Headline

UK Publishes Names Of Dead Nigerians With Unclaimed Estates, Assets

Published

2 years ago

September 16, 2022

One of the unclaimed estates

No fewer than 56 dead Nigerian names with reported unclaimed estates and other valuable assets in the United Kingdom have been published by the United Kingdom government.

This was contained in UK’s government Treasury Solicitor website which was last updated on September 8, 2022, as reported by BusinessDay.

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The unclaimed estates have a 30-year time limit from the date of death before it is removed if no person comes to claim the ownership.

Oldest victim
According to the report, one of the oldest affected Nigerians was identified as Mark N’wogo, who died on December 9, 1992, in Surrey, United Kingdom.

But the assets he left behind have gone unclaimed for nearly 30 years, which means that his properties would be surrendered to the British government by December 2022.

He was believed to have served in the Navy, which gave his birth year as 1926, and to have an unspecified family in Sapele, Delta state, but neither this individual nor any others had stepped forward to claim the deceased’s possessions.

The values of these estates are not published; instead, only information about their deceased owners is available.

Familiar name
Another familiar name on the list is Victor Adedapo Olufemi Fani-Kayode, who is alleged to have died on August 15, 2001, in Birmingham, with the Birmingham City Council identified as the informant.

The Treasury Solicitor released a list of untaken estates that had recently been mentioned but had not yet been managed, as well as past instances that had been administered but had not yet been claimed within the time constraints for doing so.

Estates with a 30-year time limit from the date of death are likewise exempted.

“We frequently hear of accounts in financial institutions belonging to deceased people that are never claimed and are never made public by these institutions. I believe we can take a leaf out of the UK’s book in this area to promote transparency,” says Olaitan Akinnubi, a Lagos-based lawyer.

“I believe that making information about deceased people and their unclaimed assets public in the UK is something that is worthwhile.”

However, most of the deceased have little information on relatives to whom their assets may be transferred, and for those with available information, it is quite inadequate and hard to trace beneficiaries.

Other names
The list includes a certain Arbel Aai’Lotta’Qua Abouarh that died on February 5, 1998, in Chiswick, London, and is thought to have different variations in the spelling of his name. Information on file indicates that he may have been married in December 1959 (place unknown) and had four children from the marriage.

It is further stated he was born in Northern Nigeria on or about the 3rd March 1930 and his parents are said to be Alfred Hallim Abouarh and Addanue Abouarh nee Onwudachi. Information on file also indicates that he had a sister (deceased) and a twin brother (possibly living in Germany).

There is also Paul (Akinola) Bernard who was born in Lagos and died in London on October 12, 2008. Available information suggests he married a 2nd wife, Marie Vidarte de Castro in 1970, but she also died in August 2008. He is believed to have a daughter from his first marriage which ended around 1970.

Born in Ibadan on August 2, 1958, John Olaolu Bankole died in London on April 27, 2010. The information available includes a Decree Absolute dissolving the deceased’s marriage on 11 November 2002, while his marriage certificate states that his father’s name is Oladipupo Bankole.

While Enwukwe Graham Kwedi Edde, who died on January 6, 2011, in London is only known to have been born in Diobu, River State, Charles Ayodele Aliu, who died on March 31, 2011, in Solihull, West Midlands is said to “have a possible cousin in Nigeria”.

Sunny Eyo Edem, who died on September 16, 2011, in Fulham is believed to have a “Possible son and relatives in Calabar, Nigeria”. Also, William Kadry, who died on November 1, 2011, in Fulham, is said to have been born in Iponri, Lagos State, and his father Akanni Kadiri died in 1941, while his mother Muniratu Kadiri died in 1958.

Recent additions to the list include Solomon Adekanmibi who died on January 31, 2021, in Colchester, Essex; Eugene Bucknor, who died on March 2, 2021, in Brockley, London; Jeff Adhekeh, who died on March 12, 2021, in South Kensington, London and Louisa Holmes, who died on May 24, 2021, in Cheam Sutton.

According to Akinnubi, the legal practitioner, “For the relatives of any such deceased person or any other person entitled to the estate of any of the listed deceased persons, it is advisable that they engage a Probate Solicitor or Practitioner in the UK to help and guide them through the process of obtaining letters of administration in respect of the deceased person’s Estate in the UK.”

Headline

LIST: 25 Countries Where TikTok Is Banned

Published

15 mins ago

April 26, 2024

Editor

United States President Joe Biden recently signed a bill that could potentially result in the ban of TikTok in the US if its Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, fails to sell it within a year.

US lawmakers are concerned about the potential national security risks associated with the app, particularly if the Chinese government were to gain access to the data it collects.

Many countries have taken action to limit or ban TikTok, citing worries about privacy, security, or ethical issues.

Different approaches have been taken by various countries, with some implementing comprehensive restrictions and others focusing on particular features of the app or a partial ban on government devices.

Here is a list of countries that have implemented various forms of restrictions:

Countries with a complete ban

China

TikTok’s international version is not accessible within China. Instead, users are required to download Douyin, the Chinese counterpart of TikTok, which is subject to strict content control by the Chinese Communist Party.

Senegal

Senegal implemented a complete ban on the application following allegations that an opposition candidate had utilised the platform to disseminate “hateful and subversive messages.” The Senegalese government has declined to restore the app until a system is created that enables them to delete individual accounts.

Somalia

The Somali government officially outlawed TikTok, Telegram, and 1XBet, an online betting platform, in August 2023.

North Korea

Access to the internet is heavily restricted for the majority of North Korean citizens. While a select few websites and apps are allowed for the privileged elite, TikTok is not included in this list.

Afghanistan

In April 2022, the Taliban government decided to ban TikTok, citing concerns about its influence on young people.

India

India banned TikTok in 2020, including on personal devices, following a border clash between China and India in 2020. The ban was prompted by concerns about data theft and the government’s claim that certain apps were stealing. Many creators migrated to YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.

Iran

TikTok, along with other globally popular social media platforms like X and Facebook, has been banned by the Islamic Republic.

Uzbekistan

Since July 2021, TikTok has been inaccessible in Uzbekistan due to the authorities’ claim that the app does not adhere to the country’s personal data protection laws.

Countries with a partial ban on TikTok

Indonesia

In October 2023, Indonesia took action against TikTok Shop, a feature of the app that enables creators to sell products to their followers, due to its violation of the country’s e-commerce laws.

Kyrgyzstan

In August 2023, the small country, which was once part of the Soviet Union, decided to ban TikTok. The government justified this action by stating that the application harmed the growth and well-being of children.

Russia

There are limitations on the content that Russians can access on TikTok, resulting in a primary focus on videos created by Russian users. Recent reports indicate that the Russian government is planning to prohibit the use of TikTok, to promote the adoption of local social media platforms among its citizens.

Countries with bans on government-owned devices

In April 2023, the Australian government decided to ban TikTok on their devices. However, it remains accessible on devices owned by the general public.

Austria

In May 2023, TikTok was banned on all devices used by government employees in Austria.

Canada

On February 28, Canada banned the use of TikTok on all devices provided by the government because of concerns regarding privacy and security.

Denmark

In March 2023, Denmark’s Ministry of Defence decided to ban the use of the app on its employees’ work phones. Additionally, the country’s main public service broadcaster implemented specific protocols, requiring journalists to obtain special approval before using the app for reporting purposes. This action was taken in response to a warning from Denmark’s Centre for Cybersecurity.

Estonia

In March 2023, the use of TikTok on the work phones of state officials in Estonia was banned.

European Union

Employees of the European Parliament, European Commission, and E.U. Council are no longer allowed to have TikTok on their work phones, as the three main institutions of the E.U. implemented a ban.

France

In March of 2023, France banned the use of Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok on government employees’ mobile devices.

United Kingdom

In March 2023, the U.K. banned all government employees from using TikTok on government-provided mobile devices.

United States

The US military and US Congress have both taken action to block access to TikTok on all of their personnel’s devices.

Nearly half of the states have outright banned the app on state-owned devices, and in March 2023, the federal government followed suit.

Ireland

In April 2023, the Irish government implemented a ban on TikTok for use on government devices.

Belgium

The Belgian government announced in March 2024 the ban of the app on all government devices. TikTok remains accessible on devices not associated with government entities.

Taiwan

In December 2022, Taiwan implemented a ban on the usage of Chinese-made software, including TikTok, on all government devices. This decision came after a warning from the FBI.

Latvia

The Latvian Foreign Ministry banned the app from official company phones in March 2023.

Malta

In Malta, government-provided cell phones have restricted access to TikTok and other non-government applications.

Headline

Group Of Top Male Footballers ‘Planning To Come Out As Gay Next Month

Published

20 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Editor

A group of top male footballers ‘are planning to come out as gay on May 17.

German outlet Preussische Allgemeine Zeitung claims a group of professionals across the country will declare publicly their sexual orientation.

The date in question is of particular reference as it is the International Day Against Homophobia.

It is believed that all of the clubs the reported players are aware of the planned proposals.

However, Preussische Allgemeine Zeitung adds that some players still have reservations about revealing their homosexuality and could still make a U-turn in doing so.

Marcus Urban is a former footballer in Germany who came out as gay in 2007, 16 years after quitting the sport. Urban, now 52, is the co-founder of Diversero, a global community for diversity, and hopes next month’s plans do come to fruition.

‘I think they are respected and celebrated for that. Not by everyone, that’s clear. But hate speech cannot be a criterion for a life,

‘May 17 is an offer,’ he told the Editorial Network Germany (RND). ‘A date that you could use as a guide and get together as a group.

‘There is controversy there. Do I still want to wait until the world of football becomes the way I want it to be? Why should I wait? An interesting dynamic has come into play, you can see that people’s minds are starting to move and are thinking about whether it really makes sense to continue to hide and deny themselves.

Urban went on to reveal that there are gay couples playing in the Bundesliga too – declaring it would be ‘liberating’ if they came out.

‘There are also gay Bundesliga couples who are in hiding,’ he continued.

‘That would be so liberating. What’s wrong with it.’

Headline

Saudi Arabia Opens First Alcohol Store, Nigerian Muslims React

Published

20 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Editor

Nigerian Muslims have gone on X to express outrage after it was announced that Saudi Arabia has opened its first alcohol store in Riyadh.

Alcohol consumption is against the teachings of Islam and Saudi Arabia, a Muslim country, has always obeyed to this law by forbidding the operation of alcohol stores in the country.

However, for the first time, the country opened its first alcohol store in the diplomatic quarter of its capital Riyadh.

After it was announced on X, Nigerian Muslims took to the platform to express their displeasure.

“Disgraceful,” one Nigerian Muslim wrote on X. “They’re slowly turning Saudi Arabia into Las Vegas and it’s making me mad. At the rate they’re going , very soon they’ll legalize prostitution and same sex marriage in our most sacred city.”

Nigerian Muslims read the riot act after Saudi Arabia opened its first alcohol store.

Another said: “It’s baffling and disgusting to see that Saudi Arabia has opened the first alcohol store in Riyadh.

“I wonder why the current crown prince is going against the teachings of the holy prophet by accommodating western cultures in a country like Saudi Arabia where the two most holy mosque are situated.

“This is an insult to the religion of peace and the entire Muslim ummah. It’s disgraceful.”