Author: Chronicle Editor

The Minneapolis ex-policeman accused of killing unarmed black man George Floyd has made his first court appearance, where his bail was set at $1.25m (£1m). Prosecutors cited the “severity of the charges” and public outrage as the reason for upping his bail from $1m. Derek Chauvin faces charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. Three other arresting officers are charged with aiding and abetting murder. Mr Floyd’s death in May led to global protests and calls for police reform. Mr Chauvin, who is white, knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while he was being arrested in Minneapolis on…

A self-described Ku Klux Klan (KKK) leader has been arrested for allegedly driving his car into a group of Black Lives Matters protesters gathered on Sunday in the US state of Virginia. Prosecutors say that Harry Rogers, 36, drove “recklessly” towards a protest in Henrico County, and “revved the engine” before driving into protesters. Mr Rogers appeared in Henrico court on the outskirts of Richmond on Monday, facing charges of assault and battery. A hate crime investigation is underway. One protester was injured and treated at the scene, authorities said, but was not seriously hurt. In a separate incident on…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced 315 confirmed new coronavirus cases in the country on Monday. The 315 cases announced by the Centre for Disease Control takes the total number of confirmed cases to 12801. The NCDC also announced the discharge of 81 patients from isolation centers across the country with seven new deaths reported. Lagos state, the epicentre of the virus in Nigeria topped the number of confirmed cases with 128 new cases taking the total number of confirmed cases in Lagos alone to 5895. Nigeria announces 389 new coronavirus cases Federal Capital Territory reported 34…

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday ordered interim forfeiture of the sum of N827, 679, 098 recovered from an account belonging to a contractor with Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), one Matthew Edevbie, Chief Executive Officer, Flank Power Resources Limited, to the Federal Government of Nigeria. Justice Aneke gave the order following an ex-parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. In an affidavit deposed to by Chidi Nweke, an investigator with the EFCC, the Commission prayed the court for the forfeiture of the money domiciled in Zenith Bank account of…

A Federal High Court in Abuja has vacated the interim forfeiture order it made on October 18, 2019 in relation to some assets the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) claimed belonged to ex-Aviation Minister, Senator Stella Oduah. Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a judgment on Monday, held that the EFCC failed to establish a link between the assets and the ex-Minister. The EFCC had applied for the interim forfeiture order in furtherance of its investigation of allegation that Oduah diverted part of the N9.5 billion fund meant for the provision security equipment in some airports during her tenure as Aviation…

Lagos State Police Command on Sunday said they arrested 185 suspected cultists terrorising Ikorodu and environs. Lagos Police Public Relations officer (PPRO) Bala Elkana said eight locally-made pistols were recovered from the suspects within the last two weeks during raids of Ikorodu, Ipakodo, Igbogbo, Ibeshe, Shagamu Road, Agbowa and others. Elkana said the raids followed a directive from the Commissioner of Police Hakeem Odumosu to the Special Strike Force on social miscreants to tackle the menace of cultism in Ikorodu district. Elkana said the operatives launched an intelligence-driven operation that targeted top cult leaders and members especially those who engaged…

The President of the Customary Court, Justice Donatus Yantau Shidda has been kidnapped by gunmen in Taraba state. He was reported to have been abducted in the early hours of Monday morning from his house in the Kona area of Jalingo. A family also said that Justice Shidda’s wife was present at the time he was abducted. Gunmen abduct four in Delta Details later…

President Donald Trump talks about imposing law and order, and his hardline approach towards the protesters this week is helping to shore up his base of supporters. But what do the parts of the US that propelled him to victory in 2016 think of his aggressive strategy? Shirley Hartman, an artist who works in watercolour and acrylics, moved to Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, years ago because she wanted to feel safe. She had been robbed in Philadelphia, a city about 60 miles away, and she was looking for a place where she did not have to worry about violence. With protests…

New Zealand lifted all domestic coronavirus restrictions on Monday after its final COVID-19 patient was given the all clear, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealing she danced around her living room when told about the milestone. While strict border controls will remain in place, Ardern said restrictions such as social distancing and limits on public gatherings were no longer needed. “We are confident we have eliminated transmission of the virus in New Zealand for now,” she said in a televised address, saying Kiwis had “united in unprecedented ways to crush the virus”. The South Pacific nation, with a population of…

Nigeria’s Senate President Ahmad Lawan says the cost for renovation of the National Assembly complex has been reduced from the initial N37 billion to N9.2 billion. He said a lot of Nigerians misunderstand the reason for the renovation of the complex because they have not been properly educated. Speaking over the weekend, Lawan noted that, “As for National Assembly renovation, how I wish I am not a member of the National Assembly so that when I talk about it, people will not read meaning into it. “This guest house leaks but this is personal to me, nobody is talking about it.…