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Photos: How Saturday heavy rain flooded Abeokuta communities
The heavy downpour in Abeokuta, which started at about 1.15 am on Saturday had destroyed property worth several millions of Naira.
Among the property destroyed were part of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library fence located at Moshood Abiola Way, Abeokuta and several properties such as electronics and personal belongings of some people that were washed away by the flood. All areas within the Abeokuta metropolis were adversely affected by the flood, as houses at the bank of the river were submerged.
Mostly affected areas also include Kuto, Isale -Igbein, Lanfewa, Amolaso, Ijeun-Titun, Ago -Ijesa, Abiola way, Isale Abetu, Sokori, Igbore, Oke Mosan and Isale Make area, all in Abeokuta South and North local government areas of Ogun State.
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Kanye West eyes White House, announces 2020 presidential run
Kanye West, the entertainment mogul who urges listeners in one song to “reach for the stars, so if you fall, you land on a cloud,” claimed Saturday he is challenging Donald Trump for the US presidency in 2020.
“We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION,” the born-again billionaire rapper tweeted as Americans marked Independence Day.
West offered no further details on his supposed campaign, four months before the November election, and it is unclear if he has officially registered to run for office.
Hundreds of thousands of Twitter users reacted to the star’s announcement and “Kanye” shot to become the top trending term on the platform, although many questioned whether the volatile rapper would go through with his plan and others claimed it was a publicity stunt.
His wife, reality star Kim Kardashian, replied with a US flag emoji, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote: “You have my full support!”
The 43-year-old has mentioned running for president several times and he said last year he would run for president in 2024.
West long ago broke ranks with most of the left-leaning entertainment industry to loudly voice his support for Trump.
In 2018, they met in the Oval Office — a surreal tete-a-tete that included a hug from the rapper as well as an on-camera rant featuring an expletive not often repeated for the White House press corps.
That year, West also delivered a lengthy soliloquy to a president who many deem racist, telling him he loved him — to the dismay of many Democrats and fellow artists.
But in 2019, during an interview with Zane Lowe of Apple Music’s Beats 1 show, he said his support for Trump had been a way to razz Democrats — and announced his own presidential ambitions.
“There will be a time when I will be the president of the US, and I will remember… any founder that didn’t have the capacity to understand culturally what we were doing.”
It was unclear to whom the artist was referring.
The announcement came days after West, who has taken a very public turn towards Christianity in recent years, released a new song, “Wash Us In the Blood,” along with an accompanying video including imagery from recent anti-racism protests.
West has also opened up about his mental health, particularly his struggle with bipolar disorder, telling talk show host David Letterman he feels like he has “a sprained brain, like having a sprained ankle.”
Since 2018, Kardashian has formed her own contacts with the White House as she champions criminal justice reform: she has successfully lobbied Trump to pardon a sexagenarian woman for a non-violent drug offense.
For weeks now Trump, criticized for his response both to the coronavirus pandemic and to anti-racism protests, has been lagging in the polls behind his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.
There was no immediate response to West’s announcement from either candidate Saturday.
AFP
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Buhari appoints Rev. Yakubu Pam as Executive Secretary NCPC
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Rev. Yakubu Pam as the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC).
The appointment was made known in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Saturday.
According to the presidential aide, Pam’s appointment took effect from June 26, 2020, for a period of five years.
Garba also noted that President Buhari urged the Executive Secretary NCPC to sustain his reconciliatory pre-disposition in his new position.
Until his appointment, Pam was the Chairman of the Plateau State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board.
Born on Feb. 20, 1960, in Gyel, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau, Pam holds a first degree in Christian Education.
As an ordained Minister, Pam brings to the position more than 30 years of leadership experience in the Christian community, coupled with a deep understanding of promoting inter-religious harmony and conflict resolution in the northern parts of the country.
The cleric has held many leadership positions in the Church, including Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of Northern Nigeria (which includes the 19 Northern States and Abuja) from 2016 to date; and Vice President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, 2013 to date.
He was also the District Superintendent, Jos Mainland Assemblies of Nigeria, 2010 to date.
Pam also served as Chairman, Plateau State Inter-Religious Council; and Chairman, Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Committee, Plateau State.
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Video: Buhari Celebrates Ikenna Nweke for Returning Missing Wallet with Huge Cash to Police in Japan
Amidst ongoing trial of a cyber-crime suspect, Ramon Abbas a.k.a Hushpuppi, who was recently arrested in the United Arab Emirates and extradited to the United States, President Muhammadu Buhari has had cause to celebrate a Nigerian for his acts of honesty, propriety and sincerity.
Buhari Saturday sent warm greetings and commendation to a Nigerian doctorate student in University of Tsukuba, Japan, Ikenna Nweke, who returned a missing wallet with huge sums of money to the police, and also turned down offer of a percentage by the authorities.
The President saluted Nweke for projecting the values of honesty, integrity and contentment that should be the hallmark of a people, noting that good virtues and propriety are the hallmark of every culture in Nigeria, while crimes and criminalities are exceptions.
He noted that “Nweke’s behaviour, coming at a period that the country needs a positive spotlight and close-up on its real values, clearly signposts what should hold the nation together, inspired by solid foundations laid by most families, religious bodies and communities for success in life.”
Buhari, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, wished Nweke all the best in his studies and work as a teaching assistant in same university, urging all Nigerians, home and abroad, to keep celebrating the age-old, irreplaceable attributes of honesty and decorum, and shun the microwaved, get-rich-quick tendencies that bring individual and collective shame.
It would be recalled that Nweke on June 19 demonstrated uncommon virtues by reporting a loss wallet, containing a huge sum of money, a credit card, and other valuables, to the police.
Narrating his experience, Nweke said: “On June 19, while I was going home from the university, I decided to get my wife her favorite kebab. As I was climbing the staircase around Tsukuba center, I noticed something on the ground. As I drew closer, I saw that it was a wallet. When I opened it, I saw a huge sum of money, a credit card, and other valuables.
“I immediately reported to the police. One of the officers was surprised and asked me why I did not take the money. I told him that there was no need for that, because I was raised by responsible parents, and that I am also a Christian.
“He told me that according to Japanese law, that I was entitled to 10% of the money found inside the wallet. Again I declined. The look on his face indicated bewilderment.
“Yesterday, the owner of the wallet called me to show appreciation. Today, I got a letter from the Ibaraki/Tsukuba Police. They expressed their gratitude towards my incredible and selfless behavior.
“Not every Nigerian is criminal-minded. There are a lot of Nigerians abroad working so hard to erase the bad name given to ‘us’ by the criminal few.”
Idowu Sowunmi
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Video: updated – My Father, Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi, is Alive, Says Daughter
Princess Aduragbemi Obey-Jaiye has debunked claims that her father and Nigerian music legend, Chief Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi, is dead.
She said her father is hale and hearty contrary to claims making rounds on social media platforms.
Describing the report of her father’s death as fake news, Princess Obey-Jaiye said the Juju maestro is full of energy and ready for celebration.
Princess Obey-Jaiye also said earlier: “My Father Dr. Ebenezer Olasupo Obey-Fabiyi is well, healthy full of energy and ready for celebration AND ALIVE…
The Juju Maestro also in a video claimed he’s alive hale and hearty as shown below.
“Stop the Fake NEWS.”
Idowu Sowunmi
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Saraki carpets APC on offensive claim, denounce link with Hushpuppi
Nigeria’s former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has described as irresponsible and cheap politics the statement credited to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and signed on its behalf by one Yekini Nabena in which it tried to link him with a cyber-crime suspect, Ramon Abbas who was recently arrested in the United Arab Emirates and extradited to the United States.
Saraki in a statement issued in Abuja today stated that he has no form of association with the said suspect, Ramon Abbas otherwise known as Hushpuppi and neither does he know him in any way.
“The statement credited to the APC, the ruling party in our country, is one of the ways by which our anti-graft agencies are weakened and why the fight against corruption in the country is often viewed with suspicion by the international community.
This is because when these cyber-crime suspects were operating freely and openly displaying wealth, the APC saw nothing bad in their activities. Also, the party at that time did not deem it necessary to call on the anti-graft agencies to investigate their activities.
“Also, since the arrest of those cyber crime suspects and the subsequent damage to the image and the economy of Nigeria as well as the crisis it created for Nigerians engaged in lawful businesses across the world, the ruling party had been muted.
“The only time the APC deemed it necessary to make a statement was when it thought it should play dirty, cheap and irresponsible politics, Saraki stated.
The former Senate President had on July 1 publicly reacted to the recent arrest alleged internet fraudster in an Op-Ed article published in a Nigerian Newspaper, Daily Trust, titled “Cyber Criminals: Confronting The Few Who Dent Many”.
Dr. Saraki had in the article, strongly condemned the activities of cyber criminals and called on the law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to make decisive interventions to checkmate their activities.
According to the media aide of the ex-Senate President, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki enlisted a research institution, the Politeia Institute, whose board he chairs to commence a research on the best ways to tackle the menace.
Olaniyonu, while carpeting the APC, described Saraki’s intervention as noble.
“Such a noble intervention in tackling a menace is what Dr. Saraki believes in, not mudslinging and playing politics at the expense of the nation’s image. At this point, we call on the APC leadership to rein in the so-called Yekini Nabena and compel him to desist from making and circulating such malicious, odious and offensive claims”, he said.
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Boat accident kills passengers, Sanwo-Olu warns operators against night travel
Aftermath of a fatal boat accident that occurred on Friday at about 8pm along Ikorodu Channel, the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led Lagos State Government has reiterated the ban on night travel.
The governor warned all ferry operators and passengers against violating the laid down rule of ‘No Night Travel’ on Lagos State waterways.
Speaking on behalf of the Sanwo-Olu administration, Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Frederic Oladeinde, said the avoidable boat mishap occurred after an overloaded 20-passenger capacity commercial ferry took off illegally from Ebute-Ero Jetty around 8pm heading towards Ikorodu, but unfortunately ran into an unforeseen object on the waterways causing the boat to capsize.
He said the immediate rescue efforts deployed by the Sanwo-Olu administration, comprising of Lagos State Inland Waterways Authority (LASWA) search party, local boat operators search team, the Marine Police and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), were able to save 16 passengers, one in critical condition, while six deaths were recorded.
The commissioner, alongside LASWA General Manager, Damilola Emmanuel, who was at the Ikorodu scene of the incident, commiserated with the families of the dead passengers and assured that the violators of the mishap would be prosecuted as the unfortunate incident is already under investigation.
Oladeinde appealed to all ferry operators to desist from acting contrary to the stipulated safety guidelines in order to avoid such incidents.
He said if the rule of ‘No Night Travel’ on the waterways from 6pm had been strictly observed by the operators, the accident could have been averted.
In his remarks at the scene of the incident, LASWA general manager reiterated that, henceforth, any operator who violates any of the laid down safety guidelines, especially the ‘No Night Travel’ rule, would be arrested by the Marine Police and the boat involved confiscated.
He also admonished passengers to stop waterways night journeys as any passenger found on board of such boats after the stipulated time would also be prosecuted in accordance with the relevant laws of the state.
Idowu sowunmi
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Finally, US Charges Hushpuppi to Court, Accuses Him of Frauds, Money Laundering
Government of the United States of America (USA) has finally charged Ramon Abbas Olorunwa Igbalode popularly known as Ray Hushpuppi to court in Los Angeles for allegedly committing frauds and laundering ‘millions of dollars from cybercrime schemes.'”
The government, in a comprehensive affidavit on Friday by the US Department of Justice, said Hushpuppi carried out business email compromise frauds that targeted US law firm, a foreign bank and an English Premier League soccer club.
The charges against Hushpuppi compiled by a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Andrew John Innocent, was filed before the US Magistrate Judge, Honourable Rozella Oliver.
Though the affidavit discussed several fraudulent schemes involving Hushpuppi, it failed to disclose the identity of the law firm, foreign bank and the English Premier League club he allegedly defrauded.
If found guilty, Hushpuppi may end up spending many years in prison in the US.
The affidavit reads in part:
“RAMON OLORUNWA ABBAS is a Nigerian national living in the
United Arab Emirates (the “U.A.E.”), whose social media accounts frequently
show him in designer clothes, wearing expensive watches, and posing in or with
luxury cars and charter jets.
“The FBI’s investigation has revealed that ABBAS finances this opulent lifestyle through crime, and that he is one of the leaders of a transnational network that facilitates computer intrusions, fraudulent schemes(including BEC schemes),1 and money laundering, targeting victims around the world in schemes designed to steal hundreds of millions of dollars.
“ABBAS participated in these fraudulent schemes and money laundering in coordination with multiple coconspirators, including the persons referred to herein as Coconspirator 1 and Coconspirator 2.
“This affidavit discusses several fraudulent schemes involving
ABBAS. First, messages found on the iPhone of Coconspirator 1 (reviewed
pursuant to a federal search warrant issued in this District) reflect that ABBAS, Coconspirator 1, and Coconspirator 2, with others, committed a BEC scheme that defrauded a victim in the United States of approximately $922,857.76, including 1 BEC fraud schemes often involve a computer hacker gaining unauthorized access to a business-email account, blocking or redirecting communications to and/or from that email account, and then using the compromised email account or a separate fraudulent email account (sometimes called a “spoofed” email account) to communicate with personnel from a victim company and to attempt to trick them into making an unauthorized wire transfer. The fraudster will direct the unsuspecting personnel of the victim company to wire funds to the bank account of a third party (sometimes referred to as a “money mule”), which is often a bank account owned, controlled, and/or used by individuals involved in the scheme based in the United States. The money may then be laundered by wiring or transferring it through numerous bank accounts to launder the money, or by quickly withdrawing it as cash, by check, or by cashier’s check, approximately $396,050 that ABBAS, Coconspirator 1, and Coconspirator 2 laundered while Coconspirator 2 was in Los Angeles, California.
“Second, ABBAS and Coconspirator 1 conspired to launder funds intended to be stolen through fraudulent wire transfers from a foreign financial
institution (the “Foreign Financial Institution”), in which fraudulent wire transfers, totaling approximately €13 million (approximately USD $14.7 million), were sent to bank accounts around the world in February 2019. Coconspirator 1 conspired with the persons who initiated the fraudulent wire transfers, and also conspired with a number of others, including ABBAS, to launder the funds that were intended to be stolen. ABBAS, specifically, provided Coconspirator 1 with two bank accounts in Europe that ABBAS anticipated would each receive €5 million of the fraudulently obtained funds.
“Other communications between ABBAS and Coconspirator 1 indicate
that, in addition to these schemes, ABBAS and Coconspirator 1 conspired to launder tens, and at times hundreds, of millions of dollars that were proceeds of other fraudulent schemes and computer intrusions, including a fraudulent scheme to steal from an English Premier League football club.
III. STATEMENT OF PROBABLE CAUSE
A. Identification of ABBAS.
“Analysis of Coconspirator 1’s iPhone and other online accounts showed that Coconspirator 1 operated and tasked money mule crews for a number of fraudulent schemes, including BEC schemes and cyber-heists. Analysis also
showed that Coconspirator 1 communicated with the U.A.E. phone number +971543777711 (“Phone Number 1”) about multiple fraudulent schemes and money laundering. As described below, Phone Number 1 was one of the phone numbers ABBAS used during 2019 and 2020.
“Based on my review (pursuant to federal search warrants obtained in
this District) of data from Coconspirator 1’s iPhone and from an online account connected to that phone (the “Online Account”), other law enforcement personnel’s review of that digital data, and from discussions with United States Secret Service (“USSS”) and FBI personnel, I know the following:
“Coconspirator 1’s iPhone listed Phone Number 1 (+971543777711) with the contact name “Hush.” The phone also contained a contact for Snapchat username “hushpuppi5,” which listed the Snapchat contact name “The Billionaire Gucci Master!!!”
“Searches of Phone Number 1 and the contact name “Hush” in Coconspirator 1’s iPhone revealed messaging conversations between “Hush,”
using Phone Number 1, and Coconspirator 1. (For ease of reference, communications with this moniker and Phone Number 1 are referred to as communications with ABBAS in the remainder of this affidavit.)
“In or around December 2019, April 2020, and June 2020, I reviewed the publicly viewable Instagram account of “hushpuppi” at www.instagram.com/hushpuppi. Based on information available on the profile page, the user of that account made more than 500 posts and had 2.3 million followers as of June 2020.
“This Instagram account included numerous publicly viewable images
of a man who appeared to be ABBAS, based on comparisons to photographs of ABBAS in passports and other identification documents referenced below inparagraphs 16.c to 16.c.iv. Hundreds of these images on the Instagram account showed ABBAS in designer clothing and shoes, posing on or in luxury vehicles, wearing high-end watches, or possessing other luxury items, indicating substantial wealth.
“For example, on June 6, 2020, ABBAS posted a photograph of
a white Rolls Royce Cullinan that included the hashtag “#AllMine.” On February 27, 2019, ABBAS posted a photograph of himself in front of two vehicles, one of which he described as his new Rolls Royce Wraith. Based on review of publicly available pricing information, the starting price for each of these vehicles is approximately $330,000.
“More than two dozen images showed ABBAS in front of, on top of, or inside other luxury vehicles, including multiple models of Bentley, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Rolls Royce.
“On numerous occasions, ABBAS posted photos of himself wearing items and/or holding shopping bags from luxury stores such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Channel, Versace, Fendi, and more.
“On multiple dates, including April 17, 2020, June 19, 2019, and July 1, 2019, ABBAS posted images of himself inside or in front of private jets.
“Multiple photographs also appeared to show ABBAS posing in locations around the world (such as Dubai and Paris).” and attached.
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Photos: Consumer protection agency drags Medcontour’s Dr. Anu to court
A doctor, Adepoju Anuoluwapo was today arrested and arraigned, with her company Medcontour plastic surgery clinic, before a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos on Friday.
The doctor’s arraignment comes more than two months after the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) had sealed Medcontour plastic surgery clinic over what it called ‘potentially injurious conduct’.
The FCCPC described Friday’s arraignment of Dr Adepoju Anuoluwapo & MedContour as “under criminal charges of failure to comply with FCCPC’s requirements in an investigation; appear & provide info relevant to ongoing investigation”.
The defendants opening day in court had them object to the charge and after preliminary objection argued, the court adjourned the case to July 9th.
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