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Following a statement credited to him that he would dump the Peoples Democratic Party if Ali Modu Sheriff is retained as the party’s National Chairman, the Ekiti State chapter of the faction loyal to the former Borno State Governor has told Governor Ayodele Fayose that he could leave the party any time he wishes. The faction made the statement while reacting to the threat by Governor Fayose to dump the party should Sheriff win at the Supreme Court. The faction, in a statement made available in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, May 18 said that; “One very painful fact which is driving Governor Fayose away from PDP is that; it is inconceivable for him to have lost control of the party structures in Ekiti State from ward to local government and state level in accordance with a federal high court judgement.” In the statement signed by the deputy chairman, Olasunkanmi Ogunbiyi and secretary, Ilesanmi Obe, the faction claimed; “The exit of Fayose from PDP will not adversely affect the fortunes of ...

A 58-year-old Indian who was detained by American customs officials last week for not possessing necessary immigration documents while entering the country died in custody at an Atlanta hospital. Atul Kumar Babubhai Patel was taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Atlanta City Detention Center for two days. He died on Tuesday afternoon at the hospital with the officials stating the preliminary cause of his demise as complications from congestive heart failure. Patel arrived at the Atlanta airport on May 10 on a flight from Ecuador. According to Hindustantimes, US Customs and Border Protection subsequently denied him entry into the country as he did not possess the necessary immigration documents, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement. Patel was transferred into the ICE custody last week at the Atlanta City Detention Center where he received an initial medical screening and was found to have high blood pressure and dia...

The Presidency on Friday confirmed that the National Assembly has formally transmitted the 2017 Appropriation Bill recently passed into law to the Executive. The Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President, Mr. Laolu Akande, confirmed this on his Twitter handle, @Akandeoj. He said the document was formally received in the office of the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Friday. Akande added that the bill is currently undergoing diligent consideration by the Executive arm of government. “2017 Budget -Appropriations bill now officially received in the Acting President’s office and undergoing very prompt and diligent consideration,” he wrote. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had on Wednesday told reporters that upon receipt of the document, copies would be made available to ministers to compare what their ministries sent to the National Assembly and what was returned. He had told the reporters that a decision on who would sign the document b...

Mercy Aigbe’s husband, Lanre Gentry was last week remanded in Ikoyi Prison as he couldn’t meet up with his bail conditions but has now been released after seven days in detention. He confirmed this in a post on Instagram and has promised to grant an interview to reveal his experience in Prison and also called for prison reforms as he shared on his experience while he was in Kirikiri prison awaiting the fulfilment of his bail conditions. Here is what he posted on Instagram:

Barely two weeks after the death of Yoruba actor, Adeshina Adesanya also known as Pa Ajidara, the Nollywood industry has once again been thrown into mourning with the death of popular actress, Moji Olaiya, who passed away in Canada. The actress who was popular for her roles in “No Pains No Gain,” “Nkan Adun” and “Agunbaniro” welcomed a baby in March 2017. Her death was confirmed by the founder of the Best of Nollywood Awards, Seun Oloketuyi via Instagram. Olaiya was known for her roles in films such as “Sade Blade “, “Nkan adun” and “Omo iya meta leyi ” Moji was married to Bayo Okesola in 2007. The actress who was one of the children to veteran musician, Victor Olaiya, converted to Islam in 2014. She died at 42.

Oxfam International on Wednesday in Abuja unveiled its ‘Inequality in Nigeria’ report, which revealed the harsh economic reality in a country where 112 million citizens live in abject poverty, stating that the combined wealth of five of her richest citizens, put at about $29.9bn, could end extreme poverty in the nation. Quoting Forbes, the agency listed the five richest Nigerians as Aliko Dangote, with a net worth $14.4bn; Mike Adenuga, $9.9bn; Femi Otedola, $1.85bn; Folorunsho Alakija, $1.55bn; and Abdulsamad Rabiu, $1.1bn. According to Oxfam, the report exposes the large and growing gap between the country’s rich and poor, adding that it also reveals how the benefits of economic growth are captured by a few wealthy elite at the expense of ordinary Nigerians. It said the richest man in Nigeria earned 8,000 times more in one day than a poor citizen would spend on basic needs in a year. The report listed Nigeria as one of the few countries where the number of people living in ...

Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson has said that the six years that the Ex-President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan spent as Nigeria’s president was a wasted opportunity for the Ijaw people. Governor Dickson made the comment on Tuesday while speaking at a conference of Ijaw leaders and youths who had gathered for the annual celebration of their hero, Major Adaka Boroh at the Ijaw House, Yenegoa. According to Dickson, Ministers and presidential aides from Ijaw who worked with the ex-president for six years failed to work with him in the interest of the Ijaw people but were after selfish interests. He said this made the six years of former President Jonathan a wasted period for the Ijaw people who thought their son had gotten to the helm of political affairs of this nation to change their lots for the better. •Gov Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa Governor Dickson maintained that, as such, “they suffered from the Bayelsa-Ijaw disease of pulling-him-down syndrome.” “It is true that we are cele...

KATSINA—Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has ordered the demotion and deployment of the Principal of Unity Secondary School (junior section) in Malumfashi, Malam Nuradeen Abubakar, and the Head Teacher of Rimaye Model Primary School, Malam Yakub Ibrahim, as classroom teachers. Alhaji Abdu Labaran, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to Governor Masari, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday, in Katsina. Governor Masari demotes principal, head teacher According to the statement, Masari’s decisions were based on the poor condition of the schools when he paid them an unscheduled visit. He said: “The schools, which are undergoing rehabilitation, had some of the renovated sections looking very dirty and unkempt. Indeed, a part of the wall surrounding the Malumfashi Unity Secondary School, which was recently rebuild, was broken down to create an illegal entrance. “At Rimaye Model Primary School in Kankia council, the recently-renovated doors and windows were ajar, at the mercy of t...

Leader of the South-East caucus in the Senate, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has protested against the alleged exclusion of the eastern rail line from the ongoing rail projects by the Federal Government. Abaribe, in his motion at the plenary on Tuesday, alleged that the South-East would not benefit from the projects for which the government was obtaining a loan of $5.851bn from China Exim Bank. The motion was titled, ‘Outright Omission of Eastern Corridor Rail Line in the Request for Approval of Federal Government 2016-2017 External Borrowing (Rolling Plan)’. The lawmaker, who is representing the Abia-South senatorial district, recalled that the Federal Government, on April 26, 2017, laid a request seeking an approval for the loan before the National Assembly to execute the modernisation of Lagos-Kano, Kano-Kaduna, Lagos-Ibadan and Lagos-Calabar rail segments. Abaribe, however, said, “The Senate observes with dismay that the above sections of the rail line that the loan was bein...

….She’s too young to decide for herself; he’s not Fulani —Father  A 23-year-old spinster, Khadija Ibrahim, yesterday, brought her father, Ibrahim Bassa, before an upper area court in Karu, Abuja, for not allowing her to marry a man of her choice. She told the court that she had a suitor, but her father refused to give his consent to the union. Judicial symbol She told the court: “He has refused to grant my request for marriage and he has also not given me a satisfactory explanation for his decision. The man I want to marry has made several attempts to meet with my father to discuss the wedding plans, but he always avoided him. “Any day my suitor is meant to come, my father will leave the house for an unknown place and this habit is delaying our marriage plans. The only reason he gave me was that the man I want to marry is not Fulani, which is not satisfactory to me because that is the only man I love.” She pleaded with the court to order her father to allow her get married to the ...

BENIN—herdsmen raped a woman and beat her husband to a pulp, weekend, at a farm in Ubuneke-Ivbiaro, Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State. Husband of the rape victim, Umoru Agunu, said armed herdsmen, numbering six, invaded his farm at about 10.30a.m. on Sunday, beat him up and raped his wife. According to him, “no sooner had I arrived at my farm with my wife than I saw six armed herdsmen demanding for my phone. When I told them I don’t have any, they beat me up mercilessly and two of them raped my wife. They were also with a young woman, who probably is their victim.” Armed Fulani-herdsmen Commenting on the incident, Yakubu Ibrahim, one of the community leaders, noted that armed herdsmen have laid siege on the community. Ibrahim added that the Sunday incident had been reported to the Divisional Police Officer in Afuze, the  administrative headquarters of Owan East Local Government, who promised to send his men to comb the bushes along with the volunteer vigilantes. Contact...

Zamfara State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum, Abdulaziz Yari has been identified by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to be the owner of a hotel being constructed with $3million from the London-Paris Club loan refund. According to SaharaReporters, he diverted N19billion reportedly meant for “consultants” from the Paris club loan refund. The money had been illegally paid into the account of the NGF by Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It is understood that the hotel is a 100-room property situated in Lekki area of Lagos. EFCC officials say they plan to take over the hotel, as soon as they obtain a court order. Apart from the $3million, Governor Yari is said to have diverted N500million from the Paris Club refund, to pay off a loan. Overall, the Governor is said to have allegedly embezzled the sum of N2.2billion from the N19billion set aside illegally to pay “consultants.”

Officers from the Area M Command of Lagos State Police Command have been accused by a Lagos medical practitioner, who identified himself as Dr Itan, of stealing N45,000 from him. The policemen stopped him while returning from an emergency around 1am accompanied by his wife. The doctor who works with a private hospital in the Iyana Ipaja area of the state said his explanations on where he was coming from was rebuffed by the men, who demanded N100,000 from him or he would be charged with robbery. Itan said after being detained for about three hours, the policemen led his wife to the nearest Automated Teller Machine, where she was forced to withdraw N45,000 for them. The doctor said four other motorists, who were also stopped, were forced to part with various sums of money. Check Prices of Phones, Computers, Electronics & Home Appliances here on PricePadi.com He said, “I live in Ikeja, while the hospital where I work is at Iyana Ipaja. I was at home on April 9 when a n...

A Federal Capital Territory, FCT, high court sitting in Maitama, yesterday, nullified a four-year-old marriage between Mr. Ugochukwu Eke and Uchenna Eke because the wife concealed her HIV status before marriage. The judge, Justice Jude Okeke, in his judgment, held that the petitioner’s evidence had been accepted since the woman did not file any protest contradicting the facts. He ruled: “The court holds the view that by undeniable evidence the respondent is suffering from HIV prior and during the marriage. “In the circumstance, the court holds the view that the petitioner has fulfilled the provisions of Section 5 (1) (a) of the Matrimonial Causes Act 2004 to grant the prayers sought. Judicial symbol “In the light of this, a decree of nullity of the marriage between the petitioner and the respondent contracted on February 12, 2013 at marriage registry of Kaduna South District is hereby nullified.” He recalled that Eke, on June 15, 2016, filed a petition seeking the nullification of hi...

The Chairman, Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Mr. Muhuyi Magaji, says the agency has achieved 80 per cent success into the investigation of alleged misapplication of N6bn by the Kano Emirate Council. Magaji told the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja that the commission had also recorded a “water tight case against the emirate council’’ over the allegations of financial misappropriation. “We have also identified our primary suspect in the course of the investigation,’’ he said, but declined to name the suspect,” he said. However, he said that the commission suspended the probe to avoid a “crisis of concurrent investigation with the state House of Assembly and possible litigation by interested parties.” The chairman explained that the state legislature had taken over the case by constituting an eight-man committee to conduct a similar probe when the commission was on top of the situation. According to him, Section 16 of the law establishin...

A post-war record crowd of 90,000 packed into the national stadium to watch the fight but staging an outdoor clash in the autumn is more problematic. As such, the Principality Stadium in Cardiff is considered the frontrunner to host the rematch, should it take place in the UK, because of the retractable roof. But, with Wales in action at home for four consecutive weekends across November and December, promoter Eddie Hearn has ear-marked  October  28 as the most viable date for a fight in the Welsh capital. He said,  “I believe Klitschko will go ahead with the rematch so we are looking at dates. “The Principality Stadium is not really available in November because of rugby so 28 October is the option. Most of December is available but I don’t really want to go that late. “Josh has a bit of a sore shoulder, Klitschko has had a tough fight, his face was bashed up. You have got two more weeks in May, all of June and after that they will be thinking ‘right let’s get ...

LAGOS—Beauty John, one of the 158 people deported from Libya last Thursday, has described her five months experience in the Libyan prison as the most horrible time of her life. The 22-year-old lady, who hails from Edo State, said she embarked on the trip to Italy through the desert in search of greener pastures, only to discover that she was pregnant while in the prison, for not having the necessary documents to be in the country. Describing her being alive as a miracle, she disclosed that she gave birth inside the prison, but could not breast-feed her baby for some days due to lack of medical care. Beauty John The nursing mother said: “One of my aunts, who stays in Italy, visited Benin and told some of us to come over, promising to help us secure jobs. Five of us made up our minds to go, but at the end, I was the only one who could raise money for the trip. The trip “On July 11, 2016, some other male friends and I left Benin for Sokoto State, through the desert. We got to Libya a we...

Ibadan—There appears to be no end in sight to the supremacy battle among Yoruba obas as the Olugbo of Ugbo kingdom, Oba Obateru Akinruntan, who presides over a reconciliation committee he and others set up to facilitate unity among the monarchs, has said he remains the most prominent king in the zone. The monarch had recently been in the eye of the storm by assuming leadership role among the kings. His claims generated scathing criticisms. Oba Akinruntan, the Chairman, Yoruba Obas Conflicts Resolution Committee, had fruitlessly arranged peace meeting between the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, who had been at each other’s throat over who actually was greater. This crisis lasted for years until Oba Sijuwade joined his ancestors. But, the enthronement of Oba Eniitan Ogunwusi as the new Ooni had extinguished all embers of discord and calmed all frayed nerves only for Oba Akinruntan who is seen as a mediator, to claim he is the authentic proge...

Machester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho is set to become the most surprising member of manager Pep Guardiola’s summer clearout at the Etihad Stadium with the club willing to listen to offers for the 20-year-old Nigerian. Kelechi Iheanacho German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund have already expressed an interest in the young forward who was tipped for the top by former City boss Manuel Pellegrini and has scored 21 goals for City despite making only 20 starts. Under Guardiola however, Iheanacho’s progress has been restricted by the £27million signing of young Brazilian international centre forward Gabriel Jesus and there is an acceptance he could move on to help finance a rebuild at the club this summer. Though there is likely to be Premier League interest in Iheanacho, Dortmund are likely to be able to offer Champions League football next season and the chance to play with star forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang if he stays at the club. Manchester City are likely to ask close to £20...

North Korea said Monday it had successfully tested a new type of rocket in its latest missile launch, as analysts said it showed an unprecedented range that brought US bases in the Pacific within reach. Sunday’s launch was a “new ground-to-ground medium long-range strategic ballistic rocket” named the Hwasong-12, the official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Leader Kim Jong-Un personally oversaw the test, it said, and “hugged officials in the field of rocket research, saying that they worked hard to achieve a great thing”. The isolated North is under multiple sets of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes, which have triggered a global alarm. The missile was launched on an unusually high trajectory, with KCNA saying it flew to an altitude of 2,111.5 kilometres and travelled 787 kilometres before coming down in the Sea of Japan (East Sea). That suggests a range of 4,500 kilometres (2,800 miles) or more if flown for maximum distance, analysts s...

A hairdresser, Yetunde Oladipupo, aka Iyabo, has committed suicide on Onabola Street, Owotutu, in the Somolu area of Lagos State. Source also learnt that Oladipupo took an insecticide, Sniper, on Friday shortly after seeing off some friends who had visited her. Although the cause of the visit could not be ascertained by our correspondent, it was gathered that the mother of four went to a shop afterwards and bought the insecticide. She was alleged to have taken it and was later rushed to the General Hospital, Gbagada, where she died. Our correspondent learnt that the Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State indigene, had taken a loan of about N150,000 from a microfinance bank and the creditor had been pestering her to pay. A resident, who did not want to be identified, said the victim was always depressed because she had no means of repaying the debt. He said, “Iyabo (Oladipupo) has four children and her husband is based in Abuja. He comes home once in a while. She was a hairdresser and had a...