Thursday, October 18, 2018
A former employee of Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, Chukwunonye Madubuike, has been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command for alleged indiscriminate distribution of controlled substance (codeine) in Lagos State.


 It was learnt that Madubuike, who reportedly sold the illegal substance to a British Broadcasting Corporation’s undercover investigator, Adejuwon Soyinka, had been on the run since the news of the transaction broke.

 The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, on Wednesday, said the suspect, who wanted to escape to Cotonou, Benin Republic, was arrested in the Idiroko border town of Ogun State.

 He added that Madubuike said he sold the controlled substance in order to meet his sales target.
The CP said, “On Tuesday, May 1, 2018, Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, reported a case of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance in breach of the drug laws of Nigeria by Chukwunonye Madubuike.

 “It was alleged that while in the employment of Emzor, the subject had access to limited quantity of Emzolyn with codeine for the purpose of distribution to licensed retail pharmacies in his assigned territory, but due to his greed for money, he knowingly supplied the controlled drug to persons who are not supposed to have access to them in the first place contrary to the dictates of the drug laws of Nigeria.

 “The suspect, who has been on the run since May 2018, was eventually arrested at Idiroko town of Ogun State while trying to escape to Cotonou, Benin Republic.

 “Recall that the BBC did a broadcast on the activities of the subject, who was caught on camera selling restricted drug to a BBC undercover investigator, Adejuwon Soyinka, aka Mr Johnson.

 “In his statement, he averred that he was only trying to meet his sales target and that the BBC man was introduced to him by one Pascal as a genuine businessman without verifying the former’s identity as a pharmacist. He said he regretted selling the controlled substance to unauthorised persons.”

Thursday, October 18, 2018
After months on the run, the Liberia National Police (LNP) on Tuesday, arrested a Nigerian man identified as Nanda Morris Davies, for allegedly duping a Lebanese, Mohammed Bouelala, of US $500,000.

Abdul Samaad Jalloh and another defendant only identified as Collins said to be on the run are reported by the police to have aided defendant Morris in the alleged criminal scheme.

Davies, following his arrest Tuesday, October 16, was forwarded to the Monrovia City Court at the Temple of Justice where he was later sent to the Monrovia Central Prison pending prosecution.
The lawyer representing the defendant was seen at the court late Tuesday afternoon trying to secure his bond as the charges levied against Davies are bailable.

Court records revealed that around October 3, 2018 in Monrovia, the defendant with wicked and criminal intent purposely and intentionally conspired, induced and influenced the Lebanese national under the pretent to sell to him 14kg off gold and that having received the US$500,000 from him, the defendants out of deception presented to Boualala a fake gold.

“The alleged act being unlawful, wicked and criminal is in violation of Section 15.51 of the New Penal Law of Liberia,” the court record stated.

Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Popular on air personality, Gbemi Olateru Olagbegi and rapstar Falz’s manager Femisoro Ajayi are set to wed on November 3, 2018.

IB9JA has obtained the couple's wedding invitation card.

The pair have who have been dating for almost two years now, were spotted last year July, on a romantic vacation together in Seychelles Island.

Gbemi and Femi also returned to Nigeria together after the baecation.

Their relationship has been without social media frenzy. Congrats to them!

Wednesday, October 17, 2018
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sadness at the sheer desperation of some Nigerian youths who dare both the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea in search of greener pastures.

 He lamented that the situation was hurting the pride of the country, a development that would propel his administration to do everything possible to make the country live-able again.

 The president had, during the visit of the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, recently, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, also wondered why Nigerians, in spite of resources at our disposal, embarked on the illegal exodus to Europe at grave risk.

 The president bared his mind while playing host to the outgoing High Commissioner of the Republic of Namibia, His Excellency, Peingeondjabi Shipoh, at the State House, Abuja, on Tuesday.

 Addressing his guest, Buhari noted that there were vast opportunities for Nigeria and Namibia to cooperate in areas like agriculture and trade.

 He recalled the sacrifices made for the freedom of Namibia, particularly by the administrations of Generals Murtala Muhammed and Olusegun Obasanjo.

 “The sheer desperation that makes Nigerian youths dare both the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea, all in the bid to take up menial jobs in Europe, is hurting the pride of the country,” he said.

 The outgoing High Commissioner, who spent four years and eleven months in Nigeria, said the country had become second home for himself and his family.

 “I enjoyed great support in carrying out my duties. I return home with absolute satisfaction that our two countries are more than ready for intra-African trade and exchange of state visits by the leaders. 

 Our two countries have a lot in common, and Africa can only be developed by Africans themselves,” he said.

 Shipoh wished Nigeria a successful general election in 2019.

Wednesday, October 17, 2018
US government-funded broadcaster, Voice of America has terminated or proposed to terminate 15 employees from its Hausa language international radio service in Washington, D.C. following allegations of improper conduct, including the acceptance of improper payments from an official in their coverage area.

 The employees were reported in Nigerian newspapers to have accepted improper payments in January of around $5,000 from a Nigerian state governor from the country’s northwest on a visit to VOA’s DC offices. The improper payment was said to have to come to light after a whistleblower reported to management. VOA declined to comment on further details of its ongoing investigation in the affair. It is unconfirmed if all the employees involved were journalists.

 In an email to staff on Oct. 4, VOA director Amanda Bennett said the agency’s leadership was notified of the allegations “in recent months” and had launched several investigations, including requesting a review by the Office of the Inspector General.

 “While privacy laws prevent us from disclosing any specifics, it is following the completion of these investigations that these terminations and proposed terminations are occurring,” she said.

 VOA is a US government-funded international broadcast service. Its Hausa service broadcasts to 20 million people weekly, primarily in Nigeria, but also in Niger, Ghana, Chad and Cameroon.

 As US federal employees, the VOA Hausa staffers, if true, would have violated a series of federal laws and regulations, particularly those prohibiting government employees from receiving improper gifts, which may be implicated by the alleged conduct in this matter. These include criminal penalties for bribery of public officials, the prohibition on acceptance of gifts given because of an employee’s official position, and the statutory requirement that all federal employees place loyalty to their legal and ethical responsibilities over private gain.


 Accepting payments or “brown envelopes,” as it’s known in Nigerian journalism circles, is a common practice in the country. Journalists, operating in a competitive and crowded media landscape, accept the bribes to supplement paltry or unpaid salaries. Nigerian politicians, particularly around elections, often exploit the situation, paying journalists to buy their allegiance and control narratives.

 Radio listenership of international broadcasters such as VOA, BBC Hausa, Radio France Hausa and Deutsche Welle are high in Nigeria’s northern regions, ironically in part because they are often seen to be neutral players who are above manipulation by local politicians or governments.

 To safeguard its reputation and integrity, VOA has launched a separate investigation to determine if any coverage was improperly influenced. “If any such influence is discovered, we will deal with it promptly and transparently,” Bennett said.

 She added: “If any other instances of improper payments are discovered in any service anywhere in VOA, we are committed to investigating them thoroughly and dealing with them promptly as well.”

 The incident leaves the service with only 11 permanent government employees and contractors to produce 16 hours of radio and 30 minutes of television every week. Africa division director Negussie Mengesha said assistance from the agency’s extensive network of part-time contributors in Africa will help them maintain their current programming. One of 15 dismissed includes the chief of the Hausa service; VOA’s former Hausa Service chief, Fred Cooper, will serve as acting chief until a permanent one is selected.

 VOA declined requests to speak to Amanda Bennett and Negussie Mengesha

Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Manchester United's owners, the Glazer family, are reportedly not interested in selling the club amid speculation of interest from the ruler of Saudi Arabia.

According to Kaveh Solhekol at Sky Sports, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, "one of the richest and most powerful men in the world," would like to invest in a major European football club.

Manchester United is valued at over £3 billion, but a sale would only be considered if an offer of at least £4 billion was tabled, according to the report.

The Glazer family took over Manchester United in 2005 in a move that angered supporters. A group of fans even launched a new team, FC United of Manchester, in opposition to the takeover.

Since then, the Glazers have taken almost £1 billion out of the club in "interest, costs, fees and dividends," according to David Conn at the Guardian.

The team are enduring a tough start to the 2018-19 season. They have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and are down in eighth place in the Premier League.

In stark contrast, their locals rivals, Manchester City, have been thriving since being taken over by Sheikh Mansour of the Abu Dhabi ruling family. He has spent more than £1.3 billion on the Citizens since 2008, per Conn.

In that time, Manchester City have risen to the top of English football and gone on to win three Premier League titles and the FA Cup. They are currently top of the table and the team to beat in England under manager Pep Guardiola.

Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman's family is said to be worth £850 billion. He wants to invest in football to "take on Middle East rivals like the Abu Dhabi-based owners of Manchester City", per The Sun's Dan King.
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