News & Announcements

The Lagos State Government on Monday says it has fired a customary court judge, Mr Ishola Razaki Adeyemi, who allegedly dissolved a marriage between a couple and impregnated the wife of the complainant, Olayemi Ayeni.

Ayeni in a now-viral video was seen recounting his tumultuous ordeal in the hands of Adeyemi, whom he claimed made his life a living hell.

According to him, he had a major dispute with his wife and mother of his kids, Doyin Rukayat Okunnubi, in whose business he had invested N5 million.
The romance became sour when her business flourished and his wife allegedly became rebellious.
The man further accused his wife of infidelity which prompted him to sue to seek a resolution to the crisis.
He said the judge who presided over the marital fracas engineered their divorce and subsequently impregnated his wife.

“I had an issue with my wife, she moved out of the house, she rented an apartment very close to my house. I put five million Naira into her business to establish a school, Greatest Kiddies Foundation. So, the success of the business caused a problem in the family, I could not control her again,” he had said in the video.

“So after 10 months, I took her to court, thinking that I’d able to resolve this matter through Alternative Dispute Resolution. The judge, Dr Ishola Rasaq Adeyemi, hurriedly dissolved my marriage and got that woman impregnated three months after the dissolution of the marriage.

“The woman, she’s now carrying nine months pregnancy for that man. What really pained me is that in the ruling, this man denied me access to my children. That I can only see the children at the school premises once a week. The same children now are under his custody; he took over the business I established for that woman. He denied me access from having access to my children, he impregnated the woman now and he still wants to send me to jail.”

Reacting in a statement issued on Monday, the Lagos State Government said the case was investigated by the State Judicial Service Commission.
According to the Executive Secretary, of Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, Titilola Vivour Adeniyi, the findings of the investigation subsequently led to the termination of the appointment of the judge.

She added that the incident happened between 2014 and 2015.
“The attention of the State Government has been drawn to a viral video circulating the social media space wherein one Mr. Olayemi Ayeni (the Complainant) alleged that a former Customary Court Member, Mr. Ishola Razaki Adeyemi, abused his office by exhibiting unprofessional conduct in a customary court case involving the Complainant and his wife and proceeded to snatch his wife and children from him.
“The matter which occurred between 2014/2015 was investigated by the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission. The findings of the investigation subsequently led to the termination of the appointment of the Member of the Customary Court.

It was discovered that the viral video was posted by ‘Ogbongefriends’ sometime in 2016.
“Members of the public are informed that the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency has attempted to reach out to Ogbongefriends on their various social media accounts, but unfortunately their accounts have not been active since 2018. All efforts to reach out to the complainant have been to no avail.
“We, therefore, use this medium to encourage anyone with useful information about the complainant to please reach out via our social media handles- @dsvrt on Twitter or @dsva on Instagram or on 0813-796-0048,” the statement read.

A family source on Monday told SaharaReporters that Ayeni now has his children in his custody.

Businessman, Femi Otedola, has visited the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in Paris, France.

The APC presidential candidate, who is currently in France, has been holding a series of meetings with personalities, according to his spokesman, Tunde Rahman.
Otedola’s visit to Tinubu followed that of Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, to the ruling party’s candidate on Monday.

Otedola shared the photos of the visit via his Twitter handle on Monday, expressing his delight to be with Tinubu.

While describing the ex-Lagos State Governor as his great friend, the businessman prayed that God will grant his heart’s desire of becoming Nigeria’s President next year.

The inventor of the world’s first cellphone says he’s stunned by how much time people now waste on their devices, telling users to “get a life.”
Martin Cooper, 92, made the declaration during an interview with “BBC Breakfast” on Thursday, responding to a co-host who claimed she whiled away upwards of five hours per day on her phone.

“‘Do you really? You really spend five hours a day? Get a life!” he stated, before bursting into laughter.
Chicago-based Cooper invented the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X — the world’s first cellphone — back in 1973.
The engineer had been working at Motorola for more than two decades and was frustrated by the growing popularity of car phones.
“People had been wired to their desks and their kitchens for over 100 years, and now they’re gonna wire us to our cars, where we spend 5% of our time?” Cooper recalled thinking in a recent interview with CBS News.

He subsequently came up with the idea to make a portable phone that people could bring with them into their car, but also take out of the vehicle and use while they were out and about running errands.
The first call from a cellphone that would change our lives forever
Before he focused on the mechanics of the cellphone, he envisioned what the device would look like, saying he wanted it to be “small enough to put in your pocket, but big enough so that it could go between your ears and your mouth.”

Cooper wanted each person to have their own phone number — which he now calls his “greatest accomplishment.” Until that time, phone numbers had been associated with places, such as a home, car or desk.

Motorola subsequently poured millions into Cooper’s project and it took the engineer and his team just three months to make the phone, given they had used similar technology to previously put together police radios.
Once the device was completed, it was named the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. It weighed 2½ pounds and was 10 inches long. It lasted just 25 minutes before it ran out of battery and took a whopping 10 hours to recharge.

On April 3, 1973, Cooper made the first-ever cellphone call using the device, deciding to ring his competitor, Joel Engel, who was working as a head engineer at AT&T.
The event took place outdoors in front of reporters in Midtown Manhattan, with Cooper dialling Engel’s landline.

“Joel, this is Marty. I’m calling you from a cellphone, a real handheld portable cellphone,” he stated, as the reporters watched on in amazement.
The phone didn’t hit the market for a further decade, finally released to the public in 1983. It cost a whopping $3,995.

Cooper wrote about inventing the phone in his memoir, “Cutting the Cord,” released last year. He told CBS News that film studios have already approached him about a possible movie adaptation.
Now, almost half a century after Cooper’s invention, Americans are hooked on their devices.
A 2021 survey of 2,028 Americans by Statista found that 46% of respondents spent five to six hours on their phones each day. Eleven percent of respondents spent a staggering seven hours or more on their devices.

Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, the state’s Commissioner for Education, made the announcement in a statement on Monday.

She stated that the school would remain closed while an administrative investigation of its operations and procedures, as well as the conduct of its officials, was conducted in accordance with school safety standards and guidelines.

“The investigation is a sequel to the death of a five-year-old pupil who is suspected to have drowned during a swimming lesson while in the custody of the school,” Adefisayo said.
“The police are investigating the matter. A preliminary probe by the Office of Education Quality Assurance of the Ministry has shown that the Redeemers Nursery and Primary School, Ogba, is yet to conclude its registration and is, therefore, not yet an approved school.”

According to the commissioner, the ministry is concerned about the safety of the pupils, hence the need for its intervention.
She insisted that the school would remain closed until all the required approval processes were concluded.

Adefisayo advised parents whose children are pupils of the school to note the closure and await the conclusion of the administrative investigation.

Interpol has arrested James Junior Aliyu, a 28-year-old Nigerian, with the assistance of members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) for allegedly defrauding dozens of United States citizens of money totalling $12 million.

This was disclosed by SAPS via a statement issued on Saturday.
According to the statement which was seen by Nairametrics, Aliyu was arrested in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday in a “takedown operation” carried out by Interpol.

What SAPS is saying in statement read, “James Junior Aliyu, a 28-year-old Nigerian, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding dozens of US citizens of money totaling $12m.“Aliyu was arrested in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday in a “takedown operation” carried out by Interpol with assistance from members of the South African Police Service (SAPS).

“According to a statement issued by the South African police, Aliyu is “believed to be part of a cybercrime ring involved in phishing, internet scams, and money laundering.
“Just after 10:00 on Wednesday, 29 June 2022, members from the Interpol National Crime Bureau (NCB) in Pretoria with the assistance from members of the SAPS Gauteng Highway Patrol Unit swooped in on the upmarket estate where they affected the arrest.”

His arrest followed a widespread investigation involving law enforcement authorities from South Africa (SA) and the United States of America (USA).

“The cybercrime suspect who has been conducting his criminal activities from South Africa is accused of swindling dozens of US citizens millions in USD through email and text messages,” the statement added.
The South African police said, “authorities in the US, where the investigation originated and where most of his alleged victims are based, have applied for his extradition.”

The police added that the suspect was charged to court the same day of his arrest and that the case would be heard on July 5.

 During the week, a popular American RnB singer, Robert Kelly, aka R Kelly, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for using his celebrity power and financial muscle to abuse vulnerable women and minors for years.

Fondly called the ‘King of RnB’, quite a number of Kelly’s songs are popular in Nigeria. Saturday Beats takes a look at some of his music that still resonates with Nigerians
‘Trapped in the Closet
‘Trapped in the Closet is music series that tells the story of a one-night stand which set off a chain of events, gradually revealing a greater web of lies and deceit. The song series, which has 33 chapters, was released between 2005 and 2012. Although it had sine explicit content, it was a major hit in Nigeria.

‘Step in the Name of Love
Many wedding guests can easily identify with R. Kelly’s song, ‘Step in the Name of Love because it was a staple at many weddings.
The song, which encourages intimacy, notes that though love could be tough, it is still a wonderful feeling that can bring joy to those who experience it.

‘You Saved Me
Contained in the album, ‘Happy People/U Saved Me, which was released in 2004, this song is both inspirational and gospel in nature. The song tells stories of how people in difficult situations overcame them.
The song resonated with many Nigerians because it encouraged them that despite whatever they could be going through, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. It also affirms the popular saying, ‘When there is life, there is hope.

‘World’s Greatest
Although released as a single in November 2001, it was used as a soundtrack in the movie, ‘Ali’, which was about the iconic boxer, Mohammed Ali (formerly Cassius Clay).

The song, which basically contained positive affirmations about one’s life, was usually played at the end of sports competitions, graduations, and other moments of breakthrough. Some of the song’s lyrics go, “I’m that star up in the sky, I’m that mountain peak up high, Hey I made it, hmm, I’m the world’s greatest.”

‘I Believe I Can Fly
Recorded as a soundtrack for the 1996 film, ‘Space Jam, ‘I Believe I can Fly’ was the song that introduced R. Kelly to many Nigerians. The song, which is regarded as one of the singer’s most successful songs, went on to become an anthem of sorts, chorused by both the old and young.
Some of the lyrics of the song are, “I believe I can fly/I believe I can touch the sky/ I think about it every night and day/Spread my wings and fly away/I believe I can soar/I see me running through that open door/I believe I can fly…”

Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele has spoken out for the first time after her now estranged husband, JJC Skillz announced the dissolution of their marriage.

JJC Skills had announced the dissolution of his marriage to Funke Akindele.
JJC Skills admitted that the marriage has been having issues for two years.
He confirmed that Funke Akindele asked him to leave her house and has refused any form of amicable communication with him.

 According to him, their marriage was now beyond repairs and at the time of making the announcement, he is looking at how they can co-parent with ease and manage their joint business.

Since the news of her second marriage crash, Funke Akindele had stayed off social media and kept mute.
Taking to Instagram hours ago, Funke Akindele announced that she was now a member of the prestigious, Academy Award.

With the good news of her Academy invite, Funke Akindele is proudly now a member of the Oscars.
Her highest-grossing movie, Omo Ghetto the saga and Jenifa made her shortlisted for the 2022 prestigious position.
Funke Akindele shared several congratulatory messages from her friends, family, colleagues and workers on her Instagram story.

What stood out most was the advisory message which accompanied Sotayo Ogaga’s congratulatory message to her.
It reads, “If there is anything you should stop wearing after the age of 40, it is the way of other people’s opinion”.

Recall that Cutie Julls had given a comprehensive detail of what went wrong in the union.
Cutie Julls revealed that Funke Akindele couldn’t forgive JJC Skillz after she caught him having a blow job.
JJC Skillz’s son, Benito and his mum, Mella had also corroborated the infidelity accusations.
Cutie Julls alleged that infidelity and money marred the second marriage of the actress.
The blogger also revealed that Funke Akindele isn’t ready to give JJC Skillz anything.

Sierra Leone on Friday introduced a new family of banknotes, stripping three zeros off the leone, in a bid to restore confidence in the inflation-hit national currency.
The Bank of Sierra Leone announced the move last August, insisting the public’s purchasing power would not be affected by the change.

“We have removed three zeros from our banknotes but the money yesterday is the same value as today,” President Julius Maada Bio said at ceremonies at the central bank where the new bills were unveiled.
A note of 10 new leones is the equivalent of a note of 10,000 old leones, which changes hands for around 75 US cents.

Year-on-year inflation in the West African state was 24.87 percent in May, according to the national statistics agency.
Rising prices had driven the printing of banknotes, resulting in a mountain of paper money that is costly to sustain and unwieldy for the public.

Shoppers need huge quantities of banknotes for the simplest transactions, and unscrupulous bank tellers sometimes pilfer notes from sealed bundles of bills.
“We are removing the ‘zeros of shame’ to get the currency properly aligned,” Morlai Bangura, a central bank director, told AFP earlier in the week.
He said the bank had begun distributing the new paper notes to commercial banks last week.
On Friday, customers braving the rain queued at commercial banks to swap their old banknotes for new ones.

“The changing of our currency is necessary — we were used to carrying bags to the bank to withdraw our money, but not anymore,” Alice Frazer, 70, said after exchanging her notes at the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, a state-owned bank in central Freetown.

The new banknotes have a similar design to the old ones but are smaller in size.
“Our current currency is too big to fit into a wallet and we spend too much money printing oversized banknotes,” Kelfala Murana Kallon, the central bank governor, told reporters last August as he announced the move.

The central bank declined to comment on the cost of the operation.
Sierra Leone’s eight million people live in one of the poorest nations in the world, ranking 182 out of 189 countries on the UN’s Human Development Index.
Its economy, heavily dependent on minerals, was devastated by a civil war that ran from 1991-2002 and left about 120,000 dead.

Efforts at rebuilding were set back by an Ebola epidemic in 2014-2016, a fall in world commodity prices, and the coronavirus epidemic — all of which have disrupted trade and investment and hit exports.
Sierra Leoneans will be able to use both the old and new notes during a transition period until September 30.

From October 1, the old currency will cease to be legal tender.
The public will be able to swap the old currency for the new one until November 15, Kallon said in a statement.

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio announced his government had unanimously backed a bill that would decriminalize abortion in the country. He was speaking at the 10th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights, which took place in Freetown, Friday.
” At a time in the world when sexual and reproductive health rights for the women are either being overturned or threatened, we are proud that Sierra Leone can once again lead with progressive reform, Julius Maada Bio said. I want it to be a norm that an African man, an African leader, I can and should speak freely and publicly about menstruation because there is no shame in menstruation.”

According to the presidency, parliament will debate and vote on the “risk-free motherhood” bill.
Sierra Leone’s current abortion law dates back to 1861. It allows the procedure only if the mother’s life should be at risk.

In 2015, parliament adopted a law entitled the safe abortion act, but then-President Ernest Bai Koroma refused to sign it saying it should be put to a referendum.
In 2017, the UN Population Fund reported that in Sierra Lenon, one thousand one hundred twenty mothers per one hundred thousand births in the country; died from direct or indirect causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.

Health authorities estimate that abortions cause around 10 percent of maternal deaths in the West African country.

Reality TV star, Maria Chike, has said she doesn’t want to get married, as she noted that marriage was a scam.

The Big Brother Naija season 6 ex-housemate, however, added that she wanted to have kids when she is ready. Maria was responding to a fan on Twitter who called on the reality TV star’s lover, Kelvin, to propose to her.

The fan, identified as @chikesquad, noted that when Kelvin proposes to Maria, the Intensive Care Units in hospitals would be flooded.

“Kelvin should just propose if he has not done that yet. ICUs will flood,” the fan tweeted on Sunday.
In response, Maria said, “I don’t want to get married though. That’s the truth! Marriage is a scam. I do want babies soon though when I am ready.”

Maria, who is currently on vacation in Santorini, Greece, had earlier announced that her lover added one more destination to her tour.

She said, “He just added one more destination to this vacay! I’m done, I can’t. My clothes won’t be enough!
“Can you stop carrying me on blogs? The more you do, the more he wants to show me off! Stop it! I need my bed back in Lagos or Dubai.”