Headline
Protest, Unrest Looms As BEDC Disconnects UNIBEN From National Grid
Published
1 year agoon
By
Editor
Students and staff of the University of Benin, UNIBEN, are sitting on the edge of provocation that could lead to unrest and strike over power outage in the school which has been on for over a month now.
The issue has now been compounded as the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC Plc, the power distribution company in Edo State, servicing the school, last week formally disconnected the school from its services as a result of non-payment of bills.
The reason behind the electricity crisis is attributed to the recent increase in electricity tariff for some categories of consumers as approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC ) which reportedly shot up the university’s monthly electricity bill from N80 million to over N250 million.
The non-availability of electricity on the campus is putting a strain on the students and staff as they, including lecturers, have resorted to using solar powered facilities including lights in their offices with others using generators.
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The health centre at the Ugbowo campus is worst hit as health officials don’t have access to light from 10 pm when the three hours the school put on its generating set is exhausted daily and at times, workers on night duty use torchlights.
Strategic offices including the secretariat of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) run on generators and there is no substantive Students Union Government (SUG) since the union was disbanded after some of its officials invaded the Senior Staff Quarters when a governorship candidate was their guest, an action that was seen as an affront on the management and staff of the university by the students.
The students are at the mercy of the management of the school as at now.
The BEDC disconnected the university from its services following their inability to reach agreement over the contentious electricity billing.
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The obvious implication is that staff cannot deliver on their work 100 percent “because it is only the administrative block that the generator can power throughout working hours” and the students cannot have a conducive environment to learn.
When contacted, the Head, Branding and Corporate Communications of BEDC, Mrs. Evelyn Gbiwen, attributed the increase in energy tariff to the directive of the NERC. “The new tariff system determines what ‘Band A’ customers would pay, there is nothing deliberate about any customer.
“It is a general policy that when customers don’t pay their bills, they will be disconnected. And it is when such a customer pays his bills that he would be reconnected,” she added.
The Public Relations Officer of the University, Mrs Beneditta Ehanire, when contacted said “Management is bending backwards really but will continue to sue for patience because everyone is tensed. Yesterday, a tanker was engaged to supply water to a hostel that had a water challenge.”
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The statement the University issued a few weeks ago said the University paid the over eighty million Naira monthly bill up till April, 2024 in the two campuses of Ugbowo and Ekehuan.
“The delay to Pay the May bill is as a result of the disputed astronomically increased bill of over two hundred and fifty million naira, monthly, thrust on the University by BEDC.
“Despite the challenges, Management of the University has gone the length to ensure that students do not suffer unduly by providing generator light to all the hostels between the hours of 6am to 7am and 7pm to 10pm daily.
“Management appeals once again to staff and students to be patient and to demonstrate understanding of the situation as it is also exploring alternative power sources including solar energy.”
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Headline
Trump Considering Deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia To Uganda
Published
2 minutes agoon
August 24, 2025By
Editor
The Trump administration is weighing the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda in the coming days, according to a notice from the Department of Homeland Security sent to his lawyers on Friday.
The notice, disclosed in a court filing in Abrego Garcia’s human smuggling case in Tennessee, came shortly after his release from criminal custody pending trial on federal charges. His lawyers accused the government of attempting to use the deportation threat as a tactic to “coerce” him into a plea deal.
“Let this email serve as notice that DHS may remove your client, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, to Uganda no earlier than 72 hours from now (absent weekends),” the notice stated.
Officials had previously suggested that Abrego Garcia, who was unlawfully deported to El Salvador earlier this year before being returned to the US in June, could face deportation to a third country.
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However, it was unclear until Friday whether the administration would allow his trial to conclude before initiating removal proceedings.
Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, one of Abrego Garcia’s attorneys, described the move as “retaliation” by the government.
“The government’s decision to send Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda makes it painfully clear that they are using the immigration system to punish him for exercising his constitutional rights,” he told CNN.
Under an order issued last month by US District Judge Paula Xinis, officials must provide Abrego Garcia and his legal team with at least 72 business hours’ notice before any deportation to a third country, giving him time to raise potential claims of torture or persecution.
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Court filings submitted on Saturday revealed that earlier in the week, the government had proposed a deal under which Abrego Garcia would plead guilty to two federal charges and be deported to Costa Rica after serving his sentence.
Costa Rica had confirmed willingness to receive him as a refugee or grant him legal status, according to a letter from its government to the US embassy.
His attorneys said the offer was renewed Friday evening, giving him until Monday morning to accept or lose the option permanently.
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His defence team argued that the deportation threats and plea offers highlight a pattern of “vindictive and selective prosecution” against Abrego Garcia, who previously challenged his deportation to El Salvador. They urged Judge Waverly Crenshaw to dismiss the case.
“There can be only one interpretation of these events: the DOJ, DHS, and ICE are using their collective powers to force Mr. Abrego to choose between a guilty plea followed by relative safety, or rendition to Uganda, where his safety and liberty would be under threat,” his lawyers wrote.
“It is difficult to imagine a path the government could have taken that would have better emphasized its vindictiveness,” they added. “This case should be dismissed.”
Headline
UK To Bar Criminals From Football Matches, Pubs, Travel Under New Policy
Published
18 minutes agoon
August 24, 2025By
Editor
The United Kingdom (UK) has unveiled new sentencing powers that will ban criminals from pubs, concerts, and sports matches as part of its Plan for Change.
According to a statement available on the UK government website on Sunday, Judges will be able to curtail offenders’ freedoms with driving limits, travel bans, and restriction zones confining them to specific areas.
The release, which quoted Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said: “Widening the range of punishments available to judges is part of our Plan for Change to cut crime and make streets safer.
“When criminals break society’s rules, they must be punished. Those serving their sentences in the community must have their freedom restricted there too.
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“These new punishments should remind all offenders that, under this Government, crime does not pay.
“Rightly, the public expect the government to do everything in its power to keep Britain safe, and that’s what we’re doing.’
The UK government further explained that the changes will toughen up community punishments to deter reoffending and force offenders back onto the straight-and-narrow.
“As part of the Government’s work to do everything in its power to keep Britain safe, offenders coming out of prison and supervised by the Probation Service will also face similar restrictions and an expanded mandatory drug testing regime,” the statement added.
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The government also explained that criminals without known drug habits will, in the future, face this scrutiny, not just those with a history of substance misuse.
Offenders who break the rules face being brought back to court or hauled back to prison as punishment, depending on the sentence they are serving.
Limited bans for Crimes amid prison congestion
Before this new policy shift, judges in the UK are able to give out limited bans for specific crimes, for example, football bans for crimes committed inside a stadium on match day, to prevent further antisocial behaviour.
However, the Government will change the law shortly so that such bans can be handed down as a form of punishment for any offence in any circumstance.
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“It will form part of wider reforms to sentencing to ensure punishments cut crime and prisons never again run out of places for dangerous offenders.
“Over 2,400 prison places have opened since July 2024 with the Government investing £7 billion to create a total of 14,000 as the prison population increases.
“Investment in the Probation Service will also receive a huge boost with an increase of up to £700 million by 2028/29, up from the annual budget of around £1.6 billion today.”
This week, it was revealed that the number of Probation Officers has increased by seven per cent in the last 12 months, with trainee probation officer numbers also seeing a surge of 15 per cent. This follows the Government’s commitment to recruit a further 1,300 this year, in addition to the 1,000 trainee probation officers recruited last year.
New technology, including artificial intelligence, will lighten the administrative burden and free up time for probation staff to increase supervision of the most dangerous offenders and keep the public safe.
Headline
Leader Of UK Christian Group Convicted Of Sexually Abusing Women
Published
14 hours agoon
August 23, 2025By
Editor
Chris Brain, 68, the leader of a UK Christian group once backed by the Church of England, has been convicted of sexually abusing nine women in his congregation.
A jury delivered the final verdicts on Thursday.
Brain led the Nine O’Clock Service, an evangelical movement in Sheffield during the 1980s and 1990s. The group was known for its nightclub-style worship, held at 9 p.m. on Sundays, which included live music and drew large crowds of young people.
Prosecutors said Brain used his authority to control members of the congregation, isolating them from family and friends, and used his position to commit sexual assaults. He also maintained a group of young women known as the “lycra nuns” who assisted him, his wife, and his daughter at home, prosecutor Tim Clark told the court.
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The leader of the UK Christian group was charged with 36 counts of indecent assault and one count of rape involving 13 women between 1981 and 1995. He denied the charges, claiming any sexual contact was consensual.
Following a trial at Inner London Crown Court, he was convicted of 17 counts of indecent assault against nine women. He was acquitted of 15 other charges, while the jury could not reach a verdict on four additional indecent assault charges and the rape allegation. The Crown Prosecution Service said it would “carefully consider” whether to seek a retrial.
The Nine O’Clock Service had received approval from the Church of England. In 1990, the Archbishop of Canterbury-elect George Carey met with Brain to discuss his methods, and his ordination was expedited. Prosecutors said the group even spent heavily to purchase the costume worn by Robert De Niro in the 1986 film The Mission for his ceremony.
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Brain resigned shortly before a BBC documentary aired in 1995, accusing him of inappropriate sexual behaviour. Carey later said he was “crushed and let down” when the allegations became public.
In court, Brain admitted to receiving massages from congregation members that sometimes became sexual but denied manipulating or controlling them.
Bishop of Sheffield Pete Wilcox said in a statement: “What happened was an appalling abuse of power and leadership that should never have occurred. Where concerns were raised in the past and were not acted upon properly, that was a failing of the Church. For those institutional failures, I offer an unreserved apology.”
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