A climate activist, Greta Thunberg, has been fined for defying police orders during a climate protest in March at Swedish parliament.

During the hearing of the case on Wednesday at the Stockholm District Court, Ms Thunberg was charged 6,000 Swedish crowns ($550) and an additional 1,000 crown (£73) in damages.

According to reports, the climate activist with the assistance of four other campaigners blocked the entrance to the Swedish parliament for their sit-in and protest against effective climate change on March 12 and 13.

The protesters denied politicians access into the parliament, causing disruptions at the entrance of the building, which the police noted and gave the activists an order to move which she and her campaigners refused to do.

Their disobedience for police order made the police use force to remove them from the building entrance.

Also, this is not Ms Thunberg’s first time of flouting police orders, as she was fined last July after refusing to leave a climate protest in Malmo in June. She, however, denied the charges of two counts of civil disobedience before the court.

Meanwhile, Ms Thunberg after the court rulings complained of the court’s decision, describing the system as “extremely deadly,” adding that the law which was supposed to protect citizens didn’t fulfil its duty.

The climate activist told the BBC that “In a country like Sweden where I can protest, where I can use my voice, I have the right to do that. I have a moral obligation to do that.”

Ms Thunberg disclosed that her reason for not complying with the law enforcement agents’ order was because the protest against effective climate change was an emergency and it’s still an emergency.

She thus noted that in an emergency, everyone had an obligation to act.BBC further reported her as saying, “Once again, I think it’s painfully clear how absurd it is that it is peaceful climate protesters, like us youths, who are facing repression and are being faced with legal punishments in court for acting against this extremely deadly system, and for trying to change things.’’

The climate activist added, “We are currently heading in the wrong direction towards a very unstable and dangerous future. It shows how our laws which are supposed to protect us don’t do that.’’

Describing “big companies and people in power” as “the people who are the real criminals, ” she alleged that they were the ones putting people in real danger because of their disregard for the “rapidly escalating climate crisis.”

However, the Stockholm police explained that though the activists had the right to protest outside the parliament, they were ordered to move away from blocking the entrances.

TikTok, owned by a Chinese internet entrepreneur, Zhang Yiming, has sued the United States government over moves to ban the social media app.

The TikTok founder had filed the suit against the U.S. government in Washington’s appeal court on Tuesday.

TikTok’s decision was in reaction to U.S government law signed late April to ban it from the country except Mr Yiming, who is also the founder of ByteDance, was willing to sell the app in less than eight months.

However, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, didn’t agree with the U.S. terms and argued that the law which violated the First Amendment free speech protections also unfairly characterises its ownership of TikTok as a national security concern, even though there was no proof the company is a threat.

The U.S. government expressed worry that TikTok raised national security concerns because China could obtain American personal information via the app. However, after the bill was brought to the House floor by a unanimous committee vote last month, it was passed by the House with great support.

Furthermore, ByteDance claims that because the statute is so “obviously unconstitutional,” its sponsors are misrepresenting it as a means of controlling TikTok’s ownership.

In the lawsuit that was submitted, ByteDance stated, “For the first time in history, Congress has enacted a law that subjects a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban, and bars every American from participating in a unique online community with more than 1 billion people worldwide.”

Also, according to TikTok and ByteDance’s lawsuit, the divestiture “is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, and not legally.”

There is no doubt that the act will silence the 170 million Americans who use TikTok to communicate in ways that are unique to their platform by forcing the company to shut down by January 19, 2025.”

The law suit also stated that, the Chinese government “has made clear that it would not permit a divestment of the recommendation engine that is a key to the success of TikTok in the United States” and revealed that TikTok has spent $2 billion on measures to ensure protection of its users data.

The app has also gone ahead to agree to a “shutdown option” that would allow the U.S. government to shutdown the app if there is ever a breach in the terms of the 90-page draft National Security Agreement.

The Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board on Tuesday trained about 321 teachers on the Reading and Numeracy Activities (RANA) teaching methodology.

RANA is a three-year project funded by DFID through UNICEF as part of the Girls Education Programme Phase 3.

It is aimed at improving literacy and numeracy instruction in grades one to three in both public schools and integrated Quranic schools, with the ultimate goal of increasing literacy outcomes for learners, especially girls.

To achieve these goals, RANA has developed Hausa-language teaching and learning materials, build teacher capacity, mobilised communities, and engaged local governments to improve early grade reading policies.

The three-day refresher training, which is phase three of the RANA programme, supported by the World Bank, was under the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme.

Speaking to journalists at the opening of the training, the Head, Education Management Information System of KADSUBEB, Josephine Michael, said the trainees would step down the training to teachers in the state government’s schools.

She added that the teachers would equally step down the training to their pupils in Hausa language which is the immediate language of the pupils’ environment.

Michael, who doubles as the Desk Officer of BESDA in KADSUBEB, stressed that the Kaduna State Government envisaged pupils in the state to be able to at most in primary three identify letters, sounds and read simple sentences.

She also said they wanted to ensure the children were able to do simple addition and comprehend little stories at primary three, so they could do better in upper classes in terms of writing letters and do much comprehension at their level.

Speaking further, Michael said the programme, introduced in 2019, had improved the children’s learning capacity.

“Because they are learning in play, songs, actions and in the language they understood better, there is much improvement in learning outcome. The methodology is child-centred. It makes the children more involved,” she said.

One of the trainees, Shehu Bashari from Zaria LGA, said the RANA programme pushed him to a higher level.According to him, the first time he received such training, he thought it was a joke until he saw how it made his pupils learn fast.

“I discovered that before the advent of the programme, learners from primary one to three were unable to read simple sentences and not to talk of knowing all the alphabets,” he said.

Also, Rahab Benjamin from Kaura LGA, said she had a niece who could not read in spite of many efforts.

Ms Benjamin however, said when she was trained in the first phase of the RANA programme, she settled down and taught her niece in ways which she quickly understood.

“I have benefited from the programme even in my household,” she said.

The participants, who cut across teachers from the state’s 23 LGAs, were RANA mentors, coaches and master trainers for primary one to three.

The Federal Government said it has established plantations of both indigenous and exotic tree species in the 36 states of the federation.

The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, disclosed this at the opening of the 45th Annual Conference of the Forestry Association of Nigeria in Katsina on Tuesday.

Mr Lawal, represented by a Deputy Director in the ministry, Bosede Olukanmi, said that the action was geared towards supplementing the natural forests and providing forest products for domestic and international market demands.

He also said that the initiative was driven by the desire to create jobs for youths in the areas where the plantations were established.

The minister said that forestry contributes to the Gross Domestic Product of the country, hence, its role in the Nigerian economy could never be overemphasised.

According to him, it creates employment and provides foreign exchange earnings through experts.

Mr Lawal said, “It will interest you to know that owing to the reawakened and renewed demand of the country’s woods in recent times by China, Vietnam, India, Nigeria has been listed as one of the exporting countries of woods and charcoal to these countries. This is with a view to providing forest products to feed domestic and international markets.”

In his remarks, President of the association, Dr Afolani Tajudeen, disclosed that over the years, the association had sounded the alarm against abuse, misuse and collective damage to the forests.

He said, “Nigerians have continuously treated the forests as if it is an inexhaustible resource, forgetting that though renewable, it is potentially destructible. Our actions and inactions have resulted in an inclement environment which now breeds disease and pests that pose danger to human existence. On the economic side, the unsustainable management of our forests has resulted in the loss of fertile lands, leading to declining agricultural productivity, job losses, rural-urban drift and the creation of urban slums with their attendant implications to our society. Sadly, forestry administrators at all tiers of governments in Nigeria are virtually in comatose.’’

On his part, the Katsina State governor, Dikko Radda, said his administration was ready to partner with the association to protect and preserve the natural forest in the state.

Mr Radda said that the government established a committee to recover the forests encroached across the state.

“We are now waiting for the committee to submit its reports for the government to implement recommendations,” he said.

The conference had as its theme “Forests for national wealth and job creation.”

A man identified as Akpoveta School has admitted to killing his lover, Glory Akpaku, because of N100,000.

Akpoveta was taken into custody by the Delta State Police Command and is currently being interrogated.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, made this known in a post accompanied by a video shared on his X handle on Tuesday.

The suspect stated that when the deceased promised to give him the money when she returned from the market, he then threatened her by saying he would reveal their secret relationship to her child, which angered her and led Glory to say that she would not give him the money anymore.

The post read, “I share stories like this so we can learn from the mistakes of others. “So, this suspect, Akpoveta School, allegedly murdered his sugar mummy, Glory Akpaku, over her failure to give him back the money she was helping him save.

“When asked why he did, he said ‘NA DEVIL WORK’ pls watch and share.

“When questioned about the murder, Akpoveta confessed to stabbing her three times in the back, neck, and stomach.

The Benin Division of the Edo High Court, on Tuesday, ordered the remand of one Ikechukwu Tony in prison custody over an alleged attempt to rape a 50-year-old woman.

The suspect was arraigned on a count charge of rape, to which he pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Ama Iyamu, told the court that the suspect, on March 27, 2023, at Ewayoburu Street, off Uwa in Benin juridical division, attempted to rape one Osayenwenrre Amadi.

According to the prosecutor, the offence is contrary to Section 4 of Edo State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2021 and punishable under Section 5(2) of the same law.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has released additional 531 results of the recently conducted Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations taking the total number of results released to 1,842,897.

This is contained in a statement by the Public Communication Advisor of the Board, Fabian Benjamin, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Benjamin said the board proceeded with the screening of over 64,000 withheld results due to cases of examination misconduct.

He added that the board was examining cases of unverified candidates and would soon come up with a position.

He added that the attention of the board was drawn to some fallacious publications purporting that an unknown candidate, who did not sit for the board’s 2024 UTME obtained scores.

Mr Benjamin described the report as fake, malicious and a calculated attempt to undermine the integrity of the board, urging the public to disregard such publications.

He said that the publication which levelled such a grievous allegation had no details of the candidate for proper verification.

He said, “The board is not surprised as this is the season of mischief-makers, who would want to deceive gullible candidates. The examination template of the board is designed with the highest sense of responsibility and is not an allocation platform where scores are doled out to candidates.

“It is most unfortunate that anybody could even believe such narration or that the story could even gain traction given the board’s integrity. This again has gone to further vindicate the board’s stance that candidates should desist from disclosing their classified details to third parties.’’

He said that in investigating some of the allegations, the board discovered that some of the mischief-makers copied results sent to other candidates.

He stated, “They then edit the details sent to them and then parade this as emanating from the board. The board challenges any candidate, parent or anybody with such a claim to prove it wrong by coming forward with the details of such claims, and the phone number with which such results were conveyed.’’

He said that this development would only propel the board to further tighten the process of checking its results to make it more personalised.

Mr Benjamin said it would be stringent when it should actually be a simple and straightforward exercise.

“The board reiterated that neither its results nor any of its processes have been compromised. Hence, it will continue to protect the integrity of its systems against such malicious actors, who are hell-bent on creating confusion where none existed,” he said.

Mr Benjamin said that the board would add more features such as registration number to the existing UTME result checking process going forward, to make it extra difficult for anybody to edit.

He urged candidates to keep their details secure, noting that for if they were found associating with any of the mischievous elements, they would be treated as collaborators.

The spokesman said that the method of checking the 2024 UTME remained sending UTMERESULT to 55019 or 66019 and not through any other process.

He, therefore, said the result at the moment was not on the board’s website.

Three people were killed and two others critically injured after a passenger train hit a car in Indonesia’s Pasuruan regency, in East Java province, on Tuesday, local police reported.

Pasuruan Police Deputy Chief Andria Diana Putra said the fatal accident occurred at around 8:40 a.m. local time.

“A car with seven people on board trespassed at a railroad crossing without a bar gate in Rejoso sub-district. The car was hit by a passing train and severely damaged as it bounced off about 150 metres,” Mr Putra said.

He added that the officers were still investigating the cause of the accident.

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested two robbery suspects- Ademola Adeniyi, 38, and Anjorin Afeez, 41, and recovered three locally-made pistols.

Mr Benjamin Hundeyin, the command’s spokesman, confirmed the arrest in a post he shared on his X handle on Monday.

He said that the suspects were arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) on Sunday at about 10:00 pm in the Yaba area of the state.

“The operatives, on a routine patrol of the area, intercepted the Ketu/Ojota bound Lagos colour mini bus popularly known as ‘Korope’.

“On searching the vehicle, three locally-made pistols and six cartridges were recovered,” he said.

According to him, preliminary investigations revealed that the gang members boarded the bus at Jeba Bus Stop, Ebute Metta and were on their way for a robbery operation.

The PPRO said that the suspects were currently assisting the police in ongoing investigations.

Benue State governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has promised to continue to provide adequate and timely motivation to teachers through emoluments, workshops and trainings to equip them with skills and modern strategies that will help them become more efficient.

He made his pledge on Friday while commissioning projects executed in the first 100 days of the chairman of the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, Dr. Grace Adagba.

Governor Alia also promised to renovate and equip selected public schools in Benue State to provide a conducive learning environment for pupils.

He also stated the willingness of his administration to reinvigorate school supervision to ensure effective service delivery.

At the project commissioning, performed at the SUBEB Headquarters in Makurdi, the governor lauded the SUBEB chairperson and her team for the many achievements they have recorded in just a few days in office and promised to continue to support them to attract more development to the education sector in Benue State.

Governor Alia subsequently approved the construction of a storey building at the SUBEB Headquarters in Makurdi to provide a solution to the challenge of office accommodation, even as he ordered that a 33KV transformer be installed at the board immediately.

Earlier in her welcome address, the SUBEB Chair, Dr. Grace Adagba, thanked Governor Alia for his support without which it would have been difficult for her and her team to achieve that much.

According to her, the assistance of the Governor made it possible to automate the staff payroll system, remodel the SUBEB gate, install solar lights, dig a motorised borehole, renovate seven blocks, create new departments, provide internet services within the SUBEB premises and furnish the chairman’s office, amongst other things.

Others who spoke at the event include the representative of the State Coordinator of Universal Basic Education Commission, Brenda Atii; the state chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Levi Akuma; and a pupil of Holy Ghost Primary School, Makurdi, Mary Otor.

Another Improvised Explosive Device, IED, planted along Maiduguri-Dikwa-Gamboru Ngala road has killed seven people, including a telecommunication expert, Mallam Abbashuwa Bulamarwa.

It was gathered that the incident happened over the weekend, when their vehicles drove on the planted IED in-between Dikwa and Logomani village, about 80kms drive from Maiduguri.

This is coming barely one week after a vehicle conveying members of the Civilian Joint Task Force exploded on the same road after stepping on an IED, leaving 10 of them dead.

The Saturday explosion occurred when the victims were returning from Gamboru, a border town with Cameroun Republic after attending a wedding.

A close relative to one of the victims, who posted on his social media handle on Sunday said: “I regret to announce the passing of our brother, Abbashuwa Bulamarwa. He died on Saturday afternoon due to a mine explosion along Gamboru Ngala road.

“May Allah forgive and have mercy on his gentle soul and may jannatul firdaus be his final abode. Amin Ya Rabb.”

It was further gathered that the remains of the victims were buried the same day according to Islamic rites.

Efforts to get confirmation from the Police Public Relations Officer, Daso Kenneth, proved abortive at press time.

Operatives of the Adamawa State Police Command have arrested a man over alleged sexual assault on his infant stepdaughter.

Thirty-year-old Idi Adamu allegedly assaulted his one-year-old stepchild sexually.

In a statement on Friday, the Command said that Adamu was arrested on Wednesday, following a complaint by the baby’s mother who happens to be his wife.

According to the statement signed by Police Public Relations Officer, SP Suleiman Ngurore, the suspect is a resident of Wuro Ardo in Mubi North Local Government Area where he committed the act.

Customers of DStv and GOtv have been notified to expect a three-day “technical downtime” of its services.

In a notice shared on its official X handle on Friday, DStv explained that the downtime would be due to the ongoing Lagos-Calabar coastal road construction.

The pay TV operator, Multichoice said the project would force them to relocate from the office location between May 5,and May 7, 2024, assuring customers that disruptions would be minimised during the relocation.

It stated, “Our uplink facility will be impacted by the ongoing Lagos-Calabar coastal road construction project. As a result, we are forced to relocate. From Sunday, 5th May, 2024, to Thursday, 7th May, 2024, our technical team will be working tirelessly to relocate and minimize disruptions during the exercise.”

Appreciating customers for their patience and understanding during the period, it reiterated its dedication to delivering the quality service and support they expect from DStv and GOtv.

It added, “We’re relocating our uplink facility due to the Lagos-Calabar coastal road construction. This means you might experience some technical downtime. Thank you for bearing with us during this transition.’’

The company assured that it would soon restore its services better than ever.

The Oyo State Government plans a free training of 1,000 senior secondary school students in coding and non-code technology skills, an official said in Ibadan on Friday.

The Executive Assistant to the Governor on Administration, Idowu Ogedengbe, told journalists that the gesture was part of the government’s efforts to ensure quality and sustainable development in the education sector.

He said, “The initiative is aimed at launching a groundbreaking technology programme to empower senior secondary school students with technology skills, across the 33 Local Government Areas of Oyo State.’’.

Mr Ogedengbe however said the programme planned to hold from July 15 to July 19 in Ibadan, would be implemented in partnership with some private investors in the technology sector.

The governor’s Executive Assistant on Administration added that the training would begin with selected schools in all the 11 LGAs within Ibadan and other cities of the state.

He said that other beneficiaries from the remaining LGAs would be trained later.

“The next phases of the initiative will see us taking the training to the remaining LGAs, with a view to ensuring that the impact is widespread and even across all the constituencies in Oyo State,” Mr Ogedengbe said.

He said the initiative marks a significant milestone in the state government’s commitment to providing quality education and preparing the state’s youths for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

“CodeGarage Africa has been at the forefront of promoting digital literacy across Africa, and we are delighted to partner with them in this endeavour, with the support of Zeeh Africa and 386 Konsult. We aim to equip our students with the tech skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in the increasingly digital world. The importance of coding or non-code tech skills cannot be overstated in today’s society. From driving innovation to solving complex problems, tech skills are a fundamental skill that opens doors to countless opportunities.

“Introducing coding education to our senior secondary school students will allow us to lay the foundation for a future, where they can excel in technology-driven fields and contribute meaningfully to the development of our state and beyond,” Mr Ogedengbe said.

He urged stakeholders, including parents, educators and the private sector, to support and participate in the laudable programme.

He said,”This is because it will help to unlock the full potential of the young stars to become leaders in the digital age.”

In their respective remarks, representatives of the partnering private investors CodeGarage Africa and Zeeh Africa said training students from the grassroots level was useful to the ecosystem.

Dolapo Ayeni of CodeGarage Africa said the initiative was another way of “catching them young” and also exposing the youths to entrepreneurship.

David Adeleke of Zeeh Africa called for more partners to collaborate with the Oyo State Government in programmes which would prepare the young ones for future engagement.

A community-based group in Katsina State, Pleasant Library and Book Club has mobilised special prayers across Juma’at Mosques in the state in memory of late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Addressing journalists in Katsina on Friday, a member of the group, Dr Mukhtar Alqasim, said the prayer was part of their activities to mark the 14th Yar’Adua’s Remembrance Day.

The late president Yar’Adua died on May 5, 2010 after a protracted illness.

According to the PLBC as a community organisation, Mr Alqasim, wrote to imams across the state seeking the prayer during their Friday sermons, and it was conducted.

He further revealed that as part of the activities, they had concluded arrangements to visit orphanages, aged people’s homes, and psychiatry among other places.

He said, “As part of the activities, we have plans during the visits on Saturday, to distribute food items, clothes and other necessary things to those homes and centres.

On Sunday, PLBC is going to launch a book with over 300 pages titled: ‘What Yar’adua Told and Taught Me,’ a reflection on 23-years of lifelong lessons learned under the mentorship of the late president.

The book was written and would be presented during the ceremony by the PLBC President, Dr Muttaqa Rabe-Darma. The programme is being organised by the PLBC, with full support from the state government.’’

Mr Alqasim said that during the event on Sunday, some notable personalities would speak on the late president, and also another prayer session would be held at the venue.

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, met with visiting British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, to discuss military aid to Ukraine, the presidential press service said on Friday.

At the meeting, which took place in Kiev earlier on Thursday, Mr Zelensky thanked the British government for recently approving the largest-ever military aid package for Ukraine, worth 500 million pounds (630 million U.S. dollars).

“The provision of this package, along with the crucial decision of the United States to provide assistance, is of great importance to us at this key moment,” Mr Zelensky stressed.

He briefed Mr Cameron on the situation on the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and urged the British side to promptly deliver the weapons as part of the aid package.

Mr Zelensky specifically outlined the types of weapons Ukraine requires, including armoured vehicles, ammunition and various missiles.

According to the British parliament, Britain has pledged 12.5 billion pounds (15.8 billion dollars) in support to Ukraine since the outbreak of the conflict in February 2022, of which 7.6 billion pounds (9.6 billion dollars) was for military assistance.

This includes 3 billion pounds (3.8 billion dollars) for military assistance in 2024 to 2025.

Youths of Iperu, Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State have threatened to picket the offices of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company if the company refuses to restore power supply in the next seven days.

Iperu is the hometown of Governor Dapo Abiodun and his closest rival in the 2023 governorship election, Ladi Adebutu.

Youths of Iperu said they have been experiencing total blackouts for the past 120 days, asking the IBEDC to do the needful or face the consequences.In a statement titled, ‘Total Blackout in Iperu Remo: Youth Gives IBEDC 7 Days Ultimatum to Restore Power or Face Consequences’, the Iperu Youth Development Association lamented that the IBEDC had shown blatant disregard for the plight of their people despite repeated appeals.

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent on Friday, the Youth President, Ganiyu Hammed, stated that the community would no longer keep quiet.

“The residents of Iperu Remo have endured over 120 days of total blackout, enduring darkness and hardship on the excuse of being connected to 11KVA while neighbouring towns connected to the same 11KVA line enjoy uninterrupted power supply.

“The IBEDC has failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for this discrepancy, leaving the community in a state of frustration and despair.

“Despite repeated appeals and demands for action, the IBEDC has shown blatant disregard for the plight of the people of Iperu Remo. Therefore, the youth of Iperu Remo hereby issue a stern warning to the IBEDC to restore power to our town within seven days. Failure to do so will result in consequences, including potential protests and locking of their business offices for 120 days as well. We refuse to accept any further excuses or delays,” the youths said.

Hammed disclosed that residents of Iperu are concerned about the deteriorating situation of electricity in the town as well as the “escalating insecurity in our beloved town of Iperu Remo”.

The youths notified the Nigeria Police Force, Iperu Remo Division, of their intention to take action if power is not restored within the stipulated timeframe.

“We urge the police to support our peaceful protest and ensure the safety of all citizens. The recent incidents of insecurity, including the kidnapping of two individuals and the tragic killing of a Professor from Babcock University by hoodlums, are unacceptable.

“We urge the Nigeria Police Force, especially the Iperu Division, to be more vigilant and proactive in addressing these security challenges. We call on all security agencies in the town to collaborate and intensify efforts to ensure the safety and security of all residents,” the statement added.

The youths called on Gov Abiodun to urgently intervene in the matter, saying the people of Iperu Remo have suffered enough and deserve to have their basic needs met.

“In addition, we call upon the Iperu Development Association under the leadership of Chief Jide Oyeti, and the Iperu Traditional Council, including all the Oba’s in Iperu, especially the Alaperu of Iperu, Oba Adeleke Idowu; the Baale’s, and the Olorituns to stand with us in solidarity and demand justice from the IBEDC.

“The youth of Iperu Remo remain resolute and determined to fight for our rights. We will not rest until light is restored to our town.

“The Iperu Youth Development Association remains committed to advocating for the welfare and development of Iperu Remo and will continue to hold accountable those responsible for the provision of essential services and the maintenance of security in our community,” they said.

Contacted, the IBEDC spokesperson, Busolami Tunwase, blamed the blackouts on restricted allocation; a challenge she said affects Ogun generally.

“The major challenge in Ogun generally, is restricted allocation, and we can only give what we have.

“Some parts of Iperu are on 33kV, which is a Transmission Company of Nigeria line that supplies 11kv lines. So, the location of these communities gives them the advantage of better supply than others,” Tunwase noted.

She added that the IBEDC had held meetings to explain this to the community.

“We are working with other stakeholders to ensure a better supply. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this,” she remarked.

A 56-year-old Houston resident has been arrested following her indictment in a fraud scheme with her son in which they allegedly tricked an elderly couple out of over $1 million, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Authorities have arrested Regina Lynn Thomas aka Nikki Laday. She made her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo who ordered her into custody pending a detention hearing May 6.

Regina Thomas and her son Isaiah Thomas, 38, Houston, are both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 67 counts of wire fraud.

The indictment alleges Regina Thomas pretended to be a nurse and assisted a couple with caring for an elderly parent.

The couple allegedly allowed her to live at their home while they were out of the country for work.

Regina Thomas then told the couple federal authorities wanted them in connection for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) fraud and provided them with whom she claimed was an attorney, according to the charges.

That individual was allegedly not a real attorney.

The indictment alleges the couple believed they were paying for the attorney’s services.

However, the money was allegedly deposited into Isaiah Thomas’ account who shared the funds with his mother. If convicted, both face up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine for each count.

The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Laurence Goldman is prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of the Elder Justice Initiative. Its goal is to support and coordinate the Department of Justice’s enforcement and programmatic efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial fraud and scams that target our nation’s older adults.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.