Actor Junior Pope & Wife Welcome Baby Boy

Nollywood actor, Junior Pope Odonwodo and his wife Jennifer have welcomed a baby boy. The actor shared the good news on his IG handle. He wrote:

"Go Tell It On The Mountain,Over The Hills And Everywhere,Go Tell It On The Mountain The Wonders God Has Done....#swagnation We Thank God For Unto Us Another Child Is Born....PRINCE JADEN JIDENNA ODONWODO.#Godisthegreatest"

I Left Nollywood To Make Babies -Thelma Okoduwa

Nollywood actress Thelma Okoduwa is one of the screen divas who has been in the industry for sometime now but took a break when she got married in 2009. In this new interview with Punch Spice, she opens up on her marriage and her career.

Why did you take a break from Nollywood?

I was away from Nollywood for a while because I got married, and I was making babies. I was in Abuja trying to make a home, and also take care of my children. While I was there, I was also working but you know it is not like being in Lagos, which is the hub of entertainment in Nigeria. After I got married, I felt that my family should come first and I didn’t want to get it wrong. I wanted to be the best mum to my children, and give them the best foundation.


How have been able to strike a balance between your career and marriage?

I have a very supportive husband who is always there for me. I also get support from my sisters and nanny. They all give me the assistance that I need. I am from a large but close-knit family. My parents pampered us while we were growing up. I am a God-fearing and hard-working woman. I love life, and I love my family so much. My family is the most important thing in my life. I don’t mess with my family.

Do you think Nollywood has gotten better?

The industry is getting bigger gradually and steadily. It is going on to the next level. Nobody ever imagined that it would be this big. I believe it will be bigger than this soon.

Who are your role models?

I look up to Joke Silva, and I love RMD. I think RMD has an awesome personality on and off screen. He is a humble man.

Abacha's $550m Loot Soon To Be Released To Nigerian Governent After Lawyer Loses Case

A United States District Court, yesterday, dismissed a case by a Nigerian lawyer seeking to stop the repatriation of over $550 million of stolen funds during the regime of late General Sani Abacha (referred to as the Abacha loot) to Nigeria until the payment of his legal fees worth $320 million by the Nigerian Government.

The thrashing of the case by Justice John D. Bates of the U.S District Court automatically clears the final legal hurdle for the return of the loot to Nigeria to help it retool its plummeting economy which has received heavy pummelling from falling oil prices and corruption.

The U.S-based Nigerian lawyer, Godson Nnaka, had laid claim to the fact that the Nigerian Government must pay him the $320 million as legal fee for the forfeiture of the $550 million of the Abacha loot still trapped in the United States.

But the Judge, in dismissing Nnaka’s case, held the claimant was not entitled to such payment since he was not a party to the forfeiture case filed by the US Department of Justice in conjunction with Nigeria. So the money is coming home now.

EFCC Seizes Ex-Gov Shema’s Passport, 'Detains' Him Over Alleged Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized the passport of the immediate past Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, as part of investigations into the alleged N76bn fraud perpetrated by Shema.

Shema was detained by the EFCC on Friday after he voluntarily walked into the head office of the EFCC.

However, a source close to the ex-governor told Sunday Punch that despite meeting the bail conditions, the anti-graft agency refused to release him.

The source said, “You will recall that the EFCC declared Shema wanted even though they knew he was not on the run. They had invited him for questioning in June but when he arrived at their office, he was informed that the detective in charge, Mr. Hyecinth A. Edozie, was out of Abuja, and that a new date, after Sallah, would be communicated.


“However, they never informed him of a new date and then went ahead to declare him wanted. On getting to the EFCC on Friday, the ex-governor presented a stamped document acknowledging that he had honoured the EFCC’s invitation in June.

“After being grilled for several hours, the EFCC gave him bail conditions, including that he tenders his passport and property documents of his sureties which he did. However, the EFCC still refused to grant him bail and said he should wait till Monday.”

Photos: President Buhari Arrives New York For The 71st UN General Assembly

President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived New York ahead of his participation at the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 71) holding from September 19th to 23rd. See more photos of his arrival below...

More 'Troubles' For Patience Jonathan As EFCC Discovers Five More Properties

Former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan appears to have more explanation to make to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) besides the $19 million just frozen in her accounts.

Mrs. Jonathan has just been linked with five choice properties including a N5billion hotel in Abuja, The Nation gathered yesterday. The EFCC is currently studying documents on how the Abuja hotel (names withheld) was built.

It has also dispatched a team of investigators to Yenagoa, Bayelsa State and Port Harcourt, Rivers State for the purpose of establishing the ownership of four properties in the two cities.

The anti-graft agency is likely to confiscate the five properties once it is able to confirm that they belong to Mrs. Jonathan.

One of the pieces of evidence the EFCC has in its possession in its probe of the ex-First Lady is her cumulative pay and perks as a civil servant in Bayelsa State where she rose to the post of Permanent Secretary.

Sources said the pay details are far below the $31million which the ex-First Lady claimed as her legitimately earned money.

The EFCC is insisting that Mrs. Jonathan must account for how she came about the cash wired into the five accounts to which she is a signatory or forfeit it to the Federal Government. One of the sources familiar with the probe said the money used in acquiring the properties under investigation appears to be gratification to Mrs. Jonathan when her husband was in power.

The source said: “Based on intelligence report, we have isolated five properties allegedly identified with the ex-First Lady. These properties include a N5billion hotel in Abuja and four others in Yenagoa and Port Harcourt.

“A special team has gone to verify all these assets in the affected areas including the contractors engaged, the mode of payment to them, relevant land registration documents, and associates used as fronts.

“In the next few days, we will start questioning all those involved in the acquisition or building of the assets. We are lucky that this investigation has a lot of e-transaction and computerization components. There is no hiding place for anyone involved.

“If at the end of the day the five assets belong to the ex-First Lady, we will approach the court to place all these assets under Interim Assets Forfeiture in line with Sections 28 and 34 of the EFCC (Establishment Act) 2004 and Section 13(1) of the Federal High Court Act, 2004.”

Section 28 of the EFCC Act stipulates that: “Where a person is arrested for an offence under this Act, the Commission shall immediately trace and attach all the assets and properties of the person acquired as a result of such economic or financial crime and shall thereafter cause to be obtained an interim attachment order from the Court.”

Section 13 of the Federal High Court Act reads in part: “The Court may grant an injunction or appoint a receiver by an interlocutory order in all cases in which it appears to the Court to be just or convenient so to do.

“Any such order may be made either unconditionally or on such terms and conditions as the Court thinks just.”

Responding to a question, the source said: “If our investigation reveals that the assets are not owned by Mrs. Patience Jonathan, we will return them to their legitimate owners.”

The Nation also gathered that the EFCC is not about to defreeze Mrs. Jonathan’s accounts under investigation.

“We have retrieved documents on the pay package and monetized perks of Mrs. Patience Jonathan when she was a Permanent Secretary in the government of Bayelsa State. Her total emoluments do not tally with the funds remitted into the five accounts,” an EFCC source said.

“She owes us a duty to explain how she came about these funds. Our investigation showed that the funds came from gratifications; it is left to her to prove otherwise.

“The good thing is that the ex-First Lady was the one who sued EFCC demanding the release of her $31million. She has a duty as a former public officer to explain how she earned the funds. Did she declare these funds in her Assets Declaration Form as a Permanent Secretary?

“We are happy that the case is in court and the onus is on her to prove ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ that she is the owner of the funds. If we had initiated the action, some people by now will be accusing EFCC of witch-hunt.

“But she went to court to exercise her rights under the law. The same law demands that you must seek equity with clean hands. I think the press should take more than a passing interest in what is going on in the court.”

See how Couple Gave Each Other Pythons As Gifts On Wedding Day

A newly-wed couple in Northeast China gave each other snakes as gifts at their wedding ceremony which held on Friday.

Wu Jianfeng, the groom, married Jiang Xue in Jinlin city of Jilin province. At the wedding ceremony, the bride Jiang gave a 15-kg female Burmese python/python bivittatus to the groom, who in turn gave the bride a 30-kg male Burmese python.

The Burmese python is one of the five largest species of snakes in the world.

It is reported that the couple are animal rights activists and bred many rare species at home, including spiders, lizards, pythons and birds.

Checkout how Notorious Kingpin - "Abuja Daddy" - Arrested While Collecting Money for Ransom

Gallant Troops of 13 Brigade, 82 Division, Nigerian Army, have in a coordinated operation arrested a suspected high ranking militant kingpin, Victory Benjamin (aka Abuja Daddy and G3) and 3 others.

Abuja Daddy was nabbed at Saint Joseph Hospital, Ikot Ene junction, Akpabuyo area, Cross Rivers state while attempting to collect ransom from relations of one of their kidnap victims.
In a related development, troops of the same formation have also arrested 3 militants with locally made pistol and some cartridges while robbing victims around Refugees Camp at Efut Isigi in Bakassi Local Government Area, Cross Rivers State.



Meanwhile, troops have cordoned off the residents of the most wanted militant kingpin, Alias G1 still at large, as already the arrested militants known as “G2” and “G3” are providing useful information that would assist the military to track other criminals in the region.

Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman
Acting Director Army Public Relations

PHOTOS: Beautiful Lizzy Oke Weds In A Wheelchair

Lizzy who got a surprised proposal from her boyfriend, Amen, several months back, was all smiles as she had her traditional marriage on Friday. She was so excited. See more photos...