Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

An Ikeja Special Offences Court on Tuesday has admitted as evidence an iPhone belonging to social media celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha, in an ongoing ₦6 billion money laundering case. Mompha, who is still at large, is being prosecuted alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Ltd., on an eight-count charge of money laundering. ,During the hearing, Musa Idi, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the sixth prosecution witness, testified that the phone had undergone forensic analysis conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He revealed that fraudulent documents were retrieved from the…

Omer Neutra, an Israeli-American soldier from New York, has been confirmed dead in Gaza, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has said. A grandson of Holocaust survivors, the 21-year-old from Long Island was thought to be a hostage captured by Hamas, but he was killed fighting militants during the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, the IDF announced Monday. Neutra’s body was taken into Gaza, where it is still being held by Hamas. Omer Neutra “was serving as a tank commander in an Israel Defence Forces unit that was among the first to respond to Hamas’ campaign of cruelty — risking his life…

….Unless she pays $9bn before execution A Vietnamese court upheld the death penalty Tuesday for a property tycoon in a multibillion-dollar fraud case — but said her life could still be spared if she paid back three quarters of the assets she embezzled. Property developer Truong My Lan, 68, was convicted this year of swindling money from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) — which prosecutors said she controlled — and sentenced to death for fraud totaling $27 billion. She appealed the verdict in a month-long trial, but on Tuesday the court in Ho Chi Minh City determined that there was “no…

President-elect Donald Trump is pledging to block Japan’s Nippon Steel from buying U.S. Steel, a $14.9 billion deal announced a year ago that is now under review for its potential impact on U.S. national security. “I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan,” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Monday. “Through a series of Tax Incentives and Tariffs, we will make U.S. Steel Strong and Great Again, and it will happen FAST!” He added, “As President, I will block this deal from happening. Buyer…

The House of Representatives has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to suspend the planned retirement of 1,000 staff. The apex bank is said to be preparing to retire 1,000 officials and provide them with a severance package totaling over N50 billion. During Tuesday’s plenary, the house resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the “process and legality” of the exercise to “ensure transparency, accountability, and proper utilization of funds.” The lower legislative chamber passed the resolution following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Kama Nkemkama from Ebonyi state. Nkemkama said…

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday declared martial law in an unannounced broadcast live on YTN television, claiming he would eradicate “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces.” He did not cite any specific threat from the nuclear-armed North, however, instead focusing on his domestic political opponents. The surprise move sent shockwaves through the country, which had a series of authoritarian leaders early in its history but has been considered democratic since the 1980s. The Korean won was down sharply against the U.S. dollar. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Yoon said he had…

Operatives of the Zone 2 Command in Lagos have arrested Paul Ilechukwu Okeke, a 48-year-old sales manager, for allegedly misappropriating spare parts worth ₦100 million belonging to his employer, Anthony Ohinweuba. Okeke, who managed a shop at the Trade Fair Complex along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, is accused of selling the spare parts and diverting the proceeds instead of depositing them into his employer’s account. The alleged fraud came to light during a stock audit conducted by the complainant, prompting a petition to the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2 Command, Adegoke Fayoade. Acting on the…

The mother of Sylvester Oromoni, the deceased pre-teen secondary school student who was the subject of a high-profile bullying case involving Dowen College in Lagos, Rosemary is dead. According to a Cable report, family source said the bereaved mother passed away in late November after an intermittent blood pressure-related illness. Rosemary’s passing comes a little over seven months after a special court in Lagos ruled against the family on the matter back in April. Sylvester Oromoni controversially died on November 30, 2021, while still a student at Dowen College in Lekki Lagos. His parents alleged that the boy, who was…

The Nigeria Sex Workers Association (NSWA) has appealed to law enforcement agencies to protect its members nationwide from harassment and abuse. NSWA made the appeal in a statement by its National Coordinator, Amaka Enemo, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Lagos. Enemo said that recent reports indicate a disturbing rise in physical assaults, harassment and extortion of sex workers by both clients and law enforcement officials. She urged law enforcement agencies to recognise the humanity of sex workers and protect them from violence and abuse. Enemo said that sex workers were not criminals, but…

Gunmen have shot dead a man less than 24 hours to his wedding in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State. The victim, identified simply as Bright, was in his early 30s. According to reports, Bright had gone to pick up his fiancée, Chinwendu in Ihiala town, accompanied by his best man and the chief bridesmaid, when the tragedy occurred. It was learned that Bright, his fiancée and two others were returning to the Uli community in the same Ihiala Local Government Area when the gunmen struck, shooting Bright dead. Bright’s younger brother said: “Bright was carrying one of the…