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Keaiirra Shavoiyae Chidozie, a 28-year-old woman, faces charges after fatally shooting her Nigerian husband four times during a domestic dispute in their residence in the United States. She is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on May 23rd.
Keaiirra shot Michael Chidozie once in the arm, once in the chest, and twice in his torso and left to die on the bedroom floor.
The incident happened in their residence in Houston, Texas on March 21, and Michael died of spinal injury complications.
According to reports, the police found the 26-year-old Micheal in gun wounds and was rushed to Ben Taub Hospital, but died after spending 18 days on life support.
A man has died less than a month after police say his wife shot him multiple times at their apartment in the Galleria area.
Investigators said the shooting was a result of an argument between the couple on March 21.
According to ABC13 Houston news, court documents show the victim’s wife is facing an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge.
It was, however, revealed that the Harris County Clerk’s website reveals the charge has not been upgraded.
It added that Keaiirra is out on bond and awaiting her next court date on May 23.
According to investigators, the two children belonging to the couple witnessed the altercations that led to the shooting.
The children have been delivered to a family for care pending the case of their mother.
The neighbours said they had not experienced the couple having a disagreement before, leaving them in surprise over the issue.
“I never would have thought something like that would happen,” Francis Abah, Michael’s friend, said.
“They were just like every other couple who every now and again had issues, but I was expecting they would work it out,” Abah said.
“But you never saw them be violent towards each other,” ABC13 Houston reporter Alex Bozarjian asked.
“No, not at all,” Abah answered.
Abah said he and Michael became friends in 2018, and that their kids often played together.
“We just envisioned this whole big family get together. It is very tragic. His exit was a painful one,” Abah said.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow, and something he feels didn’t need to happen had the couple sought help.”
At just 26 years old, Michael died from complications at Ben Taub Hospital on April 8, 18 days after he was shot.
The report added that Michael’s family and friends are trying to raise money to send his body back home to Nigeria
A study conducted by invoicing software company, Bookipi, has revealed that Nigerians are among the least expensive freelancers on one of the leading freelancing platforms, Upwork.
Nigeria ranked 18th out of 40 countries studied, charging an average of $163 per job, while freelancers from Colombia, which ranked as the number one least expensive country, charge an average of $73.13 per job.
On the other hand, freelancers from Australia are ranked as the most expensive. According to the report, Australian freelancers charge an average of $594.56 per job.
Other countries
The second least expensive country is Brazil, where the average price of hiring a freelancer was found to be $79.81. In third is Argentina with an average freelancer rate of $80.84 per job. They are also the second cheapest country for a virtual assistant freelancer, according to the report.
Ranking as the fourth least expensive country is Jamaica, with an average rate of $88.63 per job. Venezuela came 5th with a cost of $93.41 per freelancing job.
At the other end of the scale, India follows Australia as the second most expensive, with an average rate of $501.00 per freelancing job, while Morocco ranked third most expensive with an average cost of $402.03.
Economic factor
Speaking on the findings, Tim Lee, CEO and founder of Bookipi, said:
- “Our team members come from various corners of the world – Asia, Africa, Europe, and America and their life stories and experiences contribute to our team’s richness. Working closely together has taught me an immense amount about appreciating different cultures.
- “As a result, we were interested in how these different experiences are reflected through the costs of freelance workers worldwide.
- “Typically, countries with robust economies and high living standards tend to host the most expensive freelancers, which the data reflects by finding Australia as the most expensive freelance country.
- “Although this is true for India, the second country to appear in the ranking, freelancers can command a higher rate thanks to their specialized skills and expertise in industries such as software development, IT services, and digital marketing.
- “We hope this ranking will help empower freelance workers around the world to know their worth and be more confident in fairly pricing their services.”
How the data was collected
Bookipi said it carried out a data scrape of the freelance site Upwork to find which countries are charging the most money for freelancing services. According to the company, 119 countries were initially included in the analysis, but data limitations left 40 countries that could be compared and ranked fairly.
- “This scrape gathered pricing data on freelancer projects that fell into one of the following ten categories: Logo Design, Video Editing, Data Entry, Virtual Assistant, SEO, Social Media Management, Resume Writing, Creative Writing, Web Programming, and Mobile Apps.
- “The starting price and ending price for each project were gathered, and a median price for each project was calculated based on these two figures. The country location of the freelancer who hosting the project was also gathered,” the company explained.
For the overall country ranking, the median price of freelance services was based on a minimum of 10 projects for each country. This was meant to avoid any anomalies. For the category-specific rankings, a minimum of three project listings were used.
[Nairametrics]
Singer Davido has reacted to the N10 million bail granted socialite Pascal Okechukwu, aka Cubana Chief Priest after he pleaded not guilty to alleged naira abuse.
DAILY POST reports that Cubana Chief Priest, who was arraigned before Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on Wednesday, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a three-count charge bordering on abuse of the Naira, was granted bail for N10m with two sureties in like sum after pleading not guilty.
The socialite had taken to his Instagram handle to thank his friends and fans for their concerns shortly after he was granted bail.
He noted that he was humbled by the trial while adding that it has confirmed that he isn’t “small.”
Reacting to his post via the comment section, Davido said it was not possible for Cubana Chief Priest to be jailed, stressing that he could not bear not seeing him for six months.
He wrote, “I no go see u for 6 months ke… Never.”
Recall that Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Lagos, last Friday, sentenced popular crossdresser, Bobrisky to six months in jail without the option of a fine after he was convicted of Naira mutilation.
[DailyPost]
Nigeria’s foreign reserves fell to $32.29 billion on April 15 — the lowest level in over six years.
According to the latest data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), TheCable Index observed that on March 18, the reserves moved from $34.44 billion — the highest level in 2024 — to $32.2 billion on April 15.
The foreign reserves dropped by $2,15 billion or 6.26 percent.
This brings to an end, a period of steady increase between February 5 and March 18, when the FX reserves rose by $1.28 billion.
CBN had attributed the growth to increased remittance payments from Nigerians abroad and heightened interest from foreign investors in local assets, including government debt securities.
The last time the foreign reserves stood at this level ($32.29 billion) was on September 9, 2017, when the CBN reported N32.28 billion.
The decline in foreign reserves comes amid CBN intervention in the parallel market in a bid to crash the FX rate.
On February 27, the apex bank allocated $20,000 to each bureau de change (BDC) operator at the rate of N1,301/$, while the second tranche of $10,000 was sold to the BDCs at the rate of N1,251/$.
On April 8, the apex bank began the third tranche of sales to BDCs at N1,101/$.
Amid this intervention, the naira appreciated against the dollar in the parallel market, moving from N1,900 per dollar on February 21, to N1,100/$ on April 13.
During the same period, the local currency, at the official window, recovered to N1,136.04/$ per dollar, from N1,551.24/$.
[TheCable]
Several passengers were stranded as major flights were disrupted due to a heavy flood that hit the premises of Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.
This was also seen in a viral video seen by SaharaReporters on TikTok showing how several aircraft and passengers were struggling to move due to the heavy flood.
It was gathered that Dubai’s highways were clogged by floodwaters and passengers were urged to stay away from the airport as the glitzy financial centre reeled from record rains.
Several reports claimed that the country witnessed unprecedented rainfall with 254mm (10 inches) falling in Al Ain on Tuesday in less than 24 hours, according to the National Centre of Meteorology. That was the most since records began in 1949, before the country was established in 1971.
Although the torrential rains had subsided by late Tuesday, problems persisted on Wednesday, with Dubai's flagship Emirates airline halting check-in for customers departing Dubai Airport until midnight.
“Flights continue to be delayed and diverted … We are working hard to recover operations as quickly as possible in very challenging conditions,” an airport spokesperson told Aljazeera.
The storms hit the UAE and Bahrain overnight Monday and on Tuesday after lashing Oman, where 18 people were killed, including several children.
Climatologist Friederike Otto, a specialist in assessing the role of climate change on extreme weather events, said it was “highly likely” that global warming had worsened the storms.
Afrobeats singer Yemi Alade has urged fans and followers against poking into the business of others too often.
According to her, if it persists then one automatically becomes their problem.
She advised people not to meddle in other people’s problems because if they do it consistently, they will soon become a problem to the people they’re trying to help.
“Getting too involved in people’s problems will make you a problem in their eyes eventually,” she wrote.
The Nation reported in March, Yemi called out a certain popular blogger for spreading lies about her.
Her outrage was coming following a particular alleged interview she granted going viral.
The post allegedly said Yemi said she was faced with s3xual advances from some men in the industry.
Celebrity businessman Pascal Okechukwu, a k a Cubana Chief Priest has told Federal High Court in Lagos that he has 1000 workers on his payroll while he is also suffering from heart palpitations as a result of his weight
Lawyer to Cubana Chief Priest, Mr Chikaosolu Ojukwu ,SAN, said this while urging the court to grant him bail after he pleaded not guilty to three counts charges bordering an alleged abuse of the Naira currency.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC accused the celebrity businessman of spraying and tampering with the Naira notes during a social event at Eko Hotel in Lagos.
When the case was called on Wednesday, Mrs Bilikisu Buhari, appeared for the prosecution
The defence counsel then first informed the court of a preliminary objection challenging the courts jurisdiction as well as a bail application files on behalf of the defendant.
He informed the court that the prosecution was not opposed to same.
After the charge was read to Cubana Chief Priest, he pleaded not guilty to the charge.
In moving the bail application of the defendant, counsel urged the court to grant him bail on liberal terms .
He told the court that the defendant was admitted by the prosecution following his health condition, adding that due to his weight, the defendant suffers palpitation
Besides, he told the court that the offence with which the Cubana Chief Priest is charged is a misdeamenour and that the prescribed punishment ranges from a fine of N50,000 or an imprisonment term of six months.
He urged the court to grant bail on very liberal terms to the defendant as he is a first offender with no past criminal records .
Counsel also informed the court that the Cubana Chief Priest is an employer of labour with over 1000 employees on his payroll, who are dependent on their jobs.
He, consequently, urged the court to grant his application as moved
In response, the prosecutor said she will leave the issue of bail to the discretion of the court.
The court is yet to deliver ruling on the bail.
(NAN)
Renowned singer Tiwatope Omolara Savage, known professionally as Tiwa Savage, says her dream was to be an actress.
In a recent interview with MTV, the Afrobeats star said she had always wanted to be in the film industry.
Riding Motorbike Alone Across Laos - Beautiful Memories from LAOS - Nếm TV
According to her, she delved into the music industry because of a man she had a crush on.
Tiwa Savage said her crush was always around musicians, so she ditched acting for music.
“I have always wanted to do acting. Acting was one of my first loves before music. I got into music because I had a crush on a guy and he was always around the musician so I said ‘yeah, forget acting and just go into music’,” she said.
Daily Trust reports that “Water and Garri,” a Nollywood blockbuster featuring Tiwa Savage in her first acting role, is set for premiere on May 10.
Meji Alabi, director of the film, made the announcement on his Instagram page.
“Always wanted to shoot a movie, so we did. D- excited to share that our new Film “Water & Garri” @WaterAndGarri Film is coming out on May 10th on @Primevideo,” he wrote.
The Federal High Court in Lagos State, on Wednesday, granted businessman and socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, N10m bail with two sureties in like sum.
Earlier, the celebrity bar man pleaded not guilty to tampering and abusing the naira during his trial.
Cubana Chief Priest was arraigned before Justice Kehinde Ogundare on three counts bordering on abuse of naira by allegedly spraying and tampering with the nation’s currency at a social event, contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007.
He was alleged to have sprayed the naira on February 13, 2024, at Eko Hotel.
Cubana Chief Priest was said to have also committed the offences while dancing during a social event.
He was said to have tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 notes issued by the CBN by spraying the same for two hours.
In the charge marked FHC/L/ 246/2024, obtained by The PUNCH, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alleged that sometime in 2020, during a social event in Lagos, Cubana Chief Priest tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, by spraying the same for two hours.
In Count 3, it was alleged: “That you, Okechukwu Pascal, sometime in January 2024, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.”
The EFCC, on April 5, 2024, secured the conviction of popular cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky, on similar charges for which he was sentenced to six-month imprisonment on Friday, April 12, 2024.
Earlier on Sunday, the EFCC revealed that it was probing several celebrities over alleged abuse of Naira notes.
In a statement, its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said, “Many of them have made useful statements to the commission and many more have been invited by investigators working on the matter.
“The EFCC will not relent in its no-sacred-cow mode of operations and the public should be wary of running afoul of laws against the crime.”
Details later…
[Punch]
Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of tampering and abusing the naira during his arraignment at the Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday.
The socialite and businessman faced three counts of naira abuse, stemming from his actions at a social event held at Eko Hotel on February 13, 2024.
Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court presided over the case, where Cubana Chief Priest was accused of spraying N500 notes—a violation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Act of 2007, which prohibits such actions.
It was alleged that he engaged in this act for two hours during the event, while dancing.
Cubana Chief Priest, whose real name is Pascal Okechukwu, was later granted bail of N10 million by the court after pleading not guilty to the charges brought against him.
Earlier reports revealed that Cubana Chief Priest was apprehended by operatives of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Lagos for the alleged offenses.
Following his detention, he was transported to court under heavy armed police escort and arrived at approximately 8:45 am on the day of the trial.
Judgement is expected to be passed today by Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court in Lagos in respect to the three count of charges against Cubana Chiefpriest.
The case comes days after cross-dresser, Bobrisky was sentenced to six-month in prison for similar offences.
More...
Controversial Nigerian singer, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, has pleaded with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following the prosecution of some celebrities.
Speaking in a recent Instagram live session on Tuesday, Portable appealed to the anti-graft to forgive him if they have any evidence against him abusing the Naira.
He said it was never his intention to mutilate the Naira, stressing that he only sprays money to help the masses.
Portable noted that he respects constituted authority and will not commit such an offence again.
The ‘Zazoo Zeh’ hitmaker also encouraged his followers to open bank accounts. The singer said he will henceforth be making transfers to his supporters and “people in need” through their bank accounts.
He wrote, “I use my money to build love. I used my money to build relationships. Did I spray money at the club? I was spraying money in the area where they need me.
“I didn’t deface the naira, I help a lot of people, After God na Government, Please forgive me if you have videos of me spraying money, no more spraying of money.”
Recalls that the EFCC arraign popular socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, widely known as Cubana Chief Priest for Naira abuse, days after a crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, was sent to prison for a similar offence.
Nigerian singer, Lara George, has tackled the Senior Pastor of Dunamic Church, Paul Enenche, over the apology to Vera Anyim, a lady who testified about having a “B.Sc Law” from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
Naija News recalls that Veronica Anyim shared her testimony on Sunday of how God made her the “only graduate in her family.”
During the testimony, Veronica said she graduated with a “BSc in Law” from NOUN, but the pastor interjected her testimony.
Enenche asked what kind of degree she graduated with and she said “B.Sc in Law”, he thereafter accused the testifier of lying.
The saga irked many netizens on social media, with some asking Enenche to apologise to Veronica while others defended the clergyman’s action.
In a statement issued on Monday by his Personal Assistant, Sylvester Edoh, Pastor Enenche apologised to the lady and said he never intended to disgrace Veronica when he interjected while she was testifying.
However, Lara George, in a post on her Instagram page, faulted the statement issued regarding the testimony saga, stating that Enenche’s apology leaves room for doubt.
The singer urged Pastor Enenche to properly apologise to Vera, as his team’s write-up was an insult.
She wrote: “Erm. That’s not an apology. When it leaves room for doubt, you haven’t apologised. WWJD? Be humble enough to apologise to her properly. Let your apology be as loud and as clear as your criticism.
“Nah! It’s not nice. Doesn’t matter who you are, we should all treat others as we would like to be treated. She doesn’t speak as well as you think she should, therefore you can conclude she is telling a lie? Based on the way she speaks?
“The way she speaks is a reflection of what we have allowed in our society. Every politician that you coddled instead of speaking the truth to, who stole funds that should have gone into healthcare, or education, or any other public welfare initiative…… well…… that’s the outcome. Graduates who speak like that. And you…. contributed to the condition of that society. The contributions from people like her is what has built the edifice you sit in. And while you sit there, we don’t hear you speak for the voiceless or defend the helpless.
“Nah. It’s not nice. Apologise to her properly. Unequivocally. That write-up that you had your people do, is really an insult on top of her injury. You know this. You would never dare address the matter that way if she was from a wealthy background.
“At the end of the day, the way you treat someone who you think you will never need is the true indicator of your character.”
The government of Katsina State has shut down three petrol stations suspected of supplying fuel to bandits in the state.
The governor’s Chief of Staff, Jabiru Salisu Tsauri, spearheaded the task force established to tackle grain hoarding and unwarranted food price increases, which conducted the raid, resulting in the closure.
Speaking to newsmen after closing the petrol stations, Tsauri stated that the committee had the authority to arrest suspected individuals and detain them for up to 48 hours before initiating court proceedings.
He said the committee received intelligence that the affected petrol stations were supplying fuel to bandits during nighttime and early morning hours.
Nevertheless, one businessman affected by the situation, opting not to disclose their identity, rebuffed the allegations, affirming their commitment to operating their business cautiously and denying any involvement in activities that could threaten the state’s security.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has said his government will no longer pay ransom to bandits and Boko Haram terrorists.
He stated this in an article he wrote and published by Newsweek on April 15, 2024, in commemoration of the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls ten years ago.
The President stated that the resolution of kidnapping through ransom payment only perpetuates more abductions, saying that extortion rackets must be squeezed out of existence.
Seun Jimoh, a Nollywood actor, has alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is unfairly targeting celebrities in its current crackdown on Naira abusers.
He was reacting to the news that the commission is set to arraign popular socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, aka Cubana Chief Priest for Naira abuse days after crossdresser, Bobrisky was sent to prison for a similar offence.
Jimoh said it is “unfair that certain people are being selected for a crime almost 70% of Nigerians or more are guilty of with overwhelming video evidence all over the internet.”
He argued that the “scapegoat approach to cultural reforms is quite sinister and lacks any concern for the mental health of the Nigerian citizens.”
On his Instagram page, he wrote: “It looks like scapegoats are being selected to send a message to the general populace. But then, is it not unfair that certain people are being selected for a crime almost 70% of Nigerians or more are guilty of with overwhelming video evidence all over the internet?!
“Why hasn’t anyone ever caught on video spraying money between the time the law has been in effect till now being arrested? Why celebrities? Celebrities are citizens too! This scapegoat approach to cultural reforms is quite sinister and lacks any concern for the mental health of the Nigerian citizens.”