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 Don’t allow anybody drag you into politics – Senate president Akpabio urges Davido Senate president, Godswill Akpabio has urged the famous Afrobeat singer, Davido not to allow anyone drag him into politics. Akpabio gave the cautionary advice in Abuja on Monday during the singer’s courtesy visit. Receiving Davido, Akpabio expressed his delight and commended the musician for making the country proud. “For me and for the government of President Bola Tinubu, it’s an inclusive administration, and you must have noticed in my various outings, that we move as one across party lines. “Even though your administration is a PDP, one thing that is common to all of us is the interest of this country. And it is a country that has given you so much love. “The country’s population is unmatched anywhere else in Africa, over 240 million Nigerians. So I urge you to remain a great Ambassador of our country. Continue to do your best in the entertainment industry and don’t allow anybody to drag you into...

 Florida man on the run from police for 2 months found hiding in clothes dryer: 'Tumble-ready' A Florida fugitive on the run from the law for nearly two months was taken into custody on Friday after he was found hiding inside the drum of a home's clothes dryer. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said 31-year-old David Jerome Jackson was wanted on charges of firing a gun into a dwelling, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, damage to property and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, for an incident on March 15, 2024. On Friday, deputies received a tip that Jackson was inside a house on Edgewater Drive in Pensacola and they were issued a warrant to execute at the residence. Deputies executed the search warrant and entered the home to look for Jackson. After an extensive search, deputies entered the laundry room and discovered Jackson folded up inside a "remarkably small dryer drum," the sheriff’s office said, adding the look on his face was "a co...

 NYC mayor considering rescinding Diddy's 'Key to the City' after video of alleged hotel beating goes viral New York City Mayor Eric Adams said his administration was "taking everything under analysis" when asked if he would rescind the Key to the City awarded to Sean "Diddy" Combs amid abuse allegations. Combs was presented the key on Sept. 15, 2023, the same day that he released his first studio album in 17 years, Fox New York reported. He has since apologized after a video went viral showing him beating his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a Los Angeles hotel during a 2016 altercation.  "It's so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life. Sometimes you got to do that. I was f----- up. I mean I hit rock bottom. But I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable," he said in a self-recorded message last week. In a Monday interview with WPIX-TV, Adams said he was "deeply disturbed" when he saw the video...

 2024 showdown: Trump tops Biden in April campaign cash dash With five and a half months to go until the November election, former President Donald Trump enjoys the edge over President Biden in many national polls and surveys in the key battleground states that will likely decide their 2024 rematch. And in April, for the first time, Trump also enjoyed the lead in monthly fundraising. The president's campaign announced on Monday evening that they and the Democratic National Committee hauled in over $51 million in fundraising last month.  That's significantly less than the $76 million that the former president and the Republican National Committee raised in April, according to an announcement earlier this month. "@TeamTrump and the RNC outraised Biden by $25 MILLION in April!" the RNC touted in a social media post. The fundraising totals are a switch from March, when Biden and the DNC brought in roughly $90 million compared to $65.6 million for Trump and the RNC. Biden ...

 Fashion Designer found deceased with scarf wrapped around her neck. Police in Brooklyn were called to the home of 50-year-old Svitlana Indelicato at around 5 a.m. on Thursday May 16th. According to reports the call was placed by her husband who claimed he had found her unresponsive inside a room in their Bensonhurst home. When first responders arrived on the scene they said "Svitlana had a scarf around her neck". She was pronounced deceased at the home. NYPD said she had suffered trauma to her neck.  No arrests have been made at this point. Svitlana designed hand bags, scarves and shawls. She primarily worked with wool, silk and other natural fibers. Her bags were sold on her Etsy Shop VitalTemptation and her scarves were sold on ScarfObsession. Our thoughts are with her family.

 Rivers crisis: Fubara submits fresh commissioner-nominees to House of Assembly Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara has presented a list of commissioner-nominees to the House of Assembly. The nominees are expected to go through screening and get approval of the lawmakers. They are scheduled to undergo screening today, Tuesday, by the Assembly members loyal to the governor. Recall that some of the commissioners loyal to the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, resigned their positions following the breakdown of the President Bola Tinubu peace accord. Among them are the commissioners for education and housing, Professor Chinedu Mmon and Gift Worlu, respectively, who cited a toxic working environment as reason for their actions. One more photo below.

 TROOPS APPREHEND 6 KIDNAPPERS, DECLINE 2 MILLION NAIRA BRIBE IN TARABA STATE In a significant operation on 19 May 2024, troops of 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/Sub Sector 3 OPERATION WHIRL STROKE (OPWS) have successfully captured 6 suspected kidnappers in separate operations carried out within Taraba State. Acting on a tip-off, troops from the 93 Battalion Sub-Sector 3B OPWS, stationed at Forward Operating Base Wukari, carried out a well-planned raid in Chinkai Village of Wukari Local Government Area. This raid led to the apprehension of two individuals identified as Usman Gide Ali, aged 25 and Abdulrahaman Amadu, aged 28. The suspects have been on wanted list of the security agencies for their involvement in multiple kidnappings in Wukari and its surroundings. Upon their arrest, the suspects attempted to bribe the troops with 2 million Naira for their release. However, the soldiers staunchly refused the bribe, underscoring their dedication to justice and integrity. The suspects were al...

 An Alabama grandmother lost her life rushing children to safety after someone opened fire on a Mother's Day party she was hosting. 64-year-old Gloria Crews, lost her life on Sunday, May 12th, in front of the grandchildren she was trying to protect. According to reports, this wonderful woman who was helping raise her 6-year-old nephew and was her 84-year-old mothers primary caregiver, was hosting a celebration which included several generations of her family. As the family was enjoying each other's company; outside, an unknown assailant opened fire. This grandma sprang into action never once thinking of herself, her only mission was to get the children inside. Sadly she was struck by a round. Montgomery PD and first responders arrived at the scene around 7 p.m. Unfortunately they were unable to revive this heroic grandmother. According to her family she worked 3 jobs to help support her family and "didn't have a bad bone in her body". There have been no arrests ma...

 NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION IKEJA BRANCH HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE (School Outreach) Declares ZERO TOLERANCE FOR CHILD ABUSE SPEAK OUT DATE: 22ND & 23RD, MAY 2024 VENUE: IKEJA JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL AND IKEJA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL TIME: 12NOON. 1. THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA 1999 2. THE CHILD RIGHTS ACT, 2003 3. THE CHILD'S RIGHTS LAW OF LAGOS 2015 4. VIOLENCE AGAINST PERSONS (PROHIBITION) ACT 2015 5. LAGOS STATE LAW TO PROVIDE PROTECTION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND OTHER CONNECTED PURPOSE (2007) All Nigerian children have the following duties/responsibilities DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES OF A CHILD Every Child in Nigeria has the following duties and responsibilities: a. A duty to assist parents b. Aduty to work towards the cohesion of their families c. A duty to obey and respect parents, people in authority and elders. d. A duty to live peacefully with others e. A duty to place their intellectual and physical capabilities at the service of the state and contribute pos...

 Court Jails Man for  Internet Fraud  in Port Harcourt Justice S. D. Pam of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has convicted and sentenced one Daniel Walter Anga to prison for internet fraud.  He was prosecuted by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a one-count charge of  impersonation. The charge reads: "That you, Daniel Walter Anga on or about 21st February, 2024, at Port Harcourt, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did fraudulently impersonate Hudson Cole a white male Veteran military officer with intent to gain advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (i) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition,Prevention) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same section of the Act." He pleaded "guilty" when the charge was read to him, following which prosecution counsel, I. Agu, tendered some documents in evidence and called a witness, ASE 1, Yahaya Yus...

 Contractor Admits Receiving N2.17b from Office of NSA for no Project   A contractor, Olugbenga Obadina who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for receiving payments from the Office of the National Security Adviser, (NSA) on November 28, 2015 without any contractual agreement on Monday, May 20, 2024 told the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba that the payments made to his company, Almond Projects Limited, was neither meant for installation of power plant in Yobe State nor for any power project whatsoever in the state. Obadina and his company, Almond Projects Limited, first and second defendants respectively, are being prosecuted by the EFCC on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, official corruption and money laundering to the tune of N2, 17,190,000 (Two Billion, Seventeen Million, One Hundred and Ninety Thousand Naira), being payment they allegedly  received from the Office of the National Se...

 Netanyahu compares ICC arrest warrant request to anti-Israel protests: ‘What the new antisemitism looks like’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the International Criminal Court’s decision to pursue arrest warrants against him and his defense minister are the latest examples of "what the new antisemitism looks like."  Netanyahu is speaking out for the first time Monday after ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said his office has "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leaders committed "war crimes and crimes against humanity" during the war in Gaza.  "As the prime minister of Israel, I reject with disgust the Hague prosecutor's comparison between democratic Israel and the mass murderers of Hamas," Netanyahu said in a video message translated from Hebrew. "This is a complete distortion of reality. This is exactly what the new antisemitism looks like. It has moved from the campuses in ...

 3 dead including child after Amtrak train plows into car on tracks in New York Three people, including a 6-year-old, perished after an Amtrak train hurtled into their car in upstate New York on Friday night.  First responders extricated the passengers of a vehicle crushed by the northbound train, North Tonawanda Professional Firefighters Local 1333 wrote in a press release. Lifesaving measures were unsuccessful, and all three were pronounced dead at the scene.  The victims were a 69-year-old man, a 66-year-old woman and a 6-year-old boy, the North Tonawanda Police Department wrote in a press release. Their identities have not yet been released, and the agency could not be immediately reached for comment at publishing time.  There were no injuries reported among the 21 passengers and crew members aboard Amtrak's No. 281 train, WKBW Buffalo reported. The agency told the outlet the train was headed from New York City to Niagara.  It was not immediately clear why t...

 4 Sri Lankan nationals arrested in India over suspected ties to ISIS India's anti-terror police have arrested four Sri Lankan nationals in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad for suspected links to the Islamic State, police said on Monday. The arrests were made late on Sunday at the city's airport following a tip-off, said Vikas Sahay, the top police officer in Gujarat state where Ahmedabad is located. "Preliminary investigations show they were in contact with a key IS leader known as Abu, who is currently based in Pakistan," Sahay told reporters, giving only one name for the Islamic State leader. The arrested individuals were identified as Mohammed Nusrat (33), Mohammed Nafran (35), Mohammed Faaris (27), and Mohammed Rashdin (43), all residents of Colombo, Sri Lanka, whose foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sahay said the Gujarat Police's anti-terrorism squad found an Islamic State flag in their possession, while analysis of ...

 Alleged Money Laundering: Court Adjourns Mompha's Trial till July 1   Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, May 20, 2024, adjourned the trial of Ismaila Mustapha, (a.k.a Mompha) till July 1, 2024 just as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, presented its fifth witness,  EFCC, PW5, Ezekoli Ozoemenam, a staff of Fidelity Bank Plc.   The Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had on January 12, 2022 arraigned Mompha alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy to launder funds obtained through unlawful activity, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, laundering of funds obtained through unlawful activity, failure to disclose assets and property, possession of documents containing false pretences and use of property derived from unlawful act.   One of the counts reads: "Ismaila Mustapha, Ahmadu Mohamm...

 UK Regulator Reports Air Peace over Alleged Safety Violation The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority has written Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority stating Air Peace has reportedly violated some aviation safety regulations The development came barely three months after the Nigerian carrier commenced the Lagos-London route. Two mandatory occurrence reports on Air Peace had been reportedly sent to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority. The UK CAA, in turn, forwarded the complaints to the NCAA. The CAA’s letter of complaint forwarded to NCAA was entitled; ‘United  Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report with reference number: CAA-UK, -2024-0217’ and ‘NATS Management System  Safety Report.’ The NCAA has also written to Air Peace to provide clarification on the issues. The letter, with reference number: NCAA/DOLTS/APL/Vol.11/03624 was titled, “United Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report. It was dated May 14, 2024, and signed by the NCAA General Manager of Operations, Cap...

 How I Was Almost Bürñt Alive With My Gäng – Daddy Showkey Veteran Nigerian singer, Daddy Showkey, has recounted how he narrowly escaped being lynched to death alongside his gang in the Ikorodu area, Lagos State. reports that the singer, in a snippet of the upcoming episode of ‘The Honest Bunch’ podcast, said he, alongside his gang, found a gun at a refuse dump in Ikorodu and started using it to terrorise people in the area. However, luck ran out of them on one fateful day as they were caught and almost lynched but were miraculously saved. Daddy Showkey noted if he could attain legendary status despite his turbulent childhood experience, anyone could achieve greatness if they worked towards it. He said: “I was in a gang back in the day. I won’t lie. Some of us found a gun where we used to pick valuables from refuse dump in Ikorodu. We started using the gun to terrorise the area. “One day, when we were out in our usual style, someone saw us and started screaming, ‘thieves, thieves, ...

 Fubara, Wike must work together for Rivers people – Ex-President Jonathan Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan has stressed that Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara and his predecessor, Minister of the Federal Capital Terrritory, Nyesom Wike, must work together for the good of the people of the state. The former President expressed concern over the challenges associated with transition of power in the country. Jonathan spoke as the special guest of honour at an event organized by the Rivers State Government to inaugurate the construction of the Trans-Kalabari Road Project on Monday. The former President stated that while issues often arise during transition of power from one President to another at the national level, they are generally better managed. He stated that it has also become a challenge transiting power from one governor to another. Citing the political crisis in Rivers State as an example, Jonathan advised both the incumbent and immediate past governor to collabor...

 Nnamdi Kanu loses fresh battle on bail, removal from DSS custody Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the request by the detained leader of the Biafra nation agitators, Nnamdi Kanu for the restoration of his revoked bail and the removal from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) to a house arrest or prison custody. The Judge on Monday said that the same request had been brought before her by Kanu but was dismissed for want of merit. In a ruling on Kanu’s request, Justice Nyako said that she found as a fact that Kanu jumped the bail earlier granted him and escaped out of the country. The Judge also held that the sureties who stood for him in the earlier bail had applied to be discharged and had been discharged on the ground that they could not locate Kanu and did not know his whereabouts. Justice Nyako said that the only option left for Kanu was to go to the Court of Appeal and exercise his right of appeal. The Judge disagreed with Ka...

 Edo Govt moves to restore full budgetary allocation to Office of Deputy Governor Five months after the Edo State House of Assembly reduced the 2024 budgetary allocation to the office of the State Deputy Governor to N354.5 million from the initial N1.3 billion, the House has received a letter from the state government to revise the budget. The House received the letter from Governor Godwin Obaseki for the revision of the budget at plenary on Monday. The governor’s letter dated May 16, 2024 was addressed to the Speaker of the House, Blessing Agbebaku. The letter titled, ‘Forwarding of the revised year 2024 Edo State budget’, was signed by Osarodion Ogie, Secretary to the State Government and read by the Clerk of the House, Yahaya Omogbai at the plenary. The letter reads: “I write on the instance of the Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki to forward herewith 30 copies of the Year 2024 Revised Edo State Budget for consideration and approval of the Honourable House.” The revision ...

 Dubai Police Honours Top Emergency Call Handlers and Patrol Officers for Q1 2024 Dubai Police's finest call handlers in the Command and Control Centre of the General Department of Operations and the top patrol officers across police stations for the first quarter of this year were recently honoured for their dedication, efforts in enhancing public safety, and swift response to incidents throughout Dubai.  The honouring ceremony was attended by His Excellency Expert  Major General Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant Commandant for Criminal Investigation Affairs; His Excellency Major General Abdullah Ali Al Ghaithi, Assistant Commandant for Operations Affairs; Brigadier Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah Al Mualla, Director of the General Department of Excellence and Pioneering; Brigadier Turki bin Faris, Acting Director of the General Department of Operations; Colonel Ahmad Al Muhairi, Head of the Control Section; and several other officers. Major General Al Mansouri underscored ...

 NAFDAC Hosts National Workshop to Revamp Export of Regulated Products. NAFDAC, under the leadership of Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, convened a National Workshop aimed at revitalising the export of regulated products. The initiative seeks to foster inter-agency collaboration and public-private partnerships to enhance Nigeria's standing in international commerce. Addressing stakeholders, Prof. Adeyeye highlighted the urgency to address the stagnation in Nigeria's export trade and reverse the trend of rejected exports. Acknowledging the collaborative efforts of government agencies and the private sector, Prof. Adeyeye emphasised the importance of regulatory compliance and global best practices in export trade facilitation. NAFDAC pledges support to compliant exporters through incentives such as technical assistance, subsidised laboratory tests, and expedited certification processes. Additionally, NAFDAC commits to advocating for MSMEs to access financial support opportunities from dev...

 A TWO-YEAR-OLD baby of Chikankata district in Southern Province has been admitted to University Teaching Hospitals (UTHs) nursing pains and bruises on its private parts after allegedly being s*xually abüsëd by her 46-year-old biölogical father.  The tøddler was dëfiǐled when her mother went to church leaving her in the care of her father.  Southern Province police commanding officer Auxensio Daka confirmed the incident, saying Chikankata Police Station received a report of ǐncëst through a phone call.  Mr Daka said Kilian Chipoka, of Hakantu village, reported that Milton Kalinda, of the same area, s*xually äbusëd his two-year-old daughter.

 Make discipline, hardwork, patriotism your watchwords, Marwa charges NMS Boys . Urges them to shun illicit drugs as future of Nigerian military, seeks automatic admission into NDA for graduating boys Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has charged the Nigerian Military School (NMS) boys to always make discipline, hardwork, loyalty, and patriotism their watchwords in all they do throughout the duration of their study in the school and afterwards. Marwa who gave the charge in his remarks as the special guest of honour and reviewing officer of the 70th Foundation Day parade of the military school urged the boys to see the quality of education received in the school as a solid springboard for their future endeavours, even as he warned them against indulging in substance abuse. He noted that the school has made historic  contributions in remolding boys to cater to the manpower needs of the Nigerian...

 State police will deepen internal security – Senate Leader The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele on Monday said creating state police would deepen internal security in the country. Opeyemi said this in a statement in Abuja released by the Directorate of Media and Publicity, Office of the Senate Leader. He said the need for state police was due to the present police system, which he described as “ailing and dysfunctional”. “We must admit that the system can no longer guarantee the dignity of human lives and the security of collective assets considering our security dynamics in the Fourth Republic. “The proposal for the creation of state police has been a subject of intense debate in the last decade or more. “This, in part, can be attributed to the rise of armed attacks orchestrated by diverse interests either pursuing divisive agenda or seeking predatory ends in virtually all geo-political zones,” he said. He said Nigeria, as one of the world’s fastest growing nations in terms of pop...

 Hundreds of students stage walkout from Yale graduation in anti-Israel protest Hundreds of Yale graduates staged a walkout from the university's graduation ceremony in Newhaven on Monday. The protesting students could be seen waving Palestinian flags as well as banners demanding that the college "disclose and divest." Anti-Israel protests have ravaged campuses across the country for weeks, forcing some universities to cancel their end-of-year ceremonies altogether. The student protesters at Yale's event walked out as diplomas were being handed out to graduates. The students also chanted "free Palestine" as Yale President Peter Salovey delivered his address. "It is not enough to retreat into silos alongside those who are already inclined to agree with us. Nor is it effective to ostracize, call out, or shame or silence well-meaning others who do not," Salovey said in his speech. Students also waved Palestinian flags throughout the ceremony. Yale...

 China’s foreign ministry blasts Taiwan inauguration, Philippines standoff in South China Sea China’s Foreign Ministry warned that Taiwan independence was a "dead-end" on the day of the presidential inauguration of the self-ruled island on Monday. "No matter under what name or excuse, pushing for Taiwan independence is doomed to fail," the ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin reiterated at a daily news briefing when asked about the inaugural speech by President Lai Ching-te. In his speech earlier in the day, Lai said China and Taiwan "are not subordinate to each other" and urged Beijing to stop its military threats and intimidation. Lai vowed to continue his predecessor’s push to maintain stability with China while beefing up Taiwan’s security through imports of military equipment from close partner the U.S. Wang also criticized the U.S. for what he called its "distortion" of UN General Assembly Resolution 2857 which endorses Beijing’s seat at the U...