Author: Olaoluwa Vincent Ajayi

An underground trade in secretly filmed images and videos of women and girls is flourishing across China, with authorities accused of failing to act despite clear evidence of widespread abuse. Investigations show that women and girls are being filmed without their consent in public toilets, school bathrooms, changing rooms and even inside their homes. The footage is shared and sold in large anonymous chat groups on Telegram, some with up to 100,000 members drawn from across the country. In many of these groups, users post explicit images of women they describe as their wives, girlfriends, ex-partners, relatives or acquaintances. Others…

Eighty worshippers abducted by gunmen in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna State have returned home weeks after their ordeal, police authorities have confirmed. The victims were among 177 people kidnapped last month when armed assailants raided three churches in Kurmin Wali, a remote village in the state. According to the police, the 80 worshippers managed to escape on the same day they were abducted but went into hiding in neighbouring communities for nearly two weeks. State police spokesperson Mansur Hassan said the escapees feared being recaptured and only emerged when they felt safe enough to return home. Security agencies say efforts are…

President Donald Trump has threatened to sue comedian Trevor Noah following a joke made during the Grammy Awards that referenced Trump and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Noah, who was hosting the music awards, made the remark while introducing one of the night’s top prizes. “Song of the Year,” he said, “is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.” The joke immediately drew a sharp response from Trump, who has long denied any involvement in…

Jacqueline Manley says her concerns about her daughter were “never taken seriously” An 18-month-old girl died from cardiac arrest after doctors repeatedly reassured her mother that she was “absolutely fine”. Jacqueline Manley, 30, took her daughter Connie to doctors after becoming worried about her breathing, but said she was told there was “nothing wrong”. Medical staff attributed Connie’s laboured breathing to laryngomalacia, a common infant condition in which soft tissue around the vocal cords collapses inward, causing wheezing, and said it was not a cause for concern. In July 2024, Ms Manley brought Connie to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth…

Men are secretly filming women on nights out and making money from the footage by uploading it to social media platforms, a BBC investigation has revealed. The videos, often labelled as “walking tours” or “nightlife content”, are posted on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. They largely focus on women wearing dresses and skirts, many filmed from behind or at low angles that sometimes expose intimate parts of their bodies. The BBC tracked down nearly 50 women who appeared in such videos and found that most had no idea they had been filmed. Many described feelings of fear, anger and humiliation…

Former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to set aside an interim forfeiture order placed on dozens of properties allegedly linked to him and members of his family by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The application follows a ruling delivered on January 6 by Justice Emeka Nwite, who ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities. The assets, according to the EFCC, are valued at about N213.2 billion and are allegedly connected to Malami and his two sons, Abdulaziz Malami and Abiru…

A beggar in India has been unmasked as a secret tycoon, owning three houses, two auto-rickshaws, a car, and even a moneylending operation — all funded by years of street-side pleas. Mangilal, 50, who moved around Sarafa Bazaar on a wheeled wooden platform, his fingerless hands evoking pity, was “rescued” by authorities during a drive to make Indore beggar-free. What they uncovered, however, stunned the nation: a fortune built on feigned helplessness. Mangilal’s daily routine was a masterclass in deception. Cross-legged on his platform, eyes downcast to avoid scrutiny, he raked in thousands of rupees daily from sympathetic passers-by. His…

The immediate past Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation in Kano State, Dr Yusuf Ibrahim Kofar-Mata, has described Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as a “total betrayal” of both the Kwankwasiyya Movement and the people of Kano State. Kofar-Mata was the first political appointee to resign after the governor reportedly defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). His action opened the floodgates, as several commissioners and aides loyal to Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso followed suit, quitting the cabinet in protest. In his recent interview with the Vanguard,  Kofar-Mata says the governor’s decision amounts…

Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has revealed that he was among those targeted by officers accused of plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, saying the conspirators planned to shoot him if he resisted arrest. Musa made the disclosure on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, days after the military announced that 16 officers arrested in October 2025 would face trial over an alleged coup plot. According to the former Chief of Defence Staff, he became aware that he was listed as a direct target of the plotters. “I was also a target. I was supposed to be…

The global stature of Nigerian music legend Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti has been further affirmed as the Recording Academy posthumously honoured the Afrobeat pioneer with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising his extraordinary contributions to music, culture and political expression. The prestigious award, reserved for artistes whose creative output has left an indelible mark on world music, celebrates Fela’s enduring influence nearly three decades after his death in 1997. The Academy said his work continues to inspire generations of musicians across Africa and the world, noting that his fearless artistry reshaped the role of music as a tool for social change.…