There seems to be a crack within the Indigenous People of Biafra, as the deputy leader, Uche Mefor has fallen out with his boss, Nnamdi Kanu and floated a new radio station called Biafra Human Rights and Freedom Radio (BHRFR}. Aside from the name of the radio station, which hints at a divergence of paths within the group, Mefor had earlier showed signs of a crack when he deleted his Facebook page in August. According to reports by Naija News, Mefor fell out with Kanu because he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of his former leader consistently claiming that President Muhammadu Buhari is dead and has since been replaced with one Jubril Al Sudanni from Sudan. That rumour has not only been in the public domain for a long time but has also fuelled wild speculations about the identity of the president and has been a fodder for gossip. Kanu, on his part, had said in the past that Mefor had cautioned him against peddling such rumour and flying a kite. “I keep saying this every time, my Deputy, Uche Mefor will say don’t say it, don’t say that Buhari is dead“, Kanu once said in a broadcast on Radio Biafra in February. Mefor had also clamoured for a change of approach and attitude among IPOB members but his appeals fell on deaf ears and resulted in verbal assaults from members of the group. The estranged IPOB deputy also said to have engaged his leader in a war of words over some disagreements. This is not surprising as the IPOB leader has been accused of being dictatorial, arrogant, and fraudulent by some of his former allies. It is believed that that the IPOB leader is running the organization for pecuniary gains and not in the interest of the people. Mefor has also said in a video that is currently circulating that he had been excluded from making broadcasts on Radio Biafra and that Kanu and those working with had effectively sidelined him from doing things that he had been doing before. Mefor also hinted at the floating of another radio station, aside from Radio Biafra without his knowledge. He was also asked to hand over the logging details of Radia Biafa to one Ofomma. He questioned why the IPOB leader should float another radio station and prevented him from making broadcasts on Radio Biafra. A number of our people know that there have been one or two issues from time to time. But now it has come to the zenith of it all,” Mefor said. “And I came to a conclusion. And I said, when all these back and forth were going on, that for the sake of those who died in this struggle, that I would hands off office. And then I gave him the details of Radio Biafra. “If I am a deputy to Nnamdi Kanu why shouldn’t I know that another radio station is being opened? … For me this is a humiliation of the highest order. This is an insult because when you talk about the internet/online aspect of Radio Biafra, You cannot write that story, you cannot finish it without talking about me. I worked for this thing for almost one year. “I have been blackmailed. I have been humiliated in so many ways,” Mefor said, adding that he had been portrayed as evil. However, though it is believed that Mefor resigned as IPOB leader, sources very close to Kanu said the IPOB leader secretly dismissed him because he could not condone his overbearing nature. This, according to Naija News, was done secretly to avoid raising unnecessary eyebrows. Still another source said Mefor took the decision to pull down his Facebook page and remain incommunicado because of security reasons. Still Mefor was quoted to have said in a report that Nnamdi Kanu crossed the red line after he disgraced their former African representative, George Onyibe. “What will befall Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB in no distant time will be shocking. Any ear that hears it will tingle,” the ally said.

Nineteen- year -old Jemila Ibrahim and her friend , Fatima Mohammed, have been arrested by the personnel of the Lagos State Police Command for setting her ex -lover ’ s house ablaze at the Monkey Village , FESTAC area of the state. It was gathered that Jemila and her friend stormed the residence of her ex -lover , Mohammed Yusuf , around 5. 30pm on November 18 and set it ablaze , while his girlfriend, Rabi was inside. PUNCH Metro learnt that Yusuf , who got to know about the incident, rushed home to rescue Rabi and took her to hospital, where she died on Saturday around noon . Our correspondent learnt that Mohammed left Jemila over alleged infidelity on her part. The state Police Public Relations Officer , Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Monday , said policemen from the Satellite Division arrested the suspects , adding that the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu , had ordered the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, for further investigation. The statement read in part, “ The duo of Jemila Ibrahim and her friend , Fatima Mohammed, of Monkey Village , who accompanied Jemila to commit the heinous crime , have been arrested by the police operatives attached to the Satellite Division of the command . “ The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State , Hakeem Odumosu , who condemned the crime , has ordered that the matter be transferred to the SCIID, Panti , for discreet investigation . The CP also vowed to go after those, who engage in crimes and social vices, and to rid the state of criminals and criminality . ” The CP , however , urged the residents of the state to avoid taking the law into their own hands .

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden announced a slate of Cabinet nominees Monday, including Antony Blinken as secretary of state and Janet Yellen, who would be the first woman to serve as treasury secretary. Biden’s transition team posted the nominations Monday after initially saying they would be announced Tuesday. Blinken served as Biden’s national security adviser in the Obama administration. As Biden’s foreign policy chief, he played a key role in crafting U.S. foreign policy actions in the Middle East. Analysts say Blinken is considered a moderate on foreign policy issues and will likely lead Biden’s efforts to reverse some of the Trump administration’s moves to isolate the United States from traditional allies on global agreements like the Iran nuclear deal and Paris Climate Agreement. Former Federal Reserve Chair Yellen, 74, would be the first woman to lead the Treasury Department, if confirmed by the Senate. She was the first woman to serve as Fed chair, serving a four-year term from 2014 until President Donald Trump replaced her with Jerome Powell at the end of her first term. Yellen currently is an economist at the Brookings Institution and is seen as someone capable of gaining bipartisan support. Alli McCartney, managing director at UBS, called the choice “reassuring, especially with the challenges that lie ahead including avoiding a double-dip recession and getting people back to work amidst rising virus cases,” CNBC reported. In another key diplomatic post, Biden, nominated Linda Thomas-Greenfield as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Thomas-Greenfield was assistant secretary of state for African affairs, director-general of the U.S. Foreign Service and U.S. ambassador to Liberia in the Obama administration. Jake Sullivan was named Biden’s choice for national security adviser. He was a foreign policy expert for former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016 and has played a key role in formulating domestic policies for Biden during his campaign. In other Cabinet appointments announced Monday, Alejandro Mayorkas was named to head the Department of Homeland Security, Avril Haines will be Biden’s director of national intelligence and former Secretary of State John Kerry was named as a special presidential envoy on climate change. Mayorkas makes history as the first Latino nominated to lead DHS, which implements and oversees the nation’s immigration policies. He served as deputy Homeland Security secretary from 2013 to 2016 Haines served as deputy CIA director in the Obama administration before succeeding Blinken as deputy national security adviser. If confirmed, she would become the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in the intelligence community. Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, served as Obama’s secretary of state from 2013 to 2017. Since then, he has helped spearhead programming on climate change and oceans for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

A 40- year- old housewife, Iswat Taofeek, has been arrested by the police in Adatan area of Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State for dehumanizing a 12-year- old boy living with her. Spokesperson for the Ogun Police Command, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a press statement said the suspect was arrested following a complaint by one of her neighbours at Adatan police station. The neighbour had gone to the Police station with the little boy whose body was full of injuries inflicted on him with a hot knife and cutlass. While the report was being lodged, the little boy fainted at the station and was quickly rushed to a hospital for medical attention. On the strength of the report, the DPO Adatan Division, CSP Samuel Aladegoroye sent detectives to the woman’s house, where she was promptly arrested. On interrogation, the suspect explained that the boy is a son to her brother-in-law and he has been living with her for some time. She stated further that she kept N5,000 somewhere in the house, but couldn’t find it and she believed that it was the boy who stole it. She said she put a knife on fire until it was red hot and used it to burn the little boy all over his body. Meanwhile, Ogun Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun has ordered the transfer of the case to anti-human trafficking and child labour unit of the State Criminal investigation and intelligence department for further investigation and prosecution.

Nigerian visitors to the United States (US) may have to pay up to $15,000 in bonds according to a new temporary policy issued to discourage nationals of some countries with higher visa overstay rate. The President Donald Trump administration introduced the visa bond pilot programme on Monday for B-1 visas (for business travellers) and B-2 visas (for tourists) and it is expected to run for six months — December 24 to June 24, 2021. The rule will see US consular officials ask travellers from affected countries to pay a refundable bond of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000. About 15 African countries are said to be on the list. The visa bond pilot programme by the US Department of State is said to target mostly African countries with high visa overstay — the visitors are believed to have entered the country legally on student, tourist, work visas and then stay past their visa expiration date. “The purpose of the pilot program is to assess the operational feasibility of posting, processing and discharging visa bonds, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to help assess the burden on government agencies and identify any practical challenges related to visa bonds,” the policy document read. “The pilot program is designed to apply to nationals of specified countries with high overstay rates to serve as a diplomatic tool to encourage foreign governments to take all appropriate actions to ensure their nationals timely depart the United States after making temporary visits. “The Pilot Program will run for six months. During that period, consular officers may require nonimmigrant visa applicants falling within the scope of the Pilot Program to post a bond in the amount of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance. “The amount of the bond, should a bond be appropriate, will be determined by the consular officer based on the circumstances of the visa applicant.” According to data from the DHS, almost 30,000 Nigerians overstayed their B1/B2 visas in 2018, ranking as the 5th country with the most visa overstays in the US. This makes Nigeria the African country with the most visa overstays. In January, the United States had imposed an immigrant visa ban on Nigeria as a result of the country’s failure to comply with its established identity-management and information-sharing criteria.