A lovestruck and historically minded Indian husband has emulated the world’s most famous display of marital devotion by building for his wife a replica of the Taj Mahal.

The original “Monument to Love” was constructed on the orders of heartbroken Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz, in the 17th century.

Anand Prakash Chouksey’s beloved remains very much alive, and even helped consult on the project and his version of the marble wonder of the world, around one-third the size of the original.

“My wife’s only demand was for a meditation room. She’s a spiritual woman,” the 52-year-old businessman told AFP.

“She says the dome creates a different environment and there is a lot of positive energy.”

The original Taj Mahal — dubbed a “teardrop on the cheek of time” by writer Rabindranath Tagore — is in Agra south of Delhi, however, the new replica is 800 kilometers (500 miles) away in Burhanpur.

But the central Indian city is none other than the place where Mumtaz died while giving birth to her 14th child in June 1632, having accompanied Shah Jahan to quell a local revolt.

Mumtaz’s body was even initially buried there too, and according to locals Shah Jahan had at first wanted to build the Taj Mahal for her on the banks of the river Tapti.

“The soil structure back then was not suitable to build the Taj here that’s how it was decided to be built in Agra,” Chouksey explained.

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The city is still home to the dilapidated remains of the palace where the royals lived, including a once-beautiful hammam or bathhouse built by Shah Jahan for his wife to relax in before she died.

Chouksey’s story has none of the tragedy and building his new home has taken him three years — a dozen less than the mausoleum that inspired it.

It cost 15 million rupees ($200,000) to build.

“We used marble from Makrana to build the house, which is the same that was used to build the Taj Mahal,” he said.

Chouksey plans to mount an Indian flag on top of the main dome and add symbols from India’s most popular religions to the four minarets surrounding his new manor.

“We want to send a message of peace and religious harmony. There is a lot of hate around. Love solves all problems in life and Taj Mahal is a symbol of that.”

man builds replica of famous love building in India

Love Struck Indian Builds Taj Mahal Replica Home For Wife

At least 35 people have been killed in days of fighting between herders in Sudan’s western Darfur region with more than a thousand homes set on fire, officials said Thursday.

The violence broke out on November 17 between armed Arab herders in the rugged Jebel Moon mountains close to the border with Chad, said Omar Abdelkarim, Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commissioner in West Darfur state.

“The clashes left more than 35 people dead on both sides,” he told AFP. “Around 16 villages have been completely burned down”.

West Darfur governor Khamis Abdallah said the violence was sparked by “a dispute over camel looting”, and that “military reinforcements have been sent to the area and the situation has stabilized.”

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Some people have fled west seeking safety across the border to Chad, he added.

Darfur was ravaged by a civil war which erupted in 2003, that pitted ethnic minority rebels complaining of discrimination against the Arab-dominated government of Omar al-Bashir.

More than 300,000 people died and 2.5 million were displaced, according to the United Nations.

Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court to face charges of genocide in Darfur, was ousted and jailed in April 2019 following mass protests against his three-decade rule.

While the main conflict in Darfur has subsided, with a peace deal struck with key rebel groups last year, the arid region has remained awash with weapons and violence often erupts over land, access to agriculture, or water.

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A UN peacekeeping mission wound up in the Darfur last year.

The latest clashes come against a backdrop of political turbulence, as Sudan reels from the aftermath of a military coup last month that drew wide international condemnation and sparked mass protests.

On October 25, top general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan overthrew the country’s post-Bashir transitional government and detained the civilian leadership.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was freed from effective house arrest and reinstated, after signing a deal with Burhan that was viewed by critics as “whitewashing” the coup.

35 People Killed In Clashes In Sudan’s Darfur

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Thursday that it had received another batch of 175 Nigerian returnees from Libya.

They were received through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMA), Lagos.

This batch makes a total of 333 stranded Nigerians repatriated to Nigeria through the European Union sponsorship program for Nigerians who got stranded on their failed attempt in search of greener pastures in foreign countries.

The returnees that were voluntarily assisted back in this batch consisted of 92 male adults, six male children, and nine male infants. In addition, there were 53 female adults, 12 female children, and three female infants

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They arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Ikeja aboard Al Buraq Airline Boeing 737-400 with registration number 5A-WAC at about 2148hours.

They were received at the NAHCO Wing of the Airport. Earlier in the day, 158 were brought back.

One of the returnees, Omoniyi Azizat, a 21-year-old from Lagos who abandoned her education when she was 17 years old expressed regret over her misbehaviour.

She especially regretted wasting her father’s hard-earned money, for a move that eventually turned out fruitless.

“I lost my mum at a tender age and was being catered for by my maternal relations, I thought I was being maltreated and ran away from the house to meet my dad.

“From my father’s custody, a friend convinced me to meet her in Ibadan where I was introduced to the idea of travelling to Libya where I was told that I could work and receive a monthly salary of 120,000.

“I deceived my dad that I wanted to establish a business and he gave me N800,000 but I used it for the Libyan trip through the desert.

“I became slave and prostitute, I am not lying, I raised the equivalent of N2 million as a prostitute to free myself from my trafficker,” Ms Omoniyi explained.

The returnee, who was in tears, expressed her desire to return to school, disclosing that she stopped schooling at SS2 and have learnt her lessons

“The lessons are very very bitter, I wasted my life,” she buttressed. “I do not know my father’s location and I lost everything that I thought I could bring back home when our house was busted by the police and every one of us were thrown into prison while we were disposed of our savings and property, the phone had my dad’s contact.

“I have to wait for the time that my transport allowance will be given before I can buy a phone and try to gamble with several numbers to know if I can get dad’s contact

“I will never advise anyone to think of travelling out of the country. We don’t appreciate what we have until it is lost. Anyone thinking of travelling should forget it,” a now-remorseful Omoniyi declared.

Nigerians came in from Libya after being stranded 

NEMA Receives Another Batch Of 172 Stranded Nigerians

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has dismissed reports that N4.5 billion was padded into its proposed 2022 budget.

In a statement on Wednesday by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the agency said it has been bombarded with calls and messages since Tuesday, seeking clarification on an alleged insertion of N4.5billion for the construction of police barracks into its proposed budget being considered by the Senate.

“This statement is, therefore, a formal response and clarification of reports that suggest that the agency’s budget proposal submitted by the Federal Ministry of Finance was padded with N4.5billion for construction of police barracks.

“It is public knowledge that President Muhamadu Buhari magnanimously approved the construction of barracks for NDLEA over a period of four years starting from the 2022 fiscal year,” the statement read in part.

The NDLEA’s comments come a day after the Senate rejected the report of its Committee on Drugs and Narcotics when it uncovered the document that “illegally contained” N4.5 billion said to be for the construction of Police barracks.

The agency, however, clarified that investigations have confirmed that the amount in question is indeed for the construction of NDLEA barracks but typographically inputted as ‘police barracks’ in one of the documents attached to the proposal from the Budget Office.

Babafemi said the typo error has since been corrected and the budget cleared by the Senate Committee.

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No N4.5bn Padded Into Our 2022 Budget, Says NDLEA

The list of nominees for the 64th annual Grammy Awards is out and Nigerian artists Wizkid and Femi Kuti earned nominations in two categories.

They both were nominated in the Best Global Music Performance and Best Global Music Album categories.

Femi Kuti’s Pà Pá Pà was nominated in the Best Global Music Performance category while Wizkid Featuring Tems Essence was nominated in the same category.

Wizkid’s Made in Lagos was nominated in the Best Global Music Album category and Femi Kuti and Made Kuti’s Legacy + made the same category.

Grammy winner, Burna Boy earned a nomination again with Do Yourself, a song by Angélique Kidjo.

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Burna Boy and Wizkid made history after winning their first-ever Grammy in the 2021 Awards.

Burna Boy clinched the award for the ‘Best World Music” category with his ‘Twice As Tall’ album while Wizkid picked up the prize for his collaboration with American Singer Beyonce and her daughter Blue Ivy for the track “Brown Skin Girl” in the ‘Best Music Video” category.

Meanwhile, Jazzman and bandleader Jon Batiste led the pack with 11 nominations, followed by Justin Bieber, H.E.R., and Doja Cat with eight, as Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo nabbed seven.

The 64th annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast by CBS from Los Angeles on January 31, 2022.

Love For Sale — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga

Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe) — Justin Bieber

“I Get A Kick Out Of You” — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga

“Peaches” — Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon

“Kiss Me More” — Doja Cat Featuring SZA

“Happier Than Ever” — Billie Eilish

“Montero” (Call Me By Your Name) — Lil Nas X

Song of the Year, recognizing songwriting –

“Bad Habits” — Fred Gibson, Johnny McDaid & Ed Sheeran, songwriters (Ed Sheeran)

“A Beautiful Noise” — Ruby Amanfu, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, Alicia Keys, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Linda Perry & Hailey Whitters, songwriters (Alicia Keys And Brandi Carlile)

“drivers license” — Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Olivia Rodrigo)

“Fight For You” — Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)

“Happier Than Ever” — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)

“Kiss Me More” —  Roget Chahayed, Amala Zandile Dlamini, Lukasz Gottwald, Carter Lang, Gerard A. Powell II, Solana Rowe & David Sprecher, songwriters (Doja Cat Featuring SZA)

“Leave The Door Open” — Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic)

“Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” — Denzel Baptiste, David Biral, Omer Fedi, Montero Hill & Roy Lenzo, songwriters (Lil Nas X)

“Peaches” — Louis Bell, Justin Bieber, Giveon Dezmann Evans, Bernard Harvey, Felisha “Fury” King, Matthew Sean Leon, Luis Manual Martinez Jr., Aaron Simmonds, Ashton Simmonds, Andrew Wotman & Keavan Yazdani, songwriters (Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon)

“Right On Time” — Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)

“Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” — Lil Nas X

Call Me If You Get Lost — Tyler, The Creator

“Family Ties” — Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar

“m y . l i f e” — J. Cole Featuring 21 Savage & Morray

“Way 2 Sexy” — Drake Featuring Future & Young Thug

Capitol Cuts Live From Studio A – Black Pumas

No One Sings Like You Anymore Vol. 1 – Chris Cornell

Angélique Kidjo & Burna Boy – Do Yourself

Daniel Ho & Friends – East West Players Presents: Daniel Ho & Friends Live in Concert

2022 Grammy Awards: Wizkid, Femi Kuti Gets Nominations

Libya’s electoral commission said Tuesday that 98 candidates, including two women, had registered to run in a presidential election scheduled for December.

“The candidate registration platform has received the papers of 98 candidates who met the conditions,” the head of the electoral commission, Imad al-Sayeh, told a Tripoli press conference.

Among the most notable hopefuls are Seif al-Islam Kadhafi, the son of slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi, and Khalifa Haftar, leader of the self-styled Libyan National Army in control of the country’s east and parts of the south.

Also in the running are former interior minister Fathi Bashagha and Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah of the interim, UN-brokered Government of National Unity.

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Only two women have stepped forward as candidates: Laila Ben Khalifa, 46, the president and founder of the National Movement party, and Hunayda al-Mahdi, a researcher in the social sciences.

The polls come as the UN seeks to end a decade of violence that has rocked the oil-rich nation since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed Kadhafi in 2011.

The final candidates list will be published within 12 days, once verifications and appeals are completed, said Sayeh, a day after the deadline for submitting applications.

The commission “will pass on the papers to the prosecutor general, the department of passports and nationality and to the General Intelligence” to ensure candidates comply with the electoral law.

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Registration for Libya’s first-ever direct presidential poll on December 24 took place in three commission offices, in Tripoli in the west, Benghazi in the east and Sebha in the south.

More than 2.8 million of Libya’s seven million people are registered to vote.

The head of the electoral commission said that so far “more than 1.7 million voters have received their (voting) cards”.

98 candidates registered to run in presidential race in Libya

98 Candidates Register For Libya’s Presidential Poll

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s) Monetary Policy Committee has maintained its key lending rate at 11.5 per cent, also leaving other parameters unchanged.

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele announced this on Tuesday during a live broadcast of the MPC Decision Day.

Central Bank Retains Lending Rates At 11.5%

Gunmen on Sunday attacked Barawa Village in Katsina, killing four and leaving several others injured.

Residents said that the marauders arrived in dozens of motorcycles, each bearing arms.

The raid is said to have lasted for over 90 minutes, giving the gunmen enough time to ransack the village.

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Though the police are yet to issue a statement regarding the incident, sources reveal that at least four persons have been confirmed dead following the attack.

There is still no figure as to the tally of those injured and at the time of this report, it wasn’t clear if anyone had been kidnapped.

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Four Killed, Several Injured As Gunmen Attack Barawa Village

The arraignment of two aides of Yoruba Nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo popularly called Sunday Igboho could not hold following the absence of an interpreter. 

The Federal Government through the Department of State Service is prosecuting the aides – Jamiu Oyetunji and Amudat Babatunde –  on a 5-count terrorism charge.

According to the FG, the defendants were involved in acts of terrorism and were found in possession of prohibited firearms.

When the matter came up on Monday, counsel to the defendants Pelumi Olajengbensi, told the court that his clients do not understand English and they needed an interpreter.

Efforts by the court to get an interpreter proved futile, a situation that forced the trial Judge Justice Obiorah Evwuatu to adjourn to January 24, 2022, for arraignment.

Babatunde Amudat and Jamiu Oyetunji were arrested in a joint operation carried out by the DSS and the Nigeria Army on 2nd July at the residence of Sunday Igboho.

Monday’s arraignment comes a few weeks after the two aides were released by the DSS.

Initially, the DSS had apprehended 12 persons linked to Igboho; however, after a brief legal tussle in August, the DSS released 10 of the aides in September.

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The remaining two were held back for a few more weeks and were finally let go in October.

However, the DSS was not satisfied with the ruling of Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 4, ordering to release all 12 detained associates of Igboho, and as such, the agency went ahead to slam a five-count terrorism charge against the last two aides.

Interpreter’s Absence Stalls Arraignment Of Igboho Aides

He received the delegation comprising traditional and religious leaders of the Igbo extraction at the State House in Abuja.

Among the leaders hosted by the President were former Anambra State Governor, Chukwuemeka Ezeife; former Minister of Aviation, Mbazulike Amaechi; and Former President of Igbo think-tank group, Aka Ikenga, Goddy Uwazurike.

Government officials at the meeting included the President’s Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari; Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Ogbonnaya Onu; and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno.

Others are Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; and Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.

President Buhari Hosts Respected Igbo Leaders

It is important for the Nigerian government to ensure Itunnu Babalola gets justice even in death, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa said on Friday.

Itunnu – who was in her early 20’s – died recently while serving jail term in Cote d’Ivoire for human trafficking – a crime she was said to be wrongfully accused of.

Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), gave an assurance that the government would do everything possible to ensure justice was served in the matter.

“We don’t expect that this case is just going to end like that,” she said while featuring as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. “An autopsy is being done, we expect the result. The case must go on so that even in death, she must get justice.

“NIDCOM has written to Interpol. A policeman was involved in Cote d’Ivoire, so they should look into it. What was the relationship? What happened? Maybe they have their own story; how did burglary turn to human trafficking, whether she was Becky Paul or Itunu."

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“Also, the office of the Attorney-General is following the picture, and I hope that Nigeria as a country will ensure that it didn’t just let this go away just like that. We must get justice for the poor girl.”

The NIDCOM chief, while quoting the father of the victim, said Itunnu was badly treated while she was held in a prison said to be hours away from Abidjan – the capital of Ivory Coast.

According to her, the victim had been in prison for about two years before her father raised an alarm over the plight of his daughter after all efforts to secure her release proved abortive.

“She has been in jail for two years, … all of a sudden burglary became human trafficking and the name she used for the case in Cote d’Ivoire was Becky Paul,” Dabiri-Erewa added.

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“She was in court for two years before the father informed the diaspora commission and the Nigeria Mission in Cote d’Ivoire.”

Narrating the events that led to the sudden death of Itunnu in a statement on Tuesday, the NIDCOM chief lamented that she died abruptly while all hands were on deck to seek both legal and diplomatic intervention for her.

Itunnu, she stated, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for an offence she did not apparently commit. She was said to have accused an Ivorian of a robbery at her residence and insisted on filing a case against him.

The accused, said to be related to an Ivorian policeman, had asked her to drop the case but she insisted on getting justice. Upon filing charges against him and allegedly used a different name to file the case, a case of robbery suddenly turned into a case of human trafficking against the complainant.

Thereafter, Itunnu was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

Itunnu Babalola Must Get Justice, Says Dabiri-Erewa

A large number of passengers had to turn back from the Obafemi Awolowo Train Station Moniya and also at the Ladoke Akintola Train Station at Omi Adio in Ibadan, Oyo State on Thursday following the strike embarked upon by railway workers.

Some of the workers, who were seen at the station in Moniya, were armed with placards with various inscriptions denouncing the way they were being treated.

The protesters refused to grant interviews. They said it was a nationwide strike and their leaders at the national level had been mandated to speak with journalists on the matter.

It was gathered that the train was supposed to leave by 8am but did not because of the strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Union Railway Workers.

The place was deserted when our correspondent visited the station. 

Taxi drivers who usually park waiting for the arrival of the train from Lagos around 11:30am had also deserted the car park.

The ticketing office, departure and arrival were all deserted.

Some of the Okada riders who usually make brisk business by conveying passengers from Moniya to the village where the train station is located also lamented that they had been affected by the strike.

Passengers stranded as Ibadan train station begin protest

Nigerian newspapers,on one page.