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South-East states, police kick as IPOB issues sit-at-home order

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Some state governments and police commands in the South-East have kicked against an order by the Indigenous People of Biafra declaring every Monday a sit-at-home day from August 9 until its leader Nnamdi Kanu is released from the detention of the Department of State Services.

The police and state governments asked the people to go about their business, assuring them of safety, stating that they would not condone any act of intimidation from IPOB, a proscribed secessionist group.

Kanu, who was abducted by the Kenyan Authority in June in Kenya and extradited to Nigeria, is facing a treasonable felony offence.

During a resumed hearing of his case at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, his matter was adjourned till October 21 following the failure of the DSS to produce him in court.

IPOB, in a statement by the group’s Media and Public Secretary, Emma Powerful, on Friday, said, “We the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra wish to announce to all Biafra citizens, friends of Biafra and lovers of Biafra freedom and independence that IPOB leadership has declared every Monday ‘a ghost Monday.’

“This declaration takes effect from Monday, August 9, 2021. From that day, Biafra land will be on lockdown every Monday from 6am to 6pm until our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who was unlawfully abducted in Kenya and illegally detained by the Federal Government of Nigeria, is released.

“DSS should know that if anything untoward happens to him, we are going to confirm what IPOB is made of and they will understand that we are prepared for this freedom. Our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is not a criminal and has the right to be visited in custody.

“We declare every Monday a sit-at-home day throughout Biafra land until our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu regains his freedom. The Federal Government must allow him access to his personal physicians, and allow him to sign documents given to him by the British Government to provide him consular assistance. This peaceful protest will continue once every week until our demands are met.”

The group added, “Consequently, all institutions (public and private), transport companies, schools, banks, markets, airports and seaports in Biafra land must shut down every Monday beginning from August 9. People are to remain indoors to register their concern over the fate of our leader and the rest of all agitators languishing in various security detentions.”

However, the Anambra State Government, while reacting to IPOB’s order, said there were plans to ensure the people of the state were not intimidated by anybody.

The state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C-Don Adinuba, said, “We won’t disclose our plans to the media, but I want to assure you that we have big plans to ensure that our people are free from any form of intimidation.”

Similarly, the Anambra State police command, on Friday, said there was no need to be alarmed over IPOB’s threat.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ikenga Tochukwu, said the command was committed to the protection of the people of the state.

“I have not seen the IPOB’s statement. But what I can assure you is that the command is fully prepared and committed to giving maximum protection to the Anambra people. Nothing will stop us from doing that,” he said.

Similarly, the Imo State Government said Governor Hope Uzodimma was too focused on delivering good governance to be distracted by IPOB.

The governor’s aide on print media, Modestus Nwamkpa, said, “What matters to us as a government is our contract with the people.”

“Governor Uzodimma does not want to be distracted. He wants to sustain the peace we have achieved,” he added.

Also, the Ebonyi State Police Command on Friday dismissed IPOB’s threat, saying its sit-at-home order can’t hold in the state.

The police said any attempt by IPOB to enforce the order in the state would be met with fierce resistance, stressing that nobody has the right to infringe on another’s fundamental human rights.

The state Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, said, “We will resist such a move by IPOB.”

Garba stated, “This is one threat too many. It can’t work here. We will make sure it doesn’t hold.

“We have put serious and adequate security measures in place to ensure that this can’t happen. People should go about their lawful business from that day because nobody has the right to infringe on another’s rights.”

Culled from the Punch News Nigeria

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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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