Author: The Whistler Newspaper

Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti has signed into law, the “Bill” Abia State Centre for the Rehabilitation of Survivors of Rape, Defilement, Domestic Violence and any form of Human Trafficking Law of 2026.

Assenting the bill in his office on Monday, Governor Otti thanked the House of Assembly for the speedy passage and the efforts of his Wife, Mrs Priscilla Chidinma Otti and other officials of government towards realising the bill.

“I want to thank the House of Assembly for giving this bill an expedited hearing and for passing it in record time. I would like to also salute Her Excellency for championing this bill.

“And, I want to thank the honourable commissioners in charge of Women Affairs, and the one in charge of Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, and members of the team for putting together this bill,” Gov. Otti stated.

The Governor, who said that he believes that the State would get to a point where it would start closing the rehabilitation centres, noted that the real issue is about reorientation of the people.

“I want to reiterate what I said on the 18th of February, 2026, when we commissioned the centre in Aba, – Sexual Assault Referral Centre,

“As I said on that day, that while we were going to set up a few more centres, it is my conviction, and I believe that we’ll get there, where we start closing them, because there is no need for that. And the real issue is about reorientation,” Gov. Otti stated.

The Governor noted that, rape, child abuse, molestation, and all those kinds of things are not part of the culture of an Igbo man.

“I had underscored at that point that this is not part of our culture; rape, child abuse, molestation, and all those kinds of things, child trafficking, human trafficking.

“Growing up here, it was strange, and these were offences that were outlawed and anyone that commits it was ostracised from the society and confined to the evil forests,” Gov. Otti stated.

The State Chief Executive noted that his government has been intentional in engaging the people and creating employment to ensure that the youths have something to do as idle mind is the devil’s workshop.

“So, some of the things we are doing to keep our people productively engaged, we do that because we understand that If they are not engaged, they will be otherwise engaged.

“And so, it is our responsibility to ensure that jobs are created, to ensure that people are busy doing things that are productive,” Gov. Otti stated.

Presenting the bill for assent, the Speaker, Abia House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa said that the bill deals with the rehabilitation of victims of rape and other gender based violence.

“We have gone through the necessary process that will bring it to this table for assent.

“But importantly, this bill deals with the rehabilitation of victims of rape and other violence.

“And this is why this bill received very speedy passage. So, I am very proud to be associated with the passage, so that something very positive will be started in our State,” Rt. Emeruwa stated.

He urged the Governor to make the law functional, so that victims of such circumstances would be rehabilitated.

Reacting to the signing of the bill in an interview, the Wife of the Abia State Governor and initiator of the bill, Her Excellency, Mrs. Priscilla Otti said that the legal framework gives hope to girls and women, adding that justice would be speedier for them.

The highly elated wife of the Governor thanked the Governor and all those that contributed to achieving the passage of the bill.

“I am very elated for this coming to fruition. This bill gives hope to our women and girls, a hope that not only would they get support, that they would also be rehabilitated and given the support they need to move forward as normal citizens.

“I am really grateful to everyone that made this possible today, especially the house member, Hon. Chinwendu Roland who sponsored the bill and to the House of Assembly in general that gave this bill speedy hearing and of course to His Excellency, who is a gender loving Governor for always supporting in the fight against Gender-based violence and other crimes against women,” Mrs. Otti stated.

Abia Enacts Law To Support Survivors Of Rape, Human Trafficking is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The Court of Appeal Nigeria sitting in Kano has directed the Nigerian Correctional Service to produce Islamic scholar Abduljabar Kabara for the hearing of his appeal.

The order was issued on Monday by the presiding judge, Mohammed Lawal-Shuaibu, who stated that the appellant must appear in person since he filed the appeal without legal representation.

Kabara is currently in custody following a judgment by an Upper Shari’a Court, which sentenced him to death by hanging over alleged blasphemy.

Ruling on the matter, Justice Lawal-Shuaibu said the court deemed it necessary for the appellant to personally present his case.

“In view that the appellant filed the appeal in person and not through counsel, he is to appear personally,” the judge ruled, ordering that he be produced in court on the next adjourned date, April 23, 2026.

The panel also included Justices Abubakar Muazu-Lamido and Ahmad Ramat-Mohammed.

Earlier in the proceedings, both the defence and prosecution were absent. A man identified as Usman Malam-Hussaini informed the court that Kabara had sent him with a letter requesting transfer from Kuje prison to Kano to enable better access to legal records.

In response, the court summoned the Kano State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Abdulkarim Kabiru-Maude, to appear.

When the case resumed, the Assistant Director of Public Prosecution in the state Ministry of Justice, Zahradeen Kofar-Mata, told the court that the Attorney General was unavailable and had instructed him to tender an apology.

He added that the matter had been assigned to a private lawyer and blamed a mix-up at the court registry for the delay.

The presiding judge, however, criticised the absence of the Attorney General, describing it as a sign of disrespect to the court, before adjourning the case to April 23 for hearing.

Appeal Court Summons Sheikh Sentenced To Death By Sharia Court is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

A dispatch rider has lost his life in a fatal road accident along the Motorways inward Estate axis of Alapere, Lagos, after being struck by an empty tanker reportedly moving at high speed.

Preliminary findings indicate that the tanker, branded “NIPCO” and bearing registration number TTN-776ZQ, rammed into the rider, leading to his instant death at the scene.

Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, responded swiftly to the incident, working to stabilise the situation as fellow dispatch riders gathered at the scene and confronted the tanker driver in anger.

LASTMA operatives were said to have intervened to rescue the driver, who sustained injuries, and subsequently handed him over to personnel of the Lagos State Ambulance Service for immediate medical attention at a nearby hospital.

Police officers from the Alausa Division were also deployed to the scene to restore order and disperse the crowd.

Reacting to the development, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, extended condolences to the family of the deceased and urged motorists, particularly tanker drivers, to adhere strictly to traffic regulations.

“This unfortunate incident underscores the urgent need for heightened vigilance and collective responsibility among all road users to safeguard lives,” he said.

The tanker and the remains of the damaged motorcycle have been taken into police custody, while investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash are ongoing.

Tanker crushes dispatch rider to death in Lagos

Hungarian Prime Minister-elect, Peter Magyar, has vowed to arrest the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters his country while wanted by the International Criminal Court, ICC.

The ICC had in November 2024 issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

It was reported that previously, Hungary previously declined to arrest Netanyahu when he visited Budapest in April 2025.

However, in a new shift, the country’s Prime Minister-elect, has announced that he would halt the withdrawal process by 2 June.

“If a country is a member of the ICC and a person who is wanted by the ICC enters our territory, then that person must be taken into custody,” I must arrest Netanyahu of he enters our country,” Magyar said while addressing reporters.

This is coming after Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule ended on 12 April, following a landslide victory by Magyar’s centre-right Tisza party.

Hungary vows to arrest Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu

Former Manchester United player, Patrice Evra, has stated that Arsenal will not secure the Premier League title this season.

The Frenchman expressed that the Gunners are destined to ‘collapse’ in the title race against Manchester City.

During his appearance on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Evra emphasized that the Gunners will once again fall short of winning the Premier League title following their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.

Up to this point in the season, the north London club has spent 207 days at the top of the table but appears likely to relinquish that prized position as their lead has been narrowed to three points by Manchester City, who have a game in hand.

“That’s why I say I don’t see Arsenal… in the last three games, they will collapse,” Evra remarked.

He further added, “I don’t sense any personality in this team that can manage that pressure. That’s my impression. As I mentioned, I could be mistaken; people might claim I dislike Arsenal, but City will continue to push forward.

“They demonstrate that they are superior to Arsenal, and they will prove it once more.”

If the Gunners are unable to conclude their 22-year league drought this season, it would signify the fourth consecutive year they have experienced near misses in the Premier League.

Arsenal vs Man City: ‘They’ll collapse’ – Evra names team that’ll not win EPL title

The Chairman of All Progressive Congress, APC, in Abia State, Chijioke Chukwu has said that candidates for the 2027 polls in the state will not be hand-picked and imposed on the party members.

Chukwu, who was speaking at the APC State office in Umuahia on Tuesday while receiving the aspirant for Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal constituency, Mayor Lucky Igbokwe, said every aspirant would get a level playing ground.

He also said that the APC in Abia has ended the previous practices where some party members only used the name of the party to secure appointments from the Federal government.

The Abia APC Chairman explained that candidates for the 2027 elections would only emerge through the will of the party members, not through anybody’s connection to officials at the APC headquarters.

“We have returned power to the people. Nobody can stay on this table and give anybody a ticket.

“And the disposition of the APC today means that it is not a party where somebody can go to the APC headquarters and say I have discussed with them”, Chukwu maintained.

He lamented that the Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal constituency is presently at the lowest ebb in terms of representation and connection with the people.

In his speech, Abia State Director of City Boy Movement and the aspirant for Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal constituency, Mayor Lucky Igbokwe said that he would change the narrative.

No Abia APC candidate will emerge through imposition – Chairman, Chukwu

Real Madrid icon, Luis Figo, has expressed his views regarding the possibility of the club finishing the season without any trophies.

He remarked that achieving victory in football is challenging, but emphasized that the pressure intensifies when it comes to Madrid.

Last season, Los Blancos secured the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

Nevertheless, they were unable to clinch the LaLiga title or the UEFA Champions League.

This season, they have not managed to acquire any trophies.

Luis Figo, the legendary figure of Real Madrid, shared his perspective on this matter, stating as reported by Madrid Universal, “People are always searching for someone to hold accountable, but I’m not privy to the dressing room dynamics.

“Being among the elite teams globally, if titles are not won over two years, it raises concerns. That’s the nature of Madrid; they are accustomed to success.

“However, winning is not guaranteed in football; it would become quite tedious, and there are other prominent teams with significant ambitions.

“Yet, at Madrid, the scrutiny is always more intense. The players consistently strive for victory; losing is far more undesirable.”

Real Madrid faced elimination in the Copa del Rey at the hands of Segunda Division team Albacete during the Round of 16. They were defeated 3-2 in the Supercopa de España final by their fierce rivals, Barcelona.

In the Champions League, Bayern Munich ousted them in the quarter-finals, triumphing 6-4 on aggregate.

Meanwhile, in LaLiga, they find themselves nine points adrift of leaders Barcelona with seven matches left to play.

LaLiga: Luis Figo speaks on Real Madrid going trophyless this season

Hon. Ibraheem Salami is the Chairman and Sole Administrator of the Oyo State Pacesetter Transport Service, he was also the Director, Youth Mobilisation of Governor Seyi Makinde’s 2023 election. In this interview with YINKA OLADOYINBO, he speaks on efforts at expanding the operations of the PTS, issues of corruption in the system, among others. Excerpt […]

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the labour secretary of President Donald Trump, has resigned.

The Trump administration announced this on Monday, following multiple allegations of misconduct, which include accusations of an affair with a subordinate and purportedly consuming alcohol while on duty.

Chavez-DeRemer is the third cabinet member, all of whom are women, to leave during the president’s second term, succeeding homeland security secretary Kristi Noem and attorney general Pam Bondi.

Her departure occurs amidst an ongoing investigation by the department’s inspector general into allegations of professional misconduct involving Chavez-DeRemer and her close aides.

Reports indicate that she allegedly had an affair with a member of her security team, maintained a “stash” of alcohol in her office, and misused government resources for personal travel.

Additionally, her aides are accused of attempting to direct grants to politically connected individuals, as reported by the New York Times in March.

Chavez-DeRemer is not the only official from the Trump administration facing difficulties this April.

The Atlantic published a report on Friday regarding Trump’s FBI director, Kash Patel, which included claims of “excessive drinking” and instances of “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences” during his tenure as FBI director.

Patel has refuted these allegations and has threatened legal action against the magazine.

On Monday, he initiated a defamation lawsuit in US district court, seeking $250 million in damages.

Democrats have seized upon this situation, asserting that the recent changes within Trump’s cabinet serve as evidence that his “administration is imploding.”

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has also demanded Patel’s immediate resignation.

“Americans deserve steady, SOBER leadership from their FBI Director,” Schumer stated on X, adding, “Every day he remains in office is a national security risk.”

US: Another female member of Trump’s cabinet resigns

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has refuted what it characterized as a malicious video circulating on the internet, attributed to the commission.

It stated that the visuals, names, and information presented in the video were fabricated and, in certain cases, generated by artificial intelligence, intended solely to mislead unsuspecting members of the public.

In a statement issued by J. Okor Odey, Head of Media and Public Communication, the Commission clarified that it had not released any report or statement endorsing the claims made in the video, including the purported involvement of any individual or judicial officer.

“To clarify, the ICPC is not conducting an investigation into any individual, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), group of lawyers, or judicial officer concerning the fictitious N50 billion bribe mentioned in the video,” the statement emphasized.

“No such case, transaction, or investigation is recorded within the Commission’s files. These assertions are completely false and should be ignored,” it further stated.

The ICPC reaffirmed its commitment to fulfilling its mandate of conducting credible, evidence-based investigations in accordance with the law.

It cautioned individuals or groups responsible for the creation and distribution of the video to cease their actions immediately.

“The ICPC will not permit the misuse of its name and institutional integrity to propagate disinformation under the guise of ‘content creation’,” it added.

The Commission indicated that those accountable for originating or amplifying the malicious content will face severe legal repercussions upon being apprehended.

ICPC disowns viral video, denies investigating SAN, any individual over N50bn bribe