Headline

Alleged Organ Harvesting: Ekweremadu’s Daughter Pleads Not Guilty

Published

3 years ago

January 15, 2023

The daughter of Senator Ike Ekweremadu has denied trafficking a homeless man into the United Kingdom to harvest his kidney.

Sonia Ekweremadu, 25, is charged alongside her father Ekweremadu, 60, her mother, Beatrice, 56, and Doctor Obinna Obeta, 50.

Ike, Beatrice and Obeta denied conspiracy to arrange the travel of another person with a view to exploitation at the Old Bailey on December 20, while Sonia pleaded not guilty today (Friday), Daily Mail reported.

It is alleged they conspired together, with others and another family member Isaac Ekweremadu who remains in Nigeria, to arrange the travel of a 21-year-old man with a view to exploiting him between 1 August 2021 and 5 May 2022.

The group arranged his travel from Lagos to London to remove one of his kidneys for Sonia, who has a kidney-related disease, it is claimed.

Ike and Beatrice Ekweremadu were arrested after the young man, who previously lived on the streets of Lagos, claimed he was the victim of trafficking at Staines police station.

The man told officers he arrived in the UK on February 20 this year and was taken to Royal Free Hospital for tests, none of which he consented to.

After the tests, the man said he returned to the house he was staying in, where he was ‘treated effectively as a slave.’

He said he escaped the address and was homeless for three days before going to the police.

Daily Mail gathered that the trial will begin at the Old Bailey on January 31 before High Court Justice Adam Johnson.

Ike, a lawyer and former deputy president of the Senate, and his wife Beatrice were arrested in the UK on June 21 after flying to Heathrow from Turkey.

Ike has been elected to five consecutive terms in the Senate since 2003.

He led the Nigerian delegation at the COP26 summit in Glasgow in 2021.

Ike has been deputy president of the Senate on three occasions, which he said was equivalent to being Leader of the House of Commons.

He said he had been one of the most senior lawmakers for many years, and a well-known philanthropist.

Ike and Obeta are in custody in HMP Wandsworth and HMP Belmarsh respectively, while Beatrice and Sonia are both on bail.

Headline

Again, Russia Claims Another Village In Ukraine’s Region

Published

1 day ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The Russian army Monday claimed to have captured another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, moving deeper into Ukrainian territory as peace efforts stall.

Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and central Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in the region, which Russian troops recently advanced into for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year offensive.

Kyiv denies that Russian troops have gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub.

After another push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia last week ruled out any immediate meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The central region of Dnipropetrovsk has previously been largely spared from fighting that has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, until Russia said its forces broke through in July.

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.

Ukraine said Russia had launched over 100 drones Monday, killing a 37-year old civilian driver and wounding two people in the northeastern Sumy region.

Moscow said Kyiv had launched about two dozen drones targeting western Russia

Headline

US Comedian Reggie Carroll Shot Dead In Mississippi

Published

1 day ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

A United States comedian, Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, has been shot dead in Southaven, Mississippi.

The 52-year-old Carroll, widely known as the Knockout King of Comedy, was reportedly killed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

The Southaven Police Department confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement on Saturday.

“Southaven officers located one male victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

“The officers and medical personnel provided life saving techniques but the individual succumbed to his injuries,” the statement partly read.

The victim was later identified as Carroll, a Baltimore native.

Police said one suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.

“One male is in custody and has been charged with the murder of Reginald Carroll.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Carroll.

“Thank you to the community for their patience and understanding,” the department added.

The police further assured that there was no ongoing threat to residents, describing the case as “an isolated shooting.”

Carroll, who built his career in stand-up comedy, gained national recognition touring with Katt Williams and headlining his own showcase, Knockout Kings of Comedy.

He also featured in the 2000 edition of Showtime at the Apollo, appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers alongside Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn, and starred in the 2022 television film Rent & Go.

In 2023, he produced the stand-up special Knockout Kings of Comedy.

The Southaven Police Department disclosed that an investigation into his death is ongoing.

Headline

US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants

Published

1 day ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday reaffirmed that the safety and security of the United States remain the cornerstone of its visa application and decision-making process.

The US said this following its directive last week that mandates Nigerians to disclose all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.

US Mission said Nigerian visa applicants must provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form, and warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials.

Reacting to the development, the Federal Government said US citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.

“The best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures,” spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said last Monday.

However, in a statement released Monday on X, the US Mission said prospective visa applicants undergo careful vetting to maintain a safe and welcoming environment in the US.

It said, “The safety and security of the United States is at the heart of every #USVisa application and decision process.

“That’s why prospective applicants undergo careful screening to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

The Mission added, “These measures help protect American citizens and communities while supporting secure and responsible travel.”