Just In: Fresh blood seen in coffin as Police Exhumes Mohbad’s Corpse

 

FELICIAAMOS BLOG reports that prior to the circumstances surrounding the death of Popular musician Ilerioluwa Promise AKA Mohbad who allegedly passed on the 12th of September, the Lagos police have finally exhumed the corpse of the talented singer.

The Lagos command PPRO, Ben Hundeyin confirmed it via his twitter handle. According to him, autopsy will commence immediately as announced earlier in order to assist them in their investigation about circumstances surrounding the sudden death of the musician.

It was later gathered from eye witness account that some fresh blood stains was sighted in his coffin during the process. Details later.

Death shakes Nollywood as three actors, technician die in one week

  

 

Feliciaamos writes on the deaths of three Nollywood actors— Murphy Afolabi, Adedigba Mukaila (Alafin Oro) and Obinna Nwafor (Saint Obi); and a sound technician known simply as Techno Sound, in a space of days.

When actors, filmmakers and fans woke up on Sunday (yesterday), they did not expect that they would be thrown into another round of mourning after crying in quick succession over the deaths of some notable personalities in the industry in the space of some days. But, that was exactly what happened when news filtered in that an actor and filmmaker, Murphy Afolabi, had passed on that morning.

Afolabi, who acted in Yoruba movies, was said to have fallen in the bathroom at his house in Ikorodu, Lagos, on Sunday morning, May 14, 2023.

A filmmaker and the president of a guild of Yoruba movie directors, Seun Olaiya, shared the sad news on a WhatsApp platform populated by filmmakers. He was corroborated by the Managing Director of the popular movie marketing company, Corporate Pictures Nigeria Limited, Abdullahi Abdulrasaq.

Olaiya wrote, “I swear to God just before the news, I was still hailing him. This is really a rude shock to me.”

A showbiz personality and convener of the Best of Nollywood Awards, Seun Oloketuyi, also confirmed the news to our correspondent. He said, “It is true. He passed away after taking a fall in his bathroom at his house in Ikorodu this morning.”

Another filmmaker, Tunde Ola-Yusuf, posted a picture of the late actor on Facebook and added the quote, “Rest in peace. May God give the family and close associates the fortitude to bear the loss. Good night, Murphy Afolabi.”

Yet another filmmaker, Fidelis Duker, wrote, “What is really happening? I am just watching him in a movie now.”

A film director and the organiser of the popular comedy show, ‘Night of a Thousand Laughs’, Opa Williams, added, “So, death is becoming this cheap?”

A veteran actress, Kofoworola Atanda, popularly known as Madam Kofo, wrote, “So sad. May the supreme Almighty Allah rest the gentle soul of actor, Murphy Afolabi, in absolute peace and grant his loved ones the grace to bear this unfortunate loss…Masha Allahu.”

Another actress, Dayo Amusa, expressed her grief on Instagram. Posting a picture of the deceased, she wrote, “We celebrated your birthday just a few days ago. I am deeply sad and shocked on hearing this sad news. Oku nsunkun oku (the dead is crying for the dead). Death is hard and cruel. I pray that may his soul rest in peace.”

Disbelievingly, a popular actor, Odunlade Adekola, posted a pitch-black image and added the caption, “Jesus Christ. We lost Murphy.”

A popular comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka, wrote, “I am in total shock. May God grant you eternal rest, Murphy.”

Actress, Liz Da-Silva, posted a picture of a lit candle on Instagram and added the caption, “Hmm…Murfiano, as I call him. Oku nsunku oku (the dead is crying for the dead). Rest in peace is so difficult to write, but I wish you a peaceful exit as you face your next journey that no human can explain.

History On The Menu: Hilda Baci, The Nigerian Who Cooked Her Way To A World Record

 

by Adeola Amos

When she turned on the cooker at 4:00 pm on Thursday, May 11 in the high-brow Lekki area of Lagos State, there was only one thing on Hilda Bassey’s mind: to break the world record in the cooking marathon.

It was a goal she set for herself even before the boisterous crowd cheered her on to a historic cook-a-ton in Nigeria’s bustling commercial city - Lagos.

“I am currently in the process of attempting to break a Guinness Book Record while setting a record in Nigeria because it has never been done here before,”  the chef said. Prior to embarking on this lofty goal, the record holder Lata Tondon cooked for 87 hours and 45 minutes in the Indian city of Rewa.

But for four days at the Amore Gardens in Lekki, the chef better known as Hilda Baci cooked over 100 mostly local dishes in her attempt to create a new world cooking record of 96 hours. She broke the record on Monday and reached the 96-hour mark at 4:00 pm on the same day. The Guinness World Records, however, said it was still reviewing her feat.

“We’re aware of this amazing record attempt, we need to review all the evidence first before officially confirming a record,” the nearly 68-year-old institution tweeted in response to a query. Hilda got a five-minute break every hour to rest and was allowed to accumulate it over time. Medics attended to her during the intervals and she also got foot massages to keep her going.

Expectedly, her historic move has turned her into a social media and a national sensation. For days, she’s been among the top trends on Twitter with her story making headlines around the globe. The country’s politicians and celebrities have in the wake of the development turned the venue into a Mecca of sorts.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State was among the first to storm the Amore Gardens — he did so on Sunday — where he extolled Bassey for her resilience and making the city proud.

Her dedication, passion for cooking as well as her desire to put our rich culture on the map by not only exhibiting our food but also the resilience, determination, energy, and team spirit that has come to be known as the spirit of Lagos and indeed Nigeria is truly remarkable,” the governor said about the winner of the 2021 Jollof Faceoff.

His visit came almost at the same time that the Akwa Ibom native got a call from Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

President Buhari on Monday also sent his regards to the chef while President-elect Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi, governors, and other personalities have also lauded her for creating the record.

As millions wait for the official confirmation of the records, Chef Hilda Baci hopes her “bold step” will “tell some of the positive stories that come from Africa through the meals that we make”.

Seun Kuti In Police Net, Handcuffed

by Adeola Amos

Seun Kuti, son of late Afrobeat Legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, is in handcuffs at the Headquarters of the Lagos State Police Command where he is under custody.

Kuti, a musician, not only verbally insulted a Police officer, but physically assaulted him. He pushed the officer who was in uniform a couple of times, and to the shock of onlookers, slapped him.

The incident, which happened on Saturday, along the Third Mainland Bridge, sparked a national outrage, and prompted the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to order for his arrest by the Lagos State Command. The IGP ordered that the ugly incident be investigated and Kuti, prosected.

On Monday morning, Kuti surrendered himself at the Police Command, and was quickly handcuffed.

He was accompanied to the State Command by  his Lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, and members of his (Kuti’s) family.

Kuti’s arrest, was confirmed by the  Command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a short statement released on his official social media handle.

Hundeyin promised that the Command would ensure that justice is served to all parties involved in the matter.

He added that investigations have commenced and would be transparent as the prosecution proceeds.

Said the statement, “Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti, in the early hours of today, turned himself in at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, in company of his lawyer and family representative.

"He has been placed under arrest in line with the law. The Command appreciates the public for their concern and assures that the ongoing investigation will be detailed, transparent, professionally pursued; and justice will be manifestly served for all parties involved”.

UPDATED: Yoruba Nollywood actor, Murphy Afolabi, dies after bathroom fall

 

Barely 24 hours after the death of a popular Nollywood actor, Saint Obi, a Yoruba popular actor and filmmaker, Murphy Afolabi, is reportedly dead.

The thespian, who acted in Yoruba movies, was said to have fallen down in the bathroom at his house in Ikorodu, Lagos, on Sunday morning, May 14, 2023.

A filmmaker and the president of the Yoruba movies directors guild, Seun Olaiya, shared the sad news on a WhatsApp platform populated by filmmakers. 

He was corroborated by the Managing Director of the popular movie marketing company, Corporate Pictures Nigeria Limited, Abdullahi Abdulrasaq.

EFCC Cadet Beaten To Death By Superior Officers

EFCC Cadet Beaten To Death By Superior Officers For Refusing To Engage In Corruption, Buried Amid Tears As His Killers Roam Free

Isah was beaten to death by his superior officers for refusing to sign off on incomplete exhibits handed over to him.

Abel Isah, a cadet in the Sokoto Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, who was recently beaten to death by superior officers, has been buried.

It was also learnt that the atmosphere was gloomy as Isah remains were lowered to the ground while the air was filled with pain and anguish, especially as his killers had not been brought to justice.

“The EFCC cadet was killed in Sokoto. The cadet was beaten to death by his seniors at the zonal headquarters for refusing to sign off on incomplete exhibits handed over to him,” a source had told SaharaReporters.

But many of Isah’s colleagues had grumbled that the punishment for murder or manslaughter should be stiffer than mere dismissal.

“The two senior officers who killed the cadet have been dismissed but many people, including Isah’s colleagues, are grumbling that the dismissal is not adequate punishment since it is a case of clear murder,” the source had said.

 

Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the anti-graft agency, Wilson Uwajaren on Sunday for an update were not successful as his mobile lines were switched off. 

Telecoms Giants in Judicial Tussle with Singer Okiki Bright over intellectual property theft

An upcoming hip hop artiste, Okiki Bright has dragged telecommunications giants, 9mobile, Airtel, Glo and another company Mobilexcetera before the federal high court, Ikoyi Lagos over illegal use of his intellectual property, ‘Gba gbe boshe sele’ as caller tune without his authorization. Investigations by members of the Nigeria Guild of Investigative Journalists (NGIJ) reveal that in a suit, FHC/L/CS/1776/17 and dated November 22nd, 2017 at the federal high court, Lagos the promising artiste is asking, among other things, for the sum of four hundred million naira from the four defendants and a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from continued use of the work. At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday 1 July 2019 before the Honourable Justice I.N OWEIBO, Okiki Bright testified and tendered 16 exhibits, contending that , “after recording my song titled ‘Gbagbe bosesele’ a friend advised me to feature a popular hip hop artist in the country so that the song will go viral. I was later introduced to(Oritsefemi’s first name) Oritsefemi’s agent. “We bargained, I paid the money and Oritsefemi featured in the song as promised. We released the audio and immediately we rushed to release the video in early 2017. “We were still working on how to make the song go viral when, in October 2017, people drew my attention to the fact that the song is on caller tune of some telecommunications companies. I downloaded the song for N150 on Airtel to be sure it was my song. “I involved my lawyer, Barr Alayo Akanbi who advised that we should verify this fact and we found out from Globacom website that my music was listed as caller tune and I downloaded the music using codes provided by these telecommunications company and it was listed there. We then printed it out as evidence. That was when we decided to officially write them for explanations.” In a letter dated October 18, 2017, Alayo Akanbi Chambers, solicitors to Okiki Bright wrote to 9mobile demanding among other things, compensation of five hundred million naira (N500,000,000) for the unlawful use of the song. However, in a letter dated October 30, 2017, 9mobile said the song had been barred from its caller tune platform pending the resolution of the allegations but urged Okiki Bright and his lawyer to direct all queries to MobileXcetera Limited. Findings by NGIJ revealed that the except for Glo, the telecommunication companies allegedly got the song from MobileXcetera Limited who they believed have paid for the song. In another twist, MobileXcetera is claiming that Oritsefemi sold the song.“But I called Oritsefemi and he denied any such move. He said since the song does not belong to him he could not have sold it. He told me to go and settle with them,” Okiki supplied. A quick search by NGIJ revealed that the claim that Oritsefemi owns the song could not possibly be true as all the telecommunications companies listed the song as ‘Gba gbe Boshe Sele by Okiki Bright ft. Oritsefemi. Based on the above one can assume that they understand that the song is by Okiki Bight and that Oritsefemi was only featured in it. But according to Okiki Bright the road to justice has not only been rough and bumpy but it has been filled with power play and delay tactics. Although Okiki Bright has come out with another block buster titled Chop make I Chop, he insists he would see his legal struggle through to its conclusion. In his words, “I had to release ‘Chop make I Chop’ to keep on going, my case in court has really affected me coupled with the manner the telecommunications companies have handled the whole thing. “I plead with those in positions of authority to come to my aid and help me, the outcome of this case will go a long way in vindicating the judiciary if it is truly the last hope of the common man. As it stands now, justice is on trial”, he declared

SANWO-OLU'S INAUGURATION: JOURNALISTS RAISE EYEBROWS

By NGIJ Reporter

A section of Lagos-based journalists have raised concerns, over the irregularities in accrediting Journalists,for the inauguration of the Governor-elect of Lagos State;Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The media professionals,who got notifications of media accreditation,to cover the inauguration;slated for 29th of May,2019 at Tafawa Balewa Square,Victoria Island, Lagos were said to have disappointed,by the kangaroo arrangements put in place, by Sanwo-olu's media aides. It is gathered that,Journalists were initially told that,the accreditation would take two days;prior to the event. Surprisingly however, the whole thing became a failure,right from the first day,as a result of nepotistic gestures, from Sanwo-olu's media team. One of the aggrieved journalists;Okunlegbe John who scale the rigours of getting registered said "the whole process is a flop and an eyesore. I can tell you that,a process that was supposed to last for 5 hours daily,came to an abrupt conclusion barely 2hours into the accreditation." Okunlegbe, while speaking on the roles of Sanwo-olu's media team lamented that," It is unimaginable that,event as magnificent and important as this inauguration has been flawed by avoidable irregularities. The total number of online,broadcast and print journalists were not up to 150 persons, but it is saddening that,Journalists were held to ransom,accreditation tags were hoarded ,and media professionals who are to project the image of the government were treated with utmost disdain. I put it to the incoming governor that,with the body language of his media team,he has started on a nepotistic footing,which is detrimental to his administration's public image." From our findings, it was gathered that,close to 30% of the tags used for accreditation were hoarded,or kept aside in Sanwo-olu's media team's custody,for personal purposes, or to be given out to their friends within and outside media industry. Some of the aggrieved media practitioners, who chose to speak under anonymity said that,it is disheartening and unprofessional of Sanwo-olu's media team,to treat journalists with such highhandedness,stressing that,a lot of them came from far and near,only to be treated preferentially . One of our sources, quoted a member of the inauguration team as saying "some media houses and their journalists are more important to us" In contrast to that of Lagos,information reaching us claims that,over 500 journalists have stormed Ogun State, for the inauguration of the state's Governor-elect; Dapo Abiodun. From the foregoing,we appeal to the incoming governor of Lagos,Babajide Sanwo-Olu,to be proactive against corruption tendencies within his media team,in order to avoid media disputes and public misconceptions

Kogi Labour Union Implores Prioritisation of Workers' Welfare

By Adeola Amos

The United Labour Congress (ULC), Kogi State Chapter, has urged to the State governor, Gov. Yahaya Bello, to give priority attention to workers’ welfare and clear salary acculmulated. The Chairman, Kogi State Chapter, ULC, Comrade Simeon Opaluwa, made the call during an interactive session with members of the Nigerian Guild of Investigative Journalists (NGIJ), said civil servants are not happy due to inability of the state government to clear outstanding salaries and pensions. He added that, the ugly situation is having pernicious effect on the state's economy. The Labour leader, however, admitted that the governor has eliminated many ghost workers from its payroll through a recent screening exercise conducted in the state. He also commended the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state for what he termed ‘an impressive performance in health, security, road construction as well as the revamp of cultural activities, especially in Igalaland.’ Opaluwa called on Governor Bello to sustain his administration’s gains in area of security so as to avoid the return of thuggery, banditry, kidnapping, among others. The NGIJ Media Tour of Kogi State continues as the investigators met with state government officials led by Governor Yahaya Bello who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Folasade Ayoade.

Deadly stampede in Buhari rally days before Nigeria elections

Several people have been killed in a stampede at a rally in support of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's candidacy days before the country's presidential and

legislative elections, his office has said. The incident on Tuesday took place in Port Harcourt, a southern city in the Niger Delta oil-production heartland. Buhari's office said in a statement the president had been "informed of the tragic deaths of several members of his All Progressives Congress (APC) party". Local media said panic broke out at the end of the gathering, held inside the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium when crowds tried to force their way through a locked exit. "Those from behind were pushing and putting pressure on those in front leading to some persons falling on the ground and being trampled upon," said journalist Egufe Yafugborhi of the Vanguard newspaper. READ MORE Fears of violence in Nigeria ahead of Saturday vote In a statement, Judith Amaechi, who runs the party's regional women and youth team, expressed "deep shock over the death of APC members who were in a stampede". The statement did not specify the number of people killed. Separately, a spokesman for the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital said the stampede claimed at least 14 lives. "There are others under medical attention at the Emergency Unit, so we can't force a clear figure beyond what the situation is at the moment," Kem Daniel-Elebiga told AFP news agency. Rising tensions The February 16 elections in Africa's most populous country will see Buhari stand for a second four-year term against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in what is expected to be a close race. READ MORE Fears of violence in Nigeria ahead of Saturday vote In recent weeks, tensions have risen between the APC and Abubakar's People's Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP has accused the government of seeking to rig the vote while the APC has said the opposition party is fomenting unrest. On Sunday, five APC members were shot and killed near the oil hub of Warri city in southeast Nigeria, with authorities calling it a revenge attack by people suspected to be from the opposition. Clashes between APC and PDP supporters have been reported from various places in Africa's largest democracy. Nigeria has a history of election violence, with analysts warning that the forthcoming vote might be one of the bloodiest in its history. The last election in 2015 was considered free and fair, but state and local elections, as well as earlier presidential polls, have been marred by violence and fraud allegations. SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES