Author: Opalim Lifted

Popular Nigerian social critic, Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan has been arrested in Abuja following his outspoken criticism of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) over suspicious and repeated debits from his mother’s bank account. The controversial influencer, known for calling out societal wrongs online, was picked up on Friday by officers of the Nigeria Police Force at Area 3, Abuja. His legal counsel, Barrister Deji Adeyanju, confirmed the arrest, stating it was carried out on the orders of GTBank. “His only offence was speaking out about unauthorised debits linked to loans his mother never took,” Adeyanju said. Prior to his…

Ademola Adeleke, governor of Osun, has rejected claims of his potential defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The governor declared his loyalty to the party during a strategic meeting with party leaders on Thursday night. Adeleke said rumours of his defection from the party should be taken as fake news. “My people, party elders and chiefs, I declare before you today that I am not defecting to APC or any other political party. I remain in PDP. Ignore any fake news,” he said. The governor’s remarks come in the wake of the defection of prominent figures from the party.…

The Lagos state high court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square has sentenced Andrew Nice Ominikoron, a driver of Lagos bus rapid transit (BRT), to death by hanging for killing Bamise Ayanwola, a 22-year-old fashion designer. Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Sherifat Sonaike held that the prosecution successfully proved its case, relying on the doctrine of “last seen” and the victim’s dying declaration to establish Ominikoron’s guilt. Ominikoron was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit felony, rape, murder, and sexual assault. Bamise was last seen on February 26, 2022, after boarding a BRT bus driven by…

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) has refuted allegations of misappropriation and mismanagement of student loan funds. In a statement on Thursday, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, the fund’s director of strategic communications, said some media reports are circulating “unverified, context-free, and inflammatory” claims suggesting that it mismanaged student loan monies. Oluwatuyi said these allegations are “false, grossly irresponsible, and damaging” to the integrity of the scheme. Chronicle NG earlier reported that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has commenced an investigation into alleged discrepancies in the disbursement of student loan funds. A report had claimed that 51 tertiary…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said there are no discrepancies in the student loan disbursements by the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). A statement issued on Thursday by Demola Bakare, ICPC spokesperson, said the absence of “not” in the agency’s earlier statement created an impression of alleged discrepancies in the disbursement of the loans. Earlier on Thursday, Bakare released a statement titled: ‘ICPC Launches Comprehensive Investigation into Discrepancies in Student Loan Disbursement’. In the statement, the ICPC spokesperson said the investigation was prompted by a recent media report claiming that 51 tertiary institutions were involved…

Permit me to speculate. While the official spiel for the retirement of Bishop David Abioye from Living Faith was attainment of the age of 60, he was probably turfed out because his eyes “chook pass” the capo de tutti capi’s. Takes some doing to “outchook” a pair of eyes capable of squeezing money from every Biblical verse. Maybe, just maybe, the capo was afraid that the consigliere could attempt a takeover, something unheard of in the Cosa Nostra ecosystem. But the church ain’t the Cosa Nostra, and then, I’m only speculating. Well, public sentiment was on Abioye’s side when he…

In a sweeping crackdown that’s rattled Nigeria’s higher education sector, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has launched a full-scale investigation into massive financial discrepancies linked to the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). The probe, triggered by reports of irregularities in the student loan scheme, has already implicated no fewer than 51 tertiary institutions in what appears to be a coordinated pattern of illegal deductions from student funds. These unauthorised charges reportedly ranged from N3,500 to as much as N30,000 per student—sums that were quietly skimmed off institutional fees disbursed through the NELFUND programme. At the…

The Federal Government of Nigeria and global crypto giant Binance are locked in a high-stakes legal clash over a staggering $79.5 billion lawsuit—and now, even the method of serving court documents is under fire. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) insists it legally served Binance through substituted means—specifically via the email of Eleanor Hughes, the company’s General Counsel. But Binance is fighting back, calling the move “improper” and claiming it violates legal protocols. The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1444/2024, accuses the global crypto giant and its officials—Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla—of operating unregulated…

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have requested a 90-day extension from a U.S. federal court to release documents linked to an alleged 1990s drug investigation involving Nigerian President Bola Tinubu. The agencies made the request in a joint status report filed Thursday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The case arises from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed by Aaron Greenspan, a transparency advocate and founder of PlainSite, who is pursuing records tied to a Chicago drug ring. Tinubu, along with three others—Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande, and…

President Bola Tinubu will embark on a two-day official visit to Katsina state on Friday. A statement on Thursday by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said the visit will focus on security and development priorities in the north-western state. “During the visit, the President will meet with key stakeholders to assess the security situation in the state,” Onanuga said. “He will commission the Katsina Agricultural Mechanized Centre and a 24KM dual carriageway completed by Governor Dikko Umar Radda.” Aside from his official duties, the president will also attend the wedding ceremony of Radda’s daughter.…