Headline

Obaseki/Oba Of Benin’s Faceoff: Charges Against Palace Officials Withdrawn

Published

2 years ago

July 3, 2024

The criminal charges preferred against the Secretary of the Benin Traditional Council (BTC), Frank Irabor, and six other palace officials by the Edo State Government have been withdrawn.

The move, it was gathered, was to douse the tension between Governor Godwin Obaseki and Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II.

Suing Irabor and others followed the August 2022 demolition of illegal property at Ulegun village in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo.

Obaseki’s administration, in August 2022, slammed a 29-count charge against Irabor and the other officials of the palace of the first-class monarch over the demolition of the disputed property.

The defendants were subsequently remanded in the custody of the correctional centre in Benin by Justice Mary Itsueli of Edo High Court in the state capital.

Edo Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Orobosa Okunbor, at the resumed hearing of the suit, applied to withdraw the case.

Okunbor told the presiding judge that discontinuing the suit was to ensure peace and reconciliation, an initiative of Edo Government, which he said had paid adequate compensation to the persons, whose livelihoods were impacted by the demolition.

Discontinuing the suit was after Irabor and other defendants in the suit, who were led in evidence by their counsel, Olayiwola Afolabi, SAN, and Okuns Aihie, had pleaded not guilty to the 29-count charge that were read to them in the court.

Irabor, in his reaction on behalf of the defendants, thanked Edo Government and Obaseki for deeming it fit to withdraw the case.

The secretary of BTC described Edo Governor’s intervention as a step in the right direction towards ensuring peace and reconciliation in Benin Kingdom’s Edo South Senatorial District, and other parts of the state.

Headline

Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges

Published

3 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

A court in India has denied bail to a 44-year-old Nigerian national, Cristian Soporuchukwu, who is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the country.

Cristian Soporuchukwu initially entered India on a business visa but was later arrested over allegations of involvement in the sale of hard drugs.

Reports indicated that after arriving in India, Soporuchukwu travelled through Goa, Delhi, and Mumbai, where he allegedly established links with suspected drug traffickers.

He was accused of purchasing MDMA crystals and distributing them to college students and information technology workers.

According to reports, operatives of the Beguru Police arrested Cristian Soporuchukwu in April 2025 for allegedly selling MDMA crystals around Begur Lake and the AECS Layout Road area.

The New Indian Express reported that the High Court of Karnataka subsequently dismissed the Nigerian’s bail application.

“The anti-narcotics wing seized about 1 kg of MDMA crystals, a pocket weighing machine, 10 zip-lock covers, a mobile phone and a scooter from him,” the report stated.

Justice V. Srishananda, while ruling on the bail application, reportedly held that errors relating to the grounds of arrest could not automatically justify bail in serious narcotics-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NDPS, Act.

The court further noted that Cristian Soporuchukwu had allegedly overstayed his visa in India, according to the report.

Headline

Strait Of Hormuz: US Announces Sanctions Against Iran

Published

3 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States Treasury has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, saying they may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may be exposed to sanctions risk.

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash.

“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.

Bessent added that the US has succeeded in disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible to Tehran.

Headline

US Launches New Airstrikes On Iran

Published

4 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States has launched new airstrikes in southern Iran.

The strike shot down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and then a ground control site.

A US official revealed that American forces struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

The official described the strikes as purely defensive, saying the US intended to maintain the ceasefire.

Report says this is the second time in three days that the US has carried out self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

Recall that on Monday the US carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile locations and boats that US Central Command said were preparing to launch mines in the Strait of Hormuz.