Kim Kardashian and ex-husband Kanye West keep their distance as they co-parent at son Saint’s soccer game

Kim Kardashian and ex-Kanye West at their son Saint’s soccer game in Los Angeles on Sunday, May 7.

In photos obtained by TMZ, the pair interacted with their adorable kids – Saint, 7, Chicago, 5, and son Psalm as they kept their distance from each other. Missing from the scene was daughter North, 9.

A witness for the outlet described the two as appearing to be on decent terms, making small talk and discussing Saint’s performance throughout the game.

Kardashian previously discussed the difficulty of co-parenting with West during an appearance on the Angie Martinez IRL podcast in December.

“It’s hard. Shit like co-parenting, it’s really fucking hard,” she shared while wiping tears from her eyes. “I had the best dad. And I had the best memories and the greatest experience. And that’s all I want for my kids. As long as they can have that, that’s what I want for them. So, if they don’t know things that are being said, or what’s happening in the world, why would I ever bring that energy to them? That’s real heavy, heavy grown-up shit. And they’re not ready to deal with it, you know? When they are, we’ll have those conversations. And I’ll be so prepared. But until then, I’ll do anything to keep their life as normal as possible.”

Kardashian also said that she had prevented her kids from knowing the extent of West’s recent erratic behavior.

“I definitely protected him and I still will in the eyes of my kids, for my kids,” she said during the interview.

King Charles crowned as he officially takes the title of His Majesty in historic first Coronation in 70 years

King Charles III has formally been crowned King in the historic first Coronation in 70 years today.

He was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

The king was crowned while seated in the Coronation Chair, holding the Sceptre with Cross in his right, gloved hand and the Sceptre with Dove in his left hand.

He was crowned with St. Edward’s Crown, which was created in 1661 and will only be worn during the ceremony.

After the crown was placed on his head, the bells at Westminster Abbey rang for two minutes.

King Charles was then escorted from the Coronation Chair to the throne.Before the crowning, King Charles was presented with the coronation regalia.

He was first presented with the spurs, which “symbolize knighthood,” followed by the Sword of Offering; two armills made of gold, known as “bracelets of sincerity and wisdom;” the Coronation Orb, “symbolising the Christian world” with three sides representing the three continents known during medieval times; and the Sovereign’s Ring, representing commitment and is not worn during the ceremony.

Charles then was presented with the coronation glove, the same one his mother wore during her coronation, representing him as advocate and challenger for the protection of the people.

He was then given the sovereign’s sceptre with cross which represents “the sovereign’s temporal power,” and the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove, which represents “the sovereign’s spiritual role.”

Atlanta shooting suspect Deion Patterson charged with murder and four counts of aggravated assault

The man accused of opening fire in an Atlanta medical facility has been charged with murder and four counts of aggravated assault.

Deion Duwane Patterson, 24, is accused of shooting five women before he evaded police during an eight-hour-long manhunt Wednesday, officials said on Thursday, May 4.

He did not appear in court as scheduled Thursday, waiving his right to see a judge within 24 hours of his arrest. His next scheduled court date was not immediately set.

Amy St. Pierre, 39, an employee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was killed with a semi-automatic handgun, Atlanta Police Officer Scott Demeester wrote in an affidavit.

In a statement posted Thursday to Twitter, the CDC said:

“CDC is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague killed yesterday in the Midtown Atlanta shooting. Our hearts are with her family, friends, and colleagues as they remember her and grieve this tragic loss.

“Court papers identified the four women who were wounded as Lisa Glynn, Georgette Whitlow, Jazzmin Daniel and Alesha Hollinger. They are ages 25 to 71. Glynn and Daniel were shot in the abdomen, Whitlow in the arm and Hollinger in the face, according to the arrest affidavit.

The shooting occurred at 1110 W. Peachtree St. between 11:59 a.m. and 12:08 p.m., according to the court papers. Three of the wounded remained in intensive care of Grady Memorial Hospital, and two of them will return to the operating room Thursday, said Dr. Robert Jansen, the facility’s chief medical officer.

“This is unfortunately a fairly routine thing after these types of injuries,” Jansen told reporters. “You can’t do everything during the first operation.

“Daniel, 25, had been working in patient intake in the Northside Hospital facility for six months, said her father, Quentin Daniel. He said that even though she is in critical condition and breathing through a tube, doctors have told him they are confident she will recover from gunshot wounds to her chest and pelvis.

“She’s a jolly, cheerful person who loves her family,” Daniel said Thursday of his daughter, who is a new mom. “Her 1-year-old didn’t sleep well last night without his mother.”

Eight dead and 13 wounded in Serbia after gunman opened fire on moving car in second mass shooting this week

Authorities in Serbia have arrested a suspected gunman who killed eight people and injured 13 others near the capital Belgrade on Thursday night, May 4.

The killing comes a day after a 13-year-old boy went on a killing spree at his school in the country.

The suspect, identified only by his initials U.B. was arrested near the central town of Kragujevac, 60 miles south of Belgrade, following an all-night search by around 600 police officers.

The gunman allegedly opened fire in a schoolyard before continuing to shoot people at random across three villages while in a moving car, local media report.

An off-duty policeman and his sister were among those killed in the mass shooting near the town of Mladenovac, 26 miles south of Belgrade, late on Thursday, reports state broadcaster RTS.

The mass shooting comes just days after the worst school shooting in Serbia’s recent history, after Kosta Kecmanovic, 13, shot dead nine people, including eight fellow students, and injured seven at a school in Belgrade before turning himself in on Wednesday.

In the latest shooting, the suspect was involved in an altercation in a school yard on Thursday and left but then returned with an assault rifle and a handgun, local media report.

The suspect opened fire and continued to shoot his victims at random one by one through three villages near the town of Mladenovac, 30 miles south of Belgrade, late on Thursday.

One man in the village of Dubona said he heard gunshots late last night and came out of his home. ‘I felt the smell of gunpowder. I heard noise from the direction of school. We saw people lying on the ground,’ said the man, who refused to give his name because he feared for his safety.’This is terrible for our state, this is a huge defeat. In two days so many … killed,’ said Ivan, a Dubona resident.

Worried relatives gathered outside the emergency medical centre in Belgrade, where at least eight injured people were hospitalised, N1 television reported.

Around 600 Serbian police, including elite Special Antiterrorist Unit (SAJ) and Gendarmerie launched a manhunt following the shooting, setting up roadblocks around the villages.

Following the all-night manhunt, officers arrested the suspect in the town of Kragujevac.

Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic called the shooting a ‘terrorist act’, RTS reported.

The Balkan nation begins three days of official mourning on Friday following its first mass school shooting on Wednesday.

Kosta Kecmanovic, 13, confessed to opening fire on his screaming classmates inside their classroom in the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School, killing seven girls and a boy – all below the age of 14.

Priyanka Chopra reveals she fell into depression after botched nose job

Bollywood star and former Miss World, Priyanka Chopra has recounted how a botched facial surgery saw her being dropped from three movies, pushing her into depression.

Speaking to Howard Stern on his SiriusXM radio show, Priyanka confessed that she fell into a “deep deep depression” after going under the knife and was worried that her career was “over” before it had even began.

The 40-year-old actress said she underwent the surgery to get a simple polyp in her nose removed but “this thing happens, and my face looks completely different, and I went into a deep, deep depression. It was a dark phase.”

It was her father, a doctor himself, who convinced Priyanka to go under the knife again – this time to correct the botched job.

She recalled telling her father that she was scared, but he told her ‘I will be in the room with you.’

She admitted:

‘He held my hands through it and helped me build back my confidence.’The film roles slowly returned, and Priyanka pointed out one director in particular, Anil Sharma, who when she was dropped from the lead to a supporting character, urged her to ‘give it your all’, which she did.

Chopra went on to star in several major Hollywood TV series, including Citadel and Quantico.

South Africans call for return of Diamonds used in British Crown since 1907

Some South Africans have called for the United Kingdom to return the “Star of Africa”, the world’s largest diamond, which is set in the royal sceptre that King Charles III will hold at his coronation on Saturday, May 6.

The 530-carat diamond, which was dubbed ‘Star of Africa’ was discovered in South Africa in the year 1905.

It was eventually presented to the British Monarchy by the colonial government in the country two years later, as the country was under British rule at that time.

Recently some European countries have been returning artefacts to African countries they colonized.

Germany recently returned artefacts to Edo state, Finland returned Namibia’s Power Stone, and this has prompted some South Africans to ask for the diamond to be brought back.

Mothusi Kamanga, a Johannesburg based lawyer who wrote an online petition that has amassed about 8,000 signatures, said to Reuters;

“The diamond needs to come to South Africa. It needs to be a sign of our pride, our heritage and our culture.

I think generally the African people are starting to realise that to decolonise is not just to let people have certain freedoms, but it’s also to take back what has been expropriated from us.”

Another South African, Mohamed Abdullahi, said to the publication, “I believe it should be brought back home because, at the end of the day, they took it from us while they were oppressing us.”

The diamond on the sceptre, officially known as Cullinan I, was cut from the 3,100-carat Cullinan diamond, which was mined close to Pretoria.

The Imperial State Crown that British monarchs don on ceremonial occasions is set with a smaller diamond cut from the same stone known as Cullinan II.

It is stored at the Tower of London with the other crown jewels and the sceptre.

Palestinian woman shot dead after stabbing Israeli soldier

A 26-year-old Palestinian woman who had allegedly stabbed an Israeli with a knife was fatally shot on Thursday in the town of Huwara in the occupied West Bank.

The 20-year-old Israeli man was taken to hospital with a stab wound, according to the Israeli Magen David Adom ambulance service.

The Israeli army identified the man as a soldier.The Palestinian Ministry of Health said the alleged assailant died from gunshot wounds to the chest.

Huwara, a Palestinian town, had been the site of several attacks and clashes in recent months.

In February, following a deadly attack that killed two Israeli brothers, hundreds of Israeli settlers rampaged through the town, setting fires and leaving at least one dead and about 100 civilians injured.

A road running through Huwara is used by many Israeli settlers every day.

Four suspected drug peddlers including Nigerian national arrested in India

Four people including a Nigerian national were arrested for allegedly selling drugs in Maharashtra’s Mumbai, India.

Narcotics with estimated value of Rs 32 lakh in the international market was seized from their possession, police said on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

The arrested persons were identified as Sunday John Ambaze, Suraj Habib Sheikh, Zaheer Wahabuddin Qureshi, and Riyaz Nasir Ali Sayyad.

A case has been registered against them under the NDPS Act after which all of them were sent to police custody till May 6.

Further investigation into the matter is underway.

Nigerian evacuees get N100,000 each, N25,000 recharge cards and 1.5 GB data

The first batch of Nigerians fleeing the crisis in Sudan arrived in Nigeria on Wednesday, May 3, from Eygpt.

They arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 11.40 pm on Wednesday, May 3, with an estimate of 376 evacuees.

About 282 persons were conveyed by the Air Peace aircraft while the Nigeria Air Force evacuated 94 back to the country.

Upon their return, they received the sum of N100,000 each upon their return to the country. They were also given N25,000 worth of recharge cards and 1.5 Gigabytes of data.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq, disclosed these at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Thursday morning, May 4.

She said,

“Today, we are very happy to receive them. They have gone through a very traumatic period but we give thanks to Almighty Allah that all of them are back safely. No life was lost which is the most important thing. All the efforts put in place were not in vain. I thank every member of the Committee that has put all efforts to ensure that these people are brought back safely and with dignity. We thank the transport companies for their support.

“There is N100,000 that would transport them back to their families which is supported by the Dangote Foundation by giving them the transportation fare as well as the dignity kits and also 25,000 recharge cards from MTN and 1.5 GB data courtesy of MTN. All efforts have been put in place and everyone has contributed to ensuring that at least these Nigerians have some comfort when they return home.”

The returnees were handed the N100,000 cash and the dignity kits at the airport after putting down their information.

First set of Nigerian evacuees from Sudan arrive Abuja

The first set of Nigerian citizens who fled war-torn Sudan, arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 11.40pm on Wednesday, May 3, with an estimate of 376 evacuees.

The Air Peace flight carrying over 270 Nigerian students from the Aswan Airport in Egypt first landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja before the NAF C-130H jet also conveying about 80 persons landed some moments later.

Federal Government sues Facebook owner Meta, demands N30 billion

The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has granted the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) leave to serve a writ of summons on Meta, the owner of Facebook.

The court gave the nod pursuant to an application by ARCON in a pending N30 billion suit against the social media giant for violation of the extant advertising laws of Nigeria.

The writ is to be served at the Meta corporate headquarters of Meta, which also owns Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp social media platforms.

While Meta is the first defendant in the suit, AT3 Resources Limited is the second defendant.

ARCON is seeking a declaration that publishing various advertisements and marketing communications materials targeted at Nigeria through Meta’s platforms without prior vetting and approval by its advertising standards panel is illegal.

The regulatory body also claimed that the act disregarded Nigerian culture, constitutional tenets, moral values and religious sensitivity of citizens.

ARCON is, therefore, seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their privies, agents, servants and associates from publishing any advertising or marketing communications materials without recourse to ARCON in line with the country’s advertising law.

It is also seeking N30 billion in fines and sanctions for the continued violations and infractions of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria Act No. 23 of 2022.

Ugandan minister shot dead by his bodyguard

Uganda’s Minister of State for Labour, Employment & Industrial Relations, Col. (Rtd) Charles Okello Engola, has been shot dead by his body guard in a Kampala suburb.

Retired Colonel Charles Okello Engola, who was the deputy minister for gender and labour, was shot at his home on Tuesday morning, May 2.

Police Spokesperson, Fred Enaga, said Engola was shot at close range at his residence in Kyanja while entering his vehicle to go to work.

Police have identified the bodyguard as Private Wilson Sabiti.

Enaga disclosed that after Sabiti fired several shots at close range, killing Engola instantly, he fled from the scene up to the trading center at Kyanja, Ring Road where he entered a salon and also shot himself dead.

The police is yet to establish the motive of the shooting.

Enaga said a team of detectives has been dispatched to the crime scene team for further investigations.

While in the military, Engola was the commander of the UPDF 501 Brigade, at Opit, in Gulu District.

He was then promoted to the rank of colonel and retired from the military in 2007.

During his political career, he served as Oyam District LCV Chairperson on the ruling NRM party ticket for two terms.

In 2016, he was elected Oyam North Member of Parliament and re-elected in 2021.

He also served as State Minister of Defence from 2016 until 2021.

President Biden announces COVID vaccine requirement for travelers to US will be scrapped on May 11

The US government will scrap vaccine mandates for federal employees and international travellers next week.

The Biden Administration announced Monday night that these mandates will go by the wayside starting May 11, when the Covid-related public health emergency ends.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also announced that the requirements will be scrapped for remaining educators and federally funded health systems still subject to conditions.

‘We are in a different phase of our response to Covid-19 than we were when many of these requirements were put into place,’ the Biden admin said in a statement.

‘These measures are no longer necessary,’ it continued.

The measures finally align the US with the rest of the world. Very few countries, such as Angola and Indonesia still require visitors to have received a Covid vaccine to gain entry.

The White House cited the statistics showing that since January 2021, Covid deaths have dropped by 95 percent, and hospitalizations are down nearly 91 percent.

Recent studies have shown the vaccines, while able to prevent hospitalization and death, are not as effective against transmission of the virus.

A 2022 paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that after 25 weeks, the protection the Pfizer vaccine gave to recipients against Omicron infection fell to just nine percent.

A booster shot initially raised this protection to 67 percent before dropping to 45 percent after two weeks.

Experts have previously slammed decisions to keep Covid-era policies in place as ‘out of step’ with the rest of the world.

Tennis Star Serena Williams and model Karlie Kloss reveal pregnancies at Met Gala

The glitz and glam of this year’s Met Gala also doubled up as the perfect place for expectant celebrity mums to showcase their baby bumps.

Perhaps one of the most memorable moments of the night was tennis star Serena Williams and model Karlie Kloss publicly announcing their pregnancies as they walked the cream, red and blue carpet.

The dress code of the evening, hosted at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, was “In honour of Karl”, meaning celebrities were inspired by late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld.

The retired tennis player wore a black mermaid gown, with silver edging designed by Gucci, and multiple strings of pearls around her neck and a layered pearl headband.

Footage from the red-carpet show Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian, an entrepreneur and the co-founder of Reddit, gently resting his hand on her midsection. Speaking to reporters, Williams said there are “three of us” on the carpet. This would be the Tennis star’s second child.

American model Kloss, 30, also revealed that she is expecting her second child with businessman husband Joshua Kushner.

Wearing a Loewe outfit designed by Northern Irish fashion designer Jonathan Anderson, her black gown featured Lagerfeld’s signature strings of pearls, with a trompe-l’oeil design giving a modern, surrealist edge to the ensemble.

“I’m so happy, this is the first time I’m sharing my news, so it’s very special,” she told Vogue.

She continued:

“I was pregnant last time during the pandemic so I didn’t leave my sweatpants. So this is the first time I’m on a red carpet pregnant and it’s a super special moment, also kind of vulnerable – so I don’t know how to style a belly. I can’t imagine a more special moment.”

Tapping into the red-carpet maternity fashion trend for sleek, skintight designs, Kloss’ dress had long sleeves and a tight silhouette to show off her growing bump.

Kidnapped former NBA president freed after two weeks

Okey Wali, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association who was abducted by armed men dressed in military uniform at Obiri-Kwere area of the East-West Road in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State fortnight Monday, has been freed after spending two weeks in captivity.

NBA chairman, Port Harcourt Branch, Viktor Benibo, confirmed the release of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

Speaking to Punch, Benibo said;

“He is in his house. He was released in the early hours of today.”

NFL star, Shaquil Barrett’s daughter, 2, tragically drowns in pool

The two-year-old daughter of NFL star Shaquil Barrett has tragically passed away after drowning in a swimming pool.

Arrayah, the youngest of Barrett’s four children died on Sunday, April, 30, following the accident in the pool at her father’s home in Tampa, Florida.

Officers arrived on the scene at 9:30am local time (2:30pm UK time) after receiving a call that a child had fallen into a pool.

The toddler was then transported to a local hospital and despite the best efforts from medical staff to save her life, was unfortunately pronounced dead shortly after.

The Tampa Police Department said an investigation is ongoing and according to a statement they released:

“It is not believed to be suspicious in nature at this time, but a purely accidental and tragic incident.”

Barrett plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who said in a statement: “Today’s tragic news is heartbreaking for all members of the Buccaneers family.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Shaq, Jordanna and the entire Barrett family during this unimaginably difficult time.

“While no words can provide true comfort at a time such as this, we offer our support and love as they begin to process this very profound loss of their beloved Arrayah.”

Turkey kills ISIS leader in Syria operation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confirmed that the country’s intelligence forces have killed the leader of ISIS in Syria as he vowed to continue the country’s fight against terrorism.

In a broadcast on Sunday April 30, Erdogan said Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization had been tracking a man known as Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini Al-Qurshi “for a long time.”

“This person was neutralized in the operation carried out by MIT (Turkish National Intelligence Organization) yesterday in Syria,” he said.

“From now on, we will continue our fight without discrimination against terrorist organizations.”

He added that Turkey’s fight against terrorism contributes to Europe’s security, claiming that Europe “is not aware of this or does not want to be aware of it.”

Al-Qurshi was named ISIS leader after the death of his predecessor, Abu al-Hasan al-Hashmi al-Qurayshi, who was killed last October by the Free Syrian Army in Syria.

Little was known about Al-Qurshi, but at the time of his appointment, ISIS described him as an “old fighter.”

Erdogan’s announcement came after a recent absence from the public eye due to illness.

Media reports had speculated that his health was deteriorating just two weeks before a crucial election.

The speculation followed a televised interview on Tuesday, which was interrupted after Erdogan left his chair in the middle of a question, before returning to explain he had a “serious stomach flu.”

Following Tuesday’s incident, Erdogan was advised by his doctors to rest at home and canceled a number of public events.

On Thursday, the Turkish government rejected news reports about his health as “baseless claims.”

He appeared on video link the same day for the inauguration of the Akkuya nuclear power plant.

Erdogan made his return to public stage for the first time in three days on Saturday, at an aviation festival in Istanbul, where he rallied his supporters as he seeks to extend his 20-year stint in power.

Ex-finance minister Peña wins Paraguay’s presidential election

Santiago Peña, the governing conservative Colorado party candidate, has won the presidential election in Paraguay.

The 44-year-old had 42.8 per cent of votes, with nearly all ballots counted, the national electoral authority said on Sunday.

According to the electoral authority, Mr Peña, a former finance minister, had a 15-point lead over centre-left rival Efraín Alegre, 60, from the Concertacion coalition.

Over the past 76 years, Partido Colorado has lost just one election in the South American country – it was not in power from 2008 to 2013.

Five years ago, Alegre lost to Mario Abdo Benítez, the outgoing incumbent.

Abdo Benítez was not allowed to stand again for constitutional reasons – the president is only allowed one term.

Paraguay has almost seven million inhabitants and, along with Bolivia, is the only country in South America without access to the sea.

It’s main exports are soy, electricity and beef.

In addition to the president, the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies and governors were newly elected on Sunday.

According to the electoral authority, the Colorado party also appeared to have defended its majority in parliament.

BBC chairman resigns over former UK Prime Minister Johnson’s loan deal role

BBC chairman Richard Sharp has resigned over his role involving a $1 million given to former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Investigation into the loan deal found Mr Sharp, a former Goldman Sachs banker and major donor to Mr Johnson’s Conservative Party, culpable of failing to disclose his involvement in arranging the money for the former British prime minister.

Mr Sharp, in a video statement just before the report was released, said his failure to inform the authorities about the loan was “inadvertent and not material” and that he chose to step down from the BBC board to “prioritize the interests of the BBC.”

According to The New York Times, Mr Sharp had promised the ex-prime minister to arrange a meeting between a wealthy Canadian businessman and Mr Johnson’s distant cousin, Sam Blyth, and a senior government official, who could help facilitate the loan.

Mr Blyth offered to serve as guarantor so that Mr Johnson, who was experiencing financial constraints following his recent divorce and a new family, could secure $996,000.

The controversy put the BBC in a bad spotlight over the ability of Mr Sharp to maintain impartial journalism, especially in the UK.Mr Sharp apologised for his “oversight” and the distraction the loan deal had caused the BBC.

1,519 Nigerian students bussed from Khartoum to Port Sudan- Federal Government

The federal government says about 1,519 stranded Nigerians in Sudan are expected to leave Khartoum via hired buses to Port Sudan and other designated border points for their onward evacuation to Nigeria.

This development followed the extension of another 72-hour ceasefire agreement between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.

Port Sudan is a port on the Red Sea in the eastern part of the country.

The permanent secretary of the federal ministry of humanitarian affairs, Sani Gwarzo, confirmed this while briefing journalists on the situation on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Gwarzo, the chairman of the government’s evacuation situation room, explained that the stranded students are expected to leave on April 30.

He said the government had already secured 31 buses in addition to the reserve buses kept in case of unforeseen circumstances.

“We have given the bus company our word that under no circumstances shall they leave anybody on the ground, even if it is one more person that is remaining, let them activate our reserve list and bring out the new buses,” the government official explained.

He added;

“And I spoke to the student leader and the embassy in this regard, so we are expecting each bus will carry 49 persons, and if you calculate this number times 31 buses, it will give you the number of persons to be evacuated today.”

The government also clarified the controversy over the $1.2 million used for the hired evacuation buses from Khartoum to the designated border points.

“Do you know how much it takes to hire a bus from Khartoum to the border? It is $30,000 per bus, and you times it by 40 buses, that is where $1.2 million comes from. So, we transfer the first tranche of the money approved by the federal government, which is $400,000, to them as a deposit; if you take our $400,000, what does it come to you is 1/3 of the total sum,” explained Mr Gwarzo.

He further stated;

“So, they gave us 13 buses times $30,000 it will give us 390,000 dollars believing that will continue with the evacuation, but they stopped giving us buses that our money has expired.

But, they kept the remaining $10,000 and told us that our money had finished until we completed the remaining balance because we were meant to understand in Sudan, there is nothing like you deposit money until an assignment is done before you complete the remaining balance.”

The official revealed that the government “started transferring the remaining balance” in tranches.

“Believe me; you don’t transfer money to Sudan directly. You have to get somebody who knows the company who will transfer and give them cash, then go into an agreement,” added Mr Gwarzo.

“And the transport company threatened that they would not move on with the evacuation process, and whoever thinks that $1.2 million will be enough to move people from Khartoum to the border and airlift them to Nigeria is being economical with the truth.”

Mr Gwarzo further explained that the federal government had to agree with the transport company to ensure due process was followed to transfer the funds.

“We signed an MoU with them, and at every stage, we report this to DSS and NFIU so that they can monitor the movement of the money.

And the company, too, should know that in Nigeria, if you transfer money from a government account, it does not go direct because it has a dashboard that it can be seen,” stated the official.

He revealed that the ministry had to alert the SSS and NFIU before “we send this money, though in the process the money got delayed by the central bank system, and this is what they call swift electronic cash transfer system, it got delayed.”

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