Headline

UK Police Probe Suicide Of British-born Nigerian

Published

3 years ago

November 9, 2023

The British Police has said it is reviewing the case involving the late Alanis Ogundipe who committed suicide after being allegedly blackmailed by her boyfriend, Ryan Leggetts.

A Detective Inspector, Jonny Dyer of Great Manchester Police, made the disclosure, last Friday, in response to an inquiry by The PUNCH on the status of the investigation.

Dyer, who is currently handling the case, said the police were in correspondence with the family.

He said, “I am confirming receipt of your email as requested. I have been asked to review this investigation and I am in correspondence with Oladapo Ogundipe. The review is still ongoing and when completed, Oladapo Ogundipe and his family will be updated.”

The twenty six-year-old Alanis was said to have jumped into a moving train on May 29 at a train station in Manchester.

The incident happened after Leggets allegedly broke into her phone, copied her documents and threatened to reveal her private information to the public.

Alani’s father, Oladapo Ogundipe, who raised the alarm over the circumstances that led to her daughter’s death, said Leggetts went further to make financial demands from her.

He said, “Ryan met my daughter in June 2022 and less than one month into the relationship, he already said he wanted to marry her and took her to his mother. As the director of my company, we planned to send her 100,000 pounds meant for a particular investment in the UK.

“When Ryan perhaps knew about this, he started asking for her bank statements on May 13 and started shouting at her. After she refused to give it to him, he waited till May 28, 2023, after he had found out that her passport was required for this money to be sent.

“That was how he broke into her phone on May 28 around 10 am while she was asleep and started to use the information he copied to blackmail her. He also made her apologise to him and now used the apology to get to her agree in writing that she was going to pay him the coerced debt she owed her.”

Oladapo said because he did not endorse the relationship, Alanis had to call her mother, Josephine to inform her of the issue she had with Ryan.

He said, “The mother drove to meet her in Manchester on the evening of May 28 where she heard her daughter’s discussion with Ryan as he was getting her to agree with his terms. On May 29, Alanis said she was scared that she would lose her social group and then relunctantly agreed to Ryan’s payment terms. She committed suicide four hours later.”

Oladapo said he didn’t know what transpired until after her daughter had died. He also disclosed that it was after the incident that Leggetts shared a series of information that revealed how he broke into her phone without a password.

The bereaved father, however, expressed concern about the feedback he got from the Great Manchester Police after sharing the information with them.

He said his wife, who witnessed the conversation had not been invited, and neither was Leggetts arrested, adding that the police only based their findings on Leggetts’ statement.

While speaking to our correspondent on Wednesday, Oladapo said Dyer had just confirmed the receipt of the evidence sent to him by the family.

“Dyer had just confirmed the receipt of the evidence and our contact number, which we sent to him. We are waiting for the outcome of his review,” he said.

“Dyer has confirmed the receipt of the evidence and our contact number which we sent to him. The British Transport Police also said they will review the associated incident logs in relation to my daughters sad death as well as the information which was recorded and passed to Great Manchester Police. We are waiting for the outcome of the review.”

Headline

Woman Passes Out After Receiving 100 Strokes Of Cane

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

A woman has passed out after she and her partner were each flogged 100 times in public for engaging in sex outside marriage under strict Sharia laws in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was later carried away after the punishment was carried out in Banda Aceh, located at the northern tip of Sumatra island on Thursday.

A masked official dressed in brown robes administered the caning before members of the public who gathered to witness the punishment.

Her partner was also seen wincing in pain while receiving the lashes.

The pair were among several individuals punished for violating Sharia regulations in the province.

Authorities from the Banda Aceh Sharia Court and the Prosecutor’s Office handed down punishments ranging from 25 to 100 lashes for offences including extramarital sex allegedly arranged through online applications.

Aceh remains the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia operating under Sharia law, where unmarried couples are prohibited from having sexual relations.

Caning is commonly used in the province as punishment for offences such as gambling, alcohol consumption, same-sex relations and sex outside marriage.

Under Aceh’s Sharia regulations, child rape offenders face some of the harshest penalties, including up to 200 strokes of the cane, a prison sentence of as long as 200 months or fines equivalent to two kilograms of gold.

The punishments are usually carried out publicly as a way of shaming offenders in addition to inflicting physical pain.

Such canings are often conducted outside mosques or in open public spaces, with residents watching and taking photographs during the exercise.

Human rights organisations have continued to condemn the practice, arguing that it causes emotional trauma and violates international human rights standards.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly criticised the punishments, saying they conflict with Indonesia’s constitution and global legal obligations.

Amnesty said in a statement: “Caning contravenes Indonesia’s constitution and is in clear violation of international human rights law and standards.

‘It constitutes a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and can amount to torture in violation of the UN Convention against Torture and other international covenants, to which Indonesia is a State Party.’”

Despite the criticism, local authorities have defended the punishments as part of Aceh’s religious and cultural identity, insisting they serve as a deterrent against immoral behaviour.

Earlier in January, another couple in the province reportedly received 140 lashes each after being found guilty of drinking alcohol and engaging in sex outside marriage.

(Daily Mail)

Headline

Senegal’s President Sacks Prime Minister After Months-long Feud

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government following months of rising political tension between the two former allies.

The decision was announced in a surprise decree read on national television by a presidential aide, stating that Faye had “ended the duties” of Sonko and “consequently those of the ministers and secretaries of state who are members of the government”.

Sonko, who remains a highly influential figure among Senegal’s youth, responded on social media, saying he would “sleep with a light heart”.

The political fallout comes at a time of growing economic strain in the country, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) putting Senegal’s public debt at 132% of its GDP.

His removal followed a tense parliamentary session on Tuesday, where Sonko openly criticised President Faye’s handling of the debt situation.

The development is striking given that Faye’s rise to power was largely tied to Sonko’s popularity and political backing.

Sonko would almost certainly have contested the presidency himself in 2024, but was barred from the race due to a defamation conviction. Instead, he threw his support behind Faye, rallying voters with the slogan “Diomaye is Sonko, Sonko is Diomaye”.

The alliance helped unseat former President Macky Sall in a dramatic electoral victory, despite both men having been released from prison only days before the vote.

Tensions between the two leaders had been building for months, with Faye reportedly accusing Sonko of excessive dominance within the ruling Pastef party, while Sonko accused the president of weak leadership and failing to defend him against critics.

(BBC News)

Headline

Six Nigerians Arrested In Thailand Over AI-Powered Romance Scam

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Six Nigerian nationals have been arrested by the Thailand Police Force for allegedly operating an AI-powered deepfake romance scam syndicate from a luxury condominium along the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi Province, following a cocaine trafficking investigation that exposed their activities.

Thai authorities said the operation began after police arrested a Nigerian suspect identified as Patrick and three associates in April over alleged drug trafficking offences. During the raid, officers reportedly seized assets valued at about 2.5 million baht.

Investigators said financial transactions linked to the suspects led them to several foreign nationals living in a high-end riverside condominium near Phra Nangklao Bridge in Nonthaburi. Police discovered that many of the occupants were staying in groups of five or six per apartment under student visas despite not being enrolled in any educational institution or engaged in lawful employment.

According to Thai police, officers executed search warrants on three condominium units on May 22. The suspects allegedly refused to open their doors, forcing authorities to break into the apartments.

Videos circulating on X captured the moment police officers forcefully gained entry into one of the apartments before arresting the suspects.

During the operation, one suspect reportedly attempted to escape by climbing over a balcony, while another was found hiding on the bathroom floor while allegedly sending warning messages to occupants in neighbouring units.

Police recovered 18 mobile phones, three laptop computers and three bank passbooks from the apartments. Authorities said some of the phones were still logged into active conversations with victims at the time of the raid.

Investigators alleged that the syndicate specialised in romance scams targeting older Thai women by using AI-generated faces and manipulated video calls to create fake online identities.

The suspects allegedly posed as pilots, United States military officers, doctors and engineers to gain the trust of victims before requesting money under false pretences.

Police said the fraudsters typically claimed that valuable packages or gifts sent to victims had been withheld by customs officials and required payment of clearance fees before release.

Authorities also said they recovered scripts for sexually explicit conversations allegedly used to emotionally manipulate victims into transferring funds. Investigators claimed the group relied heavily on artificial intelligence technology to generate realistic Western faces for fake video interactions.

Thai police said all six suspects are currently facing preliminary charges bordering on illegal association and immigration overstay, while additional fraud and romance scam charges are expected to follow as investigations continue.