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Lawless Department Of State Services Violates Court Order Granting Nnamdi Kanu Access To Lawyers

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Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja had on Monday, 26th July, ordered the DSS to allow Kanu’s legal team and relatives to visit him in detention.

Notorious for disobeying court orders, the Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday barred a team of legal practitioners, led by Aloy Ejimakor, special counsel for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu from seeing him.

Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja had on Monday, 26th July, ordered the DSS to allow Kanu’s legal team and relatives to visit him in detention.

She, however, stated that such access would not be free for all, noting that it must be regimented.

The judge also declined the proposal of the defence counsel that Kanu should be transferred to a correctional centre, directing that he should remain in the custody of the DSS.

In a statement obtained by SaharaReporters on Thursday, Ejiofor said the legal team were denied access to the IPOB leader by Nigeria’s secret police.

He said, “For the umpteenth time, denied us access to our client today, insisting that our request would be looked into and accordingly approved by their DG before we could be granted access to him. On the 26th day of July 2021, His Lordship, Hon. Justice Nyako of Court No. 2 Federal High Court Abuja, after listening to our application, wherein I raised serious concerns about the safety and medical condition of Our client, whom ordinarily was supposed to be produced in court on that day, ordered that the Detention Authority (DSS) should allow us access to him.

“Upon our arrival in their office today being the 29th day of July, 2021, conspicuously armed with the Court Order under reference, the officials of the DSS, though admitted being aware of the said order, directed us to come up with a formal application stating the names of persons who are visiting, which request was promptly complied with.

“While we awaited to be admitted for the visit, the officials of the DSS unfortunately came back to inform us that we should go and await further communication from them pending the approval of our request.

“Attached for your ease of reference is a copy of the Court Order under reference. Details of the visit as worked out in His Lordship’s Chambers by counsel on both sides and Representative of State Security Services, collectively agreed upon by everyone, is not stated in the attached order, whose details are known to all parties on the modality of the visit.

“I am not suprised by the conduct of the DSS who has a history of disobedience to Court Orders, but I am worried because we do not know the present state of health of our client. I cannot categorically confirm to the world the present state of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, as at today.

“It is to be pointed out that our client is presently detained in DSS facility pursuant to an Order of Court, and another Order made by the same court directing our access to our Client on specified days, is unfortunately being flouted by the officials of the State Security Services, as they have no reason or justification of any kind to refuse us access.

“We will formally communicate the court first thing tomorrow morning on this unfortunate and strange development, and shall keep the world updated.

“Should anything untoward happen to our client, the Nigerian Government and the Department of State Services should be held responsible. Let the World and all responsible foreign governments take notice of this dangerous trend.”

Culled from the Sahara Reporters

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Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.

In the suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Emilio Garcia said that after a night out in 2022 in Ibiza, Spain, he was in an SUV with the hip-hop star when she began having sex with another woman right next to him. He was unable to get out of the moving car, and would have been in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country even if he was able. Garcia was “embarrassed, mortified and offended throughout the whole ordeal,” according to the lawsuit.

Alex Spiro, Megan’s lawyer, said she would fight the lawsuit in court.

“This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her,” Spiro said.

The next day Megan told Garcia never to discuss what he saw and berated and fat-shamed him, the lawsuit said. The complaint also said Garcia, who had already considered quitting because he was overworked and underpaid in a hostile work environment aggravated by Megan’s possessiveness and abusiveness, was misclassified as an independent contractor but treated as an exclusive employee.

Garcia raised those issues in the conversation with Megan, and was fired the following day after four years of working for her, the suit said. He has since filed a job discrimination complaint with the California Civil Rights Department.

The lawsuit, first reported by NBC News, names as defendants Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete; her companies Megan Thee Stallion Entertainment and Hot Girl Touring; and her label, Roc Nation. A defense response has yet to be filed. There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment from a representative of Roc Nation.

Garcia is seeking financial damages to be determined at trial, alleging he has suffered severely both emotionally and physically because of his treatment on the job, the firing and having to witness the scene in the SUV.

Megan, 29, was previously involved in major legal drama — and underwent a torrent of online abuse — as the victim of a shooting by rapper Tory Lanez, who a jury found fired at her feet on a street in the Hollywood Hills in 2020. She testified at the trial where jurors convicted Lanez of three felonies and a judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Already a major rising artist at the time of the shooting, Megan has since become one of hip-hop’s biggest stars. She won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and she had No. 1 singles with “Savage,” featuring Beyoncé, and as a guest on Cardi B’s “WAP.”

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Body of O.J. Simpson to be cremated this week; brain will not be studied for CTE

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April 15 (UPI) — The body of O.J. Simpson, who died last week at the age of 76, is to be cremated, a lawyer representing the ex-football superstar’s estate said, adding his brain will not be donated for research.

Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s longtime attorney and executor, told the New York Post that his client’s body is to be cremated Tuesday in Las Vegas.

He said Simpson’s family also gave a “hard no” to scientists seeking to examine the former running back’s brain for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is better known as CTE.

CTE is a rare and little understood brain disorder that is likely caused by repeated blows to the head. According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE results in the death of nerve cells in the brain and the only way to definitively diagnose it is with an autopsy of the organ after death.

Memory and thinking problems, confusion, personality changes and erratic behavior, including aggression, depression and suicidal ideation, are among CTE’s symptoms, the Alzheimer’s Association said.

The disease has been found in those who play contact sports, including football and hockey.

LaVergne confirmed to NBC News on Sunday that at least one person has called seeking Simpson’s brain.

“His entire body, including his brain, will be cremated,” he said.

Simpson died Wednesday following a battle with cancer.

Known by the nickname “The Juice,” Simpson was a NFL superstar during the 1970s, which made him a household name that propelled him into film and television during the next decade.

But his stardom would come crashing down in the mid-1990s when he was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

His high-profile trial lasted months, but ended with his acquittal.

In 2008, he was found guilty on a dozen charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery, and was paroled in 2017 after serving nine years of his 33-year sentence.

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Houston’s Urban South Brewery Celebrates Fourth Anniversary

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Urban South Brewery Houston will host its upcoming Anniversary Party from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7, in the HTX Taproom, starting at 11 AM, celebrating four years of crafting exceptional brews and fostering community culture. This milestone event will be an exciting day featuring live music, food, activities, and a vendor market.

Beer enthusiasts are also in for a treat with the release of four exclusive anniversary specialty beers. Highlights include “Press Start,” a crafted Czech Pale Lager brewed in collaboration with Parleaux Beer Lab. Additionally, beer fans can indulge in “Level Up,” an Old-Fashioned Cocktail Sour Ale infused with orange peel, Luxardo cherry syrup, and subtle bourbon barrel notes. The offerings continue with “High Score,” a robust Double IPA bursting with flavors of Mosaic, Citra, and Chinook hops, and “Game Over,” a decadent Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout layered with strawberry fruit, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk chocolate.

To make the celebration even more memorable, fans can pre-order an Exclusive 8-Bit Beer Box featuring the four-anniversary specialty beers (Press Start, Level Up, High Score, Game Over), a 16oz can-shaped Silipint with discounted refills, and 2 tokens redeemable for draft beer.

The Anniversary Party is open to the public, welcoming families and furry friends. Urban South Brewery invites everyone to join in the festivities and toast to four years of brewing excellence.

For more information on Urban South’s Anniversary Celebration, follow the Houston taproom on Instagram and Facebook.

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