Foreign

2018 NNPC Science quiz champion, Tony Kabilan Okeke, 5 other students develop AI medical App in US

Published

3 years ago

April 11, 2023

Everydaynewsngr

Nigerian students in different parts of the world keep making impressive strides in different disciplines. Couple of weeks ago, 20 years old Tony Kabilan Okeke, who won the national champion trophy of the 2018, NNPC national science quiz competition, presently studying Biomedical Engineering in Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylania, USA, collaborated with five other international students (four Nigerians and one Indian) to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Medical Assistance App, which they named *Meddibia*.

Team leader Tony Kabilan Okeke

Okeke’s team, named, *Team Meddibia*, comprises Tony Kabilan Okeke, Dishika Goel, Elochukwu Enwerem, Dalu Okonkwo, Michael Moemeke and Victor Uzo, all of whom are international students in the US.

The team’s project, *Meddibia*, was one of the ten AI projects that won at the Philly Codefest 2023, a contest that took place, this 12th March, in Philadelphia, Pennsylania, USA at the event of the 10th year of the software and hardware hackathon hosted by College of Computing & Informatics, Drexel University, Philadelphia.

On the 12th of March close of the 2023 Philly Codefest, held at Quorum within the University City Science Center, a group of judges made their way around the room, listening intently to each group as they presented on the project they’d developed over two days. “The judges then moved to a separate room to determine a winner, which took longer than expected, given how impressive all the projects were this year,” said Dave Raiken, Assistant Director of Operations, Events and Logistics at the event hosted by Drexel University’s College of Computing and Informatics (CCI). Codefest just celebrated its 10th year, once again welcoming students and professionals of all skill levels across the US to the weekend-long hackathon. This year’s Comcast-sponsored event saw 46 teams create technical projects aligning with the theme, “AI Everywhere” — that is, “real-world, scalable software and hardware solutions to improve and expand artificial intelligence’s positive societal impacts.”

Participants started coding on Saturday morning, 11/03/23 and had until 6 p.m. that day to submit their idea. Then, they had until noon on Sunday, 12/03/23, to complete their project before judging.

Presenting on the project, *Meddibia,* Tony Okeke on behalf of his Team members, explained as follows, starting from their inspiration for the project:

“MEDDIBIA: Your Personal Medical Assistant

*Inspiration*

The inspiration behind our latest project came from a deep desire to improve the accessibility of medical care for people living in rural areas. As developers from third-world countries ourselves, we understood all too well the struggles faced by those who lack access to proper medical facilities.

Our team wanted to create a solution that would bridge the gap between these individuals and medical professionals, so we set out to create an app that would allow users to receive medical advice and diagnoses using machine learning models.

By inputting their symptoms into the app, users can receive predictions for potential diseases and conditions, allowing them to make informed decisions about seeking medical treatment. We believe that this app has the potential to be particularly beneficial for those in rural areas who may not have easy access to medical doctors or facilities.

For us, this project was an opportunity to use our skills and expertise to make a real difference in the lives of people in our own communities and beyond. We’re excited to continue developing and improving this app and to see it make a positive impact on the world.

*What it does*

MEDDIBIA is a personal AI health assistant that puts greater control over health in the hands of users living in rural communities. With MEDDIBIA, users can describe their symptoms to a chat assistant and receive a likely diagnosis, along with more information about their diagnosis and symptoms. Additionally, MEDDIBIA enables users to get diagnosis for skin conditions and aberrations by simply taking a picture of the affected area. This feature is especially important for those with limited access to healthcare professionals or specialized facilities. By providing personalized care and making it easier to manage health conditions, MEDDIBIA empowers users to take control of their health and improve their quality of life.

*How we built it*

Our team utilized cutting-edge machine learning techniques to develop an innovative solution for identifying and diagnosing skin conditions and diseases. To accurately identify skin conditions, we experimented with various pre-trained models, including VGG16 and EfficientNet, to extract features from images from the dermnet dataset. We then trained and evaluated deep neural network classifiers, ultimately selecting a model with approximately 70% accuracy. For symptom identification, we employed GPT-3, a state-of-the-art language model, to preprocess natural language input from users into symptom labels, which served as input to our machine-learning model. This approach resulted in about 87% accuracy in predicting disease labels. To further assist users, we used GPT-3 to provide helpful descriptions of the predicted disease. Our app’s backend was built using Flask API and deployed on Heroku, while the cross-platform frontend was developed using Flutter, making our app easily accessible to users across multiple devices.

*Challenges we ran into*

The construction of MEDDIBIA was an interesting and challenging task. The first problem we encountered was locating suitable datasets for our machine learning algorithms. We needed to obtain a dataset with over 40 diseases and appropriately identify them using their symptoms for our disease classification algorithm. To maximize machine learning, we needed to obtain a dataset with rich photos for our skin disease detection model. The next problem was to discover effective machine learning techniques to use with our dataset to produce models. To acquire accurate findings, we needed to determine the machine learning technique that performed best with our dataset. Another difficulty we encountered was integrating our machine models to our mobile application. Creating a machine learning model is one thing, but we also needed to guarantee that our model was user-friendly and easily accessible via our application. Constructing MEDDIBIA was difficult, but we were able to overcome the obstacles that the journey posed in order to complete our project, MEDDIBIA.

*Accomplishments that we’re proud of*

We are proud of the knowledge we gained from this experience. Building MEDDIBIA was challenging and the process allowed us gain useful knowledge on several technologies. In addition. We are proud of being able to create such a rich project within 24 hours. In 24 hours we were able to create a project that uses machine learning to predict diseases users might have, using their symptoms as values.

*What we learned*

We learned how to integrate flask APIs to a Flutter application while developing MEDDIBIA. Our application is built on Flask, which connects machine learning models to a Flutter application. We discovered how to leverage openAI APIs. Our application makes advantage of openAI APIs to fine-tune user input before passing it to our model. We also learned about the multinomial naive bayes machine learning method, Flutter, and Flask.

*What’s next for MEDDIBIA*

Looking to the future, we plan to patent the app and suggest its usage to nearby hospitals and clinics for potential treatments and connect patients directly with healthcare providers through MEDDIBIA. These features will personalize care, streamline the process of accessing medical assistance, and provide the latest treatment options. We are excited to continue our work in revolutionizing healthcare and improving health outcomes for our users.”

Out of the 40 entries submitted to Phily Codefest 2023 at Drexel University by Comcast, Team Meddibia emerged the winner Philly Codefest 2023 Collaborative Team Award with a price money of USD5000.

It will be recalled that Tony Kabilan Okeke came to national limelight in 2018 when, at 16, he emerged the national champion in the prestigious Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) National Science Quiz Competition, beating over 14000 other Nigerian science student participants. He went ahead to haul 8 As (distinctions) in 2019 WAEC Exams, beside several Distinctions in 2018 IGSCE (London GCE) before he headed to the US where, at 16, he was admitted for accelerated B.Sc./M.Sc. program in Biomedical Engineering in the College in Philadelphia, Pennsylania, USA.

He has continually posted a brilliant performance in his academics since his enrolment in the University, having, in the past 4 years, earned himself inclusion on the *Dean’s List* of the college, a list that, metaphorically, is the exclusive club of first class brains in America universities. A letter dated January 19, 2023, to Tony Okeke from the office of Paul W. Brandt, Scd, MD, DrPH, Dean & Distinguished University Professor, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylania, reads, ” Dear Tony, Congratulations. Your academic performance has earned you a place in Drexel University Dean’s list … Only a limited number of Biomedical Engineering students are able to meet the requirements for inclusion on the Dean’s list … making you a member of a select group of academically outstanding individuals.”

Earlier in 2021, Tony joined the exclusive club of US National Engineering Honor Society via a letter of invitation dated 22/10/21 from officers, members and advisors of Pennsylvania Chapter of the Society. The letter read, “Your distinguished academic record allows us to extend you an invitation for membership … You have distinguished yourself

as an exceptional Engineering student and one deserving of recognition”

As an undergraduate, he has researched and co-authored several publications with America professors published in several high profile American science journals. Some of these publications can be found at: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=kPKT6SsAAAAJ&hl=en.

Tony is of mixed parentage, born to Emeka & Dr. Suhanyah Okeke, a Nigerian Lawyer and an Indian Surgeon.

Foreign

Black Boxes Recovered From Amazon Cargo Plane Crash in Miami

Published

6 days ago

September 8, 2026

Everydaynewsngr

Investigators have recovered the flight recorders from an Amazon cargo plane that crashed while attempting to land at Miami International Airport, as authorities continue efforts to recover victims and determine what caused the deadly incident.

Five people were killed and five others seriously injured when the Boeing 767-300, operated by 21 Air, overran the runway shortly before 2pm local time on Sunday.

The aircraft, which had two crew members aboard, was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, on its third flight of the day when it crashed.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the plane struck airport navigational equipment before breaking through a perimeter fence and hitting two vehicles—a white Ford cleaning van carrying seven people and a Toyota Corolla with three occupants.

The aircraft eventually came to rest about 1,300 feet (394 metres) beyond the runway.

NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said investigators were still in the fact-finding stage and warned against drawing conclusions about the cause of the crash.

She described the scene as “devastating” and said the immediate priority was recovering the victims.

“The investigation and access to the aircraft, as well as evidence, can wait,” Homendy said.

The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered and will be transported to NTSB headquarters for detailed analysis.

Investigators are expected to examine the aircraft’s flight history, the crew’s experience and training, radar information, aircraft performance, mechanical systems and engines.

A meteorologist will also assess weather conditions at the time of the crash.

Earlier analysis by BBC Verify indicated that an active thunderstorm was near the airport shortly before the incident, with winds reportedly gusting to about 26 knots (48km/h).

The NTSB will also investigate whether the runway should have been equipped with an Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS), which is designed to help stop aircraft that overrun runways.

Homendy described the issue as a key part of the investigation.

The NTSB has appealed to members of the public who may have photographs or videos of the crash to submit them to investigators.

The agency said it would issue safety recommendations at the conclusion of the investigation, with Homendy stressing the need to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Meanwhile, two of Miami International Airport’s four runways remained closed following the crash, with passengers warned to expect further disruption.

The incident occurred during the US Labor Day holiday weekend, one of the country’s busiest travel periods, resulting in flight cancellations and disruption to aircraft and crew movements.

Amazon expressed grief over the loss of lives and said it was working closely with authorities.

21 Air, the company operating the aircraft, also expressed condolences to the victims and their families and said it was cooperating fully with the investigation.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing.

Foreign

‘My Nigerian Husband Vanished After Getting UK Visa’ — British Woman

Published

2 weeks ago

September 2, 2026

Everydaynewsngr

A 68-year-old British woman, Dawn Ottewell, has claimed that her 31-year-old Nigerian husband, Bright Emokpae, disappeared from their home months after moving to the United Kingdom on a spouse visa.

Ottewell, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, told The Sun UK that she met Emokpae, an Edo State native, on dating platforms Tinder and Plenty of Fish in 2021 while she was experiencing loneliness and depression.

According to her account, Emokpae initially introduced himself as “Brian Thomas” before later revealing that he was a fashion student from Benin City.

The relationship reportedly developed through regular video calls, after which Ottewell travelled to northern Cyprus, where Emokpae was studying on a student visa.

The couple married at a registry office in Nicosia on March 22, 2022, with two Turkish friends acting as their best man and maid of honour.

Following the wedding, Emokpae returned to Nigeria to process his UK spouse visa. About a year later, after the visa was granted, Ottewell travelled to Heathrow Airport to welcome him to Britain.

However, Ottewell said their relationship deteriorated after his arrival in the UK.

She alleged that Emokpae became increasingly distant, regularly asked her for money and refused to contribute to household expenses, while allegedly sending money to Nigeria.

Her 72-year-old brother, Rory, reportedly helped Emokpae secure a job with a local door manufacturing company.

The couple separated briefly in October 2023 but later reconciled, about six months after the separation. Ottewell said the reconciliation occurred after she received a £63,000 settlement following what she described as a botched NHS prolapse operation.

She now says she regrets taking him back.

Ottewell recalled that shortly before Christmas 2024, she went on a £2,000 Caribbean cruise with her brother. When she returned home, she allegedly discovered that Emokpae had left.

She said he has not returned since and has blocked her on social media, leaving her unable to contact him.

Ottewell believes her estranged husband may now be living in Scotland, where she suspects he runs an online clothing business.

“He’s done a runner and is refusing to sign the divorce papers because I believe he wants to cling on to his spouse visa,” she said.

The woman also expressed concern about what could happen to her estate if she dies before their marriage is legally dissolved.

“My biggest fear is that I’ll die before this is sorted out and he’ll run off with the money my three children should inherit,” she said.

Ottewell said she does not currently have a will and fears Emokpae could potentially make claims against some of her assets, including jewellery, cash and furniture.

She is now seeking assistance from Citizens Advice to help locate her estranged husband and serve him with divorce papers.

“I feel I’m being used,” Ottewell said.

She also advised people to exercise caution when entering relationships that involve international partners, saying she believed her husband had married her primarily to obtain a UK visa.

However, her claims about Emokpae’s motives have not been independently established.

Foreign

UK-Based Nigerian Taxi Driver Jailed Six Years After Falling Asleep at Wheel, Killing Man

Published

2 weeks ago

September 2, 2026

Everydaynewsngr

A UK-based Nigerian taxi driver, Kolawole Erunkulu, 45, has been sentenced to six years in prison after falling asleep at the wheel and fatally hitting a 59-year-old man.

Erunkulu, from Bexleyheath, was driving an Audi on August 17, 2025, when he suffered a “microsleep”, causing the vehicle to leave the road and collide with Philip Dray, who had stopped in a lay-by.

Dray was getting into his Volkswagen after taking a break from driving when he was struck.

According to reports, Erunkulu had worked for about 12 hours on the day of the crash, taking only short breaks. In the three days before the fatal collision, he had driven for 53 hours, with his longest rest period being seven hours.

Footage from inside his vehicle showed Erunkulu falling asleep briefly before the Audi swerved off the road and hit Dray. The vehicle continued moving for about 10 seconds after the collision.

A microsleep is a brief episode of sleep that can last only a few seconds, during which the brain fails to properly process information.

Erunkulu pleaded guilty in June 2026 to causing death by dangerous driving.

He was sentenced to six years in prison and disqualified from driving for eight years. He will also be required to pass an extended driving test if he seeks to regain his licence.

Sentencing him, Her Honour Judge Lees said the footage demonstrated that Erunkulu was extremely tired and should have known that he was not fit to drive.

“The footage shows the defendant was extremely tired and, in my view, has continued to drive when he must have known that. He was driving commercially,” the judge said.

She added that the incident could have been prevented if Erunkulu had stopped driving and slept.

Acting Detective Inspector Rob Baldwin of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said the case highlighted the potentially devastating consequences of driving while fatigued.

He said Erunkulu had worked long hours with insufficient rest, resulting in a “sleep debt”.

“Fatigue can seriously impair a driver’s ability to remain alert and react safely, particularly during the early hours of the morning when the natural drive to sleep is at its strongest,” Baldwin said.

He urged motorists who feel tired not to continue driving.

Dray’s family described him as “an amazing partner and man” who was dependable, caring and respectful.

His sister said Philip was a quiet man who cared deeply about others and had spent his life as a careful and conscientious driver.

“The fact that he, someone who worked every day to keep others safe, had his life taken in such a way makes this loss even more incomprehensible and tragic,” she said.

Dray’s partner described him as “a sweet, gentle, and caring man” and her “soulmate”.

She said his death had left an “enormous emotional and physical void” in her life.

“He would ring me several times a day whenever he was waiting for a client or at lunch, just to see how my day was going. I miss those calls very much,” she said.

Foreign

UK: 11 Drug Couriers Convicted Over £13.8m Cannabis Smuggling Plot Through Birmingham Airport

Published

3 weeks ago

August 21, 2026

Everydaynewsngr

Eleven drug couriers have been convicted for their roles in a plot to smuggle cannabis worth an estimated £13.8 million into the United Kingdom through Birmingham Airport.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) investigated the group after Border Force officers arrested them in August 2024 and seized 460kg of cannabis concealed in 22 suitcases.

According to an NCA statement published on Wednesday, the couriers had travelled to the UK from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on the same flights.

The convicted couriers were identified as Carsten Kyei, 21, from Newham, East London; Bradley Lloyd, 27, and Claire McCullough, 36, both from Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester; Lewis Ross, 35, from Bolton, Lancashire; Nathan Vitorino, 26, from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire; Ryan Boachie, 32, from Edmonton, North London; Gideon Oluwasetemi Olumoyegun, 26, from Dagenham; Tasia Nelson, 22, from Newquay, Cornwall; Jaden Ramen, 23, from Colliers Wood, South London; Paige Crisp, 24, from Broomhall, Worcester; and Jamal Clarke, 22, from Walthamstow, London.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that each courier had two suitcases, with each suitcase containing about 20kg of cannabis.

The suitcases were reportedly so heavy that the couriers had to pay excess baggage charges at Bangkok Airport to have them placed in the aircraft hold.

The cannabis had been vacuum-packed and concealed beneath a thin layer of clothing. Eight of the suitcases also contained Apple AirTag trackers, which NCA investigators established were connected to the same Apple ID account.

Suspicion was raised after Border Force established that four passengers had travelled from Birmingham to Charles de Gaulle Airport earlier on August 9, 2024, each carrying two large suitcases.

Border Force officers subsequently fully staffed the Nothing to Declare channel and intercepted the group.

One of the couriers had also been instructed by an associate: “my man gonna be on the other side – don’t leave the airport until you see him leave.”

Kyei and Vitorino were convicted on May 26, 2026, following a three-week trial, while Ross and Lloyd changed their pleas to guilty during the trial.

Crisp, Nelson and Ramen were convicted on Wednesday, August 19, following a four-week trial.

McCullough, Boachie, Olumoyegun and Clarke had previously pleaded guilty.

Those convicted on August 19 will be sentenced on October 22, while the others will be sentenced on September 3.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Paul Boniface said the operation involved extensive planning.

“A huge amount of planning went into this sophisticated attempt to bring hundreds of kilos of cannabis into the UK,” Boniface said.

He said the coordination of flights and luggage demonstrated “the lengths criminals will go to in order to hide their offending.”

“With thanks to Border Force, we were able confiscate these drugs and stop criminals from benefitting financially from the damage they cause,” he added.

Boniface warned people against agreeing to smuggle drugs into the UK, saying anyone who attempted to do so would face justice.

Adam Chatfield, Head of Border Force Midlands Command, said the convictions should serve as a warning to anyone considering transporting cannabis into the UK.

He said the young people involved now faced serious consequences, including criminal records that could affect their employment opportunities and future prospects.

Victoria Norman of the Crown Prosecution Service said prosecutors and investigators had pieced together evidence of a coordinated attempt to smuggle large quantities of drugs into the country.

She said the evidence resulted in six members of the group pleading guilty, while the others were convicted following trial.

Foreign

Australia-Based Nigerian Arrested Over Alleged $5m Fraud, Denied Bail Over Flight Risk

Published

4 weeks ago

August 20, 2026

Everydaynewsngr

An Australia-based Nigerian, Foluso Omole, is facing trial over his alleged role in a $5m fraud involving the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Omole was arrested by operatives of the Australian Federal Police at Adelaide Airport last Friday while allegedly attempting to flee Australia.

According to the report, Omole had allegedly “cut ties” in Adelaide and was preparing to travel to Nigeria before his arrest, a court heard.

The 38-year-old appeared before the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday, where his bail application was refused following allegations that he had attempted to leave Australia for Nigeria.

The court heard that Omole, a dual Australian and Nigerian citizen, had “purchased a one-way ticket to Nigeria” before his arrest.

A prosecutor also told the court that Omole appeared to have “sent, over the course of his offending, significant funds back to Nigeria”, where his wife resides.

The report stated that Omole was working as an NDIS coordinator and operating two businesses that employed several staff at the time of the alleged offences.

The prosecutor reportedly told the court that Omole allegedly received information “improperly” from a woman employed by the National Disability Insurance Agency over a period of six years and “used that information to obtain benefit fraudulently”.

The woman, who has also been charged in connection with the alleged fraud, was expected to appear in court on Thursday.

However, disputing the allegation that Omole intended to flee Australia, his lawyer, Mark Twiggs, told the court that his client had informed him that he planned to travel to London on a “return ticket” purchased before any raid on the woman’s home.

“The charges are denied. He has no record at all.

“My client has good reason why he should be given bail,” Twiggs said.

Omole is yet to enter pleas to one count of dealing with proceeds of an indictable crime worth more than $1m and one count of dealing with money or property valued at more than $1m that is allegedly the proceeds of crime.

Magistrate Patrick Hill, however, refused bail, citing concerns that Omole posed a flight risk.

“Whether it was a one-way ticket to Nigeria or a return ticket to London does make a difference as to the court’s assessment of whether or not Mr Omole is a flight risk.

“For the other reasons put forward by the prosecution, in any event, I remain concerned that he is a risk of flight and the bail application is refused,” Hill said.

In April, a Nigerian couple, Luciana and Femi Akanbi, were jailed in the United Kingdom for their involvement in a similar fraud scheme.

The couple reportedly used personal data belonging to Transport for London employees to carry out a tax rebate fraud scheme that cost the public purse more than £433,000.

The fraud, which was carried out between September 2021 and January 2022, was reportedly based on sensitive information belonging to at least 40 TfL workers, including passport details, National Insurance numbers and bank records. The information was used to submit 139 fraudulent tax refund claims.

Court proceedings at Woolwich Crown Court revealed that Luciana Akanbi, 38, who worked in TfL’s human resources department, had access to the personal records of about 107 employees, which were later exploited for the scheme.