Churchill Choken

Update:: The growing increase of sexual assault rocking the movie industry has once again been brought to the fore by Nollywood actress Blessing Egbe- the creator of the series Lekki Wives. According to the dark skinned thespian in an interview, a prominent writer, producer and director (whom she didn’t name) wanted to try his luck on her by offering her a role in his movie only if she slept with him but she pulled a fast one on him. Revealing her ordeal in the hands of the filmmaker, Blessing Egbe said; “The harassment came from a prominent writer, producer, director who also wanted to try his luck. I had called to speak to him about the possibility of us working together. He gave me an appointment which I kept. “The meeting was at a hotel, not his office. I had asked him why we were meeting at the hotel and he said, it was a makeshift office… A routine he does when he needs time to write. I believed him and followed him to the makeshift office. “When inside, he gave me a ...

A student of Dennis Memorial Grammar school, Onitsha named Emmanuel Chukwuebuka Nnanna has died after allegedly being stoned by a fellow student. This was revealed in a Facebook post by user, Mizta Nnamdi, he wrote:

Update:: President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated eight newly-appointed Permanent Secretaries. Buhari performed the ceremonies at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, shortly before he began presiding over the Federal Executive Council meeting normally held on Wednesdays. The new permanent secretaries are Mohammed Dikwa (Borno), Ajani Madaline (Delta), Olumuyiwa Enitan (Osun), Festus Yesufu Dawodu (Nasarawa). The list also includes, Bakare Wadinga (Adamawa), Babatunde Lawal (Lagos), Ernest Afolabi Umahi (Edo) and Nnamdi Maurice (Imo). The President asked them to be dedicated to duty and help the Federal Government in the execution of its policies diligently.

Update:: Tinashe has left the RCA roster, according to a new report from Rolling Stone. “Her relationship with RCA was a long-term relationship, but they needed space," Tinashe's manager Mike Nazzaro told the publication. He also denied that the leave was a severance on the label's behalf. “We initiated for her to be released. It was a positive split for her. It’s giving her back creative control.” Tinashe's relationship with RCA was notoriously, and often publicly, fraught. Last year, her sophomore album Joyride was finally released after years of delays. She planned to follow it up with a new project, Nashe, for which she released two singles. The project was eventually shelved for unknown reasons.

- A group of protesters laid siege to the Nigerian High Commission in London on Tuesday, February 19 - The protest was to commemorate the first year of the incarceration by Boko Haram of Dapchi School girl, Leah Sharibu - The protesters were led by former presidential aide, author and pastor, Mr. Reno Omokri A group of protesters, led by former presidential aide and pastor, Mr. Reno Omokri, laid siege to the Nigerian High Commission in London on Tuesday, February 19, to commemorate the first year of the incarceration by Boko Haram of Dapchi School girl, Leah Sharibu. The organisers say the protest was to remind the world of the failure of the federal government to secure Leah's release despite promises to do so. The London protesters called Leah’s mother, Rubeccah, and empathised with her, telling her that they stood with her in her low moments. The protest organised by Christian Support Worldwide (CSW) began in the early hours of the day, with the group’s founder and ...

Update:: Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson are no more, TMZ reported on Tuesday (February 19) after the E! reality star reportedly found out that he cheated on her with Kylie Jenner's best friend, Jordyn Woods. As per the new recent report, Thompson flew into Los Angeles to spend time with his family on Valentine's Day, but his trip took a turn for the worse over the weekend. On Sunday, he was spotted at a house party, where he allegedly snuggled up with Jenner's best friend, Jordyn Woods. Sources close to TMZ revealed that the pair were all over each other and made out in the party. Once Khloe found out on Monday, she immediately broke things off with the NBA player and there's apparently very little chance that the two will get back together this time around. Just last week, an insider told PEOPLE that the E! reality star "rarely talks about" Tristan Thompson, and that's, in part, because they don't spend a lot of time together. "Khl...

Update:: Lady Gaga is a single woman! According to People, the A Star Is Born actress and her fiancé Christian Carino have split. "It just didn’t work out. Relationships sometimes end," a source told the mag. "There’s no long dramatic story." As fans know, speculation regarding their relationship status began when Gaga was spotted at the Grammy Awards last week without her engagement ring. The 49-year-old talent agent was also not in attendance, which seemed to hint of trouble in paradise given that he was her date to the majority of other events this awards season, including the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Golden Globes. The 32-year-old singer announced their engagement while being honored at Elle's 25th Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration in October. "Thank you to all the loved ones in my life," she said on stage. "[My manager] Bobby [Campbell], I love you. Everyone at table five. My fiancé, Christian. All the loved ...

Update:: A Tanzanian court is to sentence a 69-year-old Chinese woman for her role in trafficking tusks from more than 400 elephants, reports AFP. Yang Fenglan, dubbed the "Ivory Queen", was convicted in Dar es Salaam of trafficking 860 tusks between 2000 and 2014, according to the news agency. It says two Tanzanian men were also found guilty for their role in the illegal trade. The court has not yet announced their sentences, but Fenglan faces up to 30 years in prison.

Update:: Iconic fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has died in Paris following a short illness. The German designer, who was the creative director for Chanel and Fendi, was one of the industry's most prolific figures and worked up until his death. His signature ponytail and dark glasses made him an instantly recognisable figure around the world. Industry heavyweights, including Italian designer Donatella Versace, issued heartfelt tributes. "Today the world lost a giant among men," said the editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour.

Update:: Zimbabwe could run out of bread in a week after flour stocks dwindled due to the country’s failure to pay for imported wheat, according to a confidential letter written to bakers by the country’s grain millers’ group on Monday. The country is in the grip of a severe shortage of U.S. dollars that has sapped supplies of fuel and drugs, as President Emmerson Mnangagwa struggles to live up to pre-election promises to quickly revive the troubled economy. Zimbabwe imports wheat, which it blends with its local crop to make flour for bread, the country’s second major staple after maize meal. The Grain Millers Association (GMAZ) general manager Lynette Veremu wrote to the National Bakers Association of Zimbabwe (NBAZ) to tell them the country has not paid for 55,000 tonnes of wheat in bonded warehouses in Mozambique and Harare. “We regret to advise that the current stocks for foreign wheat for bread flour have depleted to 5,800 tonnes and … we are left with less than eight ...

Update:: After Cardi B won the Best Rap Album award at the Grammys last week, many critics came through with reasons why other nominees should have claimed the title instead.  Nicki Minaj was brought into the discussion, even though she was not part of this group, as if anything either entertainer achieves is directly linked to the other. Mary J. Blige was asked to comment on the situation when she appeared on The View, as an experienced music icon. From her perspective, Cardi B, along with any other female artist, should be celebrated without negativity or unnecessary drama. "We've suffered enough amongst a male-dominated society, a male-dominated business, and we've suffered enough amongst each other," she explained. "So when you see us trying to do something, at at least try to bring us together, at least try to lift us up together." She affirms that there is enough success out there to satisfy everyone's aspirations. "Why ca...

Update:: A group of party members were seen with huge ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ bags filled with money at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport on Friday. They boarded the flight with over 15 bags of cash filled with both Naira and dollars. The allegation was made known by content developer and political analyst, Benny Umoren, who said that the party members involved belong to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who are ready to buy votes during the forthcoming elections. Read below what she shared on Facebook earlier today; Let me tell you what played out in Abuja airport yesterday. APC will open CBN this coming week to meet up for more vote buying. “So yesterday this private aircraft operated by petrowest, Registration is N404SA. This aircraft was to carry a particular group of APC to Edo state with cash, and they didn’t come on the agreed time…. So the captain agreed to carry another APC group that was looking for an aircraft to katsina state, at this process the firs...

Two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation tell CNN that Chicago Police believe actor Jussie Smollett paid two men to orchestrate an assault on him that he reported late last month. Smollett denies playing a role in his attack, according to a statement from his attorneys. The men, who are brothers, were arrested Wednesday but released without charges Friday after Chicago police cited the discovery of "new evidence." The sources told CNN the two men are now cooperating fully with law enforcement. Smollett told authorities he was attacked early January 29 by two men who were "yelling out racial and homophobic slurs." He said one attacker put a rope around his neck and poured an unknown chemical substance on him. The sources told CNN there are records that show the two brothers purchased the rope found around Smollett's neck at a hardware store in Chicago. However, attorneys for the actor and singer Jussie Smollett have said th...

- A special adviser to the Delta state government youth development, Lawrence Ngozi Akpomiemie, has been shot dead - Akpomiemie was killed in a feat of violence that ensued in Ekpan, in the Uvwie local council area of the state - Until his death, the deceased was the special adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on youth development Lawrence Ngozi Akpomiemie, a special adviser to the Delta state government youth development has been shot dead by unknown gunmen. Akpomiemie was murdered in a feat of violence that was triggered somewhere around Ekpan, in the Uvwie local council area of the state in the night of Friday, February 15. Akpomiemie, before his death, worked as the special adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on youth development. Although the police command in the state has confirmed the sad development, it is for now not known what sparked the violence that led to Akpomiemie's death. Duke Opeyemi, Ogembe's special adviser on media and publicity disclosed this i...

Update:: President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency in a bid to fund his promised wall at the U.S.-Mexico border without congressional approval, an action Democrats vowed to challenge as a violation of the U.S. Constitution. Hours after Trump’s announcement, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee said it had launched an investigation into the emergency declaration.

Update:: Namibia's government has now decriminalised the act of abandoning a newborn baby, which gender activists say is usually the result of difficulties in procuring legal terminations. Safe places will be put up where unwanted children can be left without prosecution of the mothers. Statistics from the Namibian police show that in 2017 - 2018, only 25 cases of baby dumping were reported, but about 7,300 cases of abortion were recorded, The Namibian newspaper reports.

Egypt's parliament has overwhelmingly voted to approve draft constitutional changes that could extend President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's time in office by another 12 years. Mr Sisi is due to stand down in 2022 when his second four-year term ends. But 485 of the country's 596 lawmakers voted on Thursday to lengthen presidential terms to six years and let Mr al-Sisi serve another two. Several Egyptian human rights groups have spoken out against the decision. The changes, first proposed earlier this month, will now be drafted into legislation and put to another parliamentary vote. If approved again, Egypt will then hold a referendum.

No fewer than 66 persons have been killed in a fresh outbreak of violence in Kajuru local government area of Kaduna state. The killings reportedly took place in eight settlements across the local government area. Women and children were listed among the victims. In a statement, the Kaduna state government condemned the killings, warning communities against instigating attacks or reprisals. “Security agencies today reported the recovery of 66 bodies that were killed in attacks by criminal elements on various dispersed hamlets in the Maro Gida and Iri axis of Kajuru LGA,” read a statement issued by Sam Aruwan, spokesman of the governor. “The settlements affected include Ruga Bahago, Ruga Daku, Ruga Ori, Ruga Haruna, Ruga Yukka Abubakar, Ruga Duni Kadiri, Ruga Shewuka and Ruga Shuaibu Yau. “Among the victims were 22 children and 12 women. Four wounded persons rescued by the security agencies are now receiving medical attention. “Government condemns the attacks and commisera...

Over a decade ago, Afro-pop singer, Soul E (real name is Emmanuel Okosi), dumped his promising music career, after a stormy breakup with his ex-wife, Queen Ure and a strained relationship with his former records label, Colossal Entertainment. Soul E announced that he had become a preacher and after hanging around Abuja for a spell, virtually vanished from the music scene. Later it turned out that he had relocated from Nigeria to a country in Southern Africa where he remarried and settled down to a new life as a pastor. The singer, in a recent interview with our correspondent, spoke glowingly about  Lesotho where he currently lives and works as a preacher. Claiming that he found that a better place in that country and a better life than what he was used to in Nigeria, Soul E said he had no regret whatsoever. “God has blessed me abundantly. I have no reason to complain. God exposed me to people who I never believed I could meet. Working for God opens doors for you. In my chu...

Update:: New details have emerged about a third Russian linked to the 2018 Salisbury poisonings by the investigative website Bellingcat. According to travel records revealed yesterday by Bellingcat and seen by CNN, the same man appears to have flown in and out of the UK and Catalonia multiple times in the run up to their referendums. Bellingcat claims that a man traveling under the alias Sergey Vyacheslavovich Fedotov—a name they claim was assigned to him by Russia's GRU military intelligence unit—flew into Britain from Moscow on March 2, 2018. Bellingcat says he travelled the same day as two other agents, whose real names were Anatoly Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin. All three had return tickets to leave the UK on March 4, the day former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned. Fedotov skipped his flight, Bellingcat claims, and made his way back to Moscow via Rome instead. The man known as Fedotov was born in Kazakhstan in 1973 and is marri...

Prof. Monday Igbafen, the Chairman of Ambrose Alli University (AAU) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has been suspended by university authorities over allegations of sexual assault. Igbafen, an Associate Professor of the Department of Philosophy, was suspended after his appearance before a disciplinary committee on allegations of sexual misconduct. This was made public in a statement signed by Edward Aihevba, the university’s spokesman, on Wednesday in Benin, Edo State capital. The statement noted that Igbafen had been arraigned before the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee (SSDC) on allegations of gross misconduct bordering on sexual harassment and threatening students to have sex with him in exchange for marks. According to the statement, Igbafen was found culpable by the university’s investigative panel. A relative of one of the victims had threatened to take the institution to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commi...

Update:: The Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi has declared Friday, Feb. 15 a public holiday to enable citizens travel to places they registered for the elections and vote. Umahi made the declaration while addressing newsmen in Abakaliki, noting that the directive was in conformity with the powers vested on him as the state governor. He said that the decision was to prevent such citizens from traveling on Saturday because of transportation challenge that might be experienced on election day. “Some people might have problems accessing transport to their various destinations while some vehicles conveying them might break down on the way. “It is then better for them to travel on Friday to have the latitude of going back to their locations and perform their civic responsibilities,” he said. Umahi wished Ebonyi people a wonderful outing during the elections, enjoining them to turn out en-masse to exercise their franchise. “I want you to come out in your numbers and give m...

Update::   A team of policemen on Thursday morning blocked the entrance to the Rivers State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Port Harcourt. The policemen had apart from cordoning off INEC office, mounted a roadblock on the lane close to the commission. The early morning blockade may not be unconnected with the planned protest of members of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State over the exclusion of their candidates from the general election by court pronouncements. Details later…

Update:: The musical talents of H.E.R. are undeniable. The mystical songstress was honored with a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist and won the Best R&B Album award, achievements that prove her gift to those who have yet to experience it. While her musicality is being celebrated, poetry is her first love. "I started writing the most silly rhymes when I was 5 [or] 6 years old," she told XXL. In school, I used to compete in poetry slams. There used to be a club in my hometown called Listen & Be Heard. That’s where I experienced spoken word. It made me approach my songwriting differently." Her appreciation for lyricism most likely informs the artists she gravitates towards. She named J.I.D. as one of the entertainers she is currently enjoying. In terms of collaborations, H.E.R. aspirations are also top-tier. "J. Cole is in like the top three people who I wanna work with. And Drake, for sure." She pointed to Drake's poetic skills a...

…alleges foreign nations aiding looters to bring in hard currencies to induce voters, undermine polls …Promises reward for whistle blowers with useful information By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor Ahead of the presidential election on Saturday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has threatened to arrest and prosecute any politician who engages in vote-buying in any part of the country. The Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, handed down the warning in a statement made available to Vanguard on Wednesday, announced a special reward to Nigerians who would volunteer information on those buying or encouraging vote-buying during the polls. INEC seeks improved participation of women in electoral process Although the chairman did not specify the amount for each whistle-blower on voter-buyers, Magu made it clear that those who give out cash and those who receive the cash to undermine the electoral process would be treated as common criminals wherever they ma...