PINK REPUBLIC/ MY BLOG IS A STORY MARATHON.

Internet Fraud: Court Sends Truck Driver, Fake Tom Cruise, Five Others to Prison in Benin City A truck driver, Christopher Godfirst, 22, and six others were on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, convicted and sentenced to prison by Justice Efe Ikponwonba of the Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City for internet fraud. The others are Raymond Imozemhe, 22,( who impersonated Tom Cruise, a popular Hollywood Star), Christian Okafor, Jimmy Emmanuel, Oritseweyinmi Allen Poto, Osapamwan Destiny Gaius and David Oghneyerivwo Ighere.   Their journey to prison began following their arrest for involvement in internet fraud. The defendants admitted to the crime and were subsequently arraigned on one count charge each bordering on fraudulent impersonation and possession of fraudulent documents by the Benin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission   The charge against Okafor reads: “that you, Christian Okafor (m) sometime in May, 2023 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court

 One of the schoolgirls who escaped after Boko Haram invaded Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, in 2014, Joy Bishara, recently got engaged to her Caucasian lover in the US. Recall that on April 14, 2014, Boko Haram members invaded the school and abducted a total of 276 female students aged from 16 to 18. 57 of the schoolgirls escaped immediately following the incident by jumping from the trucks on which they were being transported. Ms Bishara was among the 57 that escaped that night. She was relocated to the US where she graduated from the Southeastern University, where she obtained a degree in social work in 2021. She recently got engaged and the photos from the engagement has been shared online. More photos below. 

Court Jails Two Fraudsters in Maiduguri  The Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, July 24, 2023, secured the conviction and sentencing of two fraudsters:  Mohammed Maidugu and Allen Abel to different jail terms.   While Maidugu was jailed two years for dishonestly copying the Automated Teller Machine, ATM’s Personal Identification Number of a bank customer, Abel bagged 10 years imprisonment for obtaining under false pretences.   They were both jailed by Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri.  Maidugu got his prison term after more than three months of trial on a one count charge bordering on attempting to commit theft.  The charge reads: “That you, Mohammed Maidugu on or about 22nd February, 2023 at FCMB Main Branch ATM Point, Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, attempted to commit theft and in such attempt did a certain act towards the commission of the said offence to wit

Three Internet Fraud Kingpins Bag Jail Terms in Port Harcourt Justice P.I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has convicted and sentenced three internet fraud kingpins, Gospel Asawari, Asuquo Daniel Bright and Chile Mark Chioma to one year jail term each for impersonation and obtaining money by false pretence contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (i) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015, and punishable under Section 22 (2) of the same Act. They were jailed on Thursday July 20, 2023, after pleading “guilty” to separate one count charges brought against them by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The defendants pleaded guilty to the charges. In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, K. A. Yunus, A. J. Obagie and A. Abubakar prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants as charged. Counsel to the defendants, G. N. Chukwu, B. F. Esaenwi and E. S. Aluzu however urged the cour

 Lebron James' Son, Bronny Suffered A Cardiac Arrest During A Basketball Workout  ........... The son of the Lakers superstar was rushed to hospital after the incident happened during a USC workout, according to TMZ. The 18-year-old is said to now be in stable condition and is no longer in the ICU. Bronny, who recently committed to the Trojans, was taken by ambulance from USC's Galen Center, the venue where the school's basketball team plays and practices, after a 911 call reportedly was made at 9.26am Monday. The incident is believed to have been a Code 3, which signifies the seriousness of the call as it requires ambulance lights and sirens. Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest,' a spokesperson for the James family told TMZ. Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU. 'We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is m

US citizens and others will need to pay for a visa to travel to Europe starting in 2024 The European Union has announced new travel document requirements through its European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). Beginning in 2024, the European Union will require visitors to get pre-approval via the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, and that goes for summer jet-setters from the US. The application form, which will be available on the official ETIAS website as well as a mobile application, has a fee of 7 euros or $7.79 U.S. dollars. All communication is done by email. American citizens, as well as travelers from 60 other countries, will require an ETIAS visa waiver to travel to any of the Schengen-zone countries for short stays once the ETIAS program goes into effect. The list of ETIAS-eligible countries includes Canada, Mexico, Australia, and many more. All travelers, regardless of their age, will need their own ETIAS approval in order to travel to Eu

 NIGERIAN ARMY SOLDIER NOT DETAINED FOR RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION Contrary to reports being circulated in the Social Media that a personnel of the Nigerian Army (NA), Lance Corporal Musa Adamu is in detention for converting from Islam to Christianity and preaching the gospel, the reality is that the soldier is in custody for violation of some provisions of the Armed Forces Act. The awful report credited to Sahara Reporters is not only a misrepresentation of the true situation but an outrageous falsehood tainted with religious bigotry, being peddled against the Nigerian Army; a professional institution guided by well established ethics and tradition in all its activities and administration of personnel. This is aside the unbiased premium of place accorded  the spiritual concern and growth of personnel as well as the sensitivity it attaches to religious practices amongst personnel.  To set the records straight,  Lance Corporal Musa Adamu, a personnel of the Amphibious Training School was att

Osun poly lecturers protest rector’s suspension Members of the Academic Union of Polytechnic, Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, on Tuesday, staged a protest at the entrance to the institution, demanding the reversal of the suspension of the Rector, Dr. Tajudeen Odetayo. The suspension of Odetayo, who was appointed Rector in March this year, was contained in a letter signed by Mr. A. Jimoh, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education. The letter suspending Odetayo dated July 11, 2023, a copy of which was obtained in Osogbo on Monday, partly read, “You are hereby suspended as the Rector of Osun State Polytechnic, sequel to the strong allegations of financial recklessness, corruption, misappropriation of funds, abuse of office among others. “You are to proceed on suspension immediately, while investigation into the allegations levelled against you commences soon.” Appointed the sixth substantive Rector of the polytechnic by the immediate past governor of the state, Adegboyega Oyetola, Odet

Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, announcing the approval of payment of N5 billion in promotion arrears Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, made an unscheduled visit to the Professor Chike Edozien Secretariat in Asaba, announcing the approval of payment of about N5 billion in promotion arrears to Delta State workers.  The payment will be made in three installments from August to October 2023. The Governor fulfilled his promise to the workers, which was made prior to the Governorship election. He urged the workers to remain dedicated to their duties and emphasized his commitment to the welfare of all Deltans.  The State Head of Service expressed gratitude for the Governor's approval and visit.  

Buhari, Emefiele, Isa Funtua, Abba Kyari masterminded my 2019 DSS ordeal – Sowore Sowore alleged that former President Muhammadu Buhari, the embattled former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, Abba Kyari, and Isa Funtua were behind his ordeal with the Federal Government. He disclosed this while reacting to the rearrest of Emefiele by the Department of State Services (DSS). Tweeting, Sowore said a third party Emefiele sent to him while in DSS custody in 2019 exposed those behind his ordeal. According to Sowore: “The lawless DSS again! What a show of shame! When the DSS abducted me in court in front of Abuja Federal High Court Judge in 2019, then @cenbank Gov. @GodwinIEmefiele sent a fellow to me that I haven’t seen anything yet. “The fellow opened up to me that my plight was being managed and funded between Emefiele, Isa Funtua and @MBuhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari. Today, the DSS is disgracing itself publicly as a lawless organization.”  

We Will Not Delay Payment of July Salaries – FG Vows Madein made this known during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja   The Federal Government has vowed to pay July 2023 salaries for civil servants without delay.   FG made the pledge through the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein on Tuesday.   Madein made this known during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja.   Recall that there were delays in the payment of May and June 2023 salaries.   Clarifying the situation, Madein noted that the delay in the May and June 2023 salaries was due to some bottlenecks beyond the control of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation. She however noted that modalities had been put in place to ensure that salaries were paid as and when due.   She said, “For May and June, we encountered some difficulties beyond our control but I can assure you that everything has been put in place to ensure that July 2023 salaries are not delayed and will be paid

Jaye Lo: Davido’s video didn’t lynch Deborah over blasphemy — Soyinka Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has weighed in on the request by some Muslims that the popular Afrobeat artist, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, apologise over an alleged offensive video clip posted on his social media pages last week, describing it misplaced priority. Recall that the DMW owner had posted a 45-second long video clip of his signee, Logos Olori’s new song, ‘Jaye Lo,’ on Friday, July 21, promoting the song ahead of the official release. The video caused controversy as it portrayed men dressed as praying mallams, dancing in front of a mosque in a scene, rather than engaging in prayer. Tribune Online reports that the ‘Fem’ crooner, after coming under heavy criticism, bowed to pressure and deleted the video on Monday. While weighing in with his view on the controversy, Soyinka in a letter released Tuesday and titled “Davido Video,” said focusing on Davido’s video at the expense of other importa

Drama In Senate Over Oshiomhole’s ‘Looting Comment’ There was a mild drama in the Senate on Tuesday morning during plenary session as a lawmaker representing Ogun West Senatorial District in the 10th National Assembly (NASS), Solomon Adeola, accused his colleague from the Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole, of alleging on live television that Senators in the 9th NASS looted their offices, carting away office furniture and equipment. Adeola said Oshiomhole breached the privilege of his office and demanded that he tenders a public apology to the 10th Senate. Adeola explained that the procedure is clear that at the end of every Assembly, lawmakers are to sign for every item in their offices before they are taken out, maintaining that no Senator looted their offices in the 9th Assembly. He asked Oshiomhole, a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to explain why he made these allegations on live television without confirmation. The Senate Chief Whip,

Subsidy pain: Labour talks tough, ASUU, protesters condemn relief plans The groaning occasioned by the removal of the fuel subsidy grew louder on Monday as the  Nigerian Labour Congress said it was ready to fight the economic pains and hardship caused by the Federal Government’s decision. Also, university workers under the aegis of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, the University of Lagos chapter of the  Academic Staff Union of Universities, Congress of University Academics and protesting members of the Edo Civil Society Organisations lamented the subsidy removal and it attendant pains. The varsity unions decried the situation, saying the subsidy was ’unintelligently removed.’ The National Assistant Secretary, NLC, Chris Onyeka, said the Central Working Committee of the congress would hold an important meeting today and take a position. He said all issues around the suffering of the masses because of the recent price hike in PMS price would be addressed at the meet

Kidnapped Ajinomoto Logistics Personnel Found Dëad On Farmland In Lafia  Kidnapped logistics personnel with Ajinomoto, a popular food seasoning and favour enhancer in Nigeria, Mr Emmanuel Tegwi has been found dëad. Mr Tegwi who resides at Ombi II area (Kwandare road) of Lafia the Nasarawa State capital was kidnapped by unknown gunmen on Sunday July 23 around 10pm.  Hours after the abduction by yet-to-identified gunmen, his lifeless body was found on a farmland.  According to sources, he was shot dead by his assailants and corpse dumped at the farm near his residence.  Until his demise, the deceased who hails from Irigwe (Miango), Bassa LGA of Plateau State worships at the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Goodnews, Lafia (GRA).  The Spokesperson of the Nasarawa State Police Command, DSP Ramhan Nansel could not confirm the incident as efforts to reach him proved abortive.  

Emefiele: You must apologise to Nigerians – Oby Ezekwesili dares DSS Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has called on the Department of State Services, DSS, to apologise to Nigerians over the case of Godwin Emefiele, suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. Ezekwesili said DSS took Nigerians for a ride over the charges leveled against Emefiele. She wondered why the secret police would charge Emefiele for illegal possession of firearms. Tweeting, the former minister said despite the damages of the monetary policies, DSS only charged Emefiele for illegal possession of firearms. According to Ezekwesili: “@OfficialDSSNG must immediately apologize to Nigerians for daring to take citizens for a ride on this Emefiele’s court case. Imagine. “So after all the monetary policy damage his boss @MBuhari and the former @cenbank committed against the Nigerian economy and people, it is for “illegal possession of firearms” that State Security charged him to court. Nonsense.”  

POLICE SWIMMERS LEAD TEAM NIGERIA ATHLETES TO WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPSz 2023 As IGP Charges Police Athletes to Improve on Performance.  The duo of PC Collins Obi and W/PC Dorcas Eworo, along with two other swimmers, are Nigeria's representatives to the 2023 World Aquatics Championship currently underway at Fukuoka - Japan. The Police swimmers have put up an exceptional performance for Nigeria at the 2022 edition of the African Aquatics Championship, winning a combined Sixteen (16) Medals for Nigeria, a feat which resulted in Nigeria emerging 2nd overall at the Continental Event. Equally, the police swimmers were the only athletes to represent Nigeria at the 2022 World Aquatics Championship in Budapest - Hungary, where they had narrow misses of podium finish. PC Collins Obi is a two-time and current beneficiary of the World Aquatics Federation (FINA) Scholarship Programme ongoing in Kazan - Russia, while W/PC Dorcas Eworo is hopeful of improving on her performance in order to ma

Ag. IGP RELAUNCHES POLICE-VGS QERRS, URGES NIGERIA RESIDENTS TO EMBRACE APP FOR ALL EMERGENCIES The Acting Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, was joined by dignitaries at the IGP Smart Conference Hall, Louis Edet House, Force Headquarters, Abuja, for the unveiling of the Police-VGS Quick Emergency Reporting and Response System (QERRS), a smart policing initiative aimed at revolutionizing police response to emergency and ensuring swift and efficient action in critical situations. The Police-VGS QERRS is an application that has been modeled to ensure prompt response and referral in the event of emergencies such as accidents, natural disasters, medical emergencies, criminal incident reporting, intelligence sharing, etc. With the swipe of a button on a phone emergency notifications will be sent directly to a dedicated team of police operatives who will ensure a swift, live, and coordinated response to reach in the shortest possible time. The Police-VGS ap

DSS Re-arrest Emefiele After Going Physical With NCS Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), on Tuesday, re-arrested suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, after a tussle with officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS). Emefiele’s re-arrest occurred on the premises of a Federal High Court in Lagos sitting in Ikoyi after Justice Nicholas Oweibo admitted the embattled and suspended apex bank chief to bail in the sum of the N20m. The judge also ordered that Emefiele be remanded at the correctional center pending the fulfillment of the bail conditions. However, there was a little brawl between DSS and NSC officers on who will keep Emefiele, after which DSS made away with the former Central Bank governor against Court's order. Watch video below. 

Senate postpones announcement of Tinubu’s ministerial list to Wednesday The Senate has postponed the announcement of President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial list to Wednesday, July 26, 2023. The majority leader, Senator Bamidele Opeyemi moved the motion to postpone the announcement without explanation during the Senate plenary on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Senator Simon Davou Mwadkwon, the Senate’s minority leader seconded the motion to postpone the announcement to the next legislative date. The President is reported to have submitted the ministerial list to the Senate last week but the Senate allegedly delayed the announcement due to some changes being effected on the list.  

Sit-at-home ban: Enugu govt gives tough conditions to reopen sealed businesses The Enugu State Government, on Tuesday, announced that all the shops and businesses sealed for not opening on Mondays, would remain closed for one week. Magic FM reports that the State Government yesterday, Monday, made real its threat to seal any business outfit that complied with the regular Monday sit-at-home. In a statement signed by Professor Chidiebere Onyia, Secretary to the State Government, the government said the affected shops would not be considered for re-opening until the owners produced tax clearance certificates and other relevant documents. Onyi said, “The Enugu State Government wishes to commend civil society organisations and residents that took ownership of government’s ban on illegal sit-at-home orders by embarking on peaceful demonstrations in the capital city yesterday. Government commends the participants for their peaceful conduct throughout the demonstrations. “In previous announcem

Abia LG workers protest non-payment of salary Two lanes of Bende road junction in Umuahia were blocked on Tuesday morning as members of staff of Umuahia North LGA of the State staged a protest over alleged non-payment of their salaries. This is even as the State government has advised the LGA staff to approach their respective banks to access their money. The aggrieved staff, who barricaded the Bende road tower junction during the protest, alleged that they had not received their three months salaries, which according to them, had left them in hunger and financial distress. They appealed to the Abia State government to pay them their salaries while also declaring that they are not ghost workers. The workers, who locked the main gate to the local government secretariat, vowed not to reopen it until a senior staff of the State government came to address them. They further said they were always ready to present themselves for biometric or physical verification to confirm that they were ge

𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗧𝗼 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗘𝘇𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗯𝗼 𝗕𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 A Lagos State High Court presided over by Justice Yetunde Adesanya will today hear an application for bail filed in favour of Chief Frederick Nwajagu, Ezendigbo of Ajao Estate, who has been in detention since early April due to issues relating to the 2023 General Elections. Foremost human rights activist, Mr. Chino Obiagwu SAN and Mr. Emeka Etiaba SAN will argue the application on behalf of Chief Nwajagu. Nwajagu was arrested following a midnight raid on his Lagos residence by operatives from the Nigeria Police and Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged threat to invite Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to protect Igbos living in Lagos from political assaults and electoral violence arising from the 2023 Elections. Nwajagu was docked on April 5, 2023 before a Magistrate’s court on two counts of conspiracy and conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace

"TALKING STAGE STARTED IN JSS2" - MAN MARRIES SCHOOLMATE AFTER 16 YEARS OF DATING 25th July, 2023      According to Akpan, he met his now wife in Junior Secondary School, when they began their chatting stage, and they also became schoolmates in secondary school. Akpan and the lady eventually married after sixteen (16) years of dating in a magnificent traditional ceremony. He went on to say that when they first met, she was in JSS1 and he was in JSS2. Akpan announced the news on Twitter, along with pictures from their traditional wedding and how it all started. He wrote; “Talking stage that start in js2. It ended in Joy. Till infinity and beyond. I love you baby.”  

“BE AMBASSADORS OF CAMPAIGN AGAINST DRUG ABUSE” -  LAGOS FIRST LADY URGES STAFF The First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs.) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu has challenged her personal aides, security personnel, civil servants and other staff attached to her office to be ambassadors on “Misuse or Illicit Use of Drugs" by educating members of society on the dangers inherent in drug-related abuses. The wife of the Governor gave the charge on Monday during an in-house training organised by the Office of the First Lady held at Lagos Banquet Hall, Alausa, Ikeja, with the theme: “Misuse or Illicit Use of Drugs Among the People".  Mrs. Sanwo-Olu stated that it is essential for the staff of the office to propagate the message of adhering to Doctors’ prescriptions and the importance of always seeking medical advice within their sphere of influence to reduce the incidences of abuse and misuse of drugs among the populace. She said: “The Office of the First Lady always plays a lead role in the