Author: Vincent Osuwo

The Nigeria Police Force has suspended four officers for stealing N43.16m from a total of N74.95m recovered during an unauthorised arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The police dismissed allegations that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, was shielding a cartel accused of smuggling suspicious new banknotes from the Central Bank of Nigeria. The suspended officers are DSP Peter Ejike, Inspector Ekende Edwin, Inspector Esther Okafor, and Sergeant Talabi Kayode, who were attached to Zone 7 Headquarters. Inspector Okafor led the arrest of Andrew Ejah, an employee of FATFAD Cargo Nigeria Limited, who was transporting cash on…

A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja convicted and sentenced a couple, Harry Uyanwanne and Oluwakemi Odemuyiwa (also known as Kristein Uyanwanne), as well as Temple International Church, on Wednesday. Justice Mojisola Dada delivered the verdict after finding them guilty of the charges brought against them. The judgement further ruled that the third defendant, Temple International Church, be deregistered and closed for defrauding people in the name of God and the church. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged the offenders with seven counts of stealing, dishonest conversion, false presentation, and fraud. On February 25, 2020, the EFCC…

Bitcoin has surpassed the $100,000 mark, riding a surge of investor confidence fuelled by US President-elect Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance.  The world’s largest cryptocurrency rose to $103,800 on Thursday, representing a 50% increase since Trump’s November election victory. The rally gained momentum after Trump named cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), indicating a shift towards a more favourable regulatory climate. Atkins’ appointment, combined with Trump’s promise to make the United States “the bitcoin superpower of the world,” has energised the market. “Bitcoin reaching $100k is an incredible milestone for our movement,” said Kris Marszalek,…

The Federal Government has fired civil servants with degrees from private tertiary institutions in the Benin Republic and Togo. The directive affects federal workers who graduated from the institutions from 2017 to date. Segun Imohiosen, Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, confirmed the development on Wednesday. In August, the Federal Government announced that only eight universities in Togo and the Benin Republic had been accredited to award degrees to Nigerian students. This followed an undercover investigation report in which a Daily Nigerian journalist earned a degree from a…

The Senate on Wednesday summoned Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace; Capt. Chris Najomo, Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority; airline operators; and other relevant stakeholders over the incessant flight delays and cancellations by airlines. Adopting a motion to that effect sponsored by Senator AbdulFatai Buhari (APC Oyo North) during plenary, the Senate specifically instructed its Committee on Aviation to investigate the factors surrounding the ongoing aircraft delays and cancellations in order to identify long-term solutions to the situation. It was gathered on Wednesday that about 2,000 air passengers lost 19,274 pieces of luggage between January and June…

Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, has described as an abuse of “democratic norms” the arrest of human rights lawyer Dele Farotomi. Obi, in a statement on his verified X page on Wednesday, berated the police over the handling of the case. Farotimi, who was arrested in Lagos on Tuesday by operatives of the Ekiti state police command, was brought to the court at about 10:25 am Wednesday and was subsequently remanded in prison. Release Dele Farotimi immediately, SERAP to Tinubu govt Chronicle reports that the activist lawyer is being prosecuted on a…

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested no fewer than 14,480 suspected drug traffickers between January and October 2024. During the same time period, operatives recovered 2.4 million kilograms of illicit drugs from seaports, airports, land borders, and communities across the country. Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd), the NDLEA’s Chairman and CEO, disclosed this during a briefing with members of the House of Representatives Committee on Narcotic Drugs, who were on an oversight visit to the agency’s national headquarters in Abuja. This was detailed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi. “We…

The Senate has suspended action on the Tax Reform Bills brought before it by the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government. The Senate has instructed the Committee on Finance to postpone the public hearing until the public agitation is resolved. Additionally, a special committee has been formed to work with the executive branch and the federal government to resolve issues related to tax reform bills. This was announced by Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau during the plenary on Wednesday. There have been a lot of disputes regarding the tax reform bills since their introduction to the National Assembly. Tinubu orders review…

An undisclosed number of travellers were killed on Wednesday when a vehicle carrying them hit explosives set by bandits along the Dansadau-Gusau Road in Zamfara State’s Maru Local Government Area. According to an anonymous source, the bandits planted the explosives after completing community work on the route. The source, a resident of Yar Tasha village, said, “We recently conducted community work on the road, and the bandits used that opportunity to plant the device at one of the spots. “The victims were rushed to Dansadau General Hospital, and nobody can ascertain whether they are dead or alive for now. Security…

Deposit Money Banks in the Federal Capital Territory have upped the maximum over-the-counter withdrawal limit to N50,000 per day. According to a poll done by the Punch on Tuesday, banks such as Guarantee Trust Bank and Zenith Bank have upped the withdrawal limit, which was previously set at N5,000 per month. Customers could withdraw N50,000 over the counter at the GTBank branch on the airport road, but only N20,000 from its Automated Teller Machines. An official who spoke with our correspondent stated that the bank now has more cash, which is why the limit was increased. “We now have more…