Controversial actor-cum-preacher, Yul Edochie, has clarified his relationship with movie producer and CEO of Ason-Rich Movie Production, Henry Odenigbo.
A filmmaker and actor, Stanley Nwoko, also known as Stanley Ontop, posted photos of the controversial producer, Odenigbo alleging him(Odenigbo) to be the ‘‘ringleader’’ of the kidnap gang, killed in the shootout by the Lagos State Police Command.
The Lagos state PRO Benjamin Hundeyin had disclosed that the kidnap gang plotted to abduct wealthy individuals in the state although he didn’t disclose the identities of the slain kidnappers.
Reacting to the development on Instagram, Edochie debunked rumours that he was a friend of the deceased.
He explained that the photo of himself (Edochie) and the deceased circulating on social media was taken in June on a movie set, adding that there was nothing more as that was his first time of meeting the man adding that the photo was taken at the request of the late filmmaker.
He said in part: “According to the police, the guy is a kidnapper. I’ve heard stories and noticed that some blogs posted my picture with him, implying he’s my friend. So, I want to state that the guy wasn’t my friend. I’ve been in Nollywood for 19 years, going on 20 years.
“I only saw this guy once when I shot a movie for him a few weeks ago. A director contracted me for a movie and paid me for a job. I even thought it was the director’s movie until I came to the set and met this guy.
“I think he called himself Ason-Rich Henry. He came to me, introduced himself as Ason-Rich Productions, and said his name was Henry.
“We greeted them, I shot the movie, and on the last day of shooting, he came to me and said he was so excited that he finally got to work with me. I think he also played a role in the movie. He asked if he could take a picture with me, and I said okay. We took pictures, and I left for the next set.
“That was the first time I saw him, and I never saw him again. That’s the picture a lot of people are circulating. I understand people are circulating the picture and saying he’s my friend. He is not my friend. I got to know him as a producer, and I don’t know why people are circulating my picture,’’ Edochie said.
Lagos kidnappers: Henry Odenigbo not my friend – Yul Edochie
Lagos kidnappers: Henry Odenigbo not my friend – Yul Edochie
APC counters Ekpo critics, highlights minister’s achievements
The Akwa Ibom State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has condemned those criticising the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, for under-performance, describing them as idle and woeful assessors.
Recalled that there have been orchestrated but sustained campaigns, write-ups and insinuations in some quarters in the state by some individuals and groups against the minister in the last one year.
But reacting, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, OtoAbasi Udo on Friday, in Uyo, the state capital, the party said such an assessment of the Minister lacks objectivity and merit, adding that they ( assessors) have no empirical evidence to support their claims.
It therefore called on them and their sponsors to look elsewhere and allow the minister to concentrate and deliver on the mandates of his office.
The statement reads in part, “The attention of APC, Akwa Ibom State Chapter has been drawn to a bedlam of idle talks, write-ups, assessments and insinuations as regards the performance so far in office of the Minister of Petroleum Resources (gas)
“The assessment and critical analysis of these idle talks mainly from the quarters of detractors, motivated by the ‘bring him down’ syndrome for reasons best known to them lack in merit and objectivity. They are completely found wanting in any empirical evidence to back up and support their findings.
“To the idle and woeful assessors and their sponsors, the Party advises that they should look elsewhere. The minister should not be distracted as he continues to approach his duties with admiration of our party.”
While noting that the minister has done very well in the last one year by engaging and collaborating with international and local partners in the development and utilisation of abundant gas resources in the country, the party wondered about the parameters used in assessing him.
The statement added, “To start with, the Party would like to ask these woeful assessors of the Minister’s performance these pertinent questions. Are they comparing the record of the present Minister with the records of the previous Ministers in the Ministry? Are they measuring the Hon. Minister’s performance with the template set by who so that their tick-off of items done by the Hon. Minister scores him below the benchmark?
“If they are not up to something sinister, they would have known that this is a virgin Ministry brought into existence by the commendable initiative of the present administration headed by His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to free gas administration from petroleum for more effective management and utilisation of the nation’s gas resources.
“In the President’s wisdom and magnanimity, he assigned Ekperikpe Ekpo to take charge of the new Ministry which puts extra demand on the Minister in terms of nursing a new baby to adulthood.”
Udo noted that the objective and sincere assessment of the Minister by the APC leadership, a platform upon which the present administration came into being and indeed all objective and sincere Nigerians, bestow on the Minister, a scorecard of performance as he keeps hitting the ground running by daily engaging and collaborating with international and local partners in the development and utilisation of the nation’s abundant gas resources for the benefit of all Nigerians, since assumption of office
Court slams N10bn bail bond on Buhari’s ex-Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman
Justice James Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has slammed a N10bn bail bond on the former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, in the N33bn money laundering offences brought against him by the federal government.
The bail bond must be endorsed by a reputable bank in Nigeria, while the ten billion naira would be forfeited to the federal government in case the defendant bolts away from trial.
The Judge issued the order on Friday while delivering a ruling in a bail application filed and argued by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, Femi Ate on behalf of the former minister.
In the alternative, the defendant is to produce two sureties in the sum of N10B each who must have properties worth the minimum of N750M within Abuja.
The properties must have registered titles that would be verified by the registrar of the court, along with evidence of three years of tax payments.
Besides, the former minister and his two sureties are to deposit their international travelling passport with the court and shall not travel out of the country without the approval of the court.
Justice Omotosho ordered that the former minister be taken to Kuje prison pending the time he would perfect the bail conditions.
At the time of this report, the former minister, who was visibly ruffled by the bail conditions, was busy, along with his friends, seeking to meet up with the conditions to escape being taken to Kuje prison.
The EFCC, on behalf of the federal government, filed a 12-count money laundering charge against the Mamman and was arraigned on Thursday, July 11 but pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He was alleged to have committed money laundering offences to the tune of N33 billion.
The former minister served under former President Buhari from 2019 to 2021.
Court slams N10bn bail bond on Buhari’s ex-Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman
LG autonomy: S’Court judgment to enhance accountability at grassroots
Human Rights Activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana has lauded the Supreme Court’s judgment which gave full financial autonomy to the Local Governments, saying the judgment would promote accountability at the grassroots level.
The judgment by the apex court on Thursday declared it illegal and unconstitutional for state governors to continue to receive or retain funds allocated to the local councils, under State and Local Government Joint Account.
The suit which was filed on behalf of the Federal Government by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) against the 36 state governors, also outlawed the appointment of caretaker committees to administer the LGs by state governors.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s programme, Sunrise Daily on Friday, Falana noted that the state’s electoral commissions were culpable in LG elections such that “only the candidates of the ruling parties would be declared the winners.”
Falana said, “The judgment has to be studied by the governors so that everybody will appreciate that what the Supreme Court has done is to promote public accountability at the grassroots levels.”
“A lot depends on the Nigerian people because right now, it is difficult to talk about the autonomy of the local government. The state’s electoral commissions are manned by appointees of the state governors. And what they have done over the years is to manipulate the local government elections in a way that only the candidates of the ruling parties would be declared the winners.”
The senior advocate added that owing to the apex court’s judgment, the LGs “would be expected to fix some schools, tar some roads, and even pay some workers. So, it is not that state governments will no longer participate in the affairs of the local governments…the state governments should create state economic councils and allow the local government to participate in them, just like they are part of the Federal Economic Council.”
The Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees on Thursday commended the judgment in a statement by its National President, Hakeem Ambali.
He said the judgment would benefit the Nigerian masses and the nation as a whole, adding that the LG autonomy would reduce the infrastructural gap, and improve community security, and food security.
LG financial autonomy: Abide by Supreme Court judgement – Kogi CNPP to Gov Ododo
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has urged Kogi State Governor Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo to abide by the Supreme Court judgement granting financial autonomy to 774 local governments across the Federation.
The Kogi State Chairman of CNPP, Mohammed Kabir Abdullahi, in a statement on Friday, described the judgment of the Supreme Court as a welcome development and long overdue.
Abdullahi disclosed that the local government is an important tier of government which needs rapid development, adding that over the years, they have been at the mercy of the governors across the 36 states.
He argued that the verdict of the Supreme Court signifies victory for democracy, stressing that the judiciary has further proven that they are the last hope of the common man on the street.
The Kogi State CNPP Chairman described Governor Ododo as a democrat who believes in the rule of law, adding that he is optimistic that the governor will not contravene the judgement.
“The recent judgment of the Supreme Court granting financial autonomy to 774 local governments in Nigeria is highly commendable. This is what I will call freedom at last. Over the years, the local governments in Nigeria have been in shambles.
“There is a high level of poverty rate, decayed infrastructure, and underdevelopment across the board. This judgement will not only free up funds for local government areas, it will also promote accountability and good governance.
“We need to promote transparency in the utilisation of public resources at all levels to be able to lift the burden of the common man. It is on this note, CNPP is appealing to the Kogi State Governor to respect the judgement of the Supreme Court.
“He is a beneficiary of the judiciary recently when he won his case at the Court of Appeal, which upheld his election as the duly elected governor of Kogi State. While CNPP congratulates him on his appeal court victory, we are calling on him to do the needful for the prosperity and future of our dear state,” he noted.
He tasked the Governor to, as a matter of urgency, conduct local government elections to enable Kogites to decide who will lead them at the grassroots.
“The Kogi State Government should come up with quick modalities to conduct local government elections. According to the verdict of the Supreme Court, Caretaker Committee Chairmen are illegal and against the democratic setting of Nigeria.
“I am also using this medium to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting this cause, which Nigerians have been yearning for. With what is on the ground, Nigerians should be expecting the best of governance at the grassroots.”
In a landmark judgement on Thursday, the apex court ordered the Federal Government to immediately start the direct payment of local government funds to the latter’s exclusive accounts.
In its lead judgement read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court scolded the decades-long refusal of the state government on financial autonomy for local governments.
Justice Agim noted that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves. He said only democratically elected local government administrations are entitled to these funds and not caretaker committees.
LG financial autonomy: Abide by Supreme Court judgement – Kogi CNPP to Gov Ododo
Court grants N10bn bail to ex-power minister, Mamman
A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, granted former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, bail in the sum of N10 billion with two sureties in like sum.
Mamman is facing 12 counts of money laundering to the tune of N33bn preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The court, in a ruling delivered by Justice James Omotosho, held that the sureties must be owners of landed properties within the Federal Capital Territory, with a minimum valuation of N750 million.
The court ordered the sureties to submit their three-year tax clearance certificates, depose to an affidavit of means, adding that both the defendant and the sureties must submit certified copies of their bank statements with their recent passport photographs.
In the alternative, the court said the sureties could submit a bank guarantee or bond in the sum of N10bn.
The court further ordered the defendant to surrender his international passport to the court’s Registrar who must verify all the documents before the defendant is released from custody.
Omotosho also ordered that the defendant should remain in prison custody, pending the perfection of all the bail conditions.
The court then adjourned the matter till September 25, 2024. for hearing.
Mamman, on Thursday, took his plea as his counsel, Femi Ate (SAN) had informed the court that a bail application was filed after the matter was stood down but the judge said it wasn’t yet in the court file and proceeded to remand the former minister in prison custody to hear his application today (Friday).
Meanwhile, Mamman pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts preferred against him by the EFCC after they were read to him.
The ex-minister’s bail application, dated July 11, 2024, was hinged on the provisions of Sections 35 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as sections 158 and 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.
The defendant told the court that he was on administrative bail for over two years, saying he never violated any of the conditions the anti-graft agency handed to him.
He prayed the court to exercise its discretion in his favour as he pledged to always be available for his trial.
He also said that he had reliable persons who would stand surety for him and also assured the court that he would not interfere with or influence any of the witnesses billed to testify against him in the matter.
EFCC, through its lawyer, Mr. A. O. Mohammed, did not raise any objection to the defendant’s request for bail but asked the court to impose conditions that would warrant the defendant to attend his trial.
Mamman, who served in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, was arrested in 2021, about four months after he was removed from office.
EFCC, among other things, alleged that he conspired with staff members of the ministry to divert about N22bn that was meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects.
The anti-graft agency said its investigations revealed that the suspects used the funds to acquire choice assets, both within and outside the country.
Woman, son beat 14-year-old boy to death over missing N1000
A yet-to-be-identified woman and her son, known only as Chukwuemeka, have allegedly beaten a 14-year-old boy named Testimony to death at their home on Delta Street, Ayanre, off Ibiye bus stop, Badagry, Lagos.
Our correspondent gathered that the deceased was reportedly beaten for allegedly misplacing N1000 note given to him by one of the suspects to buy items at the market.
Multiple sources who spoke with our correspondent said that the deceased teenager was allegedly beaten for several hours starting at 11 pm on Wednesday, before succumbing to his injuries around 1 am on Thursday.
One of the neighbours who spoke with our correspondent on Friday said, “This young boy was beaten to death by his guardians, who were not his biological parents. The neighbours tried to intervene, but the doors were locked from the inside.
“Around 6 am this morning (Thursday), he (the deceased) wasn’t responding to his name, so they rushed him to a nearby hospital. The hospital didn’t have oxygen therapy, so they brought him back home, which aggravated the boy’s condition.
“The woman then called her prayer partners in church to start praying for miracles to happen before the boy finally gave up the ghost. The police came exactly around 5.10 pm on Thursday to pick up the woman, who was the main suspect in the brutalities shown to the deceased.”
Meanwhile, Benjamin Hundeyin, the spokesperson for the state police command, said he could not confirm the incident when our correspondent inquired about it.
“I cannot confirm that now,” Hundeyin wrote in response to our correspondent inquiry on Friday.
However, a one-minute and thirty-two-second video shared with our correspondent by another eyewitness, who chose to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter, showed the lifeless body of the boy with severe bruises, covered with a cloth in the apartment.
One of the men suspected to be behind the camera was heard saying, “This is the dead boy with bruises,” while others were screaming in disbelief.
Resign as Ondo Attorney-General, you’re unfit to advise Aiyedatiwa – PDP tells Ajulo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ondo State chapter has berated the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Ondo State over his stance on the appointment of transition committees for the 18 local governments and 33 LCDAs in the state.
According to the opposition party, Ajulo, who ought to have advised his boss, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, against the illegality, stated that Ajulo is not conversant with the laws of the land, hence he must resign as chief legal officer of the state.
The Attorney-General stated on Thursday, a few hours after the landmark Supreme Court judgement that granted full autonomy to local governments, that the appointment of the transition committees was the constitutional right of the governor.
Infuriated by the development, the PDP, in a statement issued by its publicity secretary in the state, maintained that Ajulo’s position contradicted the verdict of the seven-man panel of the apex court.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ondo State Chapter calls for the immediate resignation of Dr. Kayode Ajulo, SAN Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ondo, for violating his oath of office.
“In a landmark judgement on Thursday, July 11, 2024, a seven-man panel of the Supreme Court of Nigeria declared that democratically elected local government was sacrosanct and non-negotiable.
“Justice Emmanuel Agim, who delivered the judgement, said, “State governments are perpetuating a dangerous trend by refusing to allow democratically elected local government councils to function, instead appointing their loyalists, who can only be removed by them.”.
“It is very unfortunate that Ajulo tried in vain to legitimise the illegality of his governor the same day the Supreme Court made the declaration.
“The apex court in Nigeria has spoken, and the Attorney General is saying something different.
“Which constitution was Ajulo referring to as authority for appointing the Transition Committees? You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand.
“Those appointed to these offices should not allow themselves to be used because every kobo they spend in these phantom offices will be legally recovered from them.
“Since Kayode Ajulo, SAN, is incapable of advising the governor according to law, he is advised to resign immediately.”
Resign as Ondo Attorney-General, you’re unfit to advise Aiyedatiwa – PDP tells Ajulo
Sudan orders foreigners to leave Khartoum
Sudanese security authorities have ordered all foreigners to leave the capital Khartoum and the surrounding region.
They have two weeks to do so, according to a statement from the section of the police dealing with foreigners.
Foreigners should leave for their own safety amid the fighting still raging between government troops and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, the police said.
According to media reports, hostility towards foreigners, especially those from other African countries, has been on the rise following reports of foreign mercenaries in the RSF ranks.
Just a few days ago, more than 150 foreigners who did not have valid residence papers were detained.
A bloody power struggle has been raging in Sudan for more than a year between de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo.
According to the UN, the conflict has caused almost 10 million people to flee their homes and risks a famine in the country.
International aid organisation staff and diplomats still in the country left Khartoum after the outbreak of fighting and are now working from Port Sudan, where the situation is comparatively stable.
dpa/NAN
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US election: Biden gaffes, calls Trump Vice President
United States President Joe Biden mistakenly referred to former President Donald Trump as Vice President on Thursday.
Biden made the gaffe while responding to the opening question of his highly-anticipated solo press conference in Washington.
Mistaking Vice President Kamala Harris for Trump, Biden said: “Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president [if] I think she’s not qualified to be president.”
A reporter pointed out Biden’s mistake in the final question of the press conference, asking the president to comment on the blunder after Trump used it to mock him.
Biden smiled to himself and replied, “Listen to him,” before walking off stage.
Thursday’s press conference was billed as the best opportunity for Biden to prove to Democrats that he could handle tough questions and think on his feet in an unscripted environment.
Pressure for Biden to drop out of the 2024 race has escalated for weeks, following his disastrous debate performance against Trump on June 27 and his campaign’s subsequent failure to assuage voters’ concerns about his health.
Four minutes after he walked off stage, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, released a statement calling on Biden to exit the race.
Biden rigidly rejected any suggestion that he should or would drop out, insisting that there was no one more capable of beating Trump in November than he was.
Biden did, however, concede that he would consider exiting the race if his team came and told him there was “no way” he could win.
US election: Biden gaffes, calls Trump Vice President