Headline

Only 588 Students Evacuated From Sudan, Sadiq Attacks FG

Published

2 years ago

April 27, 2023

Contrary to the Federal Government’s claim that thousands of Nigerian students who studied in war-torn Sudan were evacuated today, Master Abubakar Sadiq, a student at the Sudanese capital Khartoum University, said only 588 students were evacuated today.

More than 1,500 students are still in Sudan, Sadiq revealed in a live interview from Khartoum on Channels Television Politics Today, monitored by INFO DAILY on Thursday, April 27.

He added that the Nigerian students who remained in Sudan did not know when the Federal Government would come to their rescue.

When asked what criteria was used to screen the first batch of 588 students, Sadiq said students were screened based on the state quota, but it was only for the first bus that picked up students, after which it was ‘survival for the fittest. ‘

His words: “About 588 students were evacuated today. I got that number because there were 45 students on board in one bus, and when you multiply that number by the total number of buses, you get that number.

“We still have more than 1,500 students in Khartoum, and we don’t know our fate because we have not received any information from the Nigerian embassy here.

“The embassy has not contacted us so we don’t know what they are doing and what they plan to do. We don’t really know their plans for us.”

When asked about the future move of the students who remained in Sudan, Sadiq said that the students who remained in Khartoum decided to act by pooling money so that they could catch the next bus going to Egypt.

“We are putting heads together and donating money so that we can be transported to Egypt early in the morning tomorrow, where we will make our next plans,” he added.

Asked if the students evacuated from Khartoum were indeed stranded during the journey, Sadiq confirmed this, adding that the drivers were protesting against the Federal Government and that they had not yet been paid for the services.

“Yes, before leaving here they were angry and said that they were yet to be paid. That is why they seized the international passports of the evacuees with they promise to return them when (the drivers) are paid in full.”

He also complained that domestic inflation had become unbearable due to the crisis.

“Imagine a piece of Maggi currently sells for 50 Sudanese pounds, which is about 80 naira in Nigeria. I bought one so I speak from experience.

“Yesterday I bought the Coca -Cola bottle m at a price of 650 Sudanese pounds, and if this amount is converted to Nigeria it was about 1000 Naira. I bought one yesterday. This is the current market situation in Sudan. Prices for Sudanese produce have risen,” he lamented.

Headline

Russia Hits Ukraine With ‘Massive’ Deadly Overnight Strikes

Published

2 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Editor

Russian forces launched a “massive” attack on Kyiv on Thursday, hitting the Ukrainian capital with strikes that killed at least four people and wounded around 30 others, Ukrainian officials said.

The attack came as Moscow and Kyiv traded blame over an impasse in diplomatic efforts towards a peace deal spearheaded by US President Donald Trump.

AFP journalists in Kyiv witnessed powerful explosions that illuminated the night sky and left behind a column of smoke.

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said the strikes killed four people and wounded “about 30 people.”

Those killed included a 14-year-old girl, while five children aged seven to 17 were among those who sustained “injuries of varying severity,” Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city’s military administration, said.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the strikes as a “massive attack” that caused damage in several districts of the capital.

Tkachenko said Moscow had fired ballistic and cruise missiles as well as Iranian-designed Shahed drones from different directions to “systematically” target residential buildings.

Red tracer bullets sailed through the night sky in an effort to intercept drones above the city centre, an AFP journalist saw. At least one missile appeared to be shot down.

Around 100 people took refuge in a subway station, with some lying in sleeping bags and others holding their pets.

A five-story building in the Darnytsky district had collapsed, and a shopping mall was hit in the city centre, Klitschko reported.

– Ukrainian attacks on Russia –
Kyiv suffered one of its worst attacks of the over three-year war on July 31, leaving more than 30 people dead including five children.

Ukrainian officials also reported a Russian strike in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region on Thursday.

Russian authorities said they destroyed over 100 Ukrainian drones overnight. A Ukrainian attack sparked a fire at an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region but caused no casualties, according to local officials.

Russian forces have been slowly but steadily gaining ground in Ukraine in recent months, as diplomatic efforts have accelerated.

Trump held a high-profile summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this month, followed by a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and European allies.

But there has been little progress since then.

Before concluding any peace agreement, Ukraine wants security guarantees from the West to deter any future Russian attacks.

Moscow has cast Kyiv’s demands as unrealistic and has raised particular objection to the notion of stationing Western peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.

Zelensky said on Wednesday that members of his administration would meet with US officials in New York on Friday.

The Ukrainian leader said he saw “very arrogant and negative signals from Moscow regarding the negotiations”, urging extra “pressure” to “force Russia to take real steps”.

AFP

Headline

Two US Pastors Arrested In $50m Human Trafficking, Fraud Case

Published

3 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Editor

Two church leaders in the United States have been arrested in an alleged multi-million-dollar conspiracy after multiple Federal Bureau of Investigation raids across the country on Wednesday, including one in Hillsborough County’s exclusive Avila neighborhood.

In a statement issued via its website on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice said Michelle Brannon, 56, was arrested at a mansion near Tampa, while David Taylor, 53, was arrested in North Carolina over allegations of multi-million dollar money laundering, forced labour and human trafficking.

According to the DOJ, Taylor and Brannon are the leaders of Kingdom of God Global Church, formerly known as Joshua Media Ministries International.

The Justice Department said Taylor referred to himself as “Apostle” and to Brannon as his Executive Director.

FBI officials said law enforcement arrested Brannon early Wednesday at 706 Guisando De Avila in Hillsborough County, which is owned by the church, according to property records.

Investigators arrested Taylor on Wednesday morning in North Carolina, while SWAT and FBI agents also raided a hotel owned by the church in Houston.

A 10-count indictment alleged that Taylor and Brannon ran call centres in Florida, Texas, Missouri, and Michigan to solicit donations to the church.

The pair convinced their victims to work at the call centres and work for Taylor as personal servants – referred to as “armour bearers” – for long hours without pay, according to the indictment.

Federal investigators said Taylor and Brannon “controlled every aspect of the daily living of their victims,” who slept at the call centre or in a “ministry” house and were not allowed to leave without permission.

The indictment also says the suspects forced the victims to transport women to Taylor and ensure that those women took Plan B emergency contraceptives.

The church received about $50 million in donations through its call centres dating back to 2014, according to the DOJ.

Taylor and Brannon are accused of using much of that money to buy luxury properties, luxury vehicles, and sporting equipment such as boats, jet skis, and ATVs.

Taylor and Brannon face charges of forced labour, conspiracy to commit forced labour, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Each alleged crime carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Michigan returned a 10-count indictment against two defendants for their alleged roles in a forced labour and money laundering conspiracy that victimised individuals in Michigan, Florida, Texas, and Missouri.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said the two defendants were arrested in North Carolina and Florida in a nationwide takedown of their forced labour organistion.

“Combating human trafficking is a top priority for the Department of Justice.

“We are committed to relentlessly pursuing and ending this scourge and obtaining justice for the victims,” he said.

Also speaking, U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan, said, “We will use every lawful tool against human traffickers and seek justice for their victims.

“A case like this is only possible through a concerted effort with our federal partners across the country and the non-governmental agencies who provide victim support. We thank them all.”

“The indictment of David Taylor and Michelle Brannon demonstrates the FBI’s steadfast efforts to protect the American people from human exploitation and financial crimes, including forced labour and money laundering.

“The alleged actions are deeply troubling. I want to thank the members of the FBI Detroit Field Office, with strong support from our federal and agency partners in the FBI Tampa Field Office, FBI Jacksonville Field Office, FBI St. Louis Field Office, FBI Charlotte Field Office, FBI Houston Field Office, and the Detroit IRS-CI Field Office, in addition to several local, county and state law enforcement partners, for their role in executing this multi-state operation.

“The FBI in Michigan will continue to investigate those who violate federal law and remain focused on ensuring the protection and safety of our nation,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Reuben Coleman of the FBI Detroit Field Office.

“Money laundering is tax evasion in progress, and in this case, the proceeds funded an alleged human trafficking ring and supported a luxury lifestyle under the guise of a religious ministry.

“IRS-CI stands committed to fighting human trafficking and labor exploitation, and pursuing those who hide their profits gained from the extreme victimization of the vulnerable,” said Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of IRS Criminal Investigation, Detroit Field Office.

According to the DOJ, conspiracy to commit forced labour carries up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000, while forced labour carries up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000.

It noted that conspiracy to commit money laundering carries up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $500,000 or twice the value of the properties involved in the money laundering transactions.

It was gathered that Brannon appeared in federal court in Tampa on Wednesday afternoon, but an attorney for Brannon wasn’t present.

A judge asked where her attorney was and whether she had representation.

Brannon told the judge that she had two private attorneys, out of St. Louis and Oklahoma, who were already working with them. However, she said she hadn’t heard from either of them.

The judge said the attorneys were not able to be reached through the phone numbers provided to federal prosecutors. It’s not clear if Brannon has legal representation at this point.

The judge continued Brannon’s hearing to Thursday afternoon. He instructed Brannon to find an attorney in the Tampa area in the meantime.

Headline

South African Court Affirms 18-year Jail Term For Nigerian Over Human Trafficking

Published

4 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Editor

The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, on Wednesday, upheld the conviction and 18-year jail term of Nigerian national, Chinedu Justice Obasi, who was found guilty of human trafficking and entering into a fraudulent marriage to secure residency.

According to Independent News Eswatini, Obasi was convicted in December 2017 on three counts and handed his sentence in September 2018.

The charges included two counts of harbouring women for exploitation and one count of fraudulent marriage.

Court records seen by the news platform showed that between April and September 2016, Obasi harboured two women, identified as Busisiwe and Puleng, at a flat in Pretoria, where he allegedly forced them into prostitution.

He was said to have taken their earnings, supplied them with drugs, and restricted their movements, monitoring them constantly to prevent escape.

The fraudulent marriage charge dated back to 2005, when Obasi married a South African woman but failed to live with her, with the court ruling that the union was contracted solely to obtain legal residency.

According to the case file, Busisiwe met Obasi in December 2015, while Puleng was introduced to him through Busisiwe in May 2016. Both women eventually ended up under the control of Obasi and his co-accused, who continued their exploitation.

On appeal, Obasi argued that the trial court overlooked his personal circumstances and failed to properly consider evidence.

However, the presiding Judge Graham Moshoana dismissed the claims, stressing that Obasi never testified in his defence.

Judge Moshoana described the case as a clear instance of modern-day slavery.

He said, “Human trafficking exists because people are vulnerable to exploitation due to poverty, lack of education and desperation.

“Victims are often abused, confused and disoriented. People are trafficked for sex, labour and other related reasons.”

With the ruling, Obasi will continue to serve his 18-year prison term.