President Bola Tinubu has received the news of the passing away of the Deputy Comptroller in charge of revenue at the Nigeria Customs Service, Etop Essien, with profound sadness.

Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement on Tuesday, said the President extended his condolences to the family of Essien.

He described Essien’s passing while on an official assignment as most distressing.

Mr Essien died shortly after showing signs of discomfort during a presentation before the National Assembly House Committee on Public Accounts, on Tuesday.

The statement noted, “The President also commiserates with the Comptroller General of Customs, Mr Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, as well as the officers, men, and women of the Nigeria Customs Service. The President prays for the repose of the soul of the deceased officer and comfort for his family.’’

A New Zealand judge on Wednesday sentenced a woman to 18 years imprisonment for murdering her three young daughters in 2021.

Lauren Dickason will begin her sentence at a mental health hospital in the custody of the state, a court official at Christchurch High Court told AFP, for the triple killings.

In a statement to local media after her sentencing, Dickason said she had “failed” her children and her husband, who has since moved back to South Africa.

“I take responsibility for taking our three beautiful girls from this world,” she said.

“I would like to take this opportunity to convey the deepest and most sincere remorse for the extreme pain and hurt caused to my children and my family by my actions.”

Justice Cameron Mander did not impose a minimum non-parole period in sentencing Dickason, who escaped life imprisonment which is the usual penalty for murder in New Zealand.

Dickason was found guilty last August on three counts of murder having smothered her two-year-old twins Maya and Karla and first daughter Liane, six.

The killings took place in September 2021 at their home in Timaru while her husband was out to dinner with colleagues. He found the bodies of his children when he returned home.

The family had moved to New Zealand from South Africa just weeks before.

During last year’s trial, Dickason admitted killing the girls but had argued a defence of insanity and infanticide, triggered by the stress of the move.

Under New Zealand law, infanticide is a defence for a mother who causes the death of her child when, “at the time of the offence, the balance of her mind was disturbed”.

Dickason’s lawyer had argued that a mental health unit was the most appropriate place for her, according to local media reports.

Iranians vote on Friday to elect a new president from six candidates, including a lone reformist who hopes he can challenge the dominance of conservatives in the Islamic republic.

A presidential election had not been due until 2025 but was brought forward after ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash last month.

The snap poll comes at a challenging time as Iran grapples with the economic impact of international sanctions amid heightened regional tensions over the Gaza war between Israel and Tehran’s ally Hamas.

In April Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel after an air strike in Damascus blamed on Israel killed seven Revolutionary Guards.

Israel carried out a reported retaliatory strike near Isfahan.

Polling is also being held just five months before a presidential election in the United States, Iran’s sworn enemy and Israel’s staunch ally.

Leading contenders for Iran’s second highest-ranking office are conservative parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, ultraconservative former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, and the sole reformist, Massoud Pezeshkian.

The others are conservative Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani, cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi, and incumbent vice president Amirhossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi, the ultraconservative head of the Martyrs’ Foundation.

The six have staged largely low-key campaigns, which included televised debates where they vowed to tackle economic challenges and offered varied views on Iran’s relations with the West.

Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group says the new president will also have to tackle the challenge of the deepening “fissure between the state and society”.

“Nobody has presented a concrete plan of how they are going to deal with a lot of these issues,” he said.

The management of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto has mourned the death of its Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development, Professor Yusuf Saidu, who was killed by bandits on Monday.

According to a statement signed by the University’s Public Relations Officer, Ismaila Muhammad Yauri, on behalf of the management and made available to newsmen in the state on Tuesday, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor was on an official trip to Kaduna before the attack.

“The University management is deeply saddened to announce the death of Professor Yusuf Saidu, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation, and Development.

Professor Saidu was killed by bandits on June 24, 2024, while on his way to Kaduna for official University business.

“Professor Saidu was a distinguished leader, a passionate researcher, and a dedicated educator who made significant contributions to the University.

He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

“Professor Saidu’s leadership was instrumental in advancing research initiatives and enhancing a culture of innovation across the institution. His exceptional commitment to academic excellence serves as an inspiration to us all.

“The University extends its heartfelt condolences to Professor Saidu’s family, friends, colleagues, and all those whose lives he touched.

We pray Allah SWT grant him Jannat ul Firdaus.

“While details regarding his funeral arrangements will be shared as they become available, in the meantime, we implore all to remember Professor Saidu for his remarkable contributions to the University community.”

Women from the Ipo Community in Rivers State on Tuesday, June 25, blocked the entrance of the Port Harcourt International Airport.

The women are protesting the lack of power supply and other amenities in the area.

This is the second time in three months the aggrieved community members are staging a protest.

The women who stormed the main entrance of the Airport in Omagwa at about 7 am on Tuesday sang in their local dialect and danced.

They said that despite being the host community to the Airport for decades, they are not getting commensurate benefits including food and schools.

Some of the writing on the placards they carried read, “We deserve better treatment as host community, “We demand our citizens’ rights”, “We want electricity in our community”, “Ipo women peaceful protest”, among others.

The protest caused a buildup of traffic and passengers could not access the airport.

It would be recalled that they protested on the 27th of March this year, but were pacified by the former Chairman of the Rivers Traditional Rulers Council, Sergeant Awuse.

A man has been arrested by operatives of the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly exhuming and beheading a corpse for ritual purposes in the Car Wash area of the state.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Tuesday, disclosed that the suspect, Lekan Akinyemi, was arrested on Monday after a resident alerted the police about suspicious activities around his father’s grave.

The resident, Nojeem Balogun, disclosed that upon inspection of his father’s grave, he discovered that the head of his father’s corpse had been chopped off.

Odutola disclosed that upon receiving the information, operatives from the Adatan Division swung into action and arrested Akinyemi.

She said, “Nojeem Balogun, residing around Iyana Cele Car Wash, Abeokuta, visited the police station and reported that on June 23, 2024, at about 0800hrs, one of his siblings alerted him about unusual activities at their late father’s grave in Isale Itoko, Abeokuta.

“Upon inspection, he found that their father’s head had been removed by an unidentified individual or group. Further inquiries led to the identification of Lekan Akinyemi who was caught red-handed as the culprit who dug up the grave and severed the head.

“Lekan Akinyemi was caught in the act and the case will be handed over to the Anti-Robbery unit for investigation before transferring it to the State CID.”

The PPRO added that the suspect would be prosecuted upon the conclusion of ongoing investigation.

She, however, assured residents of the state of the command’s commitment to combat crimes and criminalities.

An Australian pilot has been convicted of murdering an elderly woman who went missing in Victoria in March 2020, but a jury has acquitted him in the death of her fellow camper.

Greg Lynn, 57, was found guilty of killing Carol Clay, 73, during an altercation in Victoria’s Wonnangatta Valley.

Lynn pleaded not guilty but had admitted to moving the bodies of Ms Clay and Russell Hill, 74, before torching their campsite and later burning their remains.

The case, which sparked one of the state’s largest missing person operations at the time, has gripped Australia.

During a five-week trial which began in May, Lynn told the jury in Victoria’s Supreme Court that he had gotten into an altercation with the couple because he was hunting in the area.

His lawyers said that he had then killed the two during two separate struggles for control of a shotgun and a knife – but that it was not murder because the deaths were accidental.

But prosecutors had argued he had likely shot Ms Clay after killing Mr Hill.

The court heard that Mr Hill and Ms Clay were high school sweethearts who had rekindled their relationship later in life although Mr Hill was married.

It was Mr Hill’s wife Robyn who reported the pair’s disappearance, when she called police on 25 May 2020, after five days of not hearing from her husband, who usually made a nightly radio call.

The jurors delivered the split verdict after six days of deliberation but did not comment further on them.

Lynn is expected to be sentenced on 19 July. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Justice Rahman Oshodi of a Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced a 24-year-old commercial driver, Abdul Hudu, to life imprisonment for defiling and abducting a 10-year-old girl (name withheld) for three days.

In her ruling, Justice Oshodi held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt the two-count charge of adduction and defilement against Hudu. The court sentenced the convict to two years imprisonment on count one while he was sentenced to life imprisonment on count two.

Oshodi, in his judgment, said that the facts of the case were distressing as Hudu cruelly abducted the 10-year-old survivor from the safety and care of her parents, for three agonising days.

“Her father could not eat and her mother cried incessantly, sick with worry over their missing child. The callous disregard you showed for a child’s well-being, and the emotional torment inflicted on her parents is shocking, and worse still, during those three days, you repeatedly defiled and sexually assaulted this vulnerable young girl at the tender age of 10.

She experienced unthinkable trauma and violation at your hands which no child should ever have to endure and her innocence was stolen.

Throughout this trial, you have shown no remorse; you lied blatantly in your testimony, denying the clear evidence against you, including your prior statement to the police. The web of falsehoods you spun to evade responsibility only compounded your culpability.” the judge ruled.

Oshodi held that it was a severe case of child abduction and defilement and the law viewed the offences as deserving of severe punishment to reflect society’s abhorrence to punish the offender and to protect other children from suffering a similar fate. He held that the fact that the convict was a first-time offender did not deflect the preceding.

’In light of the gravity of the offences, the aggravating features, and the absence of remorse, I sentence you as follows: On count one, the offence of abduction contrary to section 141, I sentence you to two years imprisonment and it shall commence on the date of your arrest, July 23, 2019, as shown in exhibit A-A1.

On count two, the offence of defilement contrary to section 137, I sentence you to the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment and you shall also be registered as a sex offender. The sentences are to run concurrently, you will serve your custodial terms at the Maximum-Security Custodial Centre or wherever the Nigerian Correctional Service may direct you.

The judge further said that through the convict’s wicked actions, he had brought the punishment upon himself.

“I hope you will use your time in custody to reflect and reform,” Oshodi said.

During the trial, the state lead counsel, Babajide Boye, called three witnesses: the survivor, her father, and one Ms. Oluchi Nwoke-Okoi, a nurse with the Women at Risk International Foundation(WARIF) while the convict testified as the sole defence witness.

Certified copies of his extra-judicial statement dated July 23 2019 were received and marked as exhibit A-A1. The prosecutor had submitted that the convict committed the offences on June 30 2019 on Adekunle Street, Idi Araba, Mushin, Lagos. The prosecutor had told the court that the survivor was returning from an errand in the night when the convict hit her and put something on her face, causing her to lose consciousness and she woke up in his room.

According to the evidence before the court, the convict slept with the survivor multiple times over three days in different locations and after three days, he dropped her off near her house. She narrated the events to her father, who took her to the hospital and police station.

The prosecution told the court that as the convict could not be found, the father of the survivor placed a N50,000 bounty on the convict which subsequently led to his arrest.

Nigeria’s external and domestic debt reached N121.67 trillion in the first quarter (Q1 2024) of 2024 as revealed in a new report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

In the document titled “Nigerian Domestic & Foreign Debt Q1 2024”, it was stated that the country’s debt rose by 24.99% from N97.34 trillion in Q3 2023.

It read;

“Nigeria’s public debt stock which includes external and domestic debt stood at N121.67 trillion (US$91.46 billion) in Q1 2024 from N97.34 trillion (US$ 108.23 billion) in Q4 2023, indicating a growth rate of 24.99% on a quarter-on-quarter basis.”

The total external debt stood at N56.02 trillion (US$42.12 billion) in Q1 2024, while the total domestic debt was N65.65 trillion (US$49.35 billion). The share of external debt (in naira value) to total public debt was 46.05% in Q1 2024, while the share of domestic debt (in naira value) to total public debt was 53.95%.

According to NBS, Lagos State recorded the highest domestic debt in Q1 2024 with N929.41 billion, followed by Delta with N334.90 billion.

Jigawa state recorded the lowest domestic debt with N2.07 billion, followed by Ondo with N16.40 billion.

A Pastor’s son is facing accusations of selling his girlfriend’s car to fund his marriage to another woman.

Blessing Manyange allegedly sold Charity Madare’s Honda Fit, which she had lent him for errands, and used the proceeds to pay the bride price for his other girlfriend, Petronella.

Feeling betrayed, Charity confronted Blessing and demanded the return of everything she had given him during their relationship. Blessing’s father, Fungayi Manyange, a priest at Bethsaida Apostolic Church, met with Charity to address the issue. He promised to repay her the equivalent value of the car in instalments.

Blessing admitted to selling Charity’s vehicle, stating, “I sold Charity’s vehicle and used the money. She was disturbed when I separated from her and is now demanding every dollar she gave me, including that vehicle. She confronted my parents, and my father agreed to pay the amount equivalent to the value of the vehicle. She threatened to expose me in front of the congregation since my father is a church priest, and I decided to leave the congregation because of her threats. She once posted a message on social media, and I warned her that I would take legal action if she continued tarnishing my image.”

Blessing was accompanied by the woman he married with the proceeds from the car sale during his interview with local news platforms.

Commenting on the incident, Charity said Blessing’s father had only paid “a few dollars” towards settling the issue. “What Blessing did to me is cruel and far from what we expect of a priest’s son,” said Charity. “He sold the car I gave him for errands to marry another woman. His father signed a document promising to make monthly payments but has kept quiet after the initial few dollars.”

His father, Manyange confirmed his commitment to repaying the money, saying, “We had to intervene as parents because it was detrimental for Blessing and Charity to continue meeting and quarrelling. We agreed on part payments and signed a document in the presence of Charity’s uncle. However, I have been facing financial difficulties since the introduction of ZIG notes, which is why I failed to honour the monthly payments as promised.”

Adeyemi Ikuforiji, a former speaker of the Lagos state House of Assembly has been acquitted of a N338.8 million money laundering charge by a federal high court alongside his personal assistant Oyebode Atoyebi.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Ikuforiji and Atoyebi on a 54-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering. They were accused of allegedly accepting cash payments of N338.8 million from the House of Assembly without going through a financial institution.

The defendants who were first arraigned before Okechukwu Okeke, a judge at the federal high court in 2012, were acquitted on Monday, June 24.

Two teenagers have drowned in Mkar Hills Dam and Kontien stream in Gboko, the headquarters of Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State.

It was gathered that a 12-year-old boy, Kumater Kachii of Trinity Primary School’s street, Akaajime, Gboko, went to fetch firewood at Mkar Hill on Saturday, 22, June 2024 with his siblings.

From fetching firewood, they proceeded to swim in a dam at the same Mkar hill where he (Kumater) drowned and died.

The deceased’s mother, Mrs Veronica Sesugh, said that with the help of farmers and Mkar youths, the body of Kumater was recovered and taken to his family’s residence at Akaajime for a brief stopover and proceeded to his home town, branch, Kunav, Vandekya Local Government area for burial.

Another teenager, Aondosoo Ansambe, 13, of Jerusalem Street, Akaajime, Gboko, drowned in the Kontien stream around Akaajime-Mkar-Gboko road when he went swimming with his friends on Sunday morning, 23rd June.

Eyewitnesses, Mrs Mary Ioryange and Avalumun Hembaor told journalists that the incident occurred when the parents of the deceased were still in the church for morning mass, but with the aid of Akaajime Youths and passers, the lifeless body of Aondosoo was recovered and handed over to the family.

Late Aondosoo was a primary pupil of Vaxtee Nursery and primary school, Akaajime Gboko. He will be buried at Mayongo, Kunav, Vandekya Local Government area of Benue State.

Some stakeholders of the Akaajime residence, Elder Tyover Akaajime, Hon. Smith Akom Takema and the Youth leader of the residence, Butty Shima Ukor, called on the security and government to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the frequent drowning of children in the area.

The stakeholders appealed to parents and residents of Akaajime to caution their children against swimming and other unnecessary forms of social outings.

Three children died in a blaze in Vietnam’s Central Highlands city of Da Lat on Monday morning, local media reported.

The flame engulfed a wooden house around 10:00 a.m. while the three children stayed indoors.

Their mother, who was going out, had locked the door when the incident occurred, VnExpress reported.

Vietnam has reported 1,989 fires and explosions in the first five months this year, killing 36 people and injuring 37 others.

According to the country’s General Statistics Office, the fires and explosions also caused property losses of 116.3 billion Vietnamese dong ($4.5 million).

Kano’s Judicial Service Commission has taken disciplinary actions against three magistrates and a registrar of the Kano High Court over misconduct, with a magistrate caught attempting to steal funds from a frozen bank account.

This was announced in a statement signed by the spokesman for the JSC, Baba Jibo-Ibrahim, on Monday.

“The Judicial Service Commission, at its 72nd meeting held on June 11, 2024, considered petitions against the three magistrates and one registrar in the state. The magistrates are Chief Magistrate Talatu Makama, Senior Magistrate Rabi Abdulkadir, Chief Magistrate Tijjani Saleh-Minjibir, and Senior Registrar Abdu Nasir.

“These disciplinary actions underscore the Judicial Service Commission’s commitment to maintaining highest standards of judicial conduct and ensuring the integrity of the legal system,” Mr Jibo-Ibrahim said.

The statement said that the Judiciary Public Complaints Committee’s investigation of three petitions filed against Ms Makama found her guilty of misconduct.

According to the statement, the investigation revealed that she ordered GTBank to transfer money from a petitioner’s already frozen account into her personal account, which she clearly admitted in her response.

It said the second petition also found elements amounting to judicial bias in her handling of matters.

According to the statement, in the third petition, she was found to have received a case and made an order to the police even before the case was assigned to her.

“The commission subsequently held that Chief Magistrate Talatu be recalled from the bench and relieved of all judicial duties effective immediately,” Mr Jibo-Ibrahim said.

He said the JSC also indicted Senior Magistrate Rabi Abdulkadir of judicial recklessness.

“The commission has resolved to recall the magistrate and relieve her of judicial duties for a period of one calendar year and has instructed her to cease all duties at Magistrate Court No. 48,” Mr Jibo-Ibrahim said.

He further said that the investigation revealed that senior registrar Abdu Nasir received payments of fees meant for court records into his personal account, which constitutes serious misconduct.

“The commission issued a strong warning to Nasir and also deferred his promotion for one year,” the spokesman said.

The statement added that the commission also deliberated on the petitions received against Chief Magistrate Tijjani Saleh-Minjibir at its 73rd meeting.

“The response to the queries issued were found unsatisfactory and the commission viewed the actions of the magistrate amount to serious misconduct and judicial recklessness. Saleh-Minjibir is recalled from judicial duties for a period of one year, effective immediately, and is ceased of all judicial activities,” Mr Jibo-Ibrahim said.

He said the suspended magistrate was to report to the Kano High Court for posting.

The statement said the commission would continue applying appropriate sanctions against any erring staff, particularly those saddled with judicial responsibilities.

It said the measures were intended to safeguard the integrity and accountability of the judicial system and maintain the public’s confidence.

The Princess Royal has been admitted to hospital after she suffered minor injuries and concussion on her estate in Gloucestershire, Buckingham Palace has said.

Princess Anne, 73, is expected to make a full and swift recovery after an incident at her Gatcombe Park estate, a statement said.

She remains in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, “as a precautionary measure for observation”.

“The King has been kept closely informed and joins the whole Royal Family in sending his fondest love and well-wishes to the Princess for a speedy recovery,” the statement added.

The cause of the injury is unconfirmed, but it’s understood to be consistent with a potential impact from a horse’s head or legs.

The Princess Royal had been expected to begin a visit to Canada at the end of this week.

Canadian media had reported she was due to take part in a ceremony at a war memorial in Newfoundland.

During the recent D-Day commemorations Princess Anne met veterans and their families at the Bayeux War Cemetery in France.

Princess Anne has been known as one of the most hard working royals, carrying out many engagements.

Her sense of public duty combined with a no-nonsense approach has helped her status as one of the most popular royals, with consistently high approval ratings in opinion polls.

She is known for her interest in horses and her achievements in equestrian sports, becoming the first member of the Royal Family to compete in the Olympics, in the games in Montreal in 1976.

Princess Anne is the second child of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and was third in line to the throne when she was born in 1950. She is now 17th in the line of succession.

She has married twice. Her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, is the father of her two children, Peter and Zara. Her second husband is Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

A first batch of 5,000 conscripts called up by Myanmar’s junta will begin duty at the end of this month, military sources told AFP on Monday, as the generals struggle to crush opposition to their coup.

Also, thousands of young men and women have been trying to leave the country since the law was enforced.

The junta enforced a conscription law in February, three years after it seized power and sparked a widespread armed uprising that has spread across swathes of the Southeast Asian country.

The law allows the military to summon all men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 to serve in the armed forces for at least two years.

“The first batch of recruits, who started in early April, will conclude training at the end of this month,” one military source said.

The source said that upon graduation the 5,000 conscripts would be posted to “different military commands around the country to serve their duty”, without giving details on how they would serve.

He requested anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media.

Another military source who also requested anonymity said individual military commands would decide how to employ the recruits they received.

“It will be up to the commands they arrive at after their training,” he said.

Myanmar has 14 regional military commands across the country, from the Himalayan foothills in the north to the sprawling Ayeyarwady delta region bordering the Indian Ocean.

At least 10 of them are currently engaged in fighting established ethnic minority armed groups or newer “People’s Defence Forces” that have sprung up to resist the junta.

The military service law was authored by a previous junta in 2010 but was never brought into force.

The terms of service can be extended up to five years during a state of emergency — which the junta declared when it seized power.

Those ignoring a summons to serve can be jailed for the same period.

Thousands of young men and women have been trying to leave the country since the law was enforced.

Conscripts from the third batch of 5,000 recruits have already begun arriving at training centres, the first source said.

A junta spokesman previously told AFP the military has the capacity to train 50,000 a year although about 13 million people will be eligible to be called up.

Last month, state media quoted the junta’s defence minister as saying the military had faced “challenges” in filling quotas.

Local media have reported cases of young men being pulled off the streets in Yangon and other cities and taken away to undergo military training.

The junta has denied the reports.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military coup in February 2021 toppled the government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Since then, more than 5,200 people have been killed in the military crackdown on dissent, and more than 26,000 others arrested, according to a local monitoring group.

The family of the All Progressives Congress National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has been thrown into mourning following the death of his mother-in-law, Hajiya Asiya Gauyama.

Ganduje’s Chief Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu, announced her demise in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday.

While commiserating with the former Kano governor and his wife, Prof Hafsatu Ganduje, Olofu disclosed that a funeral prayer will be offered in Kano today before her interment in line with Islamic tenet.

The statement read, “It is with deep sorrow and heartfelt sympathy that we announce the passing of Hajiya Asiya Muhammad Gauyama, the beloved mother of Prof Hafsatu Ganduje, the wife of the National Chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

“Gauyama was a revered matriarch, whose life was characterized by her unwavering commitment to family, community, and faith. Her passing is a profound loss, not only to her immediate family but also to all who knew and loved her. Her funeral prayer will be held today by 2 pm at the residence of Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje located on Miyangu Road Kano state.

“On behalf of the national chairman and the entire APC family, we extend our deepest sympathies to Prof Hafsatu and her family during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they navigate through this period of grief and loss.

“May Almighty Allah grant Hajiya Asiya Muhammad Gauyama eternal rest and provide comfort to her family and loved ones.”

Gauyama’s death came barely 24 after Vice President Kashim Shettima also announced the passing away of his mother-in-law, Maryam Albishir.

The 69-year-old matriarch was also reported to have died in Kano on Sunday evening after a prolonged illness.

A Nigerian, Emmanuel Ahmadu, who failed the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination 17 times, has urged youths to remain resilient and never lose hope, regardless of challenges they face.

Ahmadu, who was recently honoured with two doctorate degrees in the US, gave the advice in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos.

According to Ahmadu, who is also known as ‘Mr Voiceover’, dedication and a strong belief in oneself are crucial in overcoming adversity.

“Seek out opportunities for growth, leverage available resources, and connect with mentors and supportive networks.

“Remember, every setback is a setup for a greater comeback.

“Keep pushing forward, and your efforts will eventually yield success,” he said.

He said that his remarkable journey from overcoming significant personal and educational setbacks, to becoming a global advocate for mental health, underscores the power of resilience and the impact of unwavering determination.

“My story is a beacon of hope for youths facing similar challenges, inspiring them to rise above their circumstances and make meaningful impacts in their communities and beyond,” he said.

According to him, his journey is nothing short of extraordinary, overcoming significant educational and personal challenges.

“I first gained international attention in 2018 as the International Award for Student Brand of the Year in West Africa while studying at the University of Benin (UNIBEN).

‘My story of resilience, having attended 16 primary schools and 14 secondary schools due to family instability, and sitting for O’level examination 17 times over five years before passing, showcases unparalleled determination,” he added.

He said when he graduated in Mass Communication from the University of Benin in 2018, he received recognition from the vice-chancellor as an extraordinary student whose achievements were archived in the university’s main library to inspire hope in others.

Ahmadu said that he was also recognised as the ‘Most Innovative Student in Nigeria’ and ‘Media Personality of the Year’, among other prestigious awards.

In the US, he has continued to make significant strides.

He said that his impact earned him numerous awards, including “Distinguished Student Leader with a Big Heart” from the College and “Outstanding Mental Health Advocate of the Year” by the Active Minds.

NAN recalls that Ahmadu, on June 8, received an honorary doctorate degree in International Affairs (DIA) from Global Seminary University, New York, USA, in collaboration with GEPEA University, Portugal.

This prestigious recognition acknowledges his significant contributions to promoting peace, sustainable mental wellness, and hope globally.

NAN also reports that in addition, he was honoured as a Professional Doctoral Fellow by The Across Global Institute of Foreign Languages (AGIFL) for his outstanding leadership and global achievements in mental health advocacy

The Lagos Police Command says it has begun an investigation into the alleged killing of an inspector by some naval officers in the Okokomaiko area of Ojo.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this to journalists on Sunday.

Mr Hundeyin said the report about the incident was received at the Okokomaiko police station around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday from some members of the public.

He said the report revealed that some policemen on routine patrol along Igbo-Elerin tried to impound a motorcycle riding against traffic at the Beno filling station.

The spokesperson said two men on the motorcycle in mufti, who claimed to be naval officers, resisted arrest and attacked the police officers.

“Other naval personnel in uniform arrived at the scene and supported their colleagues in the attack.

“It was when one inspector (name not given) slumped and was unconscious that the naval personnel escaped from the scene.

“The inspector was rescued and rushed to a hospital in the area, where he was confirmed dead.

“The body has been deposited at the Idi-Araba Mortuary, Yaba, for autopsy while the investigation is ongoing,” he said.