₦airaland Forum

UK-based Nigerian student sentenced to 10 years in jail for raping 17-year-old stranded teen

A 29-year-old Nigerian post-graduate student Chiemka Okoronta, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping 17- year- old girl who was stranded after a night bus service ended unexpectedly in Morley, Leeds with both requiring transport home to Bradford on 25 March.

According to reports from Bradford Crown Court the 29-year-old postgraduate student tricked her into sharing a taxi before luring her into his accommodation and attacking her in a locked toilet, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Okoronta, who was convicted of multiple r+pe offences, was told he was likely to be deported following his sentence. Okoronta, originally from Nigeria, must also serve three years on extended licence and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

The court heard the teenager’s phone d+ed after alighting the bus, with Okoronta offering to share a taxi to Bradford Interchange.

Prosecutor Graham O’Sullivan said the vehicle instead went to the defendant’s flat, with the teenager persuaded to go inside and subsequently locked inside a toilet.

Following the attack, the girl stopped a passer-by outside and use their phone to call police. In a victim impact statement read out in court, the girl said: “This incident has turned my life upside down. “I have flashbacks of what happened to me, I have nightmares - one minute I feel fine and the next minute it all comes back.”

Judge Sophie McKone told Okoronta: “I am satisfied that when you asked if she wanted to share your taxi to Bradford you formulated a plan that would get her back to your flat where you could r+pe her.

“You concocted a reason for her to come into your flat.” She added: “You are, I am clear, a dangarous sexual predator.” Det Con Sue Sutcliffe, of West Yorkshire Police, said: “I would like to commend the victim in this case for her immense bravery in coming forward straight away to report this horrific crime.

“I would urge anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence, to please report it to us so we can take action.”

"I'm Losing My Mind" – Regina Daniels Says Senator Ned Nwoko Got Her Two Siblings Arrested To Force Return

The actress, who has been at the centre of a marriage crisis that has played out publicly over the last week, lashed out at the senator’s insistence that she enter rehab.

Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels, has accused her husband, Senator Ned Nwoko, of masterminding the arrest of her elder brother and sister to coerce her into returning home and submitting to a rehabilitation programme.

“Someone pls help me! I feel like I’m losing my mind,” Regina wrote in a string of emotional Instagram stories that were widely shared online on Monday evening.

She continued: “I never thought I would do this but my big brother and big sister have been arrested, my baby sister might be arrested soon as well until I return and according to him, return to rehab.”

The actress, who has been at the centre of a marriage crisis that has played out publicly over the last week, lashed out at the senator’s insistence that she enter rehab.

“Don’t even get me started on telling the world what you did to me with your stupid rehab talk! You said I’m a drug addict… What other name can you call me? A prostitute? But I will speak on that one day and tell the world of your involvement with everything!”

Regina’s posts painted a picture of personal despair and humiliation

“I’m trying, I’m really trying to be the bigger person by not saying or doing anything… Leave my family alone Ned! And leave me alone too! It is obvious it’s war! And a big shame that the beautiful but short legacy we built is about to be ridiculed by the whole world.”

She also appealed to followers for sympathy, describing herself as “a hard girl” reduced to tears: “This is so freaking embarrassing! Hard girl like me crying.”

Confirming Regina’s claim, her elder brother, who posts as Sir.Sammywest on Instagram, wrote on his story: “Dem say dem na Ned send dem. Currently at Ogombo station,” signalling that the siblings were in police custody at the Ogombo police station.

The latest allegations come against the backdrop of earlier claims by Senator Ned Nwoko that Regina is battling drug and alcohol addiction, a contention he laid out in a public statement titled, “Regina’s Unprovoked Carnage And Rampage In My House And In My Absence.”

In that statement the Delta North lawmaker described what he called “violent behaviour and erratic conduct” by Regina.

The lawmaker said she must continue a rehabilitation programme or he fears for her life and safety.

He said he had proposed rehab either in Asokoro, Abuja, or abroad — specifically naming Jordan — where, he alleged, she would not have access to substances.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that a viral video showing Regina in visible distress, surrounded by relatives and aides, at one point fainting and crying that she “can’t stand the violence”, had fuelled public concern. In that footage she was heard saying: “In Ned Nwoko’s house, I am nothing, but in my own house, I am a Queen. Not again. I can’t stand the violence, it’s too much.”

Shame dressed me in isi agu this morning.

The post shares a screenshot of a U.S. congressman's tweet relaying President Trump's warning of potential military action against Nigeria for failing to curb Christian killings, juxtaposed with a Nigerian's satirical reply complaining about exorbitant Ibadan rents due to "POP ceilings," underscoring trivial personal woes amid grave national issues.

"Shame dressed me in isi agu this morning" uses the traditional Igbo male attire—symbolizing cultural identity and solemnity—to convey the author's embarrassment over Nigeria's religious violence drawing global condemnation, as evidenced by Trump's November 1, 2025, threats reported across major outlets like NPR and Reuters.

With over 1,000 likes and 47,000 views in hours, replies frame it as signature humor from @General_Oluchi
, a media consultant known for sharp cultural commentary, where users echo that "every man addresses what concerns him," blending levity with subtle critique of societal priorities.

Northern leaders move to restore regional unity and political strength with proposed 2026 summit ahead of 2027 polls.

Ahead of the 2027 general election, key northern stakeholders on the platform of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and the National Political Consultative Group (NPCG), have initiated moves to forge a united political front for the region, with plans to convene a Northern Unity Summit in early 2026.

The plan, according to the conveners, will rally traditional rulers, religious leaders and political actors across the 19 northern states to promote unity and collective political action reminiscent of the late Premier of the Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello’s era of inclusiveness.

Speaking at the NPCG expanded meeting held on Saturday in Abuja, the Director General of the Northern Elders Forum NEF, Prof. Doknan Sheni, said the first step towards restoring the region’s strength lies in addressing both internal and external factors responsible for its disunity.

Sheni, who spoke on the theme “The Imperative of Northern Unity Ahead of 2027 Elections,” warned that unless identity-related issues are properly managed, “the North, and by extension Nigeria, may continue to slide into deeper ethno-religious fragmentation.”

He urged northern leaders to launch massive enlightenment campaigns ahead of 2027 to reorient voters toward ideology, principles and credible party manifestos rather than emotional or sectional sentiments.

“If the north is to prepare and unite for the 2027 elections, there must be massive enlightenment programmes among the electorate so that the citizens vote based on ideology, principles and real manifestos of parties and candidates and not based on sentiments.

“There must be training of INEC staff, particularly the ad hoc staff, to know how to use the gadgets used in voting. INEC must build confidence in the populace in how they conduct and transmit election results. They must ensure there is transparency on how elections are conducted”, he said.

Calling for a Northern Leaders’ Summit in the first quarter of 2026, Sheni said the event would harmonise ideas and produce a Northern Development Blueprint, with representatives from each state contributing to a shared vision for political and economic advancement.

“For the north to unite towards the 2027 elections, there should be a summit of northern leaders sometime in the first quarter of 2026 or thereabouts to harmonise ideas and plan for the elections. The two major operating factors that influence voters’ election patterns religion and ethnicity must be addressed at that summit,” he noted.

Sheni cautioned against external manipulation of internal divisions, warning that political actors from other regions could exploit northern disunity to weaken its influence in national politics.

He said; “There may be other political interests by other Nigerians to wedge and exploit political, religious and ethnic differences within northerners so that they could get inroads into the region.

“If we permit these differences among us to be exploited by other politicians outside our region, then we have agreed to be permanently divided.

“We should do everything possible to narrow and minimise these differences. No matter the cause of the disunity, when we, northerners, close ranks and begin to treat one another with respect and justice, most of the issues causing disunity will disappear.”

The NEF DG emphasised that a cohesive political front was essential for the North to negotiate equitable representation, influence national policy direction, and strengthen its hand in resource and power-sharing arrangements.

He observed that Northern Nigeria continues to face disproportionate security threats, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and farmer-herder conflicts, which demand coordinated and unified regional responses.

“The Northern States Governors’ Forum, Northern Elders’ Forum, the Arewa Consultative Forum and traditional rulers’ forum should hold meetings to align regional strategies for security and development,” Sheni said.

He also urged renewed investment drives through initiatives such as the Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit (NNIIS), aimed at promoting public-private partnerships and tackling unemployment and youth restiveness.

Mike Arnold, former mayor of Blanco, Texas, escalates his public campaign against Nigeria's Sultan Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar III, questioning his 2003-2006 military intelligence role in Pakistan amid concurrent Nigerian-Taliban links and the rise of similar tactics in northern Nigeria.

The post highlights documented crises in the Sokoto Caliphate, including 99.8% of Nigeria's 2025 violence against Christians and Muslims per Open Doors data, and $9 billion annual illegal mineral extraction losses as reported by Nigerian lawmakers.

Despite the Sultan's dismissal of allegations as "baseless," Arnold's queries, now covered in Nigerian newspapers, urge direct answers to address international scrutiny from U.S. figures like Sen. Ted Cruz and President Trump.

Let's keep asking @sultan_ofsokoto these simple questions:

- What, if any, direct contact did you have with Al Qaida, ISIS, Taliban and other global jihad organizations while you were stationed as a Nigerian Brigadier General of Intelligence in Pakistan/Afghanistan during the war - at the same time Nigerian fighters were captured waging war alongside Taliban fighters? If you had contact, what was the nature of it?

- How is it that some of these same groups now operating in your caliphate?

- How do you explain that the tactics of these groups, beforehand not seen in Nigeria, came to your caliphate to be used against innocent Nigerian citizens concurrent with your return?

- Do you acknowledge the documented and now internationally recognized long-running mass killing and displacement of Christians and peaceful Muslims, of which 99.8% occurs in your historic caliphate?

- Do you want it to stop? What actions have you taken to stop it? Where are the fatwas against it? Where and when have you used your power to protect your citizens and subjects against these attacks?

- If you want it to stop, and it hasn't, are you fully impotent? Or is there another explanation?

- What about the looting of (per the Nigerian Govt.) at least $9B USD/year of minerals from the lands within your caliphate -- do you want it to stop? What actions have you taken to stop it? Do you personally benefit from it?

These are just a few simple questions. This would be just the warm-up in International Criminal Court. Why wait till you are possibly on the witness stand as a defendant to answer them? It would be easier for you to answer them now. And it would not be much more time consuming than to issue another ridiculous official response saying you're not going to respond.

Why keep these questions open if you have nothing to hide? If you are indeed innocent in all this, why not simply answer these questions and set the record straight?

Your silly "non" response, I'm told, was on the front page of 4 Nigerian newspapers today. Clearly I'm not alone in seeking answers to these simple questions.

You certainly don't need to respond to me directly -- simply issue a statement addressing these and clear the air once and for all. Why not?

And no, nobody in Nigeria or on earth trusts the supposed findings of the corrupt, compromised, and (some possibly) complicit Nigerian Senate. So please don't throw out that non-denial again.

The innocent people in your caliphate, Nigeria and the World deserve answers.

We will get them, one way or another.

Why are you so afraid to answer them now?

#AnswerTheQuestions

#SultanOfSilence

#EarthShaker

@SenTedCruz @realDonaldTrump @LauraLoomer @PBDsPodcast @FoxNews @joeroganhq @TomColeOK04 @RileyMooreWV

No one should use religion to lure you into their problems. The corrupt political class has failed completely and the U.S. and all NATO allied countries, surprisingly, including China and Russia are coming against them.

This should not be your problem but theirs.

Let them carry their crosses.

Imagine…

The post depicts a massive Nile crocodile, estimated at over 5 meters long, being hoisted from a tree by local handlers during what appears to be a trophy hunt in southern Africa, prompting the author's exasperated reaction to wildlife exploitation.

Trophy hunting of Nile crocodiles is legally regulated in nations like South Africa and Zimbabwe, generating millions in conservation revenue annually, yet it fuels local resentment toward foreign participants viewed as neo-colonial.

IUCN data shows Nile crocodile populations exceeding 250,000 mature adults continent-wide, with hunting quotas preventing overexploitation while studies, such as a 2020 review in Biological Conservation, link fees from such hunts to habitat protection in 70% of surveyed areas.

LONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles has stripped his younger brother Andrew of his title of prince and forced him out of his Windsor home, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday, seeking to distance the royals from him over his links to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Andrew, 65, the younger brother of Charles and second son of the late Queen Elizabeth, has come under mounting pressure in recent years over his behaviour and his ties to the late sex offender Epstein. Earlier this month he was forced to stop using his title of Duke of York.

Charles has now escalated his actions against Andrew by stripping him of all his titles, leaving him to be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
The Buckingham Palace statement said a formal notice had now been served on Andrew to surrender the lease of his Royal Lodge mansion on the Windsor Estate, west of London, and he will move to alternative private accommodation on the Sandringham estate in eastern England.
The decision by the king, who is still undergoing regular treatment for cancer, marks one of the most dramatic moves against a member of the royal family in modern British history.

PALACE SAYS THOUGHTS ARE WITH VICTIMS OF ABUSE

"These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him," the palace said. "Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse."

Andrew was once regarded as a dashing naval officer and served in the military during the Falklands War with Argentina in the early 1980s.
But he was forced to step down from a roving UK trade ambassador role in 2011, before quitting all royal duties in 2019 and then was stripped of his military links and royal patronages in 2022 amid allegations of sexual misconduct that he has always denied.

That year, he settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, who died in April, which accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager. Andrew has always denied her account, which has recently returned to prominence with the release of her memoir.

In her book, she said "entitled" Andrew believed it was his birthright to have sex with her.
A statement released by Giuffre's family members and carried by several media organisations said her family would "continue Virginia’s battle" and that all abusers and abettors connected to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell needed to be held to account.
Earlier this month, correspondence between Andrew and Epstein from 2011, published by the Mail on Sunday and The Sun, revealed Andrew telling Epstein that they should "keep in close touch" and that they would "play some more soon".

KING CHARLES MADE DECISION BUT HAD SUPPORT FROM WIDER FAMILY

A palace source said that while Andrew continued to deny the accusations against him, it was clear that there had been serious lapses of judgement. The source said the decision was taken by Charles but that the monarch had the support of the wider family, including heir-to-the-throne Prince William.
The decision to force Andrew to move away from Windsor was also significant after newspapers reported he had not paid rent on his 30-room mansion for two decades, after initially paying for renovations.

In a rare political intervention into the workings of the royal family, a British parliamentary committee had on Wednesday questioned whether Andrew should still be living in the house.

Polls show the royal family has been losing the support of younger generations for years. Charles, with the support of 43-year-old William, has acted to protect the institution, which experts say is the priority of any monarch.

In 1936, Edward VIII was forced to abdicate just over a year after ascending the throne so he could marry a divorced American socialite. He retained the title of Duke of Windsor but was largely banished from Britain.

Lagos demolitions to enforce law, not politically motivated, says commissioner


The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has defended the recent wave of demolitions across the state, insisting that the exercise targets environmental contraventions and illegal developments, not legitimate homeowners.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Tv on Sunday, Wahab dismissed claims that the government’s actions were politically motivated or aimed at displacing residents, stressing that enforcement was necessary to restore order and protect flood-prone areas.

“I don’t demolish; I remove contraventions — that’s what the law allows me to do.

“For Ikota, for instance, they encroached on the Ikota alignment. Ikota is a river that discharges into the Lagos Lagoon.

Did You Know A Tribe That Exhumes The Dead For Joy?| Punch0:00 / 1:01

“We engaged them for weeks and months, but they chose to be blatant. That was why those structures had to go,” Wahab said.

He explained that the state government had issued repeated warnings before carrying out the operation, noting that developers ignored directives to vacate the floodplain.

On the demolition at Oworonshoki, the commissioner said the affected communities had long been notified of government’s plan to regenerate the corridor through the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority.

Addressing public outrage over the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex demolition, Wahab accused some political actors of mischief and deliberate misinformation.

“Some people are just playing politics, and they are being mischievous — shamelessly too. There was a Supreme Court judgment over two decades ago that you cannot build without approvals from the state. Trade Fair cannot be an exception to that law..

“People were served notices over a year ago not to build. They assaulted and detained government officials.

“At some point, we had to say, enough is enough. We must separate emotions and politics from enforcement,” Wahab added.

PUNCH Online earlier reported that the Lagos State Government had in recent weeks demolished several structures across the state, including duplexes along Ikota River in Eti-Osa, buildings at Oworonshoki, and more than 19 structures at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo.

The demolitions were jointly carried out by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, and the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, accompanied by armed security operatives.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Oluyinka Olumide, said the government’s actions were backed by a 2003 Supreme Court judgment and the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law 2019 (as amended), which empower the state to enforce planning regulations regardless of land ownership.

Olumide had previously cautioned political figures, especially from the South-East, against misrepresenting the demolitions as ethnically targeted, describing them as part of a wider enforcement drive covering Pelewura Market, Alaba Rago, Otumara, LSDPC Ilasan Estate, and other locations.

At Oworonshoki, protests broke out after residents claimed that demolitions continued despite a court injunction restraining the state from further action. Police operatives were later deployed to restore order after demonstrators blocked a section of third Mainland Bridge.

Access to electricity (% of population):

South Sudan: 5.4
Burundi: 11.6
Chad: 12.0
Malawi: 15.6
CAR: 17.6
Niger: 20.1
Burkina Faso: 21.7
Congo: 22.1
Liberia: 32.5
Madagascar: 39.4
Haiti: 51.3
Ethiopia: 55.4
Nigeria: 61.2
Kenya: 76.2


The post ranks countries by electricity access rates, revealing extreme disparities: sub-Saharan African nations like South Sudan (5.4%) lag far behind universal access in developed economies (e.g., USA, China at 100%), driven by poverty and conflict per IEA reports.

Global access reached 91% in 2024 per IEA data, a rise from 78% in 2000, yet stagnation since 2023 leaves 730 million—mostly in Africa—without power, hindering UN Sustainable Development Goal 7.

Replies expose nuances like Cuba's 100% access masking frequent blackouts from aging infrastructure, while coal dominates sources in emerging markets like India and Indonesia, raising environmental concerns amid electrification pushes.

On November 30, 1954, Ann Elizabeth Fowler Hodges became the first documented person to be struck by a meteorite. The 8.5-pound rock crashed through her roof in Sylacauga, Alabama, bounced off a radio, and hit her on the hip while she napped on her living room couch.

Details of the event:

The meteorite: The Hodges meteorite, as it became known, was a grapefruit-sized, 3.86-kilogram (8.5-pound) chondrite. It was part of a larger meteor that fragmented as it entered the atmosphere.

The incident: Hodges, a 34-year-old housewife, was resting under quilts on her sofa when the object struck. The impact left her with a severe, grapefruit-sized bruise on her thigh and side, but she was otherwise unharmed and able to walk.

Aftermath and ownership dispute: The incident made Hodges a celebrity, though she was a private person and disliked the attention. A legal battle ensued with her landlord, Birdie Guy, who claimed ownership of the space rock because it landed on her property. After a year-long dispute, Hodges and her husband bought the meteorite from the landlord for $500.

Emotional toll: The experience and resulting media scrutiny took a severe toll on Hodges's mental health. She reportedly suffered from nervous distress and the incident strained her marriage. She and her husband divorced in 1964, and she died in 1972 at the age of 52 from kidney failure.

Where it is now: Feeling overwhelmed by the experience, Hodges ultimately donated the meteorite to the Alabama Museum of Natural History in 1956.

While there have been other claims of people being hit by meteorites, the Hodges case is the only one in history that has been officially confirmed.

EXCLUSIVE: Soldiers Raise Alarm As Nigerian Army Forces Them To Work With ‘Repentant’ Boko Haram Fighters They Don’t Trust

According to multiple military sources who spoke exclusively to SaharaReporters, the soldiers said their commanders were forcing them to patrol, share intelligence, and even live in the same camps with former Boko Haram members who “surrendered” to the government despite deep distrust and repeated cases of betrayal.

Several Nigerian soldiers have expressed anger and fear over what they described as a dangerous policy by the Nigerian Army compelling troops to work alongside ‘repentant’ Boko Haram fighters in parts of Yobe and other states in the Northeast, SaharaReporters has learnt.

According to multiple military sources who spoke exclusively to SaharaReporters, the soldiers said their commanders were forcing them to patrol, share intelligence, and even live in the same camps with former Boko Haram members who “surrendered” to the government despite deep distrust and repeated cases of betrayal.


“In our camp, we have repentant Boko Haram members; those ones that surrendered. They are working with us. We go on patrol together so that they can give us information about Boko Haram fighters still hiding in the bush,” one soldier said.

The source explained that the arrangement, which was introduced as part of the Nigerian military’s counterinsurgency strategy, has left many soldiers uncomfortable and suspicious.

“There are normal vigilantes, and there are repentant Boko Haram,” the soldier continued.

“Some of these people help us navigate the bush because they know the terrain, but we don’t trust them. Many of them have run back to the bush to rejoin Boko Haram after gathering information from us. That’s why we don’t believe they are truly repentant.”

Another source disclosed that, while not all army camps have “repentant fighters,” those that do are given separate accommodation within military bases and are supported by both the army and state governments.

“They gave them motorbikes and even allow them to wear army uniforms,” the soldier said.

“If they run away, they can use the uniform to commit crimes. That’s why you see some of them wearing our uniforms outside.”

The soldiers alleged that both the Yobe State Government and the Nigerian Army are providing the ex-fighters with food and stipends.

SaharaReporters learnt that such benefits have caused resentment among regular troops who risk their lives daily.

“The state government pays them salaries, and the army also feeds them whatever we eat in the camp,” another soldier explained.

“We know them among the normal vigilante groups. Only our senior officers know their real numbers. We, the field soldiers, don’t like them, but our commanders say we must work with them. We have no choice.”

Military sources disclosed that some of the ‘repentant’ Boko Haram fighters have been integrated into army operations at locations including the 27 Task Force Brigade in Buni Gari, Yobe State, and Kukareta Camp, headquartered in Damaturu, Sector 2.

“We can never trust them,” one visibly angry soldier said. “These are people who killed our colleagues and civilians. Then one day, they say they have surrendered, and the government forgives them just like that. Now we are forced to work with them. It doesn’t make sense.”

The policy of reintegrating so-called ‘repentant’ Boko Haram members into society has sparked public outrage for years.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how no fewer than 13 ‘repentant’ Boko Haram members escaped with sophisticated weapons and motorcycles provided to them by the Borno State Government in 2024.

It was gathered that the ‘escaped’ repentant terrorists were being trained and equipped by the Borno Government for them to join the Nigerian military in the fight against insurgents in the state.

In July 2024, SaharaReporters also reported how the state government said it had reintegrated 8,490 ‘repentant’ Boko Haram members into society through the Borno Model process.

This is powerful. 👇

They called him "The Stupid"—and that's exactly what he wanted.

When Navy sailor Douglas Hegdahl was captured during the Vietnam War and thrown into the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison camp, he made a decision that would save hundreds of lives. He would play dumb.
Hegdahl acted confused, clumsy, harmless. His captors laughed at him. They gave him freedom to wander because they thought he was too simple to be a threat.
They were catastrophically wrong.

While pretending to stumble around, Hegdahl was secretly pouring dirt into enemy truck fuel tanks, quietly sabotaging their operations. But his greatest act of defiance was invisible: he began memorizing every detail about his fellow prisoners—names, capture dates, conditions—information the enemy deliberately kept hidden from the world.
256 names. 256 faces. 256 families who deserved to know their loved ones were alive.
How did he remember them all? He set the information to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm," singing it silently in his head, day after day.

In 1969, Hegdahl was released as part of a propaganda stunt. The North Vietnamese thought they were freeing a harmless fool.
Instead, they released one of the war's most valuable intelligence assets. The moment he reached American soil, Hegdahl delivered every name, every detail, ensuring that 256 prisoners would not be forgotten.
Sometimes the most powerful weapon isn't strength—it's the courage to let others underestimate you.

‘I kept saying I was 22 for three years’: Yemi Alade opens up about depression

She described the period as one of the darkest moments of her life.


Nigerian singer and songwriter Yemi Alade has opened up about her personal struggles, revealing how she fell into depression at some point.

The 36-year-old disclosed this during an interview with Nigerian filmmaker and TV host Chude Jideonwo, which he posted on his Instagram page on Thursday night.

She described the period as one of the darkest moments of her life.

The Ondo-born artiste also admitted that she once struggled to accept her real age.


The “Johnny” hitmaker noted: “There was a time someone asked me my age and I realised I kept saying for three years that I’m 22. Then I realised I was 25. I took out my phone and I did the mathematics. Whatever year that was, I did it from 1989. I was depressed for a few days.

“My mind was also not considering that years had passed, and I was so invested in my world. I had secluded myself and only focused on music. Now and then I would travel to see my mum, maybe twice a year or something.”

Mental health
Additionally, the “Mamapiano” crooner revealed that the period also took a toll on her mental health.

“But it was mental that for three years I didn’t know my right age because I was lost in the source. And so when that dawned on me, what about when I saw my first grey hair? It was the same thing. The time had passed”, said the songstress.

The actress last made headlines in November 2024 when she accused Cool FM Nigeria and Clout Africa FM of blocklisting her for declining an invitation to their event.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that she revealed that in December 2023, Cool FM had invited her to perform at their end-of-year event, but she failed to honour the invitation.

Yemi Alade explained that she later contacted the stations to apologise but received a cold response.

She added that she had been unaware that Cool FM and Clout Nigeria management had taken offence over the incident.

She claimed this led to her music being blocked on both platforms for almost a year.

Yemi Alade further expressed her shock that her entire music catalogue had been removed from the stations’ playlists, effectively preventing her past or present songs from being aired.

dfrost:
Reap'rite? Una no see the name? Reap

EFCC arraigns Lagos fintech CEO, firms over alleged ₦442m theft


The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Ayodele Toyosi, alongside his companies, Reaprite Global Limited and Agrorite Limited before R.A. Oshodi, Justice of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, over alleged theft and fraud totalling ₦442,717,808.20.

Toyosi, who is the chief executive officer of the two firms, was docked by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, on separate charges, a 17-count and a 4-count charge, bordering on stealing, obtaining by false pretence, and issuance of dishonoured cheques.

According to the EFCC, between October 2022 and October 2023, Toyosi and his companies allegedly diverted funds belonging to investors and cooperatives, including individuals such as Chizim Esther Asiagwu and organisations like Bristow Staff Cooperative Multi-Purpose Society Ltd.

One of the 17-count charges reads: “That you, Ayodele Toyosi, Reaprite Global Limited and Agrorite Limited, sometime between October 2022 and October 2023 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court, dishonestly stole and converted the aggregate sum of ₦212,000,000.00 and $5,000.00, property of Chizim Esther Asiagwu and others, thereby committing an offence of stealing contrary to Section 280(1)(a) and (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, and punishable under Section 287 of the said Law.”

Another of the four-count charges alleges that Toyosi and his companies stole and converted ₦655 million belonging to Bristow Staff Cooperative Multi-Purpose Society Ltd and Udekwe Stella Nnenn between 2022 and 2023.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Following their pleas, EFCC counsel A.A. Usman asked the court for a trial date and requested that Toyosi be remanded in a correctional facility pending trial.

However, defence counsel Oladapo Hamzat prayed the court to allow Toyosi to continue enjoying the bail granted to him in a separate case before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of the same court.

In his ruling, Oshodi granted bail to Toyosi in both cases in the sum of ₦200 million, with two sureties in like sum.

The court stipulated that the sureties must own landed properties with registered titles in Lagos State, to be verified by the court’s registrar.

The EFCC was also mandated to notify the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) within seven days that Toyosi’s passport is in the court’s custody.

The case was adjourned to December 8 and 10, 2025, for the commencement of trial.

Dele Oyewale, Head of Media and Publicity for the EFCC, confirmed the arraignment in a statement issued on Thursday.

PRESS STATEMENT

ANY ATTEMPT TO DETAIN OMÓYELE SOWORE WILL BE MET WITH MASS RESISTANCE

We have received credible information that the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has invited our comrade and convener, Omoyele Sowore, reportedly in connection with the ongoing #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest and other legitimate acts of political expression. Sowore has since honored the invitation but is yet to return.

We wish to categorically warn that any form of detention, harassment, or intimidation of Sowore by the Nigeria Police Force or any arm of the Tinubu regime will be met with an immediate, nationwide mass action.

Sowore is not a criminal; he is a renowned human rights activist and a voice of conscience for millions of oppressed Nigerians who continue to suffer under a corrupt and tyrannical system.

The Tinubu-led regime must understand that this is not 1984, and Nigerians will not sit idly while their rights to dissent and protest are trampled upon.

The right to peaceful protest is constitutionally guaranteed, and no regime, no matter how desperate, can take it away.

Let it be clearly known: if Sowore is not released immediately and unconditionally, the Take It Back Movement, alongside progressive organizations across the country, will mobilize citizens for sustained protests and civil disobedience actions until he regains his freedom.

We hold the Commissioner of Police, the Inspector General of Police, and the Tinubu regime fully responsible for the safety and well-being of Omoyele Sowore.

Signed:
Sanyaolu Juwon
National Coordinator, Take It Back Movement
23rd October, 2025