Author: Chronicle Editor

A 30-year-old woman has been nabbed in Zamfara State for supplying weapons and ammunition to bandits. The woman, Fatima Lawali, was arrested on Thursday, October 25 at around 9.30 p.m., according to the state Commissioner of Police in Gusau, Ayuba N. Elkana. The suspect, who is from the state’s Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area, was apprehended with 991 rounds of live AK-47 ammo. According to police, she was transporting ammunition from Dabagi Village in Sokoto State to an infamous bandits’ kingpin known as Ado Alero, who has been terrorizing Zamfara and neighbouring areas. Six killed, many others injured as bandits attack…

The US will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other southern African countries to try to contain a new COVID-19 variant spreading there. From Monday, only US citizens and residents will be allowed to travel from the region. This follows a similar flight ban imposed by the EU and the UK. Canada is also introducing travel restrictions. The World Health Organization (WHO) earlier declared the new variant to be “of concern”, naming it Omicron. US officials said flights from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi will be blocked, mirroring earlier moves taken by the EU.…

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a new coronavirus variant to be “of concern” and named it Omicron. It had a large number of mutations, and early evidence suggested an increased reinfection risk, the WHO said. It was first reported to the WHO from South Africa on 24 November, and has also been identified in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel. A number of countries around the world have now decided to ban or restrict travel to and from southern Africa. Travellers from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini will not be able to enter the UK…

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has refuted a report that said the House of Representatives Committee on Youths, Labour, Finance and Appropriations was mandated to carry out a probe into the non-implementation of the Public Works Scheme. Keyamo noted that the report was a misrepresentation of facts, as the scheme being probed by the House of Representatives is not under his supervision but a totally different Scheme called the P-Yes under the supervision of a different Ministry/Minister. This was revealed in a statement by Tunde Moshood, Special Assistant Media and Communications to the Minister of…

The Ugandan government signed a deal with the Export-Import Bank of China (Exim Bank) on Tuesday, November 17, 2015, to borrow $207 million at a 2% interest rate upon distribution. The loan had a 20-year maturity period with a seven-year grace period. It has now been revealed that the agreement reached with the Chinese lenders effectively means Uganda “surrendered” its most important and only international airport. According to the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA), some sections in the Financing Agreement with China expose Entebbe International Airport and other Ugandan assets to attachment and takeover by Chinese lenders following arbitration in…

Belgium detected Europe’s first confirmed case of the new variant of COVID-19 on Friday, and at the same time announced measures aimed at curbing a rapidly spreading fourth wave of coronavirus infections. Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke told a news conference that a case of variant B.1.1.529 had been found in an unvaccinated person who had developed symptoms and tested positive on Nov. 22. “It is a suspicious variant. We do not know if it is a very dangerous variant,” he said. The new coronavirus variant, first detected in South Africa, has caused global alarm, with the EU and Britain among…

Manchester United have reached an agreement with Lokomotiv Moscow for the Russian club’s head of sports and development Ralf Rangnick to move to Old Trafford as interim manager. The deal is not yet complete, as some contractual elements remain to be sorted out and there needs to be an application for a work permit. However, it is now just a question of time before an official announcement that Rangnick will replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager for the remainder of the season. The German, 63, will then stay on at the Old Trafford club for an additional two years in…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, November 26, 2021, arraigned one Stanley Okoye and Larbrador Shipping Services Limited before Justice O.A. Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos for an alleged $111,500,000 fraud. The defendants were arraigned on a 12-count charge bordering on possession of false documents, forgery, attempt to obtain by false pretence, and using as genuine a false document contrary to Section 364 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011. One of the counts reads: “OKAFOR STANLEY and LARBRADOR SHIPPING SERVICES LTD, sometime between November 2019 and January 2020 in Lagos,…

The Lagos Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, November 26, 2021, secured the conviction and sentencing of the duo of Folarin Oyindamola and Chidera David for internet fraud before Justice O.A.Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos. The convicts, who were among the suspected internet fraudsters arrested by the Commission between March and April this year, were arraigned separately on one count each bordering on possession of documents containing false pretence. The count against Oyindamola reads: “Folarin John Oyindamola, sometime in 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with…

Portugal will host Turkey in the play-off semi-final for the 2022 World Cup, while Italy have been drawn at home to North Macedonia. Elsewhere Scotland will take on Ukraine and Wales will play Austria at home. If Scotland and Wales win their matches, they will face each other in Cardiff in a final for a spot in Qatar. Wales are bidding to reach their first World Cup in 64 years, while Scotland have waited 24 years to play in one. Other semi-finals include Italy v North Macedonia and Portugal at home to Turkey. That draw means either European champions Italy or…