Author: Opalim Lifted

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Christopher Okechukwu before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, for failing to declare foreign currency amounting to £8,020 and $704 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja. The defendant was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in December 2024 while attempting to travel with undeclared cash. Following his arrest, Okechukwu was handed over to the EFCC for further investigation. The EFCC charged him on a two-count count bordering on money laundering. One of the charges stated that Okechukwu, on December 10, 2024,…

Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced one Precious Chimaobi to four years’ imprisonment for refusing to accept the Naira as legal tender. Chimaobi was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, on 5 February 2025, on a two-count charge relating to the rejection of the Naira as legal tender. One of the counts reads: “That you, Precious Chimaobi Uzondu, on 10 December 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, refused to accept the Naira (Nigeria’s…

Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, said the President Bola Tinubu administration is the “worst and most corrupt” in Nigeria’s history. El-Rufai spoke in Katsina during a recent interview with journalists. He also described the government as the most intolerant since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999. “This is the worst federal government in Nigerian history and all the indices have shown it,” he said. “This is the most corrupt and most intolerant government in Nigeria. This is the most lying government that depends on false propaganda.” He accused the federal government of spreading falsehoods about the country’s security…

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said the estimated pump price of petrol in Nigeria is less than that of neighbouring countries in West Africa. The development comes despite Nigeria’s fuel subsidy removal, which jerked up the cost of petrol across Nigeria. On May 29, President Bola Tinubu said the fuel subsidy regime was over – leading to a hike in the pump price of the product across the country. Speaking during a State House briefing on Tuesday, Farouk Ahmed, NMDPRA’s chief executive officer (CEO), said petrol is currently sold at an average pump price of N950…

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar said the killings in some section of the country demonstrate the “total collapse” of the security architecture under President Bola Tinubu. Atiku’s statement comes in the wake of recent fatal attacks in Zike community, Kimakpa area of Kwali district, Bassa LGA of Plateau State, where at least 47 people were killed. Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno, has also voiced his concerns about the spate of Boko Haram attacks and kidnappings in the state. In a statement on Tuesday, Atiku condemned the resurgence of violent attacks in Plateau and Borno, attributing the insecurity to the “incompetence” of…

The Borno government has donated N10 million and food items to the parents of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by terrorists in 2014. The event was held on Tuesday to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the abduction of schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok. Zuwaira Gambo, the state commissioner for women affairs and social development, represented Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno. The governor announced the donation of N10 million and food items to the parents of the 276 abducted girls, noting that the gesture is part of the state government’s efforts to ease the burden on affected families “This is…

The Rivers state government has insisted that the N300 million paid to the Nigerian Bar Association. (NBA) was for the hosting rights of the 2025 annual general conference (AGC). The state government, under the leadership of Ibok-Ete Ibas, the sole administrator, rejected the NBA’s description of the payment as a “gift”. In a statement issued on Tuesday by Hector Igbikiowubo, the senior special assistant on media to Ibok-Ete Ibas, the statement government threatened legal action against the association if the N300 million is not refunded. BACKGROUND Last Friday, the NBA moved its 2025 annual general conference (AGC) from Port Harcourt,…

Obafemi Hamzat, deputy governor of Lagos state, said his electricity bill inexplicably skyrocketed from N2.7 million in March to N29 million in April, 2025. Hamzat said the electricity distribution company (DisCo) also frustrated his efforts to utilise the prepaid meter he procured. Punch reports that the deputy governor spoke on Monday during a roundtable discussion between the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Lagos state government in Victoria Island. Both parties were billed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the electrification of rural communities in Lagos. Hamzat, who represented Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, at the event, decried…

MTN Group has joined forces with Meta to significantly enhance the quality and reliability of voice and video calls on real-time apps like WhatsApp. The collaboration spans 12 MTN markets and aims to elevate user experience through smarter, more efficient network performance. The initiative focuses on optimizing how mobile networks and real-time calling apps interact, resulting in more stable and high-quality calls. Since MWC 2024, MTN and Meta engineers have worked together to identify performance gaps and deploy targeted network upgrades using data analytics and extensive testing. Nigeria is the first country to roll out these enhancements, and early results…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday presented Peter Okoye, its first prosecution witness, in the ongoing trial of Jude Okoye, Psquare’s former manager, over alleged money laundering involving N1.38 billion. Jude, elder brother to Peter and Paul Okoye, is standing trial alongside his company Northside Music Limited before A. Owoeye of the federal high court in Ikoyi, Lagos. He faces a seven-count charge related to financial misconduct. Jude, however, pleaded not guilty when arraigned on February 26, 2025. During Monday’s proceedings, Peter recounted his strained business relationship with his brother. Led by EFCC counsel Aso Larry’s Peters,…