Twitter on Monday confirmed it is selling the platform to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk in a deal valued at $44 billion.
The sale was a dramatic shift for the board, which had originally maneuvered to block Musk from taking the social media network private.
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk said in a joint release announcing the takeover.
Details later…
The ongoing probe of Osinachi’s Nwachukwu’s death which has led to the arrest of the late Singer’s husband, Peter Nwachukwu, Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba has assured the public that the security agency was making progress.
The demise of the famous gospel musician caused public outcry with citizens and organizations demanding a thorough investigation.
At a meeting with Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen at his office in Abuja on Wednesday, the IGP said the singer’s death was heart-breaking.
He revealed that information from sources close to the family and independent witnesses fingered Osinachi’s husband, Peter Nwachukwu, as being responsible for her death.
Baba said the FCT Command, in whose jurisdiction the incident occurred, arrested Peter at about 5pm on April 10 at their residence in Lugbe, Abuja.
The suspect is currently in the custody of the Command as investigations proceed.
The IGP emphasized that considering the sensitive nature of the case and the need to get justice, the command has approached the National Hospital in Abuja for post-mortem examinations.
Baba said this would ascertain the cause of death, and Peter will be charged to court as soon as it is established that he was responsible for her death.
The Police chief added that it is both illegal and immoral for anyone human to take the life of another in any manner.
He reiterated the commitment of the Force to ensure that domestic violence, sexual and gender-based violence, rape, and others are accorded utmost attention, while the perpetrators are made to face the law.
The Presidency has defended the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to grant pardon to 162 persons, including former Governors Jolly Nyame of Taraba State and Joshua Dariye of Plateau State.
The Presidency’s position was contained in a statement on Wednesday by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu.
In the statement, Shehu said: “The Presidency wishes to throw light on the recent note presented to the Council of State, on the report of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, PACPM as a culmination of a process begun by the convicts and others concerned in line with the Constitution.
“Section 175 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999(as amended) enjoins the President to exercise his constitutional powers ‘to grant any person concerned with or convicted of any offence created by an Act of the National Assembly a pardon, either free or subject to lawful conditions; to grant respite, either for an indefinite or a specified period of the execution of any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence; substitute a less severe form of punishment imposed on that person for such an offence or remit the whole or any part of any punishment imposed on the person for such an offence or of penalty or forfeiture otherwise due to the state on account of such an offence.’
The Federal Government constituted the PACPM on August 28th, 2018 with the mandate of assisting the President in the discharge of his constitutional responsibility of granting pardon/clemency to convicts or ex-convicts in deserving cases.
The Committee filed its first report in March 2020 and reconvened on Thursday, 28 September 2021 to attend to the myriad of pending applications for presidential pardon and clemency from Nigerians across the country.
“These accrued cases followed the established process of applying for pardon or clemency first to the Correctional Service (formerly Nigerian Prison Service), which must certify claims made, be they of life-threatening ill-health, (as in the cases of Governors Dariye, Nyame; John Joshua Uloh, Engr Umar Bamalli, Sa’adu Ayinla Alanamu, Charles Ihenatu, Akinwumi Ajayi and tens of others making the approved list of 159; or such cases arising from remorse and good conduct or plainly on the basis of compassion among other stated criteria.
“The PACPM members, under the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, followed up the recommendations with a visit to selected Correctional Centers in several states of the Federation to ‘critically appraise and identify potential cases of convicts and ex-convicts before recommending them for presidential pardon/clemency and reduced sentences.’
“In this round of the exercise, 412 inmates were interviewed and 162 were recommended to the Council of State by the President in the exercise of his powers, pursuant to Section 175 (2) which requires that he should carry out this function after being ‘advised by the Council.’
“Clearly, the presentation to the Council of States meeting last week, attended by former Presidents, a former Chief Justice and 36 States and the FCT along the lines of its statutory membership was a culmination of a rigorous process, regulated and guided by the law which was not, in any way designed to achieve a political purpose.
“While it is natural that the cases of the ex-governors-two among many- would excite political analysts, coming at a time when elections are in the air, the President would at the same time have come across as insensitive and cruel to most people were he to have ignored very compelling cases recommended for pardon made to him because someone is a former Governor. Even Governors have the right to be treated fairly under the law.
“President Buhari assures the nation that nothing done here was intended to achieve a political end or send a revisionist message on the relentless war against corruption which he has ably and evidently led by personal examples.”
A prison guard has been confirmed dead while three others were left with varying degrees of injuries following an explosion that hit a bus conveying prison personnel in the northwestern province of Bursa, Turkey.
The accident was said to have been caused by an improvised explosive device that was suspected to have been placed on the route where the bus would pass and was detonated after the bus arrived at the location.
Confirming the blast while speaking to newsmen on Wednesday, the Governor of the province, Yakup Canbolat, said that investigations were yet to ascertain the perpetrators of the action.
According to him, the bomb was planted next to an electric pole and was detonated by remote control when the bus carrying prison guard personnel went past it.
Canbolat disclosed that one person was seriously injured and was currently admitted to the intensive care unit while two others had mild injuries during the explosion.
The governor added that the two were taken to the hospital for treatment and had been discharged by medical officials after they were treated.
He further said that security agencies have begun investigations and were currently on trail of the perpetrators for onward arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
He noted that aside from the security agencies, the country’s Justice and Interior Ministry officials would travel to Bursa, in order to visit the scene and gather facts on the action.
“All our security units are working on the issue from all sides. Hopefully, we’ll try to solve the issue and capture the perpetrators as soon as possible”, the governor added.
Although attacks have declined sharply in recent years, similar attacks were carried out in the past by Kurdish, leftist, and Islamist militants.
Reality TV star, Iheme Uloma, popularly called Ifu Ennada, says the reason she has not attended church in years is that pastors are misinterpreting what the Bible says.
Citing an example, Ifu Ennada, in a post on Instagram, said a preacher once told his congregation to sow special seeds of N50,000 to receive special blessings during a church program.
The actress said the church was just a building where people gathered to worship, adding that what mattered most was people’s faith and relationship with God.
She said, “I haven’t been to church in years. The churches I was attending at the time were trying to kill my faith in Christ. A lot of the things they did were the opposite of what the Bible says. Imagine a preacher saying he has special blessings for the church, but only for people who can sow special seeds of N50k and above.
“What about people who gladly sow their all even if it’s less than N50k. Did we pay for the sacrifice Christ made on the cross? Could we ever pay for it? Anyway, I chose Christ and left the church. I think what matters is that we have faith in God and that we have a personal relationship with Him because, at the end of the day, the church is just a building where people gather to worship, the temple is in us. Our body is the temple of God.”
A Chicago man was sentenced to 105 years in prison for the murder of a 14-year-old girl who was found with her hands bound in a dirty alleyway in Gary, Indiana, a judge ruled on Thursday.
Deonlashawn Simmons, 36, will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing Takaylah Tribitt in 2019.
A jury convicted him of the murder in March and Simmons admitted to firearm and habitual offender enhancements.
Tribbitt, a runaway, was found facedown, tied with cords, and surrounded by garbage not far from where Simmons’ family lived, according to court documents.
She and Simmons had met at a birthday party in Chicago five days earlier.
Simmons has maintained his innocence and said Thursday he plans to appeal.
Deputy Prosecutor Doug Shaw, who called Tribbit’s death an “execution,” asked the judge to impose the maximum 105 year sentence, saying “that’s all the law allows us.”
Tribitt was a “defenseless child,” Shaw said in court.
Simmons’ attorney had asked for a 56-year sentence, with five years suspended in favour of probation.
*Courtesy: New York Post
‘The mum of the allegedly raped 10year old girl of Chrisland School, VGC, has appealed to Nigerians to come to her aid over the incident.
Recall that it was reported how the elite high school suspended the pupil after accusing her of taking part in a truth-or-dare game in Dubai, where students went in March to participate in the World School Games between March 10-13, 2022.
“In line with our core values centered on discipline, Chrisland Schools have zero tolerance for any improper behavior and misconduct,” the school said in a letter signed by its principal Georgia Azike.
However, the mother claimed there were so many things that were carried out on her daughter without her consent and the school should be held culpable for the sad incident.
“My daughter was dying in silence and I didn’t know. “They threatened her that if she tells anyone, they would kill her!” the mum said.
Vice President Osinbajo is no longer a member of the Lagos state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), his spokesman, Laolu Akande has confirmed.
Speaking on Monday, Akande said Osinbajo who declared his intention to contest the 2023 presidential election on the APC platform moved his membership to Ogun State when he revalidated his APC Membership status in Ward One, Ikenne, Ogun State on 9th February 2021.
Prior to his movement, Osinbajo is a chieftain of the Lagos APC with his polling unit at Code 33, Unit 2 Victoria Garden City, Lagos.
New York City police have named “a person of interest” after a morning rush-hour shooting at a subway station that left more than 20 people injured.
Police said they were looking for Frank R James, 62, in connection with the attack as he had rented a U-Haul van that may be linked to the shooting, reports the BBC.
The key to the van, rented in Philadelphia, was found at the scene.
“We are looking to determine if he has any connection to the train,” NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) asked “anyone with information on his whereabouts” to call a hotline.
James has not been named as a suspect in the attack. Being identified as a person of interest means police believe he may have information concerning the crime.
The New York Times reports that James, who has addresses in Wisconsin and Philadelphia, appears to have posted dozens of videos on social media in recent years, in which he expresses bigoted views. More recently he had also criticised New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
In a briefing late on Tuesday, police gave more details of the incident which saw a male attacker detonate two smoke grenades and open fire at Brooklyn’s 36th Street station.
The attack unfolded shortly before 08:30 local time (12:30 GMT) on Tuesday, and police said the man had a Glock 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.
“He then fired that weapon at least 33 times, striking 10 people,” police chief Essig said. Seven men and three women were shot.
Another 13 people “suffered injuries related to smoke inhalation, falling down or a panic attack”, the police chief said.
All of the victims are expected to survive.
“The male then fled the scene, and detectives are actively trying to determine his whereabouts,” Ms Essig said.
Investigators found the Glock handgun, three extended magazines, a hatchet and a range of potential incendiary devices at the scene.
A $50,000 (£38,450) reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.
Police say the gunman was roughly 5ft 5in tall and 170lb (77kg). He was said to be wearing a construction vest, a grey hooded sweatshirt, and a gas mask.
The attacker’s motive was not immediately known.
New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said earlier on Tuesday that the shooting was not initially being treated as an act of terrorism.
Witnesses have described hearing people shouting for medical assistance and fleeing in panic. Brooklyn resident Yayha Ibrahim said he saw people running from the 36th Street station.
“I saw a lady, she was shot right in her leg and she was screaming for help,” he told Reuters news agency. Rescue workers “did a good job of coming quick and fast, and the ambulance came in and they took her,” he added.
Peter Nwachukwu, the husband of late gospel music star, Osinachi, has a ‘secret’ wife outside of their turbulent union, according to a report in the Vanguard, he said to have wedded the woman with whom he reportedly shared a romantic relationship in a church but hid the union from Osinachi and the family.
According to the report, the romance which began before Nwachukwu sought the hand of the late gospel artiste in marriage, is believed to have gone sour after the woman bore a child for him.
These facts came to the fore when one of the children of the deceased gospel star found an old photo album hidden in his father’s room.
The child, whose name is withheld for apparent reasons, said their mother had suspicions that their father was having a secret affair, but could not lay her hands on any concrete evidence.
Narrating how he discovered the photo album which exposed Mr. Nwachukwu’s secret, the kid said: “One day, my father was away and forgot to lock up his room. So, I entered and a voice within told me to explore the room. Then, I saw the album and out of curiosity, I opened it and saw daddy’s old photographs. From the photos, I could see that my dad lived a wayward life.
“So, I closed the album and kept it where daddy hid it. I couldn’t tell mummy or anyone because I was very afraid that daddy will kill me if he found out that I knew about the photos. Mummy once tried to search for things like this (album) in daddy’s room, but could not find anything
Meanwhile, after the child brought out the hidden secret album for the world to see, the already distraught relatives of the late gospel singer were shocked to know that Mr. Peter Nwachukwu, was hitherto married to another woman in a church long before coming for Osinachi’s hand in marriage about 10 years ago.
A family source also told Vanguard “We never knew Nwachukwu was previously married to another woman. If ever we knew about it prior to now, we may not have allowed Osinachi to marry him. Osinachi must have been through a lot of pain which she, unfortunately, kept away from us.”
Meanwhile, a post-mortem examination would be carried out to ascertain the cause of Osinachi’s death today (Wednesday) at the National Hospital, Abuja.
