An employee of the Nigeria Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO), Auwal Dankode, has been praised for his integrity after returning $10,000, approximately N16 million.

Dankode, a worker at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, was said to have found the money while cleaning the aircraft.

According to a post by the security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makaman, on the X platform on Wednesday, Dankode discovered the cash during his routine cleaning duties and immediately reported it to the airline company’s manager.

Zagazola stated that Dankode, a native of Kode in Kano State, is known for his strong fear of God and integrity.

His selfless act, he said, has highlighted the importance of honesty and accountability in the workplace.

Zagazola added that as investigations continue to identify the owner of the lost money, “Auwal’s actions serve as a shining example of the positive impact that even small acts of kindness can have.”

The post read: “This boy, Named Auwal Ahmed Dankode, an employee of Nigeria Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO), found $10,000—approximately N16m—Inside a plane while cleaning it.

“Upon discovering the money, Auwal immediately reported it to the airline company’s manager to initiate the search for the rightful owner. The incident took place at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. Auwal, originally from Kode in Kano State, is known for his strong fear of God and honesty.”

Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Waheed Ayilara, is dead.

Ayilara, it was gathered, died in the early hours of Thursday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, The Nation reported.

Sources close to the family told The Nation he underwent prostate cancer surgery on Wednesday before he died hours later.

“We are very sad to inform you that our friend, brother, and family, the Commissioner of Police for Akwa Ibom State, Waheed Ayilara, is dead,” the family was quoted as saying.

A top police officer in Akwa Ibom State, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, also confirmed the CP’s death.

In November 2023, as a DCP, Ayilara was unveiled as the acting Commissioner of Police in Lagos.

Ayilara, a former Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, took over from AIG Idowu Owohunwa.

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, deployed Ayilara to head Akwa Ibom State Command in February 2024.

Gernot Rohr has backed his compatriot Bruno Labbadia to make an instant impact with the Super Eagles, DAILY POST reports.


Labbadia was named Super Eagles head coach on Tuesday by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The 58-year-old will be the sixth German to manage the three-time African champions.


Rohr,who was in charge of the Super Eagles between 2016 and 2021 labelled Labbadia a very good coach.

“He’s a very good coach, I hope he’s well treated by the NFF and Nigerian fans,” the 71-year-old was quoted by SCORENigeria.

“He has experience in the Bundesliga, I hope he quickly finds his way in Nigeria, which is a different environment.”

Rohr will come up against Labbadia when Benin Republic face the Super Eagles in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie in Uyo on Saturday, September 7.

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, detained an Assistant Superintendent of Police, A. A Babangida, and 19 others for 30 days over their alleged involvement in banditry, kidnapping and terrorism activities.

Justice Peter Lifu gave the order while delivering a ruling in an ex-parte application marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1146/2024, brought before the court by the Defence Intelligence Agency.

Justice Lifu ordered that Babangida be detained along with the other suspects for 30 days to enable DIA operatives to carry out a thorough investigation into their alleged involvement in the crime.

The other suspects are Usman Idris, Abu Safiyanu, Alhassan Idris, Sahada Ishaka, Abubakar Ibrahim Sani Bello, Yahaya Abdullahi, Haruna Salisu and Mohammed Muazu.

Others are Nura Idris, Manu Mohammed, Umar Lamu, Abubakar Mandara, Suleiman Mohammed, Alhaji Madayi, Amodu Oghewe and Uzoma Aghaoyibo.

Babangida was alleged to have been helping the Boko Haram, bandits and ISWAP members in carrying out terrorism activities in some parts of the country.

He was arrested in June following an intelligence report received by the DIA and has since been in the custody of the agency.

DIA’s counsel, S.A Aminu, while arguing the ex-parte application, told the court that the agency “intends to carry out a critical investigation into the unlawful activities of Babangida and others before handing them over to the Attorney General of the Federation for prosecution”.

The lawyer told the court that the involvement of the suspects in terrorist activities was complex and the bomb experts for the gang had just been apprehended based on information obtained from detainees.

She, therefore, requested the permission of the court to detain the suspects for 90 days.

The agency, in a 21-paragraph affidavit ex-parte application, explained how it obtained information that led to the arrest of the suspects in various locations and at different times.

After going through the documentary exhibits placed before the court, Justice Lifu declined to grant the 90 days requested by DIA on the grounds that the suspects had been in custody for three months.

He held that according to the Constitution, the defendants are presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

He ordered the agency to “detain the suspects till the conclusion of the investigation.”

Justice Lifu also ordered that the DIA should do everything within its powers and within the ambit of the law to complete its investigation into the allegations against the suspects so as not to run foul of the law.

Nigeria's divorce rate, however, surpasses that of Canada, India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Peru, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, placing it in a significant global context.

Divorce.com, a United States website which offers resources and support for navigating divorce, has included Nigeria on its list of countries with high divorce rates.

According to data published on their website in July, Nigeria ranked eleventh out of twenty-six countries with the highest divorce rate.

The results were meticulously obtained after sampling respondents from these countries and compiling statistics from 16 primary sources, ensuring a comprehensive and reliable research process.

The report also revealed a significant trend. Women in sub-Saharan Africa, especially Nigeria, are taking the initiative in divorce more often than men, a powerful reflection of changing gender dynamics.

According to the data, Maldives has the highest divorce rate at 5.52 per cent, while India has the lowest rate at 0.01 per cent.

Maldives tops the list because women in the country have become more financially independent and can sustain themselves without husbands. Also, there is little to no stigma associated with getting divorced in modern Maldives.

However, India has the lowest divorce rates because marriage is highly valued, and divorce has historically been stigmatised, which has created intense social pressure to maintain the marriage, even in the face of difficulties.

Rationale

Divorce.com claimed that Nigeria’s divorce rate reached 2.9 per cent in 2023 based on available data on marriage and divorce, which translates to 1.8 per cent divorces per 1,000 people in the same year.

Just like Maldives, Nigeria was ranked eleventh among the countries with the highest divorce rate because its women are financially independent and can sustain themselves without husbands.

They stated that the data was arrived at based on scholars’ belief that high divorce rates in Western countries stem from the reduced stigma surrounding divorce and the growing financial independence of women.

Countries with higher divorce rates than Nigeria include the Maldives, Cuba 2.9 per cent, Finland 2.4 per cent, Sweden 2.5 per cent, Denmark 2.7 per cent and Ukraine 3.1 per cent.

For instance, Canada, a country with a similar socio-economic profile to Nigeria, had a divorce rate of 2.8 per cent, while India, a country with a different cultural and religious context, had a divorce rate of 0.1 per cent.

Other countries with lower divorce rates than Nigeria include Malta 0.6 per cent, Ireland 0.7 per cent, Guatemala 0.6 per cent, Venezuela 0.7 per cent, Uruguay 0.8 per cent, Austria 1.6 per cent, and Belgium 1.8 per cent.

Factors that contributed to divorce

According to Divorce.com, various factors influence a country’s divorce rate, and these factors differ across continents.

In the countries with the highest divorce rates, religion, local divorce laws, lack of social support, and limited employment opportunities are significant contributors.

These factors can lead to a breakdown in trust and communication, making it difficult for couples to maintain a healthy and committed relationship.

Other common factors include marrying too young 45.1 per cent, financial hardship 36.7 per cent, substance abuse 40.6 per cent, and domestic violence 23.5 per cent.

Africa

Additionally, eleven other African countries were ranked behind Nigeria in divorce rates.

These countries include Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, Mauritius, Libya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.

Egypt’s divorce rate was 2.2 per cent, Algeria’s 1.6 per cent, Tunisia’s 1.2 per cent, Sudan’s 1.5 per cent, Mauritius’ 1.7 per cent, Libya’s 0.2 per cent, and South Africa’s 0.4 per cent.

Furthermore, Ethiopia has a divorce rate of 2.6 per cent, Kenya 0.06 per cent, Zimbabwe 0.07 per cent, and Mozambique 0.04 per cent.

Determining factors

According to Divorce.com, the primary factors influencing divorce rates in Africa include age at first marriage, financial independence, polygyny, and HIV/AIDS risks.

The report also revealed that women in sub-Saharan Africa initiated divorce more often than men.

Specifically, 34.6 per cent of women with secondary school education, 38.6 per cent of those living in urban areas, 57.6 per cent employed outside the household, and 75.1 per cent in monogamous unions have divorced.

Additionally, they highlighted that marriage stability in sub-Saharan African countries mainly depends on religion and extended family ties.

“In particular, conservative Christians, who considered divorce a taboo in the past, now increasingly believe it to be a better option than domestic violence and infidelity.

“In addition, if a marriage requires paying a substantial amount of money to the bride’s family, maternal relatives will try to keep the union from falling apart. Otherwise, they will have to return the portion or all of the “bride price”, Divorce.com added.

The Lagos State Police command has arrested an unnamed nurse over the d$ath of a 36-year-old woman, simply identified as Abiola, over a failed butt-lifting procedure allegedly carried out on the deceased by the nurse.

Confirming her arrest to newsmen, the state’s Police spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the nurse was arrested after the Maroko Police Division received a report on Tuesday at about 11:40 am from the driver of the deceased, whose name was also not disclosed.

Hundeyin stated that the deceased’s driver reported that at about 3am on Monday, his boss, who was living at Diamond Estate, Sangotedo-Lekki, asked him to convey her to a clinic located at Lekki Phase 1 for a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) injection for buttocks enlargement.

“On arrival, the owner of the clinic (not mentioned), instructed a nurse to inject the now-deceased lady, who later became unconscious and started gasping for breath. The victim was rescued and rushed to another hospital in Lekki Phase 1 for treatment, where she was confirmed d#ad by the doctor on duty. Based on the report, the scene was visited by a team of detectives.

The hospital was also visited, where the corpse was inspected and photographed before it was evacuated to a public morgue for autopsy'' he said

The Lagos police image-maker added that the said nurse had been arrested and that investigation into the matter is in progress.

Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman has started training with his teammates at Atalanta despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, Soccernet.ng reports.

Just like his compatriot Victor Osimhen, Lookman’s next destination has dominated transfer talks in recent weeks following his impressive performances for Atalanta.

The Nigerian attacker joined La Dea two seasons ago, and he has shone brightly. His stock rose at the end of last season when he scored a hattrick against Bayer Leverkusen in the final of the UEFA Europa League.

Since then, he has been linked to Chelsea, Liverpool, PSG, and some clubs in Saudi Arabia have shown interest in signing him.

Due to the numerous talks surrounding his future, Lookman did not participate in Atalanta’s first two Serie A games. For the past two weeks, he has been training alone, away from his teammates.

However, the talks have cooled off in recent days, and it seems like the former Leicester City man will not get his big move this summer.

According to Atalanta BC, Lookman has returned to training with the full squad, and that makes him available for their next Serie A fixture against Inter Milan at Stadio Giusseppe Meazza.

Lookman’s return to the team would be a big boost against a solid Inter Milan side at home. La Dea lost their last game against Torino, but Lookman has enough magic on his feet to help them return to winning ways next time out.

Italian football administrator Pietro Lo Monaco has criticized Victor Osimhen over the management of his transfer from Napoli.

Osimhen’s exit from Napoli is one of the biggest issues in Europe as it has dragged on since the end of last season till now.

The Nigerian striker has been superb for Napoli in the past three seasons and has attracted interest from a lot of top clubs in Europe and Saudi Arabia.

Osimhen has attracted interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, PSG, and Al Ahli, but the debacle has either been his personal demands, or Napoli’s price tag.

With his future still in the balance, Osimhen has not played for Napoli since the start of the season, missing their Copa Italia game against Modena and their two Serie A games against Verona and Bologna.

The issue has dominated the news in Italy, and football administrator Lo Monaco has expressed displeasure at the turn of events. He believes Osimhen should still not have excluded himself from Napoli’s squad.

“The market sets the price, it all depends on whether the president decides to accept or not. His (Osimhen) management has been a joke, it is inconceivable that a player would dare to refuse to play,” Lo Monaco said, per Calcio Napoli.

The transfer window will close in less than 48 hours, putting Osimhen in a tough position. His next destination remains unclear despite numerous speculations.

Nonetheless, a lot could still happen before 11:59 PM on August 30.

Nigerian businesses and households expect the inflation rate to rise in the next one to six months.

This is according to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s July Inflation Expectations Survey Report released on Tuesday.

The survey showed that respondents expect inflation to rise in the review months with indices of 37.4 for the next month, -26.3 for the next two months and -15.8 for the next six months.

However, the report showed respondents expect the inflation rate to gradually reduce over the next six months.

A further analysis indicated that businesses anticipate that the inflation rate will drop compared to households, with indices of -33.4 and -11.0 points for the next month and next six months respectively.

“Overall, both businesses and households believe that the inflation rate will rise further in the periods”, the survey stated.

It added that the expected inflation rate hike will be driven primarily by changes in energy prices, exchange rates and transportation costs.

The reports come weeks after Nigeria’s inflation declined to 33.40 percent in July, from 34.19 percent in June.

In the past months, the apex bank had continued to tighten Monetary policy measures such as the interest rate which stood at 26.75 percent to tame the inflation rate.

 ...husband seeks financial assistance

A 54-year-old Nigerian woman, Alake Latoyosi gave birth to 11 babies in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

While her husband, Yahaya Nafiu, 56, is seeking help to support his family’s care for the babies and their mother.

Nafiu, the Missioner of Ilorin Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) in Port Novo, Ajasse, and Cotonou in the neighbouring West African country, said his 54-year-old wife delivered the babies in two batches. The first set of six arrived on 7 August, while the second arrived seven days later, on 14 August.

According to the father, a birth attendant took delivery of the babies on the two occasions.

The babies consisted of eight males and three females, but two of the girls died during delivery.

Nafiu said the remaining nine are hale and hearty. However, he said he struggled to meet the huge financial cost of caring for them and their mother.

“A few days after the delivery of the first set of children, my wife said she felt strange movements in her stomach. After a scan was carried out at the hospital, the doctor revealed that she was carrying another set of children, which led them to contact the initial birth attendant, and the next set of five babies was delivered”, Mr Nafiu said.

According to him, the pregnancy lasted over three years before the delivery.

He said the hospital could not ascertain the pregnancy position of his wife, resulting in the doctors being unable to carry out a Caesarian operation. The cleric attributed the experience to an evil spiritual influence on the doctors.