Three Nigerians desperate to reach Europe by all means hid in a Europe-bound ship that departed Lagos port. But the Nigerians had their plans scuttled when they were discovered on board the ship at Ghana’s port of Tema.
The Nigerians, according to Ghana News Agency, said they boarded the ship separately, all united in the mission to seek greener pastures in Europe.
Two of the stowaways said it was not their first time, trying to sail to Europe illegally. They had made it before, but were deported home.
The Port Security Manager, Joseph Punamane said the Nigerian stowaways would be repatriated to Nigeria.
He advised the stowaways to discontinue embarking on such illegal voyages, citing many instances where failed attempts have led to extreme injuries and sometimes deaths.
“I think some of them are just desperate even though they know they will die,” he said.
An Indian national, Lokesh Parwani, who attempted suicide by swallowing rat poison to escape prosecution over alleged fraud of N116 million, was, yesterday, arraigned before a Lagos Chief Magistrate’s Court, sitting at Igbosere.
Parwani, who is a personnel manager at a company, was brought before the court by the men of Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos, on charges of conspiracy, fraud and attempted suicide.
Police prosecutor, Morufu Animashaun, told the court that the defendant allegedly conspired with others, now at large, and fraudulently defrauded his employer to the tune of N116 million.
Animashaun said the incident took place on July 19 at Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, informing that upon the arrest of the defendant over the alleged fraud on July 26, he attempted to take his life by swallowing rat poison.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him and the prosecutor urged the court to remand him in prison custody, pending the conclusion of the charge.
While responding, the defendant’s lawyers, Gani Oyerevuegbe and Mustapha Danisi, asked the court to grant bail to their client, as he was a first time offender. They also said they will ensure his appearance in court each time the matter comes up for trial.
Magistrate K. K. Awoyinka, in her ruling, admitted bail to the defendant in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in like sum. She said one of the sureties must be a civil servant not below Grade Level 10, in Lagos Civil Service.
Magistrate Awoyinka also ordered that the sureties be residents of Lagos State, with three years tax payment to the state government and that each of the sureties must furnish the court with their account statements, with the standing balance of N1.5 million each and two recent passport photographs.
The magistrate further ordered that the defendant should deposit his international passport with the court’s Chief Registrar.
A 14-year-old Senior Secondary School, SSS I student of Kess College in Ekredjebor area of Ughelli, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, has committed suicide over a failed relationship with her boyfriend.
According to Vanguard, it was gathered that the deceased, identified as Favour, was home alone when she carried out the act, and was said to have left a suicide note, stating reasons for her action.
The lifeless body of the girl was discovered by one of her friends, who had visited her to make her hair. Giving details of the incident, a source in the area disclosed that the victim, an only child of her parents, had hung herself from a ceiling fan in their residence.
The 84-year-old Imam of Yelwa Central Mosque, Abubakar Abdullahi, who hid about 300 Christian victims of Jos crisis away from marauding religion fanatics, thereby saving them from being killed, has said saving lives of people is what he enjoys doing most.
Imam Abdullahi has been honoured with the US International Religious Freedom Award for risking his life to save some Christians in Jos crisis in Nigeria.
The Imam said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makkah on the sideline of the 2019 Hajj Pre-Arafat meeting with Stakeholders on Friday.
”It has always been my cardinal principle to save lives, no matter who is involved, Christian or Muslim. Life to me is so precious to be wasted,” he said.
The Imam of Yelwa central mosque, who hails from Akyomi village, Bauchi state and has 18 children and three wives, however, called on Nigerians to eschew violence and tolerate one another, irrespective of religious and ethnic differences.
A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, Thursday convicted former New Prudential Bank, Managing Director Adetunji Abudu and sentenced him to two years imprisonment over N195 million fraud.
Abudu’s conviction was at the instance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
EFCC spokesman, Tony Orilade said this in a statement in Abuja.
He added, “The convict was arraigned on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 on a four-count charge of acting in contravention of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act( BOFIA) 2004 to the tune of N195m( One Hundred and Ninety-five Million Naira).
“Abudu, while being the Managing Director of the bank, obtained a N35m loan and another N110m loan without authorisation.
“The former New Prudent Bank boss also approved the setting off of a N50m loan granted to Total Access Concept Limited by Addoser Micro-finance Bank, which was also not authorised in accordance with the bank’s policy and in contravention of BOFIA 2004.
“In another count, the defendant failed to disclose his interest in Total Access and Integrated Concept Limited, an offence contrary to Section 18(8) and punishable under Section 18 (11) of the BOFIA LFN 2004.
“The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him by the prosecution, thereby leading to his full trial.
“In the course of the trial that began on April 12, 2016, the lead prosecution counsel, A.B.C. Oziokor, called seven prosecution witnesses and tendered several documents that were admitted in evidence by the court, while the defence presented five witnesses.
“Both parties consequently adopted their written addresses, after the closure of the case”.
Authorities at Liberia's largest hospital have announced they will bury 15 unclaimed bodies by Friday unless they are claimed.
They died between March and June this year at the John F Kennedy Memorial Medical Center but have not been claimed by relatives, the hospital's chief administrator Dr Jerry Brown told state radio on Wednesday.
"We are planning to dispose of the bodies through a funeral home," he said, adding that they may not all be dumped into a single grave.
Dr Brown said those who died between the end of June and August are being excluded from the planned mass burial to give their relatives more time to collect them.
The rapid economic decline in Liberia has resulted in rising costs of living. Many Liberians cannot afford the expense of funerals.
The hospital is unable to preserve bodies for a long period of time because of limited capacity and lack of proper refrigeration in the 46-year-old morgue, Dr Brown said.
He added that the hospital now lacks many essential things and relies on local vendors for drugs supplies.
According to Dr Brown, the hospital currently owes vendors $50,000 (£41,000) in payment for drugs supplied to the hospital.
The John F Kennedy Memorial Medical Center was opened in the early 1970s and at the time was an iconic health centre for West Africa.
At least 600 foreign nationals were arrested by police on Wednesday, South African media reports.
In the targeted search operation carried out in the main city, Johannesburg, police also confiscated firearms and a "large consignment" of counterfeit goods in various buildings.
David Makhura, premier of the Gauteng province which surrounds Johannesburg, tweeted that the operation is a part of a clean-up operation:
He said the authorities were happy with the number of suspects arrested, according to South African newspaper the Citizen.
“The main issue have [sic] been with people who are driving taxis without licences and these taxis are not supposed to be on our roads," the paper quotes the premier as saying.
The operation, known as O Kae Molao, is trending on social media, where some people raised concerns that it might encourage xenophobia:
MPs in Togo have passed a law which puts further restrictions on demonstrations following a wave of opposition rallies.
The government says the law is to make the country safer but the opposition sees it as an effort to stifle growing dissent fuelled by the fact that one family has held the presidency since 1967.
Under the new law, no protests will be allowed on main roads, in city centres or near government buildings.
They can not take place before 11:00 or after 18:00.
As has happened in recent years, the Togolese authorities may ban them anyway for other reasons.
The threat from terrorists is the reason the government has given for the new law.
But there is clearly an effort to keep a lid on growing dissent.
In a country where one family has been in power for so long, it is not surprising that people are becoming increasingly frustrated.
A tweaked constitution allows President Faure Gnassingbé to stay on until 2030 - by then the Gnassingbé family would have been in charge for 63 years.
Khloe Kardashian just wants to give her daughter the best memories. The 35-year-old reality star was a guest on the Divorce Sucks! podcast in which she opened up about the ongoing drama between her and her ex-boyfriend, Tristan Thompson - who cheated with Jordyn Woods in February - and explained why she invited him to True's first birthday party in April.
'I didn't do it because I thought she was going to remember this first party. But there will be pictures,' she said of inviting her daughter's dad to the celebration.
'I know she's going to want to look back at her childhood memories, like we all do, and I want to give her the same thing. I know her dad is a great person. I know how much he loves and cares about her. So I want him to be there. It was civilized, and we did it.'
In the latest Keeping Up With the Kardashians trailer, her sister Kim Kardashian seems to be speaking about their encounter at the party with her friend.
'He doesn't even speak to Khloé. Like, Khloé invited you! Be f**king cordial.'
US immigration officials say they have temporarily released about 300 people who were arrested in a massive raid in Mississippi on Wednesday.
Nearly 700 workers from seven agricultural processing plants were arrested for allegedly not having proper documentation to be in the US.
The raids sparked condemnation from Democrats as stories emerged of children separated from their parents.
Officials say they took steps to ensure any children were properly cared for.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said "approximately 680 removable aliens" had been detained during the operation, which saw agents arriving in buses to question and arrest workers at the plants.
President Donald Trump had announced an immigration crackdown in June, saying "millions of illegal aliens who [had] found their way into the US" would be removed.
ICE spokesman Bryan Cox told the BBC that, of the 680 people arrested in Wednesday's raids, more than 300 had been released with notices to appear before immigration judges.
"They were placed into proceedings before the federal immigration courts and will have their day in court at a later date," he said in an emailed statement.
Those who were not released will be moved to an ICE detention facility and held there, Mr Cox said.
The Benue State Police Command, on Thursday, paraded 15 suspected criminals arrested for various crimes in the state.
Among those paraded was 18-year-old Terna Taga, who allegedly raped and impregnated a 12-year-old girl at an Internally Displaced Persons’ camp in the state.
The victim was delivered of a baby girl last Sunday in Makurdi.Taga confessed that he was responsible for the girl’s pregnancy, adding that he slept with her twice and accepted that he was the newborn baby’s father.
“Yes, I slept with her twice in December last year. She consented to it; it wasn’t a rape,” Taga told journalists.
Speaking on the 12-year-old girl, the state Commissioner of Police, Mukaddaa Garuba, said, “The victim, who is an orphan and living with her uncle, one Iorja, was allegedly raped by one Terna Taga, 18, of the North-Bank area of Makurdi.
“The victim became pregnant and has been delivered of a baby girl. Investigation revealed that the uncle was making arrangements to marry her out to a blind old man when he discovered that she was pregnant.
“The uncle is currently at large. The suspect will soon be charged to court.”
Twenty lions and tigers have been found dead in a freezer in a horrific surprise inspection at a ‘hunting’ farm.
A harrowing video shows two fatally ill lion cubs locked inside a metal crate on Pienika Farm in South Africa.
The young cats were found to be suffering from neurological conditions and had to be euthanized at the scene, according to IOL.
Spurred to investigate further, inspectors from the NSPCA discovered the lifeless bodies of 20 other lions and tigers of varying ages in a freezer. Five carcasses were removed for post-mortem examinations to determine the cause of death.
The NSPCA has said they will be laying further animal abuse charges on the farm owners.
Former beauty queen and actress, Regina Askia’s daughter, Teesa Williams has graduated from High School. And she will be going to College. Her proud mum took to her instagram page to celebrate her. Captioning the photo, Regina wrote;
''My heart is joyful as Mommy’s darling Ms T, wraps up in high school and gets ready to begin a new journey in College to study Business Administration as Pre Law.
God bless your efforts dearest!
Congratulations 🎈🎉 Mommy loves you'
The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to detain former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Maurice Iwu who appeared in court this morning till Friday for hearing of his bail application.
Iwu was arroagned over an allegedly N1.2billion fraud.
Sonia Morales has announced she is now officially divorced from Nollywood actor, IK Ogbonna. She made the announcement on social media saying it is hard from her, but a step she needs to take. Her announcement below…
This is a hard letter to write as i am pretty sure I will cry my way through this post. I know i should have said all these a long time ago, but back then, i was just weak and could not think straight because i was busy struggling to make things right the best possible way within and even beyond my capacities.
A friend of mine asked me the other day if I had written a goodbye letter to my former life, my memories, my ex. When she brought the idea up, I got immediate chills and a touch of anxiety. I wonder why that is.
I used to have a very different life. I had a husband and a family. I had someone who lived here and i felt loved me full time. I had a future I was counting on. A lifetime of companionship, family vacations, milestones, laughter, and love but all to no avail as i felt deflated for many years and now its all gone.
In the past, I have blogged about stuff as it comes up, but no real goodbyes yet.
Many times i felt miserable on the inside and cried my life out day and night in my room alone but as time went on, i outgrew the my reality i was passing through the years.
I want to use this medium to thank my ex-husband for not prolonging the hardship and now i have to face the world on my own. Our son will forever be a representation of you in my life.. Thank you for the lessons you taught me over the years. I wasn’t sure what to write, who to write to or what my angle would be.
But I know who I need to say goodbye to now with certainty.
Lastly, without hate or animosity, i look back at the past five years and all i can do is thank you. Thank you for the good times, for the hard times. Thank you for helping to shape the strong person I am today and for being a part of my life for a small slice of time. 😊😊😊
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun this morning stormed The Redeemed Christian Church of God to commission the Enoch and Folu Adeboye ICU centre. Abiodun spoke about his proud relationship with the General Overseer of the church saying he prayed for him during and after the elections and every time he prayed he knew it was well.
Abiodun who says he worships at one of the RCCG parishes also promised to testify to the goodness of God wherever he goes. More photos below…
Claims of an imminent wedding were put to one side as Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott enjoyed their first full day in Italy with daughter Stormi on Wednesday.
The couple arrived in Positano on the Amalfi Coast after flying to the country by private jet from their native California the previous day.
Despite enduring a long flight, there was no sign of jet-lag as Kylie, 21, cradled their 18-month daughter shortly after arriving in the picturesque fishing town.
The self-made billionaire, who is in Italy ahead of her 22nd birthday on August 10, looked typically stylish in a striped shirt dress with a cinched waist as she strolled past Positano's range of boutiques, bars and beachfront cafes.
Joining Kylie, rapper Travis caught the eye in a colourful printed T-shirt as he took his turn holding their daughter, the couple's only child.
They were also joined by Scott Disick, 36, and his girlfriend Sofia Richie, 20, along with 'momager' Kris Jenner, 63, and her boyfriend Corey Gamble, 38.
