'We didn't rape her,' suspect confesses to killing UNIBEN student Uwa

Saturday, August 29, 2020 NEWS No Comments

One of six arrested suspects says his gang was paid the sum of N1 million to commit the crime, but his fellow accused have denied any involvement.

The prime suspect in the horrific rape and murder of Uwaila Omozuwa insists the late student was not raped.

The 22-year-old first year student of the University of Benin was raped and fatally wounded while reading inside a Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) parish in Benin, Edo State on May 27, 2020.
The Edo State Police Command this week paraded Collins Ulegbe, Akato Valentine, Nelson Ogbebor, Mary Ade, Nosa Osabohien, and Tina Samuel as suspects in connection to the crime.
Osabohien, a phone repairer, was the first to be arrested by the police because he bought Uwa's phone from Ulegbe whom he led authorities to.
In his confessional statement to journalists, Ulegbe said his friend, Valentine, had on the day of the crime invited him to join three others who showed him the sum of N1 million to be shared after the group carried out a task he wasn't told about immediately.
The native of Abhor, Delta State, named the three as Ogbebor, Lucky Boro, a suspect that's currently on the run, and another unnamed accomplice that's also currently at large.
He said the gang made incisions on their bodies with razor blade and swore a blood oath to not reveal the secret of what they were about to do.
The 24-year-old said he was led to the church where Uwa was murdered, and that the team first scanned the area to be sure no one was around before entering the church with a plank.
He said he was having a conversation with the victim when she was hit from behind with the plank, to his shock.
"I told them they would have informed me, that I wouldn't have consented to it so we quarreled about it. I was angry," he said.
He further swore that contrary to reports, Uwa was not raped by the gang. However, Edo State Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo, said post-mortem examination proved that she was raped.
Ulegbe confessed that he was the one that struck the final blow on Uwa with a fire extinguisher that was left at the scene.
She died three days later and her case became the rallying point for a resurgence in the national campaign against gender-based violence in Nigeria.
Edo State Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo, says other suspects will be arrested soon 

The suspect said when the gang returned to an uncompleted building to share the N1 million, he saw Ogbebor give Ade, his own landlady, a handkerchief that had been used to wipe blood from Uwa's mouth at the church.
"Mary (Ade) told me not to say anything, until we get home," he told journalists.
Ulegbe said he eventually didn't get his share of the money because Ogbebor, Boro and the other unnamed accomplice ran away with the gang's loot, leaving him and Valentine stranded.
He said it was when they reported this to Mary that she gave them Uwa's phone, the phone that was sold to Osabohien for N17,000.
He said he was arrested five days after the incident and started cooperating because police officers were arresting a lot of innocent people, including the pastor and security guard of the church.
Other suspects deny involvement Even though Ulegbe said it was Valentine that named Ogbebor, Boro, and the other unnamed suspect to the Police, Valentine denied any involvement in the crime.
"Everything he's saying is a complete lie. I'm so surprised.
"I don't know why he's doing all these things he's doing," he told journalists.
Valentine admitted he saw Ulegbe on the morning of the incident, but that his fellow suspect had merely begged him for N100.
He said he told Ulegbe he didn't have an exact N100 note to give him, and had asked him to follow him to where he could get one.
It was while they were together Valentine said they met the three others whom Ulegbe said actively participated in the crime.
Despite the denial, Ulegbe told journalists that the Police discovered Uwa's blood on Valentine's shirt.
Ogbebor similarly denied Ulegbe's allegations, protesting that he was in Ikpoba when he first heard about Uwa's rape and murder.
The disc jockey said he'd never met Ulegbe or Ade until he was arrested and never been inside the church where the crime was committed.
The father of one told journalists a DNA test of his sperm was done and was not a match with the sample taken from Uwa.
He noted that no physical evidence ties him to the crime except for Ulegbe's confession which he said was false.
Ade, accused of being the mastermind, also strongly denied Ulegbe's implications and noted that he was notorious in the neighbourhood for always getting in trouble with the law.
She said he's only implicating her as vengeance for allowing police officers search his room after his arrest.
The mother of three, whose husband died six years ago, said she's friends with Uwa's family and would have no reason to hurt her.
She said she's only a caretaker for her brother's building where Ulegbe lived, and that she's too poor to be able to afford the N1 million she allegedly paid the gang.
"The Police came to inspect my house, but they did not find anything, they checked my shop and couldn't even find up to N20,000."
"I am waiting to go to court. I know nothing about this matter," she said.
CP Kokumo said Samuel is the mother of Boro and was arrested as an accessory after the fact.
"She has done all within her capacity to protect that son, and shield him from being arrested," the Police boss said.
Samuel denied the allegation and told journalists she was taken from her village and was not told about her son's crime until she was moved by the Police to Benin.
She said she told officers she didn't know about her son's whereabouts, but was detained anyway.
Samuel also noted that she had not seen her son in five months before she was arrested for allegedly helping him.

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Leeds splash the cash in record deal to seal star striker’s PL move

Saturday, August 29, 2020 SPORT No Comments

 Leeds announced on Saturday they had signed Spain international Rodrigo from Valencia for a club-record fee.
The forward has penned a four-year deal at Elland Road, reportedly costing the Premier League newcomers around £30 million ($A54 million).
The 29-year-old said he was excited to join the club and was looking forward to working with Marcelo Bielsa, whom he described as one of the best coaches in football.
“It’s a new step in my career and I want to help the team to achieve the goals of the season,” he told the club’s Twitter account.
“Leeds have been working for two weeks on this deal with Valencia — we knew Valencia have some problems now as we didn’t achieve the Champions League.
“Since the first time Victor (Orta, director of football) talked to me I knew I wanted this new challenge with Leeds.” Rodrigo, who can operate as a winger or striker, spent time at Celta Vigo and Real Madrid as a young player before moving to Benfica.
He joined Valencia in 2014, initially on loan, scoring 59 goals in 220 appearances.
He previously spent the 2010/11 season on loan at Bolton, then in the Premier League.
Rodrigo was born in Brazil but is a Spain international and has 22 caps and eight goals.
He scored 10 goals for club and country in 38 games last season, including the winner in Valencia’s 1-0 Champions League win at Chelsea in September.
Valencia said on Tuesday they had reached preliminary agreement with Leeds for the transfer but the formalities had to be completed.
Leeds finished 10 points at the top of the Championship last season, securing their return to the top flight for the first time since 2004.

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Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman dies aged 43

Saturday, August 29, 2020 NEWS No Comments

Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, has died of cancer, his representative said. He was 43.

Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago, his family said in a statement.

ALSO READ: LeBron James pays tribute to Chadwick Boseman by doing the Wakanda Forever salute before LA Lakers playoff game (Photos)

“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” his family said.

“From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wildson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more, all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy,” the statement said of the star’s private health struggle.

“It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther.

“He died in his home, with his wife and family by his side.”

Chadwick’s Marvel co-star Mark Ruffalo – who plays The Hulk – reacted to the devastating news on Twitter.

"All I have to say is the tragedies amassing this year have only been made more profound by the loss of #ChadwickBoseman."

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BBNaija: Erica passionately hugs and pecks Laycon

Saturday, August 29, 2020 BB NAIJA 2020 No Comments

Big Brother Naija Lockdown housemates, Erica and Laycon were caught on camera last night hugging passionately and sharing kisses.

This happened just a few hours after Kiddwaya and Erica, long term partners in the house, broke up.Laycon was heard telling Erica, “I’m sorry.”When she asked why he was sorry, he replied, “I don’t know but I’m sorry,” as they continued holding each other tightly.

Laycon had always expressed his love for Erica and sees himself as the best man for her. People thought he had given up what was seen as a wild goose chase before now, but it seems hopes have returned following yesterday’s development.

Recall that Erica had recently berated Laycon for gossiping about her with the others. This was after Laycon was pained by Erica’s rejection as the Abia-born female housemate picked Kiddwaya over him.Erica had once made it clear that while she is mentally attracted to Laycon, she is physically attracted to her lover, Kiddwaya.

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Klopp’s Messi warning as City close in on $2.5M-a-week deal

Saturday, August 29, 2020 SPORT No Comments

Jurgen Klopp warned Liverpool’s chances of retaining the title will take a serious hit if Manchester City land Lionel Messi.

City are close to agreeing terms of £1.4 million ($2.54m AUD) a week with the Barcelona superstar — made up of salary, signing-on fee, bonuses and image rights.There is still some way to go to prise him from the Nou Camp.

But Reds boss Klopp said: “Messi would clearly help Manchester City and make it even more difficult to beat them, which was already very difficult.”

Klopp, whose champions face FA Cup winners Arsenal in the Community Shield today, is not convinced City will pull off the mega deal.

He added: “For the Premier League, it would be great to have the best player in the world in the League.

“I am not sure the Premier League needs a boost but it would be, for sure.

“It would be interesting to see, as Messi has never played in another league other than Spain.

“Football is different here. I would like to see it but I am not sure I will.”

Klopp admitted there is no chance Liverpool could sign the Argentine maestro, 33.

He said: “Interest? Who doesn’t want to have Messi in their team? But no chance.

“The numbers are absolutely not for us, so we don’t even have to start thinking about it!“It is clear, there is no chance. But he’s a good player, to be honest!”

Sunsport understands lawyers representing both City and Messi’s representatives have made substantial progress on a deal which will satisfy the player’s financial demands.

The record six-time Ballon d’Or winner, would be contracted to the club’s parent company — City Football Group — and have a clause which will allow him to join fellow stable club, New York City, after leaving the Etihad.

Boss Pep Guardiola has a similar clause with regard to joining the MLS side when he leaves City.

Messi’s representatives were in touch with Barcelona yesterday to request a formal meeting next week to discuss how he can leave the Catalan giants.

He is determined to win the Champions League for a third time before he leaves European football and sees City as a good option.

Obstacles remain regarding the clause in Messi’s contract, which the player claims allows him to leave for free.

The fax which informed Barca of his transfer request was a bureau document which is a legal requirement meaning it can be used in any future court proceedings.

City are prepared to foot Messi’s legal bills in his bid to force his way out, but are also preparing for the possibility of negotiating with Barca.

That gesture has been received warmly by Messi and his father and agent, Jorge, who felt let down when Barca offered no support during the player’s trial for tax avoidance.

Messi intends to turn up for training on Monday in accordance with employment law but expects an update from the club on their position beforehand.

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Arsenal vs Liverpool: Community Shield sees start of Premier League champions' pursuit of more silverware

Saturday, August 29, 2020 SPORT No Comments

Some fans will still be celebrating, but just 37 days after Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy they will match-up with Arsenal in the Community Shield at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, kicking off a new season and a new pursuit of silverware.

It is a quicker-than-usual turnaround for the Premier League champions, with a condensed off-season set to be followed by a condensed, busy campaign. "The most intense, probably, we ever experience in our lives," predicted Jurgen Klopp.

Typically, captain Jordan Henderson has spoken this week about moving on from the triumphs of 2019/20 and focusing on what can be achieved in the future. But, with just a couple of weeks of training and a couple of friendlies under their belt, there is no doubt Liverpool will go into Saturday's showpiece with their preparations far from complete.

"I would be very surprised if this will be the best game we play this season," Klopp said with a smile in his pre-match press conference. "But we should be ready to fight for a result because the opponent has a similar situation."

Indeed, that limited preparation may be enough to see them past an Arsenal side also feeling their way back to full fitness - although, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up front following his back-to-back doubles at Wembley at the end of last season, the Gunners - who beat Liverpool after the restart in July - will provide a stern test.

More importantly, Klopp and Liverpool supporters will hope to see signs the Reds are not too far off where they need to be come their opening Premier League fixture with Leeds United in a fortnight's time.

With international fixtures to take place between now and then, Klopp's training-ground time with his players really is at a premium prior to the start of their title defence.

Beneficially, Liverpool have made few changes to the squad which dominated the league last time out. Kostas Tsimikas may make his first competitive Liverpool appearance at left-back and Rhian Brewster, who has scored three goals in their two friendlies, may be handed a start. But Klopp's squad know the demands and know what is expected of them in this side.

Ultimately, success or defeat in the Community Shield has mattered little in terms of what comes next in the Premier League. Just eight Community Shield winners out of 28 have gone on to claim the title. And with an extra week before the Premier League gets under way on September 12 separating the start of the season and Saturday's showpiece, there will still be time to refresh and refine before Liverpool begin the defence of their crown.

But this Liverpool side have become used to winning. They feed off it, and last season they did it most times they stepped onto a pitch. Henderson will want another trophy lift and victory would help set the tone for what's to come.

If Liverpool are off the pace, Manchester City and the other Premier League hopefuls will be there to capitalise on any early slip-up. But Liverpool will be keen to remind them just why they are the ones to catch.

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How doctors are treated like slaves in Abuja COVID-19 isolation centers and owed allowances for months

Saturday, August 29, 2020 NEWS No Comments

In Nigeria's capital city of Abuja, doctors battling the novel coronavirus pandemic are struggling to feed.

Outside an eerily quiet COVID-19 isolation center in Karu, Abuja, Nigeria’s moneyed capital city, doctors wearing forlorn and dejected looks huddle in groups to discuss their plight on a windy Wednesday afternoon in late August, at lunchtime.

“We’ve been fighting to have them pay our daily inducement allowances which are N50,000 for doctors, N30,000 for nurses, pharmacists and laboratory scientists; and N20,000 for hygienists (cleaners) since June”, says Doctor *Adaeze Kenechukwu who is still in scrubs.

All healthcare workers at all the COVID-19 isolation centers in Abuja haven't been paid for three months; and the dour, somber mood in Karu is replicated across the federal capital.

Kenechukwu, a young doctor, remembers the day she volunteered to join the healthcare force battling the novel pandemic in Africa’s most populous country.

At the time, it seemed like the most patriotic thing to do. The most logical thing to do. The most pragmatic decision she had ever taken.

She remembers accepting to put her life on the line for the green and white.

“When this whole thing started, they announced that they needed volunteers. The most important thing for the volunteers was that you have to be working in whatever city it is that they are going to have the isolation centers and get the volunteer health workers.

“So, it doesn’t matter if you are with the federal government, it doesn’t matter if you are with the FCTA (Federal Capital Territory Authority), it doesn’t matter if you are private.

"The most important thing was that you were working within the FCT. So, a lot of people volunteered, right?”, she says, as she yanks off her gloves meticulously. And hurls them into a nearby bin with some venom.

“And so, Acting Secretary Dr Kawu goes on NTA or ChannelsTV and says we are going to pay doctors this amount of money daily.

The whole thing got political after the payment was announced. I was one of the first people who got trained. My batch was the second or third to be deployed.

“Because it got very political, Asokoro decided to give us the whole hospital for use as an isolation center. So they forced people working at the FCTA to go into this isolation center.

"Many of them didn’t want to, obviously because in the beginning, people were dying of this virus quite a lot outside of Nigeria. It was a scary virus to battle.

“Our health systems are so poor, so the healthcare workers thought they were not going to survive this. People didn’t want to volunteer because they were scared for their lives and understandably so.

But we were just like, 'you know what? As long as we do what we are supposed to do, let’s go! If we don’t volunteer, nobody is going to take care ouof  " Socitizeno, Asokoro goes like four weeks  "So, before us. Most of them were people working in Asokoro. They were the second batch of trainees.

“Those of us who got trained in the first batch, waited for eight weeks before we were deployed. So, Asokoro goes in the first month and we were deployed in Karu.

“Asokoro, Gwagwalada and Karu were the first set of isolation centers to be opened. Most of us in Karu were like private, FCTA staff as well as federal government staff. We started working in May. Sometime in the middle of June, the money stopped coming. People started asking questions about payment,” she says.

No official has explained why the money has stopped coming, even though Nigeria continues to rack up and report more and more COVID-19 cases by the day. Abuja has the most COVID-19 cases outside Nigeria's commercial capital city of Lagos.

Kenechukwu recalls now, with a balled fist, how they were told that their services were no longer required and discarded like rags, after being owed and starved for months.

“By the way, this is the second time they have paid Asokoro healthcare workers their inducement allowance.

“We worked for the whole of June, the whole of July--the money we got in June was for May, because we started working in May.

"The whole of June, we didn’t hear anything, the whole of July, nothing. So we started wondering what was going on, why are you not paying us?

“And they were like, ‘don’t worry, just continue working, we are going to pay you, there is no money right now…

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BBNaija 2020: Twitter goes wild as Kiddwaya reveals true feelings for Erica

Saturday, August 29, 2020 BB NAIJA 2020 No Comments

   

Kiddwaya has opened up about his inability to show his emotional side to Erica.

The Kiddwaya Erica ship is migt officially be on the verge of a collapse following the lovebird's early Saturday morning argument.

Barely hours after Kiddwaya's billionaire dad gave his blessings to the Kiddrica union, the housemate has left his heartthrob in a pool of tears.

Erica had initiated a conversation about Kiddwaya's sexual tendencies and "refusal to commit" but things did not quite end up as she planned.

Their mild exchange which was alcohol influenced and witnessed by both Trikytee and Prince ended with Kiddwaya making an emotionless comment about Erica's concerns which led to her bursting into tears.

Thankfully, Trikytee and Prince wore their shiny armours to her rescue and tried to quiz Kiddwaya about his behaviour.

During the strictly boys chat, Kiddwaya talked about how his life outside the house may not be suited to the conventional relationship style that Erica longed for. "My life is not catered to that kind of thing and I cannot make her happy", Kiddwaya said.

While struggling not to brag about his father's famous wealth, the Lockdown housemate revealed how he had mentioned to Erica his intentions to be just friends earlier in the day.

The lovebirds have won hearts over the past weeks with their constant display of affection and while this will not be the first time their ship has threatened to collapse, the Saturday morning drama had their fans riled up.

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“I feel so relieved” – Yinka Ayefele stands on his feet again (Video)

Saturday, August 29, 2020 ENTERTAINMENT NEWS No Comments

Popular Nigerian gospel artiste Yinka Ayefele stood on his feet again on Friday years after getting involved in a life-threatening accident.

The singer shared the moment of joy with his over 400,000 followers on Instagram. In the video posted, he was beaming with smiles as he stood up with the help of a highly-sophisticated machine.

While strapped to the machine, Yinka Ayefele expressed his gratitude to his friend who got him the highly-sophisticated equipment.

He noted that he felt relieved of his pain.

He said: “I feel so relieved of my pain. Hon Oludare Akande bought this for me. You will never experience pain in your entire life. Thanks so much. You raise my hope of walking again. I believe!!!.”

The musician added that he is now ready to stand up while performing at his upcoming events.

Watch the moment of joy below:

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