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Italian journalist Cecilia Sala freed from Iran with Elon Musk’s help, reports claim

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1 year ago

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Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist who was detained on Dec. 19 as she was reporting in Iran walks on the tarmac as she landed at Rome' Ciampino airport after being released, © Filippo Attili/AP

Tesla and X owner Elon Musk played a key role in securing the release of Cecilia Sala, the Italian journalist who was arrested in Iran last month, according to reports.

Musk used a personal connection to Iran’s ambassador to the UN to facilitate the release of Sala, 29, who was arrested last month while reporting in Tehran and held in solitary confinement in Evin prison, the New York Times (NYT) reported on Thursday.

Just four days after Sala’s release, Italy released an Iranian citizen who had been detained in Milan last month on a US extradition request. Mohammad Abedini, a businessman and engineer, is wanted by the US over accusations of having procured drone technology for Iran for an attack in Jordan that killed three Americans a year ago.

The fact that Abedini’s release followed Sala’s freedom so swiftly led many observers to believe that a prisoner exchange was carried out between the two countries.

A member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the two Iranian officials told the NYT that Sala had been arrested in a calculated move to pressure Italy for Abedini’s release.

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Musk helped secure Sala’s release by contacting Amir Saeid Iravani — Iran’s ambassador to the UN — with whom he had held a secret meeting in November, two Iranian officials told the NYT on condition of anonymity.

The two Iranian officials told the NYT that when Musk spoke with the ambassador, he requested that Iran release Sala and reassured him that the US would not pressure Italy to extradite Abedini, the Iranian engineer.

The tech mogul reportedly decided to intervene after receiving a message at the end of December from Sala’s boyfriend, Daniele Raineri, through an intermediary.

Raineri told the NYT he had thought of Musk because he had read that the billionaire had a channel of communication with Iranian diplomats, and because he works closely with US President-elect Donald Trump.

Musk helped to set up a meeting between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence on 4 January. Four days later, Sala was freed.

Meloni said last week that the journalist’s release was the result of a “complex work of diplomatic triangulation with Iran, and obviously also with the United States of America”. She told a news conference she did not know what role Musk had played in the release.

Biden administration officials said they had not been involved in the negotiations, and disapproved of the agreement.

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Nollywood Actress, Angela Okorie Allegedly Re-Arrested Over Alleged Refusal To Pay Lawyer Who Secured Her Bail (Video)

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2 days ago

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February 4, 2026

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Angela Okorie, the Nigerian actress, has reportedly been re-arrested over allegations that she refused to pay the lawyer who secured her bail from Suleja Prison.

Angela was re-arrested at the Suleja prison on Tuesday, immediately she was released on bail.

This came less than an hour after actor Stanley Ontop raised the alarm over an alleged plan to re-arrest the actress after release on Tuesday.

Speaking in a video on Instagram, actress Doris Ogala who said she is already on her way to the police station, stated that the actress was re-arrested by an unnamed Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, for refusing to pay the N5 million agreed fee to secure her bail.

Doris said; “You see, one thing is for someone to cut their clothes according to their size. Angela has been arrested again. As a matter of fact, I’m going to the police station now. You see, when Angela was arrested by Mercy, she called a friend of her or village person. I don’t know how they relate. To help her get a SAN.

“And the SAN charged them N5 million. I think the SAN was the one who even facilitated the bail and all that. Now when Angela knew that they have granted her bail according to the lady, Angela started saying that she didn’t ask her to get a SAN and she wasn’t going to pay the money, and meanwhile this lady has deposited.”

Recall that Angela, who was granted bail on Friday after her arrest by Mercy Johnson over alleged defamation, regained her freedom few minutes ago after perfecting her bail conditions.

Watch Doris Ogala speak

 

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I Can Decide To Revoke The Land Allocated To Onitsha Main Market And Build A School On It” — Gov Soludo

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7 days ago

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January 30, 2026

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Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has warned that he has the power to revoke the land allocated to Onitsha Main Market and use it for public purposes, including building a school. According to Soludo, this action would be taken in the interest of the public and is backed by the Land Use Act.

The governor made this statement during a meeting with leaders of the Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA), emphasizing that the law empowers him to revoke market lands across the state for overriding public interest.

Soludo stated that the government could compensate original landowners and that affected parties could challenge the compensation amount in court, but not the revocation itself.

The governor’s warning comes amid tensions between the state government and market traders, with Soludo insisting on reopening the market despite a sit-at-home order imposed by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).

 

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IPOB Declares South-East Shutdown On Monday Over Onitsha Market Closure, Demands Nnamdi Kanu’s Release

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7 days ago

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January 30, 2026

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The group insisted that the sit-at-home was a peaceful form of civil disobedience and denied claims that it amounted to economic sabotage or criminality.

 

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced a Biafra-wide solidarity lockdown scheduled for Monday, February 2, across the South-East, in protest against the closure of the Onitsha Main Market and to demand the immediate release of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

In a statement issued on Friday by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB said the planned shutdown of economic and public activities in the region was a voluntary act of solidarity with traders in Onitsha, following the Anambra State government’s decision to shut the main market for one week.

The group also blasted Governor Chukwuma Soludo for threatening for further closures, revocation of land allocations, demolitions, and other sanctions against traders.

IPOB described the market closure as “economic warfare” against the people of the region, alleging that the action was intended to suppress continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home protest demanding Kanu’s release.

The group insisted that the sit-at-home was a peaceful form of civil disobedience and denied claims that it amounted to economic sabotage or criminality.

According to the statement, the solidarity lockdown is not an enforcement action but a collective response by residents angered by what IPOB called punitive measures against traders whose livelihoods depend on the Onitsha Main Market, widely regarded as one of the largest markets in Africa.

The group called on traders, transport operators, banks, schools, civil servants, and other sectors across Anambra, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, and other parts of the former Eastern Region to remain indoors and suspend activities on the day of the protest.

IPOB reiterated its commitment to non-violence and urged supporters to remain law-abiding and avoid confrontations.

The group warned against what it described as possible “false flag operations” aimed at discrediting its cause.

It maintained that its agitation is focused on dialogue and a referendum on Biafran self-determination.

The group further accused the Anambra State governor of acting against the interests of traders and residents, insisting that any action against Onitsha traders amounted to an attack on all Biafrans.

 

Governor Soludo on Monday announced the temporary closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week over traders’ continued observance of the Monday sit-at-home earlier ordered by IPOB.

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