The Chief Whip of the Senate and former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, on Monday visited the embattled leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu is in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), facing terrorism-related charges before Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Kalu said he encouraged Kanu to consider the consequences of certain actions and utterances “for the sake of Igbo people”.
He pointed out that his ideology and Kanu’s “are totally different”.
“This afternoon, I visited my brother, Maazi Nnamdi Kanu in DSS custody, Abuja. I met him in good health and care and we discussed as ‘Umunne’. In 2001 when I was Governor, I made his father Eze Israel Okwu Kanu traditional ruler of Akwara Ukwu and since then the family has been very close to me .
“I understand that Nnamdi has an insane amount of people rooting for his back home and I encouraged him to consider the consequences of certain actions and utterances for the sake of the same people.
“Even though, my ideology and his ideology are totally different, God has made us brothers and we can’t run away from each other. I owe him and Nigerians good counseling…Whether he and his family listens to me or not, I will continue counseling him as I have always done in the past. What we need most is a peaceful and secured society,” Kalu said via his verified Facebook page.
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a businesswoman, Mrs Olayinka Adisa, a Saudi Arabia-bound passenger who ingested 80 pellets of cocaine.
She was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while ostensibly on her way to perform Umrah (Lesser Hajj).
NDLEA spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi, stated on Monday in Abuja that Adisa, 46, lives in Ibafo, Ogun State and hails from Ilorin.
“She was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 24 at the boarding screening area of the airport during an outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight 1418.
“She was subsequently taken into custody where she excreted 80 pellets of the illicit drug between Wednesday and Saturday.
“She claimed during interrogation that she saved N2.5million over a period of one year to buy the drugs in bits from six different people at Akala, Mushin area of Lagos,’’ the statement said
Babafemi added that the suspect said she was trading in clothes but had to borrow N1 million from three persons to make up the money used to buy the drugs.
My Mother’s Eye Problem Pushed Me Into Drug Trafficking, Says Man Arrested With N2.7bn Cocaine
“She spent another N1 million to renew her passport, obtain visa and buy return flight tickets.
“She said she was encouraged to traffic the drugs by a woman she met during her last Umrah trip to Saudi Arabia in 2019.
“She said she needed to raise N7 million for In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment due to pressure from people because she’s been married for 28 years without a child due to fertility challenges,’’ Babafemi added.
Meanwhile, another trafficker, Inusa Abdulrazaki, was arrested with 101 wraps of heroin weighing 1.3 kilograms on Friday, November 19.
Abdulrazaki was arrested at the Departure Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on his way to Italy via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.
“The drugs were concealed inside cassava flour popularly called `Gari’.
“On Nov. 20, NDLEA operatives at the airport intercepted an abandoned consignment of khat 17.90kg,’’ Babafemi also stated.
Prophet Joshua Iginla celebrates Champion’s 15th Anniversary With Car, cash gifts to pastors and Members
It was signs, wonders and miracles galore as Prophet Joshua Iginla led Champions Royal Assembly Church celebrated her 15th anniversary with exotic car and cash gifts worth millions to pastors and deserving workers in the ministry.
The epoch making anniversary inside the 80,000 seaters auditorium was a week long celebration which began with school of the prophets programme, international women’s conference ,and the international ministers and leadership conference. And the theme was greater glory. Of a truth, diverse miracles and deliverance were wrought through his servant with prophetic conformations.
The peak of the power packed event was the anniversary celebrations which drew partners and participants from across the world. In the process, the philanthropic prophet Joshua Iginla dazzled some of his ministers and workers when he gave them awards which comes with car and cash gifts.
Pastor Ekene won the best evangelist of the year 2021 and was blessed with a new exotic car and a cash gift of N500,000. Pastor Bright emerged second best performing pastor with a gift of 400k.
And the third pastor was the pastor from Minna branch, pastor Femi jakes who won 300k, while Pastor Osi from America won the best international pastor with a 1000 dollars.
Interestingly, the Sons of the prophet and daughters of the prophet who composed award winning birthday songs for him during his birthday won the best group artistes of the year with 500k each making one million.
The best male artiste was bro Sunday Onaja with 500k. And the best female artists of the year was the choir mistress with a gift of 500k while the best producer goes to the choir master of that ministry know as mr make it happen. He was given the award of excellence with the sum of 500k.
UBA Foundation Projects Message of Hope, Encouragement as Uzoka lights up the Foundation’s Garden Ahead of the Yuletide
Set to Give Back at Its Annual Food Bank
l-r: Group Head, Customer Fulfilment Centre(CFC), United Bank for Africa Plc, Prince Ayewoh; Group Head, Personal Banking and Retail Liabilities, Ogechi Altraide; Deputy Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba; Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa Plc, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka; Executive Director, Chiugo Ndubisi; UBA Foundation, Bola Atta; Head, Commercial and Corporate Banking, Muyiwa Akinyemi; and Head of Operations, Alex Alozie, at the 2021 Christmas and New Year Light Up Ceremony of UBA Foundation, Garden, by UBA Foundation at Marina, Lagos on Friday
Africa’s global bank, United Bank for Africa, through its UBA Foundation has been spreading joy across Africa for many years as they continue to give back to the underpriviledged in the communities in which they operate.
At the UBA Foundation gardens in Lagos where the bank is head quartered, a lights up ceremony was held to mark the start of the festive season. The garden lights were activated by UBA’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka who was joined by other key management staff and some customers of the bank.
Uzoka who is also the chairman of the UBA Foundation, emphasised that giving back was the main tenet of the UBA Foundation. He said ‘We have over the years, engaged in various activities aimed at appreciating our host communities all around Africa and especially in countries where we operate and so for us, these lights symbolise hope for the future and all the goodness it will bring into people’s lives.
‘it is hard to believe that we have been in this pandemic for almost two years. People have lost friends and family members and businesses decimated by the effects of the pandemic. There has been a general feeling of hopelessness but our desire is to fill people’s lives with hope once again.’ Continued Uzoka.
The UBA Foundation has been very active in combatting the spread of Covid -19 across Africa as the bank did not waste any time at the start of the pandemic, donating over $14m to its communities across Africa to support the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year, the Foundation will be feeding tens of thousands of people across Africa through its annual Food bank initiative where food, hygiene products and other gifts items are handed over to those who have less, especially during the festive season.
Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa Plc, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka; flanked by Executive Director, Chukwuma Nweke; Head of Operations, Alex Alozie; MD-CEO, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, and other staff members at the 2021 Christmas and New Year Light Up Ceremony of UBA Foundation Garden, at Marina, Lagos on Friday
The CEO, UBA Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta, said that the light up ceremony was important for the Foundation adding: “This goes beyond lighting up the Marina and adorning the streets with beautiful colours. It reminds us as an institution of our promise to continue to touch lives and treat our communities with kindness. We are living in very difficult times and a little gesture to put a smile on even one face, goes a very long way. We should all endeavour to do whatever we can, within our power, to uplift others’
The Lighting Ceremony which observed all necessary Covid-19 protocols was witnessed by members of staff and customers, and featured Christmas carols by UBA’s CFC choir, as well as a guided tour around the beautiful UBA Foundation Garden at the Lagos Marina.
UBA Foundation, the CSR arm of the UBA Group, is committed to the socio-economic betterment of the communities in which the bank operates, focusing on development in the areas of Education, the Environment, Economic Empowerment and other Special Projects.
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, said the Federal Government gave Twitter “a lot of conditions” to meet before the ban placed on is microblogging app in Nigeria is lifted.
According Keyamo, the company agreed to fulfill all the conditions to have the suspension lifted.
The minister disclosed this while featuring on Channels TV’s ‘Sunday Politics Today’ on Sunday.
Keyamo, who is a member of the committee set up to engage Twitter over its suspension, said the company “agreed to all the conditions” levied against it.
“The reason why the president took that step is to recalibrate our relationship with Twitter and not to drive them away from our country.
“That recalibration, we have started it and the president graciously added me to the committee,” he said.
He said the committee then came up with conditions for the tech giant to fulfill, and that it was Twitter who first reached out to the government to find out what they could do to have the suspension lifted.
“We also set up a technical committee to interface with Twitter and come up with a lot of conditions for them to fulfil for us to lift the suspension.
“It was Twitter that reached out to the federal government to say they want to know what and what they can do to straighten up the relationship with the federal government and so, we have gone far but I may not, at this forum, let out a lot but we gave them a lot of conditions and they have agreed to all the conditions,” he said.
The social media giant was banned in Nigeria in June after a tweet made by President Buhari was removed from the platform for going against its rules.
The government, however, maintained that the ban was not because the president’s tweet was deleted.
Nollywood actress Foluke Daramola-Salako has responded to the criticisms projected towards her and her colleague for singing Tinubu’s praise in a viral video in which they chant “Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.”
It was reported that the video offended many Nigerians who accused her of endorsing Tinubu. Foluke said, however, she did not receive any money, claiming, instead, that they were preaching peace.
She insisted that the video had nothing to do with politics nor her singing was intended to endorse Tinubu’s candidacy for the general election in 2023.
The 43-year-old actress said that despite her being a card-carrying member of the APC, she had not endorsed anyone at that time.
“I need to set the record straight, I never endorse anyone, please don’t get things twisted,” she said in a video uploaded to Instagram.
“What we went to do yesterday had nothing to do with politics, we are in a group advocating for peace and unity in Nigeria.
“Although I’m a card-carrying member of APC, we did not go in the capacity of endorsing Asiwaju Tinubu for President and it was not a Nollywood thing.
“I was not paid in any way for this, it was meant to be a unity and peace campaign nothing more.
“Don’t let us get it twisted, it does not have anything to do with politics or Nollywood, let’s be guided!”
Daramola-Salako is most notable for being nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 2013 at the Africa Movie Academy Award.
Chiemeka Arinze, a co-defendant with alleged billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudi Dumee Onuamadike, popularly known as Evans, has died in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre.
Evans is standing trial alongside, Joseph Emeka, Arinze and Udeme Upong, over the attempted kidnap of Chief Vincent Obianodo, the Chairman of the Young Shall Grow Motors, before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos.
They are facing a seven-count charge of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempt to kidnap and sale and transfer of firearms.
According to POLITICS NIGERIA, Arinze died last Friday.
The Nigerian Correctional Service has confirmed a jailbreak at its facility in Jos, Plateau State, by suspected terrorists.
The Service in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Francis Enobore, revealed that the armed group invaded the Medium Security Custodial Centre at about 5:20 pm on Sunday.
THE WHISTLER had reported that the correctional facility located on Joseph Gomwalk road, Jos, is about 5.6km away from the Plateau police headquarters.
Enobore said the assailants “stormed the facility in large numbers with sophisticated weapons and immediately made for the main gate where they engaged the armed squad personnel in a gun battle before breaking into the yard.
“Although they gained entrance to the yard, they are however trapped within as men from sister security services were immediately mobilised to assist the armed guards to cordon the perimeter wall and the entire area”.
“Reinforcement from the response squad of the Service has also been mobilised to the center.
“The situation is presently under control as the attackers firing power is being subdued by superior fire from a combined team of security agencies. Update will be made available as event unfolds.
A tanker, loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS or petrol) on Sunday morning exploded around Oju Irin in Lafenwa area of Abeokuta, Ogun state.
Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, the Spokesperson, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), confirmed the incident to newsmen, saying the tanker was engulfed in fire due to the uncooperative attitude of people around the axis who were scooping fuel and other unwholesome act which sparked the fire.
The TRACE spokesman explained that the tanker, due to an axle problem overturned around 4 :45 am while making its way inbound Rounder from Oju-Irin, Lafenwa, spilling its content on the road.
He advised the general public to vacate the vicinity, saying that TRACE, police, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Fire Service were all on ground to put the situation under control.
“Moreover, the motoring public going inward Rounder axis from Lafenwa, should use Olomore and Oke-Ata axis respectively as alternative routes, since traffic has been diverted away from the area of incident,” he said.
Akinbiyi stated that further information would be provided to the media as soon as possible.
Mr Ahmed Umar, the FRSC Sector Commander in the state, also confirmed the incident, saying that officers of the command are around to control traffic.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that some shops in the axis were affected by the fire. (NAN)
The investigation of the circumstances surrounding the death and burial of the Obafemi Awolowo University MBA student, Timothy Adegoke, took a twist yesterday following an allegation that the deceased was buried by workers of the Ife Central Local Government with the consent of the police.
Mr. Abiodun Williams, counsel to the detained Chairman of Hilton Hotel and Resorts, Chief Ramon Adegoke, now wants the police to widen the scope of their investigation to cover this allegation.
Williams, in a November 26,2021 petition to the Osun State Police Commissioner, claimed that some people working close to where the corpse was dumped reported the matter to the LG authorities who, in turn, contacted the police to seek their consent for burial.
The police subsequently granted the request, Williams said.
He said: “You will recall that some of the suspects in your custody allegedly confessed to dumping the corpse of late Mr Timothy Adegoke in the bush, they did not admit to burying him. You will equally recall that during the interview you granted to Rave 97.1 FM Radio on the 22nd day of November 2021, there it was insinuated that some of the suspects confessed to have buried the corpse in the bush at about 2km to the hotels somewhere along Ede Road, Ile-Ife, Osun State. However, there is now a strong rumour peddled by some people to the effect that that position may not be correct after all.
“It was the officials of the Department of Public Health, Ife Central Local Government, Ile-Ife that buried the deceased having received clearance from the officers of the Nigerian Police of one of the Divisions in Ile-Ife. We could not establish which of the divisions in Ile-Ife gave the clearance. However, we are of the view that, if the information is correct, discreet and diligent investigations will establish it.”
He said if the police could establish that officers of the Public Health Department, Ife Central Local Government were the ones that buried the corpse of Adegoke, it would go a long way in assisting the pathologists in their quest to unravel the circumstances that led to Adegoke’s death.
Williams said: “It would stop the question: ‘why did those that buried the corpse of Mr Timothy Adegoke keep silent all this while and allow an innocent man to be languishing in detention?’”
He added: “We also gathered from the stories going round in the public domain that the artisans, workers and business owners around the premises where the body of late Timothy Adegoke was initially found reported the case to the police; who in turn cleared the officials of the Department of Public Health, Ife Central Local Government, Ile-Ife to bury the corpse.
“We heard that activities leading to the burial of the deceased young man were properly recorded on video and pictures taken by the officials.”
He implored the police commissioner to “use your good office to confirm the truth of the information stated here-above for the purpose of truly determining what role each of the suspects and/or anyone or officers of government played in the events that led to the death and burial of Mr. Timothy Adegoke to ensure that justice is done above all things.
“We are of the view that if the information relating to the burial of the corpse of the deceased is promptly investigated, it would further establish the innocence of our client.”
The Chairman of the LG, Hon Olayera Elugbaju,had told The Nation on Friday that speculations that some local government staff had been arrested by the police for their involvement in burying the corpse of Adegoke were untrue.
“No staff of the secretariat was arrested by the police. I cannot confirm to you now if our staff buried the corpse of Adegoke until I see the file they record corpses that the local government had buried in the time past,” he said.
