The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organization, Afenifere, on Thursday declared its support for theplanned August 1 nationwide protest against President Bola Tinubu.

Afenifere’s Publicity Secretary, Justice Faloye, however, said the body would not be part of the protest.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Faloye warned against violence during the nationwide protest.

According to Faloye: “Afenifere is not planning to be part of the protest but we support the fundamental human rights of Nigerians, however, we have been warning against the hardship. You can’t tell a hungry man not to wait.

“Afenifere has been saying we need economic and political restructuring of this country; but all we have is palliative, which are superficial moves.

“We acknowledge their rights, we saw this, but you, the government, don’t want to take responsibility for your economic policies. Tinubu imposed the 10 days of rage on himself due to his policies. It’s not that we support the protest, but we understand that it’s an organic reaction.

“We support anybody who wants to support the protest against government policies, which we understand are anti-people.

“We don’t support violence but peaceful protest to voice your concerns, in most cases; it’s not the people that are the problem but the government and the political thugs that are the issue. We support the protest.”

Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has appealed to residents of Abuja not to partake in the planned nationwide protest against hardship.

Wike made the appeal while interacting with residents after he inspected the ongoing construction of a 5-kilometre access road to Saburi 1 and 2 in Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, in Abuja on Thursday.

Some unidentified Nigerians have planned to embark on a peaceful protest over hunger and insecurity in the country beginning on August 1.

However, the minister said that President Bola Tinubu is aware of the concerns of Nigerians and is working hard to address the challenges.

Describing the current hunger and suffering as a temporary situation, the minister said that the ongoing reforms and policies would soon yield the desired results.

He alleged protest is being organized by some politicians in a bid to destabilize Tinubu’s administration.

Nollywood actress, Caroline Hutchins has lamented over the increase in the prices of foodstuffs in the country.

In an Instagram post, the thespian stated that she was saddened after a visit to the Sunday market in Ogba, Lagos State.

Recounting her ordeal, Caroline questioned how Nigerians are coping with the expensive food items, stressing that a tuber of yam is being sold at N10,0000, a paint bucket of potatoes at N9,000, a bag of rice at N85,000, and two pieces of Titus fish at N5,000.

Caroline added that she was very sad about the development, noting that she was not so keen on pricing in the market.

She wrote, “I went to Sunday market yesterday, I used to go there with my grandma, nostalgic. Hmmm. How are you all coping? A tuber of yam 10k, a small paint bucket of potatoes 9k, a bag of rice 85k, avocado pear 1k/1.5k (the woman wasn’t smiling before I asked for a discount). Two pieces of Titus Fish 5k. How are you all coping? I was soooo sad I started shopping for my domestic staff inclusive. How are you all coping? I wasn’t so keen on pricing in the market; I just felt bad for the masses.

“Everything is expensive. It is well with us. Just want to take the time to check up on you all today. Maybe we need group sessions for mental and emotional therapy; I am willing to start it up with some of you…

“Sending you all big hugs. The sun will soon shine on us all.”

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray disclosed that the gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13 had performed a troubling Google search about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy just one week before the shooting.

The FBI said it was still working to determine the motive behind 20-year-old Thomas Crooks' actions, which resulted in the death of one attendee and injuries to Trump and two others, CBS News reports.

Despite gaining access to Crooks' electronic devices, including his cellphone, investigators have yet to uncover any significant information regarding his motive or ideology.

Wray's testimony highlighted the complexity of the case, as authorities strive to understand the reasoning behind Crooks' violent actions. The investigation remains ongoing, with the FBI exploring all possible leads to shed light on this disturbing incident.

A chilling discovery was made on a laptop linked to Crooks. A search history revealed a disturbing query made on July 6, exactly one week before the Pennsylvania rally: "how far away was Oswald from Kennedy?"

This eerie search suggests Crooks may have been drawing inspiration from the infamous assassination of President John F. Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963.

Oswald fatally shot Kennedy from a sixth-floor perch at the Texas Schoolbook Depository in Dallas, with the Warren Commission later determining the distance between the two to be approximately 265.3 feet at the time of the deadly shot.

This striking search term stands out as a significant finding in the investigation, potentially offering a glimpse into Crooks' motivations or mindset leading up to the attack. As authorities continue to probe the circumstances surrounding the shooting, this haunting query raises more questions about the influences and intentions behind Crooks' actions.

Crooks fired shots from a rooftop approximately 400 feet away from the target.

The gunfire struck Trump in the ear and injured rally attendees.

According to FBI Director Christopher Wray's testimony at Wednesday's hearing, Crooks wielded an AR-style rifle and left behind a trail of evidence, including eight spent bullet cartridges found on the roof.

A really heartbreaking video has emerged online, showing a teenage Nigerian boy who is living a very hard life at the time.

The video showed the boy from the Barnawa community in Kaduna State, who is forced to gather grass meant for livestock as food for his family due to extreme poverty.

The boy, who is estimated to be between 12 and 16 years old, is seen carrying a sack of grass from a farm. In his testimony, he reveals how his family has resorted to consuming grass due to unbearable hardship, highlighting the dire circumstances faced by his household.

The boy who spoke in Hausa language explained, “We prepare the grass with Maggi (seasoning cube) and groundnut cake (known as Kulikuli). It can be eaten alone or with these ingredients.” 

The teenage boy shared that his family has been forced to rely on grass as a substitute for food because they can no longer afford staple meals like spaghetti or rice.

In a poignant plea, he urged the government to intervene, saying, “We need palliative measures to help us and others survive Nigeria’s harsh economy.”

His words highlight the devastating impact of poverty on vulnerable families and the need for urgent support.

On Wednesday, July 24, the Delta State Police Command, paraded four suspects arrested for working with kidnappers to collect ransom from kidnap victims.

Parading the suspects at the state police command in Asaba, the state capital, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said the arrested suspects sent their account details to kidnappers and after the victims paid the ransom, the suspects deducted between 15% and 40% as their share and then sent the balance to the kidnappers.

The suspects are Chimerije Joshua Nwakpa, from Ebonyi State; Eze Levy Onyekachi, from Enugu State; Ezemma Maxwell Nnadozie, from Enugu State and Emmanuel Otubo, from Ebonyi State.

Interrogated by Edafe, Nwakpa said he was contacted by Nnadozie who communicated with the kidnappers to provide his account details and that ransoms were paid for three kidnap victims.

According to Nwakpa, the first ransom paid to his account was N3.6 million; second ransom was N4.3 million while the third ransom was N200,000.

He said that his share from the N3.6 million ransom was N530,000 which is 15% of the total amount.

He said after deducting his percentage, “I sent the balance to Maxwell who then sent it to them,” adding that he had known Nnadozie for about two years.

Asked if Maxwell told him that the money being sent to his account were ransoms from kidnap victims, Nwakpa said yes.

He said they used their shares of the ransoms to build a cryptocurrency website that they wished to use for internet fraud.

Asked how he got to know the kidnappers he worked with, Nnadozie said, “Ifesi (one of the kidnappers) and I were living in the same street at Oduke in Onitsha (Anambra State) when we're small.

“Now, I don't know where he is living but he contacted me in April to send him an account number where the ransom would be paid.”

He said that after deducting their own share, he would withdraw cash through POS and give it to the kidnappers.

The police spokesperson called on residents of Delta State to be bold to report any crime or suspicious activities in their areas to the police, whether before, during or after it has happened.

Veteran Nigerian actors Binta Ayo Mogaji and Ajibola Dabo used to be lovers, and they share a son together.

In an interview that has made its way to social media, Ayo Mogaji recounted how she had the mindset of adopting a child if she didn’t give birth by age 40.

The movie star who later gave birth to her only child and son 6weeks before she clocked 40 and with one fallopian tube said she was in an unstable romantic relationship with Jibola Dabo.

They dated intermittently while he was in the country and after he left they kept in touch for a while.

When Jibola got back to Nigeria, the duo stayed in touch, rekindled their relationship at some point and started living together, which led to the pregnancy and birth of her only child.

Binta maintained that Jibola Dabo never wanted to be married, which he made clear from the onset of their relationship.

Ayo Mogaji further stated that they lived together until their child was two but had their differences, so they had to part ways.