Author: Opalim Lifted

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has responded to a social media user who shared a picture of the commission’s headquarters in Abuja as a hotel up for sale. In a post on X, a verified user @osere_x, listed the commission’s property as a “hotel” in the nation’s capital city of Abuja, pegging purchase of the facility at N800 million, with an additional N120 million in agent fee. “HOTEL AVAILABLE. Location: Abuja. Price – 800M. Agent fee – 120M. Only serious buyers should DM,” @osere_x, on the social media platform, wrote. The post had garnered 1,200 reposts, 670 replies,…

Proceedings in the Senate were thrown into disorder on Tuesday after lawmakers clashed over a motion seeking to reverse an earlier approval of electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. The disagreement erupted during consideration of a motion sponsored by Tahir Monguno, senator representing Borno North, who urged the chamber to rescind its approval of Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026. The contentious clause provides the legal framework for the electronic transmission of election results, a provision widely seen as central to electoral transparency. Monguno told colleagues that the motion became…

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has confirmed that Nigerians are among 53 migrants feared dead after a rubber boat capsized off the coast of Libya. In a statement released on Monday, the UN migration agency said the vessel, carrying 55 migrants and refugees, overturned north of Zuwara on February 6, with only two Nigerian women rescued during a search-and-rescue operation by Libyan authorities. IOM revealed that the tragedy has left devastating personal losses. One of the survivors lost her husband, while the other lost her two babies in the incident. The organisation said its teams provided emergency medical care…

The Senate has approved the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV), while retaining manual collation as a fallback where technology fails. The decision followed a reconsideration of a contentious clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill during Tuesday’s plenary session. The amendment was introduced through a motion sponsored by Tahir Monguno, senator representing Borno North, who said further scrutiny of Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill 2026 showed the need for changes to avoid disputes and operational setbacks during elections. Under the revised provision, presiding officers at…

A police officer serving with the Borno State Police Command, Mohammad Muhammad, has earned public praise after returning ₦2.6 million that was mistakenly transferred into his bank account. The incident, which occurred around 6pm on Thursday, involved an accidental bank transfer that surprised the officer, according to the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, Nahum Daso. Sharing a Facebook post by Bello Jafar, Daso commended the officer’s conduct, describing it as a rare display of integrity within and outside the force. “I would like to formally express my appreciation for Mohammad Alhaji Muhammad, a loyal customer of United Bank for…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have unveiled sweeping proposals aimed at finally ending failed airtime and data purchase transactions across Nigeria’s banking and telecoms ecosystem. The measures are contained in an exposure draft of a joint CBN–NCC framework on failed airtime and data transactions, dated February 5 and released on Monday. Under the proposed rules, customers must receive automatic and instant refunds whenever their accounts are debited without successful delivery of airtime or data. Instant Reversals, Real-Time Tracking The draft defines failed transactions as cases where subscribers are charged but do not receive…

Terrorists have abducted nine worshippers from Saint John’s Catholic Church, Ojije, in the Utonkon District of Ado Local Government Area, Benue State, during a night vigil. The worshippers were reportedly seized on Sunday night while praying within the church premises, triggering fresh concerns over the worsening security situation in rural Benue communities. Confirming the incident, Emmanuel Udah, a former councillor who represented Ukwuenyo Ward in the Ado local government legislative council, described the abduction as a deliberate and targeted attack on the Church. “This was a planned crime against innocent worshippers at their most sacred place — a place of…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned Gidado Ibrahim before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, over an alleged N600 million Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) job scam. Ibrahim was arraigned on Monday, February 9, 2026, alongside one Halimat Adenike Tejusho, who is currently at large, before Justice H. Muazu. According to the EFCC, the defendants were charged on an amended six-count charge bordering on fraud, obtaining money under false pretence and forgery involving a total sum of N603,400,000. The prosecution told the court that between August and October 2024, the defendants allegedly obtained the…

An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has told a Federal High Court in Abuja how funds allegedly diverted from the Kogi State Government House Administration Account were used to acquire luxury properties across the Federal Capital Territory. Testifying on Monday before Justice James Omotosho, EFCC Deputy Superintendent Ahmed Abubakar, a prosecution witness identified as PW17, said hundreds of millions of naira linked to the alleged ₦10bn Kogi fraud were traced to high-end real estate transactions in Abuja. The EFCC is prosecuting Ali Bello, Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo and nephew of former governor…

The Federal Government has nominated two distinguished Nigerians for election into the African Union (AU) Panel of Eminent Personalities of the African Peer Review Mechanism, reinforcing Nigeria’s growing influence in continental governance and diplomacy. Leading the nomination list is Professor Aminu Gusau, a respected governance expert and visiting professor at the University of Kansas in the United States. He is followed by Professor Oluwakemi Obayelu, an agricultural economist at the University of Ibadan and Nigeria’s female nominee. Professor Gusau is widely regarded as a seasoned technocrat with extensive experience across academia, public administration, leadership development, and anti-corruption reform. His nomination…