Headline

We Want Justice’, Family Of Slain Italian Based Nigeria Woman Cry Out

Published

4 years ago

September 28, 2021

The family a woman killed by her Italian husband has appealed to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Italian Government to ensure that justice was served in the case.

Rita Amenze, a 31 year-old mother of three was on September 10 shot dead by a 61 year old Pierangelo Pellizar for reportedly filing for a divorce.

She was murdered less than two weeks after she returned to Italy from Nigeria.

Members of the family made the appeal on Tuesday in Benin when a delegation of the Edo National Association in Italy (ENAI) and the National Union of Nigerian Associations in Italy (NUNAI) paid them a condolence visit.

The delegation led by Pastor Mike Oputteh, the Welfare Officer of NUNAI, arrived the family house to meet the three children of the deceased sent out of school for failure to pay school fees.

In an emotion-ladened voice, Mrs Faith Oyahiagbon, mother of the late Rita said she had lost her hope and family breadwinner in the deceased.

Oyahiagbon said she had developed a high blood pressure since the death of her first born broke out two weeks ago.

According to him, the children left behind are small and there is nobody to take care of them again.

“Rita was my daughter and my first born for that matter. She was all I had.

“She came home recently to see the children and we were all joyous. She had been in Italy for long just to seek a greener pasture.

“Celebrate (her last child) was six month old when she left her for me for upbringing.

“We also departed joyously while she was returning only to receive the bad news about two weeks later that she was shot dead.

“But I didn’t believe this until now that you all came. This looks like a film to me because how could I believe that a daughter that meant everything to me is dead, ” said the mother, who was crying profusely.

She, however, appealed to the Nigerian Mission in Italy and the Nigerians Union to help the family to get justice for the sake of the children.

“So I want appeal to all concerned authorities, for the sake of the children she left behind, to please help us seek justice.

“Rita was my leg; she was my life; she was my hope and she was my everything; she even promised me a lot of things when she saw my condition. She promised to change her children school,” she said.

Oyahiagbon debunked the claim that Amenze came home to marry and challenged whoever that had evidence to come forth with it.

She explained that though she bore three children, but she never married the man responsible for those children.

Corroborating the stance Mr Frank Akpoguma, the father of the children said he never married the deceased, but only had children together.

“We didn’t marry either registry or traditional. Yes, we had children, there was nothing like marriage between us.

“I have my wife (pointing to a women beside him) and we are happily married.

“But Rita has been source of survival for these children. She cared and catered for their upbringing and paid their school fees.

“I really wish to appeal to the Federal Government, National Assembly and the Association of Nigerians in Italy that just came that we want justice.

“As you can see that the children are too small, they need support so that we can care and cater for the children.

“I use this medium to appeal to everybody, Nigerian government, Italian government and Nigerian Ambassador to Italy as well as Civil Rights Organisations to help because she died because of these children.

“She was planning to take them abroad before her life was cut short by an Italian man”, said Akpoguma.

Oputteh had earlier assured that the associations would partner the Nigerian mission to ensure justice was served in the case, more importantly, for the prosperity of the children.

He said the delegation was in Nigeria to get the true position of things particularly as regards a claim that Rita came to Nigeria in August to marry, a claim that family has refuted.

The welfare officer donated on behalf of the associations a sum of N50,000 to the family to pay the children’s school fees.

Headline

Aircraft Crashes In Owerri With Four Persons Onboard

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2025

Editor

Photo: File copy

A Cessna 172 aircraft with registration number 5N-ASR, operated by Skypower Express, has crashed at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri, Imo State.

The aircraft had departed Kaduna International Airport en route to Port Harcourt International Airport before diverting to Owerri after the crew declared an emergency.

The crash occurred at about 8:00 pm on the airport premises, with four passengers and crew members onboard.

Confirming the incident, the Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Mrs. Bimbo Oladeji, said the agency had been notified of the crash.

According to the NSIB, the aircraft crashed on the approach area of Runway 17, but no fatalities have been recorded so far.

The statement said: “Following the occurrence, airport emergency services were successfully activated and arrived on site promptly. Reports indicate that there was no post-crash fire, and the runway remains active for flight operations, with other aircraft taking off safely after the incident.

“Efforts are currently underway to coordinate the recovery and evacuation of the distressed aircraft from the crash site to allow for a detailed wreckage examination.”

The NSIB said it has officially activated its investigation protocols in line with its statutory mandate

The Director-General of NSIB, Capt. Alex Badeh Jr., sympathised with the management of Skypower Express over the incident and expressed relief that no lives were lost.

Badeh Jr. added that the Bureau’s investigation team is already coordinating with relevant authorities to secure the crash site and commence a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident.

Two days ago, 11 persons narrowly escaped death as a private jet crash-landed at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, on Sunday morning.

The occupants, including passengers and cabin crew, were safely evacuated amid an intense atmosphere, eyewitnesses told The Guardian.

The private jet, owned by Flybird Aviation, crash-landed at about 9:30 a.m. while approaching Kano Airport en route to Abuja.

The incident attracted urgent attention, with emergency staff and other stakeholders converging at the runway to render rescue operations.

The management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is yet to release an official statement on the incident. Unofficial sources disclosed that the passengers have been taken to an unknown destination.

Several aircraft incidents have occurred at Kano Airport, with several lives lost.

The last incident occurred in May 2002, when an EAS Airline aircraft departed the runway at Aminu Kano International Airport at 1:29 p.m. local time en route to Lagos.

Headline

Musk Breaks Record As First Person Worth Over $600 Billion

Published

2 days ago

December 16, 2025

Editor

Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI, has reached a new personal wealth milestone, surpassing a net worth of $600 billion, driven primarily by a recent valuation increase of SpaceX.

The development makes Musk the first individual in history to exceed the US$600 billion threshold.

According to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, Musk’s net worth stood at approximately $638 billion as of 15 December 2025, with the increase largely attributed to SpaceX, which was recently valued at around $800 billion following an insider share sale.

The privately held aerospace company, based in Starbase, Texas, is now considered the most valuable private firm globally, significantly boosting Musk’s personal holdings.

Musk’s stake in Tesla, estimated at roughly 12 per cent, is valued at nearly $200 billion, while his majority ownership of xAI Holdings is estimated at $60 billion.

Collectively, these assets place him on track to potentially approach US$700 billion, widening the gap between him and the world’s second-richest individual, former Google CEO Larry Page, valued at $265 billion.

The SpaceX valuation comes ahead of a projected public listing in 2026, which could see the company valued at approximately $1.5 trillion.

“Other shareholder meetings are snooze-fests but ours are bangers. Look at this. This is sick,” Musk said in November during Tesla’s shareholder meeting, referring to a performance-linked pay package approved by investors.

He added, “I super appreciate it.” The package, potentially worth up to US$1 trillion in stock, is tied to market-capitalisation and operational milestones over the next decade.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network has also contributed to investor confidence. The company continues to expand high-speed internet access to underserved regions worldwide.

Chad Gibbs, Vice President of Starlink Operations, stated that the satellite technology “bypasses the need to build massive amounts of infrastructure,” allowing broader and faster connectivity.

Musk’s ascent in personal wealth follows years of strategic risk-taking and long-term planning, with Tesla’s focus on electric vehicles, battery technology, and autonomous systems laying the foundation for his financial growth.

Analysts note that the combination of SpaceX’s soaring valuation, Tesla’s long-term incentives, and Musk’s diverse portfolio underpins his current status as the world’s wealthiest individual.

Headline

South Korea, Japan Protest China, Russia Aircraft Incursions

Published

1 week ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

South Korea and Japan reacted furiously on Wednesday after Chinese and Russian military aircraft conducted joint patrols around the two countries, with both Seoul and Tokyo scrambling jets.

South Korea said it had protested with representatives of China and Russia, while Japan said it had conveyed its “serious concerns” over national security.

According to Tokyo, two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers on Tuesday flew from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country.

The incident comes as Japan is locked in a dispute with China over comments Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made about Taiwan.

The bombers’ joint flights were “clearly intended as a show of force against our nation, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi wrote on X Wednesday.

Top government spokesman Minoru Kihara said that Tokyo had “conveyed to both China and Russia our serious concerns over our national security through diplomatic channels”.

Seoul said Tuesday the Russian and Chinese warplanes entered its air defence zone and that a complaint had been lodged with the defence attaches of both countries in the South Korean capital.

“Our military will continue to respond actively to the activities of neighbouring countries’ aircraft within the KADIZ in compliance with international law,” said Lee Kwang-suk, director general of the International Policy Bureau at Seoul’s defence ministry, referring to the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone.

South Korea also said it deployed “fighter jets to take tactical measures in preparation for any contingencies” in response to the Chinese and Russian incursion into the KADIZ.

The planes were spotted before they entered the air defence identification zone, defined as a broader area in which countries police aircraft for security reasons but which does not constitute their airspace.

Japan’s defence ministry also scrambled fighter jets to intercept the warplanes.

Beijing later Tuesday confirmed it had organised drills with Russia’s military according to “annual cooperation plans”.

Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.

Since 2019, China and Russia have regularly flown military aircraft into South Korea’s air defence zone without prior notice, citing joint exercises.

In November last year, Seoul scrambled jets as five Chinese and six Russian military planes flew through its air defence zone.

Similar incidents occurred in June and December 2023, and in May and November 2022.

Meanwhile, Tokyo said Monday it had scrambled jets in response to repeated takeoff and landing exercises involving fighter jets and military helicopters from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier as it cruised in international waters near Japan.

It also summoned Beijing’s ambassador after military aircraft from the Liaoning locked radar onto Japanese jets, the latest incident in the row ignited by Takaichi’s comments backing Taiwan.

Takaichi suggested last month that Japan would intervene militarily in any Chinese attack on the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out seizing by force.

AFP