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18-year-old Jaylen Smith has been elected the mayor of Earle, Arkansas on Tuesday night, becoming the youngest Black mayor in the United States. Smith won the election with 218 votes, compared to his competitor’s 139.  Smith, 18, defeated Nemi Matthews Sr. in a runoff election. Matthews is the superintendent of Earle with more than four decades of experience working in the small Arkansas town, which has a population of under 2,000 people and is situated about 30 miles northwest of Memphis. In an interview with FOX13 last month, Smith, who recently graduated from high school, talked about his goals if he was elected the mayor of Earle. “First, I want to improve public safety here. Secondly, tear down abandoned houses … transportation here for the community, bring a grocery store here,” he said. He captioned the photo above " Citizens of Earle, Arkansas, it’s official!! I am your newly elected Mayor of Earle, Arkansas… “It’s Time to Build a Better Chapter of Earle, Arkansas.” I wou...

Woman caught attempting to shoplift using fake pregnancy belly A young woman was caught allegedly trying to shoplift with a fake pregnancy belly at a popular store in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Details of the incident are sketchy, however, it was gathered that the security guard stopped her at the door. Upon searching her, it turned out that she was actually not pregnant but had created a fake baby bump with intention to hide her loot inside it. More photos below. 

Dubai Police fines 4697 Motorists, seizes 132 Vehicles for Violating Traffic Laws during the UAE's 51st National Day Celebrations The Dubai Police has impounded 132 vehicles and fined their motorists for violating traffic rules during the UAE's 51st National Day celebrations.   Black points were also imposed against the violators who caused disturbance, modified their vehicles' colour, covered their vehicles with stickers without a permit, littered from their cars, and posed danger to themselves and others by driving recklessly.   Brigadier Juma Salem bin Suwaidan, Acting Director of the General Department of Traffic at Dubai Police, said that the traffic patrols fined 4,697 motorists and impounded 72 vehicles in Bur Dubai and 60 others in Deira for violating traffic rules and regulations during the UAE's 51st National Day 3-day celebrations   Brig. Bin Suwaidan pointed out that most of the violations were recorded in Bur Dubai area, explaining that the General Departme...

BENUE: UNEASY CALM OVER ARREST OF PERSONS IN ADO LG Following the arrest of some persons over murder and sundry crimes in Ado LGA of Benue state, there are protests in which a local government council chairman is alleged to be biased. JOHN SHIAONDO reports that in the LGA at the moment, it is like the peace of the grave yard.  Controversies have trailed the recent protest in Ado local government area of Benue state by irrate youths who called for the sack of the chairman, James Oche. The youths, women and even masquerades had besieged the street of Ado in a protest against the chairman of the LGA. Allegations against the council boss But while the protest raged, others viewed the incident as politically motivated, and some believed the protest was borne out of genuine concern over the activities of the chairman who was accused of victimising opposition political party members. While staging the protest, the youths carried placards with inscriptions like ‘James Oche is an Oppressor’...

How Church Member Lured Bishop's Teenage Daughter to sell Her Ovaries /eggs/organs Police in Lagos are investigating an illegal sale of human organs by two teenagers residing at Iyana-Ipaja area. The girls allegedly sold their organs to a medical doctor in Abeokuta, Ogun state for N200, 000 without the consent of their parents. It was gathered by the VANGUARD that the teenagers were tricked into the deal by an adult member of the church who took them to a medical doctor at Redwood Specialist Hospital, Abeokuta, where their organs were sold for N100, 000 each. It was reported that the bubble burst on September 12, 2022 when one of the girls was rushed to a hospital after she started vomiting. Medical test later revealed that her anus and private part were damaged.  The girl disclosed to her father who is a Bishop that a female member of his church trafficked them to Ogun state where their organs were sold to a medical doctor. The teenagers further said the church member convince...

After 25 years of marriage the great pentecostal pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and his wife Helen finally part ways caused by a protracted and bitter misunderstanding. Mama Helen in a WhatsApp message earlier in the year accused the estranged husband of wanting her dead. She's rumoured to be in a sizzling romance with a man for ten years. She's moved out of the matrimonial home and relocated to Britain with the kids and Ayo have moved back to the house after abandoning it for almost a year. According to another source : THIS IS Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, founder of Word of Life Bible Church . He was the Former President of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria. He often preaches against divorce saying that God hates divorce. His marriage to Pastor Helen, foundly called Mama Helen used to be a perfect union until katakata burst. It's gathered they they have been separated for more than a year and on the verge of getting a divorce after the wife allegedly accused him of trying to K!ll her....

OPENING REMARKS BY THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE, ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED, AT THE 8TH EDITION OF THE ''PMB ADMINISTRATION SCORECARD SERIES (2015-2023)'' IN ABUJA ON WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7TH 2022 PROTOCOL 2. I warmly welcome you all to the eight edition of the 'PMB Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023)'. On Monday, we hosted the Honourable Minister of Water Resources. Today, it is the turn of the Honourable Minister of Environment. And before them, we had presentations from the Honourable Ministers of: - Works and Housing - Transportation - Aviation - Interior - Agriculture and Rural Development - Finance, Budget and National Planning On Thursday Dec. 8, that is tomorrow, we will be hosting the Honourable Minister of Mines and Steel Development. 3. As a quick reminder of why we are here, recall that we launched this series in October as part of an overall programme aimed at showcasing and documenting the numerous achievements of the Buhari Administration...

PRESS RELEASE CYBERCRIME: NPF NATIONAL CYBERCRIME CENTRE BUST POS NETWORK FRAUD SYNDICATE RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER N16M THEFT As IGP Urges Nigerians to Access, Use Cybercrime Reporting Platforms The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, an innovation of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc(+), NPM, NEAPS, fdc, CFR, to effectively tackle cybercrime offences, and which led to the reorganization of all cybercrime units of the Force, has recorded salient achievements in less than one month from the commencement of operations under the purview of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID), DIG Johnson Babatunde Kokumo, mni. Amongst the numerous concluded cases by the Centre, is a case of unlawful access to a computer network and manipulation of a point of sale (POS) network to defraud the unsuspecting owner of the total sum of Sixteen Million, One Hundred and Forty-Nine Thousand, One Hundred and Ninet...

Second Niger Bridge to be Opened for 30 Days— FG The federal government says the Second Niger Bridge will open to traffic on December 15. Jimoh Olawale, federal controller of works in Delta, made this known to newsmen Wednesday. He, however, said that the bridge would be open for only 30 days. According to him, Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, ordered the opening of the bridge, which is 95 percent complete, to ease traffic during the Christmas and New Year celebrations. “As we know, during the Christmas celebration, commuters suffer hardship accessing the old Niger Bridge due to traffic jams but with this arrangement, traffic congestion on Asaba-Benin Expressway will ease,” Olawale said. “We have notified the state government of this arrangement and we are working with the Federal Roads Safety Corps to ensure a hitch-free vehicular movement. “Motorists going towards Owerri direction would divert through the access road near the old Niger Bridge to the new bridge.” Olaw...

Anambra State Government Commences Rebranding Of Okada Riders Anambra State Government has commenced the  rebranding of commercial motorcyclists popularly known as Okada raiders in the state.  The Commissioner for Transport, Mrs. Patricia Igwebuike stated this during the flag off of the  enrollment of the motorcyclists in the state into the data base of the state ministry of Transport.  The flag-off held in Nanka, Orumba North Council Area. Addressing the gathering, Mrs. Igwebuike said that meeting is important as a way to sensitize and educate motorcyclists on government policies and programmes and to make it known that the ongoing enrollment is free of charge, which after registration, each rider is entitled to identification number and vest. According to Commissioner Igwebuike, motorcyclists should endeavor to pay the weekly state government levies to avoid penalties and explained that any registered commercial motorcyclist who pays his due as at when due will be ...

EFCC Conducts Public Auction of Over 400 Cars in Lagos The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has commenced the auction of a total of 435 cars, which are subjects of final forfeiture orders in Lagos, in line with the EFCC (Establishment) Act 2004; Public Procurement Act 2007 and the Proceeds of Crimes (Recovery and Management) Act 2022 The exercise scheduled to take place across the Commands of the Commission, started on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 in Lagos with inspection of items by members of the public, while the auction exercise began today, Wednesday, December 7 and continues on Thursday, December 8, 2022. The items are available in four locations: 40, Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi, Lagos; 15A Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos; 14 Cameroon Road, Ikoyi Lagos and CVU Obalende, Ikoyi, Lagos.  Speaking during the opening ceremony yesterday, Dr.George Ekpungu, Secretary to the Commission and Chairman, EFCC Asset Disposal Committee, ADC, said: “the exercise, which is the first of the ...

DINGYADI CONDOLE CHINESE GOVERNMENT OVER THE DEATH OF FORMER PRESIDENT Alice Enis The Minister of Police Affairs, Dr. Muhammad Dingyadi has said the loss of the former Chinese President Mr. Jiang Zemin is a great loss to the people and government of China and Nigeria.  Dr. Dingyadi in a visit to the Chinese Embassy in Abuja to condole with the people, Said the former president Mr. Jiang Zemin who died on 30th November 2022 at the age of 96 years will be greatly missed. In a statement signed by the head Press and Public Relations Unit, Bolaji Kazeem and made available to Nigeria Police Radio 99.1 Abuja, the minister in commending China people said they are doing a lot of developmental projects in Nigeria which has impacted positively on the economic growth of the country.   On his own part, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Cui Jian Chun appreciated the Minister for the visit, saying that China and Nigeria's economic relationship will continue to grow stronger, hence fac...

I Made My Wealth From Inheritance - Tinubu  Bola Tinubu has claimed real estate inheritance as the source of his stupendous wealth in the latest version of his ever-changing narratives regarding how he came about the billions of dollars he is believed to be sitting on. The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate for 2023 said he inherited a substantial real estate that grew even bigger following shrewd investing decisions, a claim that contradicted his previous interviews in which he cited bonuses from earnings as a mid-level official at Deloitte. Mr Tinubu has also previously claimed he became wealthy following his retirement outlays as a senior treasurer with oil giant Mobil in the late 1980s. “I inherited great real estate. I turned the value around. I’m not denying my wealth,” Mr Tinubu said in the interview posted on BBC Africa’s Facebook page. Mr Tinubu, 70, slammed his critics as enemies of wealth for wondering how he was about to build a multibillion-dollar empire ...

ICPC Detains D’Banj Over N-Power Funds Fraud The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) confirmed on Wednesday the arrest and detention of Mr. Oladipo Daniel Oyebanjo, otherwise known by his stage name D’Banj, over the investigation of fraud associated with the N-Power Programme. The N-Power is a scheme established by President Muhammadu Buhari on 8th June, 2016, to address the issues of youth unemployment and empowerment, and help increase social development. In line with its mandate, the Commission had received numerous petitions on the diversion of N-Power funds running into billions of naira following the approval and release of such funds to the beneficiaries by the Federal Government. Many N-Power beneficiaries had complained over the non-receipt of the monthly funds in spite of payment by the Government. About 10 persons have been invited by the ICPC over the last few months in connection with the N-Power fraud, and have been granted administr...

Winners: Khloé Kardashian, 38, and Kris Jenner, 67, accepted the award for best reality show at the 2022 People's Choice Awards on Tuesday in Santa Monica. Khloe also won the reality star of the year 2022 . Bible: Khloe Kardashian almost didn't make it on stage to accept the award for The Reality Show of 2022 at the People's Choice Awards. After the accolade for Hulu's 'The Kardashians' was announced, momager Kris Jenner went up to accept the trophy and to address the fact that Khloe was nowhere to be found but she later came up the stage claiming she was trying to fix her hair. The Kardashian reality show face off with others in the category against 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, Below Deck Sailing Yacht, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. More photos below.