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    Breaking: Sadio Mane ‘ruled out of 2022 World Cup in Qatar’

    Senegalese football star, Sadio Mane has reportedly been ruled out of Senegal’s World Cup campaign in Qatar after he limped off during Bayern Munich’s clash against Werder Bremen with a tendon injury on Tuesday, November 9. 

    The former Liverpool forward was taken off just 20 minutes into Bayern’s 6-1 win over Bremen on Tuesday night. 

    According to L’Equipe, he will play no part in the competition, dealing the reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions a massive blow.

    Senegal are due to play Holland, Ecuador and hosts Qatar in the group stage. 

    Mane is believed to have suffered a tendon injury, L’Equipe adds, and is set for ‘several weeks out’, handing his national team coach Aliou Cisse a major headache just days before announcing his World Cup squad. 

    His Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann said the player would have an X-ray to determine the extent of the injury after initially saying he had taken a blow to his tibia – and that he was hopeful it was ‘not a big injury’. 

    ‘He took a knock to the head of his tibia,’ he said. ‘It’s always uncomfortable. He has to have an X-ray. I hope nothing is wrong.

    ‘I didn’t see him after the game, I hope it’s not a big injury. But I don’t know at the moment’, the Bayern boss continued. ‘We’ll see tomorrow and then give an update.’ 

    Mane, who joined Bayern from Liverpool for £35million in the summer, has been an exciting for his club during his first season in Germany.  He’s scored 11 goals in 23 appearances in all competitions, laying on four assists.

    US Rapper, 50 Cent to produce movie series on Hushpuppi

    Curtis James Jackson III, American rapper and producer popularly known as 50 Cent, has announced plans to release a movie series based on notorious Nigerian internet fraudster, Ramon Abass.

    Best known as Hushpuppi, Abass was arrested in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates in June 2020, for defrauding over 1.9 million people, majority of whom were Americans.

    He was afterwards extradited to the United States for trial on July 3, the same year.

    As earlier reported by The PUNCH, a United States District Court sitting at the Central District of California on Monday sentenced Hushpuppi to 11 years and three months’ after he was found guilty of laundering proceeds of a school financing scam, business email compromise and other fraudulent cyber schemes.

    The 37 years old had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges filed against him during the trial.

    Sharing pictures of the convict, 50 Cent made it known via his Instagram account on Wednesday that he was working on a movie project based on Hushpuppi’s story.

    The G-Unit Records founder wrote in the caption, “For my scammers I gotta do this one. Hushpuppi series coming soon! GLG, Green Light Gang I don’t miss. #Bransoncognac #lecheminduroi #gunitfilmandtv.”

    [Punch]

    Why did Tinubu forfeited $460,000 to US Govt? – Keyamo

    Festus Keyamo, spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, has shed more light on the raging controversy about Bola Tinubu and his alleged involvement in drug trafficking in the United States.

    Over the past few months, there has been public scrutiny of background of Tinubu, APC presidential candidate, with many saying his past was too shady for someone seeking to lead the country.


    The former Lagos governor has also been accused of alleged involvement in drug trafficking in the US — an allegation that has sparked divergent reactions on social media.

    On Tuesday, the social media was agog after the release of certified true copies of a settlement order issued by a US court domiciled at the northern district of Illinois regarding forfeiture of funds in some bank accounts linked to someone named “Bola Tinubu”.

    According to the court documents, there was probable cause to believe that the funds in bank accounts linked to the named Tinubu were proceeds of narcotics trafficking.


    The court ruled that the sum of $460,000 in one of the accounts be forfeited to the US government.

    The court document also shows that the case was heard in the US in 1993.

    ‘TINUBU WAS NOT SUED‘

    Speaking on the court documents on Wednesday during an interview with Channels Television, Keyamo said the former Lagos governor was not sued or indicted on any charge, adding that the case was regarding the funds in 10 bank accounts linked to Tinubu.

    He averred that the $460,000 forfeiture to US authorities was tax deductibles that should ordinarily accrue to the government.


    “These processes are mere presumptions. They found money in his (Tinubu) accounts and they said he needed to come forward,” he said.

    “In that affidavit of Kevin Moss, they said they interviewed Mobil and Mobil said this man is a treasurer in Mobil. Mobil said the funds are not for them.

    “They confirmed his status not as a criminal but as a respected employee of Mobil. It is in that affidavit.

    “After all the rigamarole trying to find out whether the accounts where the money came from are linked to drugs, they came to the conclusion that the deposits he made — what these bankers called investments — they said he had not paid tax on these interests. That is all.

    “Look at paragraph 38. They said it is tax. They took what belonged to them.”

    British nurses to hold first strike in history over pay

    Nurses in UK will be embarking on a strike for the first time in history, to press home their demand for better pay as the cost of living soars in the European country. 

    Their trade union said on Wednesday, November 9, that the majority of state-run National Health Service (NHS) employers across Britain have voted to strike. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) noted the strike would be a major disruption to an already strained health system.

    The RCN which has more than 300,000 members, said industrial action would begin before the end of the year following the first ever strike vote in its 106-year-old history.

    RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said in a statement; 

    “Anger has become action, our members are saying enough is enough.

    “This action will be as much for patients as it is for nurses. Standards are falling too low.”

    Many of the biggest hospitals in England will see strike action by RCN members but others narrowly missed the legal turnout thresholds to qualify for action. All NHS employers in Northern Ireland and Scotland will be included and all bar one in Wales met the relevant legal thresholds.

    Steve Barclay, the health secretary, said the news was “disappointing”. He said more than one million NHS workers have received a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year on top of a 3 per cent rise last year, and 30,000 out of the 50,000 more nurses promised by 2024 had been recruited.

    Barclay said; 

    “But union demands for a 17.6 per cent pay settlement are around three times what millions of people outside the public sector will typically receive and simply aren’t reasonable or affordable. Labour have also refused to back this.

    “Regrettably, this action will mean some patients will have their treatment delayed. My priority is to keep patients safe during any strikes, minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate.”

    NHS trusts are likely to cancel planned surgeries but maintain emergency care during strikes. Health leaders have said they are planning for “bank holiday” style staffing levels.

    The UK has seen a wave of industrial unrest this year across industries from railways to the law as pay fails to keep up with inflation, running at 10 percent, and surging energy costs.

    The strike action threatens significant disruption to health system already strained by persistent government underinvestment, the COVID-19 pandemic and a severe shortage of staff.

    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson told reporters earlier on Wednesday the government wanted to strike a balance between the “crucial role” played by nurses and the fiscal challenges facing the country.

    The NHS has provided free healthcare at the point of use since 1948 but is now dealing with a record seven million patients on waiting lists for hospital treatment. Accident and emergency departments are also under strain.

    “Why I set my five stepchildren ablaze” – elderly man reveals

    Joseph Ojo, 64, has revealed the reason he set his five stepchildren ablaze.

    Ojo, who was paraded at the state headquarters of the Nigeria Police in Akure, Ondo State, confessed that his stepchildren used to join their mother to beat him.

    The suspect also disclosed that his wife and the stepchildren were in the habit of starving him, despite being the one giving the money for feeding.

    According to him, the situation infuriated him, after which he siphoned petrol from his chainsaw (felling machine) and poured it in the children’s room before setting it ablaze.

    Ojo had on Saturday set the room where the stepchildren were sleeping on fire at his residence at Fagun, Ondo town, headquarters of Ondo West Local Government.

    The Police Public Relations Officer in the State, Funmi Odunlami, disclosed that three of the five children had died due to the injuries sustained in the incident.

    Odunlami added that Ojo had kept his twins in another room before carrying out the act.

    [DailyPost]

    A Nigerian allegedly releases sex tape of Zanele Sifuba, SA Legislator [video]

    Nigerian man has been accused of releasing the sex tape of Zanele Sifuba, the Speaker of South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) Free State legislature.

    In the viral video, Sifuba was captured engaging herself in a sexual manner in what appears to be a video call.

    It was reported that a young Nigerian man released the sex tape of the politician after she allegedly refused to pay R300 000 (N7million) blackmail money.

    Sifuba’s sex tape topped the trends list in South Africa, with many expressing disappointment and disgust over the clip.

    It was gathered that the exploded ticking-time bomb scandal apparently started with the leakage of screenshots from the actual video last week. The nudes was said to have started making rounds on Monday, 31 October.

    The Free State Legislature quickly responded by ordering an investigation into the Speaker’s nudes scandal.

    “The Legislature will establish investigations into this Gender-based violence. This is harassment and whoever shared this video must face the law. This is an insult to elderly women.”

    The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)Provincial Secretary Malefane Bosanku Msimanga and African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) Regional Chairperson Edgar Legoale have condemned the ‘insensitive’ circulation of nude images of what appears to be those of the Speaker of Free State legislature.

    The parties said that the person who was responsible for the circulation of these images should be arrested, charged and sentenced to a minimum of 15 years of jail term.

    So far, a young unknown Nigerian man has been linked to the distribution of the sex tape.

    Video here

    “Indian cough syrup victims” in Gambia reject $20,000 compensation from government

    The Families of 70 Gambian children who died of acute kidney injury (AKI), allegedly linked to consuming Indian made cough syrups, have rejected monetary compensation offered to them by the Government of Gambia.

    In October 2022, the World Health Organization announced a global alert over four brands of cough syrups, saying they could be linked to acute kidney damage.


    This followed reports linking the drugs to acute kidney problems in children in the Gambia of children.


    The Gambian Ministry of Gender have offered the families $20,000 to be shared among them but the families rejected the offer.


    According to a BBC report on Monday,  November 7, the chairperson of the grieving families, Ebrima Sanyang, said the money was “an insult to the victims”.


    Sanyang insisted that accepting the money would mean that they were not fighting for justice.


    They said the state’s Medicine Control Agency should be removed from the ongoing investigation ordered by the president.


    The families say they want the Agency to withdraw its initial claim that the children had died in flood waters and not from faulty medicine.

    Nnamdi Kanu blasts Supreme Court: “order DSS to free me!”

    The leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has asked the Supreme Court to compel the Federal Government to release him in compliance with the October 13 judgment of the Court of Appeal.


    His request is contained in a cross-appeal he filed in the appeal by the Federal Government, challenging the judgment freeing him.

    The IPOB leader, in the three-ground notice of cross-appeal, is challenging some portions of the October 13 judgment.

    Kanu is praying the Supreme Court to set aside the Appeal Court’s judgment “as it relates to issues two, three and five formulated before the court.”

    He is also praying the apex court to direct the Federal Government to release him from the custody of the State Security Service (SSS).

    In ground one, he argued that the Appeal Court erred in law when it held that “the main purpose of a charge is to give the accused person a notice of the case against him and that is why the law is that an omission in a charge will only be fatal if it does not put an accused person on proper and sufficient notice of the case against him to enable him to prepare adequately for his defence,” without due deference to the mandatory requirements of the laws which limit the criminal jurisdiction of the Federal High Court only to criminal offences committed within the jurisdiction of the court.


    He contended, in ground two, that the Appeal Court erred in law when it held that “as long as the appeal against the proscription of IPOB has not been determined, the order of proscription is still valid and subsisting,” and thereby occasioned a miscarriage of justice.

    In ground three, Kanu argued that the Court of Appeal “erred in law when it held that it is only when evidence has been adduced by the prosecution in proof of its case and the proof of evidence is thus admitted in evidence, that the competency or otherwise of the proof of evidence/charge, can be attacked; and that as such, it was premature to make a pronouncement on the relative strength of proof of evidence before the commencement of trial, and thereby occasioned a miscarriage of justice.”

    Kanu has also filed a notice of appeal praying the apex court to reverse the October 28 ruling by the Court of Appeal staying the execution of its October 13 judgment.

    Naira slumps to N885/$ despite EFCC’s raids on ‘dollar black market’

    The naira has dropped to a new low of N885 per dollar at the parallel section of the foreign exchange (FX) market, popularly called the black market.

    The figure represents a depreciation of N70 or 8.6 percent from the N815 it traded last week.

    Speaking to TheCable on Monday, some Bureaux De Change (BDC) operators said dollar demand has been swelling and putting pressure on the naira.

    They put the buying price of the dollar at N860 and the selling price at N885, leaving a N25 profit margin.

    “We are selling one dollar for N885 for now. But the price is gradually coming down,” a currency trader in the Ikeja area of Lagos, said.

    At the official market, the naira appreciated by 0.06 percent to close at N445.50 on Friday, according to details on FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange — a platform that oversees official foreign-exchange trading in Nigeria.

    The decline of the naira against the greenback at the parallel market intensified sharply after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced its plan to redesign the nation’s currency.

    At the time the CBN announced the currency redesign, the naira traded at N785 per dollar.

    Last week, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) commenced raids on forex trading hubs in Abuja, Lagos and Kano in an effort to halt the slide of the naira against the dollar.

    The agency is said to be concerned that money launderers have been obtaining forex from BDCs in order to avoid losing their ill-gotten naira which faces redesign by the government.

    Speaking to TheCable on the raids, Aminu Gwadabe, president of the Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), said the clampdown is mostly targeted at forex dealers hawking on the streets, which according to him, are not licensed BDC operators.

    “The emphasis of the EFCC is on traceability of funds and protecting your business against money laundering. As a BDC operator, you need to comply with these,” he said.

    “As a BDC operator, you should also have an office. Regulators and security agencies can enter your office without any warrant. Hawking of forex on the streets is an infraction. The only problem is when you don’t comply with these rules and you are caught.”

    Gwadabe also said the currency redesign has increased volatility in the FX market.

    “When the local currency is losing value, people want to move to another currency that is stable. This necessitated currency conversion which leads to hoarding. These activities have continued to mount pressure on the naira,” the ABCON boss explained.

    “The spike we are experiencing is artificial. It’s not an effective rate. It is caused by lack of liquidity in the market.”

    To avoid Nuclear War: US confirms having ‘communications’ with Russia

    The US has confirmed it has opened communication channels between Washington and Moscow despite the war in Ukraine.

    Speaking in New York, US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan
    said it was “in the interests” of the US to maintain contact with the Kremlin.


    But he insisted officials were “clear-eyed about who we are dealing with”.

    The news comes as the White House has not denied reports that the US has been engaging in talks with Russia to prevent a nuclear escalation in Ukraine.


    The Wall Street Journal reports that Sullivan has held confidential discussions with his Russian counterpart, Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev, and senior Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, over the past several months.


    Senior US officials reportedly told the Washington Post the men had discussed ways to guard against the risk of nuclear escalation in the war in Ukraine, but had not engaged in any negotiations around ways to end the conflict.

    Last month, Sullivan said any use of nuclear weapons would have “catastrophic consequences for Russia”. He told NBC that senior officials had “spelled out” the scope of the potential US response in private discussions with Russian officials.

    Last week, the Washington Post reported that senior US officials were urging Kyiv to signal an openness to hold negotiations with Russia and drop Volodimir Zelensky’s public refusal to discuss an end to the war while President Vladimir Putin remained in power.


    But Sullivan told a public event in New York that the Biden administration had “an obligation to pursue accountability” and pledged to work with international partners to “hold the perpetrators of grave and grotesque war crimes in Ukraine responsible for what they have done”.


    “I was just in Kyiv on Friday. and I had the opportunity to meet with President [Volodymyr] Zelensky and my counterpart Andriy Yermak, with the military leadership and also to get a briefing on just what level of death and devastation has been erupted by Putin’s war on that country,”  Sullivan said.

    Chidinma Ojukwu allegedly had sexual relations with her foster father – Police Investigator claims

    The trial of Chidinma Ojukwu, the key suspect in the murder of the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga continued at the Lagos High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square today November 8 with a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Olusegun Bamidele, informing the court that Chidinma was having a sexual relationship with her foster father, Onoh Ojukwu.

    Bamidele who is serving with the homicide department of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti Yaba, made this disclosure while being cross-examined by Chidinma’s lawyer, Mr Onwuka Egwu, during a trial within trial to determine the voluntariness of her confessional statements.

    Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication undergraduate, is standing trial alongside Adedapo Quadri who was alleged to have conspired with her to murder Ataga, her lover, on June 15, 2021, by stabbing him several times with a knife on the neck and chest.

    A third defendant, her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, is charged with receiving a stolen iPhone 7 belonging to the late Ataga. At the last sitting of the court, Bamidele who is the ninth prosecution witness had told the court how Chidinma transferred the sum of N5m, on June 15, 2021 from Usifo Ataga’s account to another account. He had also told Justice Yetunde Adesanya how the handwritten statement of Chidinma was taken and how the second and third defendants were arrested.

    When the prosecution sought to admit the written statements of the defendants, Chidinma’s counsel, Egwu, objected to the admissibility of the document. He said that the statements were obtained by oppression, inducement intimidation and under duress and urged the court to conduct a trial within trial to determine its voluntariness.

    At the resumed hearing of the matter, Bamidele who was led in evidence in the trial within trial narrated how Chidinma was arrested and how she was interrogated. He also told the court that the first time she was arrested, he was not a part of the arresting crew.

    “That night on June 23, 2021, the first team that visited came back with three people. The first defendant is Chidinma Ojukwu, her foster father, Onoh Ojukwu and an under-aged girl. That were the people I saw. I was in the second team that visited the address.”

    He confirmed that Chidinma was rearrested on July 25 and kept in detention till August 19, 2021.

    “Mr Ojukwu was not kept in the cell, he was kept in a protective room and he received and escorted visitors at will.

    In the course of his staying with us, we stumbled on intelligence that there was an amorous (sexual) relationship between the first defendant and her foster father, and that gave us the impetus that Mr Ojukwu was not sincere in his statements with us as he was aware of the offence for which the first defendant is standing trial today.

    We also established that the mother of the first defendant never approved the custody of the first defendant to Ojukwu and it was on this basis that we charged him to court alongside the three defendants at the Magistrate Court so that the court can decide if he can get bail.”

    The court has adjourned till November 10, for the continuation of trial within trial.

    “Awarding Qatar 2022 World Cup was a mistake” – Sepp Blatter

    Sepp Blatter, the former FIFA president, says the decision to award Qatar with the 2022 World Cup was a “mistake”.

    In an interview with the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, the 86-year-old, who was FIFA president when Qatar was awarded the 2020 World Cup hosting rights in 2010, said he had voted for the United States to host this year’s tournament.

    “The choice of Qatar was a mistake. At the time, we actually agreed in the executive committee that Russia should get the 2018 World Cup and the USA should get it in 2022,” he said.

    “It would have been a gesture of peace if the two long-standing political opponents had hosted the World Cup one after the

    Asked why Qatar was a “bad choice”, Blatter said: “It’s too small a country. Football and the World Cup are too big for that.”

    Blatter also blamed Michel Platini, the former UEFA president, for allowing the tournament to be handed to the Gulf state.

    He alleged that Platini was instrumental in directing four votes from European countries to Qatar, following pressure from Nicolas Sarkozy, the then president of France.

    “Thanks to the four votes of Platini and his [Uefa] team, the World Cup went to Qatar rather than the United States. It’s the truth,” Blatter said.

    “Platini told me he had been invited to the Élysée Palace, where French president Sarkozy had just had lunch with the Crown Prince of Qatar.

    “Sarkozy said to Platini: ‘See what you and your colleagues from Uefa can do for Qatar when the World Cup is awarded.’ I then asked him: ‘And how?’”

    Blatter alleged that when he queried Platini, the ex-UEFA president asked him: “‘Sepp, what would you do if your president asked you for something?’

    “I then told him that the question didn’t arise for me because we don’t have a president in Switzerland.”

    The World Cup in Qatar begins on November 20.

    There have been concerns in some quarters about Qatar hosting this year’s World Cup.

    Accusations of human rights abuse continue to trail the rich gulf nation amid discriminatory laws that criminalise same-sex relations.

    Maryland gets its first Black Governor elected

    American politician and Democrat, Wes Moore has been elected Maryland’s first Black governor after defeating Republican Dan Cox in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1.

    According to AP News, votes on Tuesday October 8, show that Moore defeated Republican Dan Cox, meaning he is now the first Black governor of  Maryland. 

    Wes Moore, a charismatic best-selling author and former head of the anti-poverty organization Robin Hood, is also now the third Black elected governor in American history. 

    During his victory, Moore spoke about his “leave no one behind,” slogan and said, “When I was an Army captain and led soldiers into combat in Afghanistan, we lived by a simple principle: Leave no one behind … Real patriotism means bringing people together. It means lifting each other up and improving each other’s lives.” 

    Moore’s running mate, Aruna Miller, also made history as by becoming the first immigrant to win the lieutenant governor’s office in Maryland.

    Moore’s win puts the governorship back in Democrats’ hands after two terms of Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, one of the country’s most popular governors.

    He now joins only Douglas Wilder of Virginia and Deval Patrick as the only Black governors elected in the country’s 246-year history.

    Bobrisky Speaks On Having An Affair With Yul Edochie

    Controversial cross dresser, Idris Okuneye, better known as Bobrisky has broken silence on been romantically involved with Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie.

    This comes after Yul Edochie, on Tuesday, disclosed that over fifteen thousand people from various social media platforms accused him of sleeping with Bobrisky after he wished him a happy birthday on his Instagram and Facebook pages.

    “I received over ten thousand DMs on Facebook and over  five thousand messages on Instagram. They accused me of sleeping with Bobrisky because I wished him a happy birthday on my page.

    “The messages were so many. Just because I wished Bobrisky a happy birthday. Wetin person no go see? Nigerians rest please,” Yul said in his new vlog on You Tube.

    Reacting to that, Bobrisky, via his Instagram page, lashed out at Nigerians for always judging male friends celebrated on his page.

    According to Yoruba-born crossdresser, Nigerians think every male celebrated on his social media page is sexually involved with him.

    He further poured encomium on the married actor, saying he’s a rare gem on earth. 

    “I can’t post, a friend in peace on my page. If i just post man on my page, fiam, he is sleeping with me. In Nigerians head. I can’t even thank my male friends in public, they will come for him. Sad Nigerians rest is not that deep. I am an adult, leave me now,” he said.

    “After watching your You Tube video all i can say is people like you are rare on earth and God will continue to bless” Bobrisky wrote, sharing Yul’s photo.

    Facebook is planning to layoff ‘thousands of workers’ this week after Twitter’s overhaul

    Meta, the parent company of Facebook is planning a major job cut that could affect “thousands” of workers, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is reporting.

    The WSJ said the layoffs could begin as soon as Wednesday.

    On Friday, its counterpart, Twitter laid off about 3,700 people — half of its global workforce.

    The Facebook and Instagram parent company had reported over 87,000 employees at the end of September, but these “large-scale” layoffs are expected to slash a significant portion of staff members.

    According to the WSJ, the layoffs could hit Meta even harder than the mass job cuts at Twitter, which affected about half of the company’s 7,500 workforce.

    Earlier in June, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO warned employees that the coming recession would lead to a reduction in engineering jobs by at least 30 percent at the social media company.

    “In 2023, we’re going to focus our investments on a small number of high-priority growth areas. So, that means some teams will grow meaningfully, but most other teams will stay flat or shrink over the next year,” he had said.

    “In aggregate, we expect to end 2023 as either roughly the same size or even a slightly smaller organisation than we are today.”

    “No use of nuclear weapons over Ukraine” China’s Jinping warns Putin

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, has over the weekend, warned Russia that nuclear weapons must not be used amid concerns that the war might go nuclear, making it China’s clearest response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    President Xi made the clear pronouncement during a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

    While not mentioning Russia for criticism, Xi reportedly said:

    “The international community should … jointly oppose the use or threats to use nuclear weapons, advocate that nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought, in order to prevent a nuclear crisis in Eurasia.”

    Xi’s statement repeated China’s pledge made in January – alongside nuclear-armed France, Russia, Britain and the United States – to use atomic weapons only for defensive purposes.

    “A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought”, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, or the “P5”, had said in their joint statement.

    Xi Jinping with Olaf Scholz at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday. Photo: dpa alt=Xi Jinping with Olaf Scholz at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday. Photo: dpa>
    Xi Jinping with Olaf Scholz at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday. Photo: dpa

    According to South China Morning Post, China maintains a stated policy that it will not use nuclear weapons first and not threaten non-nuclear states with those weapons.

    But Western governments remain concerned because of a lack of transparency over the Chinese nuclear programme.

    Xi also told Scholz that China supported Europe’s important role in pushing for peace talks over Ukraine, and in creating a “balanced, effective and sustainable” European security framework, according to Xinhua.

    Western countries supporting Ukraine’s war efforts have been worried about Moscow using nuclear weapons, after President Vladimir Putin said in September that Russia would use “all weapon systems available” if its territorial integrity was threatened.

    But last month, Putin denied having any intentions of using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, saying there was no need for this from a political or military standpoint.

    Russia has also accused Ukraine of planning a “dirty bomb” attack – referring to the use of radioactive explosive intended to contaminate rather than cause heavy casualties.

    But UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency dismissed the Russian claim on Thursday following an investigation.

    Scholz, the first Group of 7 and western European leader to visit China since the Covid-19 pandemic began, said Berlin and Beijing agreed that threatening nuclear attacks was irresponsible and dangerous.

    “I have said to President Xi that it’s important for China to exert its influence on Russia – it’s about the principles of the UN Charter that we have all agreed on, and asserting these principles like the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every country.

    These are important issues for China as well,” Scholz said during a joint press conference with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday.

    In an opinion piece for Politico ahead of his one-day trip, Scholz said China bore a “special responsibility” as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

    China is not known to have given direct military support to Russia or recognised annexed Ukrainian regions as Russian territory.

    However, it has repeatedly criticised the West for ignoring Moscow’s security concerns and the sanctions they imposed in response to the invasion.

    Chinese media have also repeated the Kremlin’s narrative on the war and not described it as an invasion.

    “Scholz will see China’s public opposition to the use and threat to use nuclear weapons as a victory,” said Noah Barkin, a China expert at Rhodium Group, a New York-based research firm.

    “But we don’t know whether that will have any effect on Vladimir Putin, nor whether an escalation in Ukraine would lead Beijing to distance itself from Moscow. The lessons of the past year are that Xi will stick with Putin through thick and thin.”

    Xi also highlighted to Scholz the need for Germany and China to work together for the global good.

    “We must work together to ensure global industry and supply chains are stable and prevent interferences to cooperation in global energy, food and finance that will harm global economic recovery and, especially, the economic and financial stability of developing countries,” Xi said, according to Xinhua.

    For China, economic development and national security go hand in hand. Xi’s national security doctrine says development can ensure security, while security in turn ensures the continued development of nations.

    National security, as China sees it, is not only about the protection of territorial integrity but also ensuring a supply chain remains safe from foreign sanctions and developing self-sufficiency in food, energy and technology.

    TikTokers from Kano to receive 40 lashes in public, wash toilets for defaming Governor Ganduje

    Kano State Magistrate Court presided over by Aminu Muhammad Gabari on Monday, November 7, 2022, ordered 40 lashes be administered on two skit makers, Mubarak Isa Muhammad (Uniquepikin) and Nazifi Muhammad Bala for defaming the character of Governor Ganduje on their Tiktok accounts.

    The court also ordered the duo to sweep and wash the toilets of Nomansland Magistrates Court premises for 30 days.

    “They will receive 20 lashes each, to be administered in the public. They should also sweep and wash the toilets of Justice Aloma Mukthar Court Complex in No-man’s-land,” the judge ruled.

    The convicts had pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of defamation and inciting public disturbance slammed against them.

    The First Information Report indicated that the duo posted on their Tiktok account that Ganduje does not see a land without selling it and he sleep a lot.

    Based on that, the prosecutor, Barrister Wada Ahmad Wada and Principal State Counsel, Kano State Ministry of Justice applied for a summary trial against the duo.

    When the case resumed on Monday November 7, for judgement, Magistrate Gabari ordered the convicts to pay a fine of N10,000 each for defaming the character of Kano State Governor.

    Magistrate Gabari also ordered them to pay another fine of N10,000 each for inciting public disturbance.

    He then similarly administered non-custodial terms against the convicts.

    Consequently, he ordered the convicts to make a video on social media tendering an apology to Ganduje.

    The skit makers were taken to court after they were captured in a viral TikTok video calling out Ganduje.

    In the video, they referred to Ganduje as a “corrupt politician” who sold every available plot of land in the state.

    “This is a chapter that is talking about Ganduje. And who is this Ganduje? He is a husband to an influential woman and a father to an Arabian. And he is also from Kano state. The qualities of this Ganduje are as follows: He is a governor that loves to sleep,” they said.

    “But he has become a suspect in the eyes of the people of Kano. To say a few of his qualities and talents, whenever he sees a piece of land in Kano he is definitely going to take his share. To explain this further, it is either he makes it available for sale or sells it off completely, but in the end, something questionable must occur.”

    Hushpuppi gets 11-year jail time for fraud, orders him to pay $1.7M to victims

    A United States District Court for the Central District of California has finally sentenced Instagram celebrity, Ramon Abass Olorunwa, popularly known as Hushpuppi, to 11 years and three months in prison for fraud. 

    The 40-year-old was sentenced on Monday, November 7, by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who also ordered Abbas to pay $1,732,841 in restitution to two fraud victims.

    The judge said Hushpuppi conspired to launder tens of millions of dollars through online scams and flaunted his luxurious, crime-funded lifestyle on social media.

    He pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, 10 months after he was arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), in June 2020.

    Hushpuppi has remained in US federal custody since his expulsion from the UAE.

    A statement released by the US court read:

    “Abbas bragged on social media about his lavish lifestyle – a lifestyle funded by his involvement in transnational fraud and money laundering conspiracies targeting victims around the world,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada.

    “Money laundering and business email compromise scams are a massive international crime problem, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement and international partners to identify and prosecute those involved, wherever they may be.”

    “Ramon Abbas, a.k.a. ‘Hushpuppi,’ targeted both American and international victims, becoming one of the most prolific money launderers in the world,” said Don Alway, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

    “Abbas leveraged his social media platforms – where he amassed a considerable following – to gain notoriety and to brag about the immense wealth he acquired by conducting business email compromise scams, online bank heists and other cyber-enabled fraud that financially ruined scores of victims and provided assistance to the North Korean regime.

    “This significant sentence is the result of years’ worth of collaboration among law enforcement in multiple countries and should send a clear warning to international fraudsters that the FBI will seek justice for victims, regardless of whether criminals operate within or outside United States borders.”

    Abbas apologised for his crimes to Judge Otis D Wright in a handwritten note, saying he would use his personal funds to pay back his victims. He also said he had only made $300,000 from the crime he was being tried for.

    Ifeanyi Davido’s autopsy revealed

    The Lagos State Police Command has revealed that the autopsy conducted on the corpse of Ifeanyi Adeleke, son of Davido and his fiancée, Chioma Rowland, revealed that he died as a result of drowning.

    Benjamin Hundeyin, the state Police Public Relations Officer confirmed the new development on Saturday, November 5. He also said the two suspects arrested in connection to the tragic incident are still being quizzed.

    “The two suspects are still with us. Autopsy has been concluded. The autopsy confirmed that he (Ifeanyi) died by drowning,” Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Benjamin Hundeyin told PUNCH. 

    On whether the two principal suspects will be charged in court, the police spokesman said, “I don’t want to preempt that. Investigation is still ongoing.”

    Ifeanyi who turned three on October 20, drowned in the swimming pool in the singer’s Banana Island home on Monday, October 31.

    According to a source close to the heartbreaking incident, the Nanny was with Ifeanyi and the Chef came to join them. The Nanny was said to have moved slightly away to receive a call. When she returned, she couldn’t find Ifeanyi and assumed he was with the Chef but the Chef said he had left Ifeanyi with her. They began to frantically look for Ifeanyi all over the house for close to 20 mins until a security guard spotted him in the pool. 

    Davido and Chioma were said to have returned from their trip to the devastating news.

    “Davido ran mad. He literally removed his clothes and wanted to run into the streets. He was held back. He and Chioma are inconsolable.” the source told Tori Media

    Are Russians preparing for a nuclear war?

    A new report claims that the United States is privately encouraging Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky to drop his ban on talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin and negotiate an end to the war amid growing fears of nuclear war.


    According to The Washington Post, US officials have said that the request by the Biden administration is not to push Ukraine to the negotiating table, but ensure Kyiv maintains the support of its international backers as Zelensky’s ban on talks with Putin has created concern in parts of Europe, Africa and Latin America, where the war’s effects are being felt the most.


    Several nations are worried about fuelling a war for many years which has already taken a toll on the world economy and had devastating consequences on the cost and availability of food and fuel. 


    ‘Ukraine fatigue is a real thing for some of our partners,’ one US official told The Washington Post.


    It comes after a New York Times report said the US admitted it is ‘increasingly concerned’ over Moscow’s nuclear sabre-rattling after it emerged top Russian military officials discussed nuking Ukraine.


    The report, which cited unnamed US officials, said Putin did not take part in the discussions, and there was no indication that the Russian military had decided to deploy the weapons. 


    The most recent threat of nuclear war came from former Russian president and senior security council official Dmitry Medvedev.


    Medvedev said on Tuesday, November 1 that Ukraine’s objective to reclaim all its territories occupied by Russia, which include the Donbas region and Crimea, would be a ‘threat to the existence of our state.’


    That scenario, Medvedev said, would be ‘a direct reason’ to invoke nuclear deterrence.

     
    Back in SeInptember, Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security advisor, said that the US has warned Russia at ‘very high levels’ of ‘catastrophic consequences’ for using nuclear arms

    “If you are using this Toyota Lexus car model take it back” – FRSC warns

    Nigerians have been warned by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) against use of some Toyota Lexus vehicles over “faulty programming”. 

    The alert was issued in a statement released on Friday, November 4, by Bisi Kazeem, FRSC’s public education officer. 

    The agency said the warning became necessary after Toyota’s recalled 14,799 “defective” Lexus vehicles.

    It was also noted that some Lexus NX260 vehicles with “defective” electric parking brake (EPB) system have been recalled.

    The statement read; 

    “The Federal Road Safety Corps wishes to draw the attention of the motoring public, particularly those who are presently using Lexus NX260, Lexus NX3650h and Lexus NX400h+ manufactured between 31 March 2021 to 26 April 2022, to a faulty programming of the Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) System, which has prompted the Company to recall the categories of the listed vehicles.

    “According to the report contained in a memo forwarded by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the company is also recalling 6,491 Lexus NX260 with defective Electric Parking Brake (EPB) system which was manufactured between 19 April 2021 and 15 July 2022.

    “The withdrawal is specifically premised on the fact that the vehicles will pose safety hazards to their users thereby leading to crashes.

    “The Acting Corps Marshal, Dauda Ali Biu, is by this notice, admonishing the general public, particularly dealers and drivers of these categories of vehicles, to desist from selling or using the identified vehicles on Nigerian roads to avoid any mishap.”

    OPERA1ER Hackers steal $11m from Nigeria, others

    A gang of hackers, OPERA1ER, stole at least $11m from companies in Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, 11 other African countries, and Argentina.

    This is according to a new report from Group-IB, a cybersecurity firm, entitled, “OPERA1ER: Playing God without permission,” in collaboration with the researchers from Orange CERT Coordination Center.

    The firm disclosed that digital forensic artifacts analysed by it and Orange followed more than 30 successful intrusions of the gang between 2018 and 2022.

    The company’s data revealed that companies in Ivory Coast were the most targeted.

    It said this helped it to trace affected organisations in Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Gabon, Niger, Nigeria, Paraguay, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Togo, and Argentina.

    It added that while it estimated that the gang stole $11m, it could have actually stolen as high as $30m.

    It stated, “The report takes a deep dive into financially motivated attacks of the prolific French-speaking threat actor, codenamed OPERA1ER.

    “Despite relying solely on known ‘off-the-shelf’ tools, the gang managed to carry out more than 30 successful attacks against banks, financial services, and telecommunication companies mainly located in Africa between 2018 and 2022. OPERA1ER is confirmed to have stolen at least $11m, according to Group-IB’s estimates.

    “One of OPERA1ER’s attacks involved a vast network of 400 mule accounts for fraudulent money withdrawals. Researchers from the Group-IB European Threat Intelligence Unit identified and reached out to 16 affected organizations so they could mitigate the threat and prevent further attacks by OPERA1ER.”

    According to the firm, the report was completed in 2021 when the threat actor was active. Head of cyber threat research at Group-IB Europe, Rustam Mirkasymov, said, “Detailed analysis of the gang’s recent attacks revealed an interesting pattern in their modus operandi: OPERA1ER conducts attacks mainly during the weekends or public holidays.

    “It correlates with the fact that they spend from 3 to 12 months from the initial access to money theft. It was established that the French-speaking hacker group could operate from Africa. The exact number of the gang members is unknown.”

    [Punch]

    “We Are Monitoring 3 Governors Over Stashed Cash” – EFCC Boss

    The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa has confirmed that the commission is monitoring three governors over stashed money.
    According to Bawa, the serving governors are planning to launder stashed billions of Naira through table payment of salaries to workers.

    The development is coming a few days after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced that the country’s currency would be redesigned to address many issues.

    The apex bank disclosed that the re-designed notes would be released on December 15, adding that Nigerians have up to January 31, 2023, to deposit the old notes in banks.

    Bawa in an interview with Daily Trust said some governors are planning to launder money they stashed in houses.

    The EFCC Chair who failed to reveal the identity of the three governors, said two of them are from the North, while the 3rd one is from the southern part of the country.

    He said intelligence has it that the three governors have concluded plans to inject the money into the system through table payment of their state workers’ salaries.

    Bawa said, “Let me tell you something, the Intel that I have yesterday and I would want you to take this thing very seriously. Already, some state governors have some of this cash stashed in various houses and the rest are now trying to pay salaries in cash in their states.

    “I don’t know how they want to achieve that but we have to stop them from doing that. Well, we are working, they have not paid the salaries in cash yet but it is a very serious thing.”.

    He said the move is against section 2 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act.

    Bawa said: “The law is very clear regarding cash transactions. Anybody that is to consummate any cash transaction as an individual, if it is not through a financial institution must not be above N5million and if it is above that it is criminal for you to engage in such transaction. And for corporate entities it is N10million.

    “Yes, I agree the salaries are not up to that but why are you all of a sudden, and all along you have been paying people salaries through their bank accounts and now you want to pay them in cash, what are you trying to do? They will come under a lot of guises, they are trying to do verification of officers, that is what we have gotten.”

    Revisit suspension of Bureau De Change operators from CBN window, Naira goes for N900/$ — ABCON

    Says operators are not criminals, control only 3 per cent of forex market

    …Confirms release of detained members, belongings

    The Association of Bureau De Change of Nigeria (ABCON) President Alhaji Aminu Gwadaebe has advised the  CBN to revisit the suspension of  Bureau De Change companies (BDCs) from forex window to strengthen the currency . This  is expected  to end the freefall in Naira value since the announcement of plans to redesign Naira notes  by the Federal Government. This according to him is better than harassment and seizure  of BDCs  operators belongings by the EFCC.

    The Central Bank Notes  (CBN) had announced approval by President Muhammadu Buhari on  plans to redesign Naira notes scheduled to kick off  December 15th 2022.

    It would be recalled that the EFCC Operatives last week Tuesday raided  the Wuse Zone 4 axis, the bureau de change trading hub in Abuja and arrested some operators. It’s on record that arrests in Lagos and other states too have been made by the anti-corruption agency.

    Speaking to Nigerian NewsDirect, the President ABCON, Alhaji Mohammed Aminu Gwadabe said, “the Generalization and criminalization of the sub sector is regrettable as the volume of transactions is about 3% of the tradable volumes in the market.

    “It is worrisome for a total clampdown on operators with registered offices and licenses to operate.”

    Gwadabe stressed that “as a result of our leaders’ intervention in the various zones thus so far, those arrested have been released nationwide with all their belongings.”

    He said, “While we support and embrace reforms in the sub-sector and are strictly against non compliance of any member with extant rules and regulations guiding the sector.

    “We therefore advise that constant dialogue between the authorities and the operators remain germane as BDCs is also a transmission mechanism of the apex bank monetary policies.”

    According to him, BDCs over time have provided potent tool for effective CBN monetary stabilization policies.

    He said, “In solving the problems, we are urging the authorities to look into supply of the critical retail end of the market by trade liberalization of export proceeds and diaspora remittances.

    “We also believe on revisiting the suspension of the BDCs will create further confidence in the market by stimulating the acute liquidity shortages in the sector while achieving clearing market prices and stability.

    “We also advise further closing the gap between the fixed and flexible exchange market with its inherent distortions of currency substitution, hoarding and speculation which usually come with heavy pressure on the exchange rate.

    “We want to also assure our members that various ways are on the pipelines to ensure return to our business and at the same time calling our members to ensure operating only in their offices while strictly observing the rules of know your customer (KYC), rendition of regulatory and statutory returns and report suspicious transactions that they are likely coming across now that the announcement of new naira redesign is adding pressure in the already fragile exchange rate of our local currency to the index greenbacks.”

    “Why I’m fearful for the rest of Davido’s kids” – Kemi Olunloyo

    Controversial journalist, Kemi Olunloyo continues to roll out more questionable claims about the popular crooner, Davido in her #TheAdelekeCurse docuseries.

    Recall that following the death of Ifeanyi Adeleke, Kemi Olunloyo launched the docuseries while alleging that a generational curse is responsible for the deaths being witnessed around Davido’s circle.

    However, in another short audio note, Kemi Olunloyo reflected on the people Davido lost not quite long ago ranging from his bodyguard, his friend and crew member Obama DMW, his photographer Fortune, and so on with the most recent being his son, Ifeanyi.

    According to her, the curse is laid on the most successful person in the family and everybody around them begins to die periodically.

    Kemi Olunloyo who claimed to have been under the same curse revealed that she broke hers in 2015.

    Captioning the audio, she wrote:

    DAVIDO KILLED NOBODY: A GENERATIONAL CURSE TOOK THE STAR OF THE FAMILY?
    #TheAdelekeCurse is a docuseries based on several bad things happening in one elite Nigerian family. The generational curse moves through one member and everywhere they go those around them start falling.
    To break the curse takes a lot of cultural ingenuity.

    Osun indigenes break curses at the water. The Osun are the only people in Nigeria to worship YEMOJA THE WATER GODDESS ????‍♀️??

    Esabod is the only one who will explain how I broke the Olunloyo curse in 2015. I was the star of the family. Pls learn Culture. Even the Americans have plenty. Google the #KennedyCurse

    "Why I’m fearful for the rest of Davido’s kids" - Kemi Olunloyo

    US court sentences Hushpuppi to 11 years in prison

    The United States Central District Court in California has convicted and sentenced popular Nigerian internet sensation, Ramon Abbas, better known as Hushpuppi to 11 years in jail.

    Hushpuppi was convicted for fraud and money laundering.

    He will however spend only nine years in prison as he has already spent two years in prison in the US.

    Hushpuppi was in June 2020 arrested in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, over an comprehensive fraudulent scheme that has robbed victims of their money in the U.S, Qatar, the United Kingdom, and other places.

    He was then extradited to the United States where he was charged with fraud and money laundering. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in money laundering with multiple people within and outside the US.

    The socialite however bagged only 11 years in prison after he appealed to US Judge Otis Wright to temper justice with mercy and a lighter jail term after scoring high in cleaning activities while in prison.

    Meanwhile, Hushpuppi’s Instagram page, which has 2.8 million followers, has been pulled down from the image-sharing platform. It is however unclear whether it was officially removed from Instagram or if the page was temporarily deactivated by someone with access to it.

    Paul Biya celebrates 40 years in office as Camerounian President

    President Paul Biya, currently the longest serving President in the world and his supporters, have marshalled out plans for an elaborate event to mark his 40th anniversary of his coming into power and leading one of the very important countries in Africa.

    The event scheduled for Sunday, would see, Biya marking his 40 years in office, as elected President, only next to Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the Sultan of Brunei, since 1967, who became Prime Minister in 1984 and Margrethe Alexandrine, Queen of Denmark, who is unelected.

    Voice of America, reports that the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) dispatched party officials to towns and villages on Thursday to organise conferences and rally support for Biya, who turned 89th in February, making him Africa’s oldest and second longest-serving leader after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has been in power since 1979.

    The activities were however held in Biya’s absence, because he lives in Switzerland, reports say of the President, who is believed to be battling some age-related ailments and who had refused to give up power to the younger generations even in his party.

    Biya, who took over as president of Cameroon in 1982, succeeding the country’s first President, Ahmadou Ahijo, had served as Prime Minister since 1975 and despite opposition party accusations of heavy election rigging, has won all multi-party elections since 1992, with hundreds of protesters killed in 2008, one year after he announced his intention to abolish the two-term limit in 2007.

    The National Assembly voted on the constitutional revision in 2008, and Mr Biya was re-elected with 78% of the vote in 2011.

    UAE Police recover 1kg of gold hidden up a man’s anus

    Police officers seized 1kg of gold that was hidden up a man’s bum after he tried to smuggle it onto an airplane as part of an organised gold smuggling mafia plot.

    Mohammed Khaja Mohiuddin reportedly stuffed the gold bar up his rectum after he agreed to take part in the scheme because he was broke and needed money for flight tickets.

    The 38-year-old had reportedly hidden the gold capsules up his bottom in the United Arab Emirates and planned to take them out in a bathroom in India later.

    Police probed deep into the criminal plans with the Commissioner’s Task Force and also arrested Rayees Ahmed Sayeed Hussain, 48, Sarim Hussain, 29 and Fouzan, 38, on suspicion of being involved in the plot to take gold to Mumbai and hand it over to the mafia.

    Officers posed for a photo with Mohiuddin kneeling on the floor in front of them.

    1KG of gold

    They also released an image of the seized kilogram of gold.

    A Hyderabad customs official explained: “Agents are hunting for people who have had several attempts to get a job and are desperate to return to India.

    “Because of (not getting a) job they aren’t left with money to buy air tickets.

    “The agents connect such persons to gold smuggling syndicates and pump the gold in different forms through them.”

    Whilst a police official added: “The gold carriers as they are called are from economically backward families and buying an air ticket and meeting other expenses is a challenge for them.

    “Both men and women readily agree to be involved in the smuggling.”

    More trouble for Ekweremadu as FG takes over his 40 properties, secures Interim Forfeiture Order

    An Abuja Federal High Court on Friday has issued an order of interim forfeiture of 40 landed properties belonging to the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

    10 of Ekweremadu’s properties in Enugu, three in the United States of America (USA), two in the United Kingdom (UK), one in Lagos, nine in Dubai, and 15 located in the Federal Capital Territory are affected by the interim forfeiture order, includes

    Justice Inyang Ekwo, the trial Judge, gave the order following an ex-parte motion filed and moved by Ibrahim Buba on behalf of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

    Ruling on the motion, the Judge ordered EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order of the properties in a national daily within seven days from the date the order was given.

    Ekweremadu and his wife are currently standing trial in the United Kingdom over allegations of organ harvesting.

    Justice Ekwo, has, however, adjourned the matter till December 5, 2022, for a report on the objection from any member of the public regarding the properties.

    “Larissa told me about Chioma’s dark secret” – Kemi Olunloyo spills [VIDEO]

    Popular journalist, Kemi Olunloyo, has continued to speak up about the unfortunate demise of Davido and Chioma’s first son, Ifeanyi.

    Kemi, in a new TikTok video, recalled when she reacted to the trending news about the Nigerian singer welcoming a baby boy in 2020 with London based Makeup artist Larissa London.

    According to her, Larissa reached out to her through a celebrity friend and exposed some hidden secrets between Davido and Chioma.

    Kemi alleged that the Singer’s 4th Babymama told her that Chioma had three separate abortions for Davido and left Late Ifeanyi to survive because he’s a boy.

    The journalist claimed these abortions were carried out when scans revealed that they were female fetus.

    Olunloyo added that Ifeanyi’s demise might be ‘Karma’ dealing with Chioma and Davido following her alleged abortions.

    Captioning her video, she wrote;

    “Throwing away children invites generational curses” 

    SEE VIDEO BELOW

    “How We Arrested Drug Baron With N20 Billion In 103 Banks” – Marwa

    Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brigadier General Buba Marwa has narrated how his officers and men arrested and prosecuting a top drug baron with N20 billion in 103 banks.

    “We have arrested and are prosecuting so far 28 barons with seizures worth billions of naira. Indeed, one of the barons we found had 103 bank accounts with a total balance of over 20 billion naira, which we have frozen.”

    The NDLEA boss spoke yesterday when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee of Drugs and Narcotics to defend the agency’s 2022 budget performance and 2023 proposal.

    He said that because of the fierce battle the NDLEA wage against drug barons, they are now after the operatives of the agency, adding that in the renewed efforts against drug war under his watch, the agency had arrested and is prosecuting 28 barons with seizures worth billions of naira.

    NDLEA boss raised the issue of barracks accommodation for the operatives of the agency for their safety.

    “The barracks issue is very critical to us because as we all know the NDLEA is very aggressive now against drug traffickers and the drug barons and when you arrest and prosecute them and send them to jail, they are not happy. So they come after our personnel and with our personnel living in the town and cities and among them, we have been recording casualties and assassinations against them.”

    He said that the agency is in the process of building a barrack for NDLEA personnel for the first time following the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari and well in the process of building three laboratory centres, two forensic laboratories and purchasing of security equipment.

    He said that the agency has concluded the acquisition of land in Adamawa, Abuja and Lagos for the barracks and the Private Public Parternip process is rounding off.

    The NDLEA boss said that N24 billion was allocated to the barracks project in the 2022 budget but now been slashed to N13 billion in the 2023 budget proposal and demanded an additional N10 billion for the projects.

    Conditions to met before Nnamdi Kanu’s Freedom – Malami

    Abubakar Malami (SAN), the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice have stated that if the Supreme Court rules in favour of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration will comply with the ruling.

    According to reports within Nigeria, Nigeria’s chief law officer has stated that the Federal Government will pursue all legal options in the case of the IPOB leader.

    When the cases are exhausted, when within the context of the rule of law and the decisions and conclusions are in his favour, the government will comply. But whatever option is open and available to the government, the government will exploit it within the context of the rule of law, within the context of the rights available at his disposal, Malami told Vanguard.

    Rule Of Law And Others

    Malami went on to say that four factors must be considered before the government can release the pro-Biafra activist.

    The Attorney-General believes that four factors must be considered: the rule of law, the public and national interest, the security situation, and international diplomacy.

    AGF Malami stated that the single case that has been determined is not the only pending case against Nnamdi Kanu, as there are numerous other treason cases pending against him.

    He said:

    To release or not to release Nnamdi Kanu is a function of the law and the rule of law for that matter. In arriving at a decision whether to release or not release, one; you look at the rule of law, two; you look at the public and the national interest, three; you look at the security situation, and four; you look at international diplomacy. Let me first talk about the rule of law. This is someone that has been granted bail on account of charges that have been preferred against him at the court. To the international community, a case of fugitive is established against the background of bail jumping. Two, arising from national security, this is someone that is charged with treason, incitement of the public, destruction of civil authority, a kind of murder and assassination of others on account of his incitement. That bores down to issues that bother us on issues of national security and criminality.

    Three, on account of international diplomacy, this is someone that has turned against his person, using the international community or a foreign country to launch an attack against a nation, against his nation, for example for that matter. So all these naturally come into play to determine what you do. So, if you have equally gone through judicial processes, multiple cases, a case of treason, a case of homicide, a case of jumping bail, among others, the fact that you have indeed succeeded in one case as opposed to multiple others that are pending, goes to establish the fact that that case cannot be the only basis and criteria for determining whether you are entitled to be released or not.

    So the simple question is, whether what the Federal Government has done, by way of not releasing Kanu, is justified within the context of the rule of law, and my answer is yes; it is justified. This is because the single case that has been determined is not the only pending case against Kanu, as there are other multiple cases associated with treason. There exist multiple appeals that are pending and yet to be determined, and then again, there are international public interest dimensions, and the essence of the government is the sustenance of the public and not an individual interest.

    Ifa priestess suggests cause of death of Davido and Chioma’s son

    Ifafunke Oketoyinbo Iyaosun, an Ifa priestess and Olokun goddess, has revealed some reasons responsible for the death of Ifeanyi, son of Nigerian musician, David Adeleke, aka Davido.

    The Ifa priestess said the deceased might be a spiritual child who is against a loud celebration.

    In an online viral video, she said Davido and Chioma should have carried out a spiritual enquiry before celebrating Ifeanyi’s third birthday. She also noted that certain careless words from Chioma when she separated from Davido could have been responsible for Ifeanyi’s death.

    The Ifa priestess also said Ifeanyi might have a connection to Davido’s fame.

    According to the Ifa priestess: My condolence goes to Davido and Chioma; what happened isn’t what any parent would ever pray for. When this happened, I decided to find out what could be responsible. First, Ifeanyi just celebrated his third birthday, and this is where we come to play. This is why people should embark on terrestrial inquiry before celebrating children; embark on spiritual findings before celebrating a child; you don’t know if the child is from the mermaid world and doesn’t want a loud celebration. This is because this child had picked his day, which is after his third birthday. You can see that he died through water a few days after his third birthday.

    Continuing, she said, Secondly, women should be careful of what they say; it could be that Chioma vowed that she would not reap from Ifeanyi if she returned to Davido when they separated. And when they reunited, this problem came. Thirdly, Davido is about to clock 30, and we don’t know what spiritual vow he made to attain fame. He may have vowed to renew his life with his first son because he is a glorious child and may also be a mermaid child.

    The three-year-old died in Davido’s residence in Lagos State.

    Ifeanyi drowned in a swimming pool in his father’s residence.

    Stephanie Otobo Makes Fresh Allegations Against Apostle Suleman

    Stephanie Otobo, a Nigerian-Canadian singer, has accused controversial clergyman Apostle Johnson Suleman of attempting to hack her social media account.

    Stephanie, who released controversial private photos of the apostle a few months ago, accused Apostle Suleman of attempting to ‘oppress her out of social media’ in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

    Otobo, who shared a screenshot of an Instagram message about recent suspicions on her account, claimed that the ‘Man of God’ was haunting her despite God’s warning.

    She wrote:

    This is the 2nd attempt in the last three days someone has been trying to steal my account. Suleman doesn’t want people to see me shine so he is doing what he knows how to do best (use money to oppress people) and despite the fact that God is warning him to leave his children alone. Please anyone can help identify that Nigerian no? They tryna steal my account for days now.

    Over 80% of Nigerian adults have collected Voters Card

    A new public opinion poll conducted by NOIPolls revealed that the majority of adult Nigerians (80 per cent) disclosed that they have collected their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) ahead of the 2023 general elections.

    On the contrary, 17 per cent of adult Nigerians stated that they have not collected their PVCs while three per cent of respondents stated that they have applied for transfer of their PVC to a different location.

    Furthermore, findings reveal that 93 per cent of adult Nigerians nationwide indicated that they are registered to vote in the 2023 upcoming general elections, while seven per cent of adult Nigerians nationwide stated that they are not registered to vote in the 2023 general elections.

    Additionally, the poll results further reveal that 55 per cent of adult Nigerians interviewed nationwide stated that they collected their PVC before the 2015 general elections. This assertion cuts across gender, geographical location, and age group.

    Also, the poll findings further reveal that 22 per cent of adult Nigerians collected their PVC before the 2019 general elections. A greater proportion of females (25 per cent) than males (20 per cent) collected their PVC before the 2019 general elections. However, 16 per cent of adult Nigerians interviewed stated that they had collected their PVC after May 2021 (new registrants). Analysis across gender show that a greater proportion of females (19 per cent) collected their PVC than males (14 per cent).

    Nonetheless, respondents who applied for transfer or have temporary voter’s cards were asked if they know where to collect their PVC when it is ready, and the poll findings show that 66 per cent of adult Nigerians nationwide stated that they know where to collect their PVC when it is ready. Alternatively, 34 per cent of respondents stated that they do not know where to collect their PVC when it is ready.

    The opinion poll was conducted in the week commencing September 19, 2022. It involved telephone interviews of a proportionate nationwide sample of 1,000 randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing the six geopolitical regions and 36 states, and the FCT of the country. Interviews were conducted in 5 languages – Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Pidgin English, and English.

    NOI said the results obtained were statistically precise – within a margin of error of plus or minus 4.65%; and that with the country’s density put over 100 per cent by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telephone polling approach was appropriate.

    “Empress of ISIS” goes for 20-year jail for training and leading all-female ISIS unit

    A judge has sentenced a Kansas, United States woman who led an all-female ISIL (ISIS) battalion in Syria to the maximum sentence of 20 years in jail, after she pleaded guilty to “terrorism” charges earlier this year.


    Allison Fluke-Ekren said in a lengthy speech during a hearing in federal court in northern Virginia on Tuesday, November 1 that she took responsibility for her actions.

    “We just lived a very normal life,” she told the judge about her time in Syria, showing pictures of her children at a weekly pizza dinner.
     
    Prosecutors described Fluke-Ekren as the “empress of ISIS”, accusing her of training women and girls as young as 10 on how to use automatic weapons and detonate grenades and suicide belts. Authorities say the 42-year-old also discussed carrying out attacks inside the United States.

    ISIL (ISIS) controlled large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria from 2014 until its territorial defeat late in 2017.

    During that time, the group, which had declared a “caliphate” and inspired attacks on civilian targets across the world, attracted thousands of foreign fighters, including from Europe and the US.

    After being captured in Syria, Fluke-Ekren was brought to the US in late January to face charges.

    Her own children denounced her in court and described being physically and sexually abused by their mother.


    Fluke-Ekren’s daughter said in a victim impact statement read at Tuesday’s hearing that a “lust for control and power” drove her mother to take the family halfway across the world to find the ISIL (ISIS) group.


    The daughter described an incident where her mother allegedly poured an off-brand lice medication all over her face as punishment, causing her face to blister and her eyes to burn. Fluke-Ekren then tried to wash the chemicals off, but her daughter resisted.
     

    “I wanted people to see what kind of person she was. I wanted it to blind me,” she said.

    Fluke-Ekren denied the abuse allegations. She also portrayed the all-women brigade she led as akin to a community centre for women that morphed into a series of self-defence classes as it became clear that the city of Raqqa, the ISIL (ISIS) stronghold where she lived was being attacked

    Prosecuting, first Assistant US Attorney Raj Parekh said even within ISIL (ISIS), people who knew Fluke-Ekren described her ideology as “off the charts”.

    Fluke-Ekren’s actions “added a new dimension to the darkest side of humanity”, Parekh said.

    Fluke-Ekren, whose family is from the US Midwest, worked as a teacher in the US before leaving the country and subsequently joining ISIL (ISIS) in Syria, according to the Department of Justice.

    It was rumoured that Vladimir Putin has ‘Parkinson’s and pancreatic cancer – new reports

    Russian leader, Vladimir Putin has early stage Parkinson’s disease and pancreatic cancer, leaked spy documents have alleged in the latest unverified claim about the leader’s ill health.

    Putin has been plagued with rumours about his illnesses for months and he has regularly appeared twitching and unsteady in public.

    Claims have been circulating among opposition figures, fuelled by his unexplained absences and his shaky public appearances, that he is battling serious health problems but they have always been rubbished by the Kremlin.

    Now emails from a Russian intelligence source appear to confirm the 70-year-old has been diagnosed with cancer and Parkinson’s, according to The Sun.

    The leaked documents allegedly read: “I can confirm he has been diagnosed with early stage Parkinson’s disease, but it’s already progressing. This fact will be denied in every possible way and hidden.

    “Putin is regularly stuffed with all kinds of heavy steroids and innovative painkilling injections to stop the spread of pancreatic cancer he was recently diagnosed with.

    “It not only causes a lot of pain, Putin has a state of puffiness of the face and other side effects – including memory lapses.

    “In his close circle, there are rumours that in addition to pancreatic cancer, which is gradually spreading, Putin also has prostate cancer.”

    Putin was recently spotted with apparent track marks from IV treatment on the back of his hand.

    Telegram channel General SVR has long been pushing the claims that Putin is suffering from cancer and Parkinson’s,

    Ever since Putin ordered his military forces to invade Ukraine on February 24, rumours have been swirling about the state of his health.

    Police reacts as alleged ‘fake footage of how Davido’s son died’

    Lagos State Police Command public relations officer (PRO), Benjamin Hundeyin on Tuesday morning, reacted to a heartbreaking pool footage of a child many claimed is Davido’s son.

    The clip circulating on social media has gone viral with many misrepresenting the victim to be Ifeanyi Adeleke whose death is being investigated by the police.

    SEE SCREEN SHOTS OF CLIP BEING CIRCULATED BELOW

    davido and ifeanyi
    davido and ifeanyi
    davido and ifeanyi

    Reacting, in an interview with BBC Pidgin, Hundeyin described the video as “fake”.

    “We haven’t started looking at the content of the CCTV we collected from Davido’s house.

    “Any video you see online isn’t the real thing. It’s fake,” Benjamin Hundeyin told BBC Pidgin.

    Also, checks by WITHIN NIGERIA, revealed that the viral video showing the child drowning in a children swimming pool happened in China on 23 August, 2019.

    Davido and his fiancée Chioma Rowland, a popular chef and influencer, are yet to break silence on their son’s death.

    Amazon Inc. opens its first office in Nigeria

    An information technology firm, Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), has opened its first office in Lagos, Nigeria.

    Amrote Abdella, the firm’s regional manager of sub-Saharan Africa, made the disclosure on Tuesday.

    According to NAN, Abdella said that the office was to reiterate Amazon commitment to Africa.

    “We are excited to open our first AWS office in Nigeria,” she said. “Lagos offers a highly skilled and creative talent pool, and the area is home to many fast-growing startups and notable Nigerian enterprises leading the way in digital innovation.”

    Abdella said the new Lagos office was part of AWS’s support for the growing number of customers and partners in Nigeria.

    AWS, a subsidiary of Amazon, offers website hosting, backup, digital marketing, analytics, application integration, blockchain, networking, and other related services to clients worldwide.

    “We look forward to fostering the country’s pioneering spirit and helping our customers accelerate their digital transformation as they deliver innovative new products and services to the Nigerian community,” added Ms Abdella.

    Abdella also stated that AWS Activate provides startups with the resources they need to get started on AWS, including up to $100,000 in credits, training, support, and contact with incubators, accelerators, and venture capital firms.

    According to her, AWS Academy helps university students and educators develop knowledge and skills about AWS Cloud computing to accelerate cloud-related learning.

    The regional manager said AWS Academy member institutions in Nigeria included the University of Benin, the University of Jos, and Igbinedion University.

    Canada Govt. ready to admit 1.45M Nigerian and other migrants by 2025

    The Canadian Government has opened its diplomatic doors to admit 1.45 million migrants from Nigeria and other countries across the world by 2025.

    The 2023–2025 Immigration Levels Plan of Canada released on Tuesday, the country endorses immigration as a way to assist businesses find workers for recruitment.

    The Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser, disclosed that the immigration plan will attract the skills required in key sectors like health care, manufacturing and technology.

    The minister highlighted: “Last year Canada welcomed over 405,000 newcomers – the most we’ve ever welcomed in a single year. The Government is continuing that ambition by setting targets in the new levels plan of 465,000 permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025.

    “The plan also brings an increased focus on attracting newcomers to different regions of the country, including small towns and rural communities.

    “Last year, we welcomed the most newcomers in a single year in our history. This year’s immigration levels plan will help businesses find the workers they need, set Canada on a path that will contribute to our long-term success, and allow us to make good on key commitments to vulnerable people fleeing violence, war and persecution.”

    The  Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Union, Sean Strickland, also said, “Canada’s Building Trades Unions are pleased with today’s announcement to increase immigration levels in Canada. Historically it has been through immigration that we have been able to grow our workforce, fill our union halls and build Canada’s infrastructure.

    “Increased economic immigration is an important step to addressing labour availability across the country and we look forward to continuing to work closely with Minister Fraser and the federal government to find the solutions we need going forward.”

    The New Naira notes to be printed locally – says CBN Governor

    There is no plan to print the proposed new naira notes outside Nigeria, a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Board member has said.

    “All the new currency notes are printed in Nigeria by the Nigeria Security, Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), so I do not envisage printing outside the country,” the Board member told The Nation in confidence.

    He, however said that he has no idea of the cost for printing the new currencies for now. But he assured that the cost is “something that can be accommodated in view of the expected benefits of the re-designed notes”.

    According to CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, the N1000, N500 and N200 are to wear new looks soon.

    Shedding light on the communication or lack of it between the CBN and the minister of finance on the decision to redesign some denominations of the naira, the CBN Board member insisted that “the CBN Governor did not take the decisions on currency redesign alone”.

    According to the Board member, “at present, the Board of the CBN has not been inaugurated even though the Senate has confirmed the re-appointment of the members. Until the Board is inaugurated, it cannot sit”.

    He went on to add that “in the interim, the President who is the Supervisor of the CBN, acts on behalf of the Board. This is why the Governor went directly to the President for approval of the redesign.

    But Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki yesterday read political meaning to the proposed naira redesign.

    He claimed that the move was a ploy by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to sway voters ahead of the 2023 general elections.

    Obaseki spoke at the inauguration of Edo State Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) Women Campaign Council at the presidential campaign secretariat of the party on Sapele Road, Benin, the state capital.

    He said: “The redesigning of the nation’s currency should not be a priority, as the majority of citizens are suffering from hunger, poverty and economic hardship.

    “They say we should all bring our naira and give it to them, because they want to change it for us. Is that our priority now?

    “Does changing of currency reduce the price of food in the market? They say they want to change our currency, and dollars are going higher every day. We cannot even see dollars again.

    “I am an economist and I can tell you categorically that this policy by the CBN and Federal Government has no basis in Nigeria’s economy. There is no reason to do this. The move is purely political, as there is no urgency in changing our currency.”

    Edo governor was of the opinion that putting food on the table of Nigerians ought to have been given priority attention by the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    He said: “The urgency is on how to get food for our citizens to remove starvation and hunger from the land. The urgency is on how to maintain discipline in our monetary policy. So that we can manage our foreign exchange rate, because we are import dependent.

    Former CBN Deputy Governor Prof Kingsley Moghalu said the CBN did no wrong by not personally informing Finance, Budget and National Planning Minister, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed.

    Moghalu said: “The CBN only needs the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari for this particular exercise. There are only three issues on which, in the CBN Act of 2007, the CBN should obtain external authorisation, and only from the President of Nigeria, for its operations: any alterations to the legal tender (the naira); any investment of the bank’s funds outside Nigeria; and the Bank’s annual report.

    “Outside of these, the only approving authorities for CBN operations are its Committee of Governors consisting of the Governor and the four Deputy Governors, and the Board of Directors of the CBN, which includes the Governor, the four Deputy Governors, and seven  external members which include the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Accountant-General of the Federation.”

    Moghalu alleged that Emefiele was politicising “the central bank by routinely subjecting its operations to the whims and caprices of the Presidency far beyond what is the appropriate relationship, and compromised the independence of the CBN as a result. That is why the finance minister erroneously feels entitled to be informed or consulted”.

    He called on the apex bank to “focus hard on the implementation of this policy. It will impose huge pressures on the banking system.

    “How can the woman frying bean cake in the rural area, who keeps most of her cash under her pillow, be aided to come into the banking system under this new policy? There are others as well whose monies are outside the banking system for reasons that are not negative”.

    Victor Osimhen is the 4th best Striker in Europe

    Super Eagles and Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen, has been ranked the fourth most prolific striker in Europe’s top five leagues so far this season. 

    The Nigerian striker has scored seven goals in eight league games so far averaging a goal every 93 minutes in the Serie A despite being out for five weeks due to a hamstring injury. 

    The 23-year-old is behind the trio of Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski, and Kylian Mbappe.

    The Norwegian striker, Haaland, who joined Premier League champions Manchester City in a deal worth £51.5m, is rated as the most prolific striker in Europe so far this term according to Corriere dello Sport.

    Haaland has scored 17 goals in his first 11 EPL games and has averaged a goal every 55 minutes.  Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski is rated as the second most prolific player in Europe having scored 13 goals in 12 games. The Poland striker scores a goal in every 73 minutes played in the LaLiga.

    In the fifth position is Terem Moffi who has notched up eight goals in 12 Ligue 1 games.

    The Nigeria international averages a goal in every 108 minutes for Lorient who sit fourth in the French topflight log with 27 points from 13 games.

    Highly rated French forward Christopher Nkunku is ranked sixth having scored nine goals in 12 Bundesliga games, averaging a goal in every 113 minutes.

    Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic is seventh in the log. The Serbian striker has averaged a goal every 114 minutes in the EPL so far this term. He has scored nine times in 12 league games in Premier League.

    Tottenham’s Harry Kane is ranked eighth having scored 10 goals in 13 games averaging a goal every 116 minutes.

    Putin rains missiles on Kyiv (Videos)

    Missile blasts were heard in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv on Monday October 31, and around the country, after Moscow blamed Kyiv for an attack on its Black Sea fleet and pulled out of a deal to allow Ukrainian grain shipments out of the Black Sea.


    Russia and Ukraine are the world’s biggest grain exporters, and a Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain shipments caused a global food crisis earlier this year before the United Nations and Turkey intervened setting up an agreement which allows Ukraine to send grains to different parts of the world while Russian and Turkish inspectors monitor the ships to see if they transport military hardware.


    Following Russia’s announcement on Sunday, that it will halt its part of the UN brokered deal alleging attacks on its Black sea fleet in a Crimean port with 16 drones on Saturday, missiles rained on Ukrainian cities Monday morning. 
     


    “Another batch of Russian missiles hits Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. Instead of fighting on the battlefield, Russia fights civilians,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.


    “Don’t justify these attacks by calling them a ‘response’. Russia does this because it still has the missiles and the will to kill Ukrainians.”


    Ukranine’s Foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said missiles had hit energy infrastructure in Kyiv and other cities, causing electricity and water outages.
     

    “Russia is not interested in peace talks, nor in global food security. Putin’s only goal is death and destruction.”



    Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia of “blacmailing the world with hunger” by pulling out of the food export deal negotiated by the United Nations and Turkey.
     

    Among vessels held up was one carrying tens of thousands of tonnes of wheat, chartered by the U.N. World Food Programme for an emergency response in the Horn of Africa, Zelenskiy said in an overnight address even as Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry said a total of 218 vessels were “effectively blocked”.


    Watch the video below.

    Senator Ekweremmadu to remain in prison till May, 2023

    The ordeal of the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu may not be over soon as he may remain in prison till May 2023 as the United Kingdom court has adjourned his case till next year.

    Senator Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice were arrested in the United Kingdom for alleged organ harvesting.


    The couple were arrested at Heathrow Airport on June 21 after arriving on a flight from Turkey.

    Ike Ekweremadu and Obinna Obeta, from Southwark, south London, are charged with conspiring to arrange or facilitate the travel of a man with a view to him being exploited.

    Mrs Ekweremadu and Obeta were charged with arranging the travel of the man with a view to him being exploited.


    Prosecutor Tim Probert-Wood said previously that the case involved ‘exploitation and the harvesting of an organ.’

    He said: ‘The case began on 5 May 2022 when the complainant presented himself at Staines Police Station and claimed he had been transported to this country for the purpose of his kidney being removed.

    ‘He arrived on 20th February 2022 and was taken to Royal Free Hospital where tests were conducted.

    ‘For the purpose he was there he did not consent to the taking of his kidney.

    ‘He returned to the house he was staying and his treatment changed dramatically.

    ‘He described being treated effectively as a slave.’

    Martin Hicks, QC, defending Ike, has said: ‘We deny that there was any exploitation or any intent to do so.

    ‘The argument will be factual denial.’

    Halloween in Seoul goes sour as stampede kills over 150 people

    More than 150 people were killed in a stampede at a Halloween event in central Seoul, officials said Sunday, with South Korea’s president vowing a full investigation into one of the country’s worst-ever disasters.

    The crowd surge and crush hit in the capital’s popular Itaewon district, where estimates suggest as many as 100,000 people — mostly in their teens and 20s — went to celebrate Halloween Saturday night, clogging the area’s narrow alleyways and winding streets.

    President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning Sunday, telling the country in a televised address that “a tragedy and disaster occurred that should not have happened”.

    He said the government “will thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident and make fundamental improvements to ensure the same accident does not occur again in the future”. 

    “My heart is heavy and it is difficult to contain my sorrow,” he added before he visited the scene of the disaster and spoke to emergency workers.

    Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon, who rushed back to South Korea from a work trip in Europe, said his office would set up a memorial altar at Seoul Plaza so the public could pay their respects to the victims, starting Monday morning.

    “Most of the casualties are young people like our sons and daughters, which makes it even sadder,” Oh said while visiting the site of the disaster.

    Eyewitnesses described being trapped in a narrow, sloping alleyway, and scrambling to get out of the suffocating crowd as people piled on top of one another.

    Seoul’s interior ministry told AFP that 153 people had died, including 20 foreigners, in the stampede, which occurred around 10:00 pm local time (1300 GMT).

    Most of the victims were young women in their 20s, it said, adding that 133 people were injured.

    An official from Seoul’s defence ministry said three military personnel were among the dead, including one soldier.

    Seoul authorities said they had also received 2,642 reports of missing people.

    – ‘Unprecedentedly large’ –

    Officials said Sunday they had no clear idea of what caused the crash, while eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos after a vast crowd panicked in a narrow alleyway.

    Local shopkeepers told AFP that the number of people at the annual celebration was “unprecedentedly large” this year — the first event to be held without Covid-19 restrictions since the pandemic began.

    “There were so many people just being pushed around and I got caught in the crowd and I couldn’t get out at first too,” 30-year-old Jeon Ga-eul told AFP.

    As questions began to emerge over the lack of security at the event, interior minister Lee Sang-min told a briefing that the police force had been occupied on the other side of town.

    “A considerable number had been deployed at Gwanghwamun where a large crowd was expected for a protest,” he said.

    Police had also not expected such a large crowd at the Halloween event, he said.

    Paramedics at the scene, quickly overwhelmed by the number of victims, were asking passers-by to administer first aid.

    In an interview with local broadcaster YTN, Lee Beom-suk, a doctor who administered first aid to the victims described scenes of tragedy and chaos.

    “So many victims’ faces were pale. I could not catch their pulse or breath and many of them had a bloody nose. When I tried CPR, I also pumped blood out of their mouths.”

    AFP photos showed scores of bodies on the pavement covered by bed sheets, and emergency workers dressed in orange vests loading even more bodies on stretchers into ambulances.

    Bomb explosion hits Somalia, kills 100, injures over 300

    People walk amidst destruction at the scene, a day after a double car bomb attack at a busy junction in Mogadishu, Somalia Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022. Somalia's president says multiple people were killed in Saturday's attacks and the toll could rise in the country's deadliest attack since a truck bombing at the same spot five years ago killed more than 500. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

    At least 100 people were killed when two car bombs went off at Somalia’s education ministry, close to a busy market intersection on Saturday.

    No fewer than 300 were also injured in the explosion, president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud disclosed on Sunday.


    He, however, said that the death toll could rise.

    “We ask our international partners and Muslims around the world to send their medical doctors here since we can’t send all the victims outside the country for treatment,” Mohamud said on Sunday after visiting the scene.

    The bombing came days after Somali officials announced gains by government troops in a key strategic stronghold held by the Al Shabaab south of Mogadishu.


    Al Qaeda-linked Islamist group, Al Shabaab, claimed responsibility for the deadliest bomb attack when a truck bomb exploded at the same intersection in October 2017, killing more than 500 people.

    In August, Mr Mohamud pledged a “total war” against Al-Shabaab after it attacked a hotel in Mogadishu, killing 23 people.

    Reuters reports that the terrorist group accused the ministry of being complicit in the “war on minds”, as Somali’s education systems teach children using a Christian-based syllabus.

    “These senseless attacks against innocent civilians including women and children only serve to remind us of the group’s barbarity towards its own people and reveal the true hypocrisy of its intent,” the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said in a statement.

    Wales is considering changing their name to Cymru after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

    Wales will consider changing its name to Cymru on the international stage after the World Cup.

    Cymru, the Welsh name for Wales is already being used by the Football Association of Wales in its internal and external communications and by staff at the governing body’s headquarters in the Vale of Glamorgan.

    The FAW is reportedly planing to ask various stakeholders in Welsh football about the merit of changing the country’s name in international competition, while informal discussions have already been held with UEFA on the subject.

    ‘The team should always be called Cymru, that’s what we call it here,’ said FAW chief executive Noel Mooney ahead of Wales’ first World Cup since 1958.

    ‘Our view at the moment is that domestically we’re clearly called Cymru. That’s what we call our national teams.

    ‘If you look at our website, how we talk about ourselves, we are very much Cymru.

    ‘Internationally we feel we have a bit more work to do yet. So we are going to this World Cup as Wales.

    ‘But I think 2023 will be a year when we have a good discussion with all the different stakeholders – whether that Governments, our own boards, councils and decision-making bodies, staff, club and players.

    ‘We’re a very open democratic organisation and we don’t just unilaterally decide today to do something like that.

    ‘I would say it’s the direction of travel, but there’s no firm decisions on it. It’s more almost by osmosis that we’re heading towards it.’

    In a similar move, Turkey now competes on the international stage as Turkiye after the Ankara government asked for the country to be known globally by its Turkish name and not the anglicised version.

    Mooney said: ‘You’ve seen countries like Azerbaijan, Turkey and others use their own language.

    ‘They’re quite strong on it and we spoke to the Turkish at the Euro 2024 draw about it.

    ‘We’ve also had unofficial discussions with UEFA over coffees at different events. Asking how Turkey did this, how other countries did that.

    ‘We’ve asked what their direction of travel is, for example is there a movement towards people using their indigenous language?

    ‘What I do know is there’s a renaissance of the Welsh language and a sense of great pride in what we do with the culture and the heritage.’

    Changing its name to Cymru would end Wales’ status as being the last alphabetically of UEFA’s 55 national association members at different draws and meetings.

    ‘We sit by the Ukrainians all the time and that’s nice because we’ve become good friends with them,’ said Mooney, an Irishman who is learning Welsh and has set himself the target of holding a Q&A session at the National Eisteddfod next summer.

    ‘But we would like to sit by the Croatians and the Czechs a bit more.’

    “I rejected bag of money” – Apostle Suleman after escaping assasination attempt

    The General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries, OFM, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has disclosed why assassins are after him.

    Suleman said some ministers uncomfortable with his condemnations of killings in Nigeria had offered him a bag of money.

    Addressing his members, the clergyman said the ministers vowed to come after him for refusing their offer.

    Suleman said: “Some ministers called me to Abuja after I spoke against the killings on a national scale, and they sat me down, threw a bag of money, and they said to me, take this and shut up.

    “They threw out an AK-47, they threw out a newspaper, and they said take the money or you go by these two.

    “I told them that I did not understand what they meant. They said if I did not do that, they would make sure that in this country, I don’t hold the microphone again.

    “I said to them, I never knew what I said was actually a big deal; now I want to start talking. I said if you wanted to come for me, please you were very free to bother yourselves, because I would keep talking, and I kept on speaking.”

    A few days ago, Apostle Suleman was attacked by unknown gunmen in Auchi area of Edo State.

    No fewer than seven people were killed, including three police officers during the incident.

    Reacting, Suleman said he knew those after his life but would not disclose their identities.

    Suleman also denied allegations on social media that he used the officers killed during the attack for ritual.

    Over the years, Apostle Suleman has been subjected to several controversies, ranging from sexual relationships with women to rituals.

    [DailyPost]

    Naira dives to ₦800 per Dollar in parallel market

    The naira’s unprecedented depreciation reached another alarming height under the President Muhammadu Buhari regime on Saturday.

    The naira is currently trading at 800 against the dollar on the parallel exchange platform Aboki Forex.

    Checks on Saturday revealed that the current parallel market rate is N800 to a dollar and N890 to British pound sterling.

    The naira which had been on steady decline in value exchanged at 785 against the dollar at the close of business on Friday.

    The free fall continues as the ban on Bureau the Change operators remain in place and the Buhari govt announced plans to redesign the country’s currency in response to the country’s economic woes.

    The governor of the central bank, Godwin Emefiele, announced on Wednesday that new naira notes would be issued by December 15.

    Emefiele stated that the move, which has since been approved Mr Buhari and other stakeholders, was certain strengthen the value of the naira.

    Following the latest announcement, politicians have swamped BDC operators to easily convert their soon-to-expire stockpiled naira to foreign currencies, as the apex bank gave all Nigerians six weeks to return all old naira notes to the bank’s vault.

    Lionel Messi may join Inter Miami in shock transfer

    Inter Miami are reportedly confident of signing Lionel Messi and hopes the PSG star will agree on a deal in the ‘coming months’ to join the American club.


    Messi is under contract at PSG until next summer but speculation has continued to rage over his future should he not sign a new deal with the French giants.


    The 35-year-old Argentine forward has been linked with a return to Barcelona after he left last August to join PSG.


    According to The Athletic, secret talks have been ongoing for several months between his representatives and those of Inter Miami. 


    Such is the advanced nature of the discussions that Inter Miami are now expecting Messi, one of the greatest players of all time, to sign for the club in the near future, The Athletic reports.

    Jorge and Jose Mas, the brothers who co-own Inter Miami alongside David Beckham, have reportedly held numerous meetings with Messi’s father Jorge over a potential move.


    A deal for Messi would arguably be a bigger signing for the MLS for a club that was only founded four-and-a-half years ago.

    Bank tells Nigerians what to do with old Naira notes, alerts on deadline

    Following the announcement made by the Central Bank Bank of Nigeria to redesign the N200, N500 and N1,000 notes, the United Bank for Africa Plc, has outlined a number of points to help guide its customers through the transition.

    Tori Media had reported that the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, had during a special press briefing in Abuja, announced that the introduction of the new naira notes will take effect from December 15, 2022.

    According to a statement issued on Thursday, the bank advised its customers to start depositing their existing naira notes into any UBA branch closest to them.

    The bank explained that there was no need to panic as they are adjusting their branch opening hours for their convenience, adding that on Saturday (Cash deposit only) will commence from 10am to 2pm.

    The statement revealed that zero charges will apply for all cash deposits made during the period. 

    Customers were also advised to have their debit card handy for payments on POS terminals and for those who don’t have a digital channel, to download the New UBA Mobile app from App Store, or access other channels – Leo, Internet Banking, *919# for their transactions.

    The bank, however, reminded its customers that present notes can still be used for the purchase of goods and services until cut-off date in January.

    After Elon’s takeover, Twitter set to charge $20 per month for verification

    An American communications company, Twitter, has announced plans to start charging almost $20 monthly for verification.

    This is coming barely 48 hours after Elon Musk took over Twitter ownership.

    The monthly subscription is said to be part of the premium service to be rolled out under the leadership of Elon Musk for users to stay verified.

    Musk, said, The whole verification process is being revamped right now.

    The company also plans to raise its optional $4.99-a-month premium subscription called Twitter Blue to $19.99 a month. However, that price is said to be subject to change.

    After the launch of Twitter Blue, the existing verified users would be given 90 days to subscribe or lose their blue checkmarks.

    An American technology news website disclosed that Musk had directed engineers to finish building a paid verification system by next week or get fired.

    Elon Musk emerged as the new CEO of the social media platform Friday, October 28, and tweeted Sunday, October 30.

    Sad News: Davido and Chioma’s son, Ifeanyi is dead!

    This is the most difficult news.

    Ifeanyi Adeleke, the 3 year old son of Music star, Davido and his fiancee, Chioma Rowland has sadly died.

    The tragic death occured on Monday, October 31. Ifeanyi died by drowning at his dad’s Banana Island home. He was rushed Evercare Hospital in Lekki where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

    The couple had traveled for a family gathering to Ibadan yesterday and had left Ifeanyi with his minders who can’t explain how he entered the pool without being noticed and drowned. 

    We gathered that quite a number of people at Davido’s House when the incident happened have been arrested. 

    A distraught and inconsolable Davido was removed from Evercare Hospital and taken to his father’s house where he remains as at press time. 

    Quite a number of Davido’s industry friends are at the hospital this night.

    This is so sad. May God give Davido and Chioma the fortitude to bear this deep loss.

    Registered voters in Nigeria hits 93.5M – INEC

    Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the preliminary number of registered voters in Nigeria is now 93 million.

    Yakubu disclosed this at the third quarterly meeting with political parties on Wednesday October 26. 

    He revealed that 9,518,188 new voters have been added to the existing register of 84,004,084 voters. 

    He said; 

    “It is preliminary because section 19(1) and (2) of the electoral act 2022 requires the commission to display the hard copies of the register of voters for each registration area (ward) and local government area (and simultaneously publish the entire register on the commission’s website) for a period of two weeks for scrutiny, claims and objections by citizens not later than 90 days to a general election.

    “Accordingly, in the next few days, the commission will print 9,352,228 pages of the register. The hard copy will be displayed for each of the 8,809 registration areas (wards) and 774 local government areas nationwide while the entire register will be published on our website for claims and objections as required by law.

    “The display of the physical register will take place at the designated centers from Saturday, 12th to Friday, 25th November 2022. Further details, including the procedure for filing claims and objections, will be released by the commission next week. I would like to appeal to all Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the display to scrutinize the list and help us to clean it up further so that the final register of voters for the 2023 general election can be compiled and published.”

    Yakubu also said that the permanent voter cards (PVCs) will be available soon as they are working hard to finish the printing process. 

    He added; 

    “In the coming days, we will also inform Nigerians of the detailed plan to ensure a seamless collection of the PVCs. We are aware that Nigerians expect an improvement in the procedure for PVC collection. Since the end of the CVR in July this year, we have been working to ensure that citizens have a pleasant experience when they come to collect their cards.”

    President Putin Insults Liz Truss, calling her a crazy woman

    Russian president, Vladimir Putin has described former British Prime Minister Liz Truss as ‘crazy’ amid accusations that Western powers are engaged in ‘nuclear blackmail of Russia’.

    During a speech in Moscow, the Russian president said Truss must have been ‘a bit out of it’ and he claimed to have ‘never said anything proactively about possible use of nuclear weapons by Russia’.

    ‘We have only hinted in response to statements made by western leaders,’ he insisted, pointing out that Russian military doctrine dictates nuclear weapons should only be deployed in ‘self-defence’.

    Truss previously labelled Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons against the West as ‘sabre-rattling’ when she spoke at the UN General Assembly in September.

    Alongside his criticism of Truss, Putin asserted Kyiv has the technology to create and potentially detonate a ‘dirty bomb’ in Ukraine. He also refuted claims that Russian forces were attacking the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant located in territory controlled by Russia in southern Ukraine.

    The Russian leader went on to accuse westerners of ‘fanning the flames’ of war in Ukraine and Taiwan, of sparking a global energy crisis, and of causing a food crisis. 

    Putin warned the world has entered its most dangerous period since the Second World War and a ‘new world order’ must emerge in which Russia gets a bigger say, declaring that the ‘age of western domination is over’.

    ‘Dominion of the world is what West has decided to stake in this game. It is a dangerous, deadly and dirty game,’ he added.

    Putin also said Russia ‘is not an enemy of the West’ and ‘only wants the right to develop’ – he made it clear that any talks on his ‘new order’ would have to be on Moscow’s terms.

    The West, he added, had repeatedly rejected Moscow’s plans for peace laid out before the war in Ukraine – such as the withdrawal of all NATO troops from ex-Soviet states, against the wishes of their governments – and accused it of war-mongering.

    He claimed that he had told the West: ‘Let’s be friends, have dialogue and strengthen trust and peace.’

    ‘We were completely sincere,’ he added. ‘What did we get in response? A ‘no’ on every possible area of cooperation.’

    However, the US and NATO had both sent letters to Russia laying out possible grounds for cooperation before Putin invaded Ukraine, which Moscow rejected. 

    ‘Russia is not an enemy of the West,’ he insisted, but will continue to oppose neo-liberal elites and their world-view.  

    ”Russia will never accept Western countries telling it what to do, and the longer the West take to realise this the higher the price will be, he added. 

    In his speech, Putin accused NATO of ‘starting to seize the territories of Ukraine long ago’ and insisted he was forced to invade to protect people.

    Russia is now in its ninth month of the Ukraine war and is so-far yet to achieve Putin’s war aims, which included the overthrow of the government and the ‘liberation’ of the Donbas region.

    TV CEO’s Murder: Chidinma Ojukwu transferred N5M from Ataga’s account the day he was killed

    A Lagos State High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) on Thursday, October 27, heard how Chidinma transferred N5 million from Usifo Ataga’s account to another account.

    Chidimma allegedly carried out the act on June 15, 2021, the day Utaga was murdered. 

    The ninth prosecution witness in the trial, DSP Olusegun Bamidele, made this known while testifying in the ongoing trial of Ojukwu. 

    The 300-level Mass Communication undergraduate of the University of Lagos is standing trial before Justice Yetunde Adesanya for the alleged murder of the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV. 

    She is also charged with stealing and forgery alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu and one Adedapo Quadri.

    Abubakar Mohammed, the security guard of the short let service apartment had during his evidence before the court on November 16, 2021, said that Chidinma left the apartment on the night Tuesday, June 15, 2021 and never came back.

    He had also told the court that it was on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, that the dead body of Ataga was discovered.

    At the resumed hearing of the case on Thursday October 27, the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions (DDPP), Mrs Adenike Oluwafemi, told the court that the matter was for continuation of trial.

    Oluwafemi asked for exhibit P11 which is the Bank statement of Ataga and asked the witness to tell the court why he had the bank statements of the deceased.

    The witness said that during the course of investigation and in a bid to know what could have motivated the first defendant to kill the deceased and since they recorded Ataga’a bank, they wrote Bank asking for the bank statement of the deceased and a copy was given to them.

    He said that from a close look at the copies of the bank statements coupled with the fact that the phones of the deceased was already in the possession of the first defendant and have been in control of the account she purchased airtime.

    Bamidele said that, on June 15, 2021, Ojukwu, the first defendant, used the deceased’s phone to transfer five million Naira from his account to another bank.

    “On June 16, 2021, four transactions of N20,000 was made from the deceased’s account; on June 17, another withdrawal of N20,000 was made five times and the remark was: transfer between customers.

    “On the same June 16, N50,000 was transferred to Nkechi Mogbo, N11,200 transferred to Caprical Capital

    On the same June 16, another N50,000 was transferred from Ataga’s account to Mogbo and N93,000 transferred from Ataga’s GTBank to his Access bank account,” he testified. 

    He added that N110,000.75kobo was debited from the deceased’s account on June 18, 2021.

    “On June 19, 2021, a transfer of N20,000 was made four times, another transfer of N20,000 was made five times and it was through the USSD code,” Bamidele said.

    The witness also told the court that the police wrote to the bank to get Ataga’s statement of account.

    He said that on June 13, 2021, there was an internet transfer of N10,000 to Ojukwu, adding that N105,000 was transferred to her on same day for payment of the apartment where Ataga died.

    He said that the payment was to Nkechi Mogbo, the owner of the apartment.

    “On that same June 13, there was a N13,000 purchase transaction at Ango Villa, 14,200 transaction for purchase at Dwine Bar Global. On the same June 13, there was also a transfer of N20,399.

    “On June 14, 2021, there was N21,000 transfer from Ataga’s account to Chidinma’s account and another transfer of N15,000 to Chidinma.

    “There was a N5,000 transaction that was made on June 14 and paid to Adiba online choppy,” he said.

    When prosecution sought that written statements of the defendant should be admitted in evidence, Ojukwu’s counsel, Mr Onwuka Egwu, objected to the admissibility.

    He said that Ojukwu did not make the statements voluntarily.

    He said that the statements were obtained by oppression, inducement, intimidation and under duress.

    The counsel urged the court to test the veracity of the voluntariness of the statements.

    The second defendant’s counsel, Mr Babatunde Busari, did not object to the admissibility.

    Egbuchu’s counsel, Miss M. A. Abia-Bassey also did not object.

    Thus, the prosecution counsel prayed the court to conduct trial within trial on that.

    The judge adjourned the case to November 8, 2022, for trial within trial.

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