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 Alleged N109bn Fraud:  EFCC Didn’t Promise Former AGF Won’t be Prosecuted -  Witness The third Prosecution Witness, PW3, Abdulhamid Isa Muri, in the ongoing trial-within-trial of the former Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, Ahmed Idris, on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, told Justice Halilu Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Abuja that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, did not promise Idris that he was not going to face prosecution for his N109 billion alleged loot. Muri is a staff of the EFCC whose duties involve intelligence gathering, conducting surveillance, partaking in undercover operations, interacting with informants and any other duty legally assigned by the Director of investigations or Zonal Director of Kano Command. At the resumed proceedings on Tuesday, Muri while narrating how the defendant made his statement voluntarily,  pointed out that the Commission did not make such promises to the defendant. According to ...

 US, European meeting to take place soon to discuss Russian presence in Africa The Middle East Institute has revealed the preparations for an upcoming meeting in Washington, DC, between NATO countries, between July 9 and 11, to discuss the repercussions of Russian presence in Africa. It added that NATO countries have finally begun to pay attention to the continued Russian military and paramilitary presence in African countries, including Libya, especially after it established a new group called the “African Legion". This has now become a reality, to the detriment of western interests in the region.

 PRESS RELEASE GRIEVOUS ASSAULT ON POLICE OFFICER: IGP MIFFED, ASSURES OF PROTECTION FOR OFFICERS’ RIGHTS As Assailant Arraigned in Court, Remanded, Matter Adjourned for Hearing The Nigeria Police Force is deeply concerned about the recent reprehensible and grievous assault on a police officer in Lagos State on Saturday 22nd June, 2024 at Chevron Roundabout, Lekki, Lagos State. The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, has expressed dismay over this incident. The assailant, 47-year-old Oluwaseun Jacobs, a cobbler based in Ajah, has been apprehended, already been arraigned in court on a three-count charge including assault occasioning bodily harm, and conduct likely to cause breech of peace. The case has been adjourned to July 8, 2024 for hearing, while the suspect is currently remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending further legal proceedings. The Inspector General of Police hereby assures all officers of the NPF’s full support in situations...

 #CHIVIDO24: Davido surprises Chioma with SUV on wedding day Award winning artiste, David Adeleke, popularly called Davido, has gifted his newly-wedded wife, Chioma, with a brand new Sport Utility Vehicle. The white SUV with the tag CHIVIDO was unveiled on Tuesday, after the couple received blessings from their parents at their wedding in Lagos. Watch video and more photos below. 

 Hunter Biden's law license suspended following historic guilty verdict  Hunter Biden's license to practice law in the District of Columbia was suspended following a jury finding him guilty in his criminal gun trial earlier this month.   As of Tuesday morning, Biden is "suspended immediately from the practice of law" in D.C., pending a formal proceeding that will determine whether to uphold the suspension. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals E-filing system shows the order was filed on Tuesday.  The Office of the Disciplinary Counsel in Washington, D.C., sent a letter to the D.C. Court of Appeals last week seeking to suspend Biden's license after his guilty verdict on June 11.  The suspension only affects his ability to practice law in Washington, D.C. The D.C. Bar's website still lists Robert Hunter Biden as being in "good standing" and "active" as of Tuesday morning, Fox News Digital found. The page shows he has been licensed to pra...

 Jennifer Garner says she has 'nice kind' of fame: 'It's hard not to like it' Jennifer Garner somehow found a "nice kind" of fame. Garner, 52, and her mom Pat Garner spoke about the attention they have received since debuting their "Pretend Cooking Show" on Instagram. "Well, people are so nice to me, and they're so nice to my mom," Garner explained during an appearance on the "Today" show. "And I think whatever kind of brand – or not brand – whatever kind of fame I have is the nice kind. People just come up to me and want to say hi, and it's as if they know me. They're friendly and lovely to me pretty much always." "It's hard not to like it if you like people," she added after noting that her mom has had the same experience with fame since their show went viral. Garner and her mom opened up about the "13 Going on 30" star's childhood, revealing Pat wasn't really a "dis...

 Venezuelan migrants' barbaric crimes come as Maduro refuses to take back illegal immigrants from US The horrific murder of a 12-year-old girl in Texas, allegedly by two Venezuelan illegal immigrants in Houston, comes amid a continued block by the socialist Maduro regime on deportation flights of Venezuelans from the U.S. Two illegal immigrants, Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, face capital murder charges in the death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray. They are accused of luring her under a bridge, tying her up and killing her, before throwing her body into a river.  An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson said last week that both men are in the country illegally. Martinez was apprehended by Border Patrol in March and Pena was apprehended in May. Both were released on an order of recognizance pending their immigration court hearings.  Their arrivals came after Venezuela in January stopped accepting deportation flights from ...

 Minister Urges Media to Tone Down Terrorism Publicity  Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has urged the media not to yield their platforms to provide publicity for acts of terrorism, which can inadvertently embolden the terrorists and also dampen the morale of the security forces. Idris made the remarks in Abuja on Tuesday when he declared open a two-day training workshop for Defence Correspondents with the theme “Effective Reporting Towards Strengthening Alternatives to Terrorist Ideology”, organized by the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in partnership with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution. “It is not often people who are fighting terrorism are usually acknowledged. It’s important for all of us to know that terrorists are not just fighting a physical war, they are also fighting a psychological war.  “Therefore, it beats my imagination when media managers sometimes subconsciously promote the activities of these terr...

 At least 24 killed by flooding, landslides after heavy rains in Ivory Coast Flooding and landslides in Ivory Coast’s largest city of Abidjan have left at least 24 people dead following a week of heavy rains, four times the usual volume in some cases, authorities said Tuesday, AP reported. Flood-related deaths are not uncommon in the West African nation during the rainy season, but according to the Ivorian meteorological agency, the recent rainfall was particularly violent with more than 200 millimeters (8 inches) in some districts, four times the usual amount in a day. Informal settlements are particularly vulnerable because of poor storm drainage among homes often built quickly without zoning regulations. The flooding and landslides have also caused “significant” damage across the city, flooding houses and roads, said the Ivory Coast National Office for Civil Protection. At least 271 people who were trapped after the rains have been successfully rescued, it said. Officials last y...

 Senate never proposed new aircraft for Tinubu, Shettima, says Akpabio Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, has dismissed a report that the 10th Senate is allegedly proposing that the federal government should procure new aircraft for President Bola Tinubu and his vice, Kashim Shettima. Speaking to newsmen in Maiduguri shortly after leading a delegation to pay a condolence visit to Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno over the death of his father, Akpabio noted that the report is not true. According to a statement by Akpabio’s media office in Abuja, last week, reports filtered in the media that the Senate president commented that the Senate would approve the purchase of new aircraft for the president and vice president irrespective of the fact that Nigerians are hungry. The Senate president said the report was from propagandists and fifth columnists, stressing that the Senate was focused on delivering legislation that would support the actualization of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agen...

 My parents were denied Schengen visa over fear of japa — Ex-envoy’s daughter Bolanle Olukanni, the daughter of Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni, the former Nigerian Commissioner to Australia between 2011 and 2015, has lamented the bastardisation of Nigerian passports by Western consulates over the fear of ‘Japa’. Olukanni said this to X, on Monday, while narrating her parents’ experience when applying for a Schengen visa. According to her, her father who was a retired ambassador who lived in Austria for three years was denied a visa alongside his mum over fear of returning to the country. She wrote, “I just want you guys to know that the Nigeria passport has really been bastardized. My father is a retired Ambassador who lived and served in Austria for three years. “He applied for a Schengen visa alongside my mum, and the Austrian embassy denied their visas. The TV host cum documentary filmmaker also lamented that 30 years of her father’s service to the country as a foreign service offic...

 Why I’m no longer close to Eniola Badmus, others – Funke Akindele Famous Nigerian filmmaker, Funke Akindele has said she’s no longer close to many friends in the industry including Eniola Badmus because of their busy  schedules. The Jenifer Diary producer made this known during her latest interview on Arise TV. While giving insight into her approach to maintaining friendships in the entertainment industry, the actress said she has never had serious friends aside from her siblings. “I think my siblings are my friends. I have people that I’m cordial with, but not serious friendships like that. Because I am always busy with work. And when I am not working, I will be sleeping, watching a movie, chilling with the kids and family. “I like being in my space. I don’t like going to parties. I run a studio, we film every year and we have movies at cinemas and on streaming platforms including content on Youtube. I’m very busy. So I just get busy with work and my children. “I have cordia...

 FG bans single-use plastics in federal MDAs The federal government has announced a ban on single-use plastics across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). Minister of State for Environment, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this to journalists after the Federal Executive Council (FEC), which was presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja. Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, Salako emphasised that this ban aligns with the government’s broader plastic waste management strategy. He said: “This initiative demonstrates our commitment to addressing the triple threat of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution”. The minister highlighted the severity of plastic pollution in Nigeria, describing it as “a major issue in our country.”

 There’s a lot about Chioma we don’t see online, says Queen Mercy Reality TV star, Queen Mercy Atang, has praised Chioma Rowland, describing her as a “real bad girl” who doesn’t need to show off online. Queen highlighted Chioma’s undisplayed fun side as a factor that attracted Davido to her. She added that true “bad girls” are calm, collected, and don’t need to prove themselves on social media. Queen also expressed admiration for Davido’s love for Chioma and declared herself an unabashed supporter of their relationship. “The fun side of Chioma, trust me, there’s a lot about her we don’t get to see online. It’s actually just for Davido so when you ask why Chioma?? My darling, it’s plenty ooh. Purrrrr “P.S, it’s not all about acting all bougie, trying to be a baddie online 24-7, I use to tell my hubby, the real baddies are the quiet, cool, calm, and collected ones. “Good girls are the real baddies. If you know you know stop playing. The difference is…. we do ours offline and for our ...

  Stop merchandising Nnamdi Kanu’s incarceration for selfish gains, Kalu warns …backs calls for a political solution Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu has warned against making merchandise of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s incarceration for selfish economic gain which runs at variance with his wish. Kalu threw his weight behind the recent call by a group of 50 members of the House of Representatives for a political solution to the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Mazi Kalu Nnamdi, but emphasised that the IPoB leader should not be used as a political tool for any political capital. The deputy speaker also applauded the spread of the Lawmakers who wrote the president appealing for the release of Kanu by invoking section 174 of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended) and section 107(1) of the administration of the Criminal Justice Act, 2015. In a statement on Tuesday, signed by his chief press secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, ...

Former Sports Minister Lawal dies at 83 A former Nigerian Minister of Youth and Sports Air Vice Marshal Adebayo Hamed Lawal (rtd) is dead. According to his daughter, Mrs. Yinka Enahoro, AVM Lawal died in his sleep on  Sunday, June 23at his home. He was  83. The Sergeant at Arms at the National Assembly, Air Commodore Sani Zakari (rtd), who also confirmed the ex-minister’s death to the media noted that the funeral was to be held yesterday.  “AVM Frank Ajobena (rtd) further informed us that AVM Bayo Lawal passed on in his sleep at the early hours of Sunday 23 Jun 24,” Zakari said. AVM was born on 14 September, 1941 in Offa, Kwara State. He attended Government College, Ibadan between 1955 and 1962 before joining the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in 1963 among the pioneer officers. Lawal was trained as a Military Pilot in West Germany from where he graduated in 1964. His postings included Commander, NAF Port Harcourt (1969–1970), Commander, Enugu Air Force Base, 1970-72; NAF Kano ...

Fed Govt moves to licence artisans The director general of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, on June 25, disclosed that all artisans in Nigeria no matter the skills should go through data capturing and ensure their businesses are licensed. He said the licencing and data capturing will help the government relate with their businesses and train them, some selected artisans through these processes can be moved to other countries of the world as expatriates. ITF is building a marketplace where artisans are easily accessible while creating a help desk where they can reach out to each other for any form of help. He said the organization has gone around the six geopolitical zones, and interviewed artisans to ensure those that registered so far are not robots. The government regrets that investors will come to invest in the country and still go back to their country to import artisans, which he said has to stop. The DG disclosed this at the inaugural meeting on the impl...

 Makinde reshuffles cabinet Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde, has approved a minor cabinet reshuffle. The reshuffle saw the former commissioner for trade, industry, investment, and cooperatives, Ademola Ojo, move to the ministry of local government and chieftaincy matters.  Ojo is a former chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Oyo State chapter. Hon. Segun Olayiwola, who until the reshuffling was manning the ministry of local government and chieftaincy matters, has been moved to the ministry of establishment and training. The erstwhile commissioner for establishment and training, Adeniyi Adebisi, will move to the Ministry of Trade, industry, Investment, and Cooperatives. The reshuffling is with immediate effect.

 Police fire on protesters as part of Kenya’s parliament is set ablaze Police opened fire on demonstrators trying to storm Kenya's legislature on Tuesday, with at least ten protesters killed, dozens wounded and part of Kenya’s parliament building was set ablaze, in the most direct assault on the government in decades.  The protesters, many of them youth, outmaneuvered police to enter parliament shortly after legislators voted to pass the bill. Lawmakers fled through a tunnel, but protesters allowed opposition legislators who voted against the bill to walk out of the besieged building. The office of the Nairobi governor, a member of the ruling party, was also briefly on fire. The office is located near parliament. Police water cannons were used to extinguish the fire. The Kenya Human Rights Commission shared a video of officers shooting at protesters and said they would be held to account. Tuesday’s protests appeared to be spreading. Protesters burned ruling party offices in Em...

Customs officer dies at Reps investigative hearing  The Deputy Comptroller, Finance Administration and Technical Service of the Nigerian Customs Service, Essien Etop Andrew, is dead. Andrew died at the National Assembly Clinic in Abuja on Tuesday. He was a guest of the Public Account Committee of the House of Representatives where he appeared for questioning on Tuesday in continuation of the ongoing probe of revenue-generating agencies and parastatals of government. While addressing the committee on remittance of levies into designated government accounts, Andrew suddenly paused and said “Sir, I need to take water.” The Chairman of the Committee, Bamidele Salam, responded, “You need to take water, sir? Yes, go ahead! Or if you need tea… Do you need tea?” The customs boss repeated, “I may need to take water,” and then collapsed. The House later announced his death in a statement signed later by the spokesman for the House, Akin Rotimi. The statement read in part, “It is with deep sa...

Updated: Naira Abuse: Import of Court Judgment on Cubana Chief Priest Consequent on the judgment of Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on the terms of settlement of the three-count charges bordering on abuse of Naira notes preferred against Okechukwu Pascal (alias Cubana Chief Priest) by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, it is needful to emphasise that the Commission acted in line with Section 14(2) of its Establishment Act, 2004.  This Section of the EFCC’s Establishment Act empowers the Commission to compound any offence, subject to provisions of Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by  “accepting such sum of money as it deems fit exceeding the maximum amount by which the offender would have been liable if he had been convicted". To this end, the N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) the court fined Cubana Chief Priest far exceeded the N50,000( Fifty Thousand Naira) his offence carries. This is i...

 Sokoto govt denies plot to dethrone Sultan Sokoto government has denied allegations by MURIC that it’s plotting  to depose His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III. The state Commissioner for information and societal reorientation Hon. Sambo Bello  Danchadi in a swift reaction on Tuesday said the state government  has no plan whatsoever to dethrone the revered  monarch, while describing the allegation by MURIC as false and baseless. Sambo explained that the law guiding the appointment and disposition of traditional rulers in the state had not been changed or even repelled. The Executive Director of the Muslim Rights Council MURIC, Prof. Isiaq Akintola, on Monday, raised alarm that, Sokoto state government was plotting to depose His Eminence  the Sultan of Sokoto against the backdrop of the happenings in Kano. MURIC in a statement cited the removal of 15 traditional rulers for various offences. Prof Akintola, in a statement furt...

 NLC Transition Committee Storms Headquarters, Demands Abure’s Resignation Members of the Nigeria  Labour Congress national transition committee, on Tuesday, stormed the headquarters of the Labour Party in Abuja, demanding the immediate resignation of the  National Chairman, Julius Abure. The Acting Chairman of the transition committee, Aduwaheed Omar, led members of the labour union to the secretariat, chanting solidarity songs and calling for the resignation of Abure on grounds that his tenure as the chairman of the party had expired. Newsmen at the scene of the protest noted, that when the officials arrived at the Party’s headquarters, the gates were immediately shut by security officials. However, in an attempt to force their way into the premises, the police fired teargas to dispatch the protesters. Protesters were later heard shouting endlessly at the security men to “open the gate”. One more photo below. 

 Rivers Crisis: Community Women Barricade Airport, Passengers Stranded Women from the Ipo community have blocked the entrance to the Port Harcourt airport. As early as 7:30 am on Tuesday morning, the women from Ipo which is one of the host communities of the airport, blocked the gate at the airport roundabout, waving placards, singing, wailing, and even cooking at the gate. Some of the inscriptions on their banner include ‘We Demand Our Citizens Rights’, ‘Ipo Women Peaceful Protest’, among others. Channels Television gathered that the aggrieved women were trying to get government’s attention to their lack of electricity, good roads, and poor schools despite their community playing host to the airport. As of the time of filing this report, their actions had caused a buildup of traffic as passengers could not access the airport. This is the second time this year that the women are protesting. It would be recalled that they protested on the 27th of March this year, but were pacified b...

 A-list celebrities who were homeless before they made it big Numerous celebrities didn't have a place to call home before reaching worldwide fame and a life of luxury.  With the lavish lives of today's biggest celebs, it's hard to imagine them living any differently.  There are many A-listers who were homeless at some point in their lives before getting their big break. Below are a few of these stars who have publicly spoken about being homeless before finding massive success. Before Jim Carrey became an actor earning millions of dollars for each film he stars in, he was just a kid forced to grow up quickly when his father lost his job.  "When my father lost his job, I was pissed," Carrey said in a 2020 interview with Howard Stern.  His father's job loss forced the family into homelessness.  "One time, for a while, we pitched a tent on my sister's lawn in the country," Carrey said during the interview. "For a while, we went to campsites aro...

 South Korea slams North Korea's trash balloon tactics, threatens return of loudspeaker broadcasts South Korea threatened Tuesday to restart anti-Pyongyang frontline propaganda broadcasts in the latest bout of Cold War-style campaigns between the rivals after North Korea resumed its trash-carrying balloon launches. On Monday night, North Korea floated huge balloons carrying plastic bags of rubbish across the border in its fifth such campaign since late May — an apparent response to South Korean activists flying political leaflets via balloons. In a Tuesday speech marking a Korean War anniversary, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called North Korea’s balloon activities "a despicable and irrational provocation." He said South Korea will maintain a firm military readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea. Later Tuesday, Yoon boarded a visiting U.S. aircraft carrier docked at a southeastern port and told American and South Korean troops there that the two countrie...