The kidnappers, who abducted four landlords around Lekki Gardens Estate, in the Isheri North area of Lagos State, have demanded N300m each to release their victims.
The assailants called family members of their victims on Sunday to make the demand, threatening to harm the landlords if the demand was not met.
Our correspondent had reported that the gunmen, who were masked, emerged from the waterways while the residents were jogging around 8am on Saturday.
They were said to have shot sporadically into the air before taking away their victims in a speedboat.
Those who escaped the attack said they hid in the water for over one hour until security operatives arrived in the area.
A source in the community said the kidnappers had contacted families of the victims and demanded ransom, describing the demand as unrealistic.
He said, “They have made contact and they asked for N300m for each of the victims. They said they would communicate where they would drop the money. But we all know that the demand is unrealistic. Where do they expect the families to get N1.2bn from?”
The source added that landlords in all the estates had started a series of meetings to find a way out of the conundrum, adding that the incident was unprecedented in the community.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Police Command, Lagos, Abdulmajid Ali, has raised a team to go after the hoodlums.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesperson for the command, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the team had been given an order to rescue the victims unhurt.
The statement said, “The AIG, who gave the directive to the team which comprises trained and versatile police operatives and ICT experts from Lagos and Ogun commands and the Force headquarters, Abuja, described the incident as unfortunate and totally unacceptable.
“AIG Ali assures relations of the victims and the public of timely and successful rescue operation as the police have clues to the incident. And that the hoodlums, who have no hiding place, will be apprehended. He also assures the residents of the area of adequate security.
“He appeals to the relations of the victims and the public to support the police with useful information on the rescue operation while he works assiduously with the two commissioners of police in Lagos and Ogun and other stakeholders, to rescue the victims and sustain the fight against kidnapping and other crimes within the zonal command.”
Nollywood actor Osita Iheme has got the internet trolling him after he posted a photo of him and a dog on his Instagram page.
The big black and white dog which looks to be almost the height of the short actor got social media users cracking up and making all sorts of comments.
Osita who seems to be used to trolls has not responded to any of the comments made on the photo he simply captioned “….Charlie.”
Check out what some of the comments people made on Instagram:
A Twitter user also took a swipe at the star actor:
Osita, popularly known as Pawpaw came into the Nollywood limelight when he starred in a series of movies titled Aki and Pawpaw with co actor Chinedu Ikedieze.
He has gone on to feature in several other award winning movies and has earned the reputation of one of the most sought after actor in the industry.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has traced properties worth N1.5bn to a former Special Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on Domestic Affairs, Waripamowei Dudafa.
Our correspondent learnt on Sunday that as part of investigations into an alleged case of money laundering, the EFCC discovered some properties, which Dudafa had not been able to explain where he got the money to buy them.
The commission discovered a mansion in the Agungi area of the Lekki-Epe Expressway, allegedly belonging to Dudafa, said to be worth over N300m.
The anti-graft agency also traced a plot of land around the Chevron Estate, off the Lekki-Epe Expressway and a twin duplex within the same area said to belong to Dudafa.
Apart from the Lagos properties, an edifice in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, was also traced to Dudafa.
A source in the EFCC said, “When we are probing a person, we usually investigate his lifestyle and see if he or she is living above his means. Since Dudafa has already been arraigned for money laundering, we decided to launch further investigations into his lifestyle.
“We found a white mansion in the Agungi area of Lagos, very close to Lekki. He has about four exotic cars in the compound. We did not seal it off because people live there. So, we just placed a sticker on the fence to indicate that the property is a subject of investigation.
“Dudafa also has a twin duplex around the Chevron Estate. We did not seal it off because he has rented the property out. However, he has a parcel of land around the place, which we have sealed off.
“We have arraigned Dudafa and if he is found guilty, he will forfeit the properties.”
Dudafa first became a subject of EFCC investigation when a former Aide-de-Camp to Jonathan, Col. Ojogbane Adegbe (retd.), told detectives that he handed over N10bn (converted to foreign currency) to Dudafa on the eve of the 2014 Peoples Democratic Party presidential primary in which Jonathan was the sole aspirant.
The money given to Dudafa was allegedly used in bribing PDP delegates.
The money was allegedly diverted by the Office of the National Security Adviser under Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) from a Signature Bonus Account in the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The N10bn is believed to have been diverted from oil receipts as follows: $5m (November 14, 2014); $47m (November 27, 2014); €4m (December 3, 2014) and €1.6m (December 24, 2014).
While Adegbe was arrested but later released, Dudafa was said to have fled to either Dubai or a Caribbean country where he stayed for several months.
Dudafa was finally arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services upon arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on April 18, 2016.
The anti-graft agency said the former presidential aide returned N900m to the Federal Government.
Dudafa is also believed to be a front for Dame Patience Jonathan, the wife of the former President.
Patience had said in a sworn affidavit two weeks ago that she gave Dudafa some money to help her open an account at Skye Bank.
She, however, stated that Dudafa used the money to open five accounts of which only one bore her name while the other four were opened in the names of Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited; Seagate Property Development & Investment Co. Limited; Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited and Avalon Global Property Development Company Limited.
The current balance of the four accounts is $15,591,700 while the money in Patience’s personal account stands at $5m.
The four companies last week pleaded guilty to money laundering.
Patience risks losing the $15m to the government.
One Sammie Somiari, who deposed to an affidavit on behalf of Patience, claimed that the former President’s wife was the rightful owner of the $15m and that Dudafa helped her to open the bank accounts in 2010.
A woman, Latifat Adeyemi, who was allegedly battered by her uncle-in-law, Rasak Alabi, at Aga, Ikorodu, has cried out for justice.
Last Friday Alabi allegedly hit the victim with a spanner on her head and face.
The picture of the injured woman went viral on social media after a family friend Francis Ibirinde shared it on his Facebook wall.
In a telephone interview with Nation Correspondent, Adeyemi said her aunt’s husband attacked her at their 3, Ile-Ewe, Sholebo family residence at Aga, Ikorodu.
The makeup artist explained that trouble started after she got home on Friday night and discovered that the Air Conditioner in her room has been removed.
“I was surprised and angry that the AC in my room at our family house was removed by my aunt’s husband. His wife stays abroad. The house belongs to my grandparents but because his wife renovated it, he has been staying there ever since they resolved their marital problems.
“So, that day I got back from work and realised that my AC has been removed. I was angry. I picked my phone and called my sister, telling her that I have had it. That I don’t think I can continue staying in the house. I was still outside talking to my sister on phone, when the man from nowhere, hit me with spanner from behind.
“He said I was making noise. That was how he continued hitting me with the iron. I was bleeding but he didn’t care. When he was satisfied, he went inside.
“I had to call my parents and uncles before going to Ebute Police Sation to make an entry. At the station, the policemen asked me to go to the hospital and treat myself first that I was bleeding seriously. But I didn’t go straight to the hospital. I went back to the house to provoke the man so that he can come out but he did not. Then, I left for the hospital,” she said.
Continuing, Adeyemi said policemen later went there to invite him for questioning but he refused to answer them.
Rather, she said, the man went to Igbogbo police station to make another entry and took some men to her uncle’s house to arrest him.
“He took vigilante members (Onyabo) to my uncle’s place because my uncle was against him. But when the vigilante boys took my uncle away, some people who knew him quickly contacted their boss and told him what happened. My uncle was released. But he went and got policemen from another station to arrest him, despite that our case was already at Ebute police station. My uncle was arrested and detained at the station till the following morning when other family members came.
“I was on admission at the hospital and they had a family meeting and he said it was temptation. My bill was over N70,000. I was told he came to the hospital and paid the bills but he never bothered to check on me to see what he caused. Even the doctors told him to visit me and apologise but he refused. They said he paid the bill and left.
“His wife too has not bothered to call me to find out what happened. I really cannot say if there was any problem between us. I don’t know. But the action was very surprising and I don’t think I want him to go free after what he did to me.”
The victim who was at the Public Advice Centre (PAC), Ministry of Justice, Alausa on Friday, said she was determined to get justice for the unprovoked attack on her.
She said: “The man has refused me access to get my things. My clothes and other belongings are still inside the house. For three days after the assault, I wore the same dress. I want justice. The police have not been able to arrest him, I don’t know why. So, I have gone to the Ministry of Justice so that the government can look into the matter.”
A graduate of Political Science, Jehu Kwasu, has narrated how he impersonated the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah and defrauded prominent Nigerians of millions of naira.
Kwasu said his victims included Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church Worldwide, who he claimed gave him N500,000; the Chairman, Honeywell Group, Oba Otudeko, N1m; Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, N500,000; businessman, Alhaji Aminu Dantata, N2m.
He allegedly collected the sums for Internally Displaced Persons.
He said, “I collected N500,000 from Otudeko, CEO, Honeywell: From Admiral Kanu, I got N500,000. I also got N500,000 from Bishop Oyedepo and N2m from Dantata. I also got money from Gen. Wushishi and others.
“I opened a Guaranty Trust Bank account in Bishop Kukah’s name. I registered a SIM card in my name, but used Bishop Kukah’s picture on my True Caller account, so that when I call, his picture would appear (on the recipient’s phone.)”
Kwasu, who is serving a two-month sentence in the Keffi Prison, admitted on Friday in Abuja that he realised over N5.7m.
Police sources said only N1.7m was found in his bank account, adding that the suspect spent most of the money he made on girls and hard drugs.
It was gathered that Kwasu, the son of late Anglican Bishop, James Kwasu, also exploited his father’s name, to extort money from the Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, when the latter was the Speaker, House of Representatives. The 25-year old explained that he defrauded his victims by soliciting money on phone to cater to IDPs in the country.
The cleric’s son stated that he obtained a passport with the name, Mathew Hassah Kukah Jehu, and also opened an account with the GTB in the same name.
He said, “I called people on the telephone and told them I was Bishop Kukah. I used his picture on my True Caller account, so that when I called people, they would think he was the one talking with them.
“I also obtained a passport in Bishop Kukah’s name which I used to open an account with GTB. The money I realised was paid into the account and I used an Automated Teller Machine card to withdraw it.”
Punch Metro gathered that Kukah was alerted to the scam by some people close to him. The cleric was said to have petitioned the police, which asked the bank to place a “no debit order” on the account.
Following his inability to withdraw from the account, Kwasu was said to have visited the bank to complain, where he was arrested.
Findings indicate that Kwasu had earlier been arrested and remanded in prison for impersonating Bishop Steven Akobe of the Anglican Diocese of Kabba, Kogi State, but was granted bail.
The police said Kwasu had also attempted to extort money from Senator David Mark, claiming to be Akobe.
“Mark said I should come for some money, so I sent my girlfriend. But she was arrested and I was taken to court and sentenced to two months imprisonment or N9,000 fine,” Kwasu stated.
It was gathered that the suspect, who had two female siblings, sold his deceased parents’ house in Kaduna for N10m and lavished the money on girls and a profligate lifestyle.
The Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Mustafa, stated that Kwasu was arrested by the men of his command, after Kukah complained about his activities.
The CP said, “We received a petition from Bishop Kukah alleging that the boy had been impersonating him and extorting money from prominent people. So, my men went to work and were able to track the suspect and arrest him. He is a habitual criminal and I would like to advise the public against responding to emails or phone calls from unknown persons requesting financial support for one cause or the other.”
Mustafa also called on the public to report every suspicious phone call and email to the police for investigation.
A 28-year-old suspect who was arrested by the operatives of Rapid Response Squad for pick-pocketing, Deji Ayoola, proved his mettle by stealing N1,200 again inside the Police’s office during his interrogation.
The suspect was nabbed by the patrol team of the squad at Ojodu-Berger over the weekend for pick-pocketing a commuter trying to board a commercial vehicle to the Redemption Camp.
Ayoola had successfully perpetrated the crime before the RRS operatives who sighted him when he was removing the wallet pursued and arrested him.
The victim, Ayodele Akerele, said:
“I collected a sum of N14,500 from Automated Teller Machine (ATM) from a bank at Berger on my way to the Redemption Camp.
“However, I had no inkling that my money had been removed.
“It was about the time to pay fare that I discovered my wallet had disappeared.
“In fact, I had even forgotten about the money until the following day when an operative from RRS called me that my wallet was recovered from a suspect when they nabbed him.
“The Policeman added that they found my mobile number inside my wallet, which made it easy for them to call me.
“I was shocked to hear this because I had already lost hope of recovering the money.”
The suspect who lives at Mowe area of Ogun State, confessed to the crime and blamed the devil for it.
Ayoola said:
“I truly removed the wallet from his (victim) pocket before I was arrested by the policemen.
“They bundled me to their office immediately.
“It was the devil who pushed me into the act.
“I pray to God to forgive me.”
It was gathered that during his interrogation at the RRS’s headquarters in Alausa, the suspect showed his skill again by stylishly stepping on a N1,200, which fell from a police woman’s pocket while she was removing her cell phone from the pocket.
When the money dropped on the floor, rather than to draw her attention to the money, he pocketed it.
Unknown to him, another suspect had seen him when he was hiding the money and immediately alerted the officer that the money she was looking for was with the suspect.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police Dolapo Badmus, who confirmed the incident, said the good people of Lagos State are sleeping with their eyes closed now as the crime rate in the state has drastically reduced.
The suspect has been transferred to the State Environmental Task Force on for prosecution.
Kwaito singer Mduduzi Tshabalala, popularly known as Mandoza, has died. Mandoza is known for hits such as Nkalakatha, Godoba and Sgelekeqe, and collaborated with Danny K on Same Difference.
He started his career with Chiskop, a kwaito group formed with three of his childhood friends. He also participated in the kwaito documentary SHARP! SHARP! – the kwaito story, and the 2006 rugby drama, Number 10.
Last week his family confirmed he was being treated at home for a brain tumour.
Mandoza’s producer, Gabi le Roux posted the following message on Facebook on September 6: “Mpho and the Tshabalala family has asked all his friends and fans to pray for him, beckon the ancestors and keep him in your thoughts during this time.”
He however died today after facing difficulties in breathing and was rushed to the hospital. He died at the hospital gate. He was 38.
Nollywood actress, Tonia Ferrari has opened up concerning her most embarrassing moment as an actress.
Speaking in an interview with Vanguard News, the actress gave a report of the time when she had to strip to her bare skin in a bid to prove that her buttock was real.
“That will be when some actors accused me of wearing fake hips and bum. At first I thought it was a joke but they were dead serious about it.”
“They went on and on about it that I had to prove it to them that I am all natural. So, I pulled down my jeans and showed them my naked bum. They were transfixed and could not talk for moments.”
“I know I have a fresh and beautiful bum. It was so crazy I couldn’t believe I did what I did. Even the guys were confused.”
“Don’t think I am wayward or something, I believe so much in decency but their accusation made me lose my head.”
“I even told them to touch it and confirm but they just stared in disbelief.”
Nollywood Actor, Politician and Father of 4, Demond Elliot shared the below beautiful photos of himself and his wife on Instagram. He captioned the Photos:
“The Mrs and I ..my babamai ,we shall grow old together ,we just dey start ooo. Love of mi life ..a woman who knows me .#not just bone of my bone… #youarethebone”
The beautiful couple will be celebrating their 13th wedding anniversary by December.
A newly-wed couple in Northeast China gave each other snakes as gifts at their wedding ceremony which held on Friday.
Wu Jianfeng, the groom, married Jiang Xue in Jinlin city of Jilin province. At the wedding ceremony, the bride Jiang gave a 15-kg female Burmese python/python bivittatus to the groom, who in turn gave the bride a 30-kg male Burmese python.
The Burmese python is one of the five largest species of snakes in the world.
It is reported that the couple are animal rights activists and bred many rare species at home, including spiders, lizards, pythons and birds.
Japan’s local media, Japan Times and international media, Washington Post, Telegraph and ofcourse even we also (lol) are excited about a report from Japan’s National Institute of Population and Social Security Research saying that, in a survey of Japanese people aged 18 to 34, around 42 percent of the men and 44.2 percent of the women admitted they were virgins. Oh! Oh!!
That’s beyond the fact that 70 percent of unmarried men and 60 percent of unmarried women are not in a relationship. And, it’s up from 2010 when only 36.2 percent of men and 38.7 percent of women said they had never had sex.
This survey has been done every five years since 1987. At the time, the subjects who said that they had no partner stood at 48.6 percent and 39.5 percent for men and women respectively.
Despite all this, nearly 90 percent of the respondents said they want to get married “sometime in the future.”
“They want to tie the knot eventually. But they tend to put it off as they have gaps between their ideals and the reality,” said Futoshi Ishii, head of the NIPSSR’s population dynamics research department.
“That’s why people marry later or stay single for life, contributing to the nation’s low birthrate.”
Below is what a scholar and social activist shared online. Including snapshots.
We are no strangers to the abuses girls are plagued with all their lives. Most girls face these things right from secondary school and at the hands of hypersexual overreaching teachers and youth Corps members (one of the reasons I don’t support the posting of inexperienced and irresponsible young boys to teach and abuse girls in secondary schools in the name of nysc).
What we have here is a case to show how deep we have snowballed. A young teacher, named Ndubuisi Vincent, takes mathematics at Nuco comprehensive secondary school, Uyo. He has been disturbing a student known as Idara Okon for sexual favours for a long time. He took his advances to Facebook and he sent the girl inappropriate messages. The girl could take it no further and she resolved to expose him by sharing screenshots of their conversations online. She tagged other teachers and the school management. I have uploaded the said conversations here as proof together with other screenshots surrounding the event.
I enjoin concerned Nigerians to fight against child abuse and female abuse. The girl child suffers too much in Nigeria. At 17, a girl should be focused on her books and passing WAEC, NECO, JAMB, and any other exam that Nigeria plagues her with, and not sleeping with randy male teachers who have nothing to offer. I seize this medium to warn all those partaking in this great injustice, at all levels, to desist from it. Those who do this forget the law of karma. They’ll soon have daughters of their own. Apart from that, they forget that the world is becoming better oriented and advanced. As for the guilty ones, learn from this and know that your time is coming. Trust me when I say you won’t believe it when it happens.
This young teacher needs to be punished and prosecuted for child abuse, breach of trust and any other crime he has committed. Let his case serve as a detterent for others who engage in questionable acts such as this. The next people that will be served like this are randy male corpers who abuse people’s children in the name of serving the country. To those corpers, I say “big brother is watching you”!
I am a scholar and social activist who write from Okpara-Inland, Nigeria.
Ella is 31-years-old and has a very successful career, however, a nasty office romance with her boss, threatens her peace. Here is her very shocking confession.
“My name is Ella, I am 31 years old. I work with a private establishment in one of the Northern states in Nigeria and ever since I got this dream job, I have been fulfilled but I have never had peace since ‘my boss’ started his sexual exploits with me.
“It’s quite a small company, the pay is not so mouth-watering. I qualified for the job after the interview, so my getting the job was not based on sentiments. I am doing this job because of the drive and passion I have for it, yet, I am not happy.
“My boss is a married man and he sleeps with me at will. He used to be nice to me only when he wants to ask me for sex. Sometimes, he doesn’t even ask me, he will just visit me. No matter how much I resist him, all he wants is to have me laid and the moment he does, he dresses up and leaves,” Ella narrated.
She said talking about the whole experience makes me sick, stressing though she is not the type keen on sex, still she is compelled to do it with her boss sometimes.
The devastated lady said that her boss was in the habit of giving her attitude at work, she said:
“At work, this mad dog gives me attitude. He doesn’t know how to talk to people, he thinks he is on top of the world.
Sometimes we don’t even talk because I’m having a heavy heart, but when it is time for sex, he comes around like a lost puppy looking for milk. Oh! How I hate him.
“I remember how someone said he used to work somewhere, going to work tattered. This my so called boss used to look so dirty and unkempt to the office when his boss called him and gave him clothes. Today, maybe because he is somewhere and he thinks he has arrived, he can talk to people anyhow and have sex with whoever at anytime”.
Ella stressed that going to work has become a frustrating exercise for her, as she is fed up with the harassment.
Contemplating blackmail, she said:
“Funny enough, I have some evidence of his sexual harassment and I really don’t know what to do with them. I didn’t intend to come up with this, thinking I would get over the whole thing when he eventually stops.
But the thought of sleeping with me at will when he has his wife at home is killing. So, I’m the one sweet for precedent sex games? I ask myself sometimes.”
“I battle with this sex bull-dog taking advantage of me and his unbearable attitude. It’s all about the sex to him. All he wants is what matters, how about what I want? He feigns innocence a lot, it is difficult for someone to know what he is capable of; but he is a green snake. Even if I speak out in an attempt to expose his wickedness, who will believe me? I’m worried sick!,” She lamented.
According to Daily Post, Ella is confused and does not know what to do with the situation in her office.
She said:
“I’m just going mad. What do I do? I am not a sex material and he will not go unpunished. How do I go about this whole thing? I wish I could kill him. Going to work and getting to see this casanova drives me nuts.” There are numerous cases similar to Ella’s going on around Nigeria, the question remains how do we help people like Ella who are facing similar situations. Do share your views with us on this issue.
Halima and Zahra Buhari are two of the daughters of APC Presidential Candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari. Halima is married to is also Babagana Sherrif and Aisha is not married.
The pair were seen recently at a friend’s wedding at Sultan Road in Kaduna State. The bride is Hadiza and the couple became Mr and Mrs. Nur by the end of the lovely wedding ceremony.
The photographer was Aisha Danbatta and she happily shared pictures of the couple as well as Zahra and Halima who definitely stole the show with their beautiful faces and outfits.
In this Spice interview, beautiful actress Kiki Omeili talks about her background, education and more, enjoy!
Background
I was born in Lagos but I am a native of Anambra State. I am the second child of my parents and I have three siblings.
My father was a banker and my mother was a comptroller of prisons in Ibadan, Oyo State.
I developed a liking for the arts when I partook in several stage productions in primary and secondary school. I studied Medicine at University of Lagos.
Acting
Some people think I’m crazy to have quit medicine for a career in acting. I’m just doing what I love. When I was in secondary school, I was always interested in stage performances and debates.
When it was time for me to go to the university, I chose to study Medicine.
However, by the time I was done studying Medicine, I realised that I was still drawn to the arts. I practised for a little while, but I needed to go with my passion.
Nollywood
After completing my National Youth Service Corps programme at a health centre in Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State, I found my way into acting almost immediately.
My first role was that of a lead actor in a drama series titled, Beyond the Smile, in 2011. I am best known for my role in Blessing Egbe’s TV series, Lekki Wives and I have gone ahead to star in over 30 productions.
At the onset of my career, many producers did not even know that I trained as a medical doctor.
In fact, many of them got to know this aspect of my life by chance or mere coincidence.
Roles
Even though some persons are of the opinion that I am harsh in some of the movies that I feature in, I don’t think that I am being typecast.
I consider myself a method actor. A lot of the times, I rehearse my lines in front of a mirror. I do this to take note of my facial expressions and intonation. I constantly like to hone my skills. I also read a lot of acting books, notably the Actor’s Bible.
I also watch a lot of movies because I love to learn how other actors interpret their characters. I observe people a lot by studying how they react to other people and situations.
It gives me a variety of reactions to choose from, depending on the character that I’m asked to portray.
High points
Receiving the award for the ‘Best Actress (Supporting Role in an English Language film)’ at the 17th African Film Awards, in London, barely a year after making my acting debut, remains dear to my heart.
My role in the movie titled Sting, won me the award for the Best Supporting Actress at the 2015 Global Icons Academy Movie Awards, which held in the United States of America.
Current projects
I made my debut as a movie producer in May, with the release of a short film titled Unprotected.
The film is based on true events that I observed as a medical student. It tells the story of a philandering husband and the consequences he leaves his family to bear.
I played the lead character alongside Eric Didie, Bimbo Ademoye, Blessing Ambrose and Nathan Kingsley in supporting roles. I hope to produce a couple of other short films and also shoot a feature film in future.
Leisure
Funnily enough, I like to unwind by going to the cinemas to see a good movie. I also like to hang out with friends because I am a people person.
Fitness
I carry out a lot of stretches and breathing exercises. I am only able to convincingly portray any role by paying attention to the tone of my voice and how well I project.
When you are able to control your breath by ensuring that it comes to your diaphragm, it becomes a lot easier to control your voice.
Fashion
I love uncomplicated designs and I don’t follow trends blindly. My style is simple and classy.
Marriage
I will get married when the time is right. When I see my husband, I will know. If I start naming the qualities I want in a man, I may end up with somebody that does not possess these qualities.
However I like intelligent, God-fearing and independent men.
An NFL player was fined a whooping sum of $9,115 for excessive sexiness after celebrating by twerking.
Antonio Brown a receiver at Pittsburgh Steelers was fined the whooping sum. The dance drew a flag, but didn’t stop the Steelers from rolling 38-16 over the Washington Redskins.
Brown also was fined $6,076 for wearing blue shoes in violation of the league’s uniform code. But it’s the twerk seen around the country that highlighted quite a week in players paying to dance around the NFL.
An Italian artist, Maurizio Cattelan has built for the Guggenheim museum in New York, a fully functional toilet made entirely of gold. The 18-carat masterpiece was on exhibition at the museum before it became open for public access.
The artist has named his work ‘America’ and has said that his interactive art piece is about reminding the people of the world of their “inescapable physical realities of our shared humanity.”
The Guggenheim museum situated on the famous Fifth Avenue in New York has said that piece is about making extravagant luxury product intended for the ‘one percent’ available to the public.
Visitors to the museum are freely allowed to use the seat, they only have to pay the standard museum admission fee and off they go! The 55-year-old sculptor Cattelan, is the son of a truck driver who hails from Milan and has stated that the inspiration for his work comes from the economic inequality in society and want to flush away the financial unfairness.
Oba Obateru Akinruntan who is the monarch of Ugbo kingdom, Ondo State and the richest monarch in Nigeria and the second richest monarch in Africa, according to Forbes, made this revelation in a recent interview with Punchng, where he spoke about the place of his kingdom in Yoruba history.
When asked about the place of Ugbo land in the story of Moremi, he said:
“Many people must have read about the Moremi episode. The Ugbos raided Ife many times, so they consulted Ifa and Osanyin for a solution. The oracle told them to put a beautiful lady in the market and they put Moremi there who later betrayed the Ugbo people.
This is why she is never celebrated in Ugbo. We see her as a betrayer, someone who leaked our secret to Ife. That is another reason why Ugbo people do not marry ladies who are fair in complexion. We see such women as another Moremi. We believe that she was a traitor and a betrayer. .
She deceived us and leaked our secret to Ife, otherwise we would have kept invading them till date. There would not have been anybody in Ife if not for Moremi. That is why we can never celebrate her. She betrayed her husband, she was a killer and we can even call her an armed robber. That is why nobody in Ugbo can celebrate her.”
You can read the FULL Interview on Punch Newspaper Here
A former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Ahmadu Ali has seen his party as a contending force for power in 2019, but said Nigerians will vote for President Muhammadu Buhari if he decides to present himself for another term in office.
He stated that though Nigerians are currently criticising Buhari over his performance in office so far, they will be singing his praise a year from now as they would have forgotten their present complaints by then.
Speaking with Saturday Sun, the Director-General of the Goodluck Jonathan/Mohammed Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation in 2015, said:
“Buhari’s performance that you are criticizing now, give him another year, you will be singing his praise.
“As far as Nigeria is concerned, they have forgotten the past, they will vote for him unless he is not standing. If Buhari is standing in 2019, people will vote for him.”
Explaining why he sees the possibility of Buhari’s victory in 2019 despite the present cries of Nigerians about hardship, Ali said:
“in order to get something good, you have to do a radical surgery, that radical surgery the pain is what we are suffering from; I am telling you when the pains heal and we start enjoying the surgery that was put in place, we will be ready to vote again if it is the same Buhari because they will say if things go wrong, he knows how to fix it.”
Ali, who noted that his party will be up against an uphill task if Buhari “continues to perform well and he wants to come back”, stated that such does not mean the PDP cannot defeat the President, adding that, “after all he defeated us so we should be able to defeat him.”
He went on to blame the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, for the current leadership squabble in the PDP, stressing that their plan is to disorganize the opposition so the party in power can have peace.
He continued that the current crisis rocking the former ruling party was also caused by western powers who are envious of PDP’s record of governing Nigeria for 16 uninterrupted years.
The former minister stated that the forces, who he called enemy outside Nigeria, believe that leaving the PDP to continue in power after 16 years, will make it grow into an impossible party which cannot be manipulated.
His words,
“The PDP imbroglio is most unfortunate but it is all within the realm of politics. If APC finds that they are not performing excellently well and we who can claim to be experts in running the country for 16 years are now outside government and we keep criticizing, the best thing is to find a way of disorganising us and they succeeded in disorganising us.
“And again our friends, the enemy outside Nigeria who believed that the PDP has broken such a record in the governance of Nigeria… 16 years uninterrupted… one political party… it has never happened in Nigeria.
“So they believed that leaving the PDP to continue in that run, they will end up to become an impossible party that they cannot manipulate, like the Gulf Party of the Arabs where they had to destroy Saddam and everybody to disorganize the region,” the ex-PDP chairman said.
Today, Davido took to his SnapChat to announce that he has signed Dammy Krane to his record label, Davido Music Worldwide, joining the likes of Mayorkun, Dremo and Danagog.
“Dammy Krane just signed with DMW,” Davido wrote on his social media, and then he listed out the list of artiste now with his new label.
Prior to this development, Krane was signed to 2baba’s Hypertek Digital, the record label where he belted out his hit songs, including ‘Incasity’ and ‘Kalamity’. The singer whose real name is Oyindamola Johnson Emmanuel got signed to 2baba’s company in 2012, when he was only 20.
It is unclear why Krane left Hypeterk Digital, and if the split up was amicable. There hasn’t been any official statement from the label explaining the end of their relationship.
However, Krane is ready to take over the spotlight with Davido’s team, and we can’t wait to see how this pans out.
Dr Sara Gilks, 32, who had a distinguished academic career and considered one of West Yorkshire Police’s most respected volunteer officers, killed herself after her boyfriend had split with her.
A heartbroken special constable text a friend saying her boyfriend had “absolutely destroyed me” before killing herself when he ended the relationship, an inquest heard. The court was told that she had begun to research suicide methods over the internet before she was found dead in her bed by her friend Diane Hirst.
She told the inquest:
“I received a message from her saying her boyfriend had split up with her and she was ‘proper gutted’. She was very upset.
“It was clear that she was so shocked by what had happened. He had booked a skiing holiday for them. The next morning, she said she couldn’t stop crying.”
Diane became worried when she did not hear from her friend again and two days later she let herself in Sara’s flat in Huddersfield during the evening.
She said:
“I went into her bedroom. She was wearing her pyjamas. I grabbed her arm, it was cold. There were packets of tablets on the bed.
“I was so shocked and upset I couldn’t speak. I never thought she would do such a thing.”
THIRTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Adegboyega Michael, the leader of the fraud syndicate which was allegedly involved in the transfer of money from bank customer’s account in a first generation bank (name withheld) through the connivance of a bank staff member, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command.
Michael (38) was arrested on August 26, four months after the police had been looking for him.
Crime Reports learnt that a female banker (names withheld) whose password was used to access a bank customer’s account details lodged a complaint with the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, that she was falsely accused of fraud in her office. The owner of the account who was based in London had lodged a complaint with the bank when he discovered that money in his account had depleted.
The police commissioner reportedly forwarded the petition to the Rapid Response Squad on April 19 and by the following day, four suspects were arrested.
Those nabbed included Ezurike Peter (35) who was a staff member of the bank in which the account of the victim was domiciled, Ayo Olalekan (32), Ochenehi Israel (31) and the gang leader’s wife. A manhunt was also launched for the syndicate leader, Michael.
The syndicate’s modus operandi, according to police sources, was to increase the limit of a bank customer’s account after Peter, who was an insider, would have got the customer’s details and phone number by using his colleague’s password to access it.
The phone number of the account holder would also be blocked temporarily from receiving debit alert while the limit of his/her financial transaction would be upped to N200,000.
To achieve this, a syndicate member, Israel, would go to the bank where the targeted account was domiciled to fill a form to increase the daily limit on the account.
He would not wait but would drop the form, saying he would be back. Once the name and phone number tallied, the bank would act, not knowing that the account details had been compromised by their staff.
To ensure that the owner of the account did not suspect anything, the syndicate would have held the line of the owner so that he or she would not have network on his phone to receive debit alert.
Israel was said to be very skilled in his role and the members were getting N200,000 daily which was usually shared equally, with each syndicate member getting N50,000.
They were said to have taken N600,000 from an account in three days and N2 million from another in 10 days.
Michael, also reportedly used his wife’s account into which his own share was transferred. The syndicate leader who had been on the run was eventually arrested on August 26 and transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State, for further investigation.
In an interview with Crime Reports, Michael confessed to committing the crime but gave reason for his action.
According to the suspect, “it is true I was arrested in connection with fraud. I joined the syndicate after I was also defrauded to the tune of N4.7 million.
Some people approached my auto shop and said they wanted to buy a car. They paid me with fake dollar notes. Later they told me they were a syndicate and what they did was a game.”
When asked whether he was collecting dollars as payment for cars purchased from him, Michael replied that he wanted to help the ‘customers’ change the money to naira. “I also got bank alerts that indicated payment of cash into my account in addition to the dollars. I believed that the transaction was successful so I handed the car over to them. It was when I got to the bank that I was told that the dollar notes were counterfeit.
“I had nothing again. Along the way, I saw a friend called Harrison and he brought me into the (fraud) business. He said that if I would follow him, I would see how the business was being done. We did the business on mobile phones by transferring money from an account in a bank to another. It was usually achieved through an insider, a friend of mine, Peter who worked in that bank. I told him and he said we should go ahead. I have now learnt my lesson,” Michael spoke further.
When contacted, the police image maker in Lagos State, SP Dolapo Badmus, confirmed the arrest and said that the suspect would be charged to court at the completion of investigations.
A family in Benin City, Edo State, has disowned one of their daughters over her alleged involvement in lesbianism.
The family said the move to inform the public that they were disowning their 27-year-old daughter, who is based in Italy,
was because her act has become known to the public and has brought shame upon them.
Head of the family, Mr Mike Omohe, informed journalists of their decision after a meeting of senior members of the family held at their family house in Benin City.
He said,
“We have been fully informed of our daughter’s shameful act of lesbianism. We now know that true to rumours we have had in the past, she is now a lesbian.
“We also know of her shameful relationship with another girl. We want her to know that she is no longer acceptable in our family as a daughter.
“She can no longer refer to us as her family members nor return to the family. As a matter of fact, she cannot even practice her shameful act here in Nigeria as we will report her to the authority and make sure she is jailed.
“As a responsible people, who puts premium on African culture and tradition, we disapprove of her act. She is no longer qualify to be associated with us as we know that her unrepentant act constitute sin to God and man.”
Former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and her hotel
SIMON UTEBOR, who was at the Aridolf Resort Wellness and Spa, said to be owned by former first lady, Patience Jonathan, writes about the luxury in the edifice
From afar, the sheer magnificence of the Aridolf Resort Wellness and Spa, strategically positioned in the heart of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, draws a first-time visitor into a lavish embrace.
Arguably the most prestigious hotel in the oil-rich state, the edifice is located in Okaka Estate, along Isaac Adaka Boro Expressway, which is close to a popular night club, Bolex.
The five star hotel sprawls over a large expanse of land complementing the surroundings of the residential estate which boasts of the choicest edifices and castles in the whole of Bayelsa.
The Hotel
Before May 2015, beyond the opulence oozing from the impressive building, Aridolf was also like a presidential fortress, with the presence of soldiers and members of other security agencies, apparently on sentry duty, manning the gates and other strategic areas.
But it all changed when Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party lost the 2015 presidential election, which saw the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as President and the All Progressives Congress as the ruling party.
While the imposing Aridolf still retains its grandeur, the air of presidential security and protected serenity has since disappeared, as only private guards and plainclothes security personnel are seen around the area.
A first time visitor or guest would still marvel at the sprawling architectural masterpiece spread across four buildings with a fountain strategically positioned for aesthetic effect. The fountain is encased with bulbs of different colours shining from beneath it, producing a colourful shade of glamour and extravagance.
One of the least expensive rooms in the hotel
Inside the compound, tarred with interlocking tiles all round, is a spacious car park that can conveniently accommodate hundreds of vehicles. Other facilities offered at the property include a nightclub, meeting facilities and a shared lounge.
Established to mainly cater for Nigeria’s elite, the Aridolf offers indoor pools, a spa and wellness centre as well as free WiFi access for visitors and guests. Its opulence is further showcased in the hotel’s reception area, with expensive artworks, gold-plated furniture and imposing landscapes on display. There is also a chandelier providing artificial lights from the Plaster of Paris ceiling and walls.
The hotel’s lobby has a strong, sweet-smelling fragrance which gives the impression that it has a style, taste and class exclusively preserved for the rich and famous.
The Aridolf boasts of about 200 rooms including suites. The price of the rooms ranges from N15, 700 to N367, 500.
According to the hotel’s room rates, a standard room costs N15, 700; deluxe room costs N31, 500; a junior suite is N56, 700 and the executive room is N75, 600. The Presidential suite goes for N315, 000 while the price of the Royal suite is N367, 500. All the costs are inclusive of value-added tax charges.
Most of the categories of rooms are fully furnished with air conditioners, fridges, TV sets with satellite channels, good toilet systems, cold and hot water facilities, WIFI, among others. The only significant difference between the classes of rooms is essentially the bed and space. They all have similar features.
The hotel serves local and intercontinental dishes with prices from N2, 000 upwards.
At one of their bars, christened Paradise Bar, different variety of drinks such as beer, wine, whiskey, gin, fruit juice, among others, are served. Our correspondent learnt that the management had to reduce prices of the drinks because of the economic recession in the country. The price of beer now goes for between N500 and N600 against their initial N800 and N1, 000 price tags.
A guest can enjoy a view of the city’s skyline from almost all the rooms. In addition, the hotel has a beverage centre, business centre with full Internet access, fitness centre, kitchenette, restaurants, wheelchair access and airport transportation.
One of the workers in the hotel, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the former first lady was involved in the running of Aridolf, despite the fact that the hotel has a general manager, as well as managers and supervisors.
The source noted Mrs. Jonathan was always available in the hotel to provide effective supervision.
“When she came here last week, she ensured that she put everything in place before she left,” the source said, adding that while the former first lady also owns another hotel in Otuoke, her husband’s country home, she frequents Aridolf more.
A bed in the room
The source said, “Aridolf is a hotel after the former first lady’s heart. She is the super supervisor. At times, she holds meetings with the employees. At such meetings, she usually teaches us about business relations, how to woo and retain customers, among other things.”
Our correspondent also gathered that despite the price of the rooms, the hotel enjoys high patronage from guests, who are mostly politicians, oil and gas workers, businessmen, foreigners and some middle income earners.
A royal suite which cost almost N400, 000 per night is often occupied, said another employee, who noted with pride that “Aridolf has everything one can think of. It is a place for recreation, wellness and all what one desires in a hotel.”
Despite its opulence, some parts of the hotel seem to have suffered some deterioration due to the topography of Bayelsa State.
A restaurant in the hotel
At the balcony in the Paradise Bar, our correspondent noticed a leaky roof after a downpour during the week. The rain also flooded some area of the bar, soaking some portions of the synthetic rugs decorating the place.
A guest blamed the development on poor architectural and structural designs of the building.
The guest, who did not give his name, said the building was suffering from an assemblage of expensive fittings but lacked proper finishing.
He said, “The chairs and other furniture at the lobby are very expensive. They were imported. But those who supplied some of the materials cheated the owner. Some of the materials are only shinning but they are not durable. That is why you see that some parts of the hotel are deteriorating.
“The saving grace for the building is the tiles used to design the hotel structure. The tiles are the ones covering the defects in the building. Remove the tiles and the building will have serious problems. It is suffering from architectural and structural defects.”
Nollywood actress Thelma Okoduwa is one of the screen divas who has been in the industry for sometime now but took a break when she got married in 2009.
In this new interview with Punch Spice, she opens up on her marriage and her career.
Why did you take a break from Nollywood?
I was away from Nollywood for a while because I got married, and I was making babies. I was in Abuja trying to make a home, and also take care of my children. While I was there, I was also working but you know it is not like being in Lagos, which is the hub of entertainment in Nigeria. After I got married, I felt that my family should come first and I didn’t want to get it wrong. I wanted to be the best mum to my children, and give them the best foundation.
How have been able to strike a balance between your career and marriage?
I have a very supportive husband who is always there for me. I also get support from my sisters and nanny. They all give me the assistance that I need. I am from a large but close-knit family. My parents pampered us while we were growing up. I am a God-fearing and hard-working woman. I love life, and I love my family so much. My family is the most important thing in my life. I don’t mess with my family.
Do you think Nollywood has gotten better?
The industry is getting bigger gradually and steadily. It is going on to the next level. Nobody ever imagined that it would be this big. I believe it will be bigger than this soon.
Who are your role models?
I look up to Joke Silva, and I love RMD. I think RMD has an awesome personality on and off screen. He is a humble man.
Cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad was the first athlete to die at a Paralympics games it has been confirmed.
The athlete died following a crash in the men’s C4/C5 road race at the Rio Paralympics , it was confirmed on Saturday.
During a press conference, IPC president Sir Philip Craven: “I’ve just had it confirmed by Craig Spence (director of communications) that this is the first athlete death at a Paralympic Games.
“We will look into the report of this incident and decide what we need to do to prevent this from happening in the future.”
Golbarnezhad, from Shiraz, was treated at the scene of the accident before being taken to a local hospital.
Iran’s NPC later announced he had died. He was 48.
