Great Emma's Blog

By Adebisi Onanuga There was mild drama at the Ikoyi Military Hospital Mortuary in Lagos on Friday during an unscheduled visit by members of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Enquiry and Restitution for Victims of Special Ant- Robbery Squad (SARS) related abuses and other matters. The visit was to enable the panel gather what one of its members, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), called information “relevant to our investigation” of the alleged Lekki Toll gate shooting. The panel members led by Justice Doris Okuwobi (rtd) were initially refused entry by the soldiers on guard duty who said only their superior officers could order them to allow the visitors in. The panelists and the   journalists who accompanied them were later entry following the intervention of some senior officers of the 65 Battalion of the Nigerian Army. They were taken round the newly renovated military facilities. Other members of the panel on the visit included Rinu Oduala, Temitope Majekodunmi, Ebun-O...

By Nicholas Kalu, Abuja/Precious Igbonwelundu/Oziegbe Okoeki/Nsa Gills, Calabar/Kolade Adeyemi, Jos 1,596 suspects arrested for looting, violence  Navy arrests 41 for looting, vandalism in Lagos Curfew now 10pm to 6am ‘I was listed among those to be attacked – Obong of Calabar The recent #ENDSARS protests claimed 73 lives nationwide including 22 police personnel, the police authorities said on Friday. A total of 1,596 suspects have already been arrested across the states in connection with the violence and looting sparked by the protests, according to statistics compiled by the police. Fourteen states including Lagos, Edo, Rivers and Imo were the most hit by the violence. The nationwide search for #ENDSARS protest looters also led to the arrest of 41 suspects in Lagos on Friday by officers of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT. The suspects are believed to be among the hoodlums who allegedly vandalised malls, private shops and houses around Surulere, Apa...

Agency Reporter The Commandant, Nigeria Customs Training and Doctrine Command, Gwagwalada, Abuja, Mr, Adewale Adeniyi, said, on Friday, that his officers engaged the hoodlums that attacked the school in a four-hour dialogue before they struck. Adeniyi, an Assistant Comptroller-General, who conducted journalists round the premises to see the extent of damage, explained that they had noticed people on motorcycles who had come on surveillance to the command the day before the attack. He said that on Tuesday, 24 hours after breaking a warehouse in Gwagwalada to loot palliatives, the hoodlums came to the training command in search of palliatives. Read Also:  Hoodlums cut off manhood after killing policeman “More than 4,000 of them laid siege in front of the command. We learnt about their arrival, we came out unarmed, we engaged them for four hours, we listened to them,” he said. “They told us they were in search of palliatives; that they were hungry and angry. We told them it was...

By Nicholas Kalu, Abuja/Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt Says 22 policemen killed, 205 stations destroyed during protest  IPOB killed 6 soldiers, 4 policemen in Rivers – Wike Governor queries intelligence system over protests The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on Friday gave the police rank and file the nod to protect themselves henceforth if they are attacked. Adamu, who spoke in Abuja against the background of the attacks on police personnel during the recent #ENDSARS protests, said 22 of his men were killed during the mayhem unleashed by hoodlums and looters who hijacked the rallies. Many others were wounded with some in life threatening conditions in hospitals, he said at the start of an assessment tour of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, Abuja. He said 205 police stations across the country were also set ablaze. In Rivers State alone, members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) killed six soldiers and four policemen under...

By Olaitan Ganiu   DANCEHALL artiste,  Cynthia Morgan aka Madrina has signed a management deal with a top U.S.-based entertainment management company, The Facilitator Firm Management. Speaking on the new deal, Morgan expressed excitement about joining the new management company. “Odis Johnson and Tabiyah are the perfect matches for me, Tabiyah has got in-depth knowledge of my type of music, she’s work with notable artists across the Caribbean and to top it all, her man-management skill is special. And Odis is such a genius, so much experience in the music business, he’s had great success managing some highly placed US-based artists. I feel lucky to have the combination of these two wonderful individuals to work with,” the German Juice singer stressed. “But I’m also excited because I believe you meet some people for a certain reason. Being a manager is more than just about music. It’s everything that has to do with the artist’s life; a 360-dimensional thing. Tabiyah and O...

By Gbenga Bada   MONTHS after sealing a deal to direct Netflix’s first Nigerian original – a six-part series drama – Akin Omotoso has sealed a bigger deal with one of Hollywood’s leading film companies, Disney. On Thursday, October 29, Disney+ announced that Omotoso has been hired to direct Greek Freak, a live-action feature centered on NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo. With Arash Amel behind the biopic’s script, the film will see Bernie Goldman as the producer and Antetokounmpo as an executive producer on the project. Expressing delight, Omotoso wrote, “Let’s Go! Dreams are made of this! Thank You Giannis Antetokounmpo, for the opportunity to tell your beautiful story. Thank you, Sean Bailey, Vanessa Morrison, Chaz Salembier, Bernhard Goldmann Arash Amel, and Disney for the trust!” Read Also:  Òlòtūré’ reaches Netflix global top 10 in three days   While Disney is now on the hunt for actors to play Antetokounmpo at two different teen stages and is moving toward a s...

By Gbenga Bada ONE of Nigeria’s most consistent rap act and label bosses, Olamide Adedeji aka Baddo, is starting all over again with a clean slate after dominating the music scene for over a decade with eight albums. The father of three conveyed his decision to start afresh in a conversation with Ayomide Tayo for Audiomac recently. “I want to start fresh again. You can’t fight battles with the same weapon. For every level, there is a different devil. I have known that if I make it to 2020, I just want to start fresh as I have never done anything before. It has helped my mindset. It has helped me creatively. It has helped me spiritually by thinking this way.” Olamide went on to say his decision to start all over again stems from his will not to see all his decade of hard work as an achievement. “…If you ask the artists I have signed before, they will tell you I always say this: “After 10 years in this business, I don’t want to see it as an achievement,” he says. The YBNL boss als...

A day is incomplete without seeing Nollywood actress and TV star, Rekiya Yusuf on the screen playing the role of Mimi in Basketmouth’s popular sitcom, Flatmates. The Microbiologist explained how she wasn’t so excited getting the role, dumping her side job as operations manager with a fashion house in this chat with ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR GBENGA BADA   YOU studied Microbiology but turned out to be an actress, TV show host, and presenter, how did it begin? Believe it or not, I never knew I’d pursue a career in acting or entertainment generally even though I was in a drama club and I had hosted a couple of shows back in school. After the compulsory National Youth Service Corp, I took a job which I found absolutely no pleasure in so I thought to try entertainment. Somehow I found myself in acting school and afterward I went from audition to audition and from one movie set to another and voila. You became a household name and face as Mimi in the popular sitcom, Flatmates, h...

ONE of the negative outcomes of the violence caused by the EndSARS protest in Nigeria was the attack and looting of Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos’ palace. Being a highly respected traditional ruler, this came as a surprise to many Nigerians. Apart from polluting the Oba’s private pool, the looters carted away with his staff of office, which is a sign of authority. Although ritual rites were held to welcome Oba Akiolu and his staff of office back to the palace, the king is not pleased. Read Also:  Oba Fagbamila meets Fayemi   The ancient palace which is the official residence of the Oba of Lagos was originally built in 1670 and has remained a historical monument and a cultural rallying point for Lagosians. While peace has returned to Lagos after the Lekki shooting and the security officers are hunting for looters, the experience is a thing Oba Akiolu will not forget soon and it may take a while for him to trust or forgive the youths who disrespected his office. from Lat...

OYO State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and his siblings are presently morning the loss of their mother, Madam Abigail Makinde, who died on Thursday, October 15, at 81. Although she lived a fulfilled life as she was caring to everyone around her, no child wishes to lose a mother, especially when the father had died years ago. Read Also:  Youths minister, Makinde meet over unrest   People who know the governor well always say he learnt giving and helping people from his mother. Although Madam Abigail was said to be a disciplinarian and a no-nonsense woman, she was a cheerful giver and was always ready to help. Makinde’s mother, who retired as a telephone operator at the Oyo State Schools Board, Iyaganku, will be buried first week in December. She was born and bred in Akure, though her father was from the defunct Bendel State while her mother was an indigene of Akure. She later relocated to Ibadan after her Modern School education. from Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspap...

Olushola Victor   PRINCESS Folashade Omotade has explained what attracted her to Lagos Police Commissioner, Hakeem Odumosu, who she had known for years before they tied the knot last month. In a recent interview, Omotade said Odumosu had many things in common with her late husband.  She stated: “People that know me know that I always like a tall man and he has a lot of things in common with my former husband. He is very smart and intelligent. I also like a kind and hardworking man, because I am a very hardworking woman. We must complement each other. Those are what I knew about him in the early 90s.” Read Also:  Ife Princesses Adesola and Adebimpe light up social circuit   The socialite was once married but her husband died in a Bellview Airline Plane Crash in October 2005. Since his death, she refused to give marriage another chance. It was even learnt that the first time Odumosu proposed, she turned it down.  . Their introduction and traditional marria...

With Rois Ola   EVERYONE has imperfections, no human being is perfect, we just keep trying to do our best. A lot of people have various ideas on what they think defines capability, from a thriving sex, always laughing around each other, and lots more. I mean I find basket mouth and Alibaba funny but that doesn’t mean I can marry them or I am compatible with them. It might feel a lot like love when the person you’re dating is funny, smart, and likes play station 4 games as much as you do, but true compatibility means so much more than liking their traits. It’s easy to get caught up in romance of saying “love is blind”, but “forever” is a long time to be with one person, I mean a really long time. Whether you’ve been with someone for a week, married for 20 years, or are single and ready to mingle, here’s some tips to help you to know if a relationship is truly compatible. Having complementary imperfections can cause incompatibility and fights that lead to breakups, or they ca...