The Imo State Police Command has arrested a couple, Chukwudinma Umunnakwe and Comfort Umunnakwe, for allegedly running a baby factory in the state.

The suspects, who own Comfort Orphanage Home in Owerri, were paraded at the police command’s headquarters on Sunday.

Henry Okoye, spokesman for the Imo state police command said on Tuesday, July 2, the arrest was made possible by an intelligence report received by the operatives.

“The suspects have confessed to being in the criminal activity for over 12 years and will be arraigned in court upon completion of the investigation.

“The suspects coerced their victims into signing a document to give away their children upon delivery for either N400,000 or N500,000 depending on the gender of the child,”  Okoye said.

One of the victims, Ijeoma, revealed that the suspects lured them to the orphanage with promises of care, but instead subjected them to inhuman treatment and threats.

 “I refused to sign the document and have been asking them to allow me to leave or contact my family, but they refused till now,” she said.

The police urged residents to report any criminal activity to the nearest police station or via the command’s emergency lines.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has warned against the continued rejection of old series and lower denominations of the United States of American dollars by its regulated entities in Nigeria.

The bank threatened to sanction lenders that rejected the currencies.

This was contained in a circular dated June 27, signed by the acting director of the currency operations department, Solaja Olayemi, which was recently released on the website of the apex bank.

The circular directed at Deposit Money Banks, Bureau De Change operators and the general public cautioned against the continued rejection of the old series and lower denomination of the American greenback. 

CBN said the fresh circular followed the outcome of its consumer market intelligence, which revealed the continued rejection of old/lower denominations of dollar bills by banks and other authorised forex dealers.

“Kindly be reminded that the Central Bank of Nigeria circular referenced COD/DIR/INT/CIR/001/002 and dated 9th April 2021, which explicitly frowned at this selective acceptance of deposit, is still in force and must be adhered to and complied with by all relevant parties.

“For the avoidance of doubt and further guidance on the circular, the content is hereby reissued as follows for strict compliance: All DMBs /authorized forex dealers should henceforth accept both old series and lower denominations of United States Dollars that are legal tender for deposit from their customers. The CBN will not hesitate to sanction any DMB or authorised forex dealers who refuse to accept old series/lower denominations of US Dollar bills from their customers,” the circular partly read. 

The circular also warned authorised forex dealers against defacing/stamping US Dollar banknotes as such notes always fail authentication tests during processing/sorting.

CBN first issued the warning in a circular signed by then director of the currency operations department, Ahmed Umar, on April 9, 2021.

New Zealand has implemented new regulations tightening visa rules for Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) holders, specifically targeting individuals in certain job classifications.

The changes, announced on the Immigration New Zealand website, restrict AEWV holders in jobs classified at levels 4 and 5 of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) from sponsoring visa applications for their partners and dependent children, unless they have a pathway to residency.

Already effective from June 26, these amendments are part of broader reforms reverting the AEWV scheme to settings akin to the previous Essential Skills Work Visa framework.

The government clarified that affected partners and dependent children can still apply for visas independently, such as the AEWV or international student visas, provided they meet requisite criteria.

However, the new rules exempt individuals already holding visas as partners or dependents of AEWV holders, as well as those in ANZSCO level 4 and 5 roles with residency pathways like the Green List or sector agreements.

Workers also earning at least 1.5 times the average salary threshold for the Skilled Migrant Category remain unaffected.

This move follows previous adjustments made to work visa policies earlier this year, including a language proficiency requirement for low-skilled job applicants under ANZSCO levels 4 and 5.

These changes aim to ensure that foreign workers understand their rights and can effectively address employment issues.

Despite these stricter measures, New Zealand continues its efforts to attract and retain highly skilled workers, particularly in sectors experiencing shortages such as secondary education.

The government’s recent immigration statistics highlight significant visitor entries and resident numbers, underscoring ongoing efforts to manage migration sustainably.

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford emphasized the reforms’ goals of enhancing economic adaptability, attracting top talent, supporting international education, and improving risk management within the immigration framework.

Former Senate President Adolphus Wabara has revealed that he rejected the sum of N250 million to support the third-term agenda during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

In an excerpt from the YouTube interview series “Untold Stories with Adesuwa,” released on Monday, when asked about the truthfulness of this assertion, he said, “That’s very correct.”

The third-term agenda marked a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s 25-year uninterrupted democratic history, involving a constitutional amendment bill aimed at allowing then-President Olusegun Obasanjo to run for a third term in office.

Speaking further, Wabara revealed that while he didn’t believe the stories that some senators received N50 million at the time, he received N250 million bribe, which was brought to him in a G-Wagon at 1:20 a.m.

Wabara also stated that his educational background played a huge role in rejecting the third-term agenda.

“I turned down a N250 million bribe to support the third term agenda. The money came to me by 1:30 a.m., before my third-term speech. It came in a sparkling black G-Wagon. I can still remember that it was in a black G-Wagon and a rickety 504 station wagon. The money was discharged, and my wife was there.”

Highlighting the significance of the decision, Wabara stated that if the third-term agenda had stood, other presidents wouldn’t have emerged.

“Without people like us, there wouldn’t be democracy now. Yes, if we had supported the third term, you know, I mean we would have had dictatorship, tyranny, and people like Buhari wouldn’t have emerged. Even the present Tinubu would not have emerged because Obasanjo would have still been there,” he said.

Speaking on the current state of affairs in the country, Wabara lamented that those in power had unfortunately weaponized poverty.

His words: “Hunger misdirects, and my people say that when you are having leaves or whatever the goat eats, you are the person they will continue to follow. That is what is happening in our democracy today because of hunger. The elders and the politicians—those in government—are not creating the enabling environments to eschew hunger.

“It is a deliberate act to continue to make the electorate hungry so that they will continue to follow sheepishly. So, there will be stomach infrastructure before they start thinking whether we are being led aright.”

He also clarified that he was not removed from office by Obasanjo but resigned while reiterating that there was no pressure.

Tiri Gyan David, a lecturer with the Federal University Dutsinma (FUDMA) in Katsina State, has been killed by bandits.

Tiri, the Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension, and Rural Development at the university, was killed in a fresh bandits attack in the early hours of Tuesday.

An eyewitness who spoke with Channels TV said the incident occurred at about 1:30 am at the lecturer’s residence in the Yarima Quarters, Low-Cost Estate, Dutsinma Local Government Area of Katsina State.

He said the bandits invaded the community with sophisticated weapons, shooting sporadically to scare the residents.

According to the eyewitness, the bandits also abducted two of the lecturer’s children.

Confirming the incident, the Katsina Police Command spokesman, Abubakar Sadiq, said the command will soon release a detailed statement about the attack.

Dutsinma is among the ten security frontline local government areas grappling with frequent bandit attacks almost daily despite efforts by both the state government and security agencies to restore peace in the state.