Author: Festus Adeloye

A Magistrate Court sitting in the Ebute Metta area of Lagos State has ordered the remand of a carpenter at the Kirikiri Correctional Facility for allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl in the Ipaja area of the state. Newsmen learnt from a statement by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency on Sunday that the suspect was arrested following an escalation of the matter by a popular comedienne known as Princess. Princess had in a social media post alleged that a man raped a nine-year-old girl while urging her followers within the area to visit the scene to save the…

The UK government says it has launched an unprecedented crackdown on illegal working, with enforcement activity reaching record levels in January. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the latest figures on Monday, coinciding with the second reading of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill in Parliament. According to the Home Office, “Immigration Enforcement teams conducted 823 workplace raids across the country, a 48 per cent increase from the previous year. “These efforts led to 609 arrests, marking a staggering 73 per cent rise compared to January 2023.” The surge in enforcement is part of a broader strategy to dismantle smuggling…

The United States is set to impose 25-percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports this week. President Donald Trump said this on Sunday to reporters aboard Air Force One that the tariffs, which he will announce on Monday, will apply to “any steel coming into the United States,” adding this will also affect aluminum. Trump imposed similar tariffs during his 2017-2021 presidency to protect US industries, which he believed faced unfair competition from Asian and European countries. Canada — which Trump has already threatened with tariffs — is the largest source of steel and aluminum imports to the United States, according…

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has paid tribute to the former Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, describing him as a visionary leader whose impact on Lagos and Nigeria remains deeply felt. Wigwe, his wife, Chizoba, and son, Chizi, lost their lives in a plane crash in the United States exactly a year ago. Speaking at a remembrance event at Eko Hotel, Sanwo-Olu said: “Lagos State has felt his absence very strongly in the last year, and people in this room know truly what I am talking about. “There are projects that would no doubt have moved faster…

No fewer than 10 people have been reportedly killed following a renewed cult clash in Obelle Community, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Sunday. The violent incident has triggered panic, forcing many residents to flee the area for safety. This latest violence comes just days after unidentified gunmen, suspected to be cultists, invaded the community on Wednesday, killing seven people. Sources told Newsmen that the renewed violence is a battle for supremacy between two notorious cult groups, Deybam and Icelanders, who resumed hostilities after over two years of uneasy calm.  The attack, where members of one group were…

Rescuers in southern China are searching for dozens of people missing after a landslide tore through a village, killing at least one person. The landslide, triggered by heavy rainfall, took place in Jingping village in Yibin city in China’s Sichuan province on Saturday morning, Newsmen report. It left 28 people unaccounted for and buried 10 houses, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Nearly 1,000 personnel, including armed police, firefighters and medical professionals, continued rescue operations on Sunday, after President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to do everything possible to “minimise casualties and properly handle the aftermath”. Some officers navigated through the remains…

The Federal Government has expressed readiness to receive Nigerians affected by the deportation order of United States President, Donald Trump, and reintegrate them back into society. This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in an interview with Newsmen. About 3,690 Nigerians in the United States are faced with deportation as Trump begins a crackdown on illegal immigrants in the country. Tunji-Ojo, however, assured that the country was ready to assist potential Nigerian deportees to settle and reunite them with their families and beloved ones. The minister also disclosed that the Federal Government had secured a facility at…

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has responded to a viral video circulating on social media, providing clarification on an incident involving a female motorist and a police constabulary officer. In a press release issued by the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John on Saturday, the command stated that the incident occurred on February 1, 2025, at Idoro Road by Atiku Abubakar Way in Uyo, the state capital. The viral footage, shared on Facebook by a user identified as Mayor Sylvester, captured the moment officers manhandled the pregnant woman, dragging her forcefully until she collapsed to the ground.…

There has been tension in Bori, the traditional headquarters of Ogoni land on Saturday, as a planned congress to begin talks on the planned oil exploration resumption in the area ended abruptly. Recall that President Bola Tinubu at a meeting with some Ogoni leaders in Abuja over a fortnight ago had urged them to return home to get the input of their people on the planned oil resumption in the area and come back to him. The meeting scheduled to be held at the Peace and Freedom Centre in Bori, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State saw an unexpected…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Saturday, has said it has secured the conviction of a medical doctor, Dr Geraldine Orok, for N127m fraud. A statement by the anti-graft agency, on its X handle on Saturday, said a Federal High Court, sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, presided over by Justice Rosemary Oghogho-rie convicted and sentenced Ita to seven years imprisonment. Ita was prosecuted by the Uyo Directorate of the EFCC on a 12-count charge, bordering on forgery and diversion of funds to the tune of N127m. One of the charges reads: “That you, Dr Geraldine Orok Ita…