World’s most expensive face mask gulps $4,000

An Indian businessman has paid about $4,000 for possibly the world’s most expensive face mask.

It is a bespoke gold face mask to protect him from the coronavirus raging in the country.
However, the mask may not be as effective as the cheap ones in the market.

The precious metal covering weighs 60 grams (two ounces) and took craftsmen eight days to make, said businessman Shankar Kurhade, from the western city of Pune.

“It is a thin mask and has tiny pores that is helping me to breathe,” Shankar told AFP.


“I am not sure if it will be effective to protect me from a coronavirus infection but I am taking other precautions,” he added.

When going out, the 49-year-old said he likes to adorn himself with gold jewellery weighing a kilogramme, including a bracelet, necklace and rings on each finger of his right hand.

Kurhade — whose company makes industrial sheds — said he got the idea for the gold face mask after seeing a media report about a man wearing one made from silver.

“People are asking me for selfies,” he said.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/worlds-most-expensive-face-mask-gulps.html

Nigeria surpasses 28,000 with 603 new COVID-19 cases

Nigeria’s COVID-19 (Coronavirus) cases have surpassed 28,000 mark after the nation recorded 603 fresh cases of the virus on Saturday.

According to figures released by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Nigeria now has 28,167 confirmed cases.
However, from the new cases, statistics from the NCDC showed that Lagos took the highest share.

Below is the breakdown of the 603 fresh cases:


Lagos-135

Edo-87

FCT-73

Rivers-67

Delta-62

Ogun-47

Kaduna-20

Plateau-19

Osun-17

Ondo-16

Enugu-15

Oyo-15

Borno-13

Niger-6

Nasarawa-4

Kebbi-3

Kano-2

Sokoto-1

Abia-1

Meanwhile, six people died of COVID-19 in Nigeria in the last 24 hours. The total deaths recorded now 634.

11,462 patients have so far been discharged, haven recovered from the virus.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/nigeria-surpasses-28000-with-603-new.html

Appeal Court affirms Yahaya Bello’s election as Kogi Governor

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the election of Mr Yahaya Bello as the governor of Kogi State.

A five-man panel of justices of the court upheld Governor Bello’s election in a judgement delivered on Saturday in the nation’s capital.

The court had dismissed the appeals filed by four political parties challenging the governor’s re-election in the November 2019 governorship poll.

Those who filed the appeals were the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Action Peoples Party (APP), and the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP).


On the APP’s appeal, Justice Mohammed Shuaibu dismissed the appeal filed by the party in a unanimous judgment.

He also affirmed the decision of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which dismissed the petition filed by the APP and awarded a cost of N100,000 against the party.

In its appeal, APP had claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) unlawfully excluded it from the governorship election in Kogi State.



source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/appeal-court-affirms-yahaya-bellos.html

I joined cultism to bring shame to my family, suspect narrates

A suspected member of Eiye confraternity, Muiz Lawal, 21, popularly called Onishawa, who was arrested following a cult clash in the Denton area of Lagos, denied killing anyone since he joined the group.

He stated that he joined cultism in 2018, to spite his grandfather and “bring shame to members of my family”, whom he accused of neglecting him.

According to him: “I lost my father when I was younger. My mother abandoned me for another man when I was three years old. I was left with my grandfather who never believed I would amount to anything good.

“I was rusticated from United High School Ayengburen, for being the King of Boys. It was not a cult group. But we were always engaged in inter-school fights.

“My family abandoned me because they said I was its black sheep. My grandfather is the chairman of slaughters at Odo-Eran, Denton.

“I had to join cultism to spite him and bring shame to him and other members of my family for abandoning me.

“I approached my grandfather some time ago to sponsor me abroad but he refused. I am a Disc Jockey and also the slaughter of cows.

“My identity in the confraternity is Sparrow 21 colours. My position is the DOVE. We have three types of doves: Intelligence, Armoury and Rugged.

“I am the Intelligence Dove and my duty is specifically on security. I am to inform the Capon about any untoward movements during an outing.

“Rugged Dove handles the weapons and is always in the bush, while the armoury Dove personally guards the Capon. I was arrested by Oyabo boys at Ikorodu garage”.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/i-joined-cultism-to-bring-shame-to-my.html

Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, tests positive for COVID-19

The Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The Governor confirmed this in a statement personally signed by him on Saturday.

He and some of his close aides tested positive for the virus after carrying out the coronavirus test, the statement said.

Umahi further disclosed that, presently, they are not showing any symptoms but have since isolated, in line with protocols laid down by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The Governor directed the Deputy Governor, Kelechi Igwe, to take over the frontline coordination of the state’s fight against the pandemic to protect Ebonyi people.

Umahi appealed to the people of Ebonyi state to take the NCDC protocols more seriously while stating that he’s working from home and will conduct all meetings virtually.

According to the NCDC, Ebonyi has recorded at least 438 cases of the virus, as of Friday evening.

Also, about 357 persons have been successfully treated and discharged while three have died.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/ebonyi-state-governor-dave-umahi-tests.html

Special US-Lagos flight drops 9 Nigerians over COVID-19 status papers

Nine Nigerians have missed the special US-Lagos flight arranged to evacuate Nigerians from the United States.

They were dropped for failing to present COVID-19 test results.

Among them is a family of five, according to Mr Benaoyagha Okoyen, the Consul General of Nigeria in New York, who oversaw the second evacuation. The first evacuation was done on 10 May.

Okoyen told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the airport that the family was not allowed to check in for failing to present coronavirus test result.

The negative COVID-19 test result is one of the requirements for evacuation under the Revised Quarantine Protocol of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

Okoyen said although the remaining four presented their results, they had to be dropped because they were on a family ticket with one of the defaulters.

He said one of the unidentified defaulters did not take the test at all in spite of being informed well ahead of time.

Meanwhile, 322 evacuees made the fully booked Ethiopian Airlines’ flight, which departed the Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, on Friday night.

They are expected to arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Saturday afternoon.

The first set of 160 stranded Nigerians were brought home from the U.S. on May 10.

No fewer than 700 stranded citizens registered with the Nigerian missions in the U.S. for evacuation, according to Okoyen, meaning more flights are coming.

In fact, The Consul General said the next one, also fully booked, had been slated for July 17 with the possibility of another, afterwards.

Okoyen told NAN that the nine persons that missed Friday’s flight would be placed on the waiting list for subsequent ones.

He appealed to intending evacuees to abide by the rules to avoid a repeat of Friday’s incident.

“We had to turn them back because this is a regulation, and I am using this opportunity to advise those in subsequent flights to obey the rules,” he said.

The consul general commended the evacuees for their orderly conduct, while also thanking President Muhammadu Buhari for the opportunity.

Some of the evacuees, who were visibly excited to return home, also thanked the Federal Government for arranging the flight.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/special-us-lagos-flight-drops-9.html

Governor Umahi Contacts COVID19, Isolating In Government House

The Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He confirmed this in a statement personally signed by him on Saturday.

He said himself and some of his close aides tested positive for the virus after carrying out the coronavirus test.



He further disclosed that presently they are not showing any symptoms but have since isolated, in line with protocols laid down by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The Governor simply directed the Deputy Governor, Kelechi Igwe, to take over the frontline coordination of the state’s fight against the pandemic to protect Ebonyi people.

Umahi appealed to the people of Ebonyi state to take the NCDC protocols more seriously while stating that he’s working from home and will conduct all meetings virtually.

Ladun Liadi Reader talks about how she escaped being r.a.p.e.d THREE TIMES by men her family trusted

This is from a blog reader...

''Dear Parents, your daughter's potential rapist are the men that are VERY CLOSE to you. LISTEN UP!!!

With everything going on lately I had to reach out to you Ladun to talk about my personal experience. I am 36, and married with two kids. What I’m about to explain is for the attention of parents, mothers in particular.

I had three bitter experiences with men i called uncles.


One was very close to our family. He was a role model.  my siblings and I were in primary school when he finished secondary school  we admired him alot because we thought he was intelligent and he spoke well. Fast forward a few years, my family relocated to Lagos, he also came to Lagos to search for job, by then i was in secondary school and my mother gave him a room in our flat. On a sunday afternoon when my brothers had gone out, and no one at home, he tried to rape me.

I was sleeping in my room when he opened the door (I was fast asleep), all of a sudden i noticed something choking me...it was a towel down my throat. I couldnt scream, he was pushing the towel HARD down my throat and i was using all my energy to fight him off. Thank God strenght came and i somehow managed to get up. I rushed and opened the main door and ran out, when i stopped being hysterical, i went back in and screamed the house down. He started apologising and blamed the devil, as rapists usually do in this country.

My second experience was with another man i called my uncle. He had actually just finished serving, so he came to Lagos from Ilorin to his brother's place. His brother was married with children almost our own age. We were very close to the family but we never knew of him until he came to Lagos.

This man would come to our house to read most evenings, claiming it was more conducive for him. At this time, my mother had travelled, she wasn't in the country.

So one day, he said he would spend the night at our flat. We all watched a movie till the early hours of the morning. my brothers fell asleep in the living room with him, i did too. When i woke up, i saw him reading, so i went to my room. Just minutes after, i notice someone was trying to touch me, I opened my eyes and shouted brother L, he said “keep quiet i like you, don't you like me” I told him NO. He persisted and i gave him a slap and threatened to wake my brothers up, even though they were much younger, they would have given him the beating of his life. He left Immediately, I locked my door. The following morning, I was so terrified, so ashamed, so i told my brothers, brother L should never come here again, i couldn't even tell them WHY because i felt ASHAMED. A phenomenon I now know to be victims shame.

That was how he stopped coming to our house.

The third man, a father figure, who lived down stairs. He occupied one of the flats. All of this happened to me while i was between the ages of 15- 17. He had little cash and flaunted it at me, thinking I was stupid enough to give into his paedophilic desires for a little change.  He was always asking me to come to his office, I kept wondering why, and despite the fact that that I never went to his office....I found out the answer the hard way.

One day he opened up and said he liked me. I asked him to respect himself. One evening as i returned from my tutor, as I was preparing for my WAEC, he cornered me at the side of the house (this side is usually quiet and my brothers and I were the only ones that used this particular staircase) and started forcing himself on me. I tried to scream, he held my head tight to the wall, and said there is no one  at home. He said your mother is not home and your brothers aren’t back (I know this because one of them went with you for the lesson, and he stopped on his way to see his friend). To make matters worse the occupants in the flat downstairs close to the staircase were also not aorund. It was war......I fought, I fought hard, and escaped.

These terrifying experiences happened while i was a virgin. I had never had sex and i had never had a boyfriend.

I’ve re-lived these traumatic times to hopefully bring attention to the friendly predators that hunt the innocent children of this world. The people you trust most, the men you feel your daughters are most likely to be comfortable around, are the potential rapist. BE ALERT. The real rapists are close by!

The 3rd man was very close to my mum. They talked about business, life and even trusted each other with money. His wife was very close to us too, we were basically one big happy extended family....or so I thought.

DEAR MOTHERS, PLEASE WATCH YOUR DAUGHTERS CAREFULLY.

LOVE AND LIGHT!''

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/ladun-liadi-reader-talks-about-how-she.html

Woman Uses Hot Iron On 10-Year-Old Maid, Drills Nails On Her Head

A Woman, Mrs. Ifeoma Ezeugwu has been arrested by the police in Enugu state for drilling nails in two places into the head of a-10 years old girl, Miss Chinonye Nnadi.

The woman also allegedly used hot electric iron all over the body of the girl.



The WomenAids Collective, WACOL, who made disclosure of the incident to newsmen in Enugu described the incident as “Evil and Horrific violence on a girl-child.”

Founding Director of WACOL /Tamar SARC, Prof. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo said her office was alerted, on Friday, about the case of the 10 years old Chinonye, who sustained grievous bodily harm at the hands of the so-called ‘Madam’ relative that she works for as domestic help.

"This is gory and torture of a young innocent girl whose only crime is being born to a poor widow who had to give her up to live with someone in the hope that she will get an education and survive. We pray that she recovers.

“We demand full wrath of the law on this woman that inflicted such a level of physical injury on this girl.

“I spoke to the distraught mother of the victim. She is a poor widow living in a rural village in Aku, near Nsukka, Enugu state.

“It is time to eradicate child labour, ban and punish heavily anyone using children as domestic help. The Child Rights Act and the NAPTIP Act must be effectively enforced. WACOL will follow through to ensure that justice is done in this matter.”

Ezeilo appreciated Enugu residents who she said severally informed and sought WACOL’s intervention on such matters.

Please I Am Vulnerable To COVID19, I'm Above 70 - Senator Orji Tells EFCC

Senator Theodore Orji, a former Abia State governor, has blamed COVID-19 pandemic for his failure to furnish the Economic and Financial Crimes Com­mission (EFCC) with his assets declaration form.

In a letter dated June 29, 2020, and addressed to the EFCC chairman, Orji, through his legal counsel, Lawminds Asso­ciates, said as a vulnera­ble person who is above 70 years, he is observing precautionary measures as ordered by the Federal Government in the fight against the spread of the pandemic.

He, therefore, request­ed to be given reasonable time to get the documents.

Part of the letter reads: “Sequel to your demand from our client on the 29th day of June, 2020, to fur­nish you with his assets declaration documents.

“It became pertinent to notify you that our client, who is one of the vulnerable persons to the COVID-19 pandemic as he is above 70 years old and is observing precautionary measures as ordered by the Federal Government, pleads to be given a rea­sonable time to get hold of the said documents and forward to your office as requested.”

Wife Of Gov. Ortom & Their Son Test Positive For COVID-19

Mrs Eunice Ortom, wife of the Benue State Governor, her son and some of her staff have tested positive for COVID-19.

Mrs Ortom who made this known in a statement she personally signed and issued late Friday night in Makurdi, the state capital, said she had gone on self-isolation with her son and all her affected staff.



She encouraged people of the state to take preventive measures to be protected and be safe by observing all the primary protocols including wearing of face masks, constant washing of hands, maintaining of social distancing and staying indoors when not necessary to go out.

Part of the statement read, “a few moments ago this (Friday) evening, I received my result from the tests earlier carried out on me and others by NCDC personnel on routine screening at House, Makurdi which returned that I and my son, and some staff are COVID-19 positive.

“We have from this moment, gone into total isolation as required by the protocols and would immediately begin the management treatment as advised by medical experts.

“While I have taken the responsibility to personally call everyone I can recall having had recent contact with to go for testing, I advise anyone who has had close contact with me in the last two weeks and the public to go for screening and testing.

“I wish to reiterate that been COVID-19 positive is not a death sentence as evident by the many recoveries recorded thus far so there is no need to panic, but we should continue to be responsible in our actions so as to keep others safe,” she added.

Akwa Ibom lifts ban on weddings and burials

The Akwa Ibom State government has lifted the ban on weddings and burials in the state which it imposed in March in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The state governor, Udom Emmanuel, who announced the lifting of the ban on Thursday, however, said people who wish to organise funeral ceremonies and weddings in the state must follow strict guidelines.

“If you are doing funeral in an open space like a field in a primary school you must not have more than 50 people. We are not forcing you to do the burial, but if you must do it, you must do it within our guidelines. Not more than 50 people and you must adhere to all our guidelines which was drafted by the Christian Association of Nigeria,” Mr Emmanuel said during a live radio and television interview in Uyo.


“They (people attending the burial) must all wear facemask, have hand sanitisers, (and adhere to) everything that has been outlined by CAN.

“If you are doing the burial inside the church, people inside should not be more than 30,” Mr Emmanuel said.

The governor said the same condition is applicable to those wanting to do weddings in the state.

Monitoring teams would be dispatched to monitor and ensure strict compliance with the guidelines, he said.

Governor Emmanuel appealed to pastors to help in the implementation of the guidelines so as to halt the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

“Please we don’t want anybody to expose himself or his own family. If you must go out, wear a facemask. If you don’t feel like wearing mask, please stay at home. A lot of people are asymptomatic to this and they keep infecting other people without knowing. And we don’t want this to continue,” he said.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/akwa-ibom-lifts-ban-on-weddings-and.html

Two killed, 13 missing in Japan’s heavy rain

At least two people were feared dead and 13 others went missing in western Japan on Saturday as heavy rain triggered massive floods and landslides, forcing authorities to issue evacuation orders for more than 76,000 residents.

The nation’s weather agency downgraded rain warnings by one notch from the highest emergency level in Kumamoto and Kagoshima on Kyushu island, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged local people to be “on maximum alert”.

Abe ordered 10,000 troops on standby for immediate deployment to join rescue and recovery operations, pledging the central government would “do its best to take emergency measures, prioritising people’s lives”.

Two people were found “in cardio-respiratory arrest” and another was missing in landslides in Kumamoto, said Naosaka Miyahara, a disaster management official for the prefecture, using a term often used in Japan before a doctor certifies death.

“At one point in the morning, 13 people were unaccounted for but the figures are changing as we are still struggling to sort out the situation,” Miyahara told AFP.

Public broadcaster NHK said about 100 people had been stranded as roads were cut off by floods and landslides.

Television footage showed vehicles swamped at car parks near a flooding river, while several bridges were washed away.

“I can’t evacuate as a road turned into a river. It’s so scary,” a female resident told NHK.

Aerial footage showed a resident being lifted with a rope from a roof to a military helicopter as an entire town was awash with muddy water.

A massive landslide destroyed several houses with rescuers searching for missing people through half-buried windows.

“We have issued evacuation orders after record heavy rain,” said Toshiaki Mizukami, another official for Kumamoto prefecture.

“We strongly urge people to take action to protect their lives as it’s still raining quite heavily,” he told AFP.

Kyodo News said 76,600 residents in Kumamoto and Kagoshima were ordered to evacuate their homes.

Some train services have been suspended in the region, while more than 8,000 households lost power.

Japan is currently in its rainy season, which often causes floods and landslides and prompts local authorities to issue evacuation orders.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/two-killed-13-missing-in-japans-heavy.html

Why D'Banj Is Suing Seyitan For N1.5Billion Over R*pe Allegation

We now live in a world where a woman can wake up from the wrong side of her bed and tell her friends that a man who's now a senator, governor, president or popular celebrity had r*ped her 10 years ago.

And without any shred of actionable evidence or further questions, a band of ladies will storm the social media calling the man all sorts of names. This blind rage could affect his reputation and even his job, if everyone follows them blindly, which is what happens a lot of the time.



Dbanj has now procured the services of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), to slam a libel suit of N1.5 billion on the lady who accused him of r*pe, Ms. Seyitan,

The accuser, Ms. Seyitan, had alleged that Dbanj r*ped her on December 31, 2018, at Glee Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos.

D'Banj said nothing of such happened, and he's sad over the way the allegation has affected his brand, leading to him even loosing a job recently, when another lady reportedly told a brand she won't be part of a project unless D'Banj was dropped because of the r*pe allegation.

Our ladies really need to be thought how best to handle issues related to s*xual assault, violence and r*pe. That is, lodge a report as quickly as possible and with evidence of possible. Such should never be used as a tool to settle old scores or to just bring down someone out of malice.

R*pe is too serious a matter for both the accused and accuser to be clouded in sentiments of any kind.

Canada’s banks join campaign to boycott of Facebook

Canada’s biggest lenders confirmed on Friday they had joined a widespread boycott of Facebook Inc. begun by U.S. civil rights groups.

The groups are seeking to pressure the world’s largest social media platform to take concrete steps to block hate speech.

More than 400 brands have pulled advertising on Facebook in response to the “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign, begun after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Among Canadian lenders who have vowed to pause advertising on Facebook platforms in July are Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal, National Bank of Canada and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.


Desjardins Group, Canada’s largest federation of credit unions, also said on its website on Thursday it will pause advertising on Facebook and Instagram for the month “barring any exceptional situations where we need to communicate with our members or clients’’.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/canadas-banks-join-campaign-to-boycott.html

Wife of popular author Dan Brown accuses him of stealing money from their joint assets to fund his extra marital affairs

The ex-wife of The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown has filed a lawsuit alleging the man known for writing about conspiracies and secret societies led a double life during their marriage that included a tryst with a Dutch horse trainer and three other affairs.

In her lawsuit filed Monday in New Hampshire, 68-year-old Blythe Brown accuses the best-selling author of secretly diverting funds to buy lavish gifts for his mistresses including for a Dutch horse trainer by the initials JP.

She claims the 56-year-old Mr Brown spent $345,000 to buy the woman - who is an expert in Fresian horses - a horse, along with a new car, horse transport and to pay for renovations to her Netherlands home.


Blythe, a painter, art historian and collaborator on her husband's books, alleges that he also hid scores of future projects worth 'millions' from her, including a television series and a children's book due out in September.

She also claims that she inspired most of his work and came up with the premise for the Da Vinci Code.

Describing Brown's behavior as 'unlawful and egregious', Blythe said she only learned about the other women - which also included a hairdresser, political official and his personal trainer - after the pair divorced in 2019 after 21 years of marriage.

'Dan has lived a proverbial life of lies for at least the past six years, seeming to be the epitome of a world-famous novelist leading a simple life in his home state of New Hampshire, while in reality he was something quite different,' the lawsuit claims.

'For years, Dan has secretly removed substantial funds from his and Blythe's hard-earned marital assets to conduct sordid, extra-marital affairs with women - one half his age - and to pursue a clandestine life.'

Blythe said she initially brought the horse trainer to the US in 2013 to work with a horse the couple owned.

The affair began the following year while the woman was staying at their house recovering from a shoulder injury, she alleges.

Blythe says her husband then 'started to act distant, dressed differently, and instigated arguments'.

According to the suit, Blythe moved out of their home in Rye Beach, New Hampshire, in 2018 after Brown told her he wanted to separate.

The couple, who have no children, divorced in December 2019.

Blythe claims she confronted her husband the following month after discovering wire transfers for large sums of money that she knew nothing about, when he admitted to doing 'bad things with a lot of people' and confessed to the affairs.

He told he that the affair with the trainer 'has and will continue', according to her lawsuit, and admitted to a tryst with a political official at their vacation home on the island of Anguilla.

At the time of the divorce, Blythe claims that Dan 'persuaded' her that she had 'full knowledge' of the wealth they accumulated while married.

Blythe, a horse enthusiast who is involved in horse and carriage driving competitions, insisted she was only filing the lawsuit to stand up for herself and assert her 'self-worth'.

'We worked so hard together, struggling to build something meaningful. With great success came our promises to each other that we would not let it change us or our life together,' she said in a statement Tuesday.

'I don't recognize the man that Dan has become. It is time to reveal his deceit and betrayal. After so much pain, it is time for truth. It is time to right these wrongs.'

In the lawsuit, Blythe alleges that when she asked Dan about upcoming projects, he told her that he didn't have anything in the works.

But she says that she later learned that her ex-husband was working on several new projects, including a television series called Langdon, based on the main character from The Da Vinci Code.

Dan Brown, in a statement, said he was 'stunned' by the allegations and called the complaint 'written without regard for the truth'.

He said he never misled his ex-wife on their finances during their divorce and that she ended up with half their holdings after they divorced.

'For reasons known only to her and possibly her lawyer, Blythe Brown has created through this suit a fictional and vindictive account of aspects of our marriage designed to hurt and embarrass me,' Brown said in a statement Tuesday.

Brown, a New Hampshire native who graduated from Amherst College, has had a string of bestsellers but is best known for 'The Da Vinci Code,' a puzzle-filled thriller that introduced readers to the notion that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene were married with children.

The plot outraged church officials and scholars.

In her lawsuit, Blythe portrayed herself as inspiring Brown to give up songwriting after the pair met in 1990 and recognizing his 'unlimited potential as a writer of fiction'. Brown also briefly worked as a teacher.

She also alleges she helped craft key themes and ideas for many of his books, 'served as lead researcher, first-line editor, and critic, and was Dan´s literary partner in the fullest sense.'

'Indeed, Blythe and Dan formed a partnership in the literary world that was to last for nearly thirty years, taking them places that they could never have imagined,' according to the lawsuit, in which she seeks unspecified damages.

Brown said he always recognized his ex-wife's contributions.

'The allegation that I failed to fairly acknowledge the literary contributions of my former wife is wrong,' he said.

During a 2006 trial against the publisher of the 'The Da Vinci Code,' the court heard how Blythe was an essential contributor to his million-selling historical thriller.

Two authors unsuccessfully sued, claiming that Brown 'appropriated the architecture' of their book in a high-profile London court case.

According to witness statements and court testimony, Blythe led the massive research effort, supplied countless notes and suggestions and offered an invaluable 'female perspective' for a book immersed in 'the sacred feminine'.

In 2017, Brown told DailyMail.com: 'I was writing about the Louvre and the Grail, but it was Blythe who said I should write about Mary Magdalene, too. I probably wouldn't have written [The Da Vinci Code] without her. She's a great researcher.'

The lawsuit comes just days after it was revealed that The Da Vinci Code, which has sold 100 million copies — and counting — since it was published 17 years ago, is bound for the UK stage, with a world premiere national tour starting next spring.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/wife-of-popular-author-dan-brown.html

Internet fraudster Olawale Fadoju sent to jail

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Ibadan on Thursday convicted and sentenced an internet fraudster, otherwise called ‘Yahoo Yahoo’, Olawale Ayomide Fadoju, to 12 months imprisonment.

Olawale Fadoju who hid under a pseudo name, ‘April Rozell’ to dupe his victims online, was found guilty of criminal impersonation in one-count amended charge filed against him by the Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The offence runs contrary to Section 22 (2)(b) (i & ii) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention e.t.c) Act, 2015.


He pleaded guilty to the charge, following which prosecution counsel, Simon Ibekwute urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.

Beside the jail term, Ayomide will also restitute to his victim, the sum of $750.00 USD (Seven Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars) and forfeit his iPhone 6 phone, being a proceed of crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/internet-fraudster-olawale-fadoju-sent.html

Hushpuppi Charged Before US Court, Faces 20 Years In Prison

A Dubai resident who flaunted his extravagant lifestyle on social media has arrived in the United States to face criminal charges alleging he conspired to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from business email compromise (BEC) frauds and other scams, including schemes targeting a U.S. law firm, a foreign bank and an English Premier League soccer club.

Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, 37, a.k.a. “Ray Hushpuppi” and “Hush,” a Nigerian national, arrived in Chicago on Thursday evening after being expelled from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Abbas made his initial U.S. court appearance on Friday morning in Chicago, and he is expected to be transferred to Los Angeles.



Abbas was arrested last month by UAE law enforcement officials. FBI special agents earlier this week obtained custody of Abbas and brought him to the United States to face a charge of conspiring to engage in money laundering that is alleged in a criminal complaint filed on June 25 by federal prosecutors in Los Angeles.

According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Abbas maintains social media accounts that frequently showed him in designer clothes, wearing expensive watches, and posing in or with luxury cars and charter jets. “The FBI’s investigation has revealed that Abbas finances this opulent lifestyle through crime, and that he is one of the leaders of a transnational network that facilitates computer intrusions, fraudulent schemes (including BEC schemes), and money laundering, targeting victims around the world in schemes designed to steal hundreds of millions of dollars,” according to the affidavit.

The affidavit describes BEC schemes as often involving a computer hacker gaining unauthorized access to a business’ email account, blocking or redirecting communications to and/or from that email account, and then using the compromised email account or a separate fraudulent email account to communicate with personnel from a victim company and to attempt to trick them into making an unauthorized wire transfer.

“BEC schemes are one of the most difficult cybercrimes we encounter as they typically involve a coordinated group of con artists scattered around the world who have experience with computer hacking and exploiting the international financial system,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “This case targets a key player in a large, transnational conspiracy who was living an opulent lifestyle in another country while allegedly providing safe havens for stolen money around the world. As this case demonstrates, my office will continue to hold such criminals accountable, no matter where they live.”

“In 2019 alone, the FBI recorded $1.7 billion in losses by companies and individuals victimized through business email compromise scams, the type of scheme Mr. Abbas is charged with conducting from abroad,” said Paul Delacourt, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “While this arrest has effectively taken a major alleged BEC player offline, BEC scams represent the most financially costly type of scheme reported to the FBI. I urge anyone who transfers funds personally or on behalf of a company to educate themselves about BEC so they can identify this insidious scheme before losing sizable amounts of money.”

“This was a challenging case, one that spanned international boundaries, traditional financial systems and the digital sphere,” said Jesse Baker, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Los Angles Field Office. “Technology has essentially erased geographic boundaries leaving trans-national criminal syndicates to believe that they are beyond the reach of law enforcement. The success in this case was the direct result of our trusted partnerships between the Department of Justice and our federal law enforcement colleagues. These partnerships helped dismantle a sophisticated organized crime group who preyed upon unsuspecting businesses. It is thanks to these partnerships that the American people can feel a bit more secure today.”

The affidavit alleges that Abbas and others committed a BEC scheme that defrauded a client of a New York-based law firm out of approximately $922,857 in October 2019. Abbas and co-conspirators allegedly tricked one of the law firm’s paralegals into wiring money intended for the client’s real estate refinancing to a bank account that was controlled by Abbas and the co-conspirators.

The affidavit also alleges that Abbas conspired to launder funds stolen in a $14.7 million cyber-heist from a foreign financial institution in February 2019, in which the stolen money was sent to bank accounts around the world. Abbas allegedly provided a co-conspirator with two bank accounts in Europe that Abbas anticipated each would receive €5 million (about $5.6 million) of the fraudulently obtained funds.

Abbas and others further conspired to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from other fraudulent schemes and computer intrusions, including one scheme to steal £100 million (approximately $124 million) from an English Premier League soccer club, the complaint alleges.

A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, Abbas would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

454 New Cases Of Coronavirus In Nigeria, Total Now 27,564

In the last 24 hours, 454 new cases of COVID19 were reported in Nigeria; Lagos-87, Edo-63, FCT-60, Ondo-41, Benue-32, Abia-31, Ogun-29, Oyo-19, Kaduna-17, Delta-16, Enugu-15, Borno-14, Plateau-9, Nasarawa-8, Kano-5, Bauchi-4, Gombe-2, Katsina-1, Kogi-1.

A total of 27,564 confirmed cases in Nigeria. The breakdown;

Lagos to charge face mask defaulters to court from next week

Lagos State Government says it will start charging face mask defaulters to court from next week, as the period of grace was over.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said this while briefing newsmen on the update of the Covid-19 management in the state on Friday.

Sanwo-Olu said that at this phase in the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic, taking personal responsibility was now more important than ever.

He said that such personal responsibility was not only for self-protection but also for protecting other people, including loved ones.


According to him, mask usage is mandatory in public places as a strategy to curb the spread of the virus.

”We are asking offices, business and commercial premises to refuse entry to any persons not wearing masks in line with the Presidential Task Force directive on ”No mask, no entry”.

”No mask, no service enforcement agencies will from this week charge defaulters to court, as the period of grace is now over.

”Dear Lagosians, please continue to wash your hands regularly. As much as possible, maintain social distancing, especially in public places.

”On our part as a government, we will continue to do everything possible to protect and uphold the health and wellbeing of the people of the state,” the governor said.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/lagos-to-charge-face-mask-defaulters-to.html