The wanted traditional ruler of Ewu kingdom in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, HRM Clement Ikolo Oghenerukevwe has surrendered his self to police in the state over the killing of 17 Soldiers in the Okuama Community.
The monarch was declared wanted along side the president general of Ewu, Prof Ekpekpo Arthur and six others over the alleged killing of 17 soldiers by the Defence Headquarters of the Nigerian Army.
Though, the report was sketchy, it was learned the the Monarch held a Press Conference briefing before submitting himself to the police.
According to a statement by the traditional in the briefing, “I am very surprised that my name as the monarch of the kingdom will appear in the list of wanted persons.
“I have no hand in the killings, I have no hand in encouraging anybody to kill anybody, it is against my philosophy as a human being and my faith as a Catholic.
“It is a serious crime against humanity and they need to look at the appropriate places and do thorough investigation to know all those who has committed this and bring them to bookans let justice prevail.
“I am not a party to this and like I have said earlier, the state government is aware of the turbulence I have been going through and as I speak, an arrangement was made by the government to invite the opponents recently just before this happenings.
“To invite those who are fighting me in the kingdom to reconcile the differences and allow me to go into the kingdom and start to rule as the monarch of the place.
“I have not being able to set up anything, I have not been able to set up my traditional council, I have done nothing in the kingdom.
“So I barely know anything right now, I have no information, I know nothing Iam only just in the process of set up a structure to enable me rule in the kingdom.”
The panel set up by the Edo State Chief Judge, Daniel Okungbowa, to investigate the allegation of misconduct levelled against the state Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, by the Edo State House of Assembly, will begin sitting at the Judges Conference Room, New High Court Complex, Benin, on April 3.
The House of Assembly commenced impeachment proceedings against Shaibu on March 5, accusing him of perjury and leaking of government’s secrets.
However, all efforts to get the impeachment notice to him proved abortive, as he was said to be out of the state.
After it became clear that the notice could not be served physically, the House served him the notice through substitution (by publishing the letter in three national dailies).
The impeachment move is believed to be the latest development in the rift between Shaibu and his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki, which reportedly started when Shaibu declared his interest in joining this year’s Edo governorship race.
The Chief Judge constituted a seven-man panel on March 22 but dropped two members, Prof Violet Aigbokhaebo and Prof Boniface Onomion Edegbai, on Monday.
The panel has Justice S.A. Omonua (retd.) as chairman. Other members are Professor Theresa Akpoghome, Oghogho Ayodele Oviasu, Dr. Andrew Oliha, Idris Abdulkareen, President Aigbokhian and Mariam Erakhoba Ilavbare.
A statement signed by the administrative secretary of the panel, George Odidi, on Thursday read, “Take notice that consequent upon the inauguration of the above panel by His Lordship the Hon. Chief Judge of Edo State, Hon. Justice Daniel Okungbowa, in line with Section 188 Subsection 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the said panel shall commence sitting at Judges Conference room, New High Court Complex, Benin City on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 10am prompt.
Five suspects, suspected to be involved in a significant cocaine-smuggling operation, have been apprehended by anti-narcotics detectives in Kenya.
This followed the interception of a woman at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) carrying 57 pellets of cocaine concealed in her private parts.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations in a statement on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, said the primary suspect, Apoko Damaris Adhiambo, had concealed the pellets in her underwear when she was flagged down at JKIA's terminal A1 central screening area just before boarding a Madagascar-bound plane on Tuesday.
Upon interrogation, the suspect revealed she was recruited into the cocaine smuggling syndicate by one Harriet Asaba, a woman living in Nairobi.
Using forensic technologies, detectives tracked Asaba to Accra Road in Nairobi and arrested her.
“A woman's stratagem to traffic 57 pellets of cocaine to Madagascar by escaping the grip of our security apparatus at the Jomo Kenyatta Intn'l Airport proved futile last night, when anti-narcotics detectives noted the nose candy stuffed in her under garments and rerouted her travel itinerary to a police cell,” the statement read.
"In the 10.30pm interception, Apoko Damaris Adhiambo, 32, was flagged down at terminal A1's central screening area, as she checked in to board Kenya Airways KQ 256 flight to Antananarivo, Madagascar.
"A body scanner at the checkpoint revealed suspicious items concealed around her privates, triggering a quick search that saw over 600g of the highly addictive gak discovered. A spot test conducted on the discovery was positive for the coca product.
"After a moment of interrogation by female anti-narcotics officers, Apoko revealed to have been recruited by a Ugandan national identified as Harriet Asaba who resided within the Kenyan Capital.
"Deploying forensic technologies, detectives traced Asaba to Accra Road in Nairobi CBD and effected her arrest.
"In the painstaking pursuit to break the entire syndicate, the second suspect led officers to Free Area Hotel building and into the VIP Beauty Shop, where a meticulous search was conducted and another 33 pellets of crack found.
"Therein, three more suspects namely Nangonzi Shirah (a Ugandan national), Esther Wanjiru, 24 and Sophia Kathambi aged 24 were also rounded up.
"Presumptive test on the second recovery also tested positive for Cocaine, weighing approximately 396 grams.
“Whereas prosecution processes have been instigated on the arrested suspects, further investigations are ongoing jointly with the InterPol team to track down the recipients of the drugs at Antananarivo.”
American entrepreneur and crypto king, Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for his role in defrauding users of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX.
In a federal courtroom in lower Manhattan, United States District Judge Lewis Kaplan called the defense argument misleading, logically flawed, and speculative.
Kaplan said Bankman-Fried had obstructed justice and tampered with witnesses in mounting his defense — something Kaplan said he weighed in his sentencing decision.
After a two-hour hearing the judge, Lewis Kaplan, said Bankman-Fried knew what he was doing was criminal and regretted making a bad bet about the likelihood of being caught.
Bankman-Fried, wearing a beige jailhouse jumpsuit, struck an apologetic tone, saying he had made a series of “selfish” decisions while leading FTX and “threw it all away.”
“It haunts me every day,” he said in a statement. “There are a lot of mistakes that I made.”
Bankman-Fried, however, told the court that FTX had the ability to repay customers when it collapsed.
Meanwhile, the prosecutors said Bankman-Fried took more than $10bn (£7.9bn) from unsuspecting customers in “one of the biggest financial frauds” in US history.
FTX was valued at $32bn before it went bankrupt in 2022 and SBF crafted a public image that drew in celebrities, politicians and business titans.
Prosecutors had sought as much as 50 years, while Bankman-Fried’s legal team argued for no more than six and half years.
He was convicted on seven criminal counts in November and has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since.
[Vanguard]
Eniola Ajao, the movie producer, has apologised over the controversies trailing the ‘best-dressed female’ award presented to Bobrisky, the crossdresser, at her recently-held movie premiere.
‘Ajakaju: Beast of Two Worlds’ premiere was held on Sunday at Circle Mall, Lekki, Lagos.
Femi Adebayo announced the self-acclaimed transgender as the winner of the N1 million attached to the award.
Bobrisky’s victory, however, stirred controversies online with celebrities and fans questioning the parameters used in handing out the award.
There was a heated war of words between actress Dayo Amusa and Omotayo Sanusi, Adebayo’s wife, while Portable, the controversial singer, referred to Bobrisky as a “disgrace to brotherhood”.
But in an Instagram post, Ajao apologised to all the parties involved in the saga.
The filmmaker expressed “reverence for women” while pledging “never to engage in behaviour that diminishes their role in society”.
The movie star explained that the decision to hand Bobrisky the ‘best-dressed female’ award was a “ploy to create publicity” for the movie.
To make amends, Eniola also announced two new winners for the ‘best-dressed female’ category, adding that each will receive N1 million as a “token of my sincere apology and appreciation for their grace and elegance”.
“I address you all today, taking full responsibility and seeking your pardon with my deepest regrets for the distress and turmoil caused by the events surrounding the selection of Best Dressed at the premiere of “AJAKAJU,” the statement reads in part.
“First, I want to extend my sincerest apologies to the Muslim community, especially during this sacred month of Ramadan.
“To the women in our society, I want to express my profound apologies. As a woman myself, I understand the importance of upholding and honoring our gender with dignity and respect. I want to assure you that I hold the utmost reverence for womanhood, and I would never intentionally engage in any behavior that diminishes or disparages the role of women in our society.
“I also extend my heartfelt apologies to My honorable and supportive boss Femi Adebayo @femiadebayosalami and his wife, @iyanaladuke and @dayoamusa for the undue backlash they faced as a result of the announcement made at our event. I deeply regret the insults and disrespect directed towards them, and I take full responsibility for any harm caused.
“To Bobrisky @bobrisky222 I offer my sincere apologies for putting you in a difficult position. The decision to award you was never meant to cause harm or controversy but was rather an attempt to generate publicity for our movie. I am truly sorry for any distress this may have caused you.
“To make amends and correct my mistakes, I have decided to honour two females, Bode Alao and one other beautiful woman as the best-dressed females at the premiere. Each will receive a sum of N1,000,000.”
It, however, remains to be seen if the award and money handed to Bobrisky would be taken from her.
Pelumi Nubi, the Nigerian travel content creator driving from London to Lagos, says she will continue the journey — despite surviving a car accident.
On Tuesday, Nubi revealed that she was involved in a car accident.
She also shared a picture of the now-wrecked car she had used for the trip.
The front part of the car was severely mangled while the windscreen had also been shattered.
She accompanied the post with the caption: “Say a prayer for me”.
In a post via her Instagram page on Wednesday, Nubi said she “miraculously survived” the accident.
She said she will be “taking things easy” for now and continue her trip when she regains her strength.
“God has really shown His mercy. Miraculously, I emerged unharmed from the accident – I survived,” she said.
“A big thank you for all your love, prayers, and good thoughts! It’s crystal clear to me that I have a family here online, rooting for me every step of the way.
“I am taking it easy for now, but I’m definitely going to keep going. The journey is far from over, and with renewed strength and your unwavering support, I will continue to move forward.”
View this post on Instagram
Nubi was making the trip in a purple Peugeot 107. The vehicle was customised with features that enabled space for sleeping and dining.
It, however, remains unknown which country she was in at the time of the accident and what caused the crash.
In November, Nubi announced her intention to embark on a solo trip from London to Lagos.
She commenced the trip on January 30.
Pelumi had initially announced that she would arrive in Lagos on March 23.
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However, she said the date had been changed due to border issues she was experiencing in some countries.
She recently disclosed that she was denied entry at the Sierra Leonian and Liberian borders.
Wasiu Ayinde, the Fuji singer fondly called Kwam 1, has opened up on his plans to return to school.
The Fuji star spoke about his love for education in a recent chat with journalists at his Mayegun Resort in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun.
The 67-year-old singer confirmed he is a “school dropout”, adding that he will enroll as an undergraduate at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun state.
Kwam 1 said he had discussed his intentions with the dean of the school of music. He added that part of his decision to pursue a degree at OOU is to see how he can contribute to developing the varsity’s music faculty.
“All my life I do research. Every opportunity that I have. Presently I am in school. As a matter of fact, I will soon be a fresher at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU). I am just trying to do things in my own way to suit myself. You learn till you die,” he said.
“Very recently I had the opportunity to go and attend a function at the OOU. We had a mass set of graduands. The bands on the stand tried their hands on some of my works to recognise my presence. I was so overjoyous that time. So, in the form of wanting to appreciate them more, I sought to speak to the leader of the band and there I was told it was a band from the music class of OOU and they just started that class. I showed so much interest. I called for further discussion and in the cause of doing that I told them I want to enroll. I want to be part of them to see how we can develop a lot out of that.
“… part of what I also discussed with the dean of the school of music at OOU was that we can do better. To bring a whole lot of artistes. The state is blessed with many names like Haruna Ishola, Ayuba, Shina Peters, Wizkid, Olamide, and D’banj. I told the dean that people like me can be used to bring everybody together and develop. That is what prompted me to want to go back to school.
“I am a school dropout… I know the value of education… will I say I have self-education? Any sane person will never criticise the beauty of education.”
Ayinde, an indigene of Ijebu-Ode, was born in Lagos in 1957.
Kwam 1 attended Government College, Isolo, Lagos. He was unable to complete his education as a result of his father’s death.
With over five decades in the music industry and several awards and accolades, Kwam 1 is regarded as an icon in Nigeria.
Former Director of the Department of State Services, DSS, Mike Ejiofor has revealed why Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla escaped from custody.
He blamed the escape on negligence and compromise.
Recall that the Federal Government has been investigating money laundering and terrorism financing transactions allegedly done on the Binance currency exchange platform.
To this end, Anjarwalla, who holds British and Kenyan nationalities and serves as Binance’s Africa regional manager, was being tried by the Nigerian government before he escaped while under a 14-day remand order issued by a court.
Ejiofor described the escape of Anjarwalla as a national embarrassment to Nigeria.
Featuring on Arise Television, the former DSS Deputy Director, questioned the decision of the National Security Adviser, NSA, to keep the suspect in custody.
According to Ejiofor, “Honestly, this is a national, if not international embarrassment for our own image as a country. It raises a lot of questions. Who was prosecuting the executives, EFCC of course and he should have been in the custody of the EFCC, so why the custody of the NSA?
“Does the NSA have facilities to keep suspects? A lot of questions really. So, I have come to the conclusion that it is either gross negligence on the part of the officers on duty or compromise.
“But, more likely, it is the issue of compromise. Somebody in custody ordinarily, shouldn’t have come in with lots of materials. You are given basic amenities in custody. So, how did they now have access to go to the mosque to go and pray? Somebody who is in custody? Where was he kept? A lot of questions have been left unanswered.
“Now the reason I said the issue of compromise is more likely is that, if he went to pray and absconded, the people on duty should have raised the alarm that we cannot find this man because he cannot just move out of custody, straight to the airport.
“So, the period with which he escaped and it was noticed, he must have gone to his house to pack his things and possibly have access to another passport that was not in the knowledge of the security agencies. So, compromise is more likely than negligence.”
Movie producer and actress, Eniola Ajao has regretted giving ‘Best Dressed Female’ award to Bobrisky at her movie premiere.
She has now tendered an apology to the public.
In a leaked voice note, she admitted that the act was intentional to promote her movie after investing over N200M.
She posted the apology on her Instagram page while apologizing to women, the Muslim community and everyone at large.
She wrote:
Best Dressed Female: An Apology From Eniola Ajao
“AN APOLOGY FROM ENIOLA AJAO
“Dear Esteemed Members of the Public
I write to you today with a heavy heart, filled with regret and remorse over the events that unfolded at my movie premiere, BEAST OF TWO WORLDS “AJAKAJU,” #ajakajuthemovie on Sunday, 24th March, 2024.
“I address you all today, taking full responsibility and seeking your pardon with my deepest regrets for the distress and turmoil caused by the events surrounding the selection of Best Dressed at the premiere of “AJAKAJU.”
“First, I want to extend my sincerest apologies to the Muslim community, especially during this sacred month of Ramadan. I acknowledge and respect the significance of this time, and it was never my intention to offend or upset anyone with the proceedings of our premiere. Please accept my sincerest apologies for any distress my actions may have caused during this sacred time.
“To the women in our society, I want to express my profound apologies. As a woman myself, I understand the importance of upholding and honoring our gender with dignity and respect.
“I want to assure you that I hold the utmost reverence for womanhood, and I would never intentionally engage in any behavior that diminishes or disparages the role of women in our society.
“I also extend my heartfelt apologies to My honorable and supportive boss Femi Adebayo @femiadebayosalami and his wife, @iyanaladuke and @dayoamusa for the undue backlash they faced as a result of the announcement made at our event. I deeply regret the insults and disrespect directed towards them, and I take full responsibility for any harm caused.
“To Bobrisky @bobrisky222 I offer my sincere apologies for putting you in a difficult position. The decision to award you was never meant to cause harm or controversy but was rather an attempt to generate publicity for our movie. I am truly sorry for any distress this may have caused you.
“In an effort to make amends and correct my mistakes, I have decided to honour two females, Bode Alao and one other beautiful woman as the best-dressed females at the premiere. Each will receive a sum of N1,000,000(One Million Naira) as a token of my sincere apology and appreciation for their grace.”
The House of Representatives has vowed to recover two helicopters, Bell 206L4 BZB and Bell M2061- L4, belonging to the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT, Zaria, sold to private individuals.
The Chairman, House of Reps Committee on Public Assets, Rep. Ademorin Kuye, said this at the investigative hearing on the sale of the two helicopters in Abuja on Thursday.
Kuye expressed worry over the sale of the two helicopters to private individuals when the college was left with none for training.
The committee also quizzed the process leading to the sale of the helicopters as security agencies, including the Nigerian Air Force, Navy, and the Police, indicated interest in purchasing them.
The security agencies were, however, denied by the management of NCAT.
The three security agencies, according to various submissions, did not only indicate interest in purchasing the helicopters by writing but also visited the college but were denied the opportunity to purchase them.
Acting Rector, NCAT, Shaka Imalighwe, said though he was the Deputy Rector of the college at the time the helicopters were sold, he was not part of the team/committee that facilitated the sales.
Imalighwe said that he took over the management of the college in an acting capacity in January 2024.
The Committee said despite initial appeals to NCAT to provide certain documents regarding the process that led to the sale of the helicopters in May 2023, they had not been able to provide it.
This, according to him, was in respect of approval of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, and the Ministry of Aviation as well as newspaper publications advertising the intention to sell the helicopters.
Imalighwe told the committee that the helicopters were in service and being maintained by relevant aviation bodies when they were sold.
The acting Rector of the college also confirmed to the lawmakers that at the moment, there was no single helicopter in the institution for training.
The lawmakers argued that it was wrong for NCAT to have used an unlicensed auctioneer to sell the helicopters.
The committee directed the immediate past and current Minister of Aviation to appear before it in the next investigative hearing.
Also summoned was the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Finance Incorporated, MOFI, both immediate past and present Rectors of the College, among others.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it did not monitor the national convention of the Labour Party (LP).
On Wednesday, the LP conducted its national convention at the Grand Seasons Hotel, in Nnewi, Anambra state.
Julius Abure was re-elected as chairman of the party at the convention.
However, Rotimi Oyekanmi, media aide to Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the conduct of the convention was not monitored by the electoral umpire.
Oyekanmi did not specify why INEC did not monitor the convention.
The convention was initially slated for March 29 but was later changed to March 27. The leadership of the party had said the date was changed because the initial day falls on Good Friday, a very important date for the Christian faithful across the world.
The venue was also changed from Abia to Anambra.
Speaking on the change of venue, Kehinde Edun, LP national legal adviser, said the party duly informed INEC about the change in venue and date.
“So, we are at liberty to pick any venue of our choice. We only need to inform INEC about the change in venue and the time,” Edun said.
There have been calls for the party to suspend its national convention.
On March 17, the house of representatives caucus of the LP called for the suspension of the convention to enable the party “properly plan” the event.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has described Abure’s re-election as “an illegality”.
On March 16, the NLC and LP traded words over calls for the suspension of the party’s convention and resignation of Abure as chairman of the party.
Kano State government has announced a subsidy of N500,000 for each of the 2,906 intending pilgrims that have registered with the Kano State Pilgrim Welfare Board (KSPWB) for the 2024 Hajj exercise.
The board said the subsidy is aimed at cushioning the effect of the sudden increase of N1.9 million Hajj fares recently announced by National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) which was attributed to instability of foreign exchange rate.
The director-general of the board Alhaji Lami Dan Baffa, made this known on Wednesday in Kano during a media briefing.
Baffa said those to benefit from the Hajj Subsidy are those who have already paid part-Payment to the Board, saying over two thousand nine hundred intending Pilgrims have already made their part payment with the board.
“We consider the current economic hardship people are facing and the increase of Hajj Fares is a great challenge to many intending Pilgrims , that’s why we came up with the Subsidy initiative to alleviate the sufferings of intending Pilgrims.
“Intending pilgrims that still wish to participate in 2024 Hajj are by this release advised to proceed and pay the balance of N1.918,032.91 latest by 11:59pm of 28th March, 2024,” he said.
With this subsidy, intending pilgrims from Kano are expected to pay a balance of about N1.4 million.
NAHCON had earlier announced an increase Hajj Fares of N1,918,032.09, making up a total of N6,617,032.91 whereas fresh intending pilgrims are required to pay N8,254,464.74 as the full Hajj fare for this year as required by the NAHCOM.
Men of the Rivers state police command have arrested a witch doctor and 25 others suspected to be members of a car-snatching syndicate responsible for the snatching of 79 cars in the state.
While parading the suspects before newsmen, the state Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, said the shrine believed to be used by the “juju-priest” in fortifying the criminals for their operations had been confiscated.
The police boss mentioned that Chidube, Anthony and Kelechi (a car mechanic) were major culprits in the car-snatching business, disclosing that Chidube trains his men on car snatching and he was linked to all suspects arrested while Kelechi is an expert in removing trackers. He added that the suspects used a spare key to steal the car while most of the cars stolen were taken to Kano and Anambra states, where they sold them off, even as scraps.
‘’Their witch doctor has been arrested. He tells them when it is safe to go for an operation. We also have a team of robbers, who follow you when you go to the bank. When you resist them, they attack and fire you. Their firearms have been recovered.
The syndicate began operating in January 2023 and has been responsible for the theft of more than 40 cars. They all came to Port Harcourt from different states to perpetuate their criminal enterprise. Their operation sees them snatch cars or steal them from where they are parked.
The cars are then classified into those to be sold or those to be sent to a scrap yard in Mgbuka-Obosi, Onitsha, to be ‘butchered’ for spare parts.” he said
Earning N200K monthly in Nigeria is better than earning £2000 in UK - Air Peace boss, Allen Onyeoma (video)
AFOLABIAllen Onyeoma, the CEO of Air Peace, has said that those who earn two hundred thousand Naira monthly in Nigeria are better off than those earning two thousand pounds in the United Kingdom.
He said this while appearing as a guest on TVC.
Speaking to the host about the economic crisis and strength of the Naira, Onyema said he agrees that the bulk of the issue is "artificial".
He added: "Go to London, if you earn two thousand pounds a month in London, you're a pauper. What two thousand pounds can afford you is like two thousand Naira."
He continued: "The person earning two hundred thousand Naira in Nigeria is better."
Onyema added that with earnings of 200,000, a Nigerian can afford a maid, a driver and other domestic staff.
He said he believes completely that the Naira has more value than is being projected when compared to other foreign currencies.
He added that Nigerians should stop demonetising the country.
Watch below.