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Showing posts from June, 2016

Nollywood veteran, Martins Njubuigbo reportedly battling with liver disease [PHOTO]

Veteran Nollywood actor, Martins Njubuigbo, popularly known as Elder Maya, is reported to be currently battling with liver disease. The actor fondly called Papa Labista was reportedly diagnosed with liver disease at an undisclosed hospital in Lagos state. His fellow colleague, actor Ernest Obi, took to his Instagram account @ernestmindset1 to make this disclosure. According to him, “Elder Maya is presently languishing in pain from an ailment he is battling with. “He is down with a liver-related problem,” Obi added. He also started a campaign aimed at collecting funds for the treatment of the ailing actor. A prominent actor who did not want his name mentioned in print told newsmen on Friday that “The man has not been acting for a while now because of his condition and our people (Nollywood actors) have not shown interest in the old man. “They are probably waiting for him to die before they start shedding crocodile tears they are well known for.” The elder is pop

Account Freezing: Court summons EFCC, puts Fayose’s mandatory order in Abeyance

Efforts made by Governor Ayodele Fayose to reverse the restriction order placed on his accounts frozen by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) in Zenith Bank Plc was temporarily halted on Tuesday as the Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, deferredruling on the mandatory order being sought to reverse the directive. The EFCC had last week Tuesday allegedly frozen Fayose’s account numbers 1003126654 and 9013074033 in Zenith bank for alleged money laundering running into N1.2 billion being money allegedly taken from the $2.1 billion arms fund in the office of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Bello Dasuki. Fayose through his lawyer , Mr Mike Ozekhome(SAN), had through an ex parte order deposed to on the 24th of June, 2016 by Bimpe Olatemiju sought a mandatory order unfreezing the accounts belonging and operated by him pending the determination of his interlocutory application. Joined in the suit are the EFCC (1st defendant) and Zenith bank (2nd def

British PM David Cameron says he will resign

Prime Minister David Cameron announced Friday he will resign after Britons voted to leave the EU in defiance of his warnings of economic pain.  Cameron promised to try to “steady the ship” over the next months but said a new leader should be installed by early October. “I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination,” the British leader said outside his official Downing Street residence in London. Source: Vanguard Ng

SEX SCANDAL: Rep writes US ambassador, threatens legal action

A member of the House of Representatives, Samuel Ikon, who was accused of illegally soliciting for prostitutes, alongside two other lawmakers while in the United States, has written to the US ambassador in Nigeria, James Entwistle, and threatened to seek legal redress in competent courts of law both in Nigeria and the US. He issued the threat in a letter addressed to the ambassador, explaining that he was ill during the trip and could not have had sex due to ill-health. He said he would have no other option but to go to court, if the ambassador failed to clear his name of the allegation, saying also that he was ill at the time of the purported incident and couldn’t have had sex in that condition. Entwistle had on June 9, 2016, written to the speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, alleging that three members of the House, including Samuel Ikon, Mohammed Gololo and Mike Gbillah, requested hotel parking lot attendants to help them solicit for prostitutes during their

COMMUNAL CLASH: Delta community dismisses alleged imposition of N1m on male indigenes

THE people of Igbide community, Isoko South Local Government Area, Delta State, have described as malicious and unfounded, media reports that a fine of N1 million was imposed on male indigenes of the community, who fled the area in the recent bloody clash with neighbouring Okpolo-Enwhe over a disputed piece of land.  Reacting to the media reports, President of Igbide Union, Chief David Edegware, in a statement, yesterday, said “To further prove the point that Igbide community is not the aggressor in this conflict and that we have always toed the path of peace, on June 13, 2016, information came to us that an Okpolo-Enhwe man and his wife strayed into our territory and were apprehended. “Despite the tension, this information generated, the Ovie of Igbide and the President managed the situation to forestall the rise in tempers that may lead to another bloody clash. Thus, the man, Mr. Onowakpo and his wife were promptly handed over to the security operatives who took them in their vehic

N-DELTA: New militant group emerges, demands sovereign state

President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent efforts to bring succour to the crisis ravaged oil rich Niger Delta region may witness yet another hindrance as a new militant group, Asawana Deadly Force of Niger Delta, ADFND, emerged, yesterday, in the region, threatening to cripple the oil industry across the nine Niger Delta states unless the Federal Government grants them, “Niger Delta Republic in the next couple of days.” The group in a statement by its leader, Commander Olomubini Kakarakokoro, a.k.a No Mercy, said that, “Except our demand for Niger Delta Republic is granted, without further notice to the Federal Government, we shall proceed to bomb Bonga field flow station, Asaba- Onistha Bridge, Third Mainland Bridge and other major bridges in the Southtern part of the country, just for a start. “The Federal Government should as a matter of urgency, withdraw all the military check points from the riverside areas of the Niger Delta, else we shall proceed to match against any baby milit

Grazing reserves: FG will not force any state to provide land – Audu Ogbeh

Following the controversy surrounding Federal Government’s bid to create grazing reserves for cattle herders in states of the Federation, the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh yesterday wondered why people act “as if they do not eat meat?” He, however, told journalists at the Palace of the Lamido Adamawa during a working visit to Adamawa state that the Federal Government has resolved to shelve the issue of grazing fields and has opted for ranches. He stressed that those states that do not want grazing zones will not be forced. The Minister was quick to ask, “why do people do this as if they do not eat meat?” “The business of government is to find equitable solution to the problem as such the government will not force any state to provide grazing land”, he declared Ogbeh maintained the only way to go is to develop ranches, insisting that nobody was supposed to carry weapon or kill anybody. Wondering why a country with 45 million hectres of land cannot acc

FG orders the sacks of striking doctors nationwide

The Federal Government has ordered immediate sack of striking resident doctors in the country. The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, in a circular signed by Amina Shamaki, the permanent secretary of the ministry, directed Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and medical directors (MDs) of FG tertiary health institutions to fill the vacancies created by resident doctors who have “abandoned” their programme. Resident doctors in government hospitals had declared indefinite strike on Monday over issue bordering on their entitlements. The circular reads: “It has come to the notice of the management of the ministry that some resident doctors in your establishment have voluntarily withdrawn from the residency training program by refusing to report for training without authorisation. public service rule, PSR 030402 (e) is relevant. “This is in spite of the ongoing negotiations on their demands put forward by the representatives of the National Association of Resident Doctors

APC requests Nigerians’ rating of Buhari’s One-year old government

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has on its Twitter handle @APCNigeria requested Nigerians to rate the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, having spent one year in office. The party posted on Monday; “One year on: How would you rate government’s efforts in fighting the Boko Haram sect? …” It further asked if Nigerians would encourage the Federal Government to negotiate with the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA? Some other tweets by the ruling party read: “Would you encourage FG to negotiate with the NDA? Let’s have your opinion; and kindly RT. “The brick walls aren’t there to keep us out, the brick walls are there to give us a reason to demonstrate how badly we want to succeed! “Since we want something we’ve never had then we’ve got to do things we’ve never done, for that’s the only way our nation can work better.” Source: Daily Post

Police: 50 killed in Florida nightclub terror attack

 A gay nightclub here was the scene early Sunday of the worst terror attack in U.S. history since 9/11. * 50 people were killed inside the Pulse club and at least 53 people were injured, police say. * The gunman was Omar Mateen of Ft. Pierce, Florida, a law enforcement source told CNN. * Orlando police shot and killed Mateen.   "It appears he was organized and well-prepared," Orlando Police Chief John Mina said early Sunday. The shooter had an assault-type weapon, a handgun and "some type of (other) device on him." There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack on jihadi forums, but ISIS sympathizers have reacted by praising the attack on pro-Islamic State forums. Officials, aided by the FBI, warned that a lengthy investigation was ahead given the number of victims and the scope of the violence.     "There's blood everywhere," U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson told reporters. "There's an enormous amount of

'Grateful to be alive': Dominic Purcell shares gruesome snap after being airlifted to hospital when an iron bar fell on his head while filming in Morocco

Dominic Purcell has broken his nose in two places after an iron bar fell on his head while filming the latest series of Prison Break in Morocco. The Prison Break star shared the news through social media and posted two pictures showing his bandaged nose and gashes to his head on Instagram after sustaining the injuries on Monday. The 46-year-old actor was flown by emergency helicopter from Marrakesh to Casablanca for urgent hospital treatment, while his girlfriend AnnaLynne McCord, who was on set at the time, was by his side.   Captioning a photograph of his deep wounds and nose, he wrote: 'Had a little accident on set. Haha! Back at work asap. Pays to have a thick skull when an iron bar falls on your #head!!  'Busting it open severely also broke my nose in two places. Haha.I got a free nose job out of it...... Stoked to be alive. All good.' He jokingly downplayed his serious injuries and revealed that it was only his tough fibre that sa

Nigerian illegal immigrant benefits cheat is spared jail for her SECOND fraud conviction and says the £50,000 she falsely claimed was to pay off people smugglers who got her into Britain

A Nigerian illegal immigrant has avoided jail despite falsely claiming £50,000 in benefits to pay off the people smugglers who got her into Britain. Linda Okungowa, 36, of Sheffield, who arrived in the UK on a false passport 12 years ago, claimed the money in destitution and child benefits despite working under false identities. But the mother-of-three received a suspended sentence in an ‘amazing display of mercy’ after it emerged she had support from a church which was protecting her from committing more crime. The decision by Judge Simon Lawler QC came five years after Okungowa was sent to prison for eight months for using false documents to obtain work while claiming £70,000 in benefits. Okungowa arrived in Britain believing she would be able to train as a doctor, but instead became entrenched in a mounting debt cycle with the traffickers who helped her get in. She said the smugglers kept increasing the amount they said she owed them and she was left s

Nightclub kicked out drunk student, 19, and 'abandoned' her to be picked off 'like prey' and have her virginity taken by two rapists in an hour long ordeal

A judge has accused a nightclub of allowing a teenager to fall into the hands of two sex attackers after they kicked her out before she was abducted and raped. Mrs Justice Mary Stacey accused Snobs in Birmingham of 'abandoning' the 19-year-old victim to be picked off 'like prey' by two sex attackers, who took the girl's virginity. She even suggested the nightclub was partly to blame for the rape by saying they had 'created the circumstances for the crime to occur.' The university student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was thrown out by bouncers after she collapsed at the popular nightspot on February 20 last year. A court heard after being ejected she became separated from her friends and was lured into a transit van by Zaheer Abbas, 30, and Sajad Hussain, 35. She was then driven to an industrial estate where she was brutally raped and sexually assaulted in the back of the vehicle by the pair during an hour lon

Boko Haram: 11 terrorists, one soldier killed in battle

Thursday night’s ambush and another one this morning left no fewer than 11 members of the Boko Haram sect dead, while a soldier was killed and three others sustained injury in battle to clear Sabsawa and Ajiri villages of Konduga and Mafa local government areas of Borno state. A statement from Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col Sani Usman made available to newsmen on Friday said troops of 202 Battalion of 21 Brigade in Operation LAFIYA DOLE had ambushed Boko Haram elements in which they killed three and arrested one of the terrorists at Sabsawa-Boarding road and BOCOBS-Ngurusoye road between June 1 to 2, 2016. A captured Boko Haram terrorist, Umar Mustapha, who claimed to have come from Sabsawa has been handed over to the Brigade Headquarters for further interrogation and processing. The troops have, however, continued with their clearance operations of the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists within the Sambisa forest. In a related development, earlieron

Ecobank fires 1,000 staff weeks after sack of 50 senior managers

Ecobank Nigeria Limited on Wednesday sacked some of its staff just as the it announced the conversion of over 200 outsourced personnel to permanent employees. The bank in a statement issued and obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos said it was part of “its renewed drive for optimal performance”. Mr Charles Kie, the bank’s Managing Director, was quoted by the statement as saying that the bank realigned certain roles to ensure improved efficiency. This he said necessitated the exit of some staff who were adequately compensated. He maintained that this was also in furtherance of a market repositioning exercise designed to strengthen the bank’s business across all markets where it operates. He emphasised that the Ecobank Group was on a trajectory to achieve leadership and “Ecobank Nigeria remains one of ETI’s major affiliates as well as one of Nigeria’s systemically important financial institutions.” A staff of the corporate affairs of the bank, who p

Federal Government scraps post-UTME for prospective tertiary students

The Federal Government on Thursday scrapped the conduct of post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, post UTME, for candidates seeking admission into higher institutions, adding that there was no need for other examination to be conducted by universities after the one conducted by JAMB. Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who stated this in Abuja after declaring open the 2016 Combined Policy Meeting on Admissions to Universities, Polytechnics and other higher institutions in Nigeria, said all tertiary institutions were at liberty to conduct screening for candidates seeking admission into any school. While expressing confidence in the examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Adamu said: “As far as I am concerned the nation has confidence in what JAMB is doing. The universities should not be holding another examination and if the universities have any complain against JAMB let them bring it and then we address it. If JAMB i