Nigerian And World News

Saturday, October 31

Will the real Leonardo DiCaprio please stand up!

People on the internet are going crazy after realizing that a guy from Sweden looks nearly identical to actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Konrad Annerud is a regular 21-year-old bartender from Sweden but if you look closely you will notice that he looks a lot like a younger version of Leonardo.

Konrad

Annerud said: "I get to hear that I look like him quite often, especially since I work as a bartender in a nightclub." "It's fun to look like him, I mean, he's handsome". Then he added that: "It can be quite annoying sometimes when people call me 'Leo' instead of my real name."

Leonardo

Konrad

Jaden Smith says 'being born was the most influential thing that has happened' to him

17-year-old Jaden Smith's (son to Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith) went on yet another bizarre rant after being named for the second year in a row as one of Time's Most Influential Teens, Jaden said;

"Being born was the most influential thing that's ever happened to me. As far as people, what they think is influential, like I said, the thing that you can make the most of and laugh at the most is whatever would be the most influential to the pop culture of the world. When they don't understand something, they're afraid of it, and if they don't understand it, they don't accept it or like it." he said

He added:

"There's been so many things we don't understand like Galileo saying the Earth is not the center of the universe, it's actually the sun that we revolve around. Everybody thought that he was crazy! People don't understand the level of science that he was putting forth into society. You can't blame these people that don't understand."

"People didn't understand the level of science that he was putting forth into society. You can't blame these people that don't understand.'

This isn't the first time Jaden has compared himself to Galileo. Earlier this month, he said the same thing to GQ after revealing that it's "fun" to make people's heads spin.

Osinbajo holds meeting with Canadian and Italian Ambassadors

VP Yemi Osinbajo yesterday had meetings with the Canadian ambassador Perry Calderwood and Italian ambassador Fulvio Rustico at the state house Abuja. Continue to see more photos below;

Lamar Odom's kidney miraculously improves, no longer needs dialysis

Just yesterday it was reported that the former basketball player needs a a new kidney and will be on 6 hours of dialysis daily but as of this morning, he has miraculously healed and doesn't need this anymore... at least this is according to TMZ. Read their report below...

Lamar has made a shocking turnaround... his kidney's have improved so much he'll be off 6 hours of daily dialysis and he won't need a kidney transplant... TMZ has learned.

We're told the big hurdle for days has been Lamar's kidneys and they've responded so well in the last 48 hours they've moved him from the ICU where he was getting dialysis in a private room.

Doctors told Lamar his kidney problems were life-threatening, and they told him they're surprised at the dramatic improvement.

Lamar is on the floor where hospital staff performs physical therapy. We're told Lamar's motor skills are impaired from the strokes, and he'll undergo increasingly rigorous therapy to regain function.
We're told the Kardashians are happy about the news, with one big caveat... Lamar's now able to make his own decisions, and he hasn't necessarily chosen wisely during the last few months.

Court of Appeal dismisses Saraki's appeal

The Abuja division of the court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal filed by senate president, Bukola Saraki challenging his trial by the Code of Conduct Tribunal. The appeal court dismissed all 5 issues raised by Saraki in the appeal. Two of the three panel of judges ruled that his appeal lacks merit. This implies that the Code of Conduct will still go ahead with Saraki's trial.

Saraki is being tried on a 13 count charge of false asset declaration when he was Kwara state governor. He is expected to appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on November 5th.

Amaechi's confirmation: APC is engaging in a pretentious war against corruption says PDP

The PDP says that the confirmation of former Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi as a minster of the federal republic of Nigeria, has put a dent on APC's "pretentious war against corruption". The National Publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh said this after an extraordinary meeting with top PDP officials in Abuja yesterday night.

While addressing newsmen after the meeting, Olisa commended PDP senators for staging a walkout before Amaechi's confirmation. "We salute the courage and unity of purpose of our Senators, especially as demonstrated in the Senate chambers today in their collective stand against impunity and corruption in line with the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians".

Billionaire arrested for bank robbery he committed 16 years ago

There is this yoruba adage "Iyan ogun odun man joyan lowo" meaning (pounded yam prepared twenty ago could suddenly become hot, too hot to eat) those who do not understand the figurative meaning may justifiably disagree, because ordinarily, pounded yam does not have the capacity to be too hot when it is ready for dinning, let alone being kept for twenty years.

However, the adage fits it well into this scenario as the past of a billionaire has now robbed on his present.
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A powerful property tycoon in China has been arrested for robbing a bank 16 years ago and using the money to start up his massive empire now worth billions.

According to Peoples Daily Online, Shi, the 53-year-old was arrested last week in the central China's Zhumadian city for a crime he committed in December 1999.

At the time five armed suspects broke into a bank in the city of Zhengzhou, injuring two clerks and walking away with 2.8 million yuan (£290,000) in cash. On the morning of October 21, more than 80 undercover police investigators rushed to the Zhumadian, Henan province, and arrested five suspects including billionaire Shi.

Shi is said to be well known in Zhumadian for being an extremely powerful and successful property tycoon.

He runs a number of businesses including industrial real estates, development and trade companies, and leisure farms. All earning him a fortune. As well as property, he has billions invested in local businesses and often hosts regular charity events. All of this has influenced the community he lives in.

After he was arrested, Shi admitted to breaking into the bank armed with four suspects and stealing the money 16 years ago.

Shi told police, before the robbery in the early 1990's he was not satisfied with his income as a construction worker. So he gathered a group of guys who were working as painters for a 'secret job.'

Then for three months leading up to the raid they hatched a plan to rob the bank which included a well-designed escape route. Doing so they seriously injured a man was shot in the head and left in a pool of blood, and a woman. It is unclear what happened to her.

The whole process which involved the suspects dressed as business men took just five minutes.

It was a case that shocked the whole country as no one has ever been arrested since it took place in 1999.

Many of the investigators working on the case are now retired but they never gave up. From a list of 158 suspects they eventually narrowed it down to five 16 years later the Zhengzhou City Public Security Bureau held a press conference to confirm the mystery of the 1999 bank robbery had successfully been solved.

A vital piece of evidence in the investigation was a hammer that was used to brake the bullet proof glass during the raid.

The police managed to track down its manufacturer which led them to a market in Zhengzhou where they were sold. 24 had been bought in the time leading up to the robbery.

Investigators tracked down the whereabouts of 16 hammers which left eight unaccounted for, which eventually led them to the five suspects. The authorities in Zhengzhou said Shi - a construction project contractor who regularly hosted charity events - claimed most of the money from the robbery and used it to develop his real estate in the southern Chinese city of Zhumadian, earning him billions.

BVN: Banks To Deactivate Unregistered Accounts As Deadline Expires Today

Bank customers that are unable to obtain their bank verification numbers (BVNs) before the close of business this Friday would not be able to operate such accounts as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ruled out another extension of the deadline, which expires this Friday.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in collaboration with the Bankers' Committee had introduced the BVN on February 14, 2014. The initiative was aimed at ensuring unique identity for all bank customers and other users of financial services in the country by the use of the customers' biometrics as means of identification.

At the expiration of the initial estimated 18 months after the launch, a good number of bank customers were reluctant in registering, which led to commotion and stampede in banking halls across the country towards the end of the previous deadline. That confusion necessitated the call for the extension of the registration dateline by four months to October 31.

Data from the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS), showed that 20,833,635 bank customers had enrolled as at October 25, 2015.

Given the tradition of multiple accounts holding by an average Nigerian, which could be conservatively estimated at about two or three per an account holder, therefore, it could be safely assumed that over 40 million accounts might have been enrolled to BVN," the central bank explained on Thursday

Furthermore, some Nigerian banks' customers in the diaspora have taken advantage of more facilities provided for enrollment in more locations abroad.

It is evident that there has been less pressure in banking halls across the country which goes to buttress the fact that a greater percentage of account holders have been enrolled with the exception of those yet to link their accounts to their BVN," the CBN added.

The Deputy Director, Consumer Protection Department at the CBN, Mrs. Khadija Kasim, also urged those yet to be captured to do so before the deadline expires.

"The initial deadline was June 30th before we extended it to end of October. By now we expect all Nigerians to go before the expiration date and get their bank verification number. Please Nigerians, come out and ensure that you are registered for the exercise," she appealed.

We are totally loving these new photos of Tania Omotayo

Wizkid's bae, Tania Omotayo is so pretty! It's been a while she has been featured in the News, but we really feel like talking about her today :)

Even though she's not been talking about Wizkid on her page for sometime now, she is still glowing ;)

Pregnant woman, others faint in Ogun-Lagos traffic

The chaos along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, and Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Lagos State, on Thursday took a new dimension as some motorists stuck in traffic passed out.

Some of the motorists, which included a pregnant woman, were seen by eyewitnesses being carried out of their vehicles in frantic bids to resuscitate them.

The traffic congestions were said to have been caused by accidents involving trailers conveying goods on the roads. Although no life was lost in the two accidents, the trailers blocked the roads and rendered them impassable for hours.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway accident occurred around 5am at the Arepo U-turn.

An Iveco truck, with number plate, Kano XB 103 FG, conveying soya beans to Ibadan, Oyo State, crashed against the median at the U-turn.

It was learnt that the propeller of the vehicle had snapped and the driver had lost control of the truck when the accident happened.Our correspondent learnt that the traffic stretched as far as Ikeja, Lagos.

A victim, who asked not to be named, said he spent about four hours on the road and had struggled to drive himself safely to the office.

He said,

"I had got to Ikeja, when I realised there was traffic congestion on the expressway. I tried to drive through the inner roads, but as I was about to burst out at Berger, I discovered the road was completely blocked.

"I started feeling dizzy at that point but I tried to pull through and drive through the traffic. As I drove into my office compound, I lost control of myself and people started pouring water on my head."

A witness, who identified himself as Idris, said he observed a passenger in an interstate bus being fanned after she passed out.

He said,

"I was in a bus on the Warewa bridge when I saw people fanning a woman, who had passed out. I could not wait to see if she made it or not."

Another witness, Motunrayo, said a pregnant woman in a commercial bus was observed vomiting.

"She could not bear it any longer. She kept vomiting as people tried hard to save her. She vomited to the point that she became weak. I just hope she did not die," she said.

A road contractor, Arowolo Oloyede, said he had lost a contract worth millions of naira as a result of the traffic snarl.

He said, "I just lost a business worth millions of naira now. I have been on this road since 8am and I am just arriving at the accident point at 1pm. I think there is no point again. I have parked my car at the roadside and will be turning back."

2015 Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize: Late Dora Akunyili's daughter, Njideka Crosby is doing so well

Njideka Akunyili Crosby, one of the daughters of the late Dora Akinyuliis the 2015 winner of the tenth annual Joyce Alexander Wein ArtistPrize.

The Studio Museum in Harlem made the announcement on Monday, October 26, revealing that it was bestowing its Wein Prize - a $50,000 award won inthe past by esteemed artists like Lorna Simpson, Glenn Ligon and TrentonDoyle Hancock - to the Nigerian-born painter who has lived and worked inthe United States for many years.

According to Randy Kennedy in the New York Times, the prize - established by George Wein, a founder of the Newport Jazz Festival, in honor of his wife, Joyce Alexander Wein, a trustee of the museum who died in 2005 - has been given every year since 2006 to established oremerging African-American artists.

Ms. Crosby, 32, who recently moved to Los Angeles, has become known for large-scale paintings that depict African and American domestic scenes. The scenes are visually complicated with collage elements drawn from Nigerian lifestyle magazines, her own photo albums and the Internet, works that, as Smithsonian Magazine wrote.

China has ended its one-child policy and will allow all couples to have two children. This is driven by fears that an aging population could jeopardize the country's economic ascent and put too much pressure on the aged.

The Communist Party leadership ended its decades-old "one child" policy on Thursday, announcing that all married couples would be allowed to have two children.

The one -child policy was imposed by Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese leader in late 1979 and couples who break the family planning laws face losing their jobs and being fined. In some cases, mothers have been forced to abort their babies or be sterilized.

According to the National Health and Family Planning Commission, which enforces the policy,

Abolishing the one-child policy would "increase labor supply and ease pressures from an aging population," "This will benefit sustained and healthy economic development," the commission said.

Nigerian Woman Delivers Baby Boy After 21 Years Of Barrenness

Oh wow, God is great! One Mrs Mercy Onakpojeda just welcomed her bundle of joy, a bouncing baby boy after 21 years of childlessness. She took to her Facebook page to make the joyful announcement. See more photos below:

Toke Makinwa hits 250k followers on Instagram, read her testimony!

Media personality, Toke has just hit 250 thousand instagram followers and she just can't get over the milestone feat excitement. Read her messaged below:

"We are at 250k followers on Instagram! Yihaaaaaaa. You guys are the real MVP's. Some people might say it's only 250k but I don't sing, rap, act, twerk or to some people sef I don't even have talent. (it's ok) Thru it all God alone lifts my head. I have had the worst things said about me, people I know have tried to take food from my mouth but I remember at the start of my career, God told me "You will hold your peace Omotoke and I will fight for you". That is my secret. Thank you God that you are not MAN. I stay in my lane n I do me. Enough of the epistle, you guys rock! Yes I'm excited and yes it's not just Instagram.... It pays my bills too.

Oh by the way, she posted this earlier today:

Julius Agwu set to open Christian nightclub in Lagos

Ace Comedian, Julius Agwu, says he has re-dedicated his life to God after surviving a brain surgery.

The 42 year old has also vowed to live a Christian life from now after God gave him a second chance.

According to City People , he made it known that he would be opening a Christian nightclub called Believer's Lounge (Tabernacle)at Lekki in two months time.

He said there will be no alcohol and smoking in his lounge.

The Comedian is also going to launch a TV show which he calls C.E.O (Christian Entertainer's Outreach) and is to release a gospel song titled Second Chance.

Custom Officer's Wife Arrested for Buying 4 Day-Old Twin Babies for N500,000

Not actual photo

An officer of the Nigeria Customs Service and his wife have been arrested by the police in Ogun State for allegedly buying a set of 4 day-old twin babies for N500,000 in the Sango Ota area of the state.

Punch Metro reports that the officer, identified only as Azeez, and his wife were arrested by the Sango Police Division last Thursday and the babies recovered from them. They have now been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Command headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta.

Azeez had confessed to the crime in his statement to the police. He had allegedly paid the sum to
obtain the babies when his wife did not give birth to a second child after 23 years.

A police source told Punch:

"The incident happened last Thursday. The police got a tip-off that the couple had gone to Ibadan, Oyo State, to buy twin babies for N500,000. We then moved in on them and discovered it was true.

The twins were just four days old on the day of the arrest. We have not seen the parents yet.

The customs man said in his statement that he and his wife already had a child together but they had tried to have a second child for 23 years and so they decided to purchase the twins. The suspect told the police that he paid N500, 000 for the babies. The babies had been with the police until Friday, when they were transferred to Abeokuta.

The suspects were taken to the anti-kidnapping section of the SCID. It is possible that the parents of the babies connived with the suspects because they have refused to show up since the day of the arrest. But the babies are doing very fine."

The Ogun State Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the arrest. He added that investigations were still ongoing. He said:

"The arrest is true. The case has been transferred to the SCID, and it is being handled by the Anti-human trafficking department. The suspects are still undergoing investigation. During our investigations, we will get across to the parents and find out the circumstances that led to the disappearance of their babies.

We will also get across to the NCS authorities to show the level of complicity of their officer. I cannot disclose the suspect's name, because we are still investigating. He was arrested with the wife.

The Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, Ejesieme Uche, when contacted, referred PUNCH Metro to the Ogun Area Command spokesperson, Usman Abdullahi.

"He will be in a better position to confirm or debunk this," he added.

Abdullahi, however, had yet to reply to a text message sent to his phone on the incident as of press time.

British-Ghanaian actor and Omoni Oboli's co-star, Sam Sarpong commits suicide

Sam Sarpong, a British-Ghanaian actor known popularly for his role as a co-host of MTV's Yo Mamma is dead!

The 40-year-old star, who played a lead role in Omoni Oboli's 2010 movie 'Anchor Baby', reportedly jumped off a bridge in Pasadena, California.

Omoni Oboli expressed her grief on social media saying "Have mercy Lord!!! I have been balling my eyes out for the last hour! I can't deal with this! God knows I can't! My husband in the movie 'Anchor Baby' gone like that! I have never met a more positive guy in my whole life! He's the most genuine, God fearing, lovable character you'll ever meet. What is in this life now? all the hustle! Over! Just like that! I'm MISERABLE! God speed fam! Rest in the bosom of The Lord!"

His Yo Mamma pal Wilmer Valderrama also took to Instagram to express his grief "I am so sad & so confused.. Sam did it all, believed in dreaming bigger than anyone around him.. We made memories together that will last us forever, thank you for sharing your talent with me and the world.. You were a light everywhere you went and I couldn't be more proud of the journey you traveled.. You just left us too early Sam.. We will miss you and pray for you.. Once again thank you for all those years you dedicated to our show, we couldn't have done it without you! Find your peace my brother! And to everyone in a dark place.. PLEASE, please talk to someone.. Anyone.. Trust me that we WILL listen.. You are not alone, there are so many people that feel the same darkness, let's help one another, let us shine hope on all those that need our understanding!! Reach out to someone and make your first step towards living a life you deserve. My prayers and heart are with family and friends that were blessed to know his beautiful soul #RIPSamSarpong"

Bishop Mike Okonkwo's only child, Uche is getting married this November, whoop!

Dr. Mike Okonkwo, the founder and presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) and his amiable wife, Bishop Peace, are strategising and planning elaborately for the forthcoming wedding of their one and only child and daughter, Uche.

Pretty and cerebral Uche who graduated from the Oral Roberts University, Oklahoma, USA, will be saying 'I do' to her US based fiancé, Onyekachi Asugha, this November, in what promises to be a spectacular solemnisation.

Various committees and sub committees have been set up in the church to ensure a successful and hitch free wedding for Uche, the pride and joy of her proud parents.

We shall bring you exclusive scoops from the wedding!

Protest as teacher flogs student to death in Ibadan

Students of IMG Secondary School, Oke Ado, Ibadan, on Wednesday, went on rampage following the death of one of their colleagues allegedly flogged to death by a teacher.

Tribune Newspaper reports that the student slumped and gave up the ghost as a result of the severe punishment from a teacher for arriving late to school.

Invaluable properties of the school were destroyed by the students who took to protest before the members of Nigerian police force came to rescue the situation.

The identity of the deceased could not be ascertained as at press time while policemen had cordoned off the area.

An eye witnesses who claimed anonymity said;

"trouble started when the student arrived school after classes had commenced for the day, he reportedly told the teacher he came late due to illness."
"At that point," the eye witness added, "the principal, who was passing by asked the teacher the cause of the discussion."
The principal allegedly ordered the teacher to flog the student for coming late and in the process of the flogging, the student slumped. "All our efforts to save the student proved abortive,'' the eyewitness added.

No fewer than 10 fully armed policemen were seen on surveillance at the premises of the school with three of their vehicles parked near the school gates.

See How the Ooni of Ife entered Ile Ife in style

Ooni-elect, Prince Enitan Ogunwusi, entered Ile Ife in style yesterday. Among those who accompanied the Ooni-elect to Ile Ife on Wednesday were former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Oluwole Fasawe, Honourable Ojuolape Olagbaju, Chief Lekan Ijiyode and other dignitaries. Prince Ogunwusi is the successor of late Oba Okunade Sijuwade who passed on July 2015. See more photos below;