News & Announcements

The random sampling of Indomie noodles, including the seasoning, from the markets and production facilities will start tomorrow (Tuesday), according to the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.

The importation of Indomie noodles into Nigeria has reportedly been prohibited for a number of years, according to NAFDAC, and the items are listed as being prohibited.

This comes after health regulators in Malaysia and Taiwan found ethylene oxide, a chemical that may cause cancer, in Indomie’s “special chicken” flavor noodles.

The merchandise has been recalled in Malaysia and Taiwan.

Indofod, the company that produces Indomie noodles, defended the security of its goods, claiming that all instant noodles made by the ICBP in Indonesia were processed in accordance with the Codex Standard for Instant Noodles and the Indonesian National Agency for Drug and Food Control’s standards.

“ICBP has exported instant noodles to various countries around the world for more than 30 years.

In a press release from Indofood, the firm said that it “constantly ensures that all of its products are in compliance with the applicable food safety regulations and guidelines in Indonesia as well as other countries where the ICBP’s instant noodles are marketed.”

Ethylene oxide is a combustible, colorless gas with a sweet smell at normal temperature, according to the National Cancer Institute.

“It is used primarily to produce other chemicals, including antifreeze. In smaller amounts, ethylene oxide is used as a pesticide and a sterilising agent. The ability of ethylene oxide to damage DNA makes it an effective sterilising agent but also accounts for its cancer-causing activity,” the institute said.

Nigeria is one of the countries that consumes the most instant noodles, and Indomie is a brand of instant noodles made by the Indonesian business Indofood.

Additionally, Indomie is exported to more than 90 nations worldwide.

The NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, stated to The PUNCH on Monday that the organization has begun an investigation and is reacting right away to the news of the Indomie noodles being recalled by authorities in Taiwan and Malaysia.

Prof Adeyeye said, “Tomorrow, (Tuesday) May 2, 2023, NAFDAC’s Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate will randomly sample Indomie noodles (including the seasoning) from the production facilities while Post Marketing Surveillance Directorate samples from the markets. The compound of interest is ethylene oxide, so the Director, Food Lab Services Directorate has been engaged. He is working on the methodology for the analysis.

“It should be noted that Indomie noodles have been banned from being imported into the country for many years. It is one of the foods on the government prohibition list. It is not allowed in Nigeria, and therefore not registered by NAFDAC.

“What we are doing is an extra caution to ensure that the product is not smuggled in and if so, our post-marketing surveillance would detect it. We also want to be sure that the spices used for the Indomie and other noodles in Nigeria are tested. That is what NAFDAC Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and Post Marketing Surveillance are doing this week at the production facilities and in the market respectively.”

Adeyeye stated that the results of the investigation would be properly updated to the public.

During an operation in Syria on Saturday, Turkish forces killed the commander of the Islamic State organization.

The IS leader, known by the codename Abu Hussein al-Qurayshi, was killed in a hit on Saturday, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who made this revelation in a television interview with TRT Turk.

Erdogan reportedly claimed that the Turkish intelligence agency, MIT, has been keeping tabs on him “for a long time.”

“We will continue our struggle against terrorist organizations without discriminating against any of them,” Erdogan said in the interview.

Along the Syrian border, Turkey has carried out various operations against IS and Kurdish groups, seizing or killing suspected militants.

Following a series of land incursions to push Kurdish groups away from the Turkish-Syrian border, the nation now controls sizable portions of territory in northern Syria.

After the militant group’s previous leader was assassinated in October, Abu Hussein al-Qurayshi was named as the new leader. An IS spokesman referred to him as “one of the veteran warriors and one of the loyal sons of the Islamic State.”

He assumed charge of IS at a time when the terrorist group had already lost control of the regions it had controlled in Syria and Iraq.

He had been attempting to resurge, nevertheless, using sleeper cells to launch fatal assaults in both nations.

US military conducted a mission in northwest Syria in October 2019 to find the Islamic State’s founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

A similar raid in February 2022 resulted in the death of his successor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.

The newly redesigned N1,000, N500, and N200 notes will not be phased out, as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has denied reports to the contrary.

The bank’s Dr. Isa AbdulMumim, Ag. The Director of Corporate Communications, called the reports “fake news.”

He urged that people disregard such reports.

He said, “The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been drawn to a fake news item circulating in the media, particularly in the social media space, suggesting that the Bank is contemplating the withdrawal of the recently redesigned N1, 000, N500 and N200 currency banknotes from circulation.

“We wish to state emphatically that such speculation is unfounded and a ploy by some interests to cause panic among members of the public.

“We wish to reiterate that the new and old currency notes have been circulating side by side just as the Bank has been taking delivery of a good quantity of the redesigned bank notes from the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) Limited.

“Furthermore, we are committed to supplying the approved indent for the smooth running of the economy.

“We, therefore, urge members of the public to disregard any report suggesting
a phase-out of the redesigned currency.
For the avoidance of doubt, the redesigned and old notes will continue to be accepted as legal tender.

“They will circulate side-by-side for transactions ahead of the December 31, 2023 deadline, when the old N1000, N500 and N200 banknotes will eventually be phased out.

“Please be guided accordingly.”

At the NEPA Junction in the Agboroko neighborhood, in the Iba Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, the body of a man whose identity has not yet been determined was discovered dangling from a rope fastened to a tree.

When he returned to work on the morning of April 20, 2023, one of the employees at a mechanic shop nearby where the incident occurred reportedly discovered the body.

Olasumbo Adewale, a mechanic at the company, claimed that the deceased, who was wearing a black T-shirt and a white short knicker, allegedly performed the act using a seat that was next a vulcanizer.

He said, “When I resumed work that morning, I saw that people had gathered at a spot close to our workshop. Out of curiosity, I moved close to the place and I was shocked when I saw that a young man had been hanged on a tree close to a vulcaniser workshop.

“I quickly called the vulcaniser to inform him about the situation and he rushed down to the scene. It was when he arrived that he went to the Iba Police Station to report the case. What we also discovered was that the man might have used the seat under the tree to support himself when he committed the act because we found the seat below his feet.”

Jamiu Awosoji, a resident, claimed that attempts to identify the victim’s name and family members were unsuccessful.

“The place was crowded as people kept coming to look at the corpse. But despite the number of people who gathered to look at the corpse, no one could identify the victim. So, we felt he must have come from a far distance to commit suicide in this area. The police came around after the case was reported to them,” Awosoji said.

Another resident, who talked under the condition of anonymity, claimed that some local traditionalists conducted customary rites prior to removing the corpse from the tree.

The resident said, “When the traditionalists in the community were informed about what happened, they came around, and performed some rituals around the location where the incident happened.

“After the traditional rites, they brought down the corpse, placed it on the floor, covered it with some leaves and left. The corpse spent the whole day there. It was the following morning that we discovered that the corpse was no longer there. The vulcanizer who uses the place for business has been refused to do his business at the scene of the incident.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident.

“It happened in Agboroko under Iba,” he said.

1,300 stranded Nigerians, according to the National Association of Nigerian Students in Sudan, left Khartoum on Sunday.

This was stated in a letter dated Sunday and signed by Amal Pantami, the NANS’s Public Relations Officer.

The message did not specify whether the trapped Nigerians would travel to Port Sudan or Aswan, though.

The letter read, “This is to inform the general public that all the remaining Nigerian students have been evacuated from Khartoum today Sunday 30th April, 2023.

“There were a total of 26 buses and each bus contained about 50 people.

“We continue to ask for everyone’s prayers and we hope all the students are able to reach Nigeria safely.

“We are ever grateful for your continuous support and prayers.”

The Federal Government has reaffirmed the use of Eagle Square in Abuja by the Nigeria Labour Congress for the May Day celebration.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, made the announcement on Saturday.

The Minister’s announcement is on the heels of media reports that the FG, acting through the Federal Capital Development Authority, had withdrawn the permit granted the NLC to use the Eagle Square for this year’s May Day celebration, for reasons bordering on the preparation of the venue for the May 29 inauguration of President-elect, Bola Tinubu.

Ngige, in a statement signed by the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Olajide Oshundun, said he contacted the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Muhammad Bello, who attributed the development to some overzealous officials of the FCDA, acting without his authority.

According to Ngige, sequel to his consultation with the FCT minister, the NLC had been asked to go ahead with its preparation for the workers’ day celebration at the Eagle Square, which the President, ministers, other top government officials and the diplomatic missions were expected to attend.

The statement read, “The attention of the Honourable Minister has been drawn to press releases and statements in the media that the Federal Government disapproved of the NLC using the Eagle Square for the annual May Day parade for reasons bordering on the preparation of the venue for the May 29 inauguration of President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“On receiving the report, the Minister contacted his colleague, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammad Bello, who blamed the development on some overzealous officials, acting without his authority, as well as a minor communication gap between the FCDA, the Federal Government Transition Committee and the NLC.”

“It was actually the contractor handling the renovation of the Eagle Square that informed the Transition Committee for the handover ceremony that they erected their equipment even before last Thursday when the Nigerian Army used the venue for an event attended by the President.

“Consequently, the FCT Minister assured the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment that the place is available for NLC to use on May 1st, which is the Workers’ Day.

“This May Day is the last in the life of this administration. The NLC parade belongs to everybody, including government, diplomatic missions, international organisations, organised labour and affiliate unions and members of the public. The President, Ministers and others cannot shut themselves out. The Eagle Square is still available for all these individuals.

“All invited people should make themselves available for the parade at Eagle Square, most especially the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, the diplomatic missions and the international partners.

“The Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment has been in touch with the leadership of organised Labour led by Comrade Joe Ajaero and has briefed them on these developments and equally extended the apologies of the Honourable Minister of FCT for the unintended embarrassment occasioned by the action of their officials who misinterpreted the general intention and work plan of one month of Messrs Julius Berger the company in charge of the renovation of the Eagle Square for the May 29 inauguration to also include May 1, 2023”, Ngige explained.

Police were searching for a gunman believed to have shot dead five Hondurans including an eight-year-old child at a house in Texas, the local sheriff said Saturday, in the latest mass shooting to hit the United States.

Investigators believe the gunman had been firing his AR-15 style gun in a neighbouring yard when the victims asked him to stop, as they were trying to get a baby to sleep, US media reported.

San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers described a horrifying scene when authorities went to the residence after receiving a call about “harassment” around 11:30 pm Friday.

The victims, aged from eight to 40 years old, were strewn from the front door through the house to an inside bedroom, where two of them — both women — were found lying on top of two children who survived the massacre.

“In my opinion, they were actually trying to take care of the babies and keep them babies alive,” Capers told ABC’s Houston station KTRK.

All the victims had been shot “from the neck up almost execution style, basically in the head,” he added.

“He had been drinking and he says, ‘I’ll do what I want to in my front yard,’” Capers told KTRK.

“All the victims were from Honduras,” Capers told reporters, adding that 10 people had been in the house at the time.

He said that authorities believe they know who the gunman is, describing him as being from Mexico.

The sheriff’s office said later on its Facebook page that the shooter was believed to have left the county.

Residents were being asked to stay inside until the man is apprehended, KTRK reported.

Britain’s King Charles II will next month be released as an album, the first time a recording of such a historic occasion will be available to a global audience.

Running more than four hours, the album will feature all of the party’s speeches and music, including 12 new compositions commissioned by Charles. 

In a statement on Friday, the Decca Records label said it would record the May 6 service at Westminster Abbey, as well as the pre-service music, as the “Coronation Official Album” and release it for streaming and download on the same day.

The physical version will be released on May 15.

Running at more than four hours, the album will feature all of the party’s talks and music, including 12 new compositions commissioned by Charles.

“This will be a truly historic recording, capturing a wealth of glorious music from all centuries and continents, reflecting the worldwide love for our traditions, covering multiple locations in the wonderful acoustics of Westminster Abbey, and with with an unprecedented technological plan to present the entire experience to the world on the day itself,” said the creator, Anna Barry in a statement.

Among the commissions for the occasion was “The Anthem”, written by music impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, RSF has shot at a Turkish evacuation plane as it was landing at Wadi Saeedna airbase in the capital of Khartoum on Friday damaging the fuel supply.

The plane managed to land safely after the paramilitary forces opened fire.

However, it is being fixed, Sudan’s army said.

Earlier reports claimed that a crew member was wounded in the attack but Turkey’s defence ministry said there were no injuries while confirming the plane had been fired at, according to Daily Mail.

“Light weapons were fired on our C-130 evacuation plane… Our plane landed safely.

Although there are no injuries to our personnel, necessary repairs are being carried out on our aircraft,” a Turkish defence ministry statement said.

The RSF denied firing at the plane and said the army was ‘spreading lies’, adding: ‘Our forces have remained strictly committed to the humanitarian truce that we agreed upon since midnight, and it is not true that we targeted any aircraft in the sky of Wadi Seyidna in Omdurman.’

Thousands of desperate civilians are racing to board the last evacuation planes out of the capital before the fragile 72-hour ceasefire would end.

But with heavy explosions and gunfire rocking parts of the capital – and now evacuation planes being shot at – the situation has become even more desperate for those still trapped in Sudan.

There is no indication that due to the renewed threat of violence at the airstrip, evacuation flights will be stopped.

There are fears over the safety of those still trapped in the war-torn country. Air strikes, tanks and artillery shook Khartoum – the site of most of the violence – on Friday and a heavy bombardment pounded the adjacent city of Bahri, illustrating just how desperate the situation has become.

In persisting ceasefire violations, heavy gunfire and detonations rattled residential neighbourhoods of the capital region where fighting has been concentrated over the past week.

“The situation this morning is very scary. We hear the sounds of planes and explosions. We don’t know when this hell will end,” said 65-year-old Bahri resident Mahasin al-Awad.

The escalation of violence between the warring factions came hours after both sides accepted a 72-hour extension of the truce.

At least 512 people have been killed and close to 4,200 wounded by the fighting since April 15, and a humanitarian crisis has mushroomed.

A 17-year-old Alabama boy has been convicted of capital murder for gunning down his dad, three siblings, and stepmom at age 14.

Mason Sisk, who is now 17, was convicted on Thursday after the jury handed down the guilty verdict for the 2019 murders.

According to Dailymail, he will be sentenced on July 25 and faces life in prison for the brutal act. 

Although a clear motive has not been determined, jurors were shown a video on Wednesday of Sisk admitting to the murders and saying he was ‘fed up of all the fighting.’

Sisk, 14-year-old at the time, murdered his family while they slept on September 2, 2019, in their home near the Tennessee border after he found out his stepmother was not his biological mother.

On the day of the alleged crimes, around 11pm on September 2, 2019, Sisk had called 911 to report a shooting.

The then-14-year-old boy initially told responding deputies that he had been in the basement of his family’s home in the 2500 block of Ridge Road in Elkmont when he heard gunfire upstairs.

According to investigators, Sisk later confessed to killing his family and led officers to the murder weapon, a 9mm pistol, which was legally held at the residence.

The victims of the shooting were identified as his father, John Sisk, 38; his stepmother, Mary Sisk, 35; his two half-brothers, six-month-old Colson and six-year-old Grayson, and his half-sister Aurora, aged five.

Sisk’s cousin, Daisy McCarty told the station WAFF in 2019 that she believed the killings were sparked by a revelation that Mary Sisk was not his birth mother.

‘He didn’t know any different of who his mom was. And they just recently told him, and I think that’s really what triggered the little boy, to be honest with you,’ she said.

“Sisk also had been acting out in the months preceding the murders by burning live animals and breaking into his school,” she said.