A six-year-old-girl, Hawa’u, whose genital was mutilated by two young men four months ago in Jama’are Local Government Area of Bauchi State has recovered.
She was discharged from hospital and reunited with her family.
Daily Trust reports last December how the suspects, 20-year-old Adamu Abdul Ra’uf and 19-year-old Abdukadir Wada Haladu of Gandu area in Jama’are town, lured the little Hawa’u to an uncompleted building where they cut off her female genital for ritual purposes.
She was rushed to Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital in Kano for treatment at the instance of the State Governor, Bala Mohammed.
The little Hawa’u was handed over to the Bauchi State Governor Mohammed at the Government House by State Commissioner of Health, Dr Aliyu Mohammed Maigoro in company of her parents.
Mohammed, who stated that communities must stand up to stop this “dehumanising act of savagery”, said the government cannot do it alone.
He advised the parents to make sure that they don’t allow little Hawa’u to be alone or to be sent on errands or to be out of school”.
The Rivers State Government has intercepted a truckload of suspected substandard animal hide, popularly called ponmo, in Onne, Eleme Local Government Area of the state, even as two persons accompanying the truck were arrested.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Fred Kpakol, who confirmed the incident while speaking to journalists on Port Harcourt, said the import papers showed that the seized product came into the country from Madagascar.
Kpakol said the containerised truck, which conveyed the product, came through the Onne Port, adding that it was seized and taken to the police area command in Eleme for further investigation.
The commissioner explained that the arrest followed a tip-off and the ministry quickly swung into action with the help of the police, adding that the state police command would conduct a full-scale investigation into the incident.
Kpakol stated, “We got a tip-off that some canda meat that was imported found its way into the state. We went in and found out that it had come in from the Onne Port.
“It’s was a container full of canda meat. We were able to intercept it and took it to the area command. When it was opened, it was discovered that it was adulterated and stinking.
“From the import paper, we found out that it came in from Madagascar.”
Meanwhile, the Area Police Command said it had begun investigation into the incident.
The Police Area Commander, Martins Nwogu, stated that those arrested with the truck claimed that the consignment was owned by a man simply known as Alhaji and contained raw materials for the making shoes and bags.
When contacted, the police spokesman for the state, Nnamdi Omoni, said the command had yet to get the report, but promised to contact the Eleme Area Command and get back to our correspondent.
As of the time of filing this report, he had yet to get back to our correspondent.
The Lagos State Police Command has dismissed Sergeant Eze Aiwansoba for shooting his girlfriend, Joy Ndubueze, in the mouth in an apparent attempt to kill her on Salvation Road, Opebi, in the Ikeja area of the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said in a statement on Monday that following Aiwansoba’s dismissal, he had been charged with murder and arraigned before a magistrates’ court in Yaba.
Adejobi stated, “The Lagos State Police Command has dismissed and is prosecuting one Sergeant Eze Aiwansoba attached to the Special Protection Unit, Base 16, Ikeja, for firing and attempting to kill his lady friend, Joy Ndubueze, on October 8, 2020, on Salvation Road, Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos State.
“The incident was referred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department of the Lagos State Police Command for investigation, where it was revealed that the ex-policeman had a case to answer.
“The state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, ordered the orderly room trial of the suspect and he was found guilty and recommended for dismissal. The approval for his dismissal was contained in a letter numbered PC. 458465/LS/DFA/2, dated February 2, 2021.
“After his dismissal, ex-Sergeant Eze Aiwansoba was transferred to the SCIID for prosecution via letter numbered AR:3100/LS/SPM/Vol.2/311 dated February 3, 2021. The SCIID had written a letter to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Lagos State, for legal advice, which was eventually replied, noting that the sergeant should be charged for attempted murder contrary to Section 230, Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
“The ex-sergeant was charged before the Magistrates’ Court in Yaba on February 9, 2021, with the attempted murder of Joy Ndubueze, and the case is still on. The CP, therefore, assured the general public that no errant police personnel would go unpunished as the command would not condone any act of criminality and unprofessionalism in all areas.”
Veteran Nollywood actor, Keppy Ekpenyoung has made some revelations about his anger issues In a new interview.
Anyone close to veteran actor, Keppy Ekpenyong, would know that the actor has a bright and bubbly personality. One known trait about the bald actor is that he is a very down to earth person.
However, in an exclusive interview with The Punch, the actor noted that at a point in his life, he had anger issues. He revealed that his rage was so bad that for 15 years, his mother always prayed about his anger issues.
Ekpenyong said, “I know that for about fifteen years, my mother’s prayers when we made New Year resolution was that, ‘I pray that Keppy manages his temper more.’ So, I began to learn from the very first years and I started to control my temper. I want to present myself as a very happy person, even when I am not happy. It is a deliberate attempt; it started out being deliberate, but now, it is a part of me.
“My temper was very bad at the time; it was vicious. Now, it is in the past and it is safer as it is in the past. I had friends who used to tell me, ‘Keppy manage your temper; do not lose your temper. Nobody wants it.’ So I grew through that era.”
The iconic thespian noted that fatherhood helped him overcome his anger issues as he learnt to be more tolerant.
“What encouraged me was when I became a father. I began to tolerate more things that I ordinarily would not have. Tolerance is a hallmark of maturity and growing up,” he said.
Ekpenyong who hardly speaks about his family revealed that he made the decision on his own not to expose his family to public glare.
“I rarely speak about my family in public because they are private and that is how it is supposed to be. There was no form of agreement between my spouse and me; we all have choices. I do not even know if my kids are happy with me as an actor, but I know they are happy with me as a father. We keep our private lives private. I cannot interfere and they do not interfere; so it has been great for us,” he stated.
When asked if any of his children are toeing his path, the veteran actor simply said, “Sounds like a joke. No, definitely not. But they might, because we start out thinking we might never, but then we veer. We end up realizing that we could also be. Nothing is impossible.”
Taking a trip down memory lane, the actor who bagged a master’s degree in International Law and diplomacy, noted that his parents were his support system when he ventured into the entertainment industry.
He said, “I got into the movie industry with a master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy and it did not diminish anything about me and my passion. I think the best cushion I had was that I had the encouragement of my parents for doing what I wanted to do. That is the best encouragement that I had. It is impossible for anybody to say that life is a bed of roses unless you recognize the fact.”
Ekpenyong, who is known for his baldness, revealed the reason for his decision to spot a bald look, saying, “I spot a bald look to keep the grey hair out.
As India counted another record rise in coronavirus cases on Monday, hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims joined a river-bathing ritual during the Kumbh festival in the hill town of Haridwar.
There were fears that the month-long festival could turn into a super spreader event.
The positivity rate of random tests is rising at the festival and as many as 300 cases have been detected in Haridwar over the past week, festival health officer Arjun Singh Sengar told dpa.
The pilgrims led by ash-smeared ascetics and gurus from across India thronged the bathing ghats of Haridwar on an auspicious “shahi snan” (main bathing) day of the Kumbh festival, billed as the largest religious gathering on Earth.
By evening Monday, more than 2 million people had taken a dip in the river, an official at the police control room said.
According to Hindu mythology, as gods and demons fought over a pitcher (kumbh) of amrita (nectar of immortality), a few drops spilled at four places: Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik, where the festival is staged at designated intervals with a full version once every 12 years.
Officials in Haridwar said the numbers are much lower than usual due to Covid-19 restrictions but were huge nonetheless.
Standard operating procedures were in place: People were being checked at borders for Covid-negative test certificates.
Pilgrims at the bathing ghats – which are steps leading to the river – were being regulated and repeatedly asked to wear masks and practise social distancing.
Television images on Monday, one of the two major bathing dates this week, showed tens of thousands of people – a majority of them not wearing masks – crowding against each other as they made their way into the river.
Police were struggling to get them to maintain Covid-19 protocols. “We are trying to thin the crowds, but we do not wish to cause a stampede,” local police official SK Gunjiyal was quoted as saying by NDTV news channel.
“To organize Kumbh is a challenge, but holding it in times of Covid-19 is still a bigger challenge owing to ensuring Covid-appropriate behaviour,” Sengar said.
While many pilgrims are fastidiously following rules, others are blinded by faith.
“When you are by the side of Mother Ganges, what fear can you possibly have? She is our mother. Why should we be scared?” a pilgrim told one of the news channels.
“No one is afraid of Covid here, there’s no such thing as Covid, it’s all a drama,” another one told NDTV news channel.
“I did my RT-PCR test as required 72 hours before coming here,” said another pilgrim. “Many people are taking off their masks while bathing, what can you do? How can you stop them?”
Police said given the large numbers it was not possible to fine people for not wearing masks.
India is currently seeing a fast-spreading second wave of the pandemic with some states putting in place partial lockdowns while others like West Bengal and Uttarakhand grapple with large crowds at election rallies and the Kumbh festival.
Since the beginning of April, India has reported more than 1 million new cases taking its total caseload to 13.5 million, second to only the United States.
Princes William and Harry, along with senior politicians including the British prime minister, paid tribute to Prince Philip on Monday, as preparations were underway for his funeral on the grounds of Windsor Castle this coming weekend.
Prince Harry chose a more light-hearted message while his brother and heir to the throne Prince William called their grandfather, who died last Friday at the age of 99 after over seven decades of marriage to Queen Elizabeth II, an “extraordinary” man.
“He will be remembered as the longest reigning consort to the monarch, a decorated serviceman, a prince and a duke,” Harry, 36, said.
“But to me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year, he was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right ‘til the end.”
William, 38, said in a separate statement: “I feel lucky to have not just had his example to guide me, but his enduring presence well into my own adult life – both through good times and the hardest days.
“My grandfather was an extraordinary man and part of an extraordinary generation … I will miss my grandpa, but I know he would want us to get on with the job,” he added.
It is thought that Prince Harry has arrived back in England from the United States ahead of the funeral.
He was spotted on a British Airways flight from Los Angeles which arrived at Heathrow on Sunday afternoon, the British newspaper The Sun reported.
He will be able to attend the funeral on “compassionate grounds” under government guidance despite strict quarantine rules in place which could have prevented him from going.
Prince Harry will have to remain in quarantine on the other days.
His wife, Meghan, duchess of Sussex, will not be attending the event due to her pregnancy with their second child.
The funeral for Philip will be held on Saturday afternoon in Windsor.
Due to coronavirus restrictions in place, only 30 people are allowed to attend the funeral.
Members of the public have been urged not to gather at the ceremony by police and the British government.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced at the weekend he would be giving up his space at the funeral so that another family member would be able to attend.
The Lagos State Police Command has sacked and prosecuted Sergeant Eze Aiwansoba who shot his lover in the mouth last year.
Aiwansoba allegedly shot his lover in the mouth at Allen area of Ikeja, Lagos in October, 2020.
A statement issued by the Command‘s spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi on Monday said the police officer attached to the Special Protection Unit, Base 16, Ikeja, was sacked for firing and attempting to kill his lady friend, Joy Ndubueze, on 8th October, 2020, at Salvation Road, Opebi, Ikeja of Lagos State.
“The incident was referred to the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Lagos State Police Command for investigation where it was revealed that the ex-policeman has a case to answer.
“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, ordered for the orderly room trial of the suspect where he was found guilty and recommended for dismissal.
“The approval for his dismissal was contained in a letter numbered PC. 458465/LS/DFA/2, dated 2nd February, 2021.
“After his dismissal, Ex-Sergeant Eze Aiwansoba, was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for prosecution via letter numbered AR:3100/LS/SPM/Vol.2/311 dated 3rd February, 2021,” Adejobi said.
According to him, the State CID had written a letter to the Director of Public Prosecution, Lagos State, for legal advice which was eventually replied, noting that the sergeant should be charged to court for attempted murder contrary to Sec 230, Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
“The Ex-sergeant was charged to Magistrate Court, Yaba, on 9th February, 2021, with attempted murder of Joy Ndubueze; and the case is still on.
“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has therefore assured the general public that no erring police personnel would go unpunished as the command will not condone any act of criminality and unprofessionalism in all areas,” he said.
BET family has lost one of its own. Ashley Taylor Gerren a.k.a. Gerren Taylor, who starred on reality series "Baldwin Hills" airing on the network from 2007 until 2009, has passed away.
She was only 30 years old.
Details of her passing are still scarce, but according to reports she died in her sleep. The cause of death is also unknown at this time as her family has not released a statement on her death just yet.
Meanwhile, fellow BET star Ray Cunningham has confirmed the sad news via his social media pages.
Taking to Twitter on Sunday, April 11, he wrote, "Just got the worst news. I hate it's on the internet already. RIP to my @BET fam, my babes Gerren (Baldwin Hills)." He added in another tweet, "I'm so hurt."
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has directed the Muslim Ummah to look out for the crescent (moon) of Ramadan 1442AH from Monday.
Abubakar gave the directive on Sunday in a statement issued by Prof. Sambo Junaidu, Chairman, Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, Sultanate Council, Sokoto.
“This is to inform the Muslim Ummah that Monday, April 12, which is equivalent to the 29th day of Sha’aban 1442AH shall be the day to look for the new moon of Ramadan 1442AH.
“Muslim are, therefore, requested to start looking for the crescent moon on Monday and report its sighting to the nearest District or Village Head for onward communication to the Sultan,’’ the statement read.
The Sultan prayed Allah to assist Muslims in the discharge of their religious duty.
Junaidu gave telephone numbers that could be used directly to report the sighting of the new moon to the committee.
The numbers are 08037157100, 07067416900, 08066303077, 08036149757, 08035965322 and 08035945903.
Recall that Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar observed by Muslims worldwide as a month for fasting, prayer, reflection and assisting the needy.
The funeral preparations are under way for Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, who died on Friday aged 99.
According to the BBC, the ceremonial royal funeral will be held at St George’s Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, at 3pm on Saturday, 17th April. The event will be televised.
Prince Philip is reported to have requested a funeral of minimal fuss and will not lie in state – where members of the public would have been able to view his coffin.
Instead, he will lie at rest in the private chapel at Windsor Castle until the day of the funeral.
The duke’s coffin is draped in his personal flag, his standard. The flag represents elements of his life, from his Greek heritage to his British titles. A wreath of flowers has also been placed on the coffin.
When the duke got engaged to the then Princess Elizabeth in 1946, he renounced his Greek title and became a British citizen, taking his mother’s anglicised name, Mountbatten.
The Mountbatten family is therefore also represented on the standard, alongside the castle from the arms of the City of Edinburgh – he became Duke of Edinburgh when he married.
The duke will have a ceremonial funeral, rather than a state funeral.
As many as 43,000 US children 17 or younger have already lost at least one of their parents to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, according to a newly released study.
As of February, the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association said the toll on kids from the virus has been significant and has “disproportionally affected” black children.
“The number of children experiencing a parent dying of Covid-19 is staggering, with an estimated 37,300 to 43,000 already affected,” the study, published in JAMA last week, said.
“For comparison, the attacks on September 11, 2001, left 30,000 children without a parent,” it said. “The burden will grow heavier as the death toll continues to mount.”
The study, led by Stony Brook University researcher Rachel Kidman, found that black children, who make up 14 percent of the US population, account for 20 percent of children who have lost a parent.
“Sweeping national reforms are needed to address health, educational, and economic fallout affecting children,” the report argued. “Parentally bereaved children will also need targeted support to help with grief, particularly during this period of heightened social isolation.”
There have been more than 31 million confirmed cases of the virus the US — and nearly 562,000 dead from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria has called on the federal and Oyo state governments to ensure the return of the displaced Sarikin Fulani Igangan, Alhaji Salihu AbdulKadir, to Igangan in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of the state.
The Abuja-based GADFAN equally asked the governments to compensate the Sarkin Fulani for all the loss he and his people suffered during the alleged attack on their settlement by the acclaimed Yoruba activist, Sunday Igboho.
It also demanded the prosecution of Sunday Igboho and others involved in the unleashing of violence on Sarkin Igangan as well as the destruction of his property.The association made these demands in a statement after its officials paid a solidarity visit to Alhaji Salihu in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The statement was signed by the National Chairman and National Secretary of GADFAN, Alhaji Sulaiman Yakubu and Ibrahim Abdullahi respectively.
The statement read, “To our greatest surprise and dismay, up till this moment, Sunday Igboho is moving freely as if nothing has happened.
“The GADFAN, therefore, calls on the federal and Oyo state governments to ensure that justice is done to Alhaji Salihu AbdulKadir and his people by way of not only ensuring that Igboho and his boys are apprehended and brought to book, but that Sarkin Fulani and his people be compensated and returned to their homes.
“The attack led to the burning and total destruction of all his (Sarkin Fulani Igangan) houses, household items and his animals that include cows, sheep, goats, turkeys, a school, shops and a mosque; all worth over N500m.”
It vowed to explore all peaceful and legal means to ensure that justice was done to all parties, adding that, “We are already in consultation with our lawyers and we will soon take all the necessary legal steps if nothing is done by the relevant authorities to address the issue.”
The family of the late activist and Afenifere spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, today announced the order of his funeral rites.
A terse statement by his widow, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, today said the rites would span three days – starting from Thursday, April 22 through Friday 23 and Saturday 24, 2021.
She said, “Thursday, April 22: Day of Tributes and Service of Songs at the Police College, Ikeja Lagos between 11 am and 4 pm while his body lies in state.
“Friday, April 23: Body departs Lagos for Moro, his country home, in Ife North LGA of Osun State.
“There will be a Christian wake keep by 5 pm at the Origbo Anglican Grammar School, Moro, to be followed by a candlelight procession on Friday.
“Saturday, April 24: Lying in State at Origbo Anglican Grammar School, Moro by 8 am, followed by a Funeral Service by 10 am, after which his remains will be committed to Mother Earth at a private interment.”
A disgruntled former Walmart employee in North Carolina is accused of crashing into his old workplace and driving through the aisles, a report has said.
Lacy Gentry, 32, who was fired in February, allegedly rammed into a Walmart store in Concord at about 6 a.m. on April 2, Fox 46 reported.
“He may have had some problem with the way the management was handling the issue that he had with them,” a Concord Police spokesman told the news outlet.
“If you take a car through a Walmart there’s going to be extensive damage, the aisles are wide enough so there was a lot of property damage,” the spokesman said.
The store was closed at the time Gentry allegedly drove through it. Employees were present, though nobody was injured, the report said.
Gentry is charged with breaking and entering and assault on a government official with a deadly weapon.
Four teenage girls are accused of setting fire to an unoccupied Pennsylvania house and posting footage of the inferno to Snapchat.
Police used the social media post to identify and later arrest the teen suspects, ranging in age from 12 to 14, for the April 3 fire in a Ferndale duplex.
The girls told police they started the blaze because “they were bored,” Ferndale Police Chief John Blake said.
They allegedly used numerous aerosol sprays, including bug spray and Lysol to ignite the fire, according to Blake.
A police officer and firefighter suffered minor injuries during the fire.
The teens are charged with felony arson, causing catastrophe, trespassing and endangering another person, authorities said.
They have since been released to their families.
Their cases will be heard in Cambria County juvenile court.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, lamented the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, presumably won by late philanthropist, Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, blaming the annulment on ‘bad belle’, adding that ‘bad blood’ denied Abiola the top seat.
Obasanjo said the annulment robbed Egbaland and Ogun State the rare privilege of having three of its prominent sons occupying the No. 1 leadership position in the country at different times till date, since Independence.
Obasanjo spoke at the 46th President Party of Abeokuta Club, held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The elder statesman, who was referring to former Head of Interim National Government, ING, Ernest Shonekan, himself (Obasanjo), who governed the country first as a military head of states and a civilian president, noted that Abiola would have become the third, if 1993 poll was not annulled.
Obasanjo was honoured as Trustee of the Club, while MKO Abiola was awarded a posthumous Vice-Patron of the club.
Obasanjo’s claim is, however, arguable. Without June 12 annulment, Shonekan would not have been appointed head of the Interim National Government, ING. That would have left Obasanjo and Abiola as heads of state from Ogun State.
The former President, who recalled that Abiola was his classmate at Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta, said Abiola richly deserved the award bestowed on him by the Abeokuta Club.
He said: “When Abeokuta Club was in the process of being birthed, things in Abeokuta were not as rosy as they are today. And the sons of Abeokuta who were in Lagos put their heads together in late Chief Sobo Sowemimo’s house to think of what they could do to improve the development of Abeokuta as a city. I pay tributes to all those founding members, those who have departed this world and those who are still here”.
“I want to thank the club for this honour being bestowed on me and the honour being bestowed on my school mate, MKO Abiola, which he richly deserved.
“Kabiyesi, the Alake of Egbaland alluded to it. Normally, when you win a cup three times, you keep that cup. Isn’t it? If not for bad belle, Abeokuta would have produced President of Nigeria three times, in which case, we should have kept it permanently.”
Obasanjo then pledged to continue to contribute his quota to the continued growth and development of Egbaland, Ogun State and Nigeria in general. The Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo while presenting the plague to Obasanjo, described Obasanjo and MKO Abiola as proud sons of Abeokuta, adding that some “bad blood” didn’t allow Abiola become President.
A human right lawyer, Aishat Temin, has condemned the act of a cleric who allegedly beat a student to coma for stealing money from a local safe (piggy bank).
The police had arrested the cleric identified as Moshood Alabi, who allegedly beat up one of his pupils in his Quranic school to coma for stealing a locally made safe.
The cleric, after beating the boy, also instructed three of the students to give the victim 10 strokes of cane each, which made him to fall into coma during the punishment.
Speaking in a radio programme on aired on Diamond FM 88.7 on Sunday, Temin said the law “does not allow the cleric to beat the boy or give him the power to order his students to beat up another student”.
She said, “The cleric has no such power to beat the students in his Quranic school. If the student commits an offence, he can give him light punishment; he has no power to beat him to an extent of inflicting injury on him. He even has no power to order students to beat their fellow students.”
Some of the contributors to the programme also suggested that the government should organise refresher courses to enlighten owners of Quranic schools and lessons in the state.
A contributor, who identified himself as Sakariyau from Baboko in Ilorin, said government should organise seminar for owners of Quranic schools to let them know how to treat students put in their care.
The spokesman of the Kwara State Police Command, Ajayi Okasanmi, said the Police had arrested Moshood, adding that the arrest was carried out by officers of the Oloje Police Division after the case was reported.
The cleric has been on the run after the case was reported to the police by the National Human Right Commission, Kwara State branch.
Okasanmi said, “Though the cleric was on the run after discovering that the student had gone into coma, but our officers went to fish him out from his hideout.”
The PPRO said the boy had been revived and was recuperating at a private hospital in Ilorin.
The case would soon be transferred to the Gender-Based Violent Unit of the Police Command in Ilorin.
Okasanmi said the cleric would be charged to court after the resumption of members of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria, who are currently on industrial action.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Alhaji Isa Ali Ibrahim, also known as Sheikh Pantami, has reportedly been placed on the US watch list over a possible link with Al-Qaeda.
Ibrahim, also the Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme Sharia Council in Nigeria and a former student of Salafist ideologies, was trained in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East with other top Islamic jihadists.
Before his appointment as a minister, Ibrahim was a known Islamic preacher and held what was termed ‘dangerous views’ against the American government with allegiance to Al-Qaeda.
According to a report, the minister was said to be a very close confidant of the late Mohammed Yusuf, the killed leader of Boko Haram with whom he allegedly shared jihadist doctrines.
According to Western Intelligence, the minister had ties with Abu Quatada al Falasimi and other Al-Qaeda leaders that he revered and spoke glowingly of in several of his videos on YouTube.
In one of his narratives, Ibrahim had eulogised Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi as a great leader, who joined Al-Qaeda group after emigrating to Afghanistan at the end of the September 11, 2001 terror attack on the World Trade Centre in America.
This is what he wrote about Abu Musab: “Under the Osama’s leadership, he became the unit commander of army of AlQaeda with the support of the Commander of the loyal Maula Umar (Taliban leader).
“It was after the September 11 attack that he suffered serious leg injury and was taken to Iraq for treatment where he spent a long time recovering.”
Ibrahim wrote: “When Iraq was attacked by the enemies of God, this great man joined in the fight leading his group against the US military and its allies in Iraq.”
According to Middle Eastern Intelligence, corroborated by its Western counterparts, photographs of Sheikh Isa Ali Pantanmi and his jihadist allies are trending.
Efforts to get the reactions of the minister to the critical allegations were futile as at press time.
However, one of his aides (names withheld) said the allegations were false.
The aide, who was very combative while speaking with Sunday Independent, was angry that the story would be published.
“You didn’t tell me you want to publish the story when you introduced yourself. In the first place, you did not address the Office of the Honourable Minister properly.
“This is a personal attack on somebody’s personal belief and religion.
“This allegation is not coming from the American government, but one useless organisation. I am a journalist myself,” said the aide.
Nollywood actress, Mide Martins is a year older today. And her husband and colleague, Afeez Owo Abiodun took the opportunity to celebrate his lovely wife on her special day.
Afeez spoke about how he really loves Mide adding that she means everything to him. He went ahead to label the actress as his world best, best friend, prayer warrior, pillar, and back bone.
Sharing a photo of his wife, he wrote;
“AJoke I love so much and you mean everything to me my world best,my best friend,my prayer warrior,my pillar, my back bone,my beautiful and intelligent charming you are so amazing special caring loving I love you to the moon and back thank you for all you do my own Igbaa Odun Ojokan ni Amin..Happy Birthday To you my love Ajoke Elle daddy @mydemartins 🎂💕😍❤️🔥🥰🍾🎉”
