How Dokpesi Paid N6m to Host Former Councillors Under Jonathan - Witness

Johnson Ejohwenu, a witness in the trial of Raymond Dokpesi, former Chairman of DAAR Communications Plc, on Wednesday, May 24, 2017 told Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja how N6million was used by Dokpesi to host a two-day forum for former councillors during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Dokpesi and his firm, Daar, are being prosecuted on a six-count charge relating to the sum of N2.1bn he allegedly received from the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, between October 2014 and March, 2015 for the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential media campaign.
Ejohwenu, who was the Chief accountant for Top Rank Hotel Limited, Area 11 Branch, Garki, Abuja between 1999 and 2017 during examination by prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, told the court that, “the payments were made by Daar Investment Holdings Limited for a two-day forum for ex- councillors in February 2015.

Testifying as PW4, Ejohwenu listed as part of his schedule of duties: “Managing business relationships between the Hotel and clients; Reconciling bank transactions; Cash collections, Implementation of cost control policies; Sales activities; Furnishing the Management with necessary accounting information and Liaising with Federal Government agencies like Federal Inland Revenue, FIRS, AMAC among others”.
The witness, in specifying his relationship with DAAR Investment Holdings Limited told the court that, “as at February 2015, they used to refer guests to us for accommodation purposes. After due reconciliation of the hotel bills, they make settlement”.

Specifically, he said: “In February 2015, I received a booking request from Bomantek Standard Investment through their representative, one Madam Mute Olori, for feeding and accommodation for the ex-councillors’ forum scheduled for February 24 - 25, 2015. Subsequently, a cheque of N6million was issued by DAAR Investment and Holdings Company”.
He further added that, at the end of the forum, a bill of about N3.4million was prepared being cost of feeding and accommodation. Thereafter, a refund of about N2.5million was made in cash to Olori.

Further hearing has been fixed for May 25t, 2017.

Husky Caught on Surveillance Shoplifting a Loaf of Bread, Then Returning With an Accomplice

A Siberian husky was caught on security footage shoplifting a loaf of bread from a Dollar General store in California.

Although a store worker tried to stop the furry bandit before she escaped out the automated doors, "the suspect was able to avoid apprehension and escaped on all fours," according to the  Shafter Police Department, which released surveillance on their Facebook page following the event last week.
To make matters worse, the sneaky  shoplifter returned with an accomplice, another canine, later that night.

"Her accomplice was caught on site, and the bandit herself was caught just a block away," cops wrote.
The pair has been turned over to a local shelter, where they will be held until their owners come to pick them up.

Neither will be facing charges, cops said.

Man Utd loanee Varela to miss DFB-Pokal final due to tattoo

Guillermo Varela finds himself in hot water with Eintracht Frankfurt and will miss the club’s DFB-Pokal final against Borussia Dortmund after having a tattoo applied Monday.

The 24-year-old, who is at the Bundesliga club on loan from Manchester United, went against the instruction of coach Niko Kovac and the club doctors as he was inked on his forearm earlier in the week, just five days ahead of the big match. The tattoo has since become inflamed, ruling him out of the fixture.

Professional footballers, as a rule, are generally only allowed to have tattoos in the off-season due to the healing process.

"This behaviour is grossly negligent and hurts the entire team," sporting director Fredi Bobic said. "The club cannot tolerate a player going against the instructions of the coach and the doctor before such an important game. Guillermo's path with Eintracht has ended with this action.

"We were previously thinking about extending his loan deal. That's no longer an issue. Guillermo is suspended with immediate effect and he will be given a very severe punishment. His egotistic behaviour unfortunately forces us to take these measures."

Valera had only featured for the Bundesliga club 10 times this season, but had spent the majority of the campaign sidelined due to injury.

City to face CAS hearing

Manchester City will face a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport over their signing of teenager Benjamin Garre from Argentinian club Velez Sarsfield.

Velez have appealed to CAS after world governing body FIFA last year ruled in City's favour following a complaint about Garre's move to the Premier League club in 2016.

A hearing date has been set for July 3, CAS has announced, with FIFA and City both listed in the dispute against Velez.
Garre joined City at the age of 16 last July but Velez claimed the move breached FIFA rules over the signing of minors from outside the European Union.

City argued Garre held an Italian passport and was entitled to move after his 16th birthday.

Halima Abubakar Declares Her Undying Love For Anthony Joshua

Young Lagos Man, Mr Stainless a.k.a The CEO Who Duped His Ex-Girlfriends and Others Arrested

According to his buddies, he is Mr. Stainless, The CEO, but, Olaogun Tunde, is a complete fraud. Everything about him is fraud. Olaogun, 34, a microbiologist, a dismissed civil servant, was two weeks ago arrested by the officials of Rapid Response Squad.

 

The officers acted on phone report to RRS Control Room of a fraud by one Mr Kelvin Oyenuga over the supply of 25 units of HP laptop to the Lagos State Ministry of Works, Alausa, through Olaogun Tunde.

 

Olaogun, through connections was linked up with Oyenuga for the supply of 25 laptops amounting to N4, 625,000:00. In making a N2.5m payment before delivery, Olaogun initiated a fake online transfer from a Keystone Bank to Oyenuga’s GTB account. He immediately showed a fake debit alert on his phone to Oyenuga. On delivery, the same day, he issued another dud cheque of N2.125m.

For more than two months, Olaogun employed one trick or the other to buy time for himself while he offered to a Lagos Island computer dealer, the 25 laptops he bought from Oyenuga at N150,000:00 each, a N35,000:00 short of the initial buying price.

 

To settle the case Oyenuga, Olaogun had requested RRS officers follow him to Lagos Island to retrieve the 25 laptops from the buyer. According to him, “I had an understanding with him. We retrieve the laptops. Once my LPO is ready, I would pay off the buyer”.

 

By the second day of investigation into the case, three fresh cases of fraud initiated by Olaogun Tunde had surfaced. The complaints were microfinance banks, who the suspect had used a Fake Bank Statements to secure loans amounting to N3.7m.

 

Coincidentally, a day later, two ex-girlfriends of Olaogun were at RRS’s headquarters. They alleged that the suspect took N750,000:00 in October, 2016 and N500,000:00 in April 2017 from them to help them get a Toyota Matrix and a Nigerian used car. And, as typical of him, Olaogun had regaled them with endless stories – no car, no money.

 

His latest girlfriend whose red Toyota Corolla he borrowed for his fraudulent transactions, Dunni Anifowoshe, 29, disclosed that the suspect was dismissed from the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Alausa, in 2015.

 

Olaogun, while explaining the circumstance said he used the name of his Ministry to facilitate the procurement of vehicles at Affordable Cars without the knowledge of the State Government. When he couldn’t pay for the cars, it became a crisis that cost him his job.

 

Before Olaogun Tunde case was transferred to the State CID, Panti, Yaba, two other microfinance banks had filed in fresh petition of N1.5 million and N4 million respectively against him.

Man United beats Ajax 2-0, wins Europa League

Manchester United gave its grieving home city a moment to cheer by winning the Europa League on Wednesday, beating Ajax 2-0 in the final thanks to goals by Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Pogba pointed to the sky as he was mobbed by teammates after his 18th-minute opening goal. The game was played two days after 22 people were killed in a bomb attack at a concert in Manchester, and 12 days after the death of Pogba's father, Fassou Antoine.

Mkhitaryan scored the second goal in the 48th minute, hooking the ball in from close range from a corner.
The win earned United the bonus prize of a place in next season's Champions League and meant coach Jose Mourinho finished his first season at England's biggest club with two trophies.

The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, is among the several high profile persons to be honoured by the Governor Nyesom Wike-led Rivers State government for their individual contributions to the development of the state.

According to Premium Times, a list of honourees prepared by the Jubilee Anniversary Committee set up by Gov. Wike, had Amaechi’s name at number 18 amongst 29 people to be awarded Grand Service Star of Rivers State.

Meanwhile, former Nigerian leaders, Goodluck Jonathan and Yakubu Gowon are also on the list, alongside late activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, who would be honoured posthumously.

The awards ceremony is slated to hold on May 27 in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, according to the program pamphlet.

It was not immediately clear if the minister would accept the honour or personally show up to receive his medal from Gov. Wike, with whom he’d been locked in bitter political contest for more than three years.

Amaechi who served as governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015, revealed through his spokesperson, David Iyofor, that he was not aware of his principal being identified amongst those to be honoured.

The award comes even as Gov. Wike appears to intensify attacks against his predecessor. Within the last few weeks, the governor has levelled many allegations against the minister.

On Monday, the governor accused Amaechi of raising a cult militia in the state, to prepare for 2019 elections, and Amaechi has denied the allegation.

Cows invade Russian shopping centre

Shoppers in the Russian city of Surgut were left baffled after witnessing several cows entering a shopping complex through the parking garage according to AOL Travel UK.

Although its unclear exactly where the cows came from, the four bovines walked across the covered parking garage and into the mall through the automatic glass doors.

Astonished onlookers caught the bizarre scene on mobile phone cameras and followed the cows into the mall to see what they would buy.

Unfortunately for shop owners, it appeared that the bovines were just browsing...

Chelsea cancel victory parade

Chelsea have cancelled Sunday's title victory parade following Monday's terror attack in Manchester according to Sky Sports.

Antonio Conte's side, who face Arsenal in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday, were due to celebrate their Premier League title with a victory parade on Sunday.

However, after 22 people were killed and 64 injured at a concert by Ariana Grande at the Manchester Arena, the Blues - who have made a donation to a fund supporting victims of the attack - have decided it would be inappropriate to proceed with Sunday's scheduled event, and will wear black armbands for this weekend's final.

"Everyone associated with Chelsea Football Club offers our heartfelt condolences to those affected by Monday's terror attack in Manchester. Our thoughts go out to all the victims, and their families and friends," said the club in a statement.
"In light of these tragic events, we feel it is inappropriate to go ahead with the victory parade in London on Sunday.

"Given the heightened security threat announced by the Government, and recognising that this is a developing situation, we have given this careful consideration. We strongly believe, in the interests of everyone, this is the correct course of action. 

We are sure our fans will understand this decision.
"Having consulted with the Metropolitan Police, Hammersmith & Fulham Council and other authorities, we know the emergency services would have been as professional as ever, but we would not want in any way to divert important resources by holding an additional, non-ticketed event on the streets of London.

"Furthermore, as a mark of respect, our players will wear black armbands at the FA Cup Final against Arsenal on Saturday. Chelsea Football Club will also make a donation to a fund supporting the victims of this horrific attack."

A planned screening of Saturday's final at the Emirates Stadium has also been cancelled, along with any potential Arsenal victory parade.

Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis said: "As always, the safety of our supporters and staff is paramount and we are in close contact with security services.

"After taking their advice we have reluctantly taken the decision to cancel the screening and potential parade. We are sorry for any disappointment this causes but it is in everyone's best interests."

Nokia 3310 goes on sale in the UK

One of the most highly anticipated mobile phones of the year is finally here - and it’s a £50 plastic device with an alphanumeric keyboard and 2G connectivity.
First unveiled at Mobile World Congress in February, the Nokia 3310 from HMD Global is a throwback to the days when phones were "dumb" and the closest thing to an app was the game Snake.

The new phone mimics the design of the original handset, which launched in the year 2000, but is slimmer and lighter with a 2.4-inch colour display and 2-megapixel rear camera.
HMD claims it is just as durable as the original, so you can drop it on the floor without smashing it, and it has a removable 1200 mAh battery boasting 22 hours of talk-time and a month long stand-by.
It has 16MB of internal memory, which can be expanded up to 32 GB with a microSD card, and yes - it comes with the iconic mobile game, Snake.
The handset comes in four colours – Warm Red and Yellow, both with a gloss finish, and Dark Blue and Grey both with a matte finish.

"Today is the day many nostalgic tech fans have been waiting for, as the Nokia 3310 goes back on sale," said Andreas Pouros, co-founder of digital growth agency Greenlight Digital.
"Leveraging sentiment from the past has so far, been an effective way for Nokia to communicate with its audience after the announcement drummed up plenty of excitement at Mobile World Congress earlier this year.
"It’ll be interesting to see if the sales reflect the hype for Nokia 3310, or if it was simply a PR stunt to generate excitement for the brand."

How to get one

The new Nokia 3310 carries a recommended price tag of £49.99 - significantly less than its original price of £129.
HMD has confirmed that it is available from a number of retailers and operators including Carphone Warehouse and Vodafone.
Vodafone customers can purchase online or in-store (at the White City and Oxford Street Experience store) for £39 pay-as-you-go, when bought with a £10 Big Value Bundle.

Carphone Warehouse opened up online orders a day early on 23 May, and now appears to have sold out of the handset on its website
However, it is hosting a special event today at its 262 Oxford Street store, where customers will be able to buy the Nokia 3310, and you can also pre-register for the next batch of stock. - Mirror

UK Deports Over 30 Nigerians

The Government of the United Kingdom on Wednesday deported 35 Nigerians for committing immigration-related offences in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the deportees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMlA) Lagos at about 5.50 a.m.

The deportees, comprising 30 males and five females, were brought back aboard a chartered Titanic Airways aircraft with registration Number: G-POWO.

The spokesman of the Lagos Airport Police Command, Joseph Alabi, confirmed the development to NAN.

The deportees were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police.

Also on ground to receive them were officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

NAN gathered that the deportees were profiled by the immigration authorities and were each given a stipend to facilitate their transportation to their respective states.

The British authorities had on March 31 deported 23 Nigerians for similar reasons. - NAN

My son is innocent, says father of alleged Manchester bomber

The father of the alleged Manchester arena attacker has denied that his son is linked to militants or the suicide bombing that killed 22 people.

Ramadan Abedi said he spoke to his 22-year-old son Salman Abedi five days ago and he was getting ready to visit Saudi Arabia and sounded “normal”.
He said that his son visited Libya a month and a half ago.

The elder Abedi told The Associated Press by telephone from Tripoli: “We don’t believe in killing innocents. This is not us.”
He said his other son, Ismail, was arrested in England on Tuesday morning.
He said Salman was planning to head from Saudi Arabia to Libya to spend the holy month of Ramadan with family

Mr Abedi fled Tripoli in 1993 after Muammar Gaddafi’s security authorities issued an arrest warrant and eventually sought political asylum in Britain.
Now, he is the administrative manager of the Central Security force in Tripoli.

Source : Press Association

Why I Built a Multi-million Naira Mansion for My Wife - Fuji Musician, Obesere Reveals

Popular Fuji musician, Abass Akande Obesere, has just completed a multi-million Naira mansion for his wife in his hometown, Ibadan, the Oyo state capital. 

While speaking in an exclusive chat with Encomium Weekly, Popular Fuji musician, Alhaji Abass Akande, popularly referred to as Obesere, who recently completed a multi-million Naira mansion for his wife, Alhaja Tolanikawo Akande (Nee Adelakun) in his home town, Ibadan, Oyo State, revealed why he built it for her.

 

It was gathered that the one-storey building with chalets, has a swimming pool and spacious car park.

 

While confirming the exciting news, Obesere said: ”It’s true but the house doesn’t belong to me, that’s for my wife. I am not the type that should be making noise about such things. But I thank God for everything.

"I told God since more than 10 years I had built a house for my mother that I will do something similar for my wife as well because she really deserves it. Now, God has answered my prayer. She’s a wife that stands by me at all time. So, if I have done more than that, she deserves it. And in few months, it will be opened officially.”

Obesere remains the only one that has not followed the trends of marrying more than one wife in the Fuji industry unlike most of his colleagues. He attributed this to God but said, the fact that he has one wife today does not mean he may not marry another one tomorrow.

”It’s God that has done this and I know it is the way he wants it. I never vowed or went into a covenant with God that I would have only one wife so it has nothing to do with human wisdom but the grace of God. But I have not said that I will not marry another wife but I don’t have any plan like that; I have never given it a thought,” he once said in an interview.

 

And on how he has been coping with women, he says: ”I use wisdom to manage them. It’s not every time you give the flesh what it is asking for. You have to be careful as an artiste the way you handle women,” he said.

 

 

Police: Manchester bomber part of terror network

Greater Manchester Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said three more people had been arrested and a house raided after a controlled explosion.

"It's very clear that this is a network that we are investigating," he said.
As police try to piece together the movements of bomber Salman Abedi, they are hunting for accomplices, including a possible bomb maker.

"The concern is that there may be others out there who helped him to make the bomb," an intelligence source told the Reuters news agency.
"Making a bomb of this sort requires a certain level of expertise and competence,"
Police have now identified all 22 victims of the attack at the Manchester Arena on Monday night, which came at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.

The victims include an eight-year-old girl and an off-duty police officer.

Prime Minister Theresa May has raised the terror level to "critical" - the highest possible - in response to the attack, and announced the deployment of soldiers in the street.

France's interior minister has said both British and French intelligence services had information that the university dropout had also travelled to Syria and had "proven" links with Islamic State.

A "critical" terror level means an attack may be imminent.
In response, the military will be providing armed troops for "key locations" as part of efforts to support the police in their security operations.
Soldiers are replacing armed police at sites including Buckingham Palace, Downing Street and the Palace of Westminster as part of Operation Temperer.

When she announced the raising of the threat level on Tuesday, Mrs May said a "wider group of individuals" could have been involved - including a bomb maker who provided Abedi with his device.

The Manchester Attack Shows How Terrorists Learn

Yesterday’s terrorist attack that struck at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in Britain’s Manchester Arena—leaving 22 people dead and 59 injured, by the latest count—feels perhaps even more callous and personal than other such recent atrocities.
As The New York Times noted, the target was “a concert spilling over with girls in their teens or younger, with their lives ahead of them, out for a fun night.”

For Europe, the attack, now claimed by ISIS, represents a continuation of a nightmare scenario: The pace and deadliness of terrorist attacks in the continent has reached levels unprecedented in the post-9/11 era, with the heinous and grotesque becoming frighteningly routine.


Even five years ago, specialists could count the major post-9/11 attacks in Western countries on one hand, and knew every date on which they had been perpetrated. They were known by names like 3/11 or 7/7 (references to attacks in Madrid and London, respectively).

Over the past three years, though, there has been an explosion in the frequency of terrorist attacks against Western countries, and in the lethality of these events. From a brutal urban-warfare-style assault on Paris in November 2015 (130 dead) to the March 2016 bombings at the Brussels Airport and the Maalbeek metro station (32 dead), to a cargo truck plowing through crowds celebrating Bastille Day on a promenade in Nice (86 dead),to a truck striking a Christmas market in Berlin (12 dead), and now to an Ariana Grande concert, the message is that no place—no matter how familiar, beloved, or associated with the young and innocent—is truly safe.

And there are so many other, recent examples. A priest whose throat was slit in the middle of a service in Normandy. An attacker in Magnanville who killed a couple, then turned on Facebook Live while menacing their three-year-old child. A suicide bomber who struck outside a concert in Ansbach, Germany, wounding 15.

The very events that would end up propelling the current spike in terrorist attacks were widely misread about six years ago as the solution to jihadism. When CNN’s Fareed Zakaria claimed in March 2011 that the revolutions that had swept across the Arab world at the beginning of that year represented “a total repudiation of al-Qaeda’s founding ideology,” he was articulating a near-consensus view. Peaceful revolutions brushing aside authoritarian governments and ushering in newly democratic regimes were supposed to show that the violence of jihadist movements was unnecessary. These views were shared not only by pundits, but by U.S. government analysts. In his memoir The Great War of Our Time, former CIA deputy director Michael Morell regretfully explained that his agency “thought and told policy-makers that this outburst of popular revolt would damage [al-Qaeda] by undermining the group’s narrative.”

In fact, the Arab revolutions and their aftermath provided the jihadist movement an unparalleled boost. The extraordinarily bloody civil war in Syria and the post-Muammar Qaddafi wreckage left behind in Libya have placed jihadists on the front lines of some of the world’s major conflicts. ISIS was able to use social media to popularize its cause—a sickening mirror of the way protesters turned out to oppose Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia or Hosni Mubarak in Egypt—while also relying on physical networks like those associated with Khalid Zerkani or Sharia4Belgium to move devotees to its Syria-Iraq sanctuary. Jihadists’ newfound ability to reach broader audiences over social media in more intimate ways coincided with the global boom in end-to-end encryption, allowing ISIS to pioneer the “virtual planner” model of directing operatives from afar.

Those who predicted the decline of jihadism in 2011 missed several things. Most important, perhaps, is the sheer innovativeness and adaptability of major jihadist groups. For jihadist organizations, the ability to innovate is a necessity, not a luxury. Terrorist groups have a “fundamental organizational imperative” to learn, as the preeminent terrorism scholarBruce Hoffman noted in his classic book Inside Terrorism. As they face an array of internal and external challenges—the most significant being the existential threat they confront from state actors—these groups must adapt quickly and creatively or suffer the consequences.

Across a range of organizations—not just militant groups—organizational learning occurs when the knowledge that an individual gains can be transferred into broader organizational knowledge. One example of this is al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s notorious bomb-maker Ibrahim al-Asiri, who was able to transfer his extraordinary technical knowledge to the organization as a whole.

This is reflected in the concerns expressed by security experts several years ago that al-Asiri’s knowledge had been transferred from Yemen to the Syria theater. When knowledge is disseminated through an organization’s memory in this way, the organization is “no longer dependent upon the original learner,” and can impart knowledge to others within the group, according to Mick Beeby and Charles Booth. This process is particularly essential for jihadist groups that suffer from high levels of attrition, and thus must quickly encode new techniques into their organizational DNA or risk losing them.

New technology provides an additional impetus and accelerant of organizational learning within the jihadist movement. New technologies, including communications platforms and systems that can be fashioned into weapons, such as ever-improving consumer drones, are introduced at a dizzying rate. Reporting from Iraq, Buzzfeed’s Mike Giglio recently noted ISIS’s ominous use of drones: ISIS had also made deadly adaptations to its use of drones, Iraqi officers said. In the first days of the battle for western Mosul, they were being employed with newfound intensity, swarming Iraqi positions, disrupting operations, and inflicting casualties. The drones dropped more than 70 bombs on one sector alone in a span of just two days, commanders said.

Many of the significant advantages new technologies have presented to militant groups do not represent true leaps of innovation, but, rather, intuitive applications of widely available technologies that have come to market. ISIS established an impressive apparatus for making itself omnipresent on social media before Twitter got serious about shutting down pro-ISIS accounts, but establishing a real social media brand is what twenty-first century organizations do. The virtual planner model fused two major technological trends—social media and improvements in encryption—but was fundamentally consistent with developments in online learning. Even ISIS’s aforementioned use of armed drones to repel Iraqi forces that are advancing on Mosul had been foreseen by experts (who, truth be told, had come up with even more inventive uses than those that ISIS ultimately made of the drones).

In the case of Manchester, there is much we don’t yet know, but many of the answers related to the attack may circle back to methods of organizational learning. How did the attacker sneak his bomb past the tight security that had been employed at Manchester Arena? How did he build the IED in the first place? Was he assisted by accomplices on the ground in Britain—or perhaps by technical experts advising him from their perch in Syria? Had the attacker been in touch with planners in an organization like ISIS to try to integrate the attack into a militant group’s broader war strategy?

European politicians don’t have good answers to the problem of terrorism right now. Often, it is regarded as “the new normal,” something we will just have to live with and die with for years to come. But as technology marches on—with 3D printing, increasingly capable consumer drones, growing vulnerabilities to hacking, and the like—there is the worrying prospect that tomorrow will be worse than today.

We should not, in the future, underestimate militant groups as learning organizations. And at the same time, the innovativeness of terrorists and the organizations in whose names they act should serve as a critical mirror.

They are growing increasingly adept at killing us. Are we as inventive about saving lives? Or do bureaucracy, inertia and failures of our own imagination stand in the way? - The Atlantic 

Melania Trump dons a veil for Pope Francis - but not for Saudi Arabia

Religion and clothing go hand in hand when foreign leaders visit other nations, and they have created some of the headlines for Donald Trump's first trip as US president.

In recent years, women from Michelle Obama to Theresa May have all chosen to forgo wearing a headscarf or veil while in Saudi Arabia where there are strict laws on what women can wear.
Melania Trump followed in their steps by dressing conservatively but without a veil.

Today (24 May), the Trump's visited the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis where there are similarly tight rules on what women should wear.
Melania and Ivanka Trump both wore black  dresses and veils, traditional Vatican attire for women considered respectful, though not mandatory.

Women are expected to wear black with a veil. White dresses, in the past, have been permitted only for a handful of Queens and Princesses from Catholic regions.

The rules have in recent years been relaxed, with Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall opting for a pale gold dress without a veil.

It appears that the Trump's chose to stick to the historic rules. Melania Trump is reportedly a Roman Catholic, while Ivanka has converted to Judaism. - IBT

Yaya Toure praised for very generous gesture to help victims of Manchester tragedy

Man City midfielder Yaya Toure and his agent Dimitri Seluk have promised to donate €115,000 to the victims of the Manchester bomb attack.

Toure, who is set to leave the Ethiad after sevens seasons with the club, felt compelled to help after the details of the incident became clear, according to Sky Sports news.

"Such terrible news in Manchester. Thoughts and prayers with all those affected," Toure said in a tweet from his personal account.

Toure has won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups since joining Man City from Barcelona in 2010.

Jermain Defoe agrees three-year deal with Bournemouth

Jermain Defoe has agreed a three-year deal to join Bournemouth and will be earning a whopping £130,000 a week with the south coast club according to Irish Mirror.

Defoe had a clause in his contract allowing him to leave Sunderland on a free transfer following their relegation from the Premier League.
The England striker had been strongly linked with a return to his former club West Ham but Bournemouth have won the race to clinch his signature.

The 34-year-old held talks with Eddie Howe on Monday and has agreed to pledge his long-term future to the Cherries.
Defoe was top scorer for Sunderland last season with 15 goals and also forced his way back into the England squad.

With no transfer fee involved, Bournemouth were willing to give him a lucrative wage packet and he is set to earn over £6million a year.

Ogun probes lecturer, pregnant nursing student’s row

The report of a lecturer at the Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese, Ijebu, Dr Seyi Adu, who allegedly impregnated a female student of the school, Mosunmola, is generating heat.

While the state Ministry of Health said it had set up a panel to probe the matter within seven days, the college said Mosunmola was not a student of the school when she got pregnant.

The school further added that Adu was not an employee of the college, but just an “associate lecturer.”

Although Nigerians who read the story on PUNCH Online and different social media platforms took different sides, they agreed that the Ogun State Government must investigate the case and bring culprits to book.

PUNCH Metro had reported that Adu and Mosunmola had sex in a hotel sometime August 2016, which both parties did not deny.

However, while Adu, who is married with two children, accused the 28-year-old of seducing him, Mosunmola said the lecturer coerced her into the relationship as a precondition to passing his course which she failed.

Efforts by the college’s provost, a dean and head of department, to mediate in the dispute were said to have met  a brick wall.

A human rights lawyer with the state ministry of justice was said to have successfully brokered a deal between the duo, wherein Adu agreed to pay Mosunmola a monthly stipend of N5,000 in addition to N7,000 for her ante-natal registration.

Within two months, the agreement broke down after Mosunmola presented a list of items required for her delivery, which she valued at N50,000.

Adu was said to have accused Mosunmola of wanting to turn him into a cash cow.

The Commissioner for Health, Ogun State, Tunde Ipaye, on Tuesday said a  panel had been set up to investigate the claims of both parties.

He said, “I heard about the case for the first time from your (The PUNCH) report. I have instructed the Permanent Secretary to invite the lecturer, who is primarily a worker at the ministry. He is just a part-time trainer at the school of health technology. I have asked the PS to set up a committee and I have given him one week to feed me back on the result of the committee. That started yesterday (Monday).

“We are not unmindful of what the requirements of ethical practices are. And we will do the needful. The first thing we will do is to establish culpability. But if our investigation shows he is guilty, we will act. The ministry will handle the case appropriately and whatever the law says we should do, we will do.

“This is a ministry that will not run away from its responsibility. We have handled many cases like this in the past and appropriate actions were taken. Professionalism is professionalism and we will not allow anybody to bring down any institution of government.”

The Public Relations Officer of the college, Ayodele Alaga, said the issue was between two adults, adding that the school had nothing to do with it.

He said, “Damage has been done to the name of our school over this matter. We are talking about two adults who had a mutual agreement. What happened between them was not a case of rape; there was consent. I see no reason why the name of the school has to appear in a situation like that. Are you telling me that what happened between Adu and the lady in question is something that should not happen? I mean, there are lecturers that do marry their students and news will not generate from there. This is not fair and it is not journalism.

“Did you know that the so-called lecturer is not our lecturer, he’s not a worker here? He is just a visiting lecturer and he works in the ministry of health. Are you also aware that as of the time that the pregnancy occurred, the girl in question had graduated from the college? She was not our student and you can come to check our records.”

But readers of The PUNCH Online asked the state government to act on the case and redeem the image of the state.

One Onye Obosi, said, “That is why corruption in our society will never cease. Imagine this man Adu boldly affirming that he slept with his student. What are the school authorities doing about this? He obviously slept with her for marks from the account of this lady. This is common even in the school; a medical school for that matter.

“The issue is not just about the pregnancy. It is unethical for this man Adu to sleep with his student for marks. You see why our degrees and certificates are not worth more than the paper it is written? The Medical Council of Nigeria, the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health, and the appropriate regulatory bodies should properly investigate this issue and apply the necessary sanction…”

Another reader, Dr Jegede Ebenezer, said the lecturer had no excuse for his action, adding that he could have resisted the temptation to sleep with Mosunmola.

“What an absurdity. You were seduced right from your private room to the hotel where the ‘butchery’ took place; seduced to take a personal room at the hotel; also seduced to pay for the room; seduced to lie on the bed and climb on the lady; seduced to leave the hotel and evading the girl thereafter.  You better pick up your property as contained in the tummy of the lady before you push yourself into a national trouble.”

But another reader, Chibuzor Ezeuchegbu, said the lecturer was not to blame for the incident.

He said, “I really don’t like the idea of people quickly claiming victim when a transaction didn’t work in their favour. The girl knows she is in a weaker position, people will be eager to listen to her and close their ears to the stronger opponent. Wherever a poor man and a rich man fight, people are bound to quickly submit that the rich man is just intimidating the poor. My stand is that two of them had consensual sex. This is at least one area they both agreed. The other stories, two of them are on different sides, each claiming he or she was seduced. Why should I just believe one?”

The Ogun State Police Command had yet to respond to enquiries on the assault reported by Mosunmola at the Ilese Police Station. - Punch

Christ Embassy Pastor In 4 Abortions Mess With Maid

A Serving Minister at Believers Love World Ministry popularly known as Christ Embassy Church, Rev. Sunday Olisa has landed in trouble over alleged sexual molestation of his 16 – year old house maid which resulted in four pregnancies and abortions.

The 16-years old orphan (name withheld) is lying critically ill with heavy bleeding coming from her private after she was induced with uncompleted abortion by his benefactor who is a minister at Christ Embassy Church Egbe branch in Lagos.

The incident happened at 6 Dolamo Street in Agodo Egbe in ikotun area where the pastor, Sunday Olisa reside with the victim and family.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the police at Area M Idimu Command have started manhunt for the cleric after he reportedly escaped mob action from the residents over the incident.

The victim who is in a hospital bed narrated her ordeal to P.M.EXPRESS how he started living with Olisa through her uncle, George Aguba.

She said her Mother was from Mali and married her father who was from Kwale in Delta State.

She said they were three sibling and their parents died when she was 10 and their uncle decided to take them back to Kwale before Olisa offered to assist and took her to his house.

She said ” when i was 10, Olisa will call me inside his bedroom where nobody was around and drugged me and raped me severally”.

She said it had continued and when she attempted to report to the leaders of the church, they shut her up and told her to endure and not complain because Olisa was sponsoring her education.

He said Olisa have taken her to different hospitals whenever he impregnated her for abortions and it has been like for the past six years.

She said she was frustrated and her movement regimented and was not allowed to meet her relations including her uncle, George.

On why he was in the hospital, the helpless victim, said Olisa impregnated her and wanted to cover it up and took her to a doctor where they carried out an abortion and brought her home.

She said after the abortion which was the 4th, she started having heavy bleed and she became afraid and came out from and street and raised alarm before she collapsed and taken to a Hospital where the doctors have been battling to save her life.

She said the doctor said the abortion was not completed which caused the heavy bleeding coming from her private.

She said she does not know her fate if she survive and discharged from the Hospital because he has no contact again with his uncle who did not know what she was passing through.

When our reporter went to the resident where Olisa lives, the residents confirmed the incident and rained curses on Olisa.

At the Area M. Command who is handling the matter, the Area Commander, ACP Austines Akika was not around to comment on the matter.

However, Police sources confirmed the incident and told P.M.EXPRESS that the matter is being investigated by a team of Police led by Female DSP Agatha Eze.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that there is no officials response from the Church but some of the members expressed shock over the matter and was helping the police in their investigations. = PM Express

Obstruction of Justice: Men who Derail Investigation of Emir of Kano

The Kano State House of Assembly has suspended probe of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II.

The Emir was initially being investigated over the complaints of “questionable expenditures and financial misappropriations” estimated at N3.4 billion.

But the House has decided to drop the probe after Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, pleaded on behalf of the emir.

Ganduje did not act alone. Here are the individuals who prevailed on the House to stop the Investigation:

The Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, a lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki.

Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representative, Yakubu Dogara.

Governor of Kano State Abdullahi Ganduje
Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, the spiritual leader of Nigeria’s seventy million Muslims.

 Retired –General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, former head of state and Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Retired-General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former head of State and Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and CEO of Dangote Group

Aminu Dantata, Nigerian businessman and promoter of Kano State Foundation. - Saharareporters

Holyfield: I want to teach Nigerian kids how I became a four-time heavyweight champion

The former heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield says he hopes to teach Nigerian youth how he became the first ever multiple champion of the boxing heavyweight class.

The boxer who has an impressive record of 57 fights with 44 wins career fights, said his mission to Nigerian is to give back to society.

“I want kids to learn from me how I became four times heavyweight champion,” Holyfield said.
“This is about giving back to the society. In giving back to the society, I am here to say I got a Real Deal Promotion.”
Holyfield also noted that he will be on the lookout for Nigerian youths who are determined to get to the top in boxing.

The American said he started boxing at the age of 8 and became champion at 9.
Holyfield said he felt like quitting the sport after suffering early defeats but his mother told him to hang on.

“I became the person I am because I listened, I followed direction and I did not quit even when I lost,” he said.
“We are looking for young fighters who want to listen and follow instruction.”

The 54-year-old world champion is billed to slug it out with Bola Tinubu, former Lagos governor, in an exhibition match at Eko Atlantic in celebration of the state’s 50th anniversary. The CableNg

Robots begin duty as policemen in Dubai

The operational Robocop kicked off its tour of duty on Sunday in Dubai. It is said to be the world’s first operational Robocop in the emirate’s planned robot police force.

The Robocop, five feet five inches tall and weighing 99kg, speaks six languages and reads facial expressions.
Khalid Al Razzouqi, director-general of smart services with the Dubai police, revealed the functions of the Robocop.

He also explained that residents can use the Robocop to pay fines or report crimes, and it also can transmit and receive messages from police headquarters.

“He can chat and interact, respond to public queries, shake hands and offer a military salute,” he said.
“The launch is a significant milestone for the emirate and a step towards realising Dubai’s vision to be a global leader in smart cities technology adoption.

“With an aim to assist and help people in the malls or on the streets, the Robocop is the latest smart addition to the force and has been designed to help us fight crime, keep the city safe and improve happiness levels.”

The rifles found in Lagos port ( Photos)

The Nigeria customs service (NCS) intercepted a container-load of arms and ammunition at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos state on Monday.

The service later issued a statement, saying 440 pump action rifles were found in the container imported from Turkey.was said to be found at a terminal in the port.

Here are some pictures of the arms and ammunition:........

Ariana Grande's drummer's 'disbelief' at Manchester attack

Ariana Grande’s drummer has described the confusion and disbelief which followed the bomb blast at the singer’s Manchester gig.

A lone suicide bomber detonated a device on Monday evening (22May17) as fans exited the English city’s Manchester Arena, killing 22 and injuring at least 59 more. Young fans Saffie Rose Roussos, eight, and 18-year-old Georgina Callander have so far been named as victims.
Sharing a statement with Fox News anchor Steve Chenevey, drummer Aaron Spears explained the confusion that followed the bomb blast. 

“We finished the show and were walking back to our dressing rooms and BOOM!!! We could hear people. We had no idea what it was… There was all kinds of speculation as to what was going on,” he said in the text message to the Fox News reporter. “Like 5 minutes after getting to the room, security came in and informed us that we had to evacuate the building immediately… it was then that we realised this was serious.

“Initially we thought that the sound was all kinds of things, but it didn’t hit that this was a bomb until we were evacuated and they told us exactly what was going on… It’s so heartbreaking because so many little ones attend our shows… I just keep thinking about them.

“I’m extremely grateful that no one on the touring crew was physically hurt but this painful memory will live with us all forever… I’m still just in disbelief… It’s so surreal.”

Fellow concertgoers also spoke of hearing a loud bang, with many believing it was balloons popping as Ariana had released giant balloons as part of her show.

The 23-year-old singer, who took to her Twitter feed to tell fans she was “broken”, has reportedly scrapped plans to play in London, and TMZ claim she’s also planning to reschedule numerous other European dates on her Dangerous Woman Tour.

UK attack: Homeless man tells of how he helped young victims of suicide blast

A homeless man, Stephen Jones, was sleeping when he heard the blast that killed 22 people and injured 59 others at Manchester Arena on Monday night.

The 35-year-old man said he pulled nails from the faces of injured children before paramedics arrived to treat victims of the Manchester terror attack.

After rushing to help, he said he found “a lot of children with blood all over them and crying and screaming” as hundreds fled the area in horror.
“They needed the help, I’d like to think that someone would come and help me if I needed the help,” he told ITV news. “It’s just instinct.”

He described how he and a friend pulled nails from a small child’s face after she was injured in the horrifying scenes after an Adriana Grande concert.

He added: “Some lady, she got cut from her side, so my mate had to hold her legs up... we just held her legs up because we thought she was just going to bleed right out.
"If I didn't help, I wouldn't be able to live with myself for walking away and leaving kids like that. Just because I'm homeless it doesn't mean that I haven't got a heart and I'm not human still.”

Man wrongly convicted of murder to be set free after 24 years

A Philadelphia man imprisoned for 24 years for a crime he didn't commit was set to have a hearing Tuesday to determine when he’d be released from prison. Shaurn Thomas, convicted of a murder when he was only 16 years old, was sentenced to life in prison in 1994. Since then, Thomas has maintained his innocence, a fact corroborated by the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and a private law firm.

Thomas, now 43, was finally able to clear his name after nearly a quarter of a century in prison.
“Shaurn engaged in a decades’ long struggle to prove his innocence,” attorney James Figorski of Dechert LLP said, according to NBC Philadelphia. “I joined him in that struggle and many times it seemed that we would never succeed and he would remain in prison for the rest of his life.”

The Pennsylvania Innocence Project, a nonprofit aimed at exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted, worked alongside Thomas and Dechert LLP to convince the justice system he was innocent. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit eventually re-opened the case and in 2015, his conviction was finally dismissed after a crucial witness admitted they had lied about Thomas’ role in the murder.

On the night the murder occurred, Shaurn had already been detained in juvenile court elsewhere in Philadelphia after having been accused of stealing a motorcycle, according to the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. But the paperwork proving he was detained at the time and could not have committed the murder disappeared.

Thomas’ conviction rested on the testimony of witnesses.
“He said, there’s no evidence against me, other than these two people said,” said Figorski. “And I thought, it’s a murder conviction, must have been some physical evidence or scientific evidence and there wasn’t.”

In addition, a key witness named Ron Smith who saw the murder occur and could corroborate that Thomas was not there was never asked to testify at the trial. Smith said he was told that his testimony “wasn’t consistent with other witnesses” and that he “wouldn’t be needed.”

“They had formed a picture of it. How this murder happened,” said Figorski, who spent 900 hours free of charge investigating Thomas’ case. “They were sticking to that and they didn’t seem to want to hear anything else that interfered with that picture.”

His mother, who was with him when he was detained at the time of the murder all those years ago, corroborating his innocence, said she was glad the ordeal was finally over.

“It makes me feel real good,” Hazel Thomas told WTFX-TV. “Real, real good, cause I finally have him back.”
Thomas’ situation echoes that of Donte Rollins, a 29-year-old Philadelphia man who was released from jail in 2016 after nearly a decade in prison. Rollins was wrongly convicted of a shooting that left a 6-year-old boy paralyzed, until the Pennsylvania Innocence Project stepped in for him.

“This is something he should never have been arrested for,” Marissa Boyers Bluestine, Rollins’ attorney and the legal director at the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, said in December 2016. “There is evidence that should have been presented at length. It’s an egregious violation and his release is a longtime coming.”

Bluestine spent three years working to secure Rollins’ freedom before he was finally released.

Source - International Business News