ASUU fumes as U.S. plans to deport 16,000 Nigerian students

The fate of over 16,000 Nigerian students in the United States is currently hanging in the balance as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) moves to deport foreign students whose schools will switch to online classes due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The development, however, has drawn the ire of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which blamed the Federal Government for neglecting Nigeria’s educational system.

The Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP), which is run by ICE, in a new rule released on Monday, had said foreign nationals enrolled in U.S. educational institutions will have to transfer to in-person schools or take online classes outside the country. Otherwise, they will be deported. Also, the Department of State will no longer issue visas to students to attend schools that offer online classes only.

The statement reads in part: “The U.S. Department of State no longer issues visas to students enrolled in schools or programmes that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit such students to enter the United States.

“Active students who are currently in the United States and enrolled in such programmes must leave the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status. If not, they will have to face immigration consequences.”

But in a telephone interview with The Guardian, ASUU President Prof. Abiodun Ogunyemi recalled with regret “a time foreign students were coming to Nigerian universities. Students were coming from South Africa, Egypt and Ghana.”

According to him, “Today, the reverse is the case. In Ghana, more than half of the foreign students there are Nigerians. So, we can see that they are just harvesting our resources to fund their tertiary education. Why should Nigerians be going to the Republic of Benin, Cameroon, Togo, and Sudan to seek university education, not to talk of U.S.?”

ASUU’s incessant strikes are in the interest of students and their parents, he insisted, stressing that all the union is saying is: “Fix our laboratories, stock our libraries, renovate our workshops, supply facilities for e-learning and provide structures. Are those not the things they are enjoying there?”

The ASUU President said further: “Of course, the ruling class that can afford it are those sending their children to those distant places in America and Europe. The children of the poor are left to attend universities that are without facilities, universities that are not adequately staffed, and universities whose capacity for research have been dwindling. We think this is an opportunity for the Federal Government to sit back and address the problems in our university education and indeed Nigerian education as a whole.”

Also, former Minister of Education Prof. Chinwe Obaji wondered how courses like engineering and sciences that require practicals would be taught online. He called on government to make the universities attractive to Nigerian students abroad by tackling its many challenges, adding that COVID-19 is a temporary setback, which all nations would surmount in due course.

On his part, Prof. Ayodeji Olukoju, former Vice Chancellor at Caleb University, Imota, said: “The truth is that this situation is peculiar. It is unprecedented. It is not sustainable. In due course, we will conquer it. We once conquered the pandemic in 1819, Ebola, and we will surely conquer COVID-19. Nothing is permanent. It is true that online teaching would always continue but it can never take away the issues of face-to face interaction. For example, those students studying engineering in American universities and lab-based sciences, would they do all those things from a distance?”

He added: “We should adjust our curriculum to reflect the reality, mainly that we have to depend more and more, now, on online teaching. Secondly, we need to provide more infrastructure of online learning, ICT infrastructure essentially.

“Thirdly, we have to train people who can manage the infrastructure and those who want to teach on the platform because you can’t teach on the platform the way you teach in conventional classrooms. This is not a permanent situation but the world has to adapt to it.”

Most U.S. colleges and universities have not yet announced their plans for the fall semester but a number of schools are looking at a hybrid model of in-person and online instruction while some, including Harvard University, have said all classes will be conducted online.

Nigeria currently has the highest number of students from Africa studying in the U.S. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Nigeria had 16,039 students as at 2019.

The agency said: “There are over 36,000 students from Sub-Saharan Africa studying in the U.S. As of March 2019, there were 16,039 students from Nigeria studying in the United States with 54 per cent male and 46 per cent female.

“This is an increase of 3,342 students over 12,693 students recorded in November 2018. Undergraduate students constituted 34 per cent; Masters students 36 per cent; doctorate formed 12 per cent; while associate was 12 per cent. Non-degree and others formed five per cent.”

According to the agency, the top five states for Nigerian students in the U.S. include Texas with 2,713; California, 856 students; Maryland, 827 students; New York, 818 students; and Florida, 753 students.

Also, the over 16,000 Nigerians currently studying in the U.S. contributed $514 million to the U.S. economy in 2018, according to official data from the 2019 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange released by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The report indicates that Nigeria was the 11th leading place of origin for foreign students in the U.S. as of the 2018/2019 session. It accounted for 1.2 per cent of the total number of 1,095,299 international students in the country.

A breakdown of the figure shows that 5,689 of Nigerian students were at the undergraduate level; 5,274 at graduate level; 367 were non-degree students; and 2,093 were on Optional Practical Training (OPT).

OPT is a period during which undergraduate and graduate students work for one year on a student visa toward acquiring practical training to complement their education.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/asuu-fumes-as-us-plans-to-deport-16000.html

South Korean mayor takes own life after s.e.xual harassment allegations

The mayor of Seoul, a contender to be South Korean next president and a former human rights lawyer, took his own life a day after he was accused of s.e.xual harassment, authorities said Friday.

Park Won-soon, whose body was recovered on a mountain in the capital, is by far the most high-profile politician to be implicated in a harassment case in South Korea, a highly patriarchal society where the #MeToo movement has led to the fall of scores of prominent men in multiple fields.

Park offered a general apology in a suicide note — handwritten with ink and brush — found at his official residence and released by city authorities.

“I’m sorry to everyone. I thank everyone who has been with me in my life,” he wrote, asking to be cremated and his ashes scattered at his parents’ graves. “I’m sorry to my family, to whom I only caused pain.”

“Bye everyone,” he signed off, without referring to the allegations against him.

A heavyweight figure in the ruling centre-left Democratic party, Park ran South Korea’s sprawling capital — home to almost a fifth of the national population — for nearly a decade.

He won three elections while promoting gender and social equality, and did not shy away from expressing his ambitions to replace incumbent President Moon Jae-in in 2022.

His death came a day after his former secretary filed a police complaint said to involve s.e.xual harassment against him.

According to a document purporting to be the statement of Park’s victim, who worked as his personal secretary from 2015, he committed “s.e.xual harassment and inappropriate gestures during work hours”, including insisting she hug him in the bedroom adjoining his office.

After work, she said, he sent her “selfies of himself in his underwear and lewd comments” on a messenger app.

“I brainwashed myself, bearing tremendous fear and humiliation, that all of this was in the interest of Seoul City, myself, and mayor Park,” she said, according to the document.

The police confirmed a complaint had been filed but declined to confirm the details.

Park’s death means the investigation will automatically be closed.

South Korea remains male-dominated despite its economic and technological advances, but the country has seen a widespread #MeToo movement in the last two years, sparked by a prosecutor who publicly accused a superior of groping her at a funeral.

The perpetrators have included a former provincial governor who sought the presidency in 2017 but was jailed last year for s.e.xual intercourse by abuse of authority after his female assistant accused him of repeatedly raping her.

Park is the country’s highest-profile politician to die by his own hand since former president Roh Moo-hyun, who jumped off a cliff in 2009 after being questioned over corruption allegations involving family members.

– Jailhouse to courthouse –
Park was a student activist in the days of South Korea’s military dictatorship he was jailed for taking part in a rally against then-president Park Chung-hee and later became a human rights lawyer.

He defended many political activists and in the 1990s won South Korea’s first s.e.xual harassment conviction, in a landmark judgement.

He helped launch the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, an influential NGO pushing to reform the conglomerates that dominate South Korean business.

Park also founded the Beautiful Foundation a philanthropic group that promotes volunteerism and community service.

It grew into one of the largest non-profit organisations in South Korea and launched the Beautiful Stores, a chain of charity shops modelled after Britain’s Oxfam shops.

Reactions were mixed on Friday, including both condolences and criticism that he killed himself to avoid punishment.

There was an outpouring of grief from his supporters, some of whom wailed at Seoul National University Hospital as his body was brought in.

“Mayor Park, you were an excellent politician,” one poster wrote on Daum, the country’s second-largest portal site.

“But a twist of fate put an end to your journey. I hope you are at ease in heaven.”

Others were more critical of the 64-year-old, accusing him of exploiting his power to harass a subordinate and then taking his own life to “avoid the fallout”.

“The victim must have had painful times in the run-up to the filing of the complaint,” wrote one user. “I hope Park reflects on his misdeeds and atones in the afterlife.”

A memorial altar was to be set up in front of the Seoul city hall for citizens to pay respects.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/south-korean-mayor-takes-own-life-after.html

Coronavirus hits Bolivia, President Anez, 7 ministers test positive

President Jeanine Anez of Bolivia announcing her coronavirus status on Thursday

Bolivia’s President Jeanine Anez said on Thursday she has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

At least seven ministers, including its health minister, have also tested positive and were either undergoing treatment or recuperating at home.

Anez said in a tweet she was “well” and continuing to work while in isolation. “Together, we will come out of this,” she said.

She said she took a test after many of her team fell ill.

“I feel well, I feel strong, I am going to keep working remotely from my isolation, and I want to thank all the Bolivians who are working to help us in this health crisis,” she said.

Bolivia is due to hold general elections on Sept. 6. The elections were originally planned for May but delayed due to the pandemic.

Political turmoil gripped the country last October when a disputed election led to widespread protests that eventually toppled longtime leftist leader Evo Morales.

Anez, a conservative former senator, assumed the interim president role in the political vacuum and initially said she would not run for full office, but later threw her hat in the ring.

Rival candidate and former President Jorge Tuto Quiroga, who is running again, said it was “indispensable” for Anez to be in full health and working towards the democratic transition.

Other leaders around the world also have contracted the virus.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 55, spent three days in intensive care sick with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, while Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro confirmed on Wednesday he had tested positive.

Bolivia, a landlocked Andean nation of over 11.5 million people has registered more than 42,000 confirmed cases of the disease and 1,500 deaths.

It is one of the worst affected countries per capita in the world.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/coronavirus-hits-bolivia-president-anez.html

Magistrate orders man to sweep court premises 3 hours for stealing food

A Life Camp Magistrates’ Court in Abuja, on Thursday, ordered a 30-year-old man, Yusuf Muazu, to sweep the court premises for three hours for stealing a bowl of food and a cup of cold water.

The Police charged Muazu of no fixed address for criminal trespass and theft.

The man who was ordered to sweep the court premises, Muazu, however, pleaded guilty to the charges and begged the court for leniency.

“I plead for mercy, I want the court to forgive me. I was really hungry and I entered the woman’s’ kitchen and saw a pot of food and I took some and also a cup of water.

Magistrate Sharon Tanko, in her ruling, said being hungry does not give the convict the right to commit such offence, thus would be punished for his crime.

“The court has found the convict guilty of the offence and him being remorseful and not wasting the time of the court in admitting to his crime, his hereby ordered to engage in three hours community service.

“You are hereby ordered to pick up all the dirt’s and clean up the premises of Life Camp Magistrate Court for three hours under the supervision of the court registrar,’’ Tanko said.

The Magistrate further advised Muazu to relocate back to his home town at Kano or elsewhere where he can be meaningfully engaged to meet his daily needs.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, ASP Peter Ejike, FCT Command, told the court that one Chidibere Lewechi of Life Camp, Abuja reported the matter at Life camp police station, on July 1.

The Prosecutor alleged that the defendant smartly entered into the complainant’s compound and made his way into her kitchen without her consent.

He told the court that the defendant stole a bowl of food with meat from the complainant’s pot with a cup of cold water.

Ejike alleged that while the defendant was about to leave the kitchen with the stolen items, the younger brother to the complainant caught him and held him down with the help of neighbours.

He added that during police investigation, the defendant admitted to having committed the crime.

The Prosecutor said that the offence contravened Sections 348 and 288 of the Penal Code Law.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/magistrate-orders-man-to-sweep-court.html

President Buhari to sign revised 2020 budget today

President Muhammadu Buhari will today sign into law the revised 2020 budget passed by the National Assembly in June.

The Personal Assistant on New Media to the President, Bashr Ahmad, confirmed this on his tweeter handle in Abuja on Thursday.

While the Senate passed the budget on 10 June, the House of Representatives passed it on 11 June.

Both chambers approved a budget of N10.8 trillion, more than the N10.523 trillion proposed by Federal Executive Council (FEC) on 13 May.


According to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, the budget is based on an oil benchmark price of $25, a far cry from the initial benchmark of $57 dollars.

Crude oil production per barrel has also been reduced from 2.18million to 1.94million per day.

“The federal government in this budget will have direct revenue of funding the budget of N5.158 billion. The deficit to this budget, N5.365 trillion and this will be financed by both domestic as well as foreign borrowing.

“The foreign borrowing we are doing for 2020 are all concessionary loans from the IMF, which has already been approved and has crystallized, from the World Bank, Islamic Development Bank as well as Afro EXZIM bank.

“There will also be some drawdown of previously committed loans for major ongoing projects that we will be drawing from both existing facilities as well as some special accounts with the approval of Mr. President and the National Assembly,’’ she said.

The new budget provides N2.48 trillion for capital expenditure and N4.942 trillion ass recurrent non-debt expenditure.

Others are N2.6 trillion for debt service and N2.9 trillion for sinking funds.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/president-buhari-to-sign-revised-2020.html

Paris Jackson says being called 'fat' drove her to suicide

Paris Jackson said her "many" suicide attempts come after she was callously called fat.

Michael Jackson's daughter, 22, detailed her hurt in Facebook series Unfiltered: Paris Jackson and Gabriel Glenn.

Her grandmother Katherine let the famous offspring have "soda and cake" when she took her into her care after Michael's death in 2009.

Being called "fat" was the final straw for Paris as she pinpointed it was the sad moment she "fell into self-harm".


She said: "Yes, I tried to kill myself many times."

Paris said she had piled on the weight when her eating had spiralled out of control and become an "addiction".

She was left feeling hopeless after hurtful words from a cousin.

Paris added: "I gained a lot of weight and it [eating] became an addiction... and then a cousin called me fat so I was like, 'OK, I can't do that anymore'. And that's how I fell into self-harm.

"It was a distraction from emotional pain and transferring to physical pain and the need for control."

The star was sent packing to a boarding school in Utah after her suicide attempt in 2013.

Last year, Paris shut down claims she had tried to kill herself in March.

She wrote on Twitter : "F**k you, you f**king liars."

Speculation had been rife the pop star's daughter had tried to take her own life last year when reports were circulating she had allegedly been hospitalised.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/paris-jackson-says-being-called-fat.html

Angers' Farid El Melali 'arrested for MASTURBATING in public again'

Angers winger Farid El Melali was reportedly taken into police custody on Wednesday for the second time this season for allegedly masturbating in public.

Ouest-France reported that the 22-year-old was questioned by local police following a second indecent exposure complaint lodged against the Algerian attacker. 

The latest reports are separate to a complaint made against El-Melali back in May, for which he is already preparing to face a court hearing later this summer.

El Melali's lawyer, Sandra Chirac Kollarik, told Ouest-France: 'Farid El Melali was heard this Wednesday morning by the Angers police services, about acts committed during the recent period of confinement, which he acknowledged, and about which he had already been interviewed before being summoned to court.


'Once again Farid El Melali answered the questions asked and all the necessary checks could therefore be made, so that his hearing was quickly closed.

'He renews his sincerest apologies to the women he may have upset with inappropriate attitudes.'

It is not clear if the alleged second offence took place before or after the first transgression. 

In response to the latest reports, Angers President Fabrice Favetto-Bon said: 'We believe that we have already made statements on this matter. We heard the player's apology.

'Obviously, this type of behaviour, pending the decision of the courts, does not conform with the values of the club and our requirement of players to be examples. The process is ongoing.'

El-Melali missed Angers morning training session but having been released from questioning, was part of the group which trained in the afternoon. 

He will be expected to make a plea - either guilty or not guilty - when facing a prosecutor at some stage later in the summer on the two complaints of alleged indecent exposure. 

El-Melali, in line with article 222-32 of law in France, risks receiving a one-year prison sentence and a €15,000 (£13,480) fine.



source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/angers-farid-el-melali-arrested-for.html

Diamond used to beat me and I honestly miss not being beaten by him - Actress Wema Sepetu

Tanzanian actress Wema Sepetu has revealed the physical abuse she suffered at the hands of Diamond Platnumz, when they were lovers about a decade ago.

Diamond’s music career had just taken off and Wema was the most sought after and bankable actress at the time.

But behind the all their lovey dovey, the actress claims she got accustomed to nursing scars inflicted on her body by Diamond.

Wema claims Diamond made a habit of beating her up, but she could not speak about it because, she says, she was madly in love with the boy from Tandale.

And when her family eventually learnt about it, she would even defend Diamond for battering her.

She said;  “He would beat me up thoroughly. Ironically, I loved it when he battered me, I just don’t know why that was the case. But, I remember he would pamper me after assaulting me, and, I think I loved it because he’d give me attention after the battering. Honestly speaking, I miss being beaten up by him, a lot.

“I remember there was a day he saw a suggestive message on my phone. Out of anger, he gave me a hard slap on the cheek. My siblings came to know that I was a victim of domestic abuse. They pleaded with me to leave him, but I told them that they should leave me alone as I was enjoying being beaten up by him.”

Diamond eventually dumped her for her close friend and fellow actress Jokate Mwengelo only for him to go back to Wema few months later, before they broke up again.

Wema’s revelations come at a time Tanzanian musician Shilole is trending after she posted a picture on Wednesday of her injured face after being assaulted by her husband.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/diamond-used-to-beat-me-and-i-honestly.html

10 doctors, 6 journalists arrested in Egypt for speaking out about alarming coronavirus crisis

Egypt has arrested at least 10 doctors since the start of the coronavirus crisis and warned health workers they could be punished if they speak out.

Security agencies have tried to stifle criticism of president Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and his government's handling of the pandemic, which has caused 76,253 infections and 3,343 deaths in Egypt - the worst death toll in the Arab world. 

Doctors have been voicing anger over shortages of protective gear and an apparent government attempt to blame them for the spike in deaths.

At least 10 doctors and six journalists have been arrested since the virus first hit Egypt in February, according to rights groups.

President el-Sissi has stamped out dissent since leading a military takeover in 2013, jailing Islamist opponents as well as secular activists and journalists.

One foreign correspondent has fled the country during the virus pandemic, fearing arrest, and another two have been reprimanded over 'professional violations'.

The military has set up field hospitals with 4,000 beds, scaled up testing and ordered companies to churn out face masks and other supplies.

But doctors say they are forced to purchase surgical masks with their meagre salaries, while families plead for intensive care beds.

Health workers in Egypt say they have been warned by administrators to keep quiet or face punishment.

One doctor in greater Cairo said: 'Every day I go to work, I sacrifice myself and my whole family. Then they arrest my colleagues to send us a message. I see no light on the horizon.'

The pandemic has pushed the Egyptian Medical Syndicate, a non-political professional group, into a new role as an advocate for doctors' rights.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/10-doctors-6-journalists-arrested-in.html

Mike Tyson breaks down following his daughter’s death in horrifying accident

Mike Tyson is one of the toughest men on the planet - a former World Champion and the youngest man to win the title.

His incredible sporting achievements saw him crowned the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title when he was just 20.

Tyson then went on to win the WBA, WBC and IBF titles and is still the only heavyweight boxer to have unified them.

Despite his success in the ring, the 54-year-old's life has also been mired in controversy.


Growing up in one of New York's toughest neighbourhoods, the boxer lost his mother when he was just 16 and was taken in by his boxing trainer.

After competing in the Junior Olympic Games, Tyson turned professional when he was 18 and won his first title just a year later.

He become world heavyweight champion just 12 months after that and inside the ring, he seemed unstoppable.

Huge firms, like Nintendo, were keen to get his face on their products and games and Mike Tyson was one of the most famous men in the planet.

But as his star continued to rise, huge cracks were starting to show in Tyson's personal life.

He was married to actress, Robin Givens, but just a year after they wed the relationship had crumbled.
There were rumours of violence and domestic abuse and in a bombshell interview, with her husband sitting next to her, Givens described life with the boxer as "torture, pure hell, worse than anything I could possibly imagine".

She claimed her husband was a manic depressive and just a month later, she filed for divorce.

Three years after his marriage broke down, Tyson was arrested on suspicion of rape. He was accused of assaulting an 18-year-old woman in a hotel room.

On February 10, 1992, Tyson was convicted of rape and jailed for six years but was released in 1995 after serving less than three years of his sentence.

Against all the odds, the boxer launched an audacious come back and was soon the king of the ring once again.
He also found love again with Monica Turner, a Washington doctor, but in 2003 she filed for divorce, saying he had been unfaithful.

But where Tyson led, controversy followed close behind and in 1997 during his bout with Evander Holyfield the sport witnessed one of the most shocking incidents in its history.

The fight had to be stopped at the end of the third round after Tyson bit Holyfield on both ears, with one bite so severe it took off part of his opponents ear, which was later found on the floor of the boxing ring.

Even so, Tyson stayed in boxing, being beaten by Brit Lennox Lewis in 2002 and, despite his vast earning power, having to file for bankruptcy in 2003.

In 2005, the heavyweight stunned the boxing world by announcing his retirement.
Four years later, father-of-seven Tyson's world was shattered when his four-year-old daughter, Exodus, died in a horrifying and tragic accident.

The little girl's body was found by her seven-year-old body at their home in Phoenix, Arizona.

She was discovered on the treadmill and it appeared she had been strangled by a cord attached to the machine.

Sgt Andy Hill from the Phoenix Police Department said at the time: "We believe the child was on the treadmill but it was not running at the time. She might have been playing like it was."

Exodus was rushed to hospital, where she was placed on life support, and Tyson, who was in Los Angeles at the time, rushed to be at his little girl's bedside.

But there was nothing that could be done and Exodus passed away on May 25, 2009.

Tyson gave an emotional interview following her death where he admitted his initial reaction had been to "get my gun, automatic just like this and go crazy".

However, he realised other parents were going through the same heartbreaking experience as he was when he arrived at the hospital.
But he admits he "couldn't handle" what had happened.

Before the interview was abruptly stopped, Tyson said: "I did some cocaine for a week, I had to get high, I couldn’t handle it at all."

Now, 54, Tyson is back in the gym and claims to be planning a comeback.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/mike-tyson-breaks-down-following-his.html

Police arrest Nasarawa APC ward chairman for r*ping 2 girls

The police have arrested the All Progressive Congress ward chairman in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Christopher Ogah, for allegedly defiling two girls in his house in Obi town.

Alhaji Mohammad Oyimoga Oyigye, Chairman of the Local Government Area, said he saved Ogah from being lynched by angry youth, who caught him and immediately handed him over to the police.

A witness said the APC chairman lured the girls when they entered his house to fetch water, adding that it was not his first time of committing such crime.

He said the two girls were 12 and 13-respectively.

Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police, Bola Longe, said he had directed that the case be transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia for a discreet investigation after which the suspect will be charged to court.

“The police under my watch want to warn would-be rapist to have a rethink or face the wrath of the law.

”I am assuring the public of the police command’s commitment to arrest and prosecute anyone found wanting no matter how highly placed,” he said

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/pictured-police-arrest-nasarawa-apc.html

Worldwide coronavirus cases pass 12 million as infections soar in US and Brazil

The worldwide number of coronavirus cases has passed 12 million.

The number of cases is triple that of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organisation.

Many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns put in place to slow the spread of the novel virus, while others, such as China and Australia, implement another round of shutdowns in response to a resurgence in infections.

The first case was reported in China in early January and it took 149 days to hit 6 million cases.


It has taken less than a third of that time - just 39 days - to double to 12 million cases, a Reuters tally shows.
There have been more than 546,000 deaths linked to the virus so far, within the same range as the number of yearly influenza deaths reported worldwide.

The first death was reported on January 10 in Wuhan, China before infections and fatalities surged in Europe and then later in the United States.

The United States reported a daily global record of 56,818 new Covid-19 infections on July 3 when global cases reached the 11 million mark.

The United States recorded a total of three million cases on Tuesday, and accounts for more than a quarter of both  global cases and global fatalities, putting President Donald Trump's pandemic strategy under scrutiny.



source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/worldwide-coronavirus-cases-pass-12.html

Kanye West posts unseen pics of kids after backlash over anti-abortion tweet

Kanye West has deleted a tweet that shared his pro-life stance and replaced it with a series of unseen photos of his children.

The 43-year-old billionaire rapper has been more active on his social media in recent days after he announced his intention to run for the US presidency.

There had been a strong backlash to his anti-abortion stance, which conflicts with the views of his wife, Kim Kardashian.

Kanye had tweeted a screenshot of a Google search which read, "what does a 6 month fetus look like?"


The tweet contained images of foetuses which he captioned with: "These souls deserve to live."

An hour after posting it, the tweet was deleted after a number of people hit out at the rapper over his stance.

It was replaced on his Twitter timeline with unseen photos of his four children - Chicago, North, Saint and Psalm.

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/kanye-west-posts-unseen-pics-of-kids.html

Oscar-winning producer, Ronald Schwary dies at 76

Oscar-winning film producer Ronald Shcwary has died. The filmmaker, best known for making 1980 drama Ordinary People, was 76.

His sad death was announced by his sons Neil and Brian.

Neil said in a statement: "Over the years, he fought hard to be the best version of himself that he could be, still constantly joking and laughing no matter how hard the day was. His zest for life still remained through the trials and tribulations of his disease."

Ronald was forced to retire from the movie industry in 2015 after struggling with a rare neurological autonomic disorder.



source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/oscar-winning-producer-ronald-schwary.html

CAN tackles Alaafin over alleged sale of church land

The Christian Association of Nigeria in Oyo town has protested against the role allegedly being played by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, in an ongoing land tussle between the association and other parties in the town.

The Christian body alleged that Oba Adeyemi had sold parts of its 96 plots of land at Ayetoro to some investors.

Following several aborted proposed meeting with the monarch by the Oyo town chapter of CAN, the religious body said the absence of Alaafin from the dialogue was deliberate.

An executive member of the Oyo Zone CAN, Reverend Femi Afolabi, told The Punch on Wednesday that in view of the monarch’s attitude, the Christian association took to the street in Oyo town in protest against his roles in the land tussle.


Afolabi, who is the head of Zonal Issues in the Oyo Zone CAN, said the matter got to a head when some of its members who were on inspection of the property were attacked by some hoodlums who were believed to be land grabbers.

Oyo CAN, which claimed to have procured the land from the former Oyo Local Government Council Area before the breaking of the old council into four in the 90s, alleged that the monarch “surreptitiously sold some patch of the property to other parties” without being authorised to do so.

Afolabi said, “On Sunday, the 5th of July, the entire body of Christ in Oyo land, comprising Afijio, Oyo East and West and Atiba local government areas, marched from Isokun Baptist Church to CAN land in Ayetoro scheme. We came back through the palace to Isokun. The protest match is predicated on the fact that the land belongs to CAN.

“Having been allocated to us by the Atiba Local Government Area, we got information that kabiyesi, the Alaafin of Oyo, is selling the land. We made several approaches to him formally and informally to let him know that we have document for the land, but he did not allow dialogue to prevail. That was why CAN decided to let the whole world know that he wants to use his royal stool to cheat CAN; that was why we protested.

“He gave us an appointment at a time. I can’t remember the date now and all the head of churches in the land were there with the CAN executive members, including bishops.

“On getting there, everybody waited for more than one hour, he didn’t show up. He sent a message that he had a visitor from Abuja.

“We told the people whom he sent to us that if he wanted to see us he could call us but he never called till date. It was like a slap on the entire church.

“We want the whole world to know that Alaafin is trespassing on the land of CAN and it is dangerous for any man to collide with God. Anybody who is paying money to Alaafin to buy the land is wasting his money. It is not Alaafin’s land but government scheme.”

A source in the Alaafin’s palace, confimed that CAN staged the protest on Sunday.

He said, “It was so sad and embarrassing; kabiyesi was so nice to the Christian body and so, should have been treated with respect.

“However, they took to the street without meeting or complaining formally to him. That was disrespectful and totally unacceptable. It was a big embarrassment that they printed handbills and carried placards against the Alaafin. A matter that should have been amicably resolved was blown out of proportion.”

The Media Secretary to Alaafin, Mr Bode Durojaye, said he had yet to brief the monarch on the issue.

He said, “I cannot make any comment on behalf of kabiyesi on this particular issue unless I am properly briefed and so directed. I will let you know the mind of kabiyesi and possibly inform you if he fixes an appointment for you to come to hear his side of the story.”

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/can-tackles-alaafin-over-alleged-sale.html

Oyo police arrests ritualists connected with serial killings

Indications emerged on Wednesday that the Oyo State Police Command had arrested some suspected ritualists in connection with the serial killings in the Akinyele community in Ibadan.

Making the disclosure during a town hall meeting organised by JAMZ 100.1 FM, Ibadan, was the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Security, Mr Fatai Owoseni.

According to him, the suspected serial killers will soon be paraded by the command.

Owoseni said, “I can assure you that as I speak, the perpetrators of the killings in Akinyele have been apprehended.


“The criminals had been apprehended and the Commissioner of Police will possibly hold a press conference today. But I can specifically tell you that the person behind it has taken the police to the ritualists and they are now behind bars.”

He urged the people to be security conscious, adding that residents had roles to play in securing the communities.

It will be recalled that a 29-year-old expectant mother, two undergraduates and a young boy were killed by unknown persons in their homes in the Akinyele area of Ibadan recently.




source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/oyo-police-arrests-ritualists-connected.html

Osinbajo never got N4b from Magu, it’s fake news

The office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Wednesday night, denied a viral fake news that Osinbajo received N4 billion from the suspended chairman of EFCC Ibrahim Magu.

Laolu Akande, the VP’s spokesman said: “The attention of the Office of the Vice President has been drawn to a series of tweets and online publications by PointBlank News and Newsreel.com.ng today 8th July 2020, credited to the same person, one Jackson Ude.

“In essence, Ude’s story is that “embattled former Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, allegedly embezzled over N39 billion and gave Vice President Yemi Osinbajo N4 billion, after the VP gave instructions to him to release some of the recovered loots.


”The same Jackson Ude has also been circulating a video on YouTube with a female commentator, peddling the same lies.


“With all emphasis at our disposal, let it be firmly stated that these are totally false and baseless fabrications purporting to reflect goings-on at the Probe Panel investigating Mr. Ibrahim Magu.

“They are indeed completely absurd in every respect.

“Sadly, such mindless, vicious and reckless publications have now become the preferred tool of unscrupulous and reprobate elements in our society who are procured with monetary inducement to peddle blatant falsehood, tarnish the image of upright public officials and mislead unsuspecting Nigerians.

“Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, will of course not be distracted by these obvious campaigns of lies and calumny,” he said.

Laolu Akande later tweeted the rebuttal of the fake news:

Inundated by wide circulation of Fake News about VP's purported involvement in some EFCC recovery billions, pls rest assured they're all LIES: calculated to confuse and concocted to smear Prof. Osinbajo's image. The VP has'nt & will never be involved in any such shady activities pic.twitter.com/bGHyFzHSm6

— Laolu Akande (@akandeoj) July 8, 2020

source https://www.ladunliadinews.com/2020/07/osinbajo-never-got-n4b-from-magu-its.html

Funke Akindele Pa James An Apartment After Flood Took Over His Home

Popular Nigerian actress Funke Akindele has gifted an apartment to veteran comic actor Kayode Olasehinde Ajirebi, aka Pa James, after his house in Oke Isagun community of Oke Odo, Lagos, was affected by the recent flood.

Pa James cried out for help after dirty water got into his house on July 7, 2020, and soaked his belongings.



This comes one year after Pa James' son, Samuel Ajirebi cried out on Instagram and shared photos and videos of his father's flooded house.

Funke Akindele came to the family's rescue this week by giving an apartment to the actor.

Actress Oluwakemi Adetoro Ojo confirmed the kind gesture.

'N4.5Billion Found In My House Were Given To Me As Gifts'

To occupy a public office in Nigeria these days is almost a guaranteed avenue to become stupendously rich at the expense of other citizens of the country. It's becoming increasingly difficult to find a truly decent man or woman, with a genuine passion to serve and make Nigeria better for the common good.



Former Group Managing Director of the NigerianJ National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Andrew Yakubu, who is facing money laundering charge, on Wednesday, told the Federal High Court in Abuja that $9.7million and £74,000.00 (about N4.5billion) the EFCC found in his house in 2017, were part of monies people gave to him as gifts.

Yakubu, who opened his defence before the trial court, said he received the monies in tranches of not more than $10, 000 and not more than £5, 000.

Testifying as his own witness, the former NNPC boss told the court that people gave him monetary gifts on occasions such as birthdays, thanksgiving services, and other celebrations he hosted after he left service.

It will be recalled that officials of the EFCC had on the strength of a tip-off by a whistleblower, raided the Defendant’s guest house situated at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna State, and recovered alleged loot which was in foreign currencies.

EFCC said it discovered the sum of $9.7million and £74,000 that Yakubu hid in a fireproof safe inside the house.
Following the discovery, a Federal High Court in Kano, on February 13, 2017, issued an interim order that forfeited the recovered monies to the federal government.

Though the anti-graft agency later preferred a six-count criminal charge against Yakubu who was GMD of the NNPC between 2012 and 2014, the trial court, on May 16, 2019, struck out counts 5 and 6 of the charge based on a no-case-submission that was made by the Defendant.

Likewise, following an appeal by Defendant, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal further struck out counts 1 and 2 of the charge and ordered him to open his defence with respect to only counts 3 and 4 of the charge.

At the resumed proceeding at the trial court on Wednesday, the Defendant mounted the witness box to narrate his own side of the story.

Led in evidence by his lawyer, Mr. Ahmed Raji, SAN, the Defendant said: “Yes my lord, I confirm that the monies were contained in a safe taken from my property.

“As I stated in my statement with the EFCC, the money found in the safe is mine. The money was not received in bulk. It was received in tranches of not more than $10,000 and not more than £5,000.

“Substantial part of that amount was given to me after I left service. It was given to me on such occasions as birthdays, thanksgiving services, and other celebrations that I hosted after leaving my office.

“I also hosted marriages of my daughters. In fact, over 98% of the money came from gifts.

“The purpose of keeping the money was to think of business ventures I will embark on, but it was not my intention to go into business investment without going through a financial institution.

“Since the money was given to me unexpected, I kept the money in safety, in a safe, pending when I decide on specific business venture to embark on. And as soon as the decision is crystalized, the business would be funded through the financial institutions”.

He continued: “For over 25 years, I had reason by virtue of my schedule to travel to many parts of the world. I was entitled to estacodes in United States Dollars.

“Any saving I made during the trip, I came back and saved. The other 2% of the funds recovered from my safe was from such savings I made from travels.

“The prevailing rate of dollar at that time was average of N150 to a Dollar and N250 to Pound Sterling. That was about the bank rate at that time”.

“When I was asked the time frame within which the safe was placed in the location, I told them that it was within 2010 to 2014”.

While being cross-examined by the prosecution counsel, Mr. M.S. Abubakar, Yakubu, told the court that he joined NNPC in 1980 and became the Managing Director of a subsidiary of NNPC Warri Petrochemical & Refining Company in 2007.

“I was appointed the Executive Director in charge of Exploration and Production in 2011 at NNPC headquarters.

“I became the Group Managing Director of NNPC in 2012 and retired in 2014”.

He said his brother Bitrus Yakubu was present when EFCC conducted the search at his house in Kaduna from where the safe and money was found.

“I was told that EFCC stormed into my property, broke into my room, took the safe and asked my brother to accompany them to Kano.

“When I reported to EFCC’s office in Kano, my brother was there”.

The former NNPC boss told the the court that he made a total of four statements to the EFCC.

Trial Justice Ahmed Mohammed adjourned the case to July 22 for EFCC’s lawyer to respond and for further cross-examination of the Defendant.

Specifically, in the sustained counts, three and four of the charge, the EFCC alleged that Yakubu had between 2012 and 2014, without going through a financial institution, received cash payments of $9,772,800 and £74,000, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 of Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2012 and punishable under section 16(2) of the Act.

Yakubu had on March 16, 2017, pleaded not guilty to the charge, even as the court granted him bail to the tune of N300m.

Police Arrest Woman For Killing Her Husband

The Abia police command has arrested one Mrs Rose Uwaga for allegedly strangling her 83-year-old husband, Alhaji Isa Uwaga, to death in Umuahia.

The Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Geoffrey Ogbonnaya, confirmed the arrest of the woman, who was said to be in her early 70s.



Ogbonnaya told NAN that one of Uwaga’s children, Ibeabuchi, reported the matter to the police around noon on Thursday, July 2.

He said that the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for proper investigation.

He also said that the remains of the deceased had been deposited at the morgue “for possible autopsy in order to ascertain what actually killed the man”.

The two aged couple had a disagreement, which degenerated into fisticuffs at their residence at Ohobo-Afara Umuahia.

“During the fight, the man allegedly grabbed a machete to scare the wife but the woman reportedly overpowered him.

The machete fell off his hand and the woman, who is huge, pinned him down by the neck and strangled him to death,” a resident of the area said on condition of anonymity.

Another account had it that the deceased might have slumped and died “out of exhaustion after his quarrel with his wife”.

“It is not possible that a woman of about 73 years can muster the strength to stangulate a man,” a friend to the family also said on condition of anonimity.

It was further learnt that the relations of the deceased rallied round to bury him shortly after his death, according to Islamic rite,before Ibeabuchi reportedly alerted the police.

The suspect, who was said to have immediately gone into hiding, was later arrested and detained by the police.

According to a police source, Ibeabuchi stated in his report that his parents were quarrelling at the time he left the house.

“He further stated that by the time he returned, he saw the lifeless body of his father in a sitting position in their house,” the source further said.