News & Announcements

Israeli doctors have performed a miraculous feat of reattaching a boy’s head after he suffered internal decapitation in a road accident.

According to The Times of Israel, a 12-year-old Palestinian named Suleiman Hassan, suffered a serious injury in which his skull got detached from the top vertebrae of his spine- officially known as a bilateral atlanto occipital joint dislocation.

Hassan was riding his bike when he was hit by a car. He was brought to Hadassah Medical Center and was immediately operated upon via surgery in the trauma unit.

Dr. Ohad Einav, an orthopedic specialist led the operation which took several hours. He informed that the doctors used “new plates and fixations in the damaged area.”

“Our ability to save the child was thanks to our knowledge and the most innovative technology in the operating room,” said Einav as quoted by New York Post.

As per the doctors, Hassan’s head was “almost completely detached from the base of his neck” in what is known as an internal decapitation. The operation actually happened in June but doctors revealed about it only now.

Meanwhile, Hassan was discharged with a cervical splint and doctors will continue to monitor his recovery.

“The fact that such a child has no neurological deficits or sensory or motor dysfunction and that he is functioning normally and walking without an aid after such a long process is no small thing,” said Einav.

“This is not a common surgery at all, and especially not on children and teens. A surgeon needs knowledge and experience to do this,” he explained.

Israel’s TPS news agency quoted Hassan’s father as thanking the doctors: “Bless you all. Thanks to you, he regained his life even when the odds were low and the danger was obvious.”

President Bola Tinubu has recommended that the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act be amended to include N500 billion for palliatives to mitigate the effects of the elimination of the petrol subsidy on citizens.

This was said in a letter read in plenary yesterday to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.

The letter read: “I write to request for the amendment of the 2022 supplementary Appropriation Act. The request became necessary to provide necessary palliatives to mitigate the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy on Nigerians.

“Thus, the sum of N500 billion has been extracted from the 2022 supplementary appropriation act of N819.536 billion for the provisions of palliatives to cushion the effects of subsidy removal. I seek the expeditious consideration of this request.”

The speaker said the lawmakers would consider Tinubu’s request at plenary today and asked members who would make contributions to be prepared to do so.

The House also resolved to probe the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) over alleged fictitious contract awards, mismanagement and lopsided placement or directors.

This is as it is also set to commence  the probe of alleged crude oil theft and loss of revenue in the oil and gas sector of the economy.

The House also resolved to set up an Ad-hoc Committee to undertake the investigation and report back to it within four weeks for further legislative actions.

In the case of NIMASA, the probe followed the adoption of a motion by the minority leader, Kingsley Chinda and four others, imploring the House to investigate alleged unwholesome practices by the management of NIMASA.

Chinda, in his lead debate, noted  that there have been alleged award of questionable contracts, fraudulent forex transactions  and lopsided placement of directors in the agency.

“There have been several allegations of questionable, inflated and fictitious contract  awards particularly for non-operational speed boats, security surveillance contracts and Deep Blue Water Contract, revenue leakages and the award of contracts to cronies of the Director-General and other top management staff of the agency.”

The lawmaker noted  that there were also allegations of  under-remittance of debts owed the country by shipping firms, with the consent and connivance of the agency.

Chinda added that there were allegations that NIMASA allegedly entered into a questionable contract with a firm (name withheld ) “for the lease of six speed boats, each at the rate of $173,930 monthly, without a need Assessment for such facility being carried out by the relevant departments of the agency.

Nigerians and other foreigners traveling to the UK will need to pay more for their visa applications.

Additionally, according to the United Kingdom, the Immigration Health Surcharge paid by immigrants applying for visas will “increase significantly”.

Rishi Sunak, the British prime minister, announced the rise in visa application fees on Thursday.

After the county approved a pay raise for the public sector, the prime minister stated the increase will assist close the gap.

He said that since the prices had not been raised previously, the increase in visa applications and the NHS surcharge had become necessary.

He said, “If we’re going to prioritise paying public sector workers more, that money has to come from somewhere else because I’m not prepared to put up people’s taxes and I don’t think it would be responsible or right to borrow more because that would just make inflation worse

“So, what we have done are two things to find this money. The first is, we are going to increase the charges that we have for migrants who are coming to this country when they apply for visas and indeed something called the immigration health surcharge (IHS), which is the levy that they pay to access the NHS.

“All of those fees are going to go up and that will raise over £1 billion. So, across the board visa application fees are going to go up significantly and similarly for the IHS,” he said after announcing a wage increase.”

The surcharge, which is paid with a visa application, will increase to £1,035, and the price of work and visit visas would increase by 15%.

The cost of priority visas, leave-to-remain visas, leave-to-remain certificates, study visas, and certificates of sponsorship will all increase by at least 20%.

The government reports that wage increases ranging from 5% to 7% have been provided to more than one million public sector employees, including teachers, police, and physicians.

The proposed pay increases for teachers and junior physicians in England would be 6.5 percent and 6 percent, respectively, while increases for police and prison officials in England and Wales would be 7 percent.

Some social media users have criticized the decision, claiming that an increase in the application cost is not a “lasting solution” to the problem.

It was learned that a fighter plane from the Nigerian Air Force crashed on Friday in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State.

The incident’s specifics are still hazy as of the time of this report’s filing.

Two onboard members of the Nigerian Air Force ejected safely, according to a military source.

The source said, “An FT7-NI aircraft crashed today in Makurdi. The cause of the crash could not be immediately ascertained. It had two Airmen onboard. They ejected unhurt from the jet.”

In a statement released on Friday, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the service’s spokesperson, acknowledged the occurrence.

He added that the pilots are “under observation” at the NAF Base hospital and that the crash happened while they were in training.

However, Gabkwet, said the Chief of Air Staff had instituted a board to investigate the crash cause.

The statement read, “A Nigerian Air Force FT-7NI trainer aircraft crashed today, 14 July 2023 at about 4.15 pm in Makurdi, Benue State, while on a routine training exercise. Luckily, the 2 pilots on board survived the crash after successfully ejecting from the aircraft. Additionally, there were no deaths or damages in the impact area.

“Both pilots are currently under observation at NAF Base Hospital, Makurdi. Meanwhile, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has constituted a Board of Inquiry to determine the immediate and remote causes of the crash.”

AbdulGafar Ayanrinde, 25, was detained for posing as a lawyer and was found guilty, and he was given a three-year prison term by an Osogbo Chief Magistrates’ Court.

According to a statement released on Wednesday by Kehinde Adeleke, the NSCDC’s Osun State Command spokeswoman, Ayanrinde committed the crimes between May 18 and May 22 of 2023 before being apprehended on May 24.

Adeleke also said that Ayanrinde had deceived five unwary members of the public by posing as a senior advocate of Nigeria and a lawyer at law. He had also stolen an iPhone valued $450,000.00.

During the trial, the NSCDC spokesperson said Ayanrinde,  “pleaded guilty to the two counts bordering on impersonation of a legal practitioner contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 34 Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, and obtaining money under false pretenses contrary to Section 419 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 34 Laws of Osun State of Nigeria.”

Following his admission of guilt, “the defendant was pronounced guilty by Magistrate M.A. Olatunji, who sentenced him to three years imprisonment for each of the counts.”

The magistrate ordered that the sum of N150,000—the proceeds of the crime—be transferred from the convict’s account to the victim’s account and declared that the sentence would run concurrently.

In a dispute over the chieftaincy title, the Otun Olubadan of Ibadan, Rashidi Ladoja, has taken the Governor of the state of Oyo, Seyi Makinde, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, and his ten recently elevated beaded crown-wearing Obas to court.

Last Thursday, Ladoja took them before the Oyo State High Court at Ibadan’s Ring Road.

It was exclusively reported, on Thursday, June 22, that Makinde approved the elevation following the recommendation of Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, who is the prescribed and consenting authority.

Also to be recalled is the governor’s presentation of the Office Staff to the new Obas on Friday.

The new Obas include Owolabi Olakulehin; Tajudeen Ajibola; Eddy Oyewole; Lateef Adebimpe; Biodun Kola-Daisi; Kola Adegbola; Hamidu Ajibade; Olubunmi Isioye; Bayo Akande and Abiodun Azeez while Ladoja, who had already refused the promotion was notably absent from the ceremony.

Samuel Ortom, a former governor of Benue State, claimed that Atiku Abubakar, the PDP nominee for president in 2023, is enraged because he and the other G5 governors rejected him.

Ortom was responding to Atiku’s accusation that he and the other G-5 members were looking for a position in the Federal Government and protection from prosecution in a statement delivered through his media assistant, Phrank Shaibu.

The presidential candidate should be concerned, according to Ortom, about why the G-5 and other integrity group members rejected his bid.

According to Atiku, the former governor of Benue was among the worst governors in Nigerian history, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has a large case file for him.

However, in response, Ortom reaffirmed the G-5’s position and claimed that the group stood for justice, equity, and fairness. He also asserted that the 2023 presidency must be won by a candidate from the south of Nigeria because Nigerians had already recognized the undeniable truths in the Integrity Group’s position.

The statement partly read, “Atiku is angry because Governor Ortom and his colleagues in the G-5 refused to be used by him as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs)’ to circumvent and thwart the resolve of Nigerians to produce a President from the southern region.

“Another reason for Atiku’s attack on Chief Ortom is the former Benue State Governor’s boldness to speak truth to his face and rebuke him for making unstatesmanlike comments regarding the killing of Benue people by Fulani herdsmen. Atiku is on record to have expressed bitterness towards Ortom for daring to enact a law to prohibit open grazing of livestock in the state.

“The former Vice President’s diatribe against Chief Ortom can therefore be understood as the manifestation of frustration for losing the 2023 election. His failure to humble himself and unite the PDP, opting to remain haughty even when the signals were clear that he was heading for defeat summarized his performance in the last election.

“Atiku lacks the moral ground to accuse anyone else of corruption. The words of his erstwhile principal, the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who described him as a very corrupt man have remained indelible and incontrovertible. Chief Obasanjo, in his book, ‘My Watch’ states on pages 191-192 thus:

“Atiku Abubakar’s name was among the names sent to us. Up to that time, EFCC had enjoyed close cooperation and collaboration with law enforcement agencies in the UK and the USA. I gave the green light to Nuhu for the investigation as requested by the authorities and forwarded his report to the USA. The report was uncomfortable and unsavoury about Atiku and his associates. I thought it was bad enough that the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was under investigation for corruption when my Administration had made fighting corruption one of its cardinal objectives. As it turned out, the investigation in Nigeria and in the US led to Atiku’s house being searched by the US Bureau of Investigation (FBI). It was so embarrassing for our Administration and Embassy in Washington…”

Ortom admitted that he honoured the invitation of the anti-graft agency saying, “The role of anti-graft agencies was to investigate allegations of corruption. Whenever they invite someone, such a person has to honour the invitation. As a man who believes in the rule of law, Chief Ortom willingly visited EFCC when the Commission sought clarifications on the actions of his administration.”

The former governor urged Nigerians to disregard the allegation by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar against him describing it as unfounded and tantamount to cheap blackmail.

A Gauteng father and his two adult children have been arrested in connection with the murder of his wife.

Police said the woman was found dead in the Evaton area.

Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the father summoned police to the scene on July 10.

“Upon arrival, a body of a woman was found mutilated,” Nevhuhulwi said.

“The suspects alleged that the victim (their wife and mother) was demon-possessed and they were performing an exorcism procedure on her which required them to cut some part of her body.”

The three suspects — a 61-year-old man, his 24-year-old son, and 26-year-old daughter — are expected to appear in court soon on charges of murder.

The SA Police Service Provincial Commissioner in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela has condemned the incident and urged the public to always seek professional help.

“Such as psychological, spiritual and social welfare services that are at their disposal within their communities.”

In another incident in Rustenburg, a man allegedly killed his wife a day after she withdrew a protection order against him.

IOL reported that the body of Lindelani Nengovhela was found in a water-filled pit toilet in their yard at Mangodi Ha Sundou, Limpopo.

The husband claimed he was surprised to find his wife’s body in the pit toilet.

Drama broke out on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja when Justice James Omotosho of the court handed police attorney Ibrahim Mohammed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for bringing an eight-count criminal complaint against Senator Stella Oduah without the anti-graft agency’s permission.

The Federal Government dismissed an eight-count case against Oduah in the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The former lawmaker, who is named as the only defendant in the lawsuit brought by the FG through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, is accused of making false claims that her National Youth Service Corps certificate had been stolen among other alleged offenses.

According to court records, Ochugwu Ogbeh Esq. and Ibrahim Mohammed Esq. of the Legal and Prosecution Department of the EFCC in Benin, Edo state, filed the charge on June 26, 2023, before the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division.

In answer to a query from a group known as the Concerned Anambra North PDP Stakeholders in May 2022, the NYSC revealed that Oduah did not finish the obligatory one-year NYSC training in a letter with the marking NYSC/DHQ/PPRU/783/Vol III.

According to the agency, Oduah started her NYSC training in 1982 but left before finishing it. She denied planning to conceal the facts with the former aviation minister.

Tope Alabi, a well-known gospel performer in Nigeria, has responded to the controversy that has surrounded her viral video in which she can be seen singing in Yoruba using the word “Aboru Aboye,” a greeting used by Ifa initiates.

In the popular video, Alabi sang the lyrics “Abiye ni mi, Oruko mi ni yen” and referred to herself as “ebo,” which is a word that literally means sacrifice. I am a sacrifice; my name is Mo de bo, Mo ru, Mo ye. My name means “I am a sacrifice accepted by God”).

Since then, the lyrics have sparked a flurry of responses in the media as her supporters and some Christian authorities take sides with her wording.

The award-winning singer who was seen ministering in a white garment church said, “Aboru Aboye” is a pure Yoruba language and not an exclusive preserve of traditionalists.

Alabi, who clarified with a reference to the bible, also said that her skillful use of language was still unique to her as a gospel performer.

She said, “It was recorded that David made a sacrifice of faithfulness to God.  Why was the word sacrifice not written as the same English word in the Yoruba version of the Bible? It is a Yoruba language. There is no special language for traditionalists. We are all speaking the Yoruba language.

“If some people say they want to use the language in their own style, it is not bad. We have also decided to use it in our own style.”

In establishing her points with specific reference to a bible passage which is Romans 12:1, she said, “Brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. The word ‘acceptable’ is the ‘Aboru’ while ‘living sacrifice’ is Aboye.”