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Popular Nigerian gospel singer Asu Ekiye has finally opened up on how his estranged wife, Kunemofa Asu, initiated the divorce proceedings that led to the dissolution of their 28-year marriage.

Ekiye, popularly known as the “Prince of the Niger Delta”, made the clarification in a statement shared on social media.

The clarification followed reactions to his earlier announcement on Thursday that his marriage to Kunemofa, which began in 1998, had ended.

The announcement sparked widespread reactions from fans of the award-winning singer, especially netizens, with many expressing shock at why a marriage of that length could have been salvaged.

However, following public curiosity, the singer, in a new post, clarified that his wife initiated the split and filed for divorce without a prior quarrel, and that reconciliation efforts failed.

Ekiye said his wife had expressed her desire to end the marriage, moved out of their home, and subsequently instituted divorce proceedings.

“The decision regarding the dissolution of my marriage was not one I initiated.

“Having done all I could to seek reconciliation, I eventually came to the difficult decision to accept the reality of the situation,” he said.

The singer said he spent about a year making efforts to reconcile with his wife and preserve the marriage, but she remained firm in her decision.

Ekiye said he decided to clarify the circumstances surrounding the divorce after receiving numerous calls and messages following his announcement about the end of the marriage.

He said he bore no bitterness or ill will towards his former wife and had chosen to approach the new phase of his life with dignity and respect for all concerned.
“I bear no bitterness or ill will toward anyone,” he said.

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The Nigerian Navy (NN) has handed over nine suspected stowaways to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) after rescuing them from a merchant vessel in Lagos.

The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft effected the handover on Friday following the discovery of the suspects concealed in the propeller compartment of MT *Evgenia* two days earlier.

According to a statement by the Commander of NNS Beecroft, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, the suspects were found on Wednesday, August 19, and evacuated to the naval base for preliminary investigation and profiling.

He said investigations revealed that the suspects boarded the vessel while it was berthed at the Flour Mills Jetty in Apapa, allegedly intending to travel illegally to Europe.

The suspects were identified as Thompson Vincent, 23; Emmanuel Philip, 24; Tobi Olalekan, 32; Omotayo Adebowale, 43; Abdullahi Idowu, 21; Tunde Mustapha, 19; Jamiu Ismaila, 25; Ibrahim Alabi, 30; and Christian Kadiri, 22.

Adams-Aliu said the handover was part of ongoing collaboration among security agencies to curb illegal migration and strengthen maritime security.

He urged parents, guardians and other authority figures to discourage young people from attempting to board seagoing vessels illegally, noting that the dangers associated with the practice extended beyond Nigeria to other West African coastal states.

He added that NNS Beecroft would continue to support the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, in deploying a professional naval force to safeguard Nigeria’s maritime interests and support national security operations.

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A United States District Court in Manhattan has nullified the President Donald Trump administration’s policy suspending the processing and issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, including Nigeria.

In a ruling delivered on Friday, U.S District Judge Jeannette Vargas described the January directive by the State Department as patently unlawful and said it exceeded the statutory authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The policy, which took effect on January 21, had barred the issuance of immigrant visas to nationals of 75 countries because they posed “a high risk for becoming a public charge” and of relying on U.S. government cash assistance.

Affected countries are: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea and Haiti.

Other countries on the list are:  Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Republic of Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

President Donald Trump had, early in the year, published a list of welfare-dependent rates among immigrants, noting that about 33.3 per cent of Nigerian immigrant households received some form of public assistance.

According to the directive, older or overweight applicants, as well as those with any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalisation, can be denied.

But in delivering the judgment, Judge Vargas, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, held that the suspension ran afoul of federal immigration law, which expressly removed the Secretary of State’s authority over the consular processing of immigrant visas.

“The policy, which categorically prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of the applicant, represents a direct abrogation of this statutory scheme,” she wrote.

Immigrant rights groups, Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together, filed the suit, alongside U.S. citizens sponsoring family members and visa applicants from the affected countries.

The State Department had, in a cable sent to U.S missions in January, directed consular officers to refuse applicants whose visas were “print-authorized” but not yet printed.

It said the suspension was part of a full review to ensure the highest level of screening and vetting and to prevent foreign nationals from exploiting U.S welfare systems.

“Applicants from these countries are at a high risk for becoming a public charge and recourse to local, state and federal government resources in the United States,” the cable stated.

Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott had defended the move, saying: “The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge in the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people.

“Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”