Red dress controversy: Mercy Aigbe breaks silence

Nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe has finally spoken on the controversial red dress she wore for her 40th birthday photo-shoot.
The actress on her Instagram page said she contacted a stylist who got her all the clothes for her birthday and had no idea that the dress belonged to someone else let alone a bride.
She wrote, “I have followed events as they unfold following a particular dress I wore for a photoshoot. First, I must say that I sincerely sympathise with the bride as this situation is painful, unfortunate and regrettably avoidable.

Buhari appoints substantive DG for NIA

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday approved the appointment of Ahmed Rufai Abubakar as the substantive Director-General for the National Intelligence Agency.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the new DG is a retired career Foreign Service officer, who till his appointment served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs/International Relations.
Adesina said Abubakar’s appointment took immediate effect.

Atiku’s son loses children’s custody to estranged wife

A Lagos State Magistrates’ Court at Tinubu, Lagos Island, on Wednesday ordered Fatima Bolori to take full custody of the two children she had with Aminu Atiku, a son of a former Vice-President, Abubakar Atiku.
Bolori and Aminu have become estranged.
The court’s order followed arguments by Bolori’s lawyer, Mrs. Gloria Albert-Ekpe from Festus Keyamo Chambers, that she should be granted the full custody of their two children – Ameera, 9, and Aamir, 7.

Atiku’s son loses children’s custody to estranged wife

A Lagos State Magistrates’ Court at Tinubu, Lagos Island, on Wednesday ordered Fatima Bolori to take full custody of the two children she had with Aminu Atiku, a son of a former Vice-President, Abubakar Atiku.
Bolori and Aminu have become estranged.
The court’s order followed arguments by Bolori’s lawyer, Mrs. Gloria Albert-Ekpe from Festus Keyamo Chambers, that she should be granted the full custody of their two children – Ameera, 9, and Aamir, 7.

As Victor Umeh goes to the senate

Ejike Anyaduba

Few days hence, 14^th of January 2018 to be precise, the void in the central senatorial district of Anambra state will cease to exist. On that day every wrong act since the senatorial election was held nearly three years earlier will be put right. Though there may be one or two persons still working surreptitiously to have the anomaly continued, and a cheerless few drumming up support, but the day will spew out all lost opportunities and put an end to the years of unreasonableness.

Man dies as bulletproof charm fails

A native medicine seller in Katsina State, Usman Saidu, has been remanded in the prison custody in connection with the death of a 27-year-old man, Aliyu Yahuza.
Yahuza, it was learnt, died after being shot with a dane gun.
The deceased was said to have drunk a ‘bullet-repelling’ concoction prepared by the native doctor, who assured him that he could not die from gunshot.

Death toll hits 25 in Nasarawa’s herdsmen, farmers’ crisis

No fewer than 25 persons have reportedly been killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen in some villages in the Awe, Keana and Doma Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State.
It was learnt that the suspected Fulani herdsmen had continued killing persons sighted on roads or on their farms.
Investigation revealed that the Keana LGA recorded the highest number of deaths, followed by the Awe LGA where the herdsmen reportedly lay siege to major roads to attack their victims despite several calls for calm by the government and prominent individuals in the state.
A journalist with the Daily Times, Mr. Augustine Kuza, who went to find out the situation on the ground in Kuduku in the Keana LGA of the state, narrowly escaped death.

Bollywood star evicted from Paris flat over unpaid rent

A French court has ordered that Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat be evicted from an apartment in a posh part of Paris for failing to keep up with the rent.
In a December 14 ruling seen by AFP on Tuesday, the court told Sherawat and her French husband Cyrille Auxenfans to pay 78,787 euros ($94,000) in rent owed and expenses, giving the green light for their furniture to be seized.

Ex-perm sec forfeits N664m, $137,680 to FG

The Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday ordered a former Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Clement Onubuogo, to forfeit to the Federal Government the sums of N664,475,246.6 and $137,680.11 found in his bank accounts.
Justice Saliu Saidu gave the forfeiture order in response to an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

‘Don’t blame hospital for journalist’s death’

The Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Azeez Adeduntan, on Tuesday said the death of Fresh FM radio presenter, Femi Oluwajobi, should not be blamed on the inability of Adeoyo State Hospital to admit him for treatment when he was brought to the hospital.
Oluwajobi died after he was hit by a driver on the night of December 31, 2017, on his way to church for the  New Year’s Eve service. He was taken to the hospital, but was transferred to the University College Hospital, Ibadan, where he was confirmed dead. Since his death, the public have castigated the state government for not funding the hospital.