Category: Metro

R&B singer R Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for using his celebrity to subject young fans, some of whom were children, to systematic sexual abuse.
The singer and songwriter, 55, was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking last year in a US trial that gave voice to accusers who had previously wondered if their stories were being ignored because they were black women.
US District Judge Ann Donnelly gave the sentence after hearing from several survivors who said how Kelly’s abuse had changed their lives.
“You forced me to do things that broke my spirit.” “I literally wished I died because of how low you made me feel,” said one unnamed survivor, addressing a Kelly who kept his hands folded and his eyes downcast. “Do you remember that?”
Kelly did not address the court.
Even after allegations of sexual abuse of young girls became public in the 1990s, Kelly had a lot of fans and sold millions of albums.
Kelly’s sexual misconduct didn’t get a lot of attention until the #MeToo movement, which reached its peak when “Surviving R. Kelly” came out.
Kelly’s lawyers said that he shouldn’t spend more than ten years in prison because he had a hard childhood that included “severe, long-term childhood sexual abuse, poverty, and violence.”
As an adult with “literacy deficiencies,” the star was “repeatedly defrauded and financially abused, often by the people he paid to protect him,” according to his lawyers.
The hitmaker is best known for his work on the 1996 hit I Believe I Can Fly and the cult classic Trapped in the Closet, a multi-part story of sexual betrayal and intrigue.
Instances that Kelly abused young girls became public in the 1990s. He was sued in 1997 by a woman who claimed sexual battery and harassment while she was a minor, and he later faced criminal child pornography charges in Chicago related to a different girl. In 2008, a jury in that city acquitted him, and he settled the lawsuit.
Kelly sold millions of albums during this time.
A Brooklyn federal court jury convicted him after hearing that he used his entourage of managers and aides to meet girls and keep them obedient, an operation that prosecutors said amounted to a criminal enterprise.
Kelly, who was born Robert Sylvester Kelly, used his “fame, money, and popularity” to “systematically prey on children and young women for his own sexual pleasure,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing earlier this month.
Several of Kelly’s accusers said that when they were young, Kelly would do weird and sadistic things to them.
The accusers said they were forced to sign nondisclosure agreements and were threatened with violent spankings if they broke “Rob’s rules.”
Some said they feared the videotapes he made of them having sex would be used against them if they revealed what was going on.
According to testimony, Kelly, according to testimony, gave several accusers herpes without disclosing he had an STD, coerced a teenage boy to join him for sex with a naked girl who emerged from beneath a boxing ring in his garage, and shot a shaming video that showed one victim smearing faeces on her face as punishment for breaking his rules.
Kelly has denied any wrongdoing. He did not testify at his trial, but his then-lawyers portrayed his accusers as girlfriends and groupies who were not forced to do anything against their will and stayed with him because they enjoyed the perks of his lifestyle.
Evidence was also presented about a fraudulent marriage scheme devised to protect Kelly after he suspected he had impregnated R&B phenom Aaliyah in 1994 when she was only 15 years old. Witnesses said they were married in matching jogging suits with a licence that falsely listed her age as 18; he was 27 at the time.
Aaliyah collaborated with Kelly, who wrote and produced her debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number, in 1994. She was 22 when she died in a plane crash in 2001.
An earlier defence memo suggested that prosecutors’ arguments for a harsher sentence were overreached by falsely claiming Kelly paid a bribe to a government official to facilitate the illegal marriage.
The Associated Press does not identify people who claim to have been sexually assaulted or abused unless they come forward publicly. The women who spoke at Kelly’s sentencing were only identified by first names or pseudonyms.
Kelly has been imprisoned without bail since 2019. He is still facing child pornography and obstruction of justice charges in Chicago, where his trial is set to begin on August 15.

Following a five-day ultimatum from bandits to leave their communities, residents of 10 communities in Plateau State’s Wase Local Government Area are feeling uneasy.

In the local government area, some of the communities include Sabon Zama, Gindin Dutse, Anguwan Tsohon Soldier, Anguwan Yuhana, and Anguwan Mangu.

It should be recalled that over 100 people are said to have been killed when bandits attacked the neighbouring Kanam Local Government Area two months ago in large numbers.

According to information obtained, the local communities were given a five-day ultimatum on Sunday by the bandits terrorising the council and other nearby local government areas to leave or face the consequences.

The bandits physically visited some of the communities over the weekend to issue the ultimatum, according to a resident of one of the communities who wished to remain anonymous. The resident also claimed that the bandits threatened to kill the residents if they disobeyed the ultimatum.

According to information obtained, residents of the affected villages and communities have begun evacuating before the ultimatum expires on Thursday.

The Plateau State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Alfred Alabo, could not be reached on his phone, making attempts to confirm the threat and ultimatum fruitless.

Despite the fact that there are numerous laws in Nigeria that forbid sexual harassment, many victims are forced to leave their ideal jobs, and others experience depression as a result of unwanted sexual advances from coworkers. According to FAITH ADEOYE, Criminals give locals five Criminals give locals five

One fateful day, Janet Abegunde’s boss told her, “You need to do as I say if you want to keep your job and succeed in your career. Miss Abegunde, a 24-year-old accountant who had just started her first job in one of the newer banks, claimed that after her boss harassed her sexually, she developed depression. Criminals give locals five Criminals give locals five

A terrorist attack on a train headed for Kaduna in March resulted in the shooting of one of the passengers while they were being held captive.
According to reports, a terrorist negotiator admitted to shooting a passenger by the name of Mohammed Al’amin.

A publisher who is negotiating with terrorists, Tukur Mamu, said, “I can confirm to you that the said passenger has been shot and the information is credible.
On the Abuja-Kaduna train in March, terrorists detonated explosives and started shooting at the approximately 970 passengers riding along.

The train headed for Kaduna derailed after what is thought to have been explosives planted on the rail track exploded close to the state’s Rigasa region.

When the train left Idu Train Station in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, at 6:00 p.m., it hit the explosive device about 30 minutes later when it arrived at Rigasa Train Station in Kaduna, somewhere between Katari and Rijana Community.

While numerous passengers were kidnapped, some passengers were shot to death. Eleven of the passengers were released earlier thanks to Mamu.

Since then, the terrorists have put out videos in which they threaten to kill the kidnapped people if the government is unable to come to an agreement with them.

Mamu contends that the passenger’s killing was intended to send a message to the Nigerian government, even though it is unknown whether the government has plans to free the kidnapped individuals.
It might also have been done on purpose by them to convey a message. We are aware that they are capable of killing their victims. They’ve made that threat before, according to Mamu.

Mamu reports that Al’amin’s condition is critical at the moment.

Even though there has been communication, according to Mamu, President Muhammadu Buhari must be ready to accept full responsibility if they fail to act promptly and drive the terrorists to their utmost.

If they are truly committed to keeping these innocent victims alive, President Buhari must be willing to make difficult compromises, Mamu said. “I know what is in this crisis, which is why I keep emphasising that,” she said.

“The government has the power to put an end to this within three to four days thanks to what we have accomplished, the windows and opportunities we opened that there haven’t been before.

“I reassure them that we can do it with their help and cooperation, and if it doesn’t, I will agree and accept to bear full responsibility as long as government does what is necessary. Such emergency situations don’t call for needless red tape.

Last week, Buhari declared that he had “instructed our security and intelligence agencies to scale up and speed up efforts to secure the safe release of all the remaining kidnapped Abuja-Kaduna train passengers.

“My order is very clear: Every hostage must be returned to their families LIVE and as soon as possible.

“I’m glad the recently released passengers are safely back with their families and loved ones. I’m making a solemn promise to the families of the hostages who are still being held captive once more: We won’t give up until every single hostage is back home in safety with their families.

The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway’s Mile 12 Ogere saw several vehicles collide, killing three people, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

The incident in Abeokuta was confirmed by Ahmed Umar, the sector commander for Ogun FRSC. He mentioned that three vehicles were involved in the collision: a Nissan Micra car with the licence plate BDJ 257 XF, an unregistered truck, and another with the number plate T 4916 LA.

The sector commander gave an explanation for the accident, stating that the truck drivers’ reckless and excessive speed were to blame. He continued by saying that one of the drivers was attempting to negotiate a bend when the other truck, which was travelling from Ibadan, struck it.

The driver of the Micra car ran into the accident because it blocked the road, but he was able to control it and the car suffered only minor damage, according to Mr. Umar.

Seven people, one woman and six men, were said to have been involved in the collision. The deceased’s remains had been placed at the FOS Morgue in Ipara, according to Mr. Umar.

According to him, “Traffic has been diverted, and FRSC personnel are still on the scene working to manage the situation and ensure that the obstruction is moved from the road.”

In particular when visibility is poor, the FRSC commander warned against the “dangers of excessive speed” and advised drivers to drive cautiously, watch their speed, and follow all traffic laws.

The family of Mr. Yomi Kareem, a correspondent for Pilot Newspapers, who passed away on June 23 in Abuja, has received condolences from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Festus Okoye, National Commissioner of INEC and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, made this statement in a press release that was released in Abuja on Tuesday.

In addition to being a member of INEC Press Corps, Kareem passed away, and according to Okoye, INEC received the shocking news with great regret.

Kareem, according to him, is a devout and devoted journalist who performs his duties with the utmost professionalism.

Kareem was a member of the press corps, which has a long history of collaboration with the commission.

The Corps has been doing its dual duty of protecting democracy and informing the public about the commission’s initiatives to enhance the electoral process.

In all of his works and contributions, Kareem’s professionalism and integrity were evident.

He covered the June 18th Ekiti governorship election, which just ended, as his final official task with the commission.

He added that he would be greatly missed for being a respectable, devoted journalist and gentleman.

The management of Pilot Newspapers, Kareem’s friends, and colleagues were all comforted by Okoye’s expression of sympathy for them.

He prayed to God to give his wife, children, and all of Kareem’s loved ones the strength to endure the irreplaceable loss and for his soul to find eternal peace.