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Major news headlines in the papers today: Ekweremadu’s daughter appears in UK court for alleged human trafficking

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1. Sonia Ekweremadu, daughter of a former Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Ike, on Monday appeared before a court in the United Kingdom over an accusation of trafficking a homeless man into the UK to harvest his organs for herself. The 25-year-old is accused alongside her father Ike, 60; mother, Beatrice, 56; and 50-year-old doctor Obinna Obeta.

2. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has expressed concern about the challenges it is facing as it prepares for the 2023 elections. The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, said that the recent flooding across the nation had destroyed no fewer than 20 offices of the commission.

3. All the abducted children of a former Accountant General of Zamfara State, Abubakar Bello Furfuri have regained their freedom. They were released on Monday, five months after terrorists abducted them.

4. The Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, yesterday, vowed never to attend debates if his counterparts from the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, do not show up. Obi said he would back out of any debate where presidential candidates send surrogates or running mates, even at the last minute.

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5. Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, yesterday, lashed out at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, saying anybody supporting the former vice president is an enemy of the Benue people. He spoke on Monday when he hosted his colleagues from Rivers, Oyo, Abia, and Enugu States in Makurdi.

6. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has indicated that the Federal Government may not fully pay university lecturers for the eighth months that the Academic Staff Union of Universities was on strike. Gbajabiamila, in a statement issued on Monday, said President Muhammadu Buhari was being awaited to approve the proposal of “partial” payment presented to him.

7. Ramon Abass, popularly known as Hushpuppi, was yesterday sentenced to 11 years and three months imprisonment by the United States District Court sitting Central District of California for money laundering conspiracy through several online scams.

8. Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, on Monday ordered immediate distribution of anti-riot equipment and kits to officers of the force nationwide. The police chief said the equipment should include bullet-proof vests with armored plates, ballistic helmets, long and short-range tear gas for civil disorder management and stun guns.

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9. The Federal Government has announced that the train services on the Abuja-Kaduna rail line are set to return this month. Mu’azu Sambo, Minister of Transportation, made the announcement on Monday in Abuja while giving the scorecard of his ministry.

10. The troops of the Nigerian military attached to Operation Hadarin Daji, have neutralized some terrorists at Yar Tashar village in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State. The terrorists were reportedly killed while they were trying to harvest farmers’ produce in the village.

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Emefiele ‘printed N684.5m notes with N18.9bn’, says EFCC in fresh charge

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a fresh charge against Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

 

In the four-count charge, the anti-graft agency accused Emefiele of approving the printing of N684,590,000 notes at the rate of N18.96 billion.

 

EFCC alleged that Emefiele broke the law with intent to harm the public during his implementation of the naira swap policy under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

 

The agency also accused the former CBN governor of unlawfully approving the withdrawal of N124.8 billion from the consolidated revenue fund of the federation.

 

Emefiele will be arraigned on these counts before Maryann Anenih, judge of a federal capital territory (FCT) high court, on April 30.

 

This would be the third criminal case pending against Emefiele.

 

On November 17, 2023, Emefiele was arraigned before Hamza Muazu, a judge of the federal capital territory (FCT) high court, on a six-count charge of procurement fraud, to which he pleaded not guilty.

 

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The charge has since been amended to 20 counts bordering on alleged criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, procurement fraud and conspiracy to commit a felony.

 

On April 8, the EFCC also arraigned the former CBN governor, alongside one Henry Omoile, an official of the apex bank, before Rahman Oshodi of the special offences court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos over an alleged $4.5billion and N2.8 billion fraud.

 

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Policeman kills corps member, injures LAUTECH graduate in Oyo

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One trigger-happy policeman, popularly known as Saheed SARS, allegedly shot a corps member, identified as Iyanda Damilola to death in Ogbomoso Local Government Area of Oyo State on Tuesday.

It was gathered that Saheed is an operative of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Oyo State Police Command.

Saheed is widely recognised by the students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso for assaults, most especially “Yahoo boys”.

In 2020, he was heavily criticised on social media platforms after he reportedly posed with a white Mercedez Benz car he claimed to have bought.

 

The deceased’s brother, Iyanda Oluwafemi, a graduate of LAUTECH, said he sustained wounds from bullets shot by Saheed.

Oluwafemi, a graduate of Accounting and Management Sciences from the institution, said the deceased was his brother and that he had attended his convocation, after which they headed for an after-party the same day where he was shot dead by the trigger-happy cop.

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According to him, the late Damilola was serving in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

He said, “Yesterday was our convocation, and we were at a lounge (name withheld) for a convocation party around 2am when we heard that some people were fighting outside. When we discovered that the place was getting rowdy, we stepped out only to see policemen dispersing the crowd and shooting directly at the people.

“I sustained bullet wounds, but my brother, who came for my convocation, was shot in the head. He was confirmed dead at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital and was taken to the mortuary this morning.

 

“As I speak with you, I am at the clinic for my treatment. The wounds are deep, and I can not but seek justice for my innocent brother.”

Asked if he could recognise the policemen who came for the operation, Oluwafemi said he was sure of Saheed SARS because he led them to the place to disperse the crowd.

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“I saw him handling the gun; he was shooting with one hand until he shot my brother,” he added.

 

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, said an investigation was ongoing on the matter and that updates would be provided accordingly.

 

“Investigation is ongoing. Updates would be provided accordingly, please,” he wrote in a text message.

 

 

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10 dead as navy helicopters collide mid-air during training

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Two Malaysian military helicopters collided mid-air and crashed, killing all 10 crew members onboard.

The incident happed early Tuesday near the naval base in Lumut, some 200 kilometres north-west of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital city.

 

Mohamed Nordin, defence minister, said the aircraft — a maritime operations helicopter and a Fennec military chopper — were rehearsing for a parade celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Navy, due to be held on Saturday.

 

One of the helicopters which was said to be carrying seven crew members onboard crashed in a stadium, while the other which had three passengers spiralled down near a swimming pool.

 

Videos circulating on social media showed several helicopters flying in formation, when one of the choppers’ rotor clipped another before both aircraft crashed into the ground.

2 Helicopters with the Royal Malaysian Navy collided earlier today over the Town of Lumut during a Rehearsal for Annual Naval Parade resulting in the Death of all 10 of the Crewmembers; the Helicopters, a AgustaWestland AW139HOM (M503-3) and a AS550 Fennec (M502-6) both Crashed… pic.twitter.com/Z0IwdpMVbG

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— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 23, 2024

Photos of the crash showed the completely destroyed remains of the aircraft.

 

Nordin said efforts are underway to verify the identities of the crew members killed, all of whom were below the age of 40.

 

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s prime minister, described the tragedy as “heart-wrenching” and “a great loss for the country”.

 

“Condolences to all the families of the victims and prayers for strength to face this calamity,” Ibrahim added.

 

The Royal Malaysian Navy said it would establish a committee to investigate the cause of the incident.

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