Author: Opalim Lifted

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained reason for the absence of former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello from past court trials. Quoting Bello’s counsel, J.B. Daudu (SAN) during trial on Friday, a statement by EFCC’s Spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said his absence was “a procedural move”. The former Kogi State governor’s absence from court in the past had stalled trial proceedings, warranting postponement of sittings. Bello is facing a 19-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering, contrary to Section 18(a) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended.…

A Nigerian female police officer, Corporal Juliet Chukwu has won the Bantamweight Championship in Johannesburg, South Africa. The feat was announced in a statement by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in a statement on Saturday. ACP Olumiyiwa Adejobi Force PRO, said her win highlights the growing prowess of Nigerian athletes on the global stage and reinforces the Force’s commitment to excellence in all areas of sports. “The NPF under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., has once again earned another outstanding honour and made the nation proud as one of its own, Corporal…

South Korean lawmakers on Saturday impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid, with the opposition declaring a “victory of the people”. The vote took place as hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Seoul in rival rallies for and against Yoon, who launched a failed attempt to impose martial law on December 3. Out of 300 lawmakers, 204 voted to impeach the president on allegations of insurrection while 85 voted against. Three abstained, with eight votes nullified. With the impeachment, Yoon has been suspended from office while South Korea’s Constitutional Court deliberates on the vote.…

Conservationists in Cambodia on Friday celebrated the discovery of six highly endangered Mekong giant catfish in the critical Southeast Asian waterway plagued by illegal fishing, habitat loss and plastic waste. Fishermen smiled alongside officials from Cambodia’s Fisheries Administration (CFA) as they held up the two-metre-long creatures — weighing up to 130 kilograms (287 pounds) each — before releasing them back into their river habitat. The survival of the giant catfish — one of the largest and rarest freshwater fish in the world — underscores the urgent need to protect the river’s free-flowing connectivity, a statement by the USAID-funded Wonders of…

Nigerian Afrobeat musician Seun Kuti has called on African governments to ban Kemi Badenoch, United Kingdom (UK) Conservative Party leader, from coming to Africa over her claims that Black nations should pay Europeans for colonisation. Badenoch had allegedly described her upbringing in Nigeria as being overshadowed by fear and insecurity in a country plagued by corruption. Chronicle NG reports that Kemi Badenoch has stood by her position on Nigeria, despite accusations from Vice President Kashim Shettima and others who claim she has denigrated the country. Reacting during a recent Instagram live session, Kuti called for Kemi Badenoch ban from entering…

Doctors treating Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after surgery this week to stop a hemorrhage inside his head took him out of intensive care on Friday but kept him hospitalized. Lula, 79, “remains in the Hospital Sirio-Libanes, in Sao Paulo, under semi-intensive care,” they said in a public medical update. The update came after doctors performed emergency surgery on Tuesday to drill through Lula’s skull to relieve pressure built up because of bleeding in protective intracranial membranes. The injury was linked to a blow to the head Lula suffered in October, when he fell in a bathroom in…

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Nwakuche Ndidi as the Acting Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service. The appointment of Ndidi follows the expiration of the tenure of the current CG, Haliru Nababa. Disclosing this in a statement on Friday, the Secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Board, Ja’afaru Ahmed, said Ndidi’s appointment takes effect from December 15, 2024. “The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has graciously approved the appointment of Nwakuche Sylvester Ndidi as Acting Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service following the expiration of the tenure of Haliru Nababa. His…

The Senate has summoned the Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, Peer Lubasch, over the company’s refusal to honour invitations to provide details on the Odukpani-Itu Highway project. The Odukpani-Itu Highway is located in Cross River State and Akwa Ibom states. It connects the town of Odukpani in Cross River State to Itu in Akwa Ibom State, serving as a critical link for transportation and economic activities in the South-South region. According to a motion sponsored by Senator Osita Ngwu, Julius Berger has neglected and refused to honour invitations to provide details of their role in the project, despite…

A fire at a retirement home in Jordan’s capital Amman killed six people and injured 60, five of them seriously, state media reported on Friday. The flare broke out on the first floor of the private retirement home early Friday, Social Development Minister Wafa Bani Mustafa was quoted as saying by the official Petra news agency. The flare killed “six elderly, badly injuring five, and moderately injuring 55 more,” she said. Fire razes shops, destroys goods worth millions in Plateau The flare spread over an area of 80 square metres (860 square feet) in the White Beds Society’s (Al-Asirra Al-Baydaa)…

Nollywood actress Funke Akindele’s new movie, ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa,’ premieres in cinemas today, Friday. The movie plot revealed how Jenifa’s popularity fades when a shady new neighbor, Lobster, outshines her charitable work.  A deadly drug baron confronts Jenifa and her friends in Ghana after they mistakenly leave a bag of drugs in their rental property. Chronicle NG reports that the 2-hour, 15-minute TV movie “Everybody Loves Jenifa” promises its viewers and fans an entertaining drama. ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’ has been acquired for theatrical distribution across six continents. While FilmOne Entertainment retains its rights to distribute the movie locally, Nile Media…