A shocking and tragic event unfolded on Friday evening, as Prof. George Chima, the Chairman of the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC), was kidnapped from his home in Okigwe, Imo State.

Reports say that around 5:30 PM, four armed men stormed his residence while he was meeting with lecturers from Abia State University. The gunmen chased the visitors away before abducting Prof. Chima.

DSP Henry Okoye, the Imo State Police spokesperson, confirmed the kidnapping and assured the public that the Commissioner of Police has launched a full-scale rescue operation. Authorities are determined to bring Prof. Chima home safely and capture those responsible for this crime.

Our thoughts are with Prof. Chima and his loved ones as they face this unimaginable ordeal.

New Delhi [India], February 1 (ANI): Former Tennis player Vijay Amritraj on Friday expressed his feelings that he was really ” fortunate” to watch the three legends of the game namely Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic in one single generation.

“I’ve just been very fortunate that I’ve been able to watch these incredible three musketeers of Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, playing during the same time, in the same era, which is unheard of, you know, of these three guys between them having 60 plus majors in their corner, it’s impossible to comprehend what it takes. I mean, we say he has 22 slams, and that guy has 24, and this guy has 20, and so on and so forth. We just throw out a number,” Vijay Amritraj said while speaking to ANI.

Nadal bowed out of the sport with 22 Grand Slam titles, including a record 14 French Open singles titles. He also won the Australian Open twice in 2009 and 2022, Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010. He was also successful in the US Open, winning the title four times in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019.

The 38-year-old secured 92 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour-level titles, including 36 ATP Masters championship trophies. He also secured an Olympic gold medal in men’s doubles back in the 2016 Rio Olympics, making him one of three men’s stars besides Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi to have completed a career golden slam by winning Olympic gold and all-major grand slam titles.

Nadal is also known as the ‘Master of Clay Court’, having won 63 of his titles on clay surfaces.

Further, the former Tennis player spoke about Novak Djokovic‘s victory in the Paris Olympics2024 gold medal match against Carlos Alcaraz.

“I don’t think there’s any contest in my mind that he can win a slam. The biggest problem in winning a slam is seven good matches,” Vijay Amritrajadded.

Djokovic turned his ultimate dream into reality by winning his first Olympic gold, completing a prestigious ‘Golden Slam’, by overcoming Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s singles final in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

In a clash between the experienced tennis icon and the young Alcaraz, who brims with talent, Djokovic realised his ultimate dream by getting his hands on the first Olympic gold medal of his illustrious career.

While Alcaraz savoured defeat, he found some solace in defending his Wimbledon title before landing in Paris (ANI)

The Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, January 31, 2025, arraigned 11 Chinese, one Filipino and a company, Genting International Co. Ltd, before Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The defendants are: Wang Zheng Ming, Li Yin Hui, Xian Hong Will, Zhang Xiao Lei, Long Zhao Ming, Guo Xiao Fei, Yang Sheng, Wang Zheng Feng, Chen Wenyuan, Liu San Hua, Luo Jia You and Rheign Dela Vega.

They are members of the syndicate of 792 alleged cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud suspects arrested on December 19, 2024 in Lagos during a surprise operation tagged “Eagle Flush Operation” by operatives of the EFCC.

The suspects were arraigned on separate charges bordering on alleged cybercrimes, cyber-terrorism, possession of documents containing false pretence and identity theft, among others.

One of the counts reads: “That you, LI YIN HUI and GENTING INTERNATIONAL CO. LIMITED, on or about the 18th of December 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, willfully caused to be accessed computer systems organised to seriously destabilise the constitutional structure of Nigeria (which prohibits and prevents cyber and related crimes) when you procured/employed Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain financial advantage for yourselves and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 and 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended,
2024).”

Another count reads: “That you, LUO JIA YOU (AKA A. YOU) sometime in December 2024 at Lagos, Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, willfully gave false information to officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the course of investigation when you were being questioned for being part of a criminal syndicate group, specialized in Romance scam, crypto currency fraud, cyber terrorism amongst others; and in order to mislead them, you falsely represented your name as A. YOU and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 39(2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 39(2) (b) of the same Act.”

Another charge reads: “That you, LONG SHAO MING A.K.A LING YANG, sometime in December 2024 in Lagos , within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, with intent to defraud, had in your possession documents containing false pretence, wherein you held yourself out as ‘Linda Maureen’, a citizen of the United States of America, which document you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 6 and punishable under 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other fraud related Offences Act, 2006. “

They each pleaded “not guilty” to the offences when they were read to them.

In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, L.P. Aso, M. K.Bashir, T. J .Banjo, N. K . Ukoha and B. Buhari-Bala, prayed the court for trial dates and for the defendants to be remanded in the appropriate Correctional facilities.

Justice Dipeolu adjourned the matter till 7, 14 and 21 February, 2025 for trial and remanded the defendants at the Ikoyi and Kirikiri Correctional Centres.

Visit www.efcc.gov.ng for more stories