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  Malaysian Police have arrested six Nigerian men and a Malaysian woman believed to be members of a syndicate involved in love scams.   The suspects aged between 33 and 42, were arrested during two raids around Kajang in Kuala Lumpur.    Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Comm Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din, said the syndicate was also linked to at least eight love scam cases, involving losses estimated at RM3.7 million.   "The investigation also found that the syndicate members entered the country using student and social visa. When their visas expired, they continued to live here illegally to continue with their fraud activities." he said in a statement on Sunday, June 27.   "We also seized eight laptops, 17 mobile phones, three thumb drives, two modems, two routers, two ATM cards, two Nigerian passports and as an assortment of documents," he said.   Comm Mohd Kamarudin said the syndicate operated in two separate grou...

On Tuesday, June 29, the Federal government announced the arrest of the leader of the secessionist group, IPOB.   Shortly after his arrest, Joe Igbokwe who is an aide to the Governor of Lagos state, shared a photo of himself kneeling and raising his hands in thanksgiving over the arrest of the Nnamdi Kanu.   In a post shared later, Igbokwe gave reasons for celebrating the arrest of the self-acclaimed leader of the secessionist group. His post reads:- THANK GOD I SURVIVED NNAMDI KANU’S MADNESS.   Nnamdi asked his boys to behead me anywhere they see me. They did not spare my Children as they extended the same fatwa to them. He also did not spare the names of every other person who speaks against him dream land, Biafra. While they were looking for me I sort the face of God hours on end because I know that to kneel is to win. It was a big battle. Friends were calling me , family members shouted from the roof top that I should lie low. My Children said I was putting them in co...

  The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra Nnamdi Kanu was arrested on Sunday and brought to Nigeria, the country’s attorney general Abubakar Malami said on Tuesday. Government-owned news agency reported that the IPOB leader appeared before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja. Kanu, who was brought to the court amidst tight security, arrived at the court at about 1:40 pm. Kanu is facing  a sleuth of charges, most of which are connected to his call for the independence of the southeastern region of Nigeria. He was first arrested in October 2015 by the Nigerian government and was granted bail in April 2017. Justice Binta Nyako ordered him not to attend any rally, grant interviews or be in a gathering of more than 10 persons. The judge, in addition, ordered that the defendant should produce three sureties with N100 million each, who should include a highly respected Jewish leader since, according to her, the defendant claimed Judaism as his religion, a senio...

  Nigerian blockbuster, “A Soldier’s Story 2 - Return from the Dead” has become the first Nollywood film to be distributed by a major American studio. “ A Soldier’s Story 2- Return from the Dead” is a sequel to the award-winning film, “A Soldier’s Story”. Starring Academy Awards Nominated Hollywood Actor- Eric Roberts, the film which was shot in Nigeria also stares Nigerian Actors Daniel K Daniel, Somekele Idalamah, Linda Ejiofor, Tope Tedela and a host of other household names. It was produced by Martin Gbados and Directed by award-winning director, Frankie Ogar. Lionsgate through their affiliate, Strawberry Fields Entertainment, believes that Nollywood is a major playing industry in the film space and this deal only goes to confirm it. The CEO of Strawberry Fields Entertainment, Jamie Webber, says that the company will also fund the franchise next film with budgets in the $5 million range. According to the distribution agent, Strawberry fields is poised to make in-roads to Africa...

  The Nigerian Government has approved the extension of the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to July 26. The earlier deadline would have lapsed tomorrow, June 30. The deadline date has now been shifted for about seven times. The first deadline was December 30, 2020, two weeks after the exercise started in the country. The latest decision to extend the deadline was made after a request by stakeholders on the need to consolidate the enrolment and NIN-SIM verification process following the rapid increase in the number of enrolment systems across the country. As at June 28, a total of 5,410 enrolment systems are now available across the country and this would significantly ease the NIN enrolment process and subsequent linkage of NIN to SIM. The enrolment system were just 800 as at December 2020. A statement jointly signed by the Public Affairs Director, NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde and Head, Corporate Affairs, NIMC, Kayode Adegoke, on Tuesday, said the FG approved the extension as p...

The Imo state police command has arrested two prison inmates who escaped during the jailbreak at the state correctional center in April this year.   A statement released by the media aide to the Commission of Police, CSP Michael Abattam, states that the suspects were arrested following the arrest of a suspected kidnapper, Eze Kelvin, who resides at Orji in Owerri North LGA of Imo state. He said Eze was arrested following the reported case of kidnapping in the state.   ''On receipt, the team immediately interrogated the suspect who confessed to belong to a kidnapping syndicate that has been terrorizing Imo state and its environs. He also admitted to being an escapee of the recent jail break that occurred on 5/4/2021, in Imo Correctional Center Owerri,  Imo State.  He later led the Tactical teams of the command, after a diligent and robust technical intelligence gathering, to their hideout in  Enugu State where three members of his gang na...

  Worried that the murder of the late Michael Ataga has inundated all strata of the media with inconceivable stories, his family appealed to Nigerians to allow them grieve in privacy. In statement, the family said: “The more false information is disseminated in the press and on social media, the harder it is for the Nigerian Police to do their work and fully solve this case. “The harder it is for a grieving family to recover from the loss of their beloved son.” In a statement signed on behalf of the family by Dr. Isi Ataga , they appealed to Nigerians to allow them to grieve in privacy. The statement expressed shock over the incident and commended the police for the job done so far. They also appealed to members of the public to avail the police with more information that could assist in getting to the root of the killing. They are of the opinion that some fact might still be missing. The family seeks the cessation of various narratives in public domain through the social media cap...

  Qatari sprinter Abdalelah Haroun, who won the bronze medal in the 400 metres at the 2017 World Championships, has died in a car crash.    The Qatar Athletics Federation confirmed in a statement that he died on Saturday June 26th. He was 24.   'World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Qatari sprinter Abdalelah Haroun – 2017 world 400m bronze medallist and a former world junior champion – has died in a car crash at the age of 24,' the statement read.    The former world junior champion had been hoping to qualify for this year's Tokyo Olympics, and was undergoing rehabilitation following an injury.   The federation’s secretary-general, Mohammed Issa al-Fadala, said Qatar sports and athletics “lost a great hero” on a global level.  “He was in a rehabilitation programme after recovering from an injury (in preparation) to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics,” al-Fadala said. The Qatar Olympic Committee also mourned the loss on Saturday.   “Team...

  Doing things in moderation is always the best option. This applies to alcohol intake and many other things in life. Both genders take alcohol, however, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Men are more likely than women to drink excessively. Excessive drinking is associated with significant risks to men’s health and safety, and the risks increase with the amount of alcohol consumed. Men are also more likely than women to take other risks (such as misusing other substances, having multiple sex partners, or not wearing a seat belt), that when combined with alcohol, further increase their risk of illness, injury, or death.” Apart from the fun most men get from taking alcohol, there are a series of health risks associated with too much intake of alcohol, and below are some: Alcohol Can Affect Fertility, Sexual Performance, And Sexual Health Alcohol depresses the central nervous system which can make it difficult for some men to get, and keep an ...

  A shootout between suspected drug cartels left 18 people dead Friday in Mexico, a government official said. The gunfight happened in a remote area of Zacatecas state in the country’s north, said Rocio Aguilar, a spokeswoman for the state government. Drug-related violence has claimed more than 300,000 lives in Mexico since 2006, when the government started deploying federal troops to fight the cartels. “There were 18 dead, and the confrontation occurred in the community of San Juan Capistrano, in the municipality of Valparaiso,” Aguilar added. The battle was between rival gangs fighting over turf, she told Milenio TV. Valparaiso borders Jalisco state, a stronghold of a powerful cartel called Jalisco Nueva Generacion. Authorities say the gang is waging a violent campaign to take control of drug trafficking routes. Three vehicles, one of them burned-out, were found at the scene, as well as “a significant number of casings of different calibers,” according to the government’s Local C...

  21-year-old Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-level female student of University of Lagos on Thursday, told newsmen in Lagos that she stabbed Super TV CEO Michael Ataga to death in self defence. The student said this when she was presented by the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Hakeem Odumosu at the command headquarters. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ataga’s lifeless body was on June 16 found in a flat in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos with multiple wounds. The student who said she was arrested at her residence at Alagomeji, Yaba, where she resides with her parents, said that she met Ataga about five months ago. “On a Sunday, June 13, he asked that I get a place where we can stay. I checked online and sent to him, he asked me to go check it out which I did and paid. “On Monday, June 14, we were together drinking, smoking and I also went to get food. On Tuesday, June 15, he was making advances at me and I resisted, so he became violent and later had his way. “In the afternoon he or...

  In creation, God made a perfect order where children should be raised in a family consisting of father, mother and children, but due to human nature and some unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances, this order had been altered in some situations and one of the two parents are left with the responsibility of raising the child. According to Hellen Olukoju-Oladele, a teen counselor and lead trainer at The Redirect Academy, single parenting is raising a child or children alone without the other parent due to man made or natural factors. “Raising teenagers by both parents in the 21st century isn’t a walk in the parklet alone dealing with a teen as a single parent, but then, it isn’t a death sentence. The pressure on the single parent, emotionally, financially and psychologically will be dependent to a large extent on the type of arrangement or preparation in place for the welfare and all round well being of the teenager. “Take for instance, if the other parent is still alive and take...

  Haiti, Malta, Philippines and South Sudan were placed Friday on a “grey list” of countries under increased monitoring to counter money laundering and terrorist financing. The Financial Action Task Force, an international organisation that coordinates global efforts to crack down on money laundering and terrorism financing, said nations on the list are working with it to correct deficiencies in their financial systems. The additions bring to 22 the number of countries currently under increased monitoring by the intergovernmental watchdog, which was created in 1989. Malta becomes the only EU nation on the list dominated by African and Central American and Caribbean countries. Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela earlier this week criticised the FATF’s decision, but he pledged to improve oversight on financial crimes. “While I consider this decision as one which is unjust, our country will continue to build on the many reforms we have already done”, Abela said. “Instead of complainin...

  An official inquiry into the report that a South African woman Gosiame Thamara Sithole gave birth to 10 babies earlier this month has found the claim to be false. According to a statement by the Gauteng Provincial Government, no hospitals in Gauteng province have a record of decuplets being born. The statement added that medical tests show that Ms Sithole had not even been pregnant recently. The story of the “world's first decuplets” took over the international media space earlier this month after Pretoria News reported that Sithole, 37, who is already a mother of twins, gave birth to seven boys and three girls by Caesarean section at a hospital in Pretoria. Gosiame Thamara Sithole and her boyfriend, Teboho Tsotetsi. The boyfriend later released a statement saying the 10 babies do not exist | Image: Thobile Mathonsi/African News Agency (ANA) The 10 babies claim was however shrouded in mystery as the babies nor their mother made any public appearance, save for the father Tebogo Ts...

  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday, re-arraigned Peter Hena, former Coordinating Director of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and eight other officers of the agency before Justice Toyin Bolaji Adegoke of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The others are Mohammed Bello Auta (Director of Finance), Amina Sidi (Finance and Account Department), Umar Aliyu Aduka (Internal Audit), Mbura Mustapha (Deputy Manager), Obi Okeke Malachy (Services Group), Obaje Napoleon Adofu (Head of Budget), Udo-Inyang Effiong Alfred (Officer II) and Benjamin Jiya (Assistant Director). The defendants however pleaded “not guilty” to the charges. Their re-arraignment followed the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu. The defendants were docked on a 42-count charge bordering on corruption, fraud and criminal misappropriation of N4,558,160,676.9 (four billion, five hundred and fifty-eight million, one hundred and sixty thousand, six hundred and seventy-six naira,...

  Former Barcelona striker Kevin Prince Boateng has returned to his boyhood club Hertha Berlin in what is the 16th transfer move of his career.   The former Ghanaian international made his Bundesliga debut at the club in 2006, before going on to star in the Premier League, LaLiga, and Serie B.    Boateng, 34, unveiled the news at the same time as Hertha's official Twitter account on Wednesday.   He simply tweeted: "I'm back!"   "Kevin-Prince Boateng knows Hertha BSC, the Bundesliga and Berlin. He won't need long to settle in. Prince's leadership qualities are a great addition to our team, both on and off the pitch.   "He has also proven his skills as a player at the highest level for several years. Overall, everything about this transfer is right," said sporting director Fredi Bobic. Boateng joined the Hertha BSC academy as a seven-year-old and moved up through the ranks of the club's youth sides, before breaking into the first-team squad ...

  Kemisola Ogunniyi, her baby and wife of the Ooni of Ife, Olori Naomi Adeyeye Ogunwusi at the ceremony. The  #EndSARS  protester Kemisola Ogunniyi, who delivered a baby in prison had her baby christened on Wednesday in Ondo State. Recall that Ogunniyi was arrested and charged to court  alongside three others for allegedly vandalising a property belonging to the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress during the October #EndSARS protest in Akure, was remanded in Nigeria Correctional Service Centre in Akure. She delivered the baby boy last week Wednesday. The state High Court sitting in Olokuta, Akure , granted her bail on humanitarian ground on Tuesday. At the christening of the child held at Vera Christian Assembly, Ayedun Quarters, Akure, the wife of the Ooni of Ife, Olori Naomi Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who said she was touched by the circumstance in which the baby was born, presented him with baby items and foodstuffs for the baby’s family. The Olori said , “...