₦airaland Forum

Nigerian-British actor David Oyelowo, says he has granted leadership scholarship to five freed Chibok girls who were abducted by Boko Haram on April 14, 2014. The Oscar nominated actor, born in England to Nigerian parents, is best known for his portrayal of Martin Luther King in the award winning movie ‘Selma’ in 2014.

Oyelowo announced this via his instagram page @davidoyelowo with a photo of the scholarship recipients where he wrote: “Proud to present the glorious recipients of the David Oyelowo Leadership Scholarship; they survived terror at the hands of Boko Haram, now the journey toward their true destiny has begun. Speaking further on the essence of the scholarship, Oyelowo said, “We cannot stand idly by while thousands of innocent girls remain under serious threat. “With our help, these bright and resilient girls can blossom into Nigeria’s most inspiring leaders in government, education, business, entertainment, and so much more. “That is what these Leadership scholarships are all about. We seek to nurture a generation of strong female trailblazers whose positive impact will be felt across Nigeria and around the world”. The actor said he made the donation under the auspices of David Oyelowo Leadership Scholarship in conjunction with the GEANCO Foundation which donates critical supplies to schools in Nigeria. The Hollywood actor’s scholarship scheme is aimed at providing life-changing scholarships to young female victims of terrorism and gender inequality. Oyelowo plays an active role in selecting its recipients and raising money to ensure its continued success. The scholarship, which started with preliminary plans in August 2015, has so far been funded by the likes of The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, Participant Media and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon. He also played the role of a chess coach in ‘Queen of Katwe’ in 2016, beside his playing supporting roles in the films ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ in 2011. Oyelowo recently starred as ‘Harold Soyinka’ in soon-to-be-released action comedy film ‘Gringo’.

Some suspected assassins on Wednesday clubbed to death a 62-year-old Igbo businessman, Mr. Vitalis Okoro, in Calabar, Cross River State, after chasing away his son.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the assailants, after killing Vitalis in the bedroom, dragged the corpse into his Toyota Sequoia and drove some distance away from the house on Anaku Street, in the Ikot Effanga Mkpa area of Calabar.



It was gathered that they abandoned the corpse after the fuel in the vehicle finished.

The slain businessman was a cement dealer who had a block moulding industry which later collapsed.

The victim’s three-bedroomed bungalow was said to have been built in an unfenced plot of land.

Our correspondent gathered that the assailants gained access into the house after destroying the burglar-proof window bars in the sitting room.

From the photographs made available to PUNCH Metro, Vitalis’ neck was tied with a blue piece of cloth, while there were several cuts on his body.

An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she heard a scream from the victim’s house around 4am, and shortly afterwards, some persons opened one of the doors, dragged the body into the parked car and drove out of the compound.

She said, “I heard someone scream at about 4am and when I peeped through the window, I saw his car outside. I didn’t know what was happening. Shortly afterwards, some people opened one of the house doors and dragged his body out. I guess they entered the building through the back.

“I wanted to call the police, but I did not have credit on my telephone line. Even if I had, I am not sure I would have achieved anything because they left shortly afterwards with his body in the vehicle. That means they had already killed him before bringing him out. I learnt in the morning that they chased the son out of the house before killing him.



“After the incident, my son called to inform me that they abandoned his corpse in the car. He said they left the key in the ignition.”

The younger brother of the deceased, Mr. Moses Okoro, said he learnt about the murder around 8am through a telephone call from a friend.

He said he immediately rushed to Vitalis’ house, where he met the abandoned car on the street with bloodstains in the back seat.

Moses said the victim was not in good terms with his wife who had been invited by the police and was being interrogated at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department of the Cross River State Police Command, Calabar.

He added that the victim’s block moulding business had shut down in Calabar and there were plans to relocate him to their hometown in Owerri, Imo State, when the incident happened.

“My brother was at loggerheads with his estranged wife in the last four years. She had three children for him. All attempts to bring them back together had failed because she refused. The police have already invited the woman for questioning.

“About two weeks ago, we concluded that he would relocate to Owerri and I would help him with a business, but after a while, he would sell his house in Calabar to support his new business life,” he said.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, confirmed the incident, adding that investigation was ongoing to unravel those behind the murder.

The world’s tallest man and the world’s shortest woman have met up in Egypt.

Sultan Kosen, from Turkey, is the tallest man on earth, according to the Guinness World Records, towering over the rest of us at a height of 8 feet 1 inch.

Jyoti Amge, from India, by contrast holds the title for world’s shortest woman at just over 2 ft tall.

ABUJA- The Senate has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency sack the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.

According to the Senate, failure to do that, it would henceforth not attend to nominations from the Presidency, just as it vowed that it will not in any way, jettison its earlier position on the EFCC boss. According to the Senate, the impasse would persist until its power of confirmation of nominees to the boards of commissions established by enabling laws, but not listed in the 1999 Constitution as amended was clarified. Senate spokesman, Sabi Abdullahi made this known on Thursday while clearing the air on the controversies surrounding its suspension of the confirmation of nominees from president Muhmmadu Buhari.

Do you have trouble losing weight? Or would you like to lose faster? You’ve come to the right place.
The sad truth is that conventional ideas – eat less, run more – do not work long term. Counting calories, exercising for hours every day and trying to ignore your hunger? That’s needless suffering and it wastes your time and precious willpower. It’s weight loss for masochists. Eventually almost everyone gives up. That’s why we have an obesity epidemic.

Fortunately there’s a better way. Get ready for effortless weight loss.

The bottom line? Your weight is hormonally regulated. All that’s necessary is reducing your fat-storing hormone, insulin, and you’ll effortlessly lose excess weight.

Below is a practical step-by-step guide to do exactly that.

Are you ready? Here we go.

Start at the top of the list (most important) and go down as far as you need. Perhaps you only need the first piece of advice?

Choose a low-carb diet
Eat when hungry
Eat real food
Eat only when hungry
Measure your progress wisely
Be persistent
Avoid fruit
Don't drink beer , Wine and alcohol
Avoid artificial sweeteners
Review any medications
Stress less, sleep more
Eat less of dairy products and nuts
Supplement vitamins and minerals
Use intermittent fasting
Exercise wisely
Achieve optimal ketosis
Get your hormones checked
Consider weight-loss pills (if desperate)