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This is how US takes into custody two pretentious Nigerian Instagrammers ‘with $40m’
One of the pretentious Nigerian name Olalekan Jacob Ponle was arrested in may after his 29th birthday, he posted a picture on his Instagram standing next to a bright yellow Lamborghini in Dubai.
“Stop letting people make you feel guilty for the wealth you’ve acquired,” he lectured, wearing designer jewellery and Gucci clothes from head to toe.
A month later, the Nigerian, who goes by the name “mrwoodbery” on Instagram, was taken into custody by Dubai Police for alleged money laundering and cyber fraud.
The most famous of the dozen Africans nabbed in the dramatic operation was 37-year-old Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, “hushpuppi” or just “hush” as he was known by his 2.4 million Instagram followers.
‘Police in the emirate say they recovered $40m (£32m) in cash, 13 luxury cars worth $6.8m, 21 computers, 47 smartphones and the addresses of nearly two million alleged victims.’
Mr Abbas and Mr Ponle were both deported to the US and charged in a Chicago court with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and laundering hundreds of millions of dollars gained from their cybercrimes.
The two have not yet been asked to petition and are presumed innocent until court proven guilty.
“I think there’s probably a certain arrogance when they believe they’ve been careful about maintaining anonymity in their online identities, but they live high on the hog and get careless on social media,” said Glen Donath, a former senior prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC.
Source___BBC
Local gov’t amendment bill postponed
The Local Government Amendment Bill of 2020 has been send to the National Assembly Business Committee.
The Speaker of the National Assembly yesterday open the way for a parliamentary discussion on the advantages and otherwise of the Local Government Amendment Bill after a long resistance from some opposition law-makers to that effect.
The amendment bill was discreetly sponsored by the parliamentary representative for Lower Baddibu constituency, Alhagie Jawara, on July 2nd but it generated an harsh discussion on Monday when parliament could not find a common ground as whether to subject it to a debate or not.
Speaker Mariam Denton nevertheless ruled that the parliament proceed to anatomize it.
‘Supporters of the bill took turns to argue that it would empower local governments through enhanced service delivery, autonomy, accountability among others.’
‘Nominated Member Majanko Samusa argued that the discussion over the amendment bill should not protract even for an hour and accused its opponents of double-standards and devoid of faith.’
Majanko prompted the deputies of the past amendment, regarding age-limit (vice president) that was ‘collectively’ played by the Parliament.
‘For Nominated Member Samusa, this smacks of hypocrisy, self-centredness, parochial partisan interest and lack of faith.’
“It is a political suicide to say no to the bill because councillors are the grassroots. Rejecting this bill will cost you your political life. It is a big shame for anybody who voted for the independence of National Assembly Members to reject this bill,” he vociferously argued.
Source___Standard Newspaper
IEC to decide Chairman Sonko’s fate
The Independent Electoral Commission will be deciding on the crisis in the Brikama Area Council chairmanship.
The chairman of Brikama Area Council Sheriffo Sonko was not long expelled by the United Democratic Party which act renders his elective seat vacant, according to the Local Government Act.
The Standard also contacted the chairman of the IEC Alieu Momarr Njai on the matter and his respond was :“We are going to meet on Wednesday to discuss Sonko’s dismissal from his party and his own letter reacting to the BAC vice chairman’s letter sent to us. I hope we will settle the matter once and for all.”
Mr Njai further make known that the electoral commission has some significant issues to address because “Sheriffo Sonko is saying that his deputy used another letterhead and has no authority to do that. The current chairman is also supported by sixteen councilors out of 28 councilors. This is why I deem it necessary to call a commission meeting to address the issue.
“But the law is very clear – if a chairman or a councilor is dismissed by his/her party the person automatically loses his/her seat. But the IEC should be notified by the authority the person is serving at the time of the dismissal,” Njai said.
He added: “They are asking me why Sheriffo Sonko, who is elected by 28 wards, should lose his job after being dismissed by his party – when lawmakers who are elected by one constituency will not lose their job when they are fired by their parties. This I cannot comprehend. But there is nothing I can do to correct that – the law is the law.”
“Many APRC members of the National Assembly lost their seats under the former regime through the application or misapplication of this provision.
But in December 2017 lawmakers passed a bill repealing section 91(1)(d) of the Constitution to protect themselves from losing their jobs when they are fired by their political parties.”
Source___Standard Newspaper
GAMBIAN SENIOR NURSE DIES FROM COROA VIRUS
The Gambia has confirmed its first novel Covid-19 case among healthcare workers after a senior nurse catch the virus.
‘The nurse, who worked at the country’s main referral, EFSTH, passed away.’
It is the country’s third registered Covid-19 death since the first case was recorded back in March.
*As said by the ministry of health, the senior nurse, 50, in addition to having had an underlying health condition, was a known diabetic and had also severe pneumonia-like symptoms. A sample was only collected from him after his demise on the 4th of July and a positive test result returned on 5th July.*
For now,, three other cases were recorded which took the country’s toll to 61. Two of them are Belgian couple, both 64, who arrived on SN Brussels flight in late June. The other one is a UN staff of Gambian nationality, 45, who arrived on a WFP-chartered flight from Liberia.
The country at the moment has 341 people in quarantine; 31 active and 8 probable cases.
The ministry said one of the challenges now is escalation of COVID-19 among healthcare workers, while mentioning low staff precautionary measures due to the absent of incentives and the non-payment of allowances, frequent power outages in the PHEOC due to the depenance on NAWEC, as other stumbling blocks.
Source___Standard Newspaper
Cabinet desires president’s total control of Secretary General
Opposite to the purpose of the draft constitution for greater liberty to be divested in the head of the civil service, President Barrow’s Cabinet has desired that the Secretary General should remain under the supervision of the President.
The CRC, in its draft has said that the secretary general “shall not, in the performance of his or her functions, be subject to the direction or control of any other person or authority…”
Nonetheless, looking at its stand on the draft constitution in a document seen by The Standard, the Cabinet told CRC to “delete” such a provision giving liberty to the secretary general and head of the civil service to act on his or her own accord.
“Delete this provision because the secretary general works under the President and undertakes assignments given to him or her by the President,” the Cabinet paper demanded.
“He or she cannot be divorced from presidential supervision, direction, control or authority,” it added.
“The position of a CEO should also be performance-based and since the president retains ultimate responsibility for the performance of public enterprises, it is essential for him to retain the power of removal,” the paper observed.
The Cabinet endorsement was sent after the disclosing of the first draft, the CRC did not include the recommendations in the final draft which was sent to the president and has since been published.
Source___Standard Newspaper
President Barrow should take action against tribal insults says, Manding Network
A group of Gambians, called Manding Network, with membership across the globe has written to President Adama Barrow urging him to take immediate action against people who inadvertently insult tribes for no significant reasons.
“This nonsense has to stop. The government through law enforcement agencies must intensify their intelligence coordination to swiftly arrest such deviants, isolate them and subject them to the full force of the law,” a letter signed by diaspora president Lamin Anta Jajur shared with The Standard stated.
“We can no longer afford to remain silent for fear of characterisation. We stand to be counted, to condemn this relentless superfluous diabolical diatribe against any tribe in The Gambia. We will no longer stand doubtfully and allow criminals insult any tribe.
We will not be silent out of correctness. Wrong can never be right and something must be done about this according to law,” the group added.
The letter further added: “The Gambia Government through the Ministries of Justice and Interior must ensure that these criminals are identified, arrested and prosecuted. Our criminal justice system must adequately respond to this dangerous trend to avert a potentially more serious threat. An attack against any ethnicity is an attack against all. Tribal bigotry and hostility must not be permitted, and the frequent targeting of the Mandinkas is unacceptable. All futile efforts at hate and contempt shall remain odious.”
The group urged the government to issue a statement of sanction and set the conversation against the promotion of ethnic tension and division in the country.“That will demonstrate to us the government’s attitude towards this specific and similar tendencies in the country. The Gambia’s future peace and stability will be at risk if we do not effectively address and tackle this dastardly propensity head on now,” the group added.
Source___Standard Newspaper
US says international students must leave if classes are online
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) branch of the Department of Homeland Security in US issued new rules for exchange students to leave in order to prevent challenges for universities and schools amid the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
The “Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States”, ICE’s highly anticipated new rules said.
Students who are already in the US and whose programmes have switched to online-only instruction must “depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status”, the rules continued.
“If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings.”
President Donald Trump also said on Monday that US “schools must open in the fall” – a decision over which he has less power.
Schools in the US are largely under the jurisdiction of state and local governments in which the President have limited powers.
“SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL!!!” Trump wrote in a Twitter post.
Source___Aljazeera
Paramount Iraqi specialist on armed groups shot to death in Baghdad
A paramount Iraqi expert on jihadist and other armed groups has been shot dead in the capital, Baghdad.
Hisham al-Hashimi, 47, was killed near his home in the Ziyouna district yesterday night by two gunmen who were riding a motorbike, according to the police report.
No t none which group us behind the killing, but he had reportedly received threats from Iran-backed militias.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, whose government he advised informally, blamed groups “outside the law”.
“We vow to his killers that we will pursue them so they are justly punished. We will not allow assassinations to return to Iraq for a single second,” a statement said.
The US embassy in Baghdad said in a Facebook post that it was “deeply shocked and saddened by the cowardly murder”.
“Our deepest condolences to his family and to the people of Iraq for the tragic loss of this Iraqi national treasure. We call on the Iraqi government to bring those responsible for his murder to swift justice.”
UN special representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert also expressed shock.
“We strongly condemn this despicable act of cowardice,” a statement said.
Source____BBC
15 Killed In Fresh Katsina Attack in Nigeria
Bandits have killed at least 15 farmers at Yar Gamji village in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State in Nigeria.
Inhabitants in the affected community discloses to Channels Television that the victims were killed while working on their various farmlands around 10: am on Monday.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Gambo Isah, said, “It’s true that 15 people were killed in an attack in their various farmlands far away from Yar Gamji.”
He further make known that the bandits numbering over 200 came on motorcycles armed with AK-47 rifles, adding that they pursued the farmers to the forest, shooting and killing them.
“The bandits numbering over 200 came on motorcycles armed with AK 47 rifles pursuing them (the farmers) even to the forest, shooting and killing them.
“A mop up after revealed the 15 corpses. At present, our people are on ground and I am expecting a detailed report on their confrontation with the bandits,” he added.
Source___Channels TV
Federal Government of Nigeria Set To Shut Third Mainland Bridge For Six Months
The Federal Government of Nigeria is set to shut the Third Mainland Bridge for six months starting from Friday, July 24.
This was disclosed by the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olukayode Popoola.
According to him, consultations are ongoing for another phase of repair works to begin on the 11.8km bridge.
The bridge has gone through a series of repair works and was last shut in August 2018 for a three-day investigative maintenance check.
There have also been reports of some worn-out expansion joints on the structure, raising concerns over the state of the bridge.
This development will force motorists in Lagos who ply the bridge to begin making arrangements for alternative routes.
Source___Channels TV
D5 Creation