The passing of Nollywood’s beloved comic legend, Mr. Ibu, marked a somber and heart-wrenching moment for the entertainment industry and his grieving family.

The iconic actor, who brought joy and laughter to countless fans, passed away on March 2 at the age of 62, leaving a void that can never be filled.

Amidst the solemn funeral ceremonies that had his loved ones and colleagues in attendance, a deeply emotional and shocking revelation came to light from Mr. Ibu’s first daughter, Amarachi.

Emerging at her father’s burial, she delivered a soul-stirring speech that has since gone viral, shedding light on her heartbreaking relationship with the late actor.

In the now widely circulated video, Amarachi disclosed that her connection with her father was virtually nonexistent.

The painful reality she unveiled was that the only time she ever met Mr. Ibu was during his final moments in the hospital, as he lay on his deathbed.

Amarachi noted that the only memories she would carry with her of her father were the ones forged in the hospital during his final moments. Fighting back tears, she shared how the accounts of others painted a picture of Mr. Ibu as a great actor and a compassionate man, beloved by many.

Her sorrow was palpable as she revealed that she had always lived with her mother and expressed deep regret that their relationship never had the chance to develop.

The tragic reality that their first and only meeting occurred at the brink of his death weighed heavily on her.

The late, legendary actor John Okafor, affectionately known as Mr. Ibu, who succumbed to a prolonged battle with ill health on March 2, 2024, was finally laid to rest on a poignant Friday, June 28, 2024.

The solemn yet grand ceremony took place in his hometown of Amuri, located within the Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, drawing a significant crowd of mourners.

A trending clip captured Mr. Ibu’s wife, Stella Maris Okafor, and their children, all donned in pristine white attire, leading a striking parade of undertakers who carried the late actor’s body in a gleaming white coffin.

The procession moved to the rhythm of bustling, vibrant music, creating a powerful and emotionally charged atmosphere.

In an unexpected twist that left onlookers in awe, the parade came to a halt right in front of Mr. Ibu’s residence. The coffin was then ceremoniously carried inside, right into his sitting room, marking an unprecedented and deeply personal final resting place.

Among the witnesses were his colleagues—Charles Inojie, Charles Awurum, and Victor Osuagwu—who, alongside family members and grave diggers, solemnly covered the ground of the freshly dug grave within the sitting room, sharing a moment of collective grief and reverence.

The funeral ceremony continued with even more notable personalities paying their respects. Figures such as Shatta Bandle, Bob Manuel, and a host of other celebrities and dignitaries were present, further highlighting the significant impact Mr. Ibu had on the entertainment industry and beyond.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has released new directives to commercial banks regarding the deposit of foreign currency cash with the apex bank.

In a circular COD/DIR/INT/CIR/001/016 published on the bank’s website, the Director of Currency Operations, Mr. Mohammed Solaja, instructed Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to submit a written notification to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at least three working days prior to depositing foreign currency notes, indicating their intention to make such a deposit.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has specified that deposits of foreign currency can only be made at its branches in Abuja and Lagos.

It further directed that each bank would be allowed a maximum deposit of $10 million threshold for USD 100 notes and USD 50 notes daily.

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The CBN said that smaller denominations of $ 20 notes and belows would be at a maximum of $1 million daily.

“British Pound and Euro were also pegged at GBP 1 million and Euro 1 Million per day per DMB,” the CBN said.

According to the circular, each denominations would be in separate boxes and two representatives of a DMB wanting to make.deposits must be present to witness the counting and confirm the amount.

It added that only CBN-registered CIT companies for deposit of foreign currency notes would be allowed to representative the DMBs in the exercise.

The CBN directed that the deposits would take place between 8.00 am and 12 noon and that the selected branches must confirm the deposits same day.

Handling charge, it.said would be at 0.30 percent and would be received from the Current Accounts of DMBs with the CBN.

The bank said that the new guidelines supersede the June 17, 2017 circular referenced: COD/DIR/GEN/CMF/11/094.

A 41-year-old man, Baridapsi Needam has been sentenced to to 14 years imprisonment by the Bayelsa State High Court, sitting in Yenagoa.

The man was jailed for r*ping and impregnating his daughter.

It was learnt that the victim gave birth to a baby girl while the trial was pending.

Bayelsa State Commissioner of Justice and Attorney-General Biriyai Dambo, in the suit numbered YHC/14C/2022, charged the accused with the offence of r*pe, contrary to Section 1(1) of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law of Bayelsa State, 2021.

The State Prosecuting Counsel and Deputy Director in the Bayelsa State Ministry of Justice, Pere Amanda Egbuson, told the court that investigations revealed that the accused began defiling his daughter when she was seven years old by inserting his fingers into her vagina and started having sex with her in 2020 until she got pregnant in 2022.

The presiding judge, Justice D.E. Adokeme, stated while delivering the judgement that the prosecution presented credible evidence and made reference to the DNA result, which revealed a 99.99 per cent positive report that the convict is the father of the child.

The court ruled that the prosecution has proven its case beyond reasonable doubt that Needam committed the offence of r*pe and sentenced him to 14 years imprisonment.

Speaking after the judgement, lead prosecuting counsel Pere Amanda Egbuson noted that the judgement will serve as a deterrent to others as a strong message has been sent that the court will not tolerate such heinous acts.

The convict, Baridapsi Needman, who hails from Ogani Wily Kaira Community in Ogoni in Rivers State, was reported to the police by members of the state gender advocacy group, Gender Response Initiative Team, GRIT, in 2022, when a concerned neighbour noticed that the victim was five months pregnant and that the father was responsible for the pregnancy.

Needman was reported to have replaced his deceased wife with his daughter on his matrimonial bed. While the 14-year-old girl, who was in Junior Secondary School 3, was sleeping on the bed with her father, her two younger brothers were made to sleep on the floor.

Talent manager Paulo Okoye has shared a throwback video with Davido on Instagram, revealing how he tirelessly fought for Davido’s career in the early days.

Despite being rejected six times by a company, Paulo persisted and eventually secured a job for Davido.

He attributed their success to hard work, stating that he wasn’t born with a “golden spoon.”

“Is all about hard work !!! Respect!!! Then Davido have on One song !!! Duro!! I fought for that job for him !! The company says no to me 6x I come back fighting before they say Yes. it is well !!! !!! I’m not born with a golden spoon, it’s just hard work,” he wrote on Instagram.

Davido and his brother, Adewale Adeleke, validated Paulo’s claims in the comment section, with Davido writing “Facts” and Adewale acknowledging Paulo’s significant role in Davido’s career, he wrote: “Yep our first endorsement, MTN was done by you sir. You forever played a major role in David’s story! God bless you”.

This testimony comes amidst Paulo’s online dispute with Very Dark Man, who disparaged Paulo’s girlfriend, Iyabo Ojo.

Media personality and actress Moet Abebe has confirmed that she is in a long-term romantic relationship with rapper Ice Prince.

On the “Bahd And Boujee” podcast, she revealed that they have been together for 12 years, calling herself his “baby girl.”

When asked about having children with him, she playfully dodged the question, while she affirmed to have received financial support from him, referring to him as her “boo.”

She said, “Ice Prince is my man. We have been dating for 12 years. I’m his baby girl.”

Tolanibaj asked: “Do you plan to have children with him?”

Abebe replied :“Our babies will be fine but no. Let me not say no [laughs].”

Tolanibaj asked again: “Have you ever received a credit alert from him?”

Abebe replied: “Why not. That’s my boo.”

Talent manager Soso Soberekon, has shared valuable advice for women on his Instagram page.

He emphasised that no amount of s3xual prowess can prevent a man from cheating if he is inclined to do so.

He encouraged women not to strain themselves trying to please a man, using the metaphor of “breaking their spinal cord.”

“No sex position makes a man faithful. Who’ll cheat will cheat. Don’t break your spinal cord my sister,” he wrote on Instagram. 

Big Brother Naija reality star, Tolani Baj, has expressed readiness for a romantic relationship.

Co-hosting the latest episode of the Bahd And Boujee Podcast with actress Moet Abebe, Tolanibaj lamented her difficulty in finding love.

“I don’t understand how my man is out there like your missing rib is still missing. I’m your rib. How are you surviving without your missing rib? You’ve peace of mind, you can sleep without your missing rib? I’m tired, I’m ready to complete you,” she said.

Abebe asked, “Are you sure that you’re putting yourself out there strategically?”

Tolanibaj replied, “I don’t care about strategy. This is the thing about Lagos. That’s why I said Lagos is dirty. Why do I’ve to be strategic? Why can’t a man just see me and say this is her, this is my rib that I’ve been looking for?

“I’m beautiful, I don’t play games. I’m ready to be loved. I pray that in season 3 of this podcast my missing rib would have found me.”

The Naira appreciated against the dollar at the foreign exchange market on Friday to end the week on a positive note after nine days of depreciation.

FMDQ data showed that the Naira gained at N1505.30 against the dollar on Friday from N1510.10 traded on Thursday.

This represents an N4.8 gain against the dollar compared to the N1510.10 traded the previous day.

Similarly, the Naira saw a gain and traded N1515 against the dollar at the foreign exchange market on Friday.

This is the first time the Naira has appreciated since June 18, 2024, when it traded at N1482.72 per dollar at the official forex market.

The development comes as Nigeria’s external reserves rose to a record high of $34.07 billion on June 26, 2024.

The Federal Government has received at least 103 Nigerians deported from Turkey over migration related issues.

Some of the issues were expired visas, irregular migration, among others.

Alhaji Tijani Ahmed, the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, NCFRMI stated this on Friday during the deportees’ profiling in Abuja. 

Represented by Amb. Catherine Udida, the Director Migration Affairs in the commission, Ahmed said that the commission expected 110 deportees but received 103, all males.

“Some of them have been in the deportation camp for some months, and now that they are here, we are hoping to follow up on all the allegations gathered in their profiling.

“We will go through the profiling forms, because some of them have said that their passports were seized.

“We are going to follow up with the Turkish authority, because the passports are still the property of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he assured.

According to him, the NCFRMI is the mandate agency responsible for all returnees, irrespective of their status.

“We equally have a programme where we train them and thereafter reintegrate them into the society”, the Federal Commissioner stated.