Author: Opalim Lifted

Robert Menendez, the disgraced former US senator from New Jersey, should spend at least 15 years in prison following his corruption conviction, after he betrayed voters by putting his office “up for sale” in exchange for bribes, US prosecutors said. The recommendation was filed on Thursday night in Manhattan federal court, a week after Menendez’s lawyers pleaded for leniency, citing the 71-year-old’s age, decades of public service, charitable works, devotion to family, and financial and professional ruin. Probation officers recommended a 12-year prison term, which Robert Menendez’s lawyers described as an effective “death sentence.” Robert Menendez, a Democrat who spent…

Donald Trump has been sentenced to an “unconditional discharge” in a case of hush money paid to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star. An unconditional discharge means the US president-elect does not face any fines, probation, or jail time. Juan Merchan, presiding judge, handed the anti-climatic sentence on Friday, ending a case that has dragged on for nearly a year. Merchan described the case as “truly extraordinary”. “Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” he added. The president-elect was first indicted in March 2023 by the Manhattan district attorney on state…

Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna, has commended the ruling of the court of appeal in Abuja that barred the federal high court in Kano from adjudicating over the Kano emirate legal battle. In June 2023, the high court nullified all actions by the Kano state government repealing the Kano Emirates Council Law of 2019. Before then, the Kano house of assembly had passed an amended bill to repeal the 2019 version, which divided the Kano emirate into five jurisdictions and was relied upon to dethrone Muhammadu Sanusi II as emir in 2020. However, the high court ordered the…

The court of appeal in Abuja has ordered a fresh hearing of the Kano state emirship tussle involving Aminu Bayero and Lamido Sanusi. In a judgment delivered on Friday, a three-member panel of justices led by Mohammed Mustapha, faulted the verdict of the Kano state high court. The high court had stopped Bayero and four other dethroned emirs of Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye from parading themselves as emirs. The appellate court held that in the ruling delivered by Amina Adamu Aliyu, trial judge, on July 15, Bayero was denied fair hearing due to the “shoddy manner” the high court…

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) said it has detained an officer seen in a viral video seemingly abusing the naira in cahoots with the sons of Razaq Okoya, the billionaire industrialist. The officer held wads of naira notes as Subomi ‘Sirheem’ Okoya, a fledgling musician, and his brother Wahab, gyrated to a tune. The video was touted as a promotional clip for Sirheem’s new song. The clip has raised posers on recurring cases of abuse of the nation’s currency and the use of police officers for private business. In 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) ramped up its…

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested 105 individuals, including four Chinese nationals, at a business apartment in the Gudu area of Abuja over hotel review scam. EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, disclosed this in a statement on Friday. “In its ongoing efforts to clean the nation of internet fraud and other acts of corruption, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested four Chinese and 101 Nigerians in a business apartment in the Gudu axis of Abuja,” the anti-graft agency said. He said the suspects were apprehended on Thursday,…

In its current quest to rid the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of bad eggs, the anti graft commission has detained ten officers of the Lagos Zonal Command over an investigation of some missing items involving them. This brings the total number of personnel disciplined this week to 37 after sacking 27 others on Monday. Anti graft spokesperson Dele Oyewale stated that the officers were arrested last week based on the directives of the executive chairman, Ola Olukoyede. They are currently answering questions about the theft of some operational items they could not account for. Oyewale stated that investigators…

Two police personnel have been killed as Boko Haram terrorists attacked a police station in Gajiram, Nganzai Local Government Area of Borno State. One other officer was critically injured as Boko Haram exchanged fire with police on duty at the station before they were eventually overpowered and repelled with the assistance of the civilian joint taskforce who are stationed near the police station. According to a security source, the Boko Haram terrorists attacked around 11:00 pm on Wednesday. The source said no facility or security equipment was affected in the attack. However, a police statement which confirmed the attack, said…

President Bola Tinubu has decorated Nurudeen Yusuf, his aide-de-camp (ADC), with his new rank of colonel. The president decorated Yusuf on Thursday at the State House, Abuja. Yusuf was appointed Tinubu’s ADC in April 2023 before his inauguration on May 29. In a statement, Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, said the president described his ADC as a “reliable officer, deserving of elevation in rank”. The presidential spokesperson quoted Tinubu as saying that he envisions the ADC achieving greatness in his military career. Onanuga said Yusuf, formerly a lieutenant colonel, was promoted to the rank of…

China Development Bank (CDB) has approved the first tranche of a $255 million loan for the Nigerian government’s Kaduna-Kano railway project. China Development Bank (CDB) said it will provide crucial financial backing to ensure the smooth construction of the transportation initiative. The railway is on the list of practical cooperation deliverables released during the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2023. CDB said the railway project has been making steady progress, so far, adding that going forward, it will closely coordinate with Nigerian partners to ensure the smooth disbursement of subsequent loans and effective post-loan management. Construction…