A Nigerian-born United States Naval Officer, Michael Aregbesola, has died in the Red Sea after falling overboard while in operation. Confirming his death, the US Navy on Saturday said Aregbosola assigned to the “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74, was deployed with a detachment aboard Mason, which has been operating in the US 5th Fleet since November. In the statement provided on the Naval website, the Pentagon wrote, “The U.S. Navy on Saturday identified the Sailor lost overboard from USS Mason (DDG 87) while operating in the Red Sea, March 20. “Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Oriola Michael Aregbesola, assigned to the ‘Swamp Foxes’ of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74, was deployed with a detachment aboard Mason, which has been operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet since November. “Petty Officer Aregbesola fully embodied the selfless character and thoughtful warrior spirit of the United States Navy Sailor,” said Cmdr. Eric Kohut, HSM-74 commanding officer. Michael Aregbesola The Navy also commended his outstanding performance prior to and during deployment. “His outstanding performance prior to and during deployment went well beyond aircraft maintenance; he truly saw and valued every member of the ship/air team. “He will continue on in the heart of every Swamp Fox and our brothers and sisters in the IKE Carrier Strike Group. Our deepest thoughts and prayers are with his family,” the statement added. Aregbesola, of Florida, joined the Navy in July 2020. He reported to HSM-74 in December 2020. In October 2020, immediately after he was recruited, Aregbesola wrote about his ordeal of being jobless for so many years before his breakthrough in the US Navy. “I was jobless for so many years, my country of birth (Nigeria, now renounced) failed me, but the US Navy saw potential in me and made me a fine ass sailor, working on jet engines,” he wrote on Twitter (now X).

  One of the two Binance executives detained in Nigeria for alleged tax evasion and other offences, Nadeem Anjarwalla, has reportedly escaped from custody. In February, the Federal Government detained the two senior executives of Binance. The arrest came amidst efforts by the government to rein in speculation on the naira by cracking down on cryptocurrency exchanges. The charges against Binance include non-payment of Value-Added Tax, Company Income Tax, failure to file tax returns, and complicity in aiding customers to evade taxes through its platform. Anjarwalla, on Friday, reportedly escaped from the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague were being held, Premium Times reports. He was said to have escaped after some guards on duty escorted him to a nearby mosque for prayers. The British national, who also holds Kenyan citizenship, is suspected to have departed Abuja via a Middle East airline. How Anjarwalla boarded an international flight despite his British passport, which he used to enter Nigeria, being held by Nigerian authorities remains unclear. Premium Times reports that authorities are also working to unravel his intended destination to get him back into custody. An Immigration official said the Binance executive fled Nigeria on a Kenyan passport. The official disclosed that the authorities are working on unravelling how he obtained the passport, given the fact that he had no other travel document (apart from the British passport) on him when he was arrested. According to another insider, the two officials were detained in a “pleasant guest house” and granted numerous privileges, such as access to telephones. Anjarwalla is suspected to have taken advantage of this opportunity to plan his escape. The Head of Strategic Communication at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, could not confirm the incident when contacted on Sunday night. Mijinyawa promised to enquire and revert. However, he has yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.

  Monday 25 March 2024 Kaduna abductions: FG plans school safety corps as 137 pupils regain freedom Fans mourn as veteran actor Amaechi Muonagor dies at 61 Police in manhunt for fleeing nurse over failed abortion Arase questions CPs competence over Delta, Imo cops killings Four trampled to death in Bauchi alms-giving stampede APC suspicious as Adeleke raises cybercrime panel Banking not route to billionaire status, says Sterling Bank MD Govs’ll Demand New Revenue Allocation Formula Once State Police Is Adopted – Sule SSANU, NASU End Warning Strike, Direct Members To Resume Work ‘Official Negligence’, Falana Demands Compensation For Deceased Nasarawa Students Simon Harris Set To Become Ireland PM After Appointed Party Leader Deaths Recorded, Houses Razed In Fresh Plateau Clash ‘Challenging Times’, Tinubu Says No 72nd Birthday Celebrations ‘No Nigerian Should Be A Captive,’ Obi And Atiku Hail Kuriga Students’ Release Ukraine Had ‘No Involvement’ In Moscow Attack — US NAHCON Increases Hajj Fare By N1.9m, Sets Deadline For Payment 137 Abducted Kuriga Schoolchildren Rescued In Zamfara – DHQ Churches Should Not Abandon Politicians After Office – Wike Peter Obi Seeks Divine Intervention For Nigeria Niger Delta Leaders to FG: Pull Army out of Okuama, other Delta, Bayelsa communities Manufacturers’ forex losses rise 566% to N792bn Father Alia’s shocking revelations: In Benue, we had more ghost schools, workers than real ones Bandits kill 2, abduct woman, daughter during Ramadan prayers in Katsina Abure has desecrated ideals of Labour Party creation – Labour Veterans Alia Suspends Mining Activities In Benue Abductors of Edo PDP Chairman contact family, demand N500m ransom FAAC, revenue agencies in N1.7tr shortfall talks Dangote votes N15b for palliatives Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State said 137 schoolchildren were abducted from Kuriga in the Chikun Local Government Area of the state, and not 287 schoolchildren, contrary to reports. Sani stated this in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics. The governor said all the schoolchildren abducted by bandits have been rescued by the military in collaboration with local authorities from neighbouring Zamfara State.   Recall that the schoolchildren were abducted from LEA Primary School and Government Secondary School, Kuriga, about four weeks ago. The Defence Headquarters also confirmed the rescue operation on Saturday, saying a total of 137 students were rescued. Governor Sani, however, lamented that a teacher who was kidnapped alongside the pupils couldn’t make it out alive as he developed some complications while in captivity. He commiserated with the family of the deceased teacher and consoled the families of the released schoolchildren.

  A yet-to-be-identified nurse in Oke-Owa in the Ijebu Ode area of Ogun State is currently on the run after allegedly carrying out an abortion on one Deborah Sokoya. According to the information made available to PUNCH Metro by a police source, the said abortion failed, leading to serious bleeding and the subsequent hospitalisation of the victim. Our correspondent further gathered that Sokoya had earlier informed her partner, identified as Peter Balogun, that she would be paying a visit to her elder sister, known as Mutiat Sokoya. After reaching Mutiat’s house located in the Iperin area of Ijebu-Ode, PUNCH Metro learnt from the source that Deborah was lured by her elder sister to the location where the alleged abortion was carried out. This, according to the police, led to uncontrolled bleeding, and the victim was subsequently taken to a hospital for medical treatment. Meanwhile, when contacted about the incident on Saturday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, said a preliminary investigation showed that the boyfriend who reported the matter had also financed a separate abortion on the same girlfriend as far back as 2023. She added that both Mutiat and the boyfriend of the victim, Balogun, had been detained for interrogation. Odutola said, “At about 6pm on March 20, 2024, one Peter Balogun approached the Igbeba Police Division over the termination of his unborn child. He said his girlfriend visited her elder sister in Oke-Owa in Ijebu-Ode, where a nurse was said to have performed an abortion on her without Deborah or his consent. “The abortion reportedly failed, and this led to serious bleeding and subsequent hospitalisation. Our officers visited the victim in the hospital, where she is responding to treatment. We have arrested the sister who took her for the abortion. “Our preliminary investigations further showed that the complainant had also financed another abortion on the same girlfriend in September 2023. He is being interrogated as well. “However, efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing nurse and others who participated in the abortion.”

  No fewer than six persons have been reportedly killed by suspected herdsmen in the Kadarko community of Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. Our correspondent gathered that two residents were killed at the Tse-Abir Azer community in Kadarko on Friday, while three Tiv farmers were shot dead on Sunday in the area. However, during the attack on Sunday, there was an alleged reprisal by the Tiv farmers, which led to the death of a suspected herdsman. Confirming the incident to our correspondent on Sunday, the Chairman of the United Farmers Association in Kadarko, Denis Utsa, said the armed herdsmen invaded Tse-Abir Azer area of Kadarko around 4pm on Friday and unleashed mayhem on the people of the area. He explained that apart from the two earlier killed by the bandits, many survivors of the attack escaped with gunshot wounds. He identified the victims to include a clergyman, Pastor Kingsley Orshase, who he said later died at a hospital in Lafia on Saturday. He said, “The victims had gone for fishing at a nearby river in the Tse-Abir Azer area when the armed herdsmen attacked them, resulting to the death of two persons. “However, we heard that one of the herdsmen was also killed in a reprisal during the attack. “At the moment, the killer herdsmen have invaded the IDPs rebuild settlements in Kadarko, and a dozen of the IDPs have fled to nearby communities, including Giza for refuge. “We are appealing to the state government to urgently look into the matter so that we can have adequate security in the area.: As of the time of filing this report, efforts made to get the reaction of the Nasarawa State Police Command proved abortive as the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, did not respond to phone calls. He also did not reply to text messages sent to his mobile line.

  As 137 kidnapped pupils, students, and teachers of LEA Primary School and Government Secondary School (GSS), Kuriga in Chikun local government area of Kaduna state regained freedom in the early hours of Sunday, parents have narrated their ordeals during the 17 days of their children in captivity. Bandits had on March 7, stormed the LEA Primary School, Kuriga, a facility that is also temporarily accommodating GSS Kuriga, and whisked away hundreds of schoolchildren and their teachers. One of the secondary school teachers, Sani Abdullahi, who briefed the state governor, Uba Sani at Kuriga hours after the incident said, a total of 287 persons, including pupils, students, and teachers were marched into the bush by the armed attackers. Bandits had one week after the abduction reached out to the community, demanding N1bn ransom as they handed down a 20-day ultimatum for the ransom payment, with failure to kill the hostages However, 17 days after the abduction, the Defence Headquarters issued a statement, saying that, troops rescued 137 of the kidnapped schoolchildren. The DHQ Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, said the students were rescued in Zamfara State and will be transported and handed over to the Kaduna State Government for further action. According to him, “The hostages are the same persons that were abducted from the school at Kuriga in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State” He further stated: “The military, in collaboration with local authorities and government agencies nationwide, conducted a coordinated search and rescue operation to secure the hostages.”   While the rescued children were still being awaited in Kaduna, the State Governor Uba Sani, his Deputy, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe and other top government functionaries held a closed-door meeting with heads of security agencies and leaders of the Kuriga community. At the end of the meeting, one of the community leaders and a parent who holds the traditional title of Tafida Kuriga, Jubril Gwadabe Kuriga, said parents were traumatized, while some died while their children were in bandits’ captivity. Kuriga whose nine-year-old daughter was among the kidnapped children, recalled how he used to wake up in the middle of the night and cried because of the uncertain condition of his daughter. According to him, “My name is Jubril Gwadabe Kuriga. Tafida Kuriga. I have a child by the name Aisha, she is 9 years old and she was among those kidnapped too. We were traumatized throughout the period of the absence of our children. Our children were away in the bush, with no food, and no good water. “Let me tell you, sometimes 12 o’clock, 1 o’clock in the night, I would wake up, I would just be crying, thinking how is she? Has she eaten? I think of all that because I know if she is at home, normally before she goes to school in the morning, she would eat then she would come back to eat breakfast and then when they close by two o’clock before she goes for Islamiyya she takes something. “I am always playing with her at home but with her absence now I have been feeling very bad. They said all the children are back that is what they said all of them are back but seeing is believing. “There is a woman whose four children were among the kidnapped pupils. She could not eat, she could not sleep. “If I can even tell you, some parents died within the period the children were with Kidnappers. I cannot tell you the number of those who died. But I believe some are dead. “The government called us and informed us that the children are with them. That is the true story, but we have not seen them yet. “They promised us by tomorrow (Monday) they will hand over the children to us. Each student or child will be handed over to the parents. “We are feeling happy because it is not easy missing your child for this long period, so, we need to be happy,” he narrated. Speaking on the future of the children’s education in Kuriga, the parent said, “With the presence of security now in our area, we are going to mount the security so that our children can go back to school. “We are happy that we now have a security presence. We are going to use them to see that our children go back to school,” he said. In a related development, the IGP Special Intervention Squad sent in response to the resurgence of banditry in Kaduna State, has arrived at Kaduna. The Squad which consists of two hundred officers and personnel of the Nigeria Police, were received by Governor Uba Sani at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House Kaduna on Sunday. The Squad is armed with Armoured Personal Carriers otherwise known as APCs and other sophisticated weapons. IGP Egbetokun had recently during his visit to Governor Sani after the kidnap of the Kuriga school children, promised deployment of a Police Mobile Force (PMF) against banditry in the State. The Governor while receiving the Squad, expressed appreciation to the; Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetekun for fulfilling his promise on the deployment of the Squad. Governor Uba Sani also expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, particularly President Bola Ahmad Tinubu and the security agencies for the successful rescue of the kidnapped Kuriga School Children.

  The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) said it has uncovered a ploy by some suspected human traffickers to lure Nigerians with fake jobs in Ghana, Ivory Coast, and other countries in West Africa. The Agency explained that the suspected traffickers exploit coordinated global brand trademarks and present unrealistic oil and gas job offers to traffic youths and other groups of people to neighbouring countries in the region for various forms of exploitation. NAPTIP said victims are enticed with promises of monthly incomes of $900 under the guise of lucrative employment opportunities in gold mining and oil companies. According to the agency, the victims are trafficked through the waterways of Ode Jetty in Lagos en route to Benin Republic and other parts of the West African region It added that some victims are also trafficked through the land routes. The Director-General of NAPTIP, Prof Fatima Waziri-Azi, revealed this at the Agency’s Headquarters in Abuja while discussing emerging trends in human trafficking for the year 2024. Giving details of how the traffickers operate, Waziri-Azi in a statement in Abuja by the Communication Officer of NAPTIP, Adekoye Vincent stated: “NAPTIP has uncovered a new ploy by some suspected human traffickers who are exploiting coordinated global brand trademarks and offering unrealistic Oil and Gas job offers to traffic unsuspecting youths and other classes of people to neighbouring West African countries for various forms of exploitation. “In recent times, NAPTIP has redoubled its efforts through enhanced partnership, collaboration, diligent prosecution, and extensive awareness campaigns aimed at bolstering its operations, resulting in a significant increase in convictions of human traffickers. As part of our comprehensive enlightenment strategies to equip Nigerians with timely and accurate information to reduce their vulnerability, we have received reports indicating that traffickers have adopted new tactics to lure unsuspecting victims, predominantly to Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, and other West African nations.” Waziri–Azi added: “Under the guise of lucrative employment opportunities in gold mining and oil companies, victims are enticed with promises of monthly incomes as high as $900.00, which, as always, are blatant lies.” “Victims are often instructed to bring up to N850,000 for documentation and other logistical expenses. Upon arrival at their destination, traffickers confiscate this money, along with the victims’ phones and other personal belongings.” On the category of people targetted, she said: “The targeted demographic includes male and female victims aged between 15 and 35 years old. “They are typically trafficked through the waterways of Ode Jetty in Lagos en route to Benin Republic and other parts of the West African region. Some victims are also trafficked via land routes.” Prof. Waziri-Azi while calling on Nigerians to be careful, stated: “I urge you to exercise caution, ask questions, and seek a second opinion before accepting any tempting offers. Do not allow desperation to cloud your judgment.” She expressed NAPTIP’s commitment to combating human trafficking and protecting the rights and dignity of all Nigerians.