Foreign
NNPC Science Quiz Champion TONY OKEKE bags double First Class in US
Award winning Tony Kabilan Okeke, 21, the 2018 Nigeria National Petroleum (NNPC) Science Quiz Champion, graduated on June 13, 2024, from Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America (USA), bagging double degrees of Bachelor of Science, B.Sc., and Master of Science, M.Sc., in Biomedical Engineering with summa cum laude – First Class with the highest Distinction – in both degrees.
Tony left the shores of Nigeria in the fall of 2019 for United States of America where he enrolled in a 5-years-accelerated program for dual degrees of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) and Master of Science (M.Sc.) Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Bioinformatics (M.Sc.) and Neuroengineering (B.Sc.) in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science & Health Systems, Drexel University. From the fall of 2019 till the summer of 2024, he was listed in the Drexel University Dean’s list in recognition of his academic excellence.
Drexel sources said, “Beside being very outspoken and ever ready to offer suggestions to make analysis more efficient, Tony’s academic journey in Drexel has been exemplary. He consistently achieved top grades, illustrating his deep understanding and innovative application of complex concepts in data structures, algorithms, bioinformatics, and machine learning. His insatiable curiosity and passion for learning new technologies, algorithms, and programming paradigms are evident in the projects he’s worked on. Tony would always go beyond the course requirements to explore cutting-edge techniques in bioinformatics and machine learning.
A notable example of his applied learning and innovation is his development of a sophisticated machine-learning pipeline across Quantitative Systems Biology and Machine Learning courses. In this project, Tony’s objective was to predict biological functions (“Gene Ontology Enrichment”) from genome-wide transcriptomic data. To this end, he processed 11,000 RNA-sequencing datasets through a custom differential expression pipeline, utilizing Google Cloud computer resources to leverage parallel computing for more efficient processing. His methodical evaluation of multiple models and careful tuning of model parameters to optimize performance were exceptional. The significance of this work was further recognised by the USA Society of Toxicologists when, on invitation by the Society, Tony flew into Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, where he made abstract presentation of the work during the session on Bioinformatics at the Society of Toxicology, SOT, 63rd Annual Conference from March10 to 14, 2024.
Tony and his Senior Design Team developed a novel machine learning algorithm to aid in treatment planning for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). They submitted an abstract and a poster on this work to the 50th Annual Northeast Bioengineering Conference, NEBEC, April 4 – 5, 2024, in Hoboken, New Jersey, United States. NEBEC, a premier gathering in the field of bioengineering, fosters collaboration and showcase innovative research and education programs in North Eastern United States. Accepted as an innovative research, NEBEC on 5 April, 2024, selected Tony and his team to present a poster on this work during the poster session of the Conference.They worked on this project in collaboration with Moberg Analytics (a startup, developing software to aid Neurosurgeons in monitoring and treating traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Dr. Dmitriy Petrov (a neurosurgeon at Penn Presbyterian Medical Centre). The algorithm they developed identifies past patients similar to an inputted patient and predicts the likelihood of the inputted patient developing secondary injury (a key indicator of the long-term trajectory of TBI)
Beyond his academic course work, Tony excelled and showcased his outstanding talent in high impact industry research internships, some sort of real world experience, in some establishments in the United States of America which included the Ivy league University of Pennsylvania, UPENN, the multinational Pharmaceutical giant, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and others. Publishing extensively as first-author and co-author on several publications as well as multiple abstracts at Scientific Conferences, he became versed in integrating Biomedical Engineering domain expertise with rigorous computational analysis to advance pharmaceutical research.
Some of his most notable accomplishments were made during his internship in 2020 at Penn Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, UPENN, USA, at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic where he was engaged in investigations of biomarkers for immune activation and neuro-injury in acute COVID-19 infections. His work contributed to enhanced understanding of immune responses, organ failure and the impact of anti-viral treatments in COVID-19 patients, and resulted in his publication of high-impact papers on Covid-19. He also presented the work at the Critical Care Congress Meeting/Conference of the USA Society of Critical Care Medicine in Puerto Rico between April 18 to 21, 2022. His work investigating temporal biomarker changes and immune responses in Covid-19 patients in 2020 is remarkably impactful for a young undergraduate student.
As an intern in Non-Clinical Safety Research at GlaxoSmithKline, GSK, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, USA, sources said he was instrumental in developing a multitude of data analysis packages and helped to advance GSK data science that enabled the GSK laboratory to investigate mechanisms of toxicity, using new platforms being developed by GSK scientists.
On AI (Artificial Intelligence) in healthcare,Tony founded Meddibia, an interdisciplinary team, during the 2023 Philly CodeFest hackathon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, which developed an AI-powered iOs application, envisioning diagnostic assistants that provide reliable and interpretable guidance to augment the decisions of healthcare workers for healthcare delivery in undeserved communities especially in developing countries. As the project lead, he developed machine learning solutions to power core functionality. This included training a classifier to predict diseases from lists of symptoms. Additionally, he utilized transfer learning to adapt a pre-trained ‘Convolutional Neural Network’ to identify skin lesions by training on over 15,000 images across 23 skin disease. This project, out of the 40 entries that competed in the Philly CodeFest hackathon, emerged the winner of Philly CodeFest Collaborative Team Award, one of the top prizes in the hackathon, affirming the innovative nature of their approach and showed, firsthand, how machine learning models can augment clinical diagnostics and make healthcare information more accessible.
In May, 2024, Tony’s Meddibia team came tops in the Startup Fund Competition organised by the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship, Drexel University. The competition provides non-dilutive grants, mentoring, investor introductions and incubation services to the winner for their startup ventures. Speaking on the award, Tony said, “The journey to the tops in the University Startup Fund Competition involved a rigorous multi-stage selection process. We submitted a detailed application focusing on market analysis, including target customers, market size, and competitors, outlined our problem statement, product development plans, revenue models, and estimated costs to bring the product to market.
From the application pool, 21 startups/competitors were selected to proceed to the first round of pitches on May 16, 2024, via a comprehensive 4-minutes pitch presented to the panel of judges via zoom by each competitor. Eight (8) competitors/startups made it to the final round.
In the final pitch of 10 minutes span allocated to each competitor, we addressed potential market entry obstacles, our mitigation strategies, both technical and user adoption-related, showcased demos of products, and discussed customer acquisition and retention strategies, concluded with an interactive discussion that addressed the judges’ remaining concerns. Hours later, news came that we were tops in the startup fund competition; we won the award for the Spring of 2024!”
Tony’s scholarly achievements and contributions to the advancement of knowledge in Biomedical Engineering are already being noted by some institutions in the United States. On December 3, 2021, he was inducted into the USA National Engineering Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi (TBP) because of the distinguished scholarship shown in his academic achievement and exemplary character of personal and professional integrity as a student. In the Spring of 2023, he won a research award: Genetic Toxicology Technical Committee (GTTC) Professional Development Award for Genetic Toxicology Workstream from Cross Industry Consortia, the Washington DC based Health Environmental and Safety Institute (HESI) focusing on Emerging Systems in Toxicology.
Again, in the winter of 2024, he was honoured with a nomination for full membership of the interdisciplinary Scientific Research Honor Society, Sigma Xi, a society founded in 1886 with more than 200 Nobel Laureates, in addition to others, as members. Tony’s nomination letter states that his membership of the society distinguishes, and recognises, him as an exceptional contributor to the research community.
Tony’s most exceptional qualities extend beyond his academic and technical prowess. He demonstrated maturity and leadership rare for his age, co-founding and spearheading student organisations like Drexel Computational Design (DCD) and mentoring peers. The group provided students with peer tutoring for programming courses . As a tutor, he assisted students who struggled with introductory programming classes, covering basics including data structures, algorithms and their applications in Biomedical data analysis. His approach helped foster an engaging, inclusive environment, and helped students grasp intricate programming concepts. The DCD was recognised as the New Student Organization of the Year, 2022, a testament to their collective impact on their peers.
No fewer than 205 Nigerians were deported from Canada in June 2026 as Canadian authorities intensified enforcement of the country’s immigration laws, according to official figures released by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Immigration removal statistics published by the CBSA showed that 10,607 individuals were removed from Canada during the month, with Nigerians ranking among the top 10 nationalities affected by the exercise.
The figures indicate that Nigerians accounted for nearly two per cent of all removals carried out in June.
India recorded the highest number of deportations, with 3,323 nationals removed, followed by Mexico with 1,573. The United States accounted for 372 deportees, while Colombia and Romania recorded 354 and 293 removals respectively.
Other countries with significant numbers of nationals deported included Bangladesh, with 227, and Pakistan, with 207.
Explaining the rationale behind the removals, the CBSA said enforcing immigration laws was critical to protecting the integrity of Canada’s immigration system.
“Removing individuals who do not have the right to enter or stay in Canada is essential to maintaining the integrity of Canada’s immigration program and to ensuring fairness for those who come to this country lawfully,” the agency stated.
The latest figures underscore Canada’s continued enforcement against individuals found to have no legal right to remain in the country, as authorities seek to ensure compliance with the nation’s immigration laws.
The sentence was handed down on Friday by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania after Adewale pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud.
Announcing the sentence in a statement on Friday, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, David Metcalf, said Adewale was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
“United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Afeez Olatunji Adewale, 27, of Nigeria was sentenced today by United States District Judge Joel Slomsky to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release for money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud related to the sexual extortion and death of a young man in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania,” the statement read.
According to Metcalf, Adewale was arrested in Nigeria on August 17, 2023, during a joint operation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation targeting sexual extortion suspects preying on victims in the United States.
Metcalf noted that the convict was extradited to the US in February 2026 with the assistance of the US authorities and the Nigerian government.
Following his extradition, Adewale was arraigned and subsequently pleaded guilty in April this year.
Commenting on the conviction, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Philadelphia, Wayne A. Jacobs, said the sentence demonstrates that offenders cannot escape justice by operating outside the United States.
“Today’s sentencing illustrates criminals cannot evade justice, even outside of our borders,” Jacobs said.
“This final sentencing is the result of diligent investigative work and close coordination with our domestic and international law enforcement partners.
“Most importantly, today’s sentence represents our continued commitment to seeking justice for victims and their loved ones. Let today’s sentencing send a clear message: alongside our partners here and abroad, the FBI remains committed to identifying, locating, and bringing to justice those who prey on our communities.”
Also reacting, the chief of the Abington Township Police Department, Patrick Molloy, praised the collaboration between local and federal authorities.
“We are grateful for the federal agents and prosecutors who worked so hard to bring those responsible for this heinous crime to justice.
“This could have been anyone’s child, and while this prosecution may provide some measure of relief, the pain and suffering for this family will never go away,” Molloy said.
The US authorities said Adewale was the last of three Nigerian suspects convicted in connection with the sextortion case.
His co-defendant, Samuel Abiodun, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in June 2025.
Another accomplice, Imoleayo Aina, also known as “Alice Dave,” pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, interstate threat to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and wire fraud, and was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in October 2025.
“I hope that their arrests, extradition, and prosecution make clear that the DOJ will go after those terrorising our young people — no matter where the scammers and sextortionists may be.
“Though this case is now closed, our thoughts will remain with a family and community forever changed,” Metcalf noted.
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has finalised a new rule limiting most foreign students and exchange visitors to a maximum stay of four years, unless they obtain an extension from the federal government, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The new regulation, announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ends the long-standing “duration of status” policy, which allowed international students to remain in the United States for the length of their academic programmes, provided they complied with visa requirements.
The restriction applies to holders of F-1 student visas and J-1 exchange visitor visas.
According to The Washington Post, the DHS acknowledged concerns that some students may struggle to complete their academic programmes within the new timeframe, noting that many bachelor’s degree programmes take more than four years to complete, while doctoral programmes often require significantly longer.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the change was necessary to strengthen immigration enforcement and reduce visa overstays.
“For nearly half a century, the outdated ‘duration of status’ system has compromised national security and created an environment ripe for immigration fraud,” Mullin said.
The policy has drawn criticism from NAFSA: Association of International Educators, which described the move as unnecessary and warned that it would create uncertainty for international students.
“DHS’ decision to end Duration of Status is a misguided and unnecessary policy shift that injects uncertainty, bureaucracy, and fear into a system that has long worked effectively,” NAFSA Executive Director Fanta Aw said.
The new rule comes as many US colleges and universities continue to face challenges in attracting international students amid tighter immigration policies and visa restrictions introduced by the Trump administration.
A coroner’s court in the United Kingdom has ruled that a 27-year-old Nigerian woman, Beatrice Solomon, died by suicide after battling mental health challenges linked to personal difficulties.
Beatrice, who relocated from Nigeria to the UK on a skilled worker visa in November 2023, was found unresponsive in her home on Norris Road, Stanfield.
According to a report by The Sentinel on Sunday, the inquest heard that her husband, Damian Butler, had left home for his delivery job at about 4:30 pm on the day of the incident before returning approximately two hours later to use the toilet, where he discovered his wife unresponsive.
A police officer, PC Hinchliffe, told the court that emergency responders arrived shortly afterwards, but Beatrice was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:21pm.
According to the report, the investigators ruled out any third-party involvement in her death.
During the hearing, Butler told the court that his wife had struggled with her mental health over the past year, which he attributed to ongoing issues involving Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
He also disclosed that he later became aware that Beatrice had made two previous attempts to take her life.
“It is clear to me that Beatrice had researched and planned how to take her life. I can only extend my sincere condolences to Beatrice’s family and friends,” the coroner said.
Beatrice, who worked as a carer in the UK, is survived by her husband, a son, and her siblings.
This tragedy highlights the emotional and mental health challenges some migrants may face while adjusting to life in a new country.
According to the World Health Organisation, research from various countries has shown that some migrants face increased mental health risks due to factors such as separation from their families, financial stress, uncertainty, discrimination, and cultural barriers.
The WHO stated that the findings underscore the need for accessible mental health support and timely interventions for migrants experiencing psychological distress.
Israel recently shared intelligence with the US about a new Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump, according to a report.
The latest assassination plan, reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, comes after years of Iranian regime threats to kill Trump as revenge for the 2020 killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qasem Soleimani by US forces.
When asked for comment, the White House referred The Post to Trump’s Wednesday remarks at the NATO summit in Ankara.
Trump traveled to Turkey on his new Qatari “palace in the sky” plane, but took a different Air Force One home. The plane switch was a strategic “distraction” to keep the commander-in-chief safe, the White House said.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who accompanied the president to the summit, was instructed not to travel to Israel as planned shortly before Trump chose to switch planes in Turkey. It’s unclear if the Iranian threat extended to the war secretary.
Trump terminates remaining members of Election Assistance Commission after landmark Supreme Court ruling expanded his powers
The Journal report did not include details of the alleged assassination plot.
The Israelis tipped the US off about the plot earlier this week. The specific threat was not being tracked by US officials before Israel’s warning and has yet to be vetted, CNN reported.
A banner against President Trump is held in Tehran as mourners gather on the day of burial of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The warning comes as Trump’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become somewhat fraught amid the Iran war.
Trump on June 1 told Netanyahu he was “f–king crazy” over his attacks on Lebanon, fearing they would provoke more war with Iran.
”You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” a US official summarized Trump’s comments, which the president later confirmed to The Post.
The world leaders have spoken on at least two occasions since the tense June 1 call, including Thursday, and have agreed to meet “in the near future,” according to Netanyahu’s office.
Banners vowing revenge against Trump were on full display in Tehran this week as Iranians prepared to bury late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war.
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