I thought in Christianity it’s one man to one woman ”

@gatsegwasi wrote, “Child abuse. A girl that is supposed to be in school, a girl young enough to be your child. You married her. Is it that women have finished in this life? I blame her parents so much”

@penit_ray wrote, “This man needs to be arrested ”

See more photos below,