Following Naira Marley’s release from incarceration, after being quizzed for charges bordering on cybercrime, touted as Yahoo Yahoo, former Big Brother Naija housemate, Gifty Powers, has explained why perpetrators of the crime should not be made to face the wrath of the law.
•Gifty Powers
According to the 26-year-old mother of one who never fails to share her thoughts on sensitive matters such as this whenever the opportunity presents itself, cybercrime is just a mere game, hence yahoo boys shouldn’t be arrested anymore.
“Why should yahoo boys be arrested though? It is just a game, it is either you gain or lose. In fact, those that fall, victim, what pushed them to it in the first place? Its what they deserve so they should accept it that way. Or was it someone that forced them to get involved? The worst part is that the police hardly does a proper investigation. As long as you have a laptop with you-you’re under arrest, what for”, she wrote in protest.
In recent times, cybercrime has become a major point of discourse among Nigerians. Recall that Naira Marley had made similar comments supporting cybercrime, a move which eventually culminated in his arrest by officers of the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Furquan Akhtar, a writer, told the BBC: “This story is about Caroline, not Banaz. That’s problematic.”
But executive producer Liza Marshall said they wanted “to shine a light on the bravery of Banaz and Caroline”.
On Monday, an ITV press release announcing the two-parter described Honour as “the heartbreaking true story of Banaz Mahmod, the young Londoner murdered by her own family for falling in love with the wrong man”.
It also “tells the powerful story of Detective Chief Inspector Caroline Goode’s passionate search” to find out what happened to the 20-year-old.
Mahmod was killed in 2006 after her father and uncle ordered her murder when she left her violent husband and began a relationship with another man. The Independent Police Complaints Commission found that she had been let down by police.
Furquan Akhtar, who has written for such shows as CBBC’s Dumping Ground, told BBC News: “I will never tell a person what they can and cannot write.
“However, when there are so few stories being told about Muslims and ethnic minorities, the few shows that we do have feel like they’re mostly centred around negative stories.
“That’s not to say we should not speak about so-called ‘honour’ killings but it would be easier for us to accept scripted drama telling negative stories if there were more opportunities for us to tell positive ones, too.”
Some critics picked up on a quote from the drama’s writer Gwyneth Hughes, who said in the press release: “That this story is ultimately so uplifting is down to the sheer heroism and dedication of the police officers who hunted down her killers.”
Dramatist Vinay Patel, who was behind the BBC’s Murdered By My Father, said he had “masses of respect” for Hughes, but that billing it as an “‘ultimately uplifting’ star vehicle” felt “deeply inappropriate to the case”.
He wrote on Twitter: “The framing on this makes me deeply uneasy, especially since the police did not take Banaz seriously when she came to them for help weeks before her murder.
“I’ve no doubt that failure will be tackled as part of it, of course, but as ever the question is whose story we centre and why.”
But Patel acknowledged the project was still in pre-production and it remained to be seen how the drama would play out.
Others felt it was right to have the police investigation at the centre of the story.
Hawes is an executive producer on Honour as well as being its star. Akhtar said: “I’d have to agree that it’ll bring publicity to the drama but I hope that it brings more awareness to Banaz’s story and helps prevent crimes like this in the future.”
But he also pointed to the broader issue of diversity among writers on British TV.
“TV has to do better across all minorities. That includes ethnicity, gender, class and sexuality,” he said.
“I have been working in TV for nine years now. It really feels like we have to fight for the bigger picture first before we’re allowed to talk about the nuances within our communities. There should be no queue for diversity and often we’re made to feel like there is.
“Having dealt with racism throughout my whole life, I still maintain that I never thought as much about the colour of my skin until I started working in the British TV industry.”
Abuja – Nollywood Actress, Queen Wokama’s marriage to Rivers state-born politician, Prince Kalade Allison has reportedly crashed.
Queen Wokoma
Wokoma, who shares striking resemblance with actress, Ini Edo, wedded Allison in September 2017.
The couple, who share a son together, have remained private about their relationship until Tuesday morning when Allison took to his Instagram page @thallisons_ to reveal the crash.
Allison gave no reasons for the split but placed emphasis on the importance of “peace of mind”.
He said, “There is always an end to everything, this is the end of us, it’s best we go our separate ways, please no bashing for the sake of our innocent son.
“I believe this is the best decision ever, peace is priceless, and no man wants to die before his time, I am by this formally letting the general public know that Queen Wokoma is no longer my wife, pending our final annulment (divorce).
“I wish her and ever she intends to spend her life with the best in future. #peaceispriceless,” Allison said.
NAN reports that Wokoma first joined the movie industry in 2011 with the movie, ‘Blood on Fire’.
Police investigating the disappearance of YouTuber Etika have found a body in New York City’s East River.
The body has yet to be formally identified. Police say the investigation is continuing.
The gamer, 29, whose real name is Desmond Amofah, was reported missing six days ago. His belongings, including his Nintendo Switch, were found on Manhattan Bridge on Monday.
He had uploaded an eight-minute YouTube video in which he talked about suicide.
Etika is popular for playing and discussing Nintendo games on YouTube and the streaming platform Twitch.
His Twitch account has been deleted but other social media platforms, including Twitter and Instagram, remain visible.
He has 321,000 followers on Twitter and 252,000 on Instagram.
Who is Etika?
Etika joined YouTube in 2012.
He is best known for his reaction videos, where he responded to new releases and products, mainly from games giant Nintendo.
Uploaded at midnight on the evening of the 19 June (19:00 BST), his latest YouTube video, titled I’m sorry, features Etika walking the streets of New York.
In the film, he apologises for pushing people away and confirms he suffers from mental illness.
He also talks about social media, advising “caution” around using it too much.
“It can give you an image of what you want your life to be and get blown completely out of proportion,” he says.
“It consumed me.”
The original video was removed but copies have been uploaded by other YouTube users.
If you’ve been affected by a mental health issue, help and support is available.
The young actress who played Tony Stark’s daughter in Avengers: Endgame has urged fans “please don’t bully my family or me”.
In a video posted on her Instagram account, which is run by her parents, Lexi Rabe says she can act “silly” and “messed up” in public.
The video’s caption references the pressure that she and her family face interacting with fans in real life.
But Lexi wants people to remember she’s “just seven years old”.
Lexi played Morgan Stark in the latest Avengers film, the daughter of Tony Stark/Iron Man and Pepper Potts, played by Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow.
It was a small role but she had one of the movie’s most memorable lines in a scene with her on-screen dad.
Putting her to bed, he says: “I love you tonnes.”
And she responds: “I love you 3,000.”
In a post alongside the Instagram video, Lexi’s mum Jessica talks about the pressure the family faces when out in public.
“She’s a normal human being and she’s a child,” her mum writes.
“Please keep your opinions to yourself so Lexi can grow up in the free world.”
She stresses how she doesn’t want her daughter to become like celebrities who never leave their house.
“Sometimes we’re rushing from place to place, stressed like everyone else to get to set on time, or work, or whatever, and we seem a little grumpy. We are not perfect!”
Jessica says that everyone can have bad days and as parents they want Lexi to be herself in public.
“These perfect children are not being given the freedoms and the rights that they should.”
In a separate post featuring an image of Robert Downey Jr, Lexi’s parents ask followers to help them report negative comments found on her page.
Jessica also stresses that as parents they will discipline their children in a way that works for them.
“We give her a talking [to] and we give her timeouts but we don’t do that in public.
“We give our children plenty of rules and boundaries but then give them the freedom to mess up and learn from their own mistakes.
“So if you see us in public and think you have the right to judge. Wait.”
“Bullying has existed for a long time, it has changed and evolved with the internet.
“Like many other issues, bullying is broader than just Instagram and I think that sometimes gets missed.”
This year Lexi is also starring in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, alongside Milly Bobby Brown who has previously spoken about how bullies made her move school.
They’re not the first stars to address the issue of toxic fandom, when comments from online fans turn negative.
Lexi signed off her video with a positive message for her 250,000 followers, telling them: “I love you 3,000.”
