News Brief: Jan. 22-26

International:

The Nigerian Police force falsely took credit for rescuing five kidnapped girls. 

Sheriff Al-Kadriyar, the girls’ uncle, paid the ransom for the girls and went with other family members to collect them from the forest where the kidnappers left them. 

On Jan. 2, four sisters, their cousin and father were abducted. Their father was released, but “twenty-one-year-old Nabeeha, a final-year university student, was killed a few days after her father’s release as a warning that the ransom of $68,000 must be paid,” BBC reported. 

Nigeria’s defense minister urged the family not to pay the ransom, but the money was crowd funded and paid to the kidnappers on Wednesday. 

The girls were not released until Saturday. While on the way to retrieve the girls, the group of male relatives encountered an army unit. The army unit escorted the party to find the girls and took them all home. 

Al-Kadriyar said the family was not looking to discredit the police, but wanted to clarify how the girls were brought home. 

National:

A woman was arrested in California for stealing 65 Stanley drinking cups valued at $2,500. 

Police responded to a call regarding the theft in Roseville, northeast of Sacramento. 

“Staff saw a woman take a shopping cart full of Stanley water bottles without paying for them. The suspect refused to stop for staff and stuffed her car with the stolen merchandise,” Roseville Police wrote in a Facebook statement. 

A twenty-three year old Sacramento woman was arrested for Grand Theft. Since the stolen amount was over $950, her crime is considered a felony under California law. 

Alongside their written statement, police posted photos of the stolen Stanleys filling the trunk of the woman’s vehicle and more Stanleys stashed on the floor of the front passenger side. They also included a photo of the stolen cups displayed on the hood of their police cruiser. 

“While Stanley Quenchers are all the rage, we strongly advise against turning to crime to fulfill your hydration habits,” Roseville Police wrote. 

Local:

Senator Jack Stewart has filed SB1659, requiring Oklahomans to re-register before participating in the voting process in 2025. 

The re-registration process requires Oklahomans to provide proof of United States citizenship and current residence to the appropriate county election board. If refused, the citizen can only vote in federal elections. 

Senator Stewart claims his intent is not for everyone to re-register, however, there have been no alterations to the current bill which states in Section 4-102 B: 

“Beginning with the 2025 election cycle, all eligible voters shall reregister to vote and provide proof of United States citizenship and proof of current residence to the appropriate county election board to be eligible to vote in any local, state, or federal election.” 

Andy Moore, CEO of the non-partisan organization Let’s Fix This, shared his opposition to the proposed legislation. 

“As written, this bill is textbook voter suppression. It’s not only unnecessary, but it’s likely unconstitutional. The state election board already does a really great job of maintaining our voter registration rolls, and this would just cause them to have an undue and unfunded mandate to really change how Oklahomans cast their vote,” Moore said. 

Bonus News:

Oklahoma-based ice cream company, Blue Bell, introduces a new ice cream flavor: Cinnamon Twist. 

Inspired by cinnamon rolls, the ice cream has hit the shelves featuring brown sugar, cinnamon, cinnamon bun dough pieces and swirls of cinnamon icing. (Bet cinnamon has never been mentioned this many times in the news brief before).

“We have put a twist on a popular pastry by turning it into a great-tasting ice cream,” Joe Robertson, executive director of advertising and marketing for Blue Bell, said. “The perfect cinnamon twist has a soft, almost gooey texture. The cinnamon bun dough pieces in our new Cinnamon Twist Ice Cream capture this perfectly. And the delicious cinnamon icing swirl complements the ice cream and tasty dough pieces. It is a sweet twist our fans will enjoy.”