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US man wrongly jailed for 48years to receive $7.15m compensation

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A 71-year-old man who spent 48 years in jail over a crime he was wrongly imprisoned for will receive a $7.15 million settlement from the city responsible for his wrongful conviction.

Glynn Simmons, holds the record for serving the longest time in prison before being exonerated in U.S. history, according to The National Registry of Exonerations.

Simmons was released last year after enduring 48 years, one month, and 18 days of wrongful imprisonment.

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The city council of Edmond, Oklahoma, voted on Monday to approve a settlement that would compensate Simmons and settle claims against the city and a detective linked to his conviction, as revealed by public records.

Simmons’ legal team described the settlement as a “partial resolution” of his lawsuit, which alleges that city officials and police officers fabricated evidence to frame him for murder.

Lead attorney Elizabeth Wang said, “Mr. Simmons spent a tragic amount of time incarcerated for a crime he did not commit.

Although he will never get that time back, this settlement with Edmond will allow him to move forward while also continuing to press his claims against Oklahoma City and a leading detective.”

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In 1975, Simmons and another man, Don Roberts, were sentenced to death for the murder of a 30-year-old liquor store clerk during a robbery in Edmond the previous year. Their sentences were later reduced to life in prison.

The conviction of both men was based solely on the testimony of a teenage customer who survived being shot in the head during the robbery.

Although she identified them in a police lineup, a later investigation cast serious doubt on the accuracy of her identification.

Both Simmons and Roberts testified during their trial that they were not even in Oklahoma at the time of the crime.

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U.S. District Court Judge Amy Palumbo overturned Simmons’s conviction in July of last year, and he was officially declared innocent in December.

Roberts, who was also wrongfully convicted, was released from prison in 2008, according to The National Registry of Exonerations, a project by three U.S. universities.

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NECO accredits more foreign schools for SSCE, BECE

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The National Examinations Council (NECO) has given accreditation to more foreign schools to write the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The Acting Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani, disclosed this in a statement.

The newly accredited schools are in Niger Republic and Equatorial Guinea.

“NECO Accreditation Team visited the Schools to assess their readiness to write the SSCE and BECE.

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“The Accreditation Team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls and sport facilities to determine their adequacy and suitability for NECO Examinations.

“After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and full BECE accreditation status,” the statement said.

The statement added that the accreditation of additional foreign schools is a testament to NECO’s commitment to providing quality education and assessment beyond the shores of Nigeria.

“With its expanding global presence, NECO is poised to become a leading examination body in Africa, offering opportunities for students worldwide to benefits from its expertise, thus contributing to the advancement of education in Africa and beyond.”

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In another development, the statement disclosed that candidates are participating in the on-going NECO SSCE External in Diffa, Niger Republic.

“The UNHCR School, Diffa, Niger Republic is the first NECO SSCE External Centre outside Nigeria.”

NECO examinations are now written by candidates in Benin Republic, Togo, Cote’ d’Ivoire, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabia.

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Guardiola suffers worst defeat of career as Tottenham hammer Man City 4-0

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Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, suffered the worst defeat of his managerial career as they lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night.

The Premier League champions were already on a run of four consecutive defeats ahead of the visit of the North London side.

James Maddison scored twice in the first half to set Spurs on their way to a sensational win.

Pedro Porro drilled in a third, before Brennan Johnson got on the scoresheet late in the game.

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The result leaves City in second place with 23 points. They could go eight points behind Liverpool by the end of this Game Week.

Guardiola takes his men to Anfield next weekend.

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FUOYE Re-Marks Exam Papers of Student Failed By Lecturer Over Sex-for-Grade Scandal, Secures Justice

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The Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, has cleared a female student, Ramota Olahanloye, to graduate following the re-marking of her final-year examination scripts.

Olahanloye had alleged that a lecturer, Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia, demanded sexual favours from her, and when she declined, he deliberately failed her in two final-year courses.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Wole Balogun, the university confirmed that Olahanloye’s allegations were investigated, and her scripts were re-marked.

“The young lady’s scripts were re-marked, and she performed fairly better than the scores initially awarded by Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia,” the statement read.

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According to Balogun, the university management approved Olahanloye’s revised results, which qualified her for graduation.

“The university management has given executive approval for her results to be processed. She has since commenced her final clearance from relevant units of the university,” the statement added.

Balogun also disclosed that Agbegbedia had been sanctioned by the institution for his misconduct.

Olahanloye expressed her joy over the resolution of the case, saying, “I am happy that I have gotten justice, and I really appreciate the university Vice-Chancellor for setting up the committee that investigated the matter.

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“I was shown my entire results, including the graduation list with my name on it. I have started my clearance as a graduating student of the university, and I am truly happy.”

Her father, Rasaki Olahanloye, also lauded the university for its commitment to justice.

“I can confirm to the world that FUOYE has served justice to my daughter. I was shown her upgraded results after her scripts were re-marked, and it is clear that she passed.

“The university fulfilled its promise to ensure fairness, and I appreciate the VC, Prof. Sunday Fasina, and the committee members for ensuring my daughter gets justice,” he said.

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