Three suspected sex traffickers were also arrested in the process.

Over 50 girls forced into prostitution have been rescued by the Nigerian Navy during a major raid on two brothels in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Three suspected sex traffickers were also arrested in the process.

Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, Base Information Officer, Lt.-Cdr. Richard Iginla, who paraded the suspects and the rescued victims on Sunday, said the raid was carried out in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

According to him, the 50 prostitutes, mainly teenage girls were rescued in the early hours of Saturday after a tip-off from NAPTIP.

Vanguard quoted the Iginla as saying, “We got the intelligence from NAPTIP, who had been tracking the brothels that camped juveniles with some of them as young as 14 years of age.

“So, after NAPTIP shared intelligence with us, a joint team was set up and we immediately went into action to rescue the victims."

“No fewer than 50 young girls forced into prostitution were rescued while three recruiters and operators of the brothels were arrested,” he added.

He gave the names of the brothels as Royal Brothel and Cool Breeze Brothel both located on Azikiwe Road in the Diobu area of Port Harcourt. Both have been shut down.

Iginla disclosed that a manhunt has been launched for the leaders of the sex trafficking ring, which recruits children from villages into prostitution.

“Children are gifts from God, and we must do everything humanly possible to protect them from all forms of abuse and exploitation.

“The Nigeria Navy will continue to collaborate with relevant agencies to bring to justice criminal elements that traffic persons either on land or through the waterways.

“On conclusion of our investigation, the suspects and victims will be handed over to NAPTIP for further investigation and possible prosecution,” he added.

Speaking, the Head of NAPTIP in Rivers, Mrs Nwa-amaka Ikediashi, said the agency would immediately rehabilitate the victims with a focus on reintegrating them back into society.

According to her, the victims, mainly under-aged girls, would also partake in different phases of counselling, to ensure they don’t continue prostitution.

“NAPTIP, as the focal agency mandated to fight all forms of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, will conduct a proper investigation, to ensure justice is served,” she promised.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Saturday, defended his government’s borrowing describing it as a necessary step to provide infrastructure that would expand opportunities for the growth of the Nigerian economy.

Buhari stated this in what would be his last Independence Day address to the country on October 1, 2022.

According to him, “The Federal Government is already expanding port operations to ensure that they provide opportunities for the growth of the Nigerian economy.

“We have also continued to accelerate our infrastructure development through serviceable and transparent borrowing, improved capital inflow & increased revenue generation by expanding the tax bases and prudent management of investment proceeds in the Sovereign Wealth Fund.

“To further open up our communities to economic activities, we have continued to boost our railway infrastructure with the completion of a good number of critical railways and at the same time rehabilitating as well as upgrading obsolete equipment.”

The President also noted that no village in the country was left behind in the regime’s Social Investment Programmes such as N-Power, trader-moni, market moni, etc.

“I am pleased to inform my fellow citizens that besides our emphasis on infrastructural development with its attendant opportunities for job creation, employment generation and subsequent poverty reduction, our focused intervention directly to Nigerians through the National Social Investment Programme is also yielding benefits.

“There is hardly any ward, village or local government in Nigeria today that has not benefited from one of the following: N-Power, trader-moni, market moni, subsidized loans, business grants or Conditional Cash Transfers.

“All the aforementioned programmes along with various interventions by the National Social Investment programme, direct support to victims of flooding and other forms of disasters have provided succour to the affected Nigerians,” Buhari said.

A former employee of the National Security Agency was arrested Wednesday on espionage-related charges for allegedly trying to sell US secrets, the Justice Department announced.

Jareh Dalke, 30, attempted to transmit classified national defense information (NDI) to a representative of a foreign government, the department said in a news release. He faces charges related to three violations of the Espionage Act and made his first appearance in court Thursday.

CNN has reached out to Dalke’s attorneys for comment.

The Colorado man, who worked at the NSA for less than a month as an information system security designer, used an encrypted email to send excerpts of three classified documents to someone he believed to be a representative of a foreign government, according to an affidavit. The person was an undercover FBI agent.

The excerpts, which Dalke obtained while employed at the NSA, related to threat assessments of a foreign government’s military offensive capabilities and “sensitive US defense capabilities,” as well as a US agency’s “plans to update a certain cryptographic program,” the affidavit said.

Dalke left the NSA in early July, citing a situation with his family, and began corresponding with the undercover agent weeks later.

He provided the excerpts as a “small sample to what is possible,” and soon after transmitted a secret document related to a different US agency that contained information about a foreign leader, as a “show of good faith,” the affidavit said.

Days later, Dalke applied to an open position at the NSA, leading law enforcement to believe he might have been “seeking to access additional national defense information,” according to the affidavit.

The undercover agent transferred about $16,000 in cryptocurrency to Dalke following the initial information transfers and Dalke requested $85,000 in exchange for all the information he possessed at the time.

The government said Dalke then arranged to transfer additional classified information to the undercover FBI agent at a location in Denver. When Dalke showed up on Wednesday, the FBI arrested him.

Convictions under the Espionage Act carry sentences of up to life in prison or potential death sentences, the Justice Department said in its release.

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said he would not appeal the judgment delivered on Wednesday by the Federal High Court in Damaturu, Yobe State concerning the forthcoming Yobe North senatorial district election.

Lawan said in a statement he signed and was released on Thursday that he has accepted the judgment of the court which nullified his candidature.

Lawan said, “On Wednesday, September 28, 2022, the Federal High Court in Damaturu delivered judgment on the rightful candidate for Yobe North senatorial district for the 2023 National Assembly elections.

“They said the judgement had disqualified my candidature and therefore, my participation in the 2023 general elections.

“After due consultations with my political associates, supporters and well-wishers, I have decided not to appeal against the judgment. I accept the judgment.”

Justice Fadima Aminu of Federal High Court, Damaturu, on Wednesday ordered the APC to forward the name of Bashir Machina to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the authentic winner of the primary which was held on May 28, 2022.

Aminu described the primary election where Lawan emerged as the candidate as ‘phantom.’

No fewer than four members of the National Working Committee Peoples Democratic Party have returned N93.6 million paid into their accounts by the main opposition party leader.

There had been media reports that the PDP’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, allegedly paid over N100m to the NWC members after the party’s primaries.

The money was said to be part of the over N10 billion realised by the party from nomination fees paid by aspirants.

The NWC members who returned the money are the National Vice Chairman (South-West) Olasoji Adagunodo, the Deputy National Chairman (South) Taofeek Arapaja; National Vice Chairman (South), Chief Dan Orbih and National Women Leader, Prof. Stella Affah-Attoe.

While Arapaja got N36 million, Orbih and Effah-Attoe got N28.8 million each.

But in a letter to the PDP leadership notifying Ayu of returning the money, Orbi wrote claimed that he was only notified of the payment by his bank without any description.

The letter dated Thursday and sighted by our correspondent read, “My attention has been drawn to a damaging trending story reported in THE NATION Newspaper by Yusuf Alli on September 26, 2022 titled “Disquiet in PDP NW over N10 billion nomination fees.” Amongst several other allegations, he alleged that members of the NWC were offered N28 million to gloss over scandalous financial misappropriation.

“To my shock and surprise, it has been confirmed to me by my bank that the sum of N28, 800,000. (Twenty eight million eight hundred thousand Naira) has been credited to my account by the party. I hereby notify you of my decision to pay back the money to the party’s account.

“Kindly confirm receipt of Zenith Bank Manager’s cheques of: N10,000,000, N10,000,000, N8,800,000
TOTAL = N28,800,000 to the Party’s account. A/C: 1000095003, Globus Bank PLC.”

Also, Adagunodo in his letter to Ayu wrote, “Please be informed that the said payment has become a subject of media story and carried with bad intention by them.

“I hereby inform you of the refund of the Sum of Twenty Eight Million Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (#28,800,000:00) back to the Peoples Democratic Party, Account Number: 1000095003 at Globus Bank PLC. The receipt of the payment back to the account is attached.”

Effah-Attoe in her letter claimed that when she inquired about the N28,800,000,00 paid to her account, she was told by Ayu’s office that the amount was for house rent for two years as NWC members.

The letter read, “When I enquired from your Office, I was told that the said sum is for Two
(2) years House Rent for me, as a member of The National Working Committee.

“Since after the lodgment of the money into my Bank Account, I have been inundated with many phone calls from Party members, friends, family members and the general public, insinuating that the said money has been given as a Bribe to bring me and other NWC members on the side of The National Chairman, following the crisis between him on one side and the Governor of Rivers State, H.E Governor Nyesom Wike/ Wike’s Group on the other side.

“In addition, some National Newspapers/Social Media Platforms have also carried stories accusing the NC members of being placated with Bribe of N28,800,000.00.

“This development has made me very uncomfortable. Having found myself in such an embarrassing situation, I am hereby refunding to the Bank Account of our Great Party at
the PDP National Secretariat.”

On his part, Arapaja wrote, “I observed a malicious story reported in the Nations Newspaper of 26t
September 2022; where it was alleged that members of the National Working Committee were offered humongous amount of money to silent us over an allegation of financial misappropriation to the tune of Fifteen Billion Nara (N15,000,000,000.00).

“This led me to browse through my various alerts, and I discovered a transfer of Thirty-Six Million Naira (N36,000,000.00) from the Party.

“I have my reservation about this money transferred into my account and for personal reasons wish to return it accordingly.”