Category: Happenings

Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu has said that his husband, President Tinubu has deep love for Nigerians despite the economic hardship the citizens are experiencing.

The first lady made this known when she paid the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu a courtesy visit, according to a statement on Tuesday by her Media Aide, Busola Kukoyi. She assured that President Tinubu would do well to address the challenges facing the country.

“I assure you that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will do well for this country. He loves Nigeria, he loves Nigerians & will do the best for them”. On his part, Oba Akiolu urged Nigerians to be patient with Tinubu’s administration.

“All that I am saying & appealing is that we should pray for Nigeria & the president. We should be patient. Everything good needs prayers,” he said.

This comes as Nigerians grapple with high headline & food inflation which stood at 34.19% & 40.87% respectively. Daily Post reports that Nigerians have planned a nationwide protest starting from August 1, 2024

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) says Nigeria has not been exempted from the customary visa application process.

On Monday, Nigerians were thrilled to read that the three-year travel ban from the UAE had been lifted. But their joy evaporated when Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation said the resolution had conditions that were “mutually beneficial”.

Part of the conditions include obtaining a document verification number (DVN). According to the DV hub, the process is a specialised service designed to authenticate & verify documentation essential for visa applications to the UAE.

The DVN costs a non-refundable N640,000 excluding VAT for each application. This does not include the visa fee.

In addition to obtaining a UAE visa, Nigerians are required to provide proof of a 6 month bank statement with a minimum balance of $10,000. While some citizens described the conditions as an upheld ‘constructive ban’ others expressed doubt about the authenticity of the DVN.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations has filed a 16-count criminal indictment against Kingsley Inegbedion and Efemena Igbe over Internet fraud and money-laundering allegations of $1.5 million.

According to the FBI in the indictment filed on May 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, Messrs Inegbedion, and Igbe perpetrated romance scams and business email compromises posing as legit businesses to defraud innocent American citizens between April 2020 and May 2023.

Mr. Inegbedion, a network engineer who ran training programs for aspiring tech workers in Atlanta, was known previously to law enforcement, documents said.

Some of the banks include HSBC, Citi Bank, Synovus Bank, Navy Federal Credit Union Trust Bank, Associated Credit Union, and Georgia’s Own Credit Union.

“The sham corporate entities did not have physical premises, earn legitimate income, or pay wages to employees,” the FBI said in the indictment.

President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, has won 99.15% of the votes from Monday’s presidential election to secure a fourth term in office.

Only about 79% of ballots have been counted, according to the country’s electoral commission. Authorities said 9.5 million Rwandans registered to vote.

The country has a population of 14 million. Kagame’s opponents — Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana — each received less than one percent in the provisional results.

The result is the same as 2017 when Kagame swooped nearly 99% of the votes. Final results are expected by July 27, although they could be announced sooner.

The president thanked Rwandans for their trust, in an address at his Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) party headquarters in Kigali, the capital city.

Kagame seized power as the head of rebels who took control of the government and ended the genocide in 1994, becoming vice-president and de facto leader from then to 2000, when he became president.

Abuja hotel owner cries out after policemen, accompanied by their DPO, allegedly invaded his facility, destroyed items, arrested all staff and guests and demanded N500,000 as bail for each individual.

Nigerian policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Gwarinpa in Abuja, Babale Hamza Galadima, in a Gestapo manner, have invaded Hotel VIMA in the 1st Avenue area of Gwarinpa, arresting all occupants and destroying properties in the hotel.

According to obtained videos of the destruction left by the policemen during the incident which occurred on Sunday night at about 11:30 pm. The pictures and CCTV videos on Monday showed doors and room furniture d£stroyed by the policemen during the invasion.

Whereas, the hotel guests arrested and taken to the Gwarinpa Police Division have been asked to pay N500,000 as bail to secure their freedom.

The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Police Command has banned the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, from staging any protest in the nation’s capital.

The command’s spokesperson, Josephine Adeh in a statement on Monday night, raised the alarm, stating that the proscribed organization, also known as Shi’ite had concluded plans to embark on a procession to mark the 2024 Islamic calendar day of Ashura.

She explained that antecedents showed that such activities, carried out by the Islamic group, often resulted in significant disturbances in the Nigerian capital city, leading to anarchy and chaos.

“The command therefore urges any individual or member of the proscribed organization to refrain from or shun any intended form of protest or procession in the Nation’s Capital, as the command will not hesitate to use every legal means necessary to to halt or incapacitate anyone that dares violate the ban by the police.

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja ordered a bench (arrest) warrant on a medical doctor at the health facility of Kuje Correctional Centre identified as Abraham Ehizojie for failing to produce the medical report of Binance executive, Tygran Gambaryan or show up in court.

According to Nairametrics,  the Nigerian government had accused Binance & its executives, Tygran Gambaryan & the fleeing Nadeem Anjarwalla, of allegedly conspiring amongst themselves to conceal the origin of the financial proceeds of their alleged unlawful activities in Nigeria, including $35,400, 000.

The Nigerian authorities said they committed an offense contravening Section 21 (a) & punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022.

It must be recalled that Justice Nwite had ordered the Nigerian Correctional Service doctor to produce the medical reports of the Tigran Gambaryan, warning the correctional service against non-compliance to the court’s directives.

The FG of Nigeria has sought the assistance of the World Bank to provide funding worth $50 million to support state governments for the installation of solar plant pilots and infrastructure upgrades.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun spoke on the initiative when he met with a World Bank delegate on Monday in Abuja.

The team was led by the Country Director for Nigeria, Dr. Ndiamé Diop while the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Ms. Olu Verheijen was in attendance.

A statement signed by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Finance Ministry, Mohammed Manga, said the meeting was held to discuss innovative ways to drive Nigeria’s power sector forward.

The minister said that the meeting focused on World Bank-supported initiatives, including the Power Sector Recovery Operation and the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme, aimed at improving power distribution and management systems to ensure economic growth and development in the nation.

The FG has reached an agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to allow Nigerian passport holders to obtain visas for travel to that Arab nation starting today, July 15, 2024.

Te Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this on Monday when he briefed State House correspondents following the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.

According to the Minister, effective immediately, Nigerian passport holders can now travel to the UAE. He said, “Today an agreement has been reached with the UAE effective from today July 15, Nigerian passport holders intending to travel to UAE can do so.” In a statement on his X handle, he said:

“Following successful talks and extensive, mutually beneficial negotiations between the Government of the United Arab Emirates and the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, an agreement was reached allowing for the resumption of travel to the UAE for Nigerian passport holders.

The Federal Government has donated 20 trucks of rice to the 36 state governors and the federal capital territory for onward distribution to Nigerians, Daily Trust is reporting.

Addressing state House Reporters after the Federal Executive Council meeting on Monday, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the rice is for the most vulnerable Nigerians.

He also said the Tinubu administration is committed to making sure that Nigerians have food on their table.

The Lagos State Police Command says it has detained one of its officers who allegedly r@ped a 17-year-old girl at the Area H Command, Ogudu.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Sunday, July 14.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the girl became a victim of alleged violent sexual a§§ault while trying to recover her alleged stolen phone by some criminals.

Investigation revealed that the said police officer, who got wind of the stolen phone, offered to help track the girl’s missing phone after taking her statement.

It also learned that the officer, simply identified as Owolabi, allegedly deceitfully tricked the teenager with false information that police operatives had arrested the suspected thief.

“The officer then lured the girl with the false information. When she arrived at his office, he allegedly raped the girl under gunpoint” a source said.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted various quantities of cocaine and opioids such as tramadol, pentazocine injection, morphine sulfatee, and ketamine injection, among others concealed in soles of shoes, clothes, and other items being shipped to the United States, United Kingdom, and Cyprus.

This was disclosed by NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, July 14, 2024.

According to him, “While no less than 250 grams of cocaine going to Cyprus was hidden in soles of custom-made shoes, over five kilograms of opioids heading to the US and UK were discovered by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations, DOGI, in clothes and other household items meant to be shipped through some courier firms in Lagos.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a 32-year-old man, Aminu Abdullahi, with 3,000 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in a can of custard powder.

The illicit dr¥gs were allegedly found in a luggage belonging to the suspect during a stop-and-search by NDLEA operatives in Edo state on Wednesday, July 10.

NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, July 14, 2024 said operatives had intercepted a vehicle marked Abuja GWA 273 DD at Ewu junction, Esan Central LGA following credible intelligence.

“In his statement, the suspect claimed the dr¥gs were bought in Onitsha, Anambra state and he was taking them to Mararaba area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to sell,” the statement added.

Africa’s richest man, Mr Aliko Dangote, has said the house he stays whenever he is in Nigeria’s capital city is not his personal property.

During a media parley at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, on Sunday, Dangote said his passion for an industrialized Nigeria is the sole reason he doesn’t have houses outside Nigeria.

He revealed that he once had a house in London, disclosing that he sold it in 1996.

“The reason I don’t have a London or America house is solely because I wanted to focus on industrialization in Nigeria. I figured that if I had those houses, there would be one reason or the other for me to visit those places thereby causing distraction for me.

“I am very passionate about the Nigeria dream and apart from my Lagos house, I have another one in my home state Kano, and a rented one in Abuja,” he revealed.

Police operatives in Jigawa State have arrested an ex-convict, Mohd Ibrahim for criminal conspiracy, house trespass and theft three days after he was released from prison for the same crime.

The command’s spokesperson, DSP Lawan Shiisu Adam, who disclosed this in a statement said the 22-year-old suspect was arrested alongside two accomplices, Hassan Shehu and Salman Ibrahim.

According to the PPRO, Mohd Ibrahim, who was released from correctional custody of Kazaure on June 22, stormed the residence of one Shehu Umar on June 25, with one of the suspects and made away with a laptop and a phone valued at N750,000 and N130,000.00, respectively.

“On interrogation, suspects confessed to the commission of the offense. Similarly, all the exhibits were recovered at the recipient’s home,” the statement added.

The Edo State Police Command has arrested three suspected cultists with a de automatic pump action gun worth N700,000.

The suspects said to be members of the Maphite confraternity are: Eyefia Godbless, 30, Imuetiyan Ewemade, 30 and 22-year-old Emeka Okpaja.

The State Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye, disclosed that the suspects were arrested at Ubiaza Community, Off Sapele Road in Benin City, where they planned to avenge the k+lling of one of their members, (simply identified as Kokori) who was allegedly killed by members of Aye confraternity, a rival cult group in June 2024.

“This is an automatic pump action gun which is as de as AK-47 which has a bullet that can kill several people, unlike AK-47 which can k+ll just one person. According to the suspects, the g¥n was purchased for about N700,000.

They even confirmed they registered their organization in Edo State, they have been proscribed and their activities are illegal. We wouldn’t allow this in the State.

A Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has upheld the N5 million fine imposed on Daddy Freeze for committing adultery with Benedicta Elechi, his now wife.

Recall that a High Court in Port Harcourt had on February 18, 2021, ordered Daddy Freeze to pay the said sum to Paul Odekina, who was married to Elechi at the time of the affair.

The court awarded N5 million against the media Personality, real name Ifedayo Olarinde, as damages for depriving Odekina of the companionship of his wife and for the inj¥ry suffered due to the adultery.

Daddy Freeze had appealed the High Court’s judgment, citing that Odekina did not attempt to serve him personally before applying for substituted service, which he claimed vi%lated Order 7 Rule 2 of the Rules of the Trial Court.

Donald Trump was shot in the ear in an attempted assassination during a campaign rally on Saturday, an attack that will likely reshape this year’s U.S. presidential race while raising sharp questions about security provided to the Republican candidate.

In the moments after the shooting, Trump was swarmed and covered up by his security agents. He quickly emerged from the scrum, his face streaked with blood, and pumped his fist in the air, mouthing the words “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

The Trump campaign later said he was “doing well” and appeared to have suffered no major injury besides a wound on his upper right ear.
Early on Sunday the FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the “subject involved” in what it termed an attempted assassination. He was a registered Republican, according to state voter records.

The suspect was shot dead by Secret Service agents, the agency said, after he opened fire from the roof of a building about 140 metres from the stage where Trump was speaking. An AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle was recovered near his body.

One person who attended the rally was killed and two other spectators were critically wounded, the Secret Service said.

Law enforcement officials told reporters they had not yet identified a motive for the attack.

President Bola Tinubu has renamed the National Arts Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, after Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.

Tinubu made the announcement in a birthday message to the Nobel laureate who turns 90 on July 13. “It is also fitting we celebrate this national treasure while he is still with us.

I am, accordingly, delighted to announce the decision of the Federal Government to rename the National Theatre in Iganmu, Surulere, as the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts.

We do not only celebrate Soyinka’s remarkable literary achievements but also his unwavering dedication to the values of human dignity and justice. Professor Soyinka, the first African to win the Nobel Literature Prize in 1986, deserves all the accolades as he marks the milestone of 90 years on earth.

Having beaten prostate cancer, this milestone is a fitting testament to his ruggedness as a person and the significance of his work.

A former employee of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC), Lawrence Okeke, has been arrested for allegedly bypassing & tampering with prepaid meters for the EEDC customers in Onitsha.

He was accused of replacing original meter sensors with fake ones, which enabled him to bypass the meters & prevent them from accurately recording customers consumption.

The illegal activity resulted in significant revenue loss for the distribution company. EEDC in a statement on July 11, said the company’s Meter Monitoring Team discovered the fraud during a routine inspection, following a tip-off from a whistleblower.

At one of the customer’s premises visited at Bida Road, Onitsha they discovered that the meter was bypassed & the original meter sensor removed & replaced with the fake one.

While the team interrogated the customer who already admitted their findings, the customer gave out the identity & contact of the individual that performed the bypass as Lawrence Okeke who happens to be an ex-staff of EEDC