News & Announcements

Former US President Donald Trump has been consulting lawyers at Trump Tower in New York City as he prepares to face history-making criminal charges.

He has been under investigation over hush money paid just before the 2016 election to a porn star who says they had sex. He denies wrongdoing, reports the BBC.

Extra security measures are in place with the authorities expecting protests outside the Manhattan court on Tuesday.

Trump, 76, is the first ex-US president to face a criminal case.

“WITCH HUNT,” the Republican wrote on his Truth Social platform shortly before traveling from his home in Florida to New York on Monday – a journey that drew blanket coverage across the US news channels.

On Tuesday morning, dozens of police and court officers as well as Secret Service agents are expected to escort Trump through the streets of New York to the Lower Manhattan court complex.

His charges will be disclosed in full at the hearing, which is scheduled for around 14:15 local time (19:15 BST). His lawyers have already said he will plead not guilty.

The former president is expected first to surrender at the office of Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg. He will then be arraigned in court – meaning the charges will be read out, and he will plead.

Trump has been under investigation over a $130,000 (£105,000) wire transfer by his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.

Trump has denied a sexual encounter with Ms Daniels.

Hush money agreements are not illegal, but the Manhattan prosecutor has been investigating whether business records were falsified in relation to the payment.

Trump faces at least one felony charge in the case, according to US media. Other reports suggest there are about 30 counts in his indictment.

Media outlets lobbied Judge Juan Merchan to allow cameras inside the court, a motion that was opposed by Trump’s legal team because they said it would “create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment”.

But on Monday night, Judge Merchan ruled that some pool still photographers will be allowed to take pictures for several minutes before the arraignment formally starts.

The former president is expected to be released on bail and to return to his Florida home Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday evening, where he plans to deliver remarks at 20:15 local time.

His trip on Monday lunchtime from Palm Beach to Manhattan was closely watched by millions.
Live trackers followed his plane – painted in red, white, and blue with “Trump” in big letters on the side – throughout the nearly four-hour flight from West Palm Beach to LaGuardia Airport in Queens.

Anticipating his arrival, the intersection around Trump Tower – the former president’s Manhattan residence – was thronged with New Yorkers and tourists alike.

Dozens of media crews had set up camp on every available corner while at least five news helicopters hovered high over Fifth Avenue.

Trump waved at the media and the crowd before walking into the skyscraper under tight security, just after 16:15 local time (20:15 GMT).

He is understood to have spent Monday evening at Trump Tower consulting with legal advisers, a team that grew with the addition of Todd Blanche, a white-collar criminal defence lawyer, and ex-federal prosecutor who previously represented onetime Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

Trump’s 2024 White House campaign has raised over $8m since news of the charges against him broke last week, according to his team.

At a news conference on Monday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned any potential “rabble-rousers” to “control yourselves”.

Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene plans to hold a pro-Trump rally near the court on Tuesday.

Unlike the days preceding the Capitol riot in 2021 by Trump supporters, New York officials say they have not seen any influx of protesters to the city recently.

President Joe Biden, at an event in the state of Minnesota on Monday, told reporters he had no concerns about unrest in New York, saying: “I have faith in the New York Police Department.”

A German village has elected a Syrian refugee as its new mayor with an absolute majority of 55.41per cent of the votes.

The municipality announced the winner on Sunday evening.

Ryyan Alshebl, 29, who fled Syria in 2015, stood as a non-party candidate to become mayor of Ostelsheim in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg.

Alshebl, a member of the Green Party describes his experiences in the election campaign as “mostly positive”.

At the age of 21, Alshebl fled his hometown of Sweida in the South of Syria. He has now been working in the administration of the nearby Althengstett town hall for seven years.

As mayor, Alshebl said he planned to move to Ostelsheim in the district of Calw.

Alshebl is probably the first Syrian mayor in the Southwest of Germany. 

According to the Association of Municipalities of Baden-Württemberg, there has been no other candidate with Syrian roots for a Mayor’s office so far.

In the election, Alshebl prevailed against the non-party candidates Marco Strauß and Mathias Fey.

The American branch of the All Progressives Congress demanded in a letter sent on Monday that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kelvin McCarthy, and the President of the United States, Joe Biden, disregard a petition purporting to undermine the 2023 presidential election and written by some irate Nigerians.

The request comes three days after the US administration gave some diasporans in the nation permission to use its park on April 3 to demonstrate against the results of the Nigerian presidential election of 2023.

The permit allows only a hundred protesters to converge at the iconic Lafayette Park in Washington D.C. for just four hours.

There was a clear warning on the permit that the participants must “comply with all of the conditions of this permit and with all reasonable directions of the United States Park Police.”

The planned demonstration is expected to be led by a group in diaspora under the aegis of Nigerian American Coalition for Justice and Democracy Inc., under the leadership of Franklin Ekechukwu.

In a prior memo, Ekechukwu stated that the demonstration was their own means of protesting INEC’s failure to “follow their standards and the rule of law in accordance to democratic values.”

But, Prof. Tai Balofin, the APC chapter chairman in the United States, claimed that Nigeria’s sovereignty since independence had been successful.

The statement read, “We are writing to you regarding a recent petition that has been submitted, calling for the discrediting of the Nigerian presidential election that was deemed free and fair by the Independent National Electoral Commission. As the leader of a country that upholds democratic values, we implore you to disregard the petition.

“The government has faced many challenges threatening the relationship between tribes coloured by religion and politics.

“The coming together of activists against the military intensified the democracy we have untainted since 1999. The great men and women who laid down their lives and resources to make this a reality see Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as an unrepentant front-runner via the NADECO days who fought to make this democracy a reality.”

Balofin referred to Tinubu as a master of political drafting and chess with gaming mastery of political successes and claimed that he became a point of reference and a grandmaster of strategic transformation that nation leaders always turned to for ideas and turnarounds.

“It is imperative to respect the democratic process and the decisions made by the electoral body. It is not the place of any individual or group to call for the truncation of democracy or the establishment of an interim government. Such actions are not only unconstitutional but also undermine the peace and stability of Nigeria.

“They have been calling for actions that go against the laid-down processes for addressing disputes and grievances, which is a subversion of the constitution. Their actions and utterances are not only seditious but also pose a threat to the peace and stability of Nigeria. As such, we urge you to condemn such action and make it clear that the British government stands firmly in support of the democratic process in Nigeria.

“Conclusively, we are available to present more evidence to the US Congress. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he added.

As Bishop Oluwafeyiropo Daniel, the founder of I Reign Christian Ministry, failed to appear in court on Monday, his scheduled arraignment for an alleged rape was postponed.

Judge Ramon Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offenses Court, Ikeja, heard the case, which was ranked as case number four on the court’s case list.

But, Ms. Inumidun Solarin, the police prosecutor, told the court that the defendant was not present.

She mentioned that the police at the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Alagbon, Ikoyi, had released Daniel on bail.

She alleged that the investigating police officer, ASP Yemi Temenu, stated that it was established that he had moved when the police went to his home in Ikota, Lekki.

She requested a break, stating that the pastor was in Abuja for a church event.

After upon, the case was postponed until April 17, 2023.

The prosecution of Daniel for the alleged rape of his church’s assistant pastor and another woman had been ordered by the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions, according to the article.

At the FCID, where several of the victims had provided testimony, the case against him was looked at.

When the investigation was allegedly finished last year, the case file was sent to the DPP.

The victims claimed that the police and the state government had compromised, therefore the legal advice was withheld for a number of months.

Our correspondent made the decision to request the certified true copy of the legal advice after confirming that the DPP had issued it in December 2022 and that the cleric had not yet been charged.

After paying the required fee on Thursday, March 2, Saturday PUNCH submitted an application for the certified true copy. On Monday, March 13, our correspondent was the only one to receive the advice.

The advice, which was dated December 16, 2022, and was signed by Dr. Babajide Martins, Director of the DPP.

The report read in part, “After careful consideration of the facts available in the duplicate case file, this office is of the view that there exists prima facie offence of rape under Section 260 of the Criminal Law, Ch C17, Vol.3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015 against the suspect, Oluwafeyiropo Daniel.

“Facts from the duplicate case file reveal that the suspect, Oluwafeyiropo Daniel, is a pastor and the founder of I Reign Christian Ministry; that he had a church branch in Akungba Akoko (Ondo) where he had young people as pastors and assistant pastors. It is also revealed that Oluwafeyiropo Daniel invites the branch pastors and assistants to his house from time for one reason or the other.”

According to the allegation, Daniel took advantage of the assistant pastor each time she paid a visit to his home in the Lagos neighborhood of Ikota.

“It is revealed that Oluwafeyiropo Daniel having presented himself as his victims’ spiritual father whom they must be loyal to and must never hide anything from, including their body, lures the complainant and his other victim into having sexual intercourse with him.

“In the light of the foregoing, this office shall prosecute Pages 81- (Oluwafeyiropo Daniel) for the offence of rape under Section 260 of the Criminal Law, Ch C17, Vol.3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015,” the advisory stated.

Osita Chidoka, a former minister of aviation, lost his mother, Victoria Chidoka.

He said that she passed away on April 3 at the age of 75.

This was disclosed by Chidoka on Tuesday in a Facebook post.

He wrote in the post, “Notification of the Passing of Deaconess Victoria Nneka Chidoka (Nee Nzelu)

“With pain in our hearts and unconditional faith in the Love of God, we announce the passing of our mother, wife, sister, and grandmother Deaconess Victoria Nneka Chidoka at the age of 75 on Monday, April 3 at her residence.

“Mama Osi, as she is fondly called, passed peacefully surrounded by family and our loving thoughts as she came to the end of her courageous battle with health issues.”

He stated that the family would soon make known the details of the funeral.

“During this time, may she and others who were left behind to grieve her experience the love, mercy, and grace of God. The family will soon make known the details of the funeral,” Chidoka continued.

Chidoka served as President Goodluck Jonathan’s minister of aviation.

Chukwuka Monye was shot and killed on Saturday night at Rumuokoro Junction in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State by unidentified gunmen wearing police uniforms.

When the event occurred at around 6 o’clock in the evening, the deceased, a volunteer traffic warden, was reportedly in charge of traffic in Rumuokoro, a Port Harcourt suburb.

He was reportedly helping to clear the traffic jam brought on by a rainfall when one of the shooters in a police car opened fire on the scene.

The deceased allegedly had a problem with several security staff, according to a source who asked to remain anonymous for security concerns, but was unable to identify the individuals.

“What I heard was that Chukwuka was arguing with some security people, but I don’t know if they are policemen or not.

 “He is a very quiet person and very intelligent. He is a First Class graduate, 43 years old now. It is very unfortunate what happened to him,” he stated.

It was discovered that police officers later removed the body from the location and placed it in a morgue in Port Harcourt.

The deceased’s father, retired warrant officer John Monye, said over the phone that he was at home when someone called to alert him of the situation using his late son’s phone number.

To find out who was responsible for his son’s death, he demanded a thorough inquiry.

He said, “I was in the house when somebody who said he is my son’s friend used his (Chukwuka) number to call me.

 “That caller said Chukwuka’s corpse was lying on the ground, that they shot him.

“He said the police shot him, according to what they told him.”

Asked if his son was a cultist or had a problem with anyone, he said, “My son is a quiet boy. He doesn’t make trouble with anybody. Throughout his schooling days, he never had a problem with anybody.

 “He is married with three children, a daughter and two sons. My son cannot die like that.

“I want the government to investigate this matter and find out what happened that led to him being shot.”

When asked about the event, Grace Iringe-Koko, a spokesperson for the state police command, verified it and claimed that gunmen wearing police uniforms were responsible.

While noting that the investigation was ongoing, she said, “It happened around 6pm on April 1. The man was controlling traffic. I think he has issues with those people because they are not police officers, but gunmen wearing police uniforms were the ones that shot him.

“Immediately it happened, the Divisional Police Officer swung into action and his corpse was taken to a morgue.”

173 applications for digital loans to operate in the nation have been accepted by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

54 of the 173 have provisional permissions, while 119 have full approvals. The FCCPC launched a registration push to shield individuals from the abuses of these applications when loan apps began bothering Nigerians.

To govern the digital lending market and create registration and approval requirements for businesses wishing to operate there, it published a “Limited Interim Regulatory/ Registration Framework and Guidelines for Digital Lending 2022.”

After several changes to the registration closing date, it was finally set to March 27, 2023. A list of authorized apps that may be used throughout the nation has now been made public by the commission. Businesses won’t be allowed to operate in the area without authorization.

Commenting on its effort against digital lending apps in August 2022, the FCCPC said, “In addition to the enforcement action(s) and in furtherance of the desire to promote fair, transparent and mutually beneficial alternative lending opportunities apart from traditional lending to consumers, the inter-agency Joint Regulatory and Enforcement Task Force has developed and mutually adopted a Limited Interim Regulatory/ Registration Framework and Guidelines for Digital Lending, 2022 as the first and interim step to establishing a clear regulatory framework.

“This becomes enforceable immediately. It requires permission to proceed in digital lending; it provides a limited moratorium period for existing businesses to comply in order to continue in digital lending.

“The guidelines also mandate different service providers in the relevant ecosystem (such as banks, access/download platforms or stores, technology providers and payment systems) to require regulatory approval before providing services.”

Branch International Financial Services Ltd, Fairmoney Micro Finance Bank, Pivo Technology Limited, Renmoney Microfinance Bank Limited, Carbon Microfinance Bank Limited, and Creditwave Finance Limited are just a few of the accepted loan applications cited by the commission.

Google will remove unapproved loans from the Play Store and make them unavailable for download.

Google Play updated its Developer Program Guidelines in November, requiring digital money lenders in Nigeria, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Kenya to abide by legal requirements.

It was anticipated that this would go into effect on January 31, 2023. According to a TechCrunch article, Google removed hundreds of unapproved lending apps from the Kenyan Play Store in March.

A national committee made up of government authorities was working together to stop the activities of illegal lending apps in the country, according to information released by the Nigerian Data Protection Agency in February 2023.

Mr. Obiajulu Uja, an anti-Tinubu traveler on an Abuja-Lagos flight, has been charged before the Zuba Magistrates’ Court in Abuja and held in custody.

This was revealed by his attorney, Ejike Ugwu, on Monday.

Uja was removed from a Lagos-Abuja aircraft on Friday night after he began a solitary protest asking that Bola Tinubu never be inaugurated in as president on May 29.

In the video that went viral on Saturday, it took no fewer than six airport security officers’ efforts to evacuate him after he had delayed the plane for more than an hour as of 7pm.

According to a copy of the charge sheet seen stated that, Uja was accused of “behavior likely to create a breach of peace pursuant to sections 396, 267, 188, 172, and 144 of the Criminal Code Law,” as well as “public disturbance, resistance to a legitimate arrest, threatening violence, and behaviour.”

The attorney stated, “They misled us because yesterday he was transported to Muhammadu Buhari Police Hospital, Area 11 Abuja, and he was arraigned at the Zuba Magistrates’ Court as a result.”

The attorney said that his client had been admitted at the Muhammadu Buhari Police Hospital, but that neither a psychiatrist nor a psychologist were available to evaluate him there.

However, he claimed that although a physician from the National Hospital in Abuja had been requested to check Uja, the attempt had sadly been in vain.

 “While we were there, it was around 3pm they told us that they wanted  to arraign him in Zuba Magistrates’ Court.

“We reminded the court that the same police invited the doctor to examine him, and the same police instead of waiting for the doctors to examine him hurriedly charged him to court.

“Even with the test we did, we spent almost N40,000 at the Police clinic, all the tests they conducted we abandoned all of them; they have not prescribed any medicine.

“The way the police are handling it is as if they have an interest in the matter because you took somebody to a police clinic, you are coming to court to tell the court you want the person to be remanded in prison because you want to continue the investigation.

“Until now we do not know the result of the test that was conducted in the hospital because they hurriedly took him away from the hospital,” the lawyer said.

Ugwu added that the hearing for his client’s bail application was scheduled for Thursday.

On a common piece of land, 43 compounds were invaded by hoodlums numbering over 50, who then shot some residents and demolished their homes.

According to a report, 300 people were forced to leave the impacted hamlet and 11 people were hurt.

Dr. Nwoba Benjamin, a significant member of Ndiefi-Ishieke community, confirmed the occurrence and expressed regret over the onslaught the hired thugs unleashed on the residents.

He claimed that the event was brought on by a specific family claiming ownership of the public land.

According to sources, the assertion was what infuriated the people, who argued that the community land belonged to everyone who was a native of the impacted area and not just one particular family.

Benjamin claimed that the attack on the defenseless people was orchestrated by a few important members of the aforementioned kindred.

The villagers emphasized, he continued, that the common land was not intended for a specific family because many members of the village had over the years received an equitable piece of it.

He further claimed that Chinedu Uburu, the chairman of the council, was the leader of the thugs and that no hoodlums had been detained.

The Chairman of the Ebonyi Local Government Area, Mr. Chinedu Uburu, quickly responded, however, and denied any involvement, claiming the accusation was intended to harm his reputation.

“Nobody has officially reported to me that there was any destruction in the affected community.

“I am hearing about it for the first time. The day of the burial, the police were on ground. If any body is pointing accusing fingers at me, it’s just cheap blackmail.

“Surely, I will visit the place and alert some security agencies to swing into action,” the council boss said.

Yet according to Benjamin, on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, the thugs appeared out of nowhere and unleashed mayhem on the locals who opposed giving a certain family possession of a piece of property.

“The thugs were hired and were shooting sporadically. About 100 buildings were destroyed.

“There’s a communal land in the village, which the community usually share to indigenes of the village, when you grow and get married.

“But a particular family claimed that it is their land. One of them died and was buried in the community land even as the community refused such development.

“At about 3a.m. of the fateful day, the thugs started destroying people’s properties. I was reliably informed that SWAT saw them and didn’t do anything.

“Thugs were going from one building to the other causing mayhem and stabbing people.

“One military man was also involved in the act. The police saw things for themselves but didn’t do anything.

“The destruction went on for three days. The land is for the community. 43 compounds were destroyed and 11 persons were injured as more than 300 hundred persons are now displaced,” Benjamin narrated.

Eze Sunday, the afflicted village chief of Ndiefi-Ishieke village in Ebonyi LGA, urged the state government to play a fatherly role by fostering unity, peace, and oneness among the residents of Ndiefi-Ishieke village instead of siding with any one clan in the troubled area.

He said, “We want the state government to know what is happening. They should not victimize a particular clan but carry everybody along.

“They should allow those displaced to come back to their compounds.

“The compound of the family that said the communal land belonged to them is from Igbogima. The hoodlums should be brought to book.

“Our incoming governor should assist us in maintaining peace in the village. He should not look at the kindred dichotomy.

“The State Government should look into the matter. We are very sad over the development. I am the complaint but they are turning me into the accused.”

Nwodom Alibasa and Romanus Njoku, the victims who spoke with Vanguard, bemoaned how their homes were destroyed and their lives were in danger as a result of the despicable incident that occurred in their village.

When contacted, Onome Onovwakpoyeya, the police public relations officer, claimed that the command was unaware of the occurrence.

Senator Orji Kalu, the former governor of Abia State, has revealed that his first wife, Mrs. Ifeoma Kalu, passed away at the age of 61.

The former governor and Chief Whip of the Senate claimed Ifeoma was a woman of virtue who was devoted to serving God and humanity in a post on his official social media profile, which was signed by him.

Kalu wrote in the post, “With a heavy heart and pain, we announce the passing on to the eternal glory of Mrs Ifeoma Ada Kalu aged 61.

“She was a woman of virtue who was committed to the service of God and humanity.

“A memorial service in her honour is scheduled to hold in the United States of America.”

He requested people to pray for Mrs. Ifeoma and her family ones during this trying time.