Apopular restaurant owner, identified simply as Oforma (aka Ofor Onye Ofe Olugbu) was on Monday night shot dead at Ogrute roundabout in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State by vigilante operatives known as Neighbourhood Watch in the area. It was gathered the security team had gone to arrest someone in Offor’s restaurant but were resisted. The situation, eye witnesses said, degenerated into a fight between the restaurant owner and the security operatives. In the ensuing fracas, the restaurant owner was shot in the back by one of the security operatives. The eyewitness further narrated that on seeing what had happened, the security men took to their heels, abandoning their vehicle which was later set ablaze by the angry youths. The victim was rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital Ogrute where he was confirmed dead in the early hours of Tuesday. A viral video of the security vehicle belonging to the neighborhood watch group was seen in flames as it was set ablaze by irate youths who trooped out to confront the security operatives. Latest information also indicated that the youths have launched a manhunt for the fleeing security personnel. A group known as Concerned Igboeze North Youths (CINY) confirmed the development in a post on social media on Tuesday morning. The post reads: “We lost him. The guy that was allegedly shot dead by Igboeze North LGA Security personnel. St Mary’s hospital doctor at Ogrute confirmed him dead. “This is so bad to say RIP. A breadwinner is gone; a father is gone; someone’s husband is gone; someone’s son; Uncle, brother, in-law etc is gone”. They called on Igboeze North political leaders, the police, the chairman of the local government, the State Government and other relevant agencies to commence an urgent investigation to bring the culprits to justice. Enugu Police Command was yet to react to the development as of the time of filing this report.

  Aisha Galadima, the ally of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS), has been released. Daily Trust had reported how the All Progressive Congress (APC) member in Kaduna was arrested in connection with a Facebook post against Governor Uba Sani. According to sources, Galadima criticised Sani’s last comment against the former governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai. A neighbour said she was arrested in her community in the Tudun Wada area of Kaduna on Sunday afternoon, and another friend stated that Galadima’s phone was switched off after the arrest. But the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Muhammad Lawal Shehu, had said he was not aware of the arrest and directed inquiries about the matter to the DSS for further clarification. “I’m not aware that a woman was arrested for posting a negative comment against His Excellency. In any case, you should direct your enquiries to the DSS, not the Kaduna State Government,” he said. Daily Trust gathered that she was released after being grilled for about 24 hour. Contacted, Galadima also confirmed her released, saying she was harassed and beaten by operatives of the secret police. “I was inside my room about to take my bath when they came in and dragged me out. I saw four of their Hilux outside the gate. They pushed me inside and drove away,” she said. According to her, they (DSS) accused her of making some post against the governor in February.

  Elon Musk, the owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, has confirmed plans to charge new users to post on the platform. Replying to a post about the X policy on new accounts on Monday, he said it is the only solution to curb the issue of bots on the platform. According to Musk, the proliferation of fake accounts occupies the available space for usernames, leading to the unavailability of many good handles. “Unfortunately, a small fee for new user write access is the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots,” Musk said.   “Current AI (and troll farms) can pass “are you a bot” with ease. “The onslaught of fake accounts also uses up the available namespace, so many good handles are taken as a result.” Replying to another X account on the new policy, Musk said new users will be able to post for free after three months.   On October 17, 2023, X started charging new users in New Zealand and the Philippines $1 per year to access key features, which include the ability to tweet, retweet, like posts and reply to posts. The social media platform said the aim is to “reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity”. On April 4, Elon Musk announced that a cleanup to purge the social media platform of bot accounts and trolls was underway and would lead to the suspension of legitimate accounts. In addition, Musk said the company would also trace the people responsible and bring the full force of the law to bear upon them.

  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, arraigned a father-in-law, Alaba Alakija and his daughter-in-law, Oyinkansola Alakija before the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on an amended two-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy and using false documents. A statement by the EFCC’s head of Media & Publicity, Dele Oyewale says the duo conspired to use a false document titled: “Vesting Deed by Dr. Omodele Alakija and Mr. Afolabi Alakija”, the executors of the estate of the late Sir Ademola Alakija, purporting same to be made by Dr. Omodele Alakija and Mr. Afolabi Alakija.” The offence was allegedly committed on or about Aug. 6th, 2015, with intent to financially benefit from a property located at No.10, Keffi Street, South-west, Ikoyi, Lagos

At their arraignment before Justice Mojisola Dada, the defendants pleaded “not guilty” to the charge. After their plea, the prosecution asked the court for a trial date and the remand of the defendants at a correctional facility.

Counsel to the first defendant, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Yemi Akangbe, informed the court of the bail application of his client, which he said he had filed and served on the prosecution. While moving the application, he urged the judge to grant bail to his client in the most liberal terms.

Counsel to the second defendant, Victor Giwa, told the court that heard about the matter later and had come from out of jurisdiction. He requested to be allowed to move his bail application orally. Giwa also told the court that his client, Oyinkan Alakija, whom he described as a lawyer, has a two-month-old baby, whom she still breastfeeds, and that she would not jump bail. However, in a dramatic twist, the second defendant’s husband debunked the claim and told the court that their baby is nine months old. After listening to all the parties, Justice Dada granted bail to the first defendant in the sum of N10 million, with sureties in like sum, who must submit their international passports to the court. The court also took possession of the passport of the second defendant. Both defendants were then released to their lawyers pending the perfection of their bail conditions.

The judge adjourned the matter to May, 28 2024 for commencement of trial.

  Musa Ille, secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Tsafe LGA of Zamfara state, has been reportedly shot dead by gunmen. Zagazola Makama, a publication focused on the Lake Chad region, reports that Ille was killed at his residence on Monday night. When reached for comments, Yazid Abubakar, police spokesperson in Zamfara, said he would contact the officer in charge of the division and revert to TheCable. Zamfara has experienced an uptick in the activities of bandits in recent times. In March, Dauda Lawal, governor of Zamfara, said the state is now the centre of banditry in northern Nigeria. “There have been several attacks in some of the local government communities,” he said. “I feel as a responsible governor, I should make this known to Mr. President, who is pleased with the discussion we had and we are looking for more military personnel as well as the equipment for them to be able to function effectively and take care of the security situation. “Zamfara has become the centre of banditry as we speak today, and if nothing is done in Zamfara state, I don’t think we will be able to solve the situation in the entire northern Nigeria.”

  A scuffle erupted in Georgia’s assembly on Monday as two members of parliament engaged in fisticuffs over a controversial law that has sparked debate in the country. After widespread protest and international criticism last year, Georgia’s ruling party withdrew what many called the “Russian-style” draft law. However, earlier this month, the government announced it would reintroduce the legislation, renaming it a bill on the “transparency of foreign influence”. The bill would require non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad, to register as an “organisation serving the interests of a foreign power”, or face possible fines. Irakli Kobakhidze, prime minister, said the proposed law was needed to ensure the financial transparency of grant recipients. However, critics argue that the bill is inspired by authoritarian laws neighbouring Russia uses to crush dissent and is an attempt to sabotage the country’s chances of joining the European Union (EU). The Georgian government has rejected any comparison to the Russian legislation. The parliamentary session turned chaotic when opposition MPs, concerned about the bill’s potential impact on Georgian sovereignty, clashed with supporters of the legislation. “I agree that no Russian laws should be adopted in Georgia,” Mamuka Mdinaradze, parliamentary leader of Georgian Dream, the ruling party, said during the debate. Shortly afterwards, Aleko Elisashvili, opposition MP, charged at Mdinaradze and punched him in the face, triggering a brawl in parliament. The scuffle came as thousands of people demonstrated in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, demanding the withdrawal of the bill.

  The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said 95 million Nigerians need to enrol for the National Identification Number (NIN). This was revealed by the Head of Corporate Communications at the commission, Kayode Adegoke, on X over the weekend. According to him, for NIMC to meet the 200 million target by 2025, 95 million Nigerians need to register for the NIN. Data from the National Population Commission (NPC), said the population of Nigeria in 2023 was 223,804,632, a 2.41 per cent increase from 2022. The commission also puts the population in 2022 at 218,541,212, a 2.41 per cent increase from 2021. “As of today, over 105 million NIN have been issued to Nigerians and legal residents. We want to assure Nigerians that within the next one or two years, we will reach our target of enrolling all Nigerians,” he said. However, to reach its target of 200 million enrollments by 2025, an additional 95 million Nigerians need to register. The NIN, a unique identifier assigned to each citizen, has gained prominence in recent years as the cornerstone of various government initiatives aimed at enhancing security, governance, and service delivery. The NIMC spokesperson said the commission remained steadfast in its commitment to achieving universal enrolment in the NIN system by 2025. Adegoke noted that following Abisoye Coker’s appointment as the director-general of MIMC, she recognised the need to streamline the modification and enrolment processes. He added that a self-service platform was developed, enabling Nigerians, both locally and abroad, to make necessary modifications such as changing names, dates of birth, email addresses, and phone numbers from the comfort of their homes or offices, using various devices, including iOS and Android-based devices. Adegoke emphasised the convenience of the self-service modification portal, urging Nigerians to take advantage of this innovative solution. He highlighted the evolution of the process, noting that in the past, applicants had to visit NIMC offices for data corrections.