The Nation Newspaper

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  • BBNaija: Getting disqualified was never my intention – Tacha

    Disqualified 2019 housemate, Tacha on Saturday stated that getting disqualified from the Big Brother Naija reality show was not her intention.

    The self-acclaimed ‘Port Harcourt first daughter’ made this known in a post on her verified Instagram handle.

    She also begged for forgiveness and expressed her gratitude to her fans, who stuck by her, regardless of her “imperfection”

    She said:

    “Dear Titans,
    Words cannot readily express how much your love and acceptance means to me at this point. Even my imperfection could not sway your support.
    THANK YOU!

    “Coming out of the Big Brother House disqualified was never my intention. Unfortunately, my weakness played against my strength and cut short what should have been a grand ending, with or without the prize.

    “I sincerely apologize for every action on my part that led to this point and I take full responsibility for it all.
    “I am an adult and ought to be in control of my emotions, but I’m human and I failed time and again. Please “forgive me. I sincerely wanted to make it, at least to the 99th day.

    “The fight to be seen and heard takes its toll on everyone of us irrespective of where, when or how it comes. What counts is what we make out of a seemingly ugly situation.
    “I know I need to work on my emotional health… That’s a fact as I have become conscious of it now. Being on this show has shown me that, I am not just a work in progress but I have the chance to become a better me on all fronts, if I give myself the chance to heal.
    “And this I promise to give due diligence.

    Read Also: Six things to know about Tacha

    “So for what you have been to me, I heard some of you even cried and held vigil for me. I cannot thank you enough. You all became my mother, friends and family and this means so much to me right now. Your prayers, time and resources spent to push me through to this point cannot be quantified in any form, but i sincerely thank you from the depth of my heart.

    “Against the odds, you all are the reason why I stand and remain hopeful that everything will fall into place, that I can make it through this storm and come out on the sunny side in time.

    “My social media official handles are open and I can be reached there for now.

    “Thank you Titans, Thank you to everyone who supported me privately and openly, Thank you Africa, Thank you Nigeria, THANK YOU WORLD!
    “I saved the best for last. Thank you to the organizers of Big Brother Nigeria for this platform, it may not have ended as I hoped and wanted, but it gave me the opportunity to rise. It was worth it and for this reason, I am grateful.
    Biggie, @bigbronaija Thank you!
    Blessings”

    Tacha was butted off the show on Friday night September 27, 2019, for violence and intent to harm fellow housemate. She had a heated argument with fellow housemate, Mercy Eke and pulled her hair twice in an attempt to get physical.

     

  • Immigration intercepts two Niger nationals with weapons at Katsina border

    Two nationals of Niger Republic have been arrested at Kongolam border in Katsina state, the Nigerian Immigration Service announced on Saturday.

    According to the Public Relation Officer of the Service, DCI James Sunday, they were arrested in possession of Pistols, computers and phones.

    Sunday explained that their arrest was on the heels of the visit of the Comptroller of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede and his counterpart in Customs, Hammeed Ali to the border town following the launch of a drill operation.

    He added that the comptrollers were on a visit to the area as part of strategic synergy to secure the nation’s borders.

    He said vigilant officers arrested the two Nigeriennes who had attempted to open fire in defiance and to evade arrest.

    Read Also: Police arrest alleged killer of three family members in Kano

    According to him the gallant Operatives of the service overpowered them, leaving one dead in the cross fire, while the survivor is helping with useful information about their activities.

    He stated that after interrogation and profiling the surviving criminal has been handed over to the police for further necessary action.

    The PRO said in a statement that the Comptroller of the Command, Bin Umar and his men were commended by the CGI Babandede on the feat.

    He asserted that the Border Drill Exercise Operation Swift Response is yielding positive result with arrests of irregular migrants, criminal elements and Smugglers whose activities have been curtailed.

    He, therefore, advised the border communities to desist from conniving and sabotaging government effort.

    Meanwhile the nationwide spot assessment by the two Comptrollers General and representative of the National Security Adviser has been very successful, the statement added.

  • Obaseki is NUT’s best governor

    Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has won the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Best Performing Governor Award for 2019.

    A letter by NUT’s Secretary-General Mike Ike Ene said Obaseki was picked for his role in improving basic education and teachers’ welfare.

    Ene said Obaseki’s achievements in education in three years was visible to everyone.

    The award will be presented to Obaseki on October 5 in Abuja during the World Teachers’ Day.

    “Such an award is unique as all teachers are…presenting your Excellency this Award,” it said.

  • Nollywood celebrities who dumped Christianity

    A couple of Nollywood actresses have dumped their Christian faith to follow Islam. These actresses have their various reasons for doing this. Here is looking at five of them.

    1.      Vivian Metchie

    Vivian Metchie was born to a Catholic father and a Deeper Life Mother.

    She married a man who was a member of the Redeemed Church but the marriage eventually failed leaving her with four children.

    According to her, she switched religions because, at a point in time, she got confused as various Christian churches had something bad to say about one another. Explaining her actions, the screen diva said, “It is a personal decision. I understand the Koran more than the Bible… I was probably looking for peace. Yeah! That was what I was looking for and I found it in the Koran.”

    Vivian adopted the name Fareedah as her Muslim name and according to her, her parents were supportive of her decision to switch religions.

    2. Liz Da Silva 

    Popular actress, Liz Da Silva was known to be a Christian up until the time she allegedly had a child for former NURTW Oshodi boss, Musiliu Akinsanya better known as MC Oluomo.

    When things did not work out between them, she married a Muslim man named Olaoye.

    Because of the birth of her son, Roheem and her new family, Liz became a Muslim and adopted the name Aishat.

    “In case you want to know I have a good relationship with my baby’s father and that is why I had to convert to Muslim and got a new name Aishat before the baby was named. I was a Christian, but I had to convert to Islam because of my baby,” Liz Da Silva revealed in an interview.

    Read Also: 12 Nollywood actresses who remarried

     3. Lizzy Anjorin 

    Lizzy Elizabeth Anjorin is a household name as far as Nollywood is concerned. She was brought up in a Christian family however she found solace in Islam.

    In 2013, she came out to state categorically that she is a Muslim and soon after her revelation, she jetted off to Mecca for Hajj.

    Addressing her faith to critics, Lizzy explained that she has always had ties to the Muslim world judging from the fact that her mother is a Muslim.

    She once said in an interview, “Although my name is Elizabeth, which is the Christian name my dad gave me because he was a Christian.

    Then, I also have a Muslim name, Aishat, given to me by my mother, who was a Muslim.  Also, some from my mother’s family members also named me Sekinat.  Even my daughter’s name is Rufaidat.  So, I grew with the two religions.”

    She added, “Islam has been in me for long.  I only kept it to myself.  It is my private life.” However, certain unconfirmed sources suggest that her conversion happened after a relationship with a certain Alhaji in Lagos.

     4. Laide Bakare 

    Ace actress, Laide Bakare was Christian up until the time she left her Christian husband and started dating an alleged money bag in Lagos named Alhaji Tunde Orilowo fondly referred to as ATM. Laide had to convert to Islam after marrying him and becoming another one of his wives.

     5. Lola Alao 

    Actress Lola Alao converted to Islam in July 2016 and many were taken by surprise. Alao was a Christian before her conversion. Alao converted during just after the burial of her father who was a Muslim before his death. She has adopted the name Rohdiat.

     

  • Buhari returns to Abuja after UNGA74

    President Muhammadu Buhari returned to Abuja after his engagements at the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA74), in New York, USA, on Saturday morning, a day ahead of schedule.

    News Agency of Nigeria reports that the president was initially scheduled to return to Abuja on Sunday morning at about 7.00a.m.

    However, the presidential aircraft carrying the president, his aides and some members of his entourage landed at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja early Saturday morning.

    NAN gathered that the president’s decision to return home was informed by the fact that he was able to complete all his official engagements in time.

    The president, who left Abuja on Sept. 22 for New York, participated actively in the main and High Side Events of the UNGA74.

    NAN reports that the first official engagement of Buhari at the UNGA74 was on Monday in New York where he addressed the United Nations Climate Action Summit with the theme, “A Race We Can Win. A Race We Must Win.”

    At the event, Buhari announced robust plans and initiatives by his administration to reverse the negative effects of climate change in Nigeria.

    Read Also; Yes, I’ve seen Buhari’s certificate, but any further need?

    While sharing the sentiment expressed by the UN Secretary-General that the world is on the verge of climate catastrophe, President Buhari stated that ”undeniably, Climate Change is a human-induced phenomenon.”

    The president had on Sept. 24 presented the country’s National Statement as the fifth speaker on the first day of the General Debate during the UNGA74 where he among other issues alerted the world on attempts by international criminal groups to cheat Nigeria of billions.

    While at the UNGA74, the president also participated in high level side events on Water and Sanitation as well as ‘SDG Integration – Bridging the Policy Planning – Budgeting Gap for the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.’

    On Sept. 26, the president presented an address at the High-Level National Side-Event organised by the African Union Development Agency and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD).

    President Buhari also held several bilateral meetings with world leaders, international organisations, world business gurus and Nigerian Youths Climate Group before departing New York on Friday.

  • Chef disappears with employer’s N18m gold, cameras two weeks after he was employed

    Personnel of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) have arrested a chef, David Ugboko, who bolted with his employer’s gold and cameras worth N18 million, barely two weeks after he was employed.

    The 25-year-old suspect, who hails from Cross Rivers State, belongs to a syndicate that specialised in using magnesium chemical and black stone to test the worth of jewelry before stealing them.

    He was employed on August 20, 2019 by the daughter of a popular oil magnet who resides at Lekki area of Lagos to work in her father’s house.

    Ugboko however conspired with two other suspects, Aliu Alkari, 39, and Kingsley Honey, 30, to steal the valuable items and disappeared without a trace.

    A manhunt was launched for them following a petition to IRT by Ugboko’s boss.

    Read Also: Couple, four others arrested for allegedly stealing, selling siblings for N900,000

    It was said that Ugboko’s arrest led to the arrest of Aliu and Kingsley.

    Recovered from the suspects were two gold testing tools.

    It was also said that Aliu acted as the receiver and provider of the buyer who bought the N18million gold and cameras at a giveaway price of N1 million only.

    Police sources said the recovery all the stolen jewellery and cameras had been difficult as some of the items had been sent to Dubai and Cotonou by the suspects.

    In his confession, Ugboko said: “ I am the one who stole the gold and the cameras but I did not touch money. I am from Iyala community in Cross Rivers State, but I reside at Iju Ishaga . I have worked as a chef many places.

    ‘’It was one agent named Mr. Apera who is close to many rich men that recommended me to the oil magnet to work as a chef, without knowing that I had plan to steal gold from the house of my employer.

    ‘’They drilled me on cooking vegetable soup, afam soup, okro and ogbono soups. They also tested me on ironing clothes and house cleaning, but they did not give me access to the washing machine.

    ‘’When I passed the interview I started work as a chef on a salary of N40,000 and within two weeks of combing the whole rooms I found gold and expensive cameras and stole them.

    ‘’They did not arrest the agent because the agent did not know that the person he was recommending was a smart thief and the oil magnet family had been using him and knows very well that the agent is not criminally minded.

    ‘’I only used the agent to get work. It was not the agent’s idea for me to steal where I went to work as a chef. I have been stealing gold in many places I had worked as a chef and found stealing gold very lucrative and easy and Aliu had been my receiver and marketer of stolen gold. He was the one who gave me the black stone and the chemical which I used to test the gold before stealing it. It was Kingsley that advised me to take the opportunity and become a big man but Aliu disappointed me by selling gold worth N18 million for a small amount- N1.7 million, yet I got only N500,000.

    ‘’Aliu said he sold the gold and the cameras for only N1.7million whereas the market value is over N18 million. He gave me N500, 000 and deposited N1.2 million in Kingsley account and told Kingsley that his own share is N150, 000.

    ‘’I used one week to search where the items were kept in the house before I succeeded, but the way IRT operatives tracked us is still a mystery because I stopped using phones and I threw away my SIM  card to avoid being traced.

    ‘’I stayed 16 days before I acted. The house is a duplex. I saw 300 dollars, three pieces of Arab money and hundreds of naira but I did not touch any money. I concentrated on getting the gold.

    Confessing, Aliu said: “ I am married with two wives and I have nine children. I live with one of my wives and four children in Lagos, while my second wife and my four other children are in the village.

    ‘’David (Ugboko) lied to me that he wanted to go to his village to buy gold saying it is cheaper in his village not knowing that he wanted to steal gold from the house he was working as a chef. I told him the testers would cost him N2,000 and he promised to pay me when he comes back from village.

    ‘’My work is to scout for those who want to sell their gold because of financial problem and it is always cheap as they sell at giveaway prices. I never sent him anywhere to steal gold. My work is to look for buyer and take my commission. I have a standby buyer called Alhaji Haruna.

    ‘’I sent the stolen gold to Haruna and he paid money into Kingsley’s bank account as Ugboko had no bank account and when they got alert they paid me N300,000. I divided the money into two and sent N150, 000 to my family in the village and started managing the remaining N150,000 in Lagos.

    ‘’’The owner of the gold said the value of the gold is N18million but Alhaji Haruna bought it for N1.7million.

    In his own confession Kingsley, who is married with two children, said he was a lotto agent in the Agbado crossing area of Ogun State.

    ‘’ Ugboko is my close friend. He called me on phone and said he had found gold in the house he is working and that he intended to steal and I told him that I did not know much about gold.

    ‘’The following day, he told me that his elder brother had confirmed it to be gold. He brought the gold me and we took it to Aliu together because one needs to be careful when selling gold. He promised to give me N150,000 but all the money they deposited in my account was N1.2million.”

    Kinglsey disclosed that they used the money realised from selling the stolen items to purchase electronics and household items including Plasma TV, DVD, shelve,  gas cylinder and radio set to keep abreast of news as they ran into hiding when they heard that IRT operatives were on their trail.

  • Five-yr-old girl needs N500,000 for surgery

    A five-year old girl, Mercy Aka suffering from swollen stomach diagnosed as Ventral Hernia by doctors is seriously in need of a sum of N500,000 for surgery.

    It was said that Mercy had been taken to several hospitals in the last five months.

    Read Also: 35 year old lady needs N5+ million for hip replacement and plastic surgery

    Doctors at the Nigeria Christian Hospital in Nlagu in Abia State said the N500,000 required would cover the cost of the surgery, treatment and drugs.

    Mercy’s parents, Mr and Mrs Utume Nor-Aka, both indigenes of Taraba State, however pleaded with kind hearted Nigerians to assist them with funds to save their daughter from untimely death.

    Donations can be forwarded to a Union Bank account no: 0107296941 with the name, Mercy Aka, while her parents can be reached on 09013355235.

  • Court jails Lagos farmer 10 years for raping, impregnating daughter

    A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a Lagos farmer, Yesiru Onajobi, to 10 years in prison for raping and impregnating his 14-year-old daughter (name withheld).

    Justice Sule Hassan convicted Onajobi following a six-year trial

    The judge said the prosecution successfully proved the charges of rape and unlawful canal knowledge made against the farmer.

    Read Also: Mobile Money agent rapes’ colleague to death in Ogun

    Justice Hassan held: “The prosecution has been able to establish the charges against the defendant. “I have also listened to the plea of allocutos made by the defendant’s counsel, though, she did not say much.

    “The offences that the defendant is charged with are very serious offences, consequently, I hereby sentenced you, Yesiru Onajobi to 10 years imprisonment on each count without option of fine.

    “The terms of imprisonment are to run concurrently. However, the period spent in custody shall be deducted from the jail terms”.

    Onajobi was arraigned by the National Agency for Prohibition and Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), on July 18, 2013.

    The offences, according to NAPTIP, contravened Sections 13 (1) and 18 (a) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement Act 2003.

  • Hoodlums kill policeman, seven vigilantes in Niger

    A policeman and seven members of a local vigilance group have been killed by gunmen in Kusherki community in Rafi local government area of Niger State.

    The gunmen were said to have ambushed the victims who were on their way to the village after receiving distress calls that the community was under the siege of suspected hoodlums.

    Sources said hoodlums engaged the security men in exchange of gunfire that lasted three hours, during which the unnamed policeman died.

    Read Also: Policeman killed in Ekiti bank robbery

    Policemen were said to have received a distress call that some armed cattle rustlers had invaded Lamba Waya village at Pandogari, which prompted the deployment of a joint team of police, civil defence personnel and vigilance group members to track down the hoodlums.

    Witnesses said the gunmen men escaped with the rustled cattle leaving seven vigilantes and one policeman dead.

    Confirming the report, Police spokesman, Muhammad Abubakar noted that the cattle rustlers were also badly injured during the exchange of gunfire.

    He disclosed that security forces had been drafted to the area with a view to apprehending the culprits.

    “Our men are following the blood trails and combing the areas as we speak, “ Abubakar added.

  • Gunmen abduct two senior NSCDC officials

    Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted two senior personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

    The two officials were identified as the Area Commander of Edo North Command, Francis Okunwe and Divisional Officer of Irrua, Albert Eguavoen, a Chief Superintended of Corps (CSC

    They were on their way to Benin city, the state capital, when they were abducted at Ewosaa before Ekpon near Ebele in Igueben Local Government Area.

    Read Also: NSCDC nab 20-year old woman for hawking N.3m naira notes

    Sources at NSCDC said the two officials travelled through Igueben due to the bad state of the Benin-Auchi-Okenne highway.

    It was said that the abduction happened on Friday at about 2 pm and the Toyota Sienna van they were travelling in had been recovered from where it was abandoned.

    “They were on their way to Benin but because of the bad state of portions along the Auchi – Benin road, they decided to pass through Igueben to cut off the bad spots but unfortunately the incident happened around Ewossa before Ekpon.’’

    Confirming the incident, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Danmallam Mohammed, said security agencies had been directed to apprehend the abductors.