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Davido, Burna Boy, others nominated for MTV EMAs inaugural Afrobeats category Organisers of the MTV Europe Music Awards have introduced a brand new category ‘Best Afrobeats’ in its 2023 edition. The category was included in 2023 MTV EMA nomination list, which was made public on Wednesday, September 4th. Mega stars Davido, Rema, Burna Boy, Asake, Ayra Starr and French sensation Aya Nakamura are the category’s inaugural candidates. Rema’s collaborative hit track ‘Calm Down’ with America’s Selena Gomez was nominated in the ‘Best Song’ and ‘Best Collaboration’ categories. Burna Boy, Asake, Tanzanian star, Diamond Platnumz, Cameroonian diva, Libianca, and South Africa’s Tyler ICU were nominated in the ‘Best African Act’ category. Burna Boy was also nominated in the “Best Live Performer” alongside Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd (who now goes by his birth name, Abel Tesfaye), and others. American singer, Taylor Swift led all nominees for the 2023 MTV EMAs with seven nods includ...

Mohbad: Court orders 21-day remand of Naira Marley, Sam Larry Azeez Fashola, known as Naira Marley, and Lagos socialite Balogun Eletu, also recognized as Sam Larry, have been placed in custody by a magistrate court located in the Yaba area of Lagos State, Nigeria. Naira Marley and Sam Larry are to remain in custody for a period of 21 days. Initially, the Lagos State Police Command had requested a 30-day remand for Naira Marley and others involved, presumably for the purpose of completing their ongoing investigation. However, Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun decided that a 21-day remand was sufficient.  

UAE officials in Nigeria for final push to lift visa ban, restart flights A five-member United Arab Emirates (UAE) team is in Nigeria to harmonise positions with Nigerian authorities for the final stage resumption of commercial flights between both countries and issuance of visas to Nigerians. The Nation gathered that the delegation comprising Almannaei Khalid, Janahi Asma, Alshehhu Rasheed, Teo Teck San, and Alhosani Talal arrived in Nigeria on Sunday. A top official of the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in Abuja that the UAE team are already liaising with relevant Nigerian officials on the terms agreed by President Bola Tinubu and Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi during their Abu Dhabi meeting on September 10. The Foreign Affairs official, who did not want his name in print, revealed that some members of the team have already met with relevant Nigerian personnel. He explained that some members of the UAE delegation were mandated to handle all the terms regarding the visa ban w...

Two brothers bag death sentence in A’Ibom over murder Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Essien Udim has sentenced two brothers to death for killing a farmer over a parcel of land. The convicted murderers are; 48 year-old Uduak Udo Umoren, a pastor and motorcyclist locally called “okada” and 34-year-old Emmanuel Udo Umoren, a farmer and panel beater both indigenes of Adiasim Ikot Ekon Village in Essien Udim Local Government Area. They were condemned for the murder of one Iboro Akpan Joe, a 45-year-old farmer and a trader from Ikot Otu also in Essien Udim, when he visited his sister-in-law in Adiasim Ikot Ekon to condole her on the death of her husband. The sister-in-law had asked the deceased to accompany her to her late husband’s farmland to assess how much she could sell it for his burial. It was gathered that, while on the land, the wife of the second convict saw them and called her husband informing him that someone was trying to bury Juju on their family land. On getting to the...

Economic downturn: States borrow N46bn from banks to pay salaries •Access, Fidelity, Zenith lend states N46bn in six months as govs battle poor IGR •Fiscal Responsibility Commission issues guidelines to banks on lending to states, MDAs State governments borrow about N46.17bn from three banks to pay salaries between January and June 2023, according to findings by The PUNCH. The findings were based on an analysis of the half-year 2023 financial statements of Access Bank, Fidelity Bank, and Zenith Bank Group. The PUNCH observed that the states borrowed the most from Access Bank in six months, with a record of N42.97bn loan. It was followed by Zenith Bank (N1.78bn borrowed) and Fidelity Bank (N1.42bn borrowed) within the six-month period. According to the H1 2023 financial statement of Access Bank, the outstanding balance on the salary bailout fund was N58.84bn by June 30, 2023, from N101.81bn in December 2022. “The amount of N58,842,651,795 represents the outstanding balance on the state ...

Naira among Africa’s worst currencies, falls by 40% –W’Bank The Nigerian naira is among the worst-performing currencies in Africa, the World Bank has said. It noted that the currency weakened by nearly 40 per cent against the US dollar since a mid-June devaluation. The global bank explained in its report titled, ‘Africa’s Pulse: An analysis of issues shaping Africa’s economic future (October 2023 | Volume 28).’ It stated that, “So far this year, the Nigerian naira and the Angolan kwanza are among the worst performing currencies in the region: these currencies have posted a year-to-date depreciation of nearly 40 per cent. “The weakening of the naira was triggered by the central bank’s decision to remove trading restrictions on the official market. For the kwanza, it was the decision of the central bank to stop defending the currency as a result of low oil prices and greater debt payments.” Other currencies with significant losses so far in 2023, according to the World Bank, included Sou...

Son cuts off mother’s hands with machete in Ogun A 30-year-old man, Ayobami Oyeleye, is currently in the custody of the Ogun State Police Command for cutting off his mother’s hands with a machete. The suspect was also said to have left a deep cut on the woman’s head. Oyeleye reportedly attacked his 65-year-old mother, Esther, on Tuesday over an unknown argument in Akibo village, the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the state. PUNCH Metro gathered on Wednesday that a noise emanating from the aged woman’s house in the night forced her neighbours to storm out of their houses to find out what was happening. On getting to the house, Esther was found lying in a pool of blood, with her left and right hands cut off and a deep stab to her head. The neighbours were also said to have met Oyeleye standing beside his mother, holding a sharp cutlass. An eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the severity of the incident said Oyeleye also used the cutlass to inflict injuries ...

Teacher’s car crushes pupil to death in Lagos school A 10-year-old pupil identified simply as Rofiat lost her life after a car knocked her down on the premises of her school, Isiu Grammar School, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State. PUNCH Metro gathered on Wednesday that the incident occurred on Friday, September 29. Rofiat was said to have joined her friends on the school playground while preparing for the closing period. After a while, a vehicle parked by a teacher identified simply as Dele some meters away reportedly started to roll backwards towards her direction. The female junior class student who did not notice the oncoming Nissan car got knocked down in the process. A resident of the area said, “We were told that the incident happened around 1pm. The car had been parked there since morning when the teacher arrived. We don’t know how it managed to move from the position. “Meanwhile, Rofiat was backing the moving vehicle. The moment the vehicle hit her, the impact made her hit her...

GOV. SANWO-OLU RECEIVES DENMARK AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA, H.E SUNE KROGSTRUP AT LAGOS HOUSE, MARINA ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2023 l-r: Denmark Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Sune Krogstrup with Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu during a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Marina, on Wednesday, 04 October, 2023.. l-r: Lagos Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr Tunbosun Alake; Commercial Advisor, Danish Embassy, Lagos, Ms Catherine Gernor; Danish Consul General-Lagos, Ms Jette Bjerrum; Denmark Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Sune Krogstrup; Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Secretary to the State Government, Barr Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin; Commissioner for Commerce, Industry, Trade & Investment, Mrs. Folasade Ambrose-Medem; Special Adviser to the Governor on Energy and Mineral Resources, Engr. Abiola Olowu and his counterpart, Office of SDGs, Dr. Oreoluwa Finnih-Awokoya, during a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Marina, on Wednesday, 04 October, 2023. ...

Kogi Guber Campaign: SDP Appeals For Improved Security Ahead November Election The leadership of the Social Democratic party SDP and the MURI/SAM campaign organization have appealed to security agencies to give priority attention to the security situation in the build-up to the November 11 governorship election in Kogi State. They made the call during a media conference on what they described as constant killings and attacks on their party supporters and the recent attacks on the campaign convoy of their candidate, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka at Koton Karfe. The party and its campaign council specifically called on the Inspector General of Police, National Security Adviser and the Director of Department of State Security, DSS, to beam its searchlight on the security of lives and property of the people of Kogi state with just a few weeks to the governorship election. They cited the recent attack on their candidate, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, in Koton Karfe where about four members of the team were ...

 In reply please quote  PRESS RELEASE NPF ARRESTS 2 FOR IDENTITY THEFT, ROMANCE SCAM IN ABUJA As IGP Assures Safer Cyber Space in Nigeria  In furtherance of the matching order of the Inspector-General of Police, Ag. IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D, NPM, to bequeath to Nigerians, a safer cyber space, the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre recently apprehended two individuals involved in criminal conspiracy, identity theft, and romance scams, while efforts are in top gear to apprehend others who are on our radar.  These suspects, namely Jerry Okoye and Ifeanyi Nwosu, both residents of Panasonic Estate in Idu, Abuja, have confessed to their participation in computer-related frauds associated with romance scams and identity theft. Substantial evidence from their electronic devices has shed light on their criminal activities. Jerry Okoye, a former student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), claimed to have been in the music industry since 2016 and o...

Gunmen kidnap five female students in Katsina varsity Gunmen suspected to be bandits, Wednesday morning, abducted five female students of the Federal University, Dutsin-ma (FUDMA) in Katsina State. Newsmen learnt that the students were abducted from their residence situated behind Mariamoh Ajiri Memorial International School, along Tsaskiya road at about 2:30 am. Multiple sources, including staff and students from the university confirmed this to newsmen.  According to one of them, the bandits in their numbers, wielding dangerous weapons, targeted the students’ residence along Tsaskiya road and forcefully kidnapped them. The Katsina State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, also confirmed the abduction. He disclosed that some suspects had been apprehended in connection with the case. He also noted that investigation was ongoing to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident and secure the safe release of the abducted students  

Illegal Adoption : Arrows Of God Children’s Home Founder Handed Over To The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Over Illegal Adoption  By Chidinma Ikeanyionwu Anambra State Women and Social Welfare Commissioner Honourable Ify Obinabo has handed over the founder of Arrows of God Community Children’s Nkwelle 33 Rev D. C Ogo to men of the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for illegal adoption.  This was done following an investigative report by one investigative journalist ‘FISAYO SOYOMBO which made rounds on social media and local television stations alleging that the state ministry of women and social welfare was involved in an illegal adoption of a baby girl alongside one of her registered homes in the state. Addressing the founder of the home in her office in Awka, Hon Obinabo lamented over the bad image Rev Ogo has given the state despite governments numerous efforts to rid Anambra state of corrupt adoption prac...

𝗔𝗻 𝗜𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗕𝗲 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 – 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 Women of Umueje Community in Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest at the Ministry of Women Affairs over alleged imposition of leader on them. The protesters who bore placards with varying inscriptions said the woman, Maria Machi being imposed on them by certain individuals was not qualified to be their leader, as she was not registered member of the association. Some of the placards read, “Maria cannot read or write, she should be disqualified from contesting election”, “Maria is not a registered member of Umueji ASATU women wing”, “Commissioner please save our souls from the hands of families of chidube and Machi. Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Chairlady, Executive Council Committee, Umueje Improvement Union Women Wing, Augustina Obiora said Anthonia Edogo remained their preferred leader, following popular acceptance in ...

𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝟭𝗺 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗿 THE counsel to the detained whistle-blower in Anambra State who accused two senior police officers in the state of organ harvesting, is trading words with a Deputy Court Registrar at the Federal High Court, Awka, over the allegation of N1 million bribe to effect the release of his client. The whistleblower, Daniel Emeh, who is a member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, with the Nigeria Police, was arrested in connection with allegations of a case under investigation by the Force Headquarters in which the police officers were alleged to be involved in human organ trafficking, kidnapping and killing of suspects after extorting them. Emeh, an Information Technology (IT) expert, was also alleged to be impersonating the police officers while serving as a tracker in the Anambra State Police Command. His lawyer, Justus Ijeoma, who has petition...

A Nigerian lady, Amaka Doris, has narrated how her ex-boyfriend, Vene, took back the shop he constructed for her after their breakup. In a video shared online, a truck was seen carrying away the shop, leaving Amaka surprised and hurt.   She expressed her disbelief that Vene would go to such lengths, even though she had expressed her decision to no longer continue the relationship.  She said: “Because I said I’m not doing again guys, my ex-boyfriend went carried the shop he built for me. His name is Vene. When we were dating everything was going well. You opened shop for me, you opened that shop so I can use it to start up something. "So after we broke up he went and hired a truck and carried the shop that he built, he constructed because he didn’t build that thing. Like Vene, even if we broke up, is that something you should do? Like even if I said I’m not doing anymore. To go and take a shop you built for me when things weren’t going well.” Watch video below. 

 Over 90 School Girls Hit By Strange illness In Kenya Medical officials in Kenya are investigating a strange illness that has affected over 90 school girls. The students from Eregi Girls High School, located in the west of the country who are currently receiving treatment complained of difficulty in walking and knee pain. The Regional Director of Education of Kenya’s Ministry of Education, Jared Obiero who visited the school on Tuesday, said the situation was under control. Mr Obiero allayed the fears of the parents, saying classes will continue as normal for other pupils. The Kenya government and public health department have also assured the people that they would treat the affected children. Blood, urine and stool samples from the ill students have been sent to laboratories in Kisumu, a neighboring city, and the capital, Nairobi. Medical reports to determine the cause of the illness are expected later on Wednesday. Watch video below. 

ECOWAS To Establish Youth Parliament The Second Extraordinary Session of the 5th legislature of Economic Community of West African States Parliament, (ECOWAS Parliament) has commenced in Winneba, Ghana with an assurance for the establishment of the ECOWAS Youth Parliament. The session is dedicated to the consideration and adoption of the 2024 Draft Budget of the Parliament. The Speaker of the parliament, Sidie Mohamed Tunis, said key components of the 2024 budget would be directed to supporting women and youth development. “Considering the recent political trends across the region, focusing on youth, in terms of their engagement in an organized forum, is extremely timely and could sway them away from the temptation of engaging in vices that are detrimental to their overall development. With that said, we are fully prepared to promote the establishment of the ECOWAS Youth Parliament. We are convinced that an ECOWAS Youth Parliament could serve as the foundation for youth representation ...

SOKOTO GOVT CONFISCATES EQUIPMENT FROM PASSED GOVT OFFICIALS Over twenty witnesses have appeared before the Sokoto state Commission of Inquiry to give account of what transpired during the passed administration in the state. Speaking to newsmen shortly after the hearing, the council to the commission, Barr. Amazi Amazi Friday said the commission was established to look into the alleged Mismanagement of Sokoto state government funds , assets and property during the passed administration of the state. He noted that the commission was not setup to convict or witch-hunt the witnesses but to ascertain and make inquiries into certain irregularities and activities of some govt. officials during the Passed administration in the state. Barr. Amazi Amazi explained that already, the commission had concluded it's inquiry on the first memorandum which bordered on the activities of the state Ministry for Local Governments last week while the present inquiry borders on the activities of the stat...

Recover N10trn Pension Fund From FG - Reps Direct PenCom House of Representatives has directed the National Pension Commission (PenCom) to recover the N10 trillion loan given to the Federal Government from the nation’s pension fund. The House also resolved to investigate the status of pension fund assets of over N15.5trillion to ensure recovery of the loan.  Adopting a motion by a member from Bauchi state, Aliyu Bappa-Misau, the House urged pension regulators to scrutinize the failure of Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) in fulfilling their obligations on Retirement Saving Accounts. The lawmaker stated that the Retirement Saving Accounts (RSAs) is the lifeline that pensioners rely upon to cater for their needs on retirement. He expressed concern that most pensioners are unable to access their retirement funds, despite complying with the requirements of the scheme.  The Lawmaker added that the inability of pensioners to access their pension has caused untold hardship to them, ...