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Category: Governance

  • Abuse of Naira: Court convicts Bobrisky, gives judgement April 9

    Abuse of Naira: Court convicts Bobrisky, gives judgement April 9

    The federal high court sitting in Lagos, Friday convicted controversial cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, for abusing the Naira.

    Justice Abimbola Awogboro convicted him after the review of the facts of the case.

    The judge also ordered that he should be returned to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s custody pending the judgment on April 9th, 2024.

    Bobrisky had, in his defense, told the court that he was not aware of the law on abusing the naira.

    He said that he is a social media influencer with over five million followers.

    The court, in its ruling, held that ignorance of the law was not an excuse.

    He said, “I know, My Lord. My Lord, I wish that you could give me a second chance to use my platform to inform and educate my followers about spraying money.

    “I would do a video on my page, and I will educate people about spraying money.

    “I will not repeat it again. I regret my actions.”

    Earlier, Bobrisky was arraigned on four counts of naira abuse preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

    The cross-dresser who refers to himself as “Mummy of Lagos” pleaded guilty to the charges.

  • Nigeria To Begin Local Production Of Passport

    Nigeria To Begin Local Production Of Passport

    The Nigerian Government has rolled out plans to begin the local production of international passports in the country.
    The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this known in a post via his official X handle on Wednesday night.

    Tunni-Ojo revealed that he met with a local technology company that presented a proposal for localizing international passport production.

    “Today, I had a meeting with an indigenous technology company presenting a proposal on localizing our international passport production,” he wrote.

    The production of international passports by Nigeria in other countries appears to be constituting a delay in the process of acquiring the document.

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) unveiled the fully automated passport application system on March 8, 2024.

    With this, applicants, including Nigerians in the diaspora, are expected to enjoy a seamless experience registering for new passports and renewing expired ones.

    In another development, Tunji-Ojo recently convened a brainstorming session with the Ministry of Interior’s technical partners, top immigration officers, and ministry officials.

    The minister said the mission is to revolutionize the visa application process, particularly for short-stay visitors, so that Nigeria can streamline procedures, reduce stress, and enhance accessibility through automation.

    “It is my belief that by fostering a more welcoming environment for tourists eager to explore our vibrant culture and rich artistic heritage, we are on another step towards achieving the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

  • US Embassy Warns Citizens in Nigeria Over Shiites Protest

    US Embassy Warns Citizens in Nigeria Over Shiites Protest

    The United States Embassy in Nigeria has issued a cautionary advisory to its citizens residing in the country regarding an impending nationwide protest organized by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, commonly known as Shiites.

    Scheduled for Friday, April 5, 2024, the protest is anticipated to primarily take place in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. 

    The embassy highlighted potential risks associated with the demonstrations, including roadblocks, traffic disruptions, and potential clashes between protestors and Nigerian security forces.

    While specific details such as timing and exact locations remain unspecified, the US embassy indicated potential protest sites based on past demonstrations, including prominent areas in Abuja such as Bannex Plaza, Berger Junction, Unity Fountain, and various mosques.

    In light of the security concerns, the embassy advised its citizens to exercise caution, avoid the protest areas, monitor local media for updates, steer clear of crowds, and maintain awareness of their surroundings. 

    Additionally, residents were urged to review their personal security plans and ensure their cell phones are charged in case of emergencies, while carrying proper identification at all times.

    Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command has assured residents of adequate security measures during the protest and beyond, emphasizing the commitment to maintaining peace and order in the region.

  • Many Killed As Gunmen Invade Kogi Community

    Many Killed As Gunmen Invade Kogi Community

    Suspected Fulani gunmen, early Friday morning, invaded Agojeju-Odo, a community in Omala Local Government Council in Kogi East Senatorial District, killing scores.

    The marauders who are fully armed surrounded the community and opened fire, killing and burning houses.

    A community leader, who escaped by the whiskers, but pleaded to remain anonymous, spoke with our correspondent, saying they were caught unawares.

    He revealed that 27 corpses have been recovered as of the time of filing this report, while some local vigilante men have moved into the bush looking for missing persons.

    He explained that rumour has been rife in the past three weeks of the possible invasion which was brought to the attention of the recently appointed Local Government Council Caretaker Chairman, Mark Edibo, but they were assured of safety and protection.

    He said: “There was a misunderstanding between a young man in Agojeju-Odo with a Fulani herder on his farm after cattles ate up his yam tubers which resulted in a fight; the caretaker chairman intervened.

    “Since then, the herders vowed that they will mobilize and get back and there has been apprehension,” the source said.

    Speaking with Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Ovye Aya, he confirmed the attack, but said the Commissioner of Police immediately drafted the tactical squad to the scene to restore normalcy.

    According to him, the tactical squad which comprises Mobile Police, Soldiers and Vigilante men were drafted after a distress call and they are currently on ground.

    The Police Spokesman could not confirm the figure of dead persons, while he promised to get back after speaking with the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Omala Local Government Council.

    “As for the figure of dead persons, I can’t confirm now. I will call you after I have spoken with the DPO in charge of Omala, but I know that so many people sustained gunshot injuries,” he said.

  • Nnamdi Kanu heads to appeal court over “denial of fair hearing”

    Nnamdi Kanu heads to appeal court over “denial of fair hearing”

    Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has approached Court of Appeal, Abuja, to seek redress over alleged denial of his right to fair hearing by the Federal High Court Abuja.

    Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court Abuja, had on March 19, 2024, refused to grant bail to Kanu, who is being prosecuted by the Federal Government over allegation of treasonable felony.

    The legal team of the IPOB leader, led by Aloy Ejimakor, told the appellate court in a notice of appeal with charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, that the trial judge erred when she denied Kanu’s constitutional rights to fair trial.

    In the grounds of Appeal, it was stated that, “The learned trial Court erred in law when the Court assumed jurisdiction to proceed with the hearing of the criminal trial against the Appellant when the Appellant is glaringly denied the constitutional right to fair trial with particular reference to denial of adequate facilities to prepare for the defence of the criminal allegations against the Appellant and his right to counsel of his own choice, thereby occasioning a grave miscarriage of justice.

    “Fair hearing/trial bears the constitutional safeguards of ensuring that the Appellant is accorded the adequate facilities to prepare for the defence of the criminal allegations levelled against the Appellant.

    The appellant held that the Department of State Services, also failed to provide adequate “facilities to prepare for the defence of the criminal allegations against the Appellant and his right to counsel of his own choice, thereby occasioning a grave miscarriage of justice”.

  • Non-service of charge stalls Binance, executives arraignment by FIRS, EFCC

    Non-service of charge stalls Binance, executives arraignment by FIRS, EFCC

    The arraignment of Binance Holdings Limited and two of its executives; Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, Thursday, stalled over non-service of charge by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

    FIRS is prosecuting the defendants on a four-count charge bordering on alleged tax evasion.

    Similarly, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) arraignment of the defendants on a five-count charge bordering on money laundering couldn’t be held because of the non-service of charge on the first defendant.

    The EFCC, in the charge, dated and filed on March 28, the defendants are being accused of money laundering to the tune of $35,400,000.

    When the matter was called for the defendants to take their plea before Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court, Abuja, only Gambaryan was represented by a lawyer.

    The company and Anjarwalla, who recently escaped from lawful custody, were not represented by any lawyer.

    However, Gambaryan’s lawyer, Chukwuka Ikwuazo, SAN, told the court that his client had not been served with the charge. Hence, his arraignment can not proceed.

    In his response, counsel to
    FIRS, Moses Ideho, though acknowledged that the agency had not served Gambaryan’s with the charge, he said all efforts to do so proved abortive because the defendant could not be reached at the EFCC’s detention.

    Ideho then prayed the court to serve Gambaryan in the open court, and the judge directed that the charge be served on him in the dock.

    He orally applied for a stand-down of the matter or an adjournment to enable Gambaryan to consult with his lawyer.

    Ikwuazo did not object to an oral application for adjournment, and the matter was adjourned until April 19 for him to take his plea.

    In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/115/2024, dated and filed March 22 by the FIRS, the defendants were alleged to have committed the offence on or about Feb. 1.

    Count one alleged that while involved in carrying and offering services to subscribers on their platform, known as Binance, failed to register with the FIRS, for the purpose of paying all relevant taxes administered by the service.

    The offences are said to be punishable under Sections 8 and 29 of the VAT Act of 1993 (as Amended), Section 40 of the FIRS Establishment Act, 2007 (as amended) and under provisions of Section 94 of the Companies Income Tax Act (as amended) respectively.

    Meanwhile, the EFCC, in the first count, claimed that the defendants were charged with operating a specialised business of another financial institution in Abuja without a valid license between January 2023 and January 2024.

    The offence is alleged to violate Sections 57(1) and (2) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, 2020, and is punishable under Section 57(5) of the same Act.

  • Suspected membership of ISIS: Court grants DSS order to detain Nigerian, Osase Emmanuel

    Suspected membership of ISIS: Court grants DSS order to detain Nigerian, Osase Emmanuel

    The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted order for the detention of a Nigerian, Emmanuel Osase
    accused of being a member of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria for 60 days.

    Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the order on Wednesday while ruling in a motion ex-parte filed by the State Security Service (SSS) marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/409/2024.

    The matter was brought before the court pursuant to section 66(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.

    In his prayers, counsel to the SSS, Mr A. A Ugee asked the court for an order enabling the agency to detain Osase for 60 days pending the conclusion of investigation.

    Granting the order, the court held, “Upon studying the averments in the affidavit, I hereby grant the relief as prayed.”

    The judge subsequently adjourned the matter June 3, 2024.

    Osase who was arrested on March 11, was accused of propagating the messages of the terrorist group, opposing the Democratic system of government in Nigeria, and calling for terrorist attacks on Nigeria and its symbols of sovereignty.

    In an affidavit dated March 27, 2024, and deposed to by the personnel of the State Security Service attached to the Legal Service Department, National Headquarters, Abuja, Ahmad Abubakar, the service sought an order to detain the suspect for 60 days, adding that the release of the suspect could jeopardize its investigation.

    He said, “That it is necessary for the Applicant in the case to apply to this Honourable Court for an Order to detain the Applicant for a period of sixty (60) days, pending the conclusion of an ongoing investigation in a case of terrorism;

    ” That the Respondent was arrested by a team of personnel from the applicant’s office for alleged membership and propagation of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist messages, including opposition to the Democratic System of Government and the call for staging terrorist attacks against Nigeria State and its symbols of sovereignty;”

    Abubakar stated that Osase was jailed for five years for terrorism-related offences in France and was deported after the completion of his sentence.

    He noted that from the service’s preliminary investigation, Osase was still involved in terrorist activities.

    Abubakar said the respondent still engaged with a proscribed pro-ISIS online media group known as “al-Alawn Media Foundation.”

    “That Preliminary investigation revealed that the Respondent, who is an ex-convict, still engages in terrorist activities which previously led to his conviction in France;

    ” That the Respondent appeared not to have renounced his terrorist ideologies, as he continues to engage with the proscribed pro-ISIS online media group known as “al-Alawn Media Foundation” whose main objectives is the creation and dissemination of terrorist content and the promotion of terrorist attacks against Democratic Systems of Government such as Nigeria and the Western Governments including their interests across the globe;

    “That the Respondent who was born in the Federal Capital Territory left Nigeria for France and never returned to Nigeria until his deportation after completion of a five-year jail term in France for acts of terrorism and attempt to join the Islamic State (IS) linked terrorist group, Friqat Al-Ghuraba (Group of Foreigners) in Syria.”

    Abubakar stated that the respondent, upon sighting operatives of the service, formatted his phone.

    He said, ” That the Respondent at the point of arrest, formatted his mobile device to factory settings upon sighting security agents ostensibly to wipe out any suspicious contents on the device and cover up his nefarious activities;

    “That the activities of the Respondent constitute a potent threat to National Security and corporate existence of Nigeria;”

    He, however, urged the court to grant the request of the service, adding there was a need to painstakingly probe the respondent to ensure he does not constitute a security treat to the country and world at large.

    ” That the release of the Respondent at this time would jeopardize the investigation, as investigation has assumed a wider dimension;

    “That there is a need for a thorough investigation of the suspect to ensure that he does not pose any security threat to Nigeria or the world at large.

    “That the Respondent is helping with vital information that will lead to the arrest of other members who are still at large,” Abubakar stated.

  • Former NLC President Ali Ciroma Passes Away at 72

    Former NLC President Ali Ciroma Passes Away at 72

    Ali Ciroma, a former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has passed away.

    Ali Ibrahim Ciroma, a family member and Secretary of Borno State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), announced his demise in a statement.

    According to the statement, Ali Ciroma died on Tuesday morning at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

    The statement read, “It is with deep sorrow that I announce the death of Comrade Ali Ciroma, former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress. The sad event occurred this evening (Tuesday, April 2) at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.”

    The burial ceremony for Ali Ciroma will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, at 4pm at his residence located at No.7A along Galadima Road near Muhammadu Shuwa Memorial Hospital (Nursing Home), Maiduguri.

    Ali Ciroma served as the president of the NLC from 1984 to 1988 until he was removed by the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida, which disbanded the union.
    Despite this setback, during the Abacha regime, he was appointed as the Sole Administrator of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers.

    The passing of Ali Ciroma is mourned by many within Nigeria’s labor movement, as he is remembered as a dedicated leader who fought tirelessly for the rights of workers.

  • APC Chieftain Accuses El-rufai of Fueling Insecurity In Northern Nigeria

    APC Chieftain Accuses El-rufai of Fueling Insecurity In Northern Nigeria

    Yekini Nabena, the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has leveled serious allegations against Nasir El-rufai, the ex-governor of Kaduna state, claiming he’s behind the escalating insecurity in northern Nigeria.

    In an exclusive interview with the Daily Sun newspaper, Nabena pointed fingers directly at El-rufai, accusing him of exacerbating the security challenges plaguing the region.

    Nabena minced no words, stating, “He is among the people that caused problems for the APC and not only APC but also Nigeria. It is people like him that caused all the problems of insecurity we have in the northern part of the country.”

    He further hinted at El-rufai’s purported political ambitions, suggesting that the former governor’s discontent over not securing certain positions within the APC hierarchy might be a driving factor behind his actions.

    “I am waiting for the day he will leave the APC. I will remind him a lot of what he did in Kaduna, what he did in the country, what he did in the party and what he did during our party primaries,” Nabena stated firmly.

    As tensions rise within the party, Nabena vowed to pursue El-rufai should he formally resign from the APC, promising to expose his alleged misdeeds and confront him in the political arena.

    El-rufai has yet to respond to these damning accusations.

  • Cost of governance: Tinubu initiates the sale of presidential jets

    Cost of governance: Tinubu initiates the sale of presidential jets

    In a bid to cut the cost of governance, President Tinubu’s has announced plans to divest three aircraft from the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF), a senior official revealed over the weekend.

    This strategic move forms part of the administration’s wider efforts to streamline government expenditure. Presently, the fleet comprises a total of 10 aircraft, including six jets and four helicopters, with intentions to reduce the fleet to seven through the proposed sale.

    This decision mirrors a previous attempt made during the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari to sell off two aircraft in the fleet, namely a Dassault Falcon 7x executive jet and a Beechcraft Hawker 4000 business jet, back in October 2016.

    However, the sale faltered after preferred bidders revised their offer from $24 million to $11 million, a sum rejected by the government at the time.

    To alleviate the burden of maintenance costs, the administration had explored alternative avenues, including the possibility of chartering some of the aircraft to interested governors to generate revenue.

    The fleet comprises various aircraft models, including Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) 737, Gulfstream G550, Gulfstream G500, Falcon 7X, HS 4000, Agusta 139, and Agusta 101. Notably, the BBJ 737 serves as the Nigerian Air Force One, exclusively utilized by the President for official travel.

    While specific details regarding the replacement of the BBJ 737 remain undisclosed, it is noteworthy that the aircraft was acquired for approximately $43 million during the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    Escalating concerns over maintenance costs, which have soared to over $5 million in recent months, have prompted President Tinubu to take decisive action. The decision to divest three aircraft deemed the most financially burdensome is aimed at curtailing excessive spending on maintenance.

    Over the years, the presidency has allocated significant sums for PAF maintenance, with budgetary provisions ranging from N3.65 billion in 2016 to N25.7 billion in 2023. However, precise expenditure figures remain unconfirmed.

    Furthermore, in a separate move geared towards fiscal prudence, President Tinubu has enforced a three-month travel ban on publicly-funded foreign trips by Federal Government officials, with immediate effect.

    The utilization of the fleet falls under the purview of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), ensuring efficient management and utilization.