Author: David Great

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday arrested four Nigerians linked to hacking some banks in the country. The quartet were arrested in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, following a sting operation by the anti-graft agency. EFCC statement said it arrested “Chima Anthony Nwigwe, suspected leader of banks’ hacking syndicate alongside three others: Effiong Victor Emmanuel, Mohammed Bello Mahmud, managing director, Downstone Ultimate Limited and Daminan Ali for alleged conspiracy, unauthorized access to banks’ computer systems and fraudulent withdrawal of depositors’ funds. GTBank confirms attempt to hack website by hackers “They were arrested in a sting operation in Abuja following…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been urged to refrain from intervening in the foreign exchange market through forex auctions. It was also advised to continuously reaffirm the commitment to exchange rate flexibility by adopting a comprehensive, systematic, and transparent framework for foreign exchange interventions. The policy advisory issued by the World Bank was included in the Nigeria Development Update, offering recommendations to stabilise the naira against foreign currencies. On August 26, 2024, the CBN auctioned $876.26m to end users via a retail Dutch auction, a major move away from its traditional sales of foreign exchange to Bureau De…

Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has thrown his full weight behind Chelsea’s golden boy, Cole Palmer to compete for the next Ballon d’Or. Speaking to Mirror, Zola praised Palmer’s scintillating form since joining the Blues last summer. Recall that Palmer finished 25th in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings on Monday. So far, the midfield maestro has scored 25 goals and provided 15 assists in 45 matches for Chelsea last season. Jackson, Palmer score as Chelsea beat Newcastle The Chelsea legend, however, urged the 22-year-old to step up his game, advising that there is still lots to be done to win the…

The Ondo State Security Network Agency, known as the Amotekun Corps, announced the arrest of 27 individuals involved in various crimes, including kidnapping, theft, murder, and burglary, across the state. During a parade of the suspects at the Amotekun headquarters in Akure on Tuesday, the state’s Amotekun Commander, Adetunji Adeleye, stated, “Today, we have a total of 27 suspects on parade. In the last two weeks across the state, we have 27 suspects involved in law-breaking activities.” He noted that while there were a few isolated kidnapping incidents near state borders, “the entire 18 local governments is at peace.” Adeleye…

The Lagos State Taskforce has issued a strong warning to residents who habitually block streets and occupy parts of the road to host parties, social gatherings, and religious events, causing inconvenience to other residents and motorists. Committed to maintaining environmental decorum and ensuring smooth traffic flow across the state, the Lagos Taskforce has condemned this practice entirely. The chairman of the Lagos Taskforce, CSP Adetayo Akerele, expressed deep concerns over the growing trend of obstructing public roads for personal events, noting that such actions disrupt the lives of law-abiding citizens and pose serious security and safety risks. “It is unacceptable…

Pep Guardiola insisted on Tuesday that Rodri was a worthy winner of the Ballon d’Or, insisting no “elite group” had decided the Manchester City midfielder should be crowned the world’s best footballer. Real Madrid’s LaLiga and Champions League double winner Vinicius Junior had been the favourite to collect the trophy. But hours before Monday’s awards ceremony in Paris, the Spanish giants announced its delegation would not attend because of what it perceived as a snub of Vinicius. Rodri received the trophy after helping City win a fourth consecutive Premier League title and also starring in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph. City…

Iran’s government has proposed to triple its military budget, its spokeswoman said Tuesday, as tensions with arch-rival Israel rise following recent tit-for-tat missile strikes. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani outlined the move that would see “a significant increase of more than 200 per cent in the country’s military budget” at a news conference in Tehran. She did not elaborate and Tehran has not disclosed any figures, but according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think tank, the Islamic Republic military spending in 2023 was about $10.3 billion. The proposed budget will be debated, with lawmakers expected to finalise it in…

Cross River, Kwara, Lagos, Anambra complete top five Jigawa replaces Zamfara at the bottom Nigeria’s oil-rich state, Rivers, has been named the number fiscal performing state in the most populous Black nation in the world, according to a report. In the 2024 edition of its annual State of States Report, themed ‘Moving Healthcare Delivery from Suboptimal to Optimal’ by BudgIT, a prime civic-tech organisation leading the advocacy for fiscal transparency and accountability in Nigeria, Rivers topped the assessment and ranking of the 36 States’ fiscal performance from most to least sustainable. “The fiscal performance ranking saw a reshuffling of the…

The Northern Governors’ Forum has rejected the newly proposed distribution of Value Added Tax (VAT) in Nigeria, urging its members in the National Assembly to oppose the bill. At a joint meeting of northern states governors and traditional rulers held on Monday, October 28, the Forum argued companies remit VAT using the location of their headquarters and tax office and not where the services and goods are consumed. In a communiqué signed by Governor Inuwa Yahaya, the chairman of the forum, after the meeting, the northern governors called for additional transmission lines to be built to ensure diversification of energy…

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti and United States Women’s National Team coach Emma Hayes were celebrated as the inaugural winners of the Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year awards at the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony. These new categories at Ballon d’Or award ceremony recognized their remarkable achievements during the 2023/24 season. Ancelotti, 65, received the honor for his outstanding season with Real Madrid, where he led the team to victory in La Liga and secured a fifth career Champions League title. Despite his triumph, Ancelotti was not present at the ceremony, as Real Madrid reportedly boycotted the event upon…