Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested a Lagos-based socialite and businessman, Fred Ajudua, pending his re-arraignment for an alleged $1.43m fraud.
He was arrested in Abuja on Tuesday and is in the custody of the EFCC.
The EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, declined to comment on the arrest.
Ajudua, is standing trial for allegedly defrauding a German company over three decades ago.
The Supreme Court had on Friday, May 9, 2025, ordered his remand and revoked a bail granted him by the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division.
In a unanimous ruling, the apex court held that the Appeal Court erred in granting bail and ordered Ajudua’s return to correctional custody.
The court also directed trial judge, Justice Mojisola Dada, of the Lagos State High Court, to resume hearing of the criminal case.
READ ALSO: Police Arrest Canadian, Nigerian Over ₦452m, $210,000 Fraud
Ajudua was initially charged before Justice Josephine Oyefeso of the Lagos High Court, but the case was later re-filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and reassigned to Justice Dada.
At his re-arraignment on July 6, 2018, Justice Dada denied Ajudua’s bail application on health grounds, noting that the case had suffered repeated delays for over 13 years.
“This case is one of the oldest in Lagos State. Bail is refused and the defendant is to be remanded in prison custody,” she ruled.
Following the ruling, Ajudua’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, approached the Court of Appeal in Lagos, where Justice Mohammed Garba overturned Justice Dada’s decision, holding that bail was a constitutional right.
A writer who worked on The Simpsons has died “unexpectedly”, his family has confirmed. Steve Pepoon, who won an Emmy award for writing an episode of the his animated comedy, died aged 68 outside of his home in Paola, Kansas.
His family said he had been receivng treatment for a heart condition called cardiac amyloidosis for two years before his death on May 3. In a statement on Facebook, his devastated family said: “It is with deep sadness that the family of Steve Pepoon announces his passing on Saturday, May 3, 2025.
“Steve was a beloved member of our family and was cherished by many friends. He will be greatly missed. A celebration of life event is being planned, and details will be shared soon.”
Steve Pepoon won an Emmy ( Dengel & Son Mortuary)
Steve’s first break in the industry came when he sold a script for an episode of Silver Spoons in late 1985, with his episode airing the following year. He later sold scripts to the producers of the huge show, Alf. He was then hired to be a writer for the series and stayed there for three years.
An episode he later penned for The Simpsons earned him an Emmy in 1991 or Best Animated Special. The episode which gained him the award was titled Homer vs Lisa and the 8th Commandment.
In it, Homer sets up an illegal cable television connection. While the family appear to be enjoying the new range of channels at first, Lisa soon suspects they are stealing the cable. Reverend Lovejoy soon confirms her suspicion and she tries to protest that her family is breaking of the 8th Commandment (“thou shalt not steal”).
As she refuses to watch TV, Homer and his friends sit down to watch a cable-TV boxing match. However, due to Lisa’s protests, Homer cuts the cable following the fight’s conclusion.
Elsewhere, he also wrote for the likes of Ferris Beuller and Get a Life. The long list of shows on his CV went on, including production titles for shows such as Roseanne and Tom. Dinosaurs was another huge hit Steve was once a part of.
He later went on to release a hugely popular cartoon. He was the co-creator of The Wild Thornberrys, which ran between 1998 and 2004. He also made an appearance in front of the camera during his time working on the Naked Gun 33 1/3 movie. He was offered the chance to have a cameo role after it was found one scene didn’t have enough audience members.
Fans of Steve’s work took to social media to share messages of condolence following his death. On Twitter/X, one user wrote alongside a black-and-white image of Steve: “#RIP Steve Pepoon. The pride of Paola, Kansas, he won an Emmy for an episode he wrote for ‘The Simpsons’ as a freelancer, collaborated with Roseanne and Tom Arnold on several shows and co-created ‘The Wild Thornberrys.’”
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Iraq has released more than 19,000 prisoners under a sweeping amnesty law designed to relieve pressure on its overcrowded prison system, including inmates convicted of being members of ISIL (ISIS).
The move offers legal reprieves to some individuals convicted on terrorism-related charges, judicial authorities said on Tuesday.
The law has also halted all executions, including for former ISIL members. The group once controlled nearly a third of Iraq’s territory after sweeping across the country in 2014, capturing major cities, including Mosul, Tikrit and Fallujah, before they were vanquished in 2017.
The years of their control killed thousands of people, displaced hundreds of thousands, decimated the Yazidi population and left vast areas in ruins. Many members were arrested as Iraqi forces retook ISIL-held areas.
The amnesty law, enacted in January, allows certain prisoners convicted of belonging to armed groups to seek release, a retrial or have their cases dismissed. However, those found guilty of killings linked to “extremism” are excluded from eligibility.
The legislation was strongly backed by Sunni lawmakers, many of whom have long argued that anti-terrorism laws disproportionately targeted Sunni communities in the years after Iraq’s clampdown on ISIL.
Detainees will now be permitted to request retrials if they claim their confessions were obtained through torture or coercion while in custody.
After a meeting in Baghdad chaired by Supreme Judicial Council President Faeq Zeidan, officials confirmed that 19,381 prisoners had been freed from January to April.
The total number of individuals benefitting from the law – including those sentenced in absentia, granted bail or with arrest warrants lifted – now stands at 93,597, according to a statement issued after the meeting.
The reforms come amid mounting pressure on Iraq’s penal system. Justice Minister Khalid Shwani said this month that the country’s 31 prisons held about 65,000 inmates – nearly double their intended capacity.
“When we took office, overcrowding stood at 300 percent,” he told The Associated Press news agency. “After two years of reform, we’ve reduced it to 200 percent. Our goal is to bring that down to 100 percent by next year in line with international standards.”
Thousands more people remain in the custody of Iraq’s security forces but have yet to be transferred to the Ministry of Justice due to lack of space.
Among those released under the new amnesty are individuals convicted of nonviolent crimes such as corruption, theft and drug use.
Iraq has faced international criticism for its use of the death penalty. Rights groups have condemned mass executions and opaque legal processes, including carrying out death sentences without notifying prisoners’ families or legal representatives.
Manchester United have decided not to hold an end of year players’ awards night for the second season running.
United cancelled their plans 12 months ago as the senior men’s team finishing eighth in the Premier League, even though they won the FA Cup.
This year, the club have opted not to arrange anything.
The awards night usually involved prizes for players from across the men’s, women’s and youth teams.
Although the men’s side are heading for their worst league finish since the 1973-74 relegation campaign, they could still qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League.
As was the case 12 months ago, United’s women’s team could win the FA Cup. They play Chelsea in the final at Wembley on Sunday. United have already qualified for next season’s Women’s Champions League thanks to their third-place league finish.
United have ruled out a parade if the men’s side beat Tottenham in Bilbao on 21 May and instead will host a barbecue at their Carrington training ground the day after the game.
Many of the previous awards nights, which have been covered by MUTV, have been memorable, particularly in 2015 when then boss Louis van Gaal delivered an amusing eight-minute speech when he demanded those present: “I want to say something – pay attention to the manager.”
Bruno Fernandes and Ella Toone won their respective player of the year awards last season.
United called on fans to vote for the men’s and women’s player of the season, and both teams’ goals of the season, in the match programme for Sunday’s home defeat by West Ham.
A bill seeking to convert the Yaba College of Technology in Lagos State into a full-fledged university has scaled the second reading in the Senate, marking a significant step toward upgrading the institution’s academic status.
The proposed legislation, titled a ‘Bill for an Act to establish the Yaba Federal University of Technology and Vocational Studies, Lagos State’, was debated today during plenary.
Leading the debate, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, noted that the upgrade of the polytechnic to a university had already received presidential approval, and the bill aimed to give it full legislative backing.
READ ALSO: Senate Seeks Inclusion Of Local Govt Councils In FAAC
According to Bamidele, the proposed university would offer a broad range of academic programs with a focus on technical and vocational education in line with national development goals.
“This bill represents a bold step in Nigeria’s push for accessible, modern education tailored to the demands of a 21st-century economy. It will provide facilities for learning, encourage research with a focus on technical fields, and be open to all Nigerians, regardless of background,” he said.
EXCLUSIVE: The Celebrity Traitors line-up has now been announced by the BBC after former the Traitors star Paul Gorton spoke to the Mirror about the show at the BAFTAs recently
The Traitors star Paul Gorton spoke to the Mirror about the upcoming celebrity version of the show
The Traitors star Paul Gorton has teased what fans should expect from the celebrity version of the BBC show.. He’s also shared his advice for those taking part in the star-studded spin-off, which has finally announced its line-up tonight.
Paul, now 37, appeared in the second series of the hit BBC show, which aired last year, as a Traitor. Amid his scheming in the role, he was considered a reality TV “villain” by viewers, and the tables eventually turned on him when he was banished by his co-stars more than halfway through.
A host of celebrities are now set to follow in the footsteps of past contestants like Paul on the Celebrity Traitors, which will be released later this year. The Mirror spoke to him about the spin-off on the red carpet of the BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises on Sunday.
Sharing his advice for the cast, he said: “You’ve gotta be cut-throat, you’ve gotta be brutal and you’ve got to stab people in the back.” Paul went on to tease at the awards ceremony in London: “They’re like the best three things you can do, right? And then you’ll either win or you’ll have a lot of fun.”
Asked if he expects the dynamic to be different among celebrities, Paul told us that he expects to see a different side to the contestants than their usual TV appearances. He also expressed hope that the show is “absolute chaos”.
The Traitors star Paul Gorton spoke to the Mirror about the upcoming celebrity version whilst at the BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises(Image: Getty Images for BAFTA)
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He said: “I think you’re gonna see the people that you’re used to seeing on tele all the time doing like really naughty, bad things. Because we always see them in like a nice guise, whereas you can’t be nice in the Traitors – whether you’re a Faithful or whether you’re a Traitor.” Paul concluded by telling us: “Whatever happens, I hope it’s absolute chaos!”
Since our interview with Paul – who said that he didn’t know who the cast were – the BBC has announced the line-up for the Celebrity Traitors. The 19 celebrities who will compete on the show have been revealed this evening.
Comedian Alan Carr, singer-songwriter Cat Burns, actor Celia Imrie and singer Charlotte Church are all part of the line-up. Presenter Clare Balding, filmmaker David Olusoga and former rugby union player Joe Marler are also in it.
It has revealed that comedian Joe Wilkinson, presenters Jonathan Ross and Kate Garraway, as well as comedian Lucy Beaumont are among the other contestants. The line-up also features actors Mark Bonnar and Nick Mohammed.
The line-up for the Celebrity Traitors, which features 19 contestants, has been announced by the BBC tonight(Image: BBC/PA Wire)
Content creator Niko Omilana, singer-songwriter Paloma Faith and actor Ruth Codd will be on the show too. The remaining three contestants are presenter Stephen Fry, EastEnders star Tameka Empson and Olympian Tom Daley.
It’s been announced that the nine-part Celebrity Traitors will be released through BBC One and BBC iPlayer this autumn. The celebrities will compete in the hope of winning a cash prize of up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice.
Host Claudia Winkleman said: “We’re incredibly lucky these brilliant people have said yes. I’d love to say we’ll take it easy on them and they’ll just wander round the castle and eat toast for a couple of weeks but that would be a lie.”
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