Unknown gunmen have kidnapped a priest of the Otukpo Catholic Diocese, Reverend Father David Echioda in Benue state.

According to reports, the incident occurred in Allan Akpa community of Otukpo local government area of Benue state on Sunday, March 1.

Father Echioda was said to have been kidnapped while on his way from Utonkon in Ado local government area of the state where he had gone on missionary assignment.

An unnamed source quoted in the report said the cleric ran into the gunmen, who seized his phones and also took him in his car to an unknown destination.

A motorcycle rider who ran into the scene and escaped being kidnapped too was the one who broke the news.

“The kidnappers are yet to open contact with anyone while the whereabouts of the priest is still unknown,” the source said.

The director of information, Catholic Diocese of Otukpo, Father John Okopopu and the Benue police command spokesperson, DSP Catherine Anene, confirmed the abduction of the priest.

Recall that heavily armed men on Friday, February 14, kidnapped a priest of the Uromi Catholic Arch Diocese, Rev Father Nicholas Oboh in Benin the Edo state capital.

Chancellor Uromi Diocese, Rev Father Osi Odenore, revealed this in a statement he posted on his Facebook page. “We are sure he is alive, and since the incident, steps have been taken to ensure that Rev Father Nicholas Oboh is released without no harm,” he wrote.

Source: Legit NG

The 73-year-old man, Chief Oforbuike Ani, a native of Amodu Akunanaw in the Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, who died after a widow allegedly plucked out his eyes, has been buried.

The 38-year-old widow and mother of five, identified as Blessing Nwatu, was alleged to have hit the old man with a brick, where he was sitting in his compound on February 21, 2020.

After the victim had fallen down, Nwatu allegedly used a knife to pluck out his eyes and left him in a pool of his own blood.

It was gathered that neighbours, who got wind of the incident, called one of Ani’s sons living in Enugu, the state capital, who came and took him to hospital, where he died on February 28.

Our correspondent, who visited the Okpebe community in Amodu on Tuesday during the victim’s burial, reported that residents described the incident that resulted in the man’s death as a taboo.

One of the sons of the deceased, Barry, told PUNCH Metro that his father’s killing hit him like a thunderbolt, but thanked God that the perpetrator had been arrested.

He stated, “On February 21, 2020, I received a call from my father’s best friend that I should come home immediately because my father was seriously ill. I thought maybe it was his usual illness. So, I rushed home.

“While on my way to the village, I started receiving calls that I should come home because a woman used a knife to pluck out my father’s eyes.

“When I got home, I saw my father lying down in a pool of blood in the compound with his two eyes plucked out. I asked a woman I saw in the neighbourhood where the perpetrator was, but she advised that I should take my father to hospital first. I took her advice and rushed my father to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla.

“I met a doctor at the Emergency Unit and he asked me what happened to my father; I could not tell him much, because I didn’t have the details and he told me to get a police report before the hospital would start treatment.”

Barry explained that he begged the doctor to commence treatment to save his father’s life, while he went to police station to report the incident.

He added, “He accepted to commence treatment and I went to the Agbani Police Division, where I reported the incident. Immediately the DCO saw the pictures of the incident, he followed me to the hospital to see my father. It was at the hospital that the DCO called his men to go to my community to arrest the perpetrator.

“When I left the hospital with the DCO, I got a call from the doctor asking me where my father’s eyes were and if I picked them. I told him no and he said that I should go and bring the eyes. I came back to the village but could not find them. I went back to tell the doctor that I couldn’t find them.

“Since February 21, 2020, the doctors started battling to save my father’s life, but on February 28, he passed away and because he had instructed that his body should not be kept in the mortuary, we had to bury him today (Tuesday) according to his last wish.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, who confirmed the incident, told our correspondent that the perpetrator had been arrested and was charged on Friday and remanded in a correctional centre.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has denied sponsoring 300 guests with public funds to mark his mother’s 90th birthday in Dubai.

Gbajabiamila, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, on Monday, said only family members and close friends attended the celebration.

The statement read, “The story carried by Sahara Reporters on Monday, March 2, 2020, alleging that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, used public funds to take 300 guests to Dubai for his mother’s birthday is categorically false.

“The Speaker, his family and a few friends were in Dubai to celebrate the 90th birthday anniversary of Alhaja Lateefat Olufunke Gbajabiamila, the Speaker’s mother.

“For the record, this event was strictly for family members and a few childhood friends, for which no public funds were appropriated or expended. Indeed, not a single politician or a legislator was present at the event.”

SaharaReporters had, in the report, alleged that the “fanfare and lavish celebration” to mark the woman’s birthday was expected to run from March 2 to March 10 in the glittering Arab city.

The report further alleged that Gbajabiamila could be spending “well over N500m” on the celebration, “going by the calibre of guests that would be gracing the occasion.”

The Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has warned that the Ndigbo will not fold their arms and allow Fulani herdsmen to continue to harass, rape and kill her people in their land.

The President General of the Ohanaeze, Chief Nnia Nwodo, in an open letter to the Inspector-General of Police, titled, ‘The road to anarchy,’ on Tuesday, said Igbo were ready and capable of defending themselves from any aggression.

“We are law-abiding, hospitable and always ready to coexist with others as friends and brothers but not as foes and at a supreme price. Enough is enough,” Nwodo said.

Nwodo, who narrated how two Fulani boys openly wielded AK-47 rifles in Anambra community and Commissioner of Police in the state refused to arrest those boys, “because they came from a particular section of the country.”

The Igbo apex body asked the Inspector-General of Police, “Is the bearing of unlicensed firearms no longer illegal and therefore punishable in breach in the laws of this country?

“The behaviour of the police probably explains why it is only police commissioners from a particular part of the country that are posted to Igbo land. This also tends to lay credence to the fears being harboured by our people that even the military laying siege to Igbo land are here to protect the interest of an ethnic group. Not only have Ndigbo been marginalised in this country, they are even being pushed to the brink. It is always said that no country survives a second civil war.”

Source: Punch NG

Controversial actress, Tonto Dikeh took to social media to reveal what she did when she found that her ex is bisexual.

The actress wrote that she “walked out” when she discovered her ex is a “bisexual man”.

She wrote on Instagram: “You wake up one day and you discover you are married to a bisexual man…. what would you do? I walked out.

“For those who say God forbid, well I hope you know that 60% of the men you/we marry sleep with men,” she added.

View this post on Instagram

You wakeup one day and you discover you are married to a BISEXUAL Man.. . . . WHAT WOULD YOU DO? . . I WALKED OUT... . For those of you who says GODFORBID well I hope you know that 60% of the men you/WE marry SLEEP WITH MEN.. . Or y’all still casting and binding FOR CHANGE🤪 . . #BoysNightOut #BoysTrip #Outwiththsboys 🤪🙂🤣🙈🥵🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

A post shared by KING-Tonto Dikeh (@tontolet) on Mar 2, 2020 at 4:17am PST

Her revelation shocked Twitter users even though she didn’t call names.

Popular OAP, Daddy Freeze, on whose platform Tonto once made a shocking revelation about her ex, Churchill Olakunle responded by saying he doesn’t doubt Tonto’s claim.

He wrote: “Hmmm people have been suggesting this for years… I think this should be investigated, there are way too many stories. I’m not sure I doubt her claim…”

Maurice Iwu, former chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission and professor of pharmacognosy got the assurances of two Nigerian ministers on Monday to support his team on their drug project for Wuhan coronavirus.

Based on evaluation, his research effort may be boosted with a N36m grant from the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Iwu told the ministers that the purpose of his visit was to formally brief him on his team’s efforts toward finding a treatment for the Wuhan Coronavirus.

He disclosed that the lead drug discovery project included the chemical isolation and characterisation of naturally occurring compounds and subjecting them to a bioassays for the identification of potentially useful-drug-led molecules.

He said the approach was the use of a network of eminent scientists and leading laboratories to target particular disease, especially neglected tropical, emergent and orphan diseases.

He also said those included leishmaniasis, Ebola virus, Dengue fever virus, chikungunya virus, corona virus and tacaribe virus among others.

He said he came to ask for assistance from Nigerians on the project.

Both Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology and Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora, Minister of State for health pledged support.

Onu said his Ministry would give all the support it could to Prof. Maurice Iwu and his team, working under his Bioresources Development Group, of which he is the chairman.

The minister said that some time ago, the ministry had given a charge to Nigerian scientists knowing they were capable to provide solutions to COVID-19.

Onu said he had tasked them on finding solutions to problems, whether regional or international, and that such problems should not always be left for other people from foreign nations to solve.

“That is why we said that within the resources available to the ministry we are ready to make available N36 million to any scientist who can help us.”

The minister further said that the money was to support any genuine Nigerian scientist with possible treatment for either Lassa fever or COVID-19.

Onu also said that the ministry was very happy that Prof. Iwu had come to it with the “compound he isolated about five years ago”.

He further said that he was happy that Iwu had already entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the U.S. on this project as regards his patents.

Onu called on the Nigeria Academy of Science to come and assist in the project.

He noted that there was a committee set up with the best mind in this area and he believed the committee was ready to start work.

He expressed happiness and optimism that the “compound’’ would be readily available to it for certification.

He said after being advised by the committee the ministry would be ready to give all the support.

According to the minister, Nigeria has the largest concentration of black people in the world, the largest economy in Africa, the largest population in Africa and the largest market.

“ But we believe we have one of the most intelligent people in the world, hence we should also be able to make contributions,’’ he said.

Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, Minister of State for Health, who was present during the visit, thanked Prof. Iwu and his team for coming up with the identification of the potential treatment agent for coronavirus.

“We must start from somewhere and it is important for us to appreciate that if Nigeria must grow, if Nigeria must develop, it is Nigerians that will develop Nigeria,’’ he said.

He said that the Federal Ministry of Health would partner and collaborate with Iwu on the project.

Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has made his Nollywood debut, featuring in movie series, titled: “Silent Prejudice.”

Fani-Kayode announced this on Monday, saying that he joined some of the Nollywood greats like Larry Koldsweat, Obi Idejimba and T.T. Temple on set last Saturday and making a cameo appearance in his debut movie which is a series titled “Silent Prejudice”.

“We were on set the whole afternoon and, though gruelling, it was a great experience and tremendous fun! Many do not know just how hard actors work and the energy and discipline that goes into their craft. Being a thespian is no mean feat.

“It requires total dedication and focus and, having been through what I experienced on Saturday, my respect for them is boundless. My friends, brothers, colleagues and fellow politicians, Chief Dan Iwuanyawu and Senator Dino Melaye appear in the series as well, as does our respected and much-loved big brother Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife, so I was not alone,” he said.

“Thankfully the producer, Mr. Chris Oge Kalu, guided us beautifully and taught us all we needed to know.
My beautiful wife Precious (@snowhiteey) was also on set with us and encouraged me immensely. She appears in the movie too!

“Season 1 is already being aired on AIT on Wednesdays at 9.00pm and Season 2, in which I appear, will soon be aired. The series is about the evils associated with the Osu cast system and has the full endorsement and participation of the Nigerian Human Rights Commission whose Executive Secretary, Mr. Tony Ojukwu, also makes an appearance,” he added.

The management of Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, has debunked claim by Lafarge Plc that the Italian who brought Coronavirus to Nigeria first slept at the hotel before coming to the company in Ogun State.

The Lagos Airport Hotel management described the report as a lie and untrue, as no Italian ever visited the hotel as claimed by Lafarge.

Lafarge’s Industrial Director, Segun Soyoye had said in a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that “The Italian came for a business visit. He was in Lagos on Monday and slept at Airport Hotel, Ikeja. Our driver took him there, and when we observed abnormal temperatures and symptoms, we quickly instituted an Emergency Response Team which is led by the Company’s CEO; we have to find a way of analysing and identifying not only the Italian but also the other contacts.”

But the Managing Director, Lagos Airport Hotel Limited, Ikeja, Kayode Bakare, told newsmen on Monday that it was shocked to read such report online, saying that it was not true.

“The management of Lagos Airport Hotel Limited, Ikeja, wishes to state categorically that at no time did the Italian who was in Nigeria on a business meeting to Lafarge Plc lodged at Lagos Airport Hotel Limited, Ikeja.

“The hotel’s manifest for Monday, 24th, February, 2020, when the Italian arrived Nigeria and in deed for the entire week is there for anyone to crosscheck,” he said.

Bakare showed newsmen the manifest for that day which had 21 customers who lodged in the hotel and they were all Nigerians.

“We therefore want to seize this opportunity to debunk any rumour that the said Italian man was accommodated in our hotel on the said date,” Bakare said.

Bakare added that “the Management of Lagos Airport Hotel Limited, Ikeja, urged the entire public and all our esteemed customers to completely disregard this untrue publication credited to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), while assuring them of their health and safety as they continually patronise our hotel.”

Two more foreign nationals suspected to be carrying the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) from a high-risk country in Asia have tested negative in Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said on Monday.

The Governor disclosed that series of medical examination at the State’s bio-security facility conducted on the two patients, who were brought from Ogun State over the weekend, did not show any sign of COVID-19 infection.

Sanwo-Olu made this known during an advocacy meeting held at the Banquet Hall in State House, Alausa, with all 57 council chairmen, community health officers from all councils, representatives of Community Development Association (CDA) and Community Development Council (CDC) across Lagos. All Progressives Congress (APC) members led by the State chairman, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, attended the event.

Addressing journalist after the meeting, the Commissioner for Health, @ProfAkinAbayomi disclosed that the contact list of the index case of COVID-19 in Lagos is over 100 and increasing daily. pic.twitter.com/JoTFsMSikO

— LSMOH (@LSMOH) March 2, 2020

The Governor, who spoke in Yoruba dialect, observed that the condition of the Italian national tested positive to the virus last Friday was improving, saying the Incident Command Centre was satisfied with recovery of the infected patient.

Sanwo-Olu said the aim of the meeting with the local government stakeholders was to engage them in propagating accurate information on the virus at the grassroots and also to cascade down communication on how to prevent the human-to-human transmission in case of potential outbreak.

He said: “We have called for this meeting as part of proactive measures we are taking to prevent the spread of coronavirus to our local communities. It is no more news that we are managing a case in Lagos, but the situation does not call for panic. One of the lessons we learnt during the outbreak of Ebola virus six years ago is that, the grassroots was adequately sensitised and prepared.

“We are bringing the lesson back in this period when we are dealing with another highly contagious virus. We don’t want to record any loss of life to this virus. My administration places premium value on human life, which is the reason we have upgraded facilities at our bio-security centre and Infectious Disease Hospital to stop the spread of the virus. But, we believe we will achieve better results in this effort if people at the grassroots are properly sensitised on how to protect their communities from the virus and other contagious diseases.

"We are unrelenting in our quest and we are still trying to find the remaining passengers on that aircraft and every day we are finding more. Our contact list now is over a 100 and it increasing everyday”, Abayomi said. pic.twitter.com/EHVcyZyRMi

— LSMOH (@LSMOH) March 2, 2020

“Government is doing its best to stop coronavirus, but Government cannot do it alone. It requires collective responsible of everybody living in Lagos to stop the virus. Therefore, what we are doing today is to cascade information on coronavirus down to people in our various communities and towns. We want every resident of the State to have first-hand information on the virus and how to report any possible case to the authorities.”

The Governor asked the stakeholders to disseminate the information to members of their respective communities and sensitise them on how to get information from official sources. He also urged them not to be advocates of misinformation and fake news that may send panic to their neighbours.

He said the State Government would maintain open line of communication with the public on the progress being made in containing the virus, advising members of the public to disregard any piece of information that did not come from official source.

Sharing more updates on the case being managed, Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said the Government had intensified its search for all persons that had interaction with the isolated patient.

Abayomi disclosed that the Incident Command Centre was still investigating possible transmission of the virus, pointing out that the Centre had identified all the local contacts that interacted with the patient, including some passengers in the aircraft and six other persons who came in contact with the carrier at the airport.

He said: “There were 159 passengers in the aircraft and six people that came in contact with him at the airport. There are 25 people who came in contact with him at the factory; there were two drivers and an ambulance driver. We have quarantined those identified so far at our medical facilities and some of them at home. We are calling them twice a day to check if they are okay. If they develop symptoms, we will bring them to our bio-security facility for test.

“We have identified all of these people except some of the people on the aircraft who have either gone back to Europe and other states. Some of them gave us false information on the phone. We are still trying to find the remaining passengers on that aircraft every day. Our contact list is over 100 persons and this number is increasing every day.”

Men of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested one Ejike Okata, the suspected killer of his neighbour, at a motor park in Ijebu-Ode.

Okata, 27, who hails from Onueke in the Eza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, was arrested 48 hours after he allegedly killed his 50-year-old neighbour, Adeyiba Oladipo, in the Ayegbami area of Ijebu-Ode over a dispute.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said this in a statement on Sunday.

Oyeyemi said the suspect was arrested on Sunday at the Mobalufon junction motor park, while running away to his village in Ebonyi State.

According to him, the suspect reportedly dealt machete blows on Oladipo during a minor argument on Friday, which led to her death.

Oyeyemi said the suspect was arrested following a report by the deceased’s brother at the Obalende Police Station, Ijebu-Ode, on Friday.

The brother reported that his sister, who resided in the Ayegbami area of the city, was cut with a machete by her neighbour over a minor argument.

The PPRO added that the complainant told the police that the suspect ran away immediately after the incident.

He said, “Upon the report, the DPO, Obalende Division, CSP Omonijo Sunday, mobilised his detectives to the scene, where the corpse of the victim was recovered and taken to the Ijebu-Ode General Hospital mortuary for autopsy.

“A serious manhunt was launched for the fleeing suspect. The efforts of the detectives yielded a positive result on Sunday, March 1, 2020, when the suspect was about to board an Ebonyi State bound vehicle, but he was apprehended by policemen, who had already laid an ambush for him due to intelligence information that they already had about him.

“On interrogation, the suspect, who hails from Onueke in the Eza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, confessed to dealing machete blows on the deceased, because she accused him of stealing a phone, which infuriated him.

“He confessed further that he cut off the woman’s two hands because she wanted to struggle with him and collect the machete.”

Oyeyemi added that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Kenneth Ebrimson, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and prosecution.

Pastor E. A. Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has assured his church members that the deadly coronavirus which recorded its first case in Nigeria on Thursday, will not affect any of them.

Reacting to the news of coronavirus in Nigeria, Pastor Adeboye in a Facebook video said: “I want to assure you that there’s no virus that will come near you at all. Because it is written that those that dwell in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I want to believe this is time for God to show clearly there’s a difference between those who serve Him wholeheartedly and those who do not.”

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=497525144523049

The first case of coronavirus was confirmed in Nigeria after an Italian man came to the country for a business meeting.

Moving from Lagos to Ogun State where he held the meeting at Ewekoro, the man fell ill and was rushed to a hospital in Lagos where he tested positive to the virus.

He has since been quarantined at a medical facility in Yaba, Lagos.

According to reports from The Nation, a Nigerian professor of virology, Maduike Ezeibe, has said he has a cure for the corona (Covid-19) virus and Lassa fever.

Professor Ezeibe who is the Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) said his therapy has the potency to cure coronavirus and lassa fever.

The professor of Virology who gave the chemical equation of the therapy as (AI4(SiO4)3+3Mg2SiO4-2AI2Mg3(SiO4)3) said “it’s a mechanism for curing Covid -19 and Lassa fever”.

On how the therapy works, Professor Ezeibe said: “that electrostatic attraction would make electrically charged medicines mop pathogens which have opposite charges is a known scientific fact and that viruses and abnormal (infected /tumor) cells are electrically charged is now known.

Covid-19 virus and Lassa fever virus (DNA viruses) are negatively charged. Small sizes of viruses enable them infect cells, inaccessible to big molecules.
So, existing antiviral medicines need immunity to complement their effects but some viruses cause immune deficiency.

“As a silicate, AMS also normalises immunity and as a stabilizing agent it enhances efficacy of antimicrobials to achieve effective treatment secondary infections.

Effective treatment of secondary infections would cure any viral /abnormal cell diseases including Covid -19 and Lassa fever.”

He expressed confidence that the therapy which had already proved reliable in the treatment of HIV/AIDS would make coronavirus a thing of the past.

Veteran Nollywood actor, Kayode Odumosu, popularly known as Pa Kasumu is dead.

Nollywood actress, Foluke Daramola-Salako who announced the death on Sunday, said he died after a brief illness.

“It is with so much heavy pain in our hearts that we regret to announce that our #paraafricafoundation model-actor Pa Kasumu has given up the ghost after a brief illness. The news was broken by a close source that stays around the hospital he gave up the ghost,” Foluke Daramola wrote on Twitter.

Pa Kasumu is known for his uncommon talent in interpreting any role to near perfection.

However, in 2013, he was reported to be critically ill and said to be receiving treatment at Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for heart, liver and kidney-related diseases.

View this post on Instagram

BREAKING NEWS! Our model veteran actor Pa kasunmu Kayode Odumosu finally takes a bow. It is with so much heavy pain in our hearts that we regret to announce ur in Para, that our #paraafricafoundation model actor Pa kasunmu has given up the ghost after a brief illness. The news was broken by a close source that stays around the hospital he gave up the ghost. We will keep u updated with further information on this

A post shared by Foluke Daramola-Salako (@folukedaramolasalako) on Mar 1, 2020 at 10:15am PST

When he was questioned about his state of health, he replied: “Yes I must confess to you that I just thank God that I am alive. In fact, I had given up all hopes already. I taught the end had come for me. I taught it was fever that’s why I left for the hospital. In fact, when I got to the hospital, I lost consciousness. I only discovered when waking up that my manhood was in the hands of two nurses while they guarded it into a receptacle for me to urinate. I got so confused. It was the following day that they tried to conduct a series of tests on me and they could not really achieve much due to the lack of enough medical facilities at the private hospital. That made the doctor on duty to refer me to Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH).”

In December 2019, Nollywood actress, Foluke Daramola, launched a lifeline for ailing and aging Nollywood veterans.

Some of the beneficiaries include Kayode Odumosu a.k.a Pa Kasumu, Sadiq Daba, Barbara Soki, Kareem Adepoju a.k.a Baba Wande, Peter Fatomilola, Lanre Hassan (Iya Awero), Idowu Phillips (Iya Rainbow), Lere Paimo a.k.a Eda Onile Ola and others.

Popular Vlogger, Grace Ajilore took to her Instastory to give an insight of some romantic relationships she had in the past, saying she ended many of those relationships because none of them treated her the way she wanted.

The Vlogger who stated that there is no shame in going through heartbreak revealed that she has learnt that “you have to be in many trashy relationships to understand what you truly deserve”.

Ajilore averred that she has always practiced what she preached as she recalled dating celebrities, men who wear suit and tie, money men, men who borrow money from her and naughty boys.

She revealed that she dumped them all in a “bin” because they could not traet her the way she wanted. The mother of one also advised ladies to move past their broken relationships and see it as a form of a learning experience.

See her posts below;

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) called in its second witness to testify against Azeez Fashola popularly known as Naira Marley, during the continuation of the singer’s cyber fraud trial on Thursday February 27.

Naira Marley is facing an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy, possession of counterfeit cards and fraud.

Testifying in court, EFCC’s second witness Mr Anosike Augustine who is a mobile forensic expert with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), recalled how he analysed the contents of an iPhone 11 allegedly retrieved from Naira Marley during an investigation.

He told Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Lagos that he produced a report of his findings after extracting and analyzing the evidence recovered from the singer’s phone.

However, after EFCC moved to submit the 30-page report, Naira Marley’s counsel and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olalekan Ojo objected to the tendering of the document.

Ojo insisted that it was not part of the documents front-loaded to the defence team and he was unaware of its contents.

Justice Oweibo subsequently adjourned the case to allow the defence and prosecution team to sort out and reconcile whether the report was front-loaded or not.

Edwin Ezeonu, the ex-husband of Nollywood actress Ngozi Ezeonu has accused her of marrying off their daughter without his consent.

He also warned the actress to stop using his name since they are now divorced.

Edwin in an interview with The Sun accused his ex-wife of trampling on his right and honour as a man, describing his daughter’s traditional wedding in Delta State as an abomination as he was kept in the dark throughout the whole process.

The aggrieved ex-husband of the Nollywood actress said; “I’m a real son of the soil in Igboland, and I am knowledgeable enough about Igbo traditional marriage.

“In Anambra State where I come from, a woman does not and has no right whatsoever to give out a fellow woman’s hand in marriage. It is abomination and taboo. As such, Ngozi Denis Ikpelue has no legitimate right and authority to give out my daughter, Ogechukwu’s hand in marriage. As long as I am concerned and also the entire family of Ezeonu and his kindred are concerned, Ogechukwu is not married.

“What happened in Asaba, Delta State on February 15, 2020 was a movie shoot!” he added.

Recalling how his marriage to Ngozi Ezeonu crashed in 2013, Edwin said; “I came back home one day from work and met an empty house, without any prior notice. As I got home that fateful day, my landlady told me that Ngozi had packed out of the house, taking the children along with her.

“Few weeks before that, I had insinuated that she was putting up a new apartment. I summoned her and warned her against dividing the family. But she never listened.

“I gave Ngozi all the supports and encouragement she needed to boost her career as a seasoned actress, yet she never valued all my efforts. She also never contributed a dime to the upkeep of the house and well being of the children.

Even after they left, I still catered for my kids: school fees, foodstuff and all. I’m devastated that my only daughter would do this to me. Ngozi should also desist from using my surname. We are divorced,” he said.

Lagos commissioner of health, Prof. Akin Abayomi has confirmed that the Italian who tested positive to coronavirus, has been moved to a renovated facility.

Abayomi’s confirmation came after the infected Italian quarantined at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos, had reportedly attempted to escape from his isolation room due to excessive heat and mosquitoes.

However, while speaking on a show on Arise Television on Saturday, the commissioner admitted that the patient had complained, but he said he is now comfortable in his new ward.

“I saw him at about 6pm yesterday. He was explaining his condition and we were taking some new data from him,” he said.

“He’s in an isolation room all by himself and we had moved him into a particular room because we were doing a general overhaul of the whole facility because we want to be ready.

“There were some discomforts in terms of heat, but about 9 pm we moved him over to the renovated facility which has lots of air conditioners, fans and it’s a 28-bed brand new facility, and he’s there on his own in the whole ward and as of 6 am this morning I’m told he’s comfortable.”

The commissioner said they started renovations last week and now have the 100-bed capacity.

He said the Lagos government has been building capacity since the Ebola outbreak of 2014.

“We’ve been building a biosecurity unit that includes advanced diagnostic capacity. We’ve been building isolation wards which have special airflow dynamics,” he said.

Following the detection of the first case of the novel Coronavirus disease in Nigeria, and the placing in quarantine of the patient, identified as a 44-year-old Italian, at the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, Lagos (formerly, Infectious Diseases Hospital), a health worker at the hospital said on Friday that the patient was angry and had attempted to escape, given the state of the isolation centre.

The high ranking health worker, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity on Friday, decried the ‘very poor quality’ of the isolation centre, lamenting that “the authorities have not matched words with action.”

Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, had said on Friday that the state government had built a facility to handle the situation, adding that the patient was getting better.

Hamzat had said, “It is a lab that can accommodate 100 for now, but it is only one bed that is occupied today. Hopefully, it wouldn’t spread. We are ready and we are well equipped. He (the patient) is there and he is getting better. He is steady. The doctors say he is going to be fine.’’

But the health worker told our correspondent that the Coronavirus index case had been “very upset about” the surrounding, adding that the patient “complained of excessive heat and mosquitoes.”

In an interaction with our correspondent, the health worker, who did not wear any personal protective equipment required of workers in such an environment, said, “The patient wanted to run away yesterday (Friday). The Italian man, who seems to be an engineer, was very angry that the room where he was kept was very hot.

“There is nothing there (inside the isolation ward) aside from bed and hospital locker. He almost ran away and is still threatening to do that.

The source said the level of preparedness in Lagos State for infectious diseases such as Coronavirus and Lassa fever “is zero.”

An online entry describes the Mainland Hospital, where the Italian is being quarantined, as “an ultra-modern multi-drug resistant tuberculosis treatment centre, with a 40-bed admission facility.”

Our source, who emerged from the Out Patient Department of the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, alleged that Lagos State did not have the facility to accommodate individuals who might have come in contact with the Italian.

According to the source, the facility that is meant to accommodate both suspected and confirmed Coronavirus cases is still undergoing renovation “and might take a while” before it can function fully.

He also revealed that the isolation area was a room in one of the wards, and that it was quickly vacated to accommodate the index case.

The source alleged, “The only thing demarcating the room from other rooms in the ward is a red and white barricade tape. That is where the Italian man that tested positive to Coronavirus is kept.

“There is no single equipment inside that place. It is just like any other regular hospital room with a bed. That building you see that is being repainted is the original place meant to quarantine Coronavirus patients.

“As you can see, the place is not ready. The state government is just renovating it, despite the fact that the virus started spreading since December 2019. It is really sad that a country like Nigeria is never ready to medically contain infectious disease outbreak.

“This is why most health workers leave because they are predisposed to danger of infection.”

According to the source, the Mainland Hospital does not have a ready and designated facility to isolate and treat Lassa fever patients, much less Coronavirus. The source noted that the place earmarked for Lassa fever treatment had yet to be completed.

The source said, “The place meant for Lassa fever patient has been under construction in the past one month. It is not yet completed. As you can see, they are makeshift structures, hurriedly put together with white tarpaulin.

“They are not permanent structures and I don’t know how this place can actually accommodate humans that have a highly infectious disease like Lassa fever,” he said.

Indeed there was jubilation in Itire area of Lagos and its environs after the 22-year old supreme cult leader, Maliki Bello, was arrested by the Police operatives led by the Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu.

According to P.M.EXPRESS, Maliki Bello, who hails from Lalopun in Kwara State and resides at 23 Ayinla Street in Idiaraba area of Mushin, Lagos, and 11 other members of his gang are currently in Police net.

This was disclosed by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, during the parade of suspects at the State Police Command in Ikeja, Lagos.

He stated that on 4th February, 2020, following sustained monitoring, the Police operatives at Itire Division arrested Bello with operational base at Itire area of Lagos. He explained that the suspect, Maliki Bello, had been on the wanted list of the Police for violent crimes and gang clashes.
DSP Elkana said that the suspect has confessed to be responsible for series of violent attacks, murders and armed robbery incident in Idiaraba, Lawanson, Dosumu, Ashimowo Bakare, Mushin, Itire among others.
Elkana said that Bello revealed that he was initiated into the cult when he was 12 and he rose to become the leader of the cult. He said that the gang has official Facebook page known as BBL Baloteli with 1,928 friends and they use their Facebook page and other social media accounts to recruit new members, plan attacks and update members on their activities.
The Police spokesman said through interrogation and investigation other members of the gang were arrested and will be charged to Court after the conclusion of investigations.

A self acclaimed pastor, Daniel Uba, who allegedly engaged a 19-year old girl in sex while he pretended to be delivering her from evil spirits has been remanded in prison custody.

P.M.EXPRESS reports gathered that the incident happened at Abule Egba area of Lagos, where Pastor Uba reportedly invited the victim and prophesied to her of an impending danger before he subjected her to deliverance prayers.

The 19-year old victim was said to have accepted to be delivered after Uba told her something about her life that looked real, which she believed and became afraid of the supposed impending danger.

While he was conducting the purported deliverance, Uba lost control in the process, pulled the victim’s pant and engaged her in sex.

Thereafter, he threatened her with death if she failed to bring her aunt’s jewelries and hand over to him for his services.
However, the dastardly act got exposed and Pastor Uba was arrested. Having been found culpable after interrogation, the Police charged him before the Ogba Magistrates Court for statutory rape for engaging the victim in sex during deliverance and attempting to steal from her.

When he was arraigned, the Court did not take his plea after the prosecutor, Supol Benson Emerhi, asked the Court to refer the matter to the DPP bearing in mind the circumstances under which the defendant committed the offence.

The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. O Sule-Amzat, ordered Pastor Uba to be remanded in prison custody. The Court directed the prosecutor to duplicate the file and send to the DPP for advice.
However, when Pastor Uba was brought to Court to determine the status of the matter, the DPP’s report was not ready according to the prosecutor. Hence, the Court ordered Uba to be taken back to prison custody and adjourned the matter till 18th May, 2020 for report of the DPP to be available.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that Pastor Uba risks several years of imprisonment if the DPP finds him culpable and recommends that he should be tried for the alleged offence and eventually found guilty before the Court.