A 500-level student of Electrical Electronics Engineering at the Cross River University of Technology was, on Monday, killed by suspected cultists on the campus of the institution in Calabar.
The victim, identified simply as James, was allegedly shot and cut with machetes in front of the Engineering Department.
It was gathered that James, who was in his final year, was taking his final examination when he was allegedly killed by suspected members of the Black Axe.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the school, Mr Onen Onen, said, “I am not in school now and I have not been briefed about anything like that.”
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Irene Ugbo, however, confirmed the incident and said the corpse had been removed and deposited in the mortuary.
A 48-year-old man, Derrick Addai, has been released from prison in Ogun State after spending 14 years in custody due to an alleged typographical error on the list of pardoned inmates.
Punch correspondent gathered that it took the intervention of the Osile of Oke-Ona, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, and the Director-General of the Prison Rehabilitation Mission International, Bishop Kayode Williams, before he was let off the hook.
It was learnt that Addai was convicted of drug peddling in Thailand, but was repatriated to Nigeria in 2005 following the intervention of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Thirty convicts, who were later pardoned by the Federal Government, had spent five years and six months in Thai prison before Obasanjo intervened.
Addai was, however, unlucky as a typographical error led to the omission of his name from the list of pardoned inmates approved by the Presidency.
Punch correspondent gathered that the name of one of the inmates appeared twice on the list and that was responsible for the omission of Addai’s name.
Narrating his ordeal, Addai, a native of Cross River State, said he thought that the error would be corrected within a few days, but it eventually took 14 years for relief to come his way.
He stated, “I spent 14 years in a Nigerian prison after I had spent five years and six months in Thailand’s prison from the year 2000, and I came back to Nigeria in 2005.
“It is quite unfortunate that my name was omitted from the list they brought then, and I spent time and money writing several letters for it to be corrected but, it did not work out.
“It happened that when they brought the list from Aso Rock, the letter was sealed and I was there and they asked me to open it. When I opened the letter, I saw that there were 30 names on the list, I just dropped it and left. After a few minutes, we were called back that one name was missing but that the numbers were complete.
“We called Obasanjo, Senator Lekan Mustapha and other people involved. They asked the officials to bring the letter to the office and when the man who wrote the names saw it, he insisted that that was not the list he sent and asked me to give him two days and the two days never came till now.”
When asked about his experience in prison, he lamented the way Nigerian prisons were being run, adding that inmates were not empowered with vocational skills.
Addai stated, “You can’t put people in prison without giving them anything. No work; they are just abandoned and earn nothing.
“No matter the condition or the environment, they should allow prisoners to do their handwork, but, when the prisoners don’t have any work or something they are doing there, when they come out, they will have nothing to do.”
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on Monday made public his asset, calling on any interested members of the public to verify the same with the Code of Conduct Bureau.
Makinde said he made his assets public so as to fulfill the promise he made during the elections and also give the people a basis to crosscheck after he might have finished serving them as the governor.
Details of the assets as contained in the CCB 1 deposited with the bureau in the name Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, indicated that the Governor is worth about N50billion in assets.
The assets declaration form, marked OYSE/2019/001 contained details of cash at hand, in the bank, landed properties (developed and undeveloped), household items, share and bonds owned by the Governor, his wife, Omini Makinde as well as his companies.
He stole many hearts after his video went viral. Poor Ayo was peeling oranges as he sang one of Tope Alabi's songs. According to Arole, Ayo stays with some people (we guess relatives) but one could tell he needs great help. Arole who found him says Ayo will stop hawking (halleluyah) and promises to make available how Nigerians can help him! While sharing their photo, he wrote...
''Had the privilege of meeting this SUPER STAR today. His name is Ayo, he was the young guy hacking and singing and got his video go viral yesterday. We had the opportunity of meeting those he stays with and we had great chats with them about the future of this STAR. They stay in Ilaro Ogun state. I know lots of people want to support Ayo which they appreciate. We made enquires about his education and talent and how anyone can support and they are welcome to SUPPORT. The proper way of reaching him and supporting him would be communicated. God bless everyone that has been part of this. And also Ayo would stop HAWKING!!!!!!!!!.''
A trader, Mrs Ajayi, 52, told an Igando Customary Court that she slept with her brother-in-law because she thought he was her husband.
Ajayi’s husband, Akande, is seeking the dissolution of their 35-year marriage, accusing her of infidelity.
“I was in bed when my husband’s younger brother came to the house my husband rented for me.
“I thought it was my husband who normally comes to the house at that particular time between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. to play and sleep with me.
“It was after he finished making love to me that I realised that he was not my husband.
“When I queried him, he claimed that my husband had travelled that was why he came to have sex with me.
“I reported the case to my brother’s wife, who advised me not to tell my brother so that peace can reign in the family.”
The respondent said that her husband treats the children of the other wives better than hers.
The mother of four denied being fetish as claimed by husband.
Ajayi prayed the court not to grant her husband’s wish for the dissolution of their marriage that she still loves him.
The petitioner, Akande, approached the court to terminate his 35-year marriage accusing the wife of infidelity.
He said that his wife was wayward and adulterous that her man friend was claiming paternity of one of their children.
“When I married her, I rented an apartment for her because I have other wives and I don’t want them to live together.
“I started hearing from people in the area that my wife was having an affair with a man, initially I ignored it until her lover came claiming ownership of one of my children.
“The man eventually came to the house but I refused to open the door for him.
“When I questioned my wife, she confessed that the man slept with her but it did not result in pregnancy.”
The 71-year-old businessman said, “I once caught her burying something in my compound, I accosted her and tried to remove what she buried there but I could not.
“I went out before I returned, she had cemented the place.”
He begged the court to end the marriage that he was no longer interested that the love he once had for her had faded.
The president of the court, Mr Adeniyi Koledoye, urged the two parties to maintain peace and adjourned the case until August 22 for judgment.
The Peoples Democratic Party has alleged that the myriad of crises facing the country is as a result of the know-it-all posture of President Muhammadu Buhari.
It claimed that rather than seek help from Nigerians across party lines and beyond the shores of the country, the President had been carrying on as if he could solely rule the country.
The main opposition party said it was worrisome that months after he was declared the winner of the presidential election, the President had refused to nominate his ministers.
The National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, spoke with our correspondent on Sunday in reaction to the killing of Mrs Funke Olakunrin, 58-year-old daughter of the leader of pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, by gunmen on Friday.
Secondus said the country was fast drifting into anarchy, warning that there was no way investors would bring their money into a country where its citizens “are being killed like unwanted animals with the government just sending mere condolence messages without taking any concrete action to stop the killings.”
He said, “The killing of Mrs Funke Olakunrin is barbaric. It is sad. It makes me weep for the country. It is a pity that Pa Fasoranti is being made to witness this sad development at his old age.
“What prayer do we expect from the old man for a nation that cannot protect its citizens? Is this not a sign of a failed government? Killings every day and yet our government carries on as if all is well?
“We are in a mess in this country. We seem not to know the magnitude of what has befallen us. We have a President who is telling the world that he is under pressure to name ministers, five months after being declared the winner of a disputed election.”
He added, “You see, if the President has his ways, he will not appoint ministers because he believes he knows more than everyone. He will want to run the country like a king, forgetting that kings also have council of chiefs.
“How could he have told us that he wants to get those he knows and all that, after being in power for four years?
“President Olusegun Obasanjo picked many Nigerians with credible credentials to serve in his government. President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Prof. Attahiru Jega, whom he never met, to serve as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission. You don’t have to fill the cabinet with your cronies. If you want unbiased advice and people who will genuinely disagree with you in your government, then don’t look out for your hailers; get your critics appointed as well.
He urged Nigerians to speak out, saying, “The country is drifting. We should not wait when we will wake up one day and found out we do not have a country anymore before we begin to regret not taking actions we ought to have taken.”
Nollywood actress, Abimbola Afolayan's daughter was 6 yesterday. To celebrate her, she shared colourful photos of her playing at home and wrote how she got into her life 6 years ago and her life has never been the same.
The police have arrested some suspects allegedly involved in the killing of Mrs Funke Olakunrin, daughter of the Afenifere leader, Reuben Fasoranti.
A spokesman for the Ondo State Police Command, Mr Femi Joseph, confirmed this on Monday.
According to him, the suspects were arrested when a team of security operatives stormed the forests in the area near Ore in Ondo State.
The command’s spokesman, however, did not disclose the identities of those arrested. He said investigations were still ongoing while suspects would be paraded as soon as possible.
Beyoncé stole the show for the European premiere of the live action remake of the Lion King, held at the ODEON Luxe Cinema in Leicester Square on Sunday night.
The singer, 37, who plays Nala in the Disney screenplay, channeled her inner lioness in a gold asymmetric gown which came complete with a daring thigh-high split.
Joined by her husband Jay-Z, Beyoncé led the fashion pride as she made one of her most daring red carpet appearances to date.
The Crazy In Love hitmaker opted to shun the cardinal legs-or-cleavage rule in favour of full on glamour, flaunting her lithe limbs as she prowled down the orange paw print carpet.
The All Progressives Congress National Leader, Sen. Bola Tinubu, on Sunday urged government and Nigerians to work together and take concrete steps to make sure that attacks by gunmen do not continue to occur against the innocent and the peaceful.
Tinubu in a condolence letter to Pa. Reuben Fasoranti, the Afenifere Leader, over the death of his daughter, Mrs Funke Olakunrin, said that taking such steps would honour Funke’s life.
Olakunrin was shot dead on Friday by gunmen at Ore Junction in Ondo State.
“My heart aches with a profound sense of grief and loss over the tragic death of your daughter, the beloved Funke Olakunrin. Unfortunately, some people are eagerly trying to use this tragedy to advance their political agenda.
“I sincerely regret such behaviour for it is wrong and out of place. It does not well fit the moment. This is a time for consolation and genuine condolence.
“Everyone loves and supports you. I am sure that no effort will be spared in identifying the assailants and bringing them to full justice.
“I have been assured by government and law enforcement authorities that the perpetrators of this terrible act will be apprehended and to face the brunt of the law for what they have committed. We have faith that justice will indeed be done.
“But we must seek more than this. All of us who love you must also work together to honour Funke’s life by taking concrete steps to make sure such attacks do not continue to occur against the innocent and the peaceful,” he said.
Suspected gunmen have assassinated the Chairman, Community Development Committee, CDC, of Choba Community in Obio-Akpor Local Government, Rivers State, Lawrence Igwe and another prominent member of the community in the early hours of Sunday.
It was gathered that the assailants forcefully gained entry into the house of the late Igwe, before shooting him several times in his bedroom and left.
The Paramount ruler of Choba community, Eze Raymond Okocha, said the assassins also threw substance suspected to be dynamite at his gate as they tried to gain entrance into his Palace.
Okocha claimed that the spate of killings in Choba community were no more cult related but assassination of some targeted personalities in the community.
She unfortunately lost the Wimbledon women's final to Romania's Simona Halep. But Serena Williams didn't let it get her spirits down as she enjoyed a delicious treat with her daughter Olympia, 22 months, after returning to her London abode on Sunday.
The sports superstar swapped her tennis whites for a cropped pink hoodie as she ordered in 24 Krispy Kreme doughnuts for a mouthwatering family feast.
Serena's downtime look remained sporty as she donned white Nike lightweight trousers and pink trainers.
The mother-of-one coordinated with her little girl's look as Olympia was dressed in a cute pink two-piece for their day together.
The Nigerian House of Senate on Sunday condoled with the family of Afenifere leader and elder statesman, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, over Friday’s murder of his daughter, Mrs Funke Olakunrin, along akure-Ore road, in Ondo State.
The Senate in a statement by its Ad-hoc Chairman on Media and Public Affairs, Sen. Adedayo Adeyeye, described the gruesome killing of the 58-year-old woman as very sad, devastating and a worrisome development.
Adeyeye said the senate was disturbed by the spate of incessant attacks and wanton killings of citizens either by hired assassins, herdsmen, kidnappers and or other men of the underworld.
He said the perpetrators of the heinous crime were wreaking havoc on the lives and properties of innocent citizens in the country.
“How have we gone this bad?,’’ he lamented.
He said security of life was a fundamental right of every citizen, adding that Nigerians deserved their inalienable rights from the government at all times.
“While condemning this heinous and barbaric act, the senate urges the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu to begin massive manhunt for the killers of Late Mrs Funke Olakunrin and ensure that the perpetrators of this gruesome killing are apprehended.’’
He said measures to prevent future occurrence of such incidents should be put in place by improving the security architecture on Nigeria’s highways, at social gatherings and at worship centres nationwide.
“The senate further extends its condolences to the elder statesman, Pa Reuben Fasoranti and the entire family.
“We pray God will console and be with the entire family in this hour of bereavement,’’ Adeyeye said.
Nine people were killed when their plane plummeted out of the sky during a skydiving trip in northern Sweden, authorities said on Sunday.
The single-engine plane, a GippsAero GA8 Airvan which is popular with parachutists and ordinarily seats eight people including the pilot, crashed on an island on the Ume river shortly after take-off from Umea airport.
The accident took place a little after 2 pm local time on Storsandskar island.
Swedish media quoted witnesses reporting that some of the parachutists were seen trying to jump off the plane just before the crash.
The police said that all the victims were Swedish, with one person holding dual citizenship. The names of the victims were not been disclosed.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has written yet another letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, warning that Nigeria is tipping towards a dangerous cliff and only the president could forestall such a looming disaster.
Mr Obasanjo a former Nigerian leader, between 1999 and 2007, said Nigeria has been consumed by violence and ethnic divisions since Mr Buhari assumed office four years ago, in a manner not seen for decades.
In the July 15, 2019 letter, Mr Obasanjo said the world, especially Western countries, has been warning Nigeria against descending into a state of violence because any outbreak would be difficult to contain.
He warned that for Mr Buhari to be able to stop the “smouldering ethnic agitations”, he would have to stop fanning “the embers of hatred, disaffection and violence.”
Mr Obasanjo also called on armed herdsmen to publicly state their grievances in order to form a national discussion around it, rather than waging a violent campaign across the country. The calls were also extended to any other ethnic group that have concerns about how the country is being run.
The last week’s killing of Funke Olakunrin, a 58-year-old daughter of Yoruba leader, Reuben Fasoranti, was amongst the most recent national security mishaps which Mr Obasanjo said could tip the country off a perilous edge.
He also called on the Nigerian Armed Forces to stop public shaming of personnel, saying such could only serve adverse interest for the nation.
That comment by Mr Obasanjo was in reference to the last month’s attack which Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai launched against Nigerian soldiers, blaming them for allowing the Boko Haram attack to fester.
The leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, on Sunday, 14th of July visited Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, COZA Abuja chapter.
The leader of CAN North central, Israel Akanji, and FCT Chapter, Jonah Samson were present and honored in COZA following allegation of rape leveled against him by wife of popular singer, Busola Dakolo.
Akanji, speaking during the service, said he was impressed and blessed in COZA, adding that the church was with Pastor Biodun and praying for him.
Akanji said: “I thought I knew music until I came into Coza , I have been greatly impressed touched and blessed in this place.
“We are with you, we will continue to be with you, we are in support of your pastor and stand by him as this church continue to march forward and gate of hell shall not prevail.
“My message for you is in Colossians 1:3 , the church in Nigeria is praying for you, we pray this church rise from glory to glory.
“In the journey of life sometimes we find ourselves wounded and dying the people we expect to come and help us are not there they are the once that work out what Samaritan did in time of need was show love today we have come”.
“I believe God has set up COZA church for our generation to do things differently. If anything happens to COZA it happens to the body of Christ.
“Our goal is to the victory of God and I pray nothing will bring this church down in Jesus name
“How can we hear that one church God has a plan for us going through this Jerusalem-Jericho road and walk away? We will not do such a thing.
“We are here to let you know we are with you. Lord will bring you out stronger and your pastor by the grace of God will continue to be the voice of God
“We pray the lord stands by you because you are not alone and have brothers praying for you.”
Novak Djokovic was presented by the Wimbledon trophy yesterday afternoon by the Duchess of Cambridge after he won his fifth Wimbledon title following one of the greatest matches of all time.
Fans were on the edge of their seats for the dramatic finale featuring two of tennis's all time greats, with Roger Federer's wife Mirka holding her head in her hands and Kate gasping with her hands over her mouth.
Clocking in at four hours and fifty-seven minutes, the Serbian won the longest ever men's singles final at SW19 and defied a crowd screaming for his opponent by becoming the first player to win a singles match on a deciding tie-break after the last set was drawn 12-12.
Former Rivers Angels goalkeeper and ex-Falcons superstar, Bidemi Aluko has opened up on her secret cancer battle.
According to an information by Olayinka Fawole on behalf of the ailing Goal Keeper, the 26 year old learned that she had a rare breast cancer two years ago while still playing for her team in the NWPL and underwent emergency six-hour surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, but recently started feeling severe pains in her body.
In her words to footballlive.ng: “Its been difficult I must confess and it only got me closer to God and made me value life more and all I want is just to survive and give God all the glory.” Bidemi said.
The former Falconets goalkeeper took to social media some weeks back to reveal the shocking news as she uploaded some revelation on Facebook, where she solicited for funds from well meaning Nigerians.
“I was diagnosed of breast cancer in 2017 (stage 3) and underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, but recently, I was feeling severe pains in my body and my doctor asked me to go for a test called Immune chemistry history”
“The result came out 90% tumour cells , which means the type of breast cancer I have is aggressive and needs urgent attention.
“The doctor recommended that I would take ten dose of Herceptin treatment and each will cost about N470,000
“To survive this difficult period, I will need at least N5 million Naira for the whole drugs as I will be taking them every two weeks.
“I ask for supports from all well meaning Nigerians, as we all know five million naira is a whole lot of money and my life is at stake.
“I do not wish to come publicly to solicit for funds, its difficult for me but I have no other choice but to announce it on the social media. I really need help,” She concluded.
Rivers Angels also issued a statement in support of their former player, posting:
“The thoughts of everyone at Rivers Angels Football Club are with Abidemi Aluko after the player revealed she is undergoing treatment for breast cancer recurrence.
