The U.S. Government has imposed visa restrictions on “individuals responsible for undermining the Nigerian democratic process”.
A spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State, Ms Morgan Ortagus, who announced this in a statement on Tuesday, said the action applied to those responsible for election-related violence.
Ortagus said the unidentified individuals had “operated with impunity at the expense of the Nigerian people and undermined democratic principles and human rights”.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 39 persons died in violence related to the last general elections in the country.
The action, according to the spokesperson, is in fulfillment of the U.S. government’s earlier promise to consider sanctions against anti-democratic forces, including organisers of election-related violence in the country.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the ministerial list forwarded to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari as “colourless, stagnant and uninspiring”.
In a statement by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the main opposition party said the list did not convey any sense of hope or purposeful governance under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
It added that to the chagrin and utter disappointment of Nigerians, the list was replete with “incompetent individuals” who failed in their erstwhile ministerial assignments and left their ministries in shambles.
The statement said, “Indeed, such a ministerial list can only come from a leadership that does not have mandate of the people. It is a complete waste of time and cannot fulfill the expectation of Nigerians.
“The list has further shown President Buhari and APC’s insensitivity and disdain for Nigerians and it does not in any way reflect their hope and eagerness for a better Nigeria.
“Furthermore, in recycling failed yesterday’s men for today’s assignment, President Buhari and the APC have left no one in doubt that they have no vision to move our nation out of the economic and security predicaments into which they have plunged us in the last four years.
“A committed and responsive leadership would have widely consulted with Nigerians before compiling a ministerial list, given the current situation in the country.
Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II flew into England to attend one of his sons graduation ceremony and decided to spend few more days with his children. One of them took to social media to share the family’s fun trip to the cinema and we must say we love.
N.B.. anyone notice how rich devoted Muslims have trained their kids to be very simple and covered up? Simple, yet very elegant at the same time? Notice President Buhari’s children too? Northern Governors’ kids? Abeg… if nothing, it’s one thing we should emulate too.. Rich yet simple, classy and all covered up. Away from our small money people with all the flashiness and razzness in the world. One more pic...
The Peoples Democratic Party, on Tuesday, described the list of ministerial nominees released by President Muhammadu Buhari as colourless and inspiring no hope in Nigerians.
In a statement issued via its verified Twitter handle, the party said, the list showed the regard in which the President and his All Progressives Congress hold Nigerians.
It said, “President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list presented to the Senate today is colourless, stagnant, uninspiring and do not convey any sense of hope or purposeful governance under the APC.
“The party says that to the chagrin and utter disappointment of Nigerians, the list is replete with incompetent individuals who failed in their erstwhile ministerial assignments and left their ministries in a shambles.
“Indeed, such a ministerial list can only come from a leadership that does not have mandate of the people. It is a complete waste of time and cannot fulfil the expectation of Nigerians.
“The list has further shown President Buhari and APC‘s insensitivity and disdain for Nigerians and it does not in any way reflect their hope and eagerness for a better Nigeria.
“Furthermore, in recycling failed yesterday’s men for today’s assignment, President Buhari and the APC have left no one in doubt that they have no vision to move our nation out of the economic and security predicaments into which they have plunged us in the last four years.
“A committed and responsive leadership would have widely consulted with Nigerians before compiling a ministerial list, given the current situation in the country.
“If, indeed, President Buhari and the APC mean well for Nigerians and are interested in revamping our critical sectors, they would not have ended up with a list of those who will help conceal the huge corruption in the Buhari administration in the last four years, as well as those who will assist in channeling funds to individuals and groups used by the APC to rig the 2019 presidential election.
“Strangely, the list has no space for the youths demography, those to whom the future is said to belong.
“The PDP holds that with this development, it is clear that the only way our nation can come out of our present economic and security quandary lies in the retrieval of Atiku’s stolen Presidential mandate at the tribunal,” the statement ended.
They are currently in Dubai on vacation and the Ojo’s decided to stop by the Mompha’s house to say hello to them. As seen in the photos, Mompha didn’t just host them at home, he also took them out.. well that’s very well expected. More photos below…
Texas rapper Tay-K was sentenced to 55 years in prison and a $21,000 fine Tuesday on a murder charge for a 2016 robbery that left one man dead, according to the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office.
The Tarrant County jury also sentenced Tay-K, whose legal name is Taymor McIntyre, to 30 years in prison on one count of aggravated robbery and 13 years for each of the remaining two counts of aggravated robbery
The sentences will run concurrently, a court clerk said.
The 19-year-old was found guilty of murder last week in the death of a 21-year-old father in the incident. Tay-K was one of seven defendants, CNN affiliate KTVT reported. The other six either were found guilty or reached plea deals, according to KTVT.
Unknown gunmen have abducted 18 traders travelling from Pandogari to Bassa in the Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
The traders were said to be travelling to attend the village market, which holds fortnightly, on Saturday.
A trader, who narrowly escaped the abduction, narrated how the incident happened to Northern City News in Minna yesterday.
The trader, who pleaded anonymity, said his colleagues were travelling in an 18-seater bus when they ran into a roadblock mounted by the hoodlums.
According to him, the gunmen shot randomly into the air to scare the driver and force him to stop.
As soon as the vehicle carrying the traders stopped, the occupants of the bus were forced at gunpoint to abandon the bus and join another bus which was driven into the bush.
The eyewitness claimed that the driver of the vehicle he was travelling in had to stop a short distance away from the scene from where he watched the incident unfold.
“This incident has now become a regular issue and no one is doing anything about it,” he added
It was gathered that the gunmen collected the mobile telephones of their victims and had been using the same to call the victims’ family members to demand ransom for the release of the captives.
The kidnappers were said to be demanding amounts ranging from N200,000 to N500,000 for the release of each of the traders.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Niger State Police X-squad, Mohammad Abubakar, said, “We have heard of the incident just as you heard about it, but we have yet to receive an official report. We are investigating the matter; we will get back to you when we get an official report.”
The Federal Government has set aside July 25 of every year as national diaspora day in recognition of the contributions of Nigerians in diaspora towards national development.
This was disclosed in Abuja on Tuesday by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.
The NIDCOM Media Coordinator, Abdul-rahman Balogun, in a statement, explained that the commission planned to host the 2019 National Diaspora Day celebrations in collaboration with the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa and the Nigerians in Diaspora Alumni Network.
The co-chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Dr Sule Bassi, said that the event which would hold on July 25, would be graced by the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Mustapha Suleiman.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, according to the statement, is expected to declare the conference open.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday warned that the protesting members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, otherwise known as Shi’ites, were testing the patience of the Federal Government with their violent protests in Abuja.
He said the FG might be forced to act with maximum force to defend the interest of the majority of Nigerians.
Reacting to the killing of Deputy Commissioner of Police Usman Umar and National Youth Service Corps member, Precious Owolabi, during Monday’s protest by the sect, Buhari called on any group carrying out violent protests to stop now, else the government would take decisive actions against them.
“Let nobody or group doubt or test our will to act in the higher interest of the majority of our citizens,” a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, quoted Buhari as saying on Tuesday.
The President said he was deeply touched by the death of Umar and Owolabi as he condoled with their families and the management of Channels TV, where the corps member was attached to.
He described the two as “law-abiding, hard-working and vibrant Nigerians with a promising future.”
The actress who is a year older today is celebrating her birthday with beautiful photos. Here's what she wrote;
''I can't keep calm am +1 today 👏👏👏 I give glory to God Almighty. May divine peace and happiness follow me for the rest of my life. On this special day, I pray that the good Lord gives me all the joy that my heart can contain. As the earth receives the rain and produces good fruit, I pray that on this day God will rain down his blessings and opportunities for me that will become fruits of prosperity and greatness. I pray for you! Yes you...my family, friends and fans. May you never remain like the shadow of your past, I pray that as you celebrate with me there will be a renewal of your strength and abundant growth in everything that is yours, in Jesus mighty name I pray🙏 😍😍😍🎂🎂🎂🎂'' More after the cut...
The Enugu State Police Command said on Tuesday that eight persons were found dead in an underground water safety tank in the Igboeze North Local Government Area of the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu, said in a statement made available to PUNCH Metro that the incident occured on Monday at a building site in the Igogoro community.
Amaraizu, stated, “A yet-to-be identified worker on the site had on that fateful day gone to evacuate water from the said tank, but got trapped in the tank in the process.
“After waiting for the victim to come out and he did not; other victims started going into the said tank to offer help, but they were also trapped and became unconscious.”
The state police spokesman explained that the victims were later recovered by some sympathisers and police personnel, who raced to the scene and rushed them to the General Hospital, Ogurute, where the doctor on duty pronounced them dead.
Amaraizu said the state Commissioner of Police, Suleiman Balarabe, had expressed shock at the incident, which he described as unfortunate.
The PPRO added that the CP had ordered an investigation into the incident to unravel the circumstances leading to the death of the victims.
He stated that the corpses of the deceased had been deposited in the hospital’s mortuary.
The man who attacked A$AP Rocky's crew will not be prosecuted for any crime, despite the fact that he incited the violence and persisted in harassing the rapper before A$AP finally snapped.
Swedish prosecutors just said they believe the guy who harassed Rocky attacked his bodyguard in self-defense, after being pushed and lifted by his neck. The initial video does not show anyone getting physical with the guy, but prosecutors have drawn that conclusion.
To the contrary, you hear Rocky in the first video trying to diffuse the situation, saying no one wants to go to jail.
Nevertheless, prosecutors say the guy was acting in self-defense when he hurled his headphones at Rocky's bodyguard, cutting his head.
Here's the bizarre part ... the bodyguard has already been cleared by Swedish authorities. So, on the one hand the bodyguard acted appropriately, and on the other he incited the violence and caused the other guy to act in self-defense. Make sense?
The man was never taken into custody during the investigation, despite the fact that Rocky was detained a day after the incident and remains in jail 2 1/2 weeks later, and no charges have been filed.
It's clear Rocky will be charged with aggravated assault ... prosecutors mistakenly said as much last week. If convicted, he faces 6 years in Swedish prison.
Lamar Odom has zero regrets about his reality TV past -- in fact, he says the experience was the best part of his adult life and he desperately wants to repair his relationship with the Kardashians.
39-year-old Odom appeared on "TMZ Live" and told them how taking up motivational speaking with a company called MicDrop has become therapeutic for him. He's learning to forgive himself for the mistakes he's made in the past ... from drug use to other bad life decisions.
One of those mistakes ... Odom says he feels he's failed as a father. But, Lamar says he's including his children in his motivational speaking work and it's bringing his family closer together.
"This is a great way for me to make up the time I lost with them and help them get better as well," Odom said.
As for reality TV, there are a lot of people who feel doing a reality show is a recipe for disaster -- but Lamar says he wouldn't go back and change a thing.
"Doing reality TV and being married to Khloe, besides having children and besides me doing this motivational speaking that I'm going to start doing, that was the most memorable part and the best part of my adulthood. So, there's nothing I regret about that."
"And, hopefully, me going to public speaking can even bring me closer to the Kardashians and help me rebuild that bridge."
Lamar has previously talked about how he will always love Khloe -- despite the fact the she's moved on -- but it seems now he'll settle for a non-romantic friendship.
Operatives of the Operation Puff Adder attached to the Kogi State Police Command have arrested one Abdul Abu, for killing his boss and stealing his N1.6m.
Abu was employed as a domestic worker by a medical doctor, Yahaya Jibrin, in Ankpa on March 27, 2019.
Twenty-seven-year-old Abu and his alleged accomplices, Abduwahab Jibrin, 40; Suleiman Idris, 25; and Christopher Attah, 40, were on Tuesday paraded alongside 32 other suspects arrested for various crimes ranging from kidnapping to armed robbery, cultism and cattle rustling.
The state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Busari, who paraded the suspects at the command headquarters in Lokoja, said Abu was employed by the doctor as a domestic worker.
According to him, the doctor was a member of a local thrift society and Abu was aware that it was his turn to collect N1.6m contribution from the society.
“The doctor and Abu went to collect the money and brought it home. Later, Abu asked for permission to go and bathe, but he instead contacted his gang members, who stormed the doctor’s residence, killed him and stole the money, which they shared N400,000 each,” Busari stated.
Abu, however, denied any involvement in Jibrin’s death, adding that the doctor was too nice to him and he could not have had a hand in his death.
“Doctor was a very good person; he never owed me; he even helped train my children in school. How could I have contemplated let alone organised his death?” the suspect queried.
Asked why he confessed to the villagers that he and his gang were responsible for killing Jibrin, Abu said he was hypnotised after taking a strange drink given to him.
The CP, however, said investigation was ongoing after which the suspects would be charged.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, says the Presidency has refused to obey Justice Gabriel Kolawole’s ruling, ordering the release of the leader of the
Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Ibraheem El-Zakzakky, because it appealed the ruling.
Adesina said this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday. He said,
“I know that the immediate past AGF in whose purview it was to make pronouncements on that, addressed the issue. If bail is granted and another case subsists, and there is an immediate filing of an appeal, you have to wait till it is dispensed with. So, that is a legal matter which is outside my purview, but as a layman, an unlearned man as lawyers would call us, we know that until all cases are dispensed with, you don’t say that they have been concluded.”
Adesina said the matter had since been taken before a court in Kaduna State and the bail hearing would come up on Monday.
He, therefore, called on the sect to wait for the court to make its ruling.
Responding to allegations that the police should not have fired live bullets at the group which was protesting against the continued detention of their leader in Abuja on Monday, the spokesman said the police deserved commendation, adding that the death toll would have been higher if the force did not demonstrate restraint.
Three persons have died while two others sustained injuries in an accident that occurred on Tuesday at Akinhale village, Ewekoro, on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Ogun State.
The accident occurred when the driver of an Iveco truck, with number plate AAA 912 XK, reportedly lost control of the vehicle.
According to an eyewitness, the container detached from the truck and crushed three people to death after it veered off the road into the bush.
The spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the accident in a statement.
Akinbiyi said the truck was on top speed when the driver lost control and the vehicle’s body detached from the head as a result of not being properly latched.
He added that among the victims was the driver of the truck.
Akinbiyi explained that the vehicle had been evacuated to the Ewekoro Divisional Police Station, while the victims’ corpses had been deposited in the Ifo General Hospital morgue.
Wendy Williams says rappers should absolutely follow the money if it leads them to Sweden. She says there's no point in turning down shows in the country because of A$AP Rocky.
TMZ got Wendy out in New York City Tuesday and she told them she's totally against the proposed rap industry boycott of Sweden because it's money over everything.
The beloved talk show host says rappers have to do what's best for them, and if that means booking shows in Sweden, so be it, after all, she says they've got to pay their bills by any means necessary.
Wendy wants A$AP freed, and she feels like he was baited into the street brawl that landed him behind bars. But she doesn't see the sense in others hurting their bottom lines as a show of support.
Russian boxer Maxim Dadashev has died from injuries he sustained during a fight on Friday night, according to his trainer, Buddy McGirt. Dadashev was 28.
“It just makes you realise what type of sport we’re in, man,” McGirt told ESPN on Tuesday. “He did everything right in training, no problems, no nothing. My mind is like really running crazy, right now. Like what could I have done differently? But at the end of the day, everything was fine [in training]. He seemed OK, he was ready, but it’s the sport that we’re in. It just takes one punch, man.”
Dadashev was placed in a medically induced coma after his loss to Subriel Matias in an IBF junior welterweight title eliminator bout. Dadashev underwent surgery at UM Prince George’s Hospital Center, Maryland, for bleeding on the brain. On Saturday, doctors at the hospital said the fighter had suffered severe brain damage and his death was confirmed on Tuesday.
Matias and Dadashev’s fight was brutal and was stopped by McGirt after the 11th round, when he decided his fighter had taken too much damage. Dadashev shook his head when McGirt told him he was stopping the fight. “If I don’t, the referee’s gonna do it. C’mon, Max. Please,” McGirt said. At that point McGirt told the ringside doctor and referee he was throwing in the towel.
“I saw him fading and when he came back to the corner [after the 11th round], my mind was already made up,” McGirt said on Tuesday. “I was just asking him out of respect, but my mind was made up. I wasn’t going to let him go out there.”
Dadashev collapsed and started vomiting on the way back to the locker room and left the arena on a stretcher.
“I hope that Maxim is all right,” Matias said after the fight. “He is a great fighter and a warrior.”
Dadashev was born in St Petersburg but was based in California. He was undefeated in 13 fights going into Friday’s bout. He was married with one child.
James Bond star David Hedison has died aged 92. The actor passed away with his daughters at his side in Los Angeles on Thursday, a representative for the family said.
Well known for his roles in the Bond franchise, David joined Roger Moore in the 1973 film Live and Let Die as well as Timothy Dalton in 1989 with License to Kill, becoming the first actor to play CIA agent Felix Leiter twice.
However, Jeffrey Wright, who took over the role in 2006’s Casino Royale, will return for Bond 25.
‘Even in our deep sadness, we are comforted by the memory of our wonderful father,’ his daughters Alexandra and Serena said in a statement this week.
The actress shared the photo of herself in yellow wet dress showing her nipples writing;
''Before you bite me , just remember, I am supposed to be in a bikini or swimsuit , so actually ayam still decently dressed 😛🙈...... ...... p.s ..... Do not zoom !!! #Nollywoodbombshell #Moyoorfierce #Hotgalsummer #MoyoofLagos #MLdubaidairy #MoyoLawal #ML'', she wrote.
