Headlines

The leader of Oyotunji African Village in Beaufort County, South Carolina, USA, Adegbolu Abiogemo Adefunmi, also known as Oba Adejuyigbe Adefunmi II, was allegedly stabbed to death by his sister during a heated argument.

According to abcnews4, the incident occurred on Monday, July 29, 2024. South Carolina authorities received a report of the stabbing around 2:45 p.m. at the village on Bryant Lane, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

The 47-year-old victim was taken to a nearby hospital but later died from his injuries.

The suspect, identified as Akiba Kasale Meredith, 53, fled the scene on foot but was found shortly afterward.

She has been charged with murder and is being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center. Meredith’s bond has been deferred.

The spokesperson mentioned that these ceremonies usually last two to three days.

Adefunmi was remembered fondly by locals, including workers at a nearby gas station who said, “The King would stop by every morning for a cup of coffee—he was a good man and will truly be missed.”

Oba Adejuyigbe Adefunmi II was the current leader of Oyotunji African Village, a cultural and spiritual center for the Yoruba people in America.

He succeeded his father, Oba Efuntola Oseijeman Adelabu Adefunmi I, who founded the village in 1970.

Under his leadership since 2005, the village has continued to reflect traditional Yoruba culture while modernizing.

The case is still under investigation by local authorities

As Nigeria braces for nationwide protests set to commence on August 1st, a troubling video has surfaced, showing thugs threatening market traders in Lagos.

The footage, which has circulated online, shows a group of individuals moving through the market and intimidating traders with severe threats if they do not comply with their demands.

In the video, one of the individuals is heard warning traders: “Nigerians, you are not the only people hungry.

“Do not come out on August 1st to protest. Well, if you get the mind to come out, see what will happen to you.”

The threats have raised alarm among the public and sparked concerns about the potential for violence and disruption as the protests approach.

The video’s emergence has intensified fears about the safety and security of those participating in or supporting the upcoming demonstrations against poor governance.

Watch the video below:
https://x.com/vanguardngrnews/status/1818278012523053166?t=aNmh_-Cgu4UUjlnFbVGJ2A&s=08

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has told Nigerians that while they protest against the government, he and other officials will continue to enjoy the benefits of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Akpabio made this statement at a meeting with the NDDC executive management, Niger Delta ethnic nationalities, and other stakeholders in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, few days ahead of the planned nationwide protests from August 1 to 10.

The protests, organized mainly by youths, are against poverty, unemployment, and hardship in the country.

While experts worry that the protests could cost the economy around N4 trillion and pose grave dangers to the already fragile economy, Akpabio remains unfazed.

He said, “All of us feel the impact of what is happening now. But we are aware it will be for a short while,” the senate president said.

“MD, I want to thank you for what you said. You said we are not interested in regime change, let us own this government. Those who want to protest can protest. But let us be there eating — I must thank the Niger Delta.

“So in conclusion, we acknowledge the fact that the impact of oil and gas activities in our region has done immeasurable damage to our people.”

The Senate President appealed to Nigerians to give the Tinubu administration more time to implement its policies.

He said, “As the Senate president, I want to appeal to all Nigerian youths to give this administration an opportunity for most of the policies to mature.”

The governor of Abia state, Dr. Alex Otti has expressed displeasure over the planned protest and it’s resulting implications for Abians and Nigeria as a whole.

In a statement he said that, “Some economic policies of the federal government, including the removal of the fuel subsidy, may not have yet produced the desired results as initially intended, but I urge our youths to pursue peaceful means to express their grievances rather than resorting to violence,”

“What Abians need now is a strong sense of peace and sustained development, not chaos.”

Our administration has made significant investments in infrastructure in Aba and Umuahia, and such infrastructure should be protected from those who may attempt to hijack the protest and cause mayhem.

Abia State civil servants have received the April tranche of the Wage Award, as promised by our administration, among other commitments. Therefore, I plead with Abia people to shun violence.

Simone Biles made her long-anticipated return to the women’s gymnastics team final at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, where she is in pursuit of a fifth Olympic gold medal for the United States, and dispel memories of her abrupt withdrawal from the event at the Tokyo games.

A poised Biles began on the vault and soared high through the air as she performed the Cheng to earn 14.900 points, the highest score on the apparatus during the first rotation.

Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all-time, made a dazzling comeback on the Olympic stage on Sunday when she propelled the U.S. to the top of the team qualifying standings. The American also topped the all-around qualifying standings as well as for the floor exercise and vault apparatus finals.

Biles is set to compete on all four apparatus in the team final alongside teammate Jordan Chiles, who recorded a solid 14.400 points on the vault.

Sunisa Lee, who won the all around title in Tokyo, will appear on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.

Jade Carey, the reigning Olympic floor champion, would normally have been on the apparatus instead of Lee but the 24-year-old struggled in her qualifying performance as she was feeling ill. On the vault, Carey recorded a solid 14.800.

The 27-year-old Biles is competing in her third Olympics after she unexpectedly pulled out from the team final at the Tokyo Games as she was suffering from the “twisties”, a condition involving temporary loss of spatial awareness experienced by gymnasts while performing high-difficulty elements.

Biles also withdrew from the all-around and a number of apparatus finals in Tokyo, raising questions about whether she would ever set foot in an Olympic arena again.

Reuters.

Four Police officers have been killed by gunmen in Imo State, South-east Nigeria.

Leading Reporters gathered that the incident occurred at about 6:30 p.m. on Monday along Owerri-Onitsha Road in Owerri, the state capital.

According to an eye witness, the hoodlums attacked the operatives at their checkpoint in the area.

“Yes. The gunmen attacked the policemen at their checkpoint close to Blossom Hotel and killed four of them,”

“They also shot at passers-by, but only one lady who used to do POS at the junction died at the spot. She was shot at close range,” he stated.

Another witness, said the attackers must have been enforcers of the illegal sit-at-home order, given their style of operation.

“Aside from the police people they killed, they were just shooting at people indiscriminately as if they wanted people to go home,” he said.

He lamented that the area had become a hotbed of gunmen attacks lately.

The police spokesperson in Imo State, Henry Okoye, has confirmed the killing. He said in a statement on Monday that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was behind the attack.

The operatives were ambushed while on a routine patrol at Irete, at the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway, he said.

Mr Okoye said the Commissioner of Police in Imo, Aboki Danjuma, has condemned the killing of the operatives and the civilian, describing it as a “gruesome murder.”

The spokesperson said the police commissioner “has deployed the command’s Tactical Units with the available operational assets and intelligence to go all out in synergy with other security agencies and hunt down the hoodlums responsible for the attack”.

The Controller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Mr. Haliru Nababa, has designated all 256 prisons across the country as “red zones” in anticipation of the nationwide protests scheduled for August 1, tightening security measures to prevent potential breaches.

Nababa warned individuals or groups with no legitimate business to stay away from custodial centers, according to a statement by Abubakar Umar, the Service Public Relations Officer, in Abuja.

According to the statement, adequate security arrangements have been put in place to ensure that no correctional facility was “defiled”.

He added that the Ministry of Interior Joint Taskforce (MOIJTF) had been activated to provide extra security in and around custodial facilities nationwide.

The NCoS boss appreciated the continuous cooperation of members of the public in ensuring peace and tranquility in and around correctional centres nationwide.

The statement read:

“In view of the purported national protest scheduled to hold on Aug 1, the service wishes to inform the public that the Custodial Centres have been designated as red zones.

“Furthermore, the service wishes to enjoin the public that Custodial and Non-custodial Centres are critical national assets which are germane to public safety as well as national security.

“Tampering with or attacking them will lead to breakdown of law and order, and further exacerbate the security of the society in general”.

Nababa advised all members of the public to join hands with the Service to ensure the protection of correctional facilities.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has arrested nine individuals suspected of been internet fraudsters.

They were arrested on Monday in the Wuye area of Abuja, following an intelligence-led operation by the Commission’s Abuja Zonal Directorate.

An EFCC statement posted on Tuesday via X said, “Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abuja Zonal Directorate, have arrested nine suspected internet fraudsters.

“They were arrested on Monday, 29 July 2024, at Wuye axis of Abuja following credible intelligence on their suspected involvement in internet-related fraud.”

During the operation, several items were recovered from the suspects.

The statement added, “Items recovered from them include 19 phones, one car, four laptops and one iPad.”

The Commission further indicated its intention to pursue legal action against the suspects, stating, “The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

The nation of Libya on Tuesday deported 369 irregular migrants to their home countries of Nigeria and Mali. They included more than one hundred women and children.

According to Mohammed Baredaa, who leads Libya’s interior ministry agency focused on combating irregular migration, a total of 369 migrants were repatriated on two flights, comprising 204 individuals from Nigeria and 165 from Mali, returning them safely to their homelands.

Nine babies, 18 minors, and 108 women were among the Nigerian irregular migrants, said Baredaa.

He said that the flights were carried out “in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM)”.

The UN agency provides free return flights to migrants and helps reintegrate them into their home countries with its “voluntary humanitarian return programme”.

But some migrants told reporters that they were being forcibly deported.

Libyan authorities “came at night and broke down the door”, said Hakim, 59, a Nigerian who has lived in Libya for 25 years who declined to give his surname.

He said they confiscated his passport before detaining him and his wife prior to repatriation.

Libya has been criticised over the treatment of migrant and refugees, with accusations from rights groups ranging from extortion to slavery.

Situated about 300 kilometres (186 miles) from Italy, it is a key departure point for migrants, primarily from sub-Saharan African countries, risking perilous Mediterranean Sea journeys to seek better lives in Europe.

But with mounting efforts by Libya and the European Union to curb irregular migration, many have found themselves stranded in Libya.

It’s time to resolve this problem”, Interior Minister Imad Trabelsi had said at the time, adding that Libya has turned from a “transit country to a country of settlement” — something he deemed “unacceptable”.