₦airaland Forum

By Abubakar Ahmadu Maishanu


A clash between the supporters of two governorship aspirants on Saturday disrupted a political ceremony in Kano State.

Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje had inaugurated the executive committee of the All Progressives Congress in Rano local government area, a ceremony which left four persons dead and many others injured.

Mr Ganduje had, at the ceremony, at the Rano Township Stadium, also distributed APC branded vehicles to the new party officials in Kano South senatorial district.

The inauguration of the executive committees followed a court verdict last month that recognised party leaders elected at congresses conducted last year by loyalists of Mr Ganduje at the various levels in the state.

However, a fight broke out at the event between the supporters of Murtala Garo, the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, and those of Kabiru Rurum, a member of the House of Representatives representing Rano, Kibiya and Bunkure federal constituency.

Both men are in the race to succeed Mr Ganduje as Governor on the ticket of the APC in 2023.

One of the deceased victims, Hamisu Abdullahi, popularly known as Aga, was a resident of ‘Kofar Gabas’ in Barkum town of Bunkure local government area.


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One of the deceased victims, Hamisu Abdullahi, aka Aga. (Photo credit family source)


His younger brother, Abba Abdullahi, told PREMIUM TIMES that his remains were buried Saturday night, having died from deep cuts he sustained during the clash.

He said the deceased, a butcher, had suspended his business following a phone call inviting him to attend the political event in Rano.

He left behind a wife and a child, the family source added.

Another victim, Dan-Mamadu Kaura, from Garo town in Kabo local government area, was a local government staffer.

Mahmadu Kaura's lifeless body at a private hospital in Kano photo credit : Associate.

Mr Kaura, a Fulani cattle herder who lived at the outskirts of Garo town, was recently recruited as cleaner by Rimin Gado local government.

Sources said he was at the event on the entourage of the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr Garo.

Residents said the violent confrontation at the stadium was followed by an attack on the Rano General Hospital by armed thugs chasing injured members of the rival group who had been taken to the facility for treatment.

Locals said the situation caused panic among residents and traders around the hospital’s gate.

A hospital source told PREMIUM TIMES that the hospital admitted at least six injured persons and recorded one death, that of a resident of Barkum community (Mr Aga).

A resident of Rano town, Ibrahim Yusuf, said the two other persons killed at the event were not from Rano, but had come from Kano. Mr Yusuf said their corpses were evacuated by the police from the scene after the clash.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how a similar incident occurred in Rano town in 2019 when Mr Ganduje flagged off his re-election campaign.

According to the governor’s new media aide, Abubakar Ibrahim, Mr Ganduje inaugurated the party’s executives in the sixteen council areas of the senatorial district.

He said the governor also presented 16 vehicles to the local government party chairpersons in the senatorial district.

According to the official, the event was attended by the state chairperson of the APC, Abdullahi Abbas, the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, and the member representing Rano, Kibiya and Bunkure federal constituency, Mr Rurum.

Other dignitaries at the event were Kawu Sumaila, a former lawmaker and presidential aide, and Mr Garo, amongst others commissioners and the governor’s aides.

When contacted, the police spokesperson in Kano, Haruna Kiyawa, said he would get back to our reporter over the incident, but he had not done so as of the time of this report.

There is heavy presence of security operatives at the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota, Lagos where some youths proposed to protest for slain Bamise Ayanwole.

The Lagos State Police Command on Monday, confirmed the death of Bamise, who went missing after boarding a Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) service on February 26.

Following the outrage that trailed Bamise’s alleged gruesome murder, some youths vowed to embark on a protest on Tuesday.

In a flier shared on Twitter as seen by The Nation, the youths vowed to storm the Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja and all BRT terminals in Lagos State.

Read Also: #JusticeForBamise: Youths to stage protest for murdered BRT passenger
They also demanded justice for the 22-year-old lady and prosecution of all the suspects involved in the death of the fashion designer.

The Nation observed that men of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps are stationed at the park strategically.

Also operatives of the Department of State Services are among the joint security forces at the venue with scores of patrol vans, heavy anti-riot gun trucks and Black Marias.

No protester has been seen at the venue as of 9:00am when our correspondent filed this report while vehicular movement and business activities continued uninterrupted along the axis.

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Mai Mala Buni, governor of Yobe state and now-ousted chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) caretaker committee, took steps to scuttle the party’s national convention scheduled for March 26, TheCable can report.

Amid the crisis in the ruling party over the national convention, Buni had held on tightly to the position of APC chairman.

TheCable had reported that his desire to stay in office nearly jeopardised plans for the national convention.

The Yobe governor has been feet-dragging on preparations and issues bordering on the convention.

Unknown to members of the party, Buni and John Akpanudoedehe, national secretary of the APC caretaker committee, had hatched a plot to hold on to the control of the party.

TheCable understands that they used a third party to obtain a court order temporarily restraining the ruling party from holding its convention until a substantive suit has been heard and determined.

The suit, filed by one Salisu Umoru at the high court in the federal capital territory (FCT), had the APC and Buni as respondents.

“That the 1st Defendant/Respondent can only conduct its national convention after the hearing and determination of the substantive suit pending before this honourable court,” the court order seen by TheCable reads.

“That in the interest of justice accelerated hearing of the substantive suit is hereby ordered.

“That this matter is hereby adjourned to the 10th day of January 2022 for hearing of the substantive suit at High Court No. 15, Kubwa, FCT-Abuja.”


BUHARI ASKS NIGER GOVERNOR TO REPLACE BUNI

TheCable understands that after learning of Buni’s ploy and the court order, President Muhammadu Buhari directed Abubakar Sani Bello, governor of Niger, to replace the Yobe governor who is currently on a medical trip in Dubai.

A highly-placed source disclosed that the president got to know about the court order a week ago.

“The president asked the Niger governor to replace Buni when he became aware of the document,” the source said.

“Buni and Akpanudoedehe who is the national secretary will have to vacate their offices immediately.”

Speaking with reporters at the APC national secretariat in Abuja on Monday, Bello said he has been acting as the party’s chairman “for a while.”


BUNI OUT IN THE COLD?

TheCable understands that Buhari’s decision on Buni has set off a chain reaction resulting in the isolation of the Yobe state governor by his formerly-sympathetic colleagues.

Muhammad Badaru, Jigawa governor; Nasir el-Rufai, Kaduna governor; Atiku Bagudu, Kebbi governor; and Yahaya Bello, Kogi governor, are believed to have turned their backs on Buni, another source said.

“Buni does not have anybody to speak for him now. The APC governors who supported him have taken sides with Mr President,” the source added.

FRESH facts have emerged as to why the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the government of Oyo State had a brush last week, leading to the institution of a suit before the Federal High Court, sitting in Ibadan. 

Investigations by Sunday Tribune indicated at the weekend that the current Oyo State government is actually not the real target of EFCC’s ongoing investigations. 

The anti-graft body has been striving hard to break the riddle behind the disappearance of N13 billion from the state’s coffers in 2014. 

“The investigations are all targeted at the disappearance of N13 billion from Oyo State in 2014/2015. We got wind of it in 2017 and we have been on it,” a source said. 

The source close to the EFCC said that the incumbent government in Oyo State might just be guilty of “inherited liability” as the agency is still at a loss over the disappearance almost without trace, of the sum of N13 billion from the state’s accounts between 2014 and 2015. 

The desire to unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the huge sum was said to have informed the decision by officials of the anti-graft agency to try and understand the pattern the state regularly adopts in spending of funds captured in its Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) and the security vote. 

The source disclosed that what looked like a probe of the current state authorities was merely a decoy targeted at establishing a possible pattern of spending that led to the disappearance of the huge sum during the administration of the immediate past government in the state. 

“The questions that were being asked and the documents requested from the Accountant General, Alhaji Gafar Bello, were to enable the anti-graft agency understand if there is any clue that can inform it of the established pattern of disbursement and expenditure from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the state that could enable the disappearance of the sum of N13 billion through a commercial bank (name withheld). 

Reports in the traditional media and online in 2017 had indicated that the EFCC got wind of the disappearance of the sum of N13bn through suspicious lodgements in a commercial bank believed by the EFCC to be proceeds of crime and outright diversion of public funds. 

An EFCC official described the missing Oyo State money through some suspicious transactions in a commercial bank as “proceeds of crime, particularly money laundering and outright diversion of public funds.” 

It was gathered that the said money was diverted from Oyo State between 2014 and 2015 and that the money found its way into some secret accounts operated by the top hierarchy of the bank in connivance with officials of the state government. 

Sources said that the top hierarchy of the EFCC was unhappy that years after the discovery of the missing N13 billion, investigators were yet to bring the matter to a substantive close. 

It is the determination to establish the whereabouts of the missing money that informed the need to seek to establish whether there is a regular pattern of spending within the system of the state government, especially the expenditure on security that could leave room to the disappearance of such a huge sum. 

A source in the know said: “The EFCC is concerned about the money that has been missing since 2014. That is why the incumbent Accountant General was being questioned on whether the state usually raises invoices or whether it is in possession of other receipts that cover expenditure of security vote. The intention was not to harass any official but to help provide insights into what could have informed the disappearance of the huge sum.” 

Last week, the EFCC and the government of Oyo State engaged in a face-off which led to the arrest and interrogation of the state’s Accountant General. 

The state government accused the Commission of harassment and dragged the matter before a Federal House Court, sitting in Ibadan.

By Lolade Olu-Ojegbeje



Ukraine has halted the planned evacuation of civilians from Mariupol after it accused Russian forces of breaching the ceasefire that was promised on Saturday.

According to Daily Mail, Ukraine claimed Kremlin forces were pounding Mariupol and near the city of Orikhiv, 96 miles away.

“The Russians are continuing to bomb us and use artillery. It is crazy. There is no ceasefire in Mariupol and there is no ceasefire all along the route. Our civilians are ready to escape but they cannot escape under shelling,” Serhiy Orlov, Mariupol’s Deputy Mayor, told the BBC.

Local authorities have instructed civilians to disperse and return to places of shelter, adding that talks are underway to reimplement a ceasefire and ensure the humanitarian corridor originally agreed on for five hours.

This development comes hours after Russia declared a temporary ceasefire to allow humanitarian corridors out of the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha.

Sodiq Oyeleke


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The General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries, Chibuzor Chinyere, has offered scholarships to two Nigerian security guards seen dancing during work hours in a viral video.

He made the offer while reacting to a Facebook post claiming that the workers were sacked.

In the video, the security guards, known as The Happy Boys, were seen dancing to the ‘You Want Bam Bam’ trending song.

When the video surfaced online, many Nigerians condemned the rumoured sacking of the workers.

“These boys are too young to be working as a security personnel. Anyone with their contacts. I am giving scholarship to school overseas,” he posted.

Meanwhile, Chicken Republic, where the Nigerian work, has denied sacking them in a statement on Friday.

The statement read, “We’d like to thank our loyal followers and customers for the feedback received on the various social media threads.

“As a company, Chicken Republic encourages all staff to have fun at work, and this is evident in the multiple songs, dances and “Nice, Nice!” chants that you will often hear in our stores, whilst you are patronising them.

“It is disappointing that some people may have the impression that Chicken Republic fired these security guards for dancing in our stores, this is not true, and hence we need to set the record straight. We take the safety and security of our customers, staff, and assets very seriously and as such, we outsource our security to various private security companies that specialise in these services.

“When the management of the private security company saw the two security guards dancing in the video, they had concerns that the security officers, whilst dancing, were not necessarily conducting their duties responsibly and as such, were probably not fully focused on their core responsibility, which is, your safety and your security.

“There are always multiple sides to every story, and as a company, we have taken your feedback very seriously. We have followed up with the security company, and they have assured us that the security guards have not been fired, have been paid their dues and have been offered some retraining.

“We value your opinions and have heard you! We can assure you that we are in close communication with the security company and will ensure that everyone is treated fairly and with respect.”

By Muideen Olaniyi

There was confusion, on Friday, when one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s aides said his principal had returned to Abuja.

Bashir Ahmad, a personal aide of Buhari, set tongues wagging when he tweeted that the president, who attended a summit in Kenya, was back in the country.

Buhari was expected to procced to the United Kingdom for a two-week medical check up after the Kenya event.

Femi Adesina, Buhari’s spokesman, had announced the medical trip in a statement issued earlier in the week.

“From Kenya, President Buhari will proceed to London for routine medical checks that will last for a maximum of two weeks,” Adesina had said.

But on Friday afternoon, Ahmad tweeted that Buhari was in Abuja.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Abuja, after his participation in the 50th Anniversary of the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya,” he wrote on Twitter.

Some Twitter users had expressed shock, demanding explanations over the development.

Daily Trust gathered that Buhari returned to the country around 1pm on Friday.

As of the time of filing this report, no official statement had been issued on the change in the president’s itinerary, fueling speculations that the checkup might have been put on hold indefinitely.

This is not the first time that Buhari’s medical trip would be cancelled abruptly.

In June, Buhari’s medical trip to UK was canceled hours before the president was due to travel.

Although no reason was given for the development, Adesina announced it in a statement.

“The medical follow-up visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to United Kingdom earlier scheduled for today, Friday, June 25, 2021. A new date will be announced in due course,” Adesina had said.

Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho has begun negotiations with Benin Republic government over his ‘health status’.

The Nation reports Benin Republic had ‘renewed’ the incarceration of the embattled agitator for another six months.

Checks by The Nation show the 49-year-old agitator has spent over 227 days in Benin Republic prison.

Many supporters have lamented about the continuous detention of Igboho ‘without trial’.

The legal battle to either extradite Igboho to Nigeria or hand him back his freedom has witnessed a series of dramatic twists and turns

Protesting his continued detention, the agitator had dragged the government of Republic of Benin before the ECOWAS Court of Justice.

Igboho reportedly asked the regional court to award him $1million as general damages for each day he had been imprisoned in the country.

But the ECOWAS Court of Justice said that it had not received any matter relating to the trial of Igboho.

Counsel for the detained activist, Chief Yomi Aliyyu in a statement on Thursday titled: ‘Re: Purported release of Sunday Igboho’, said: “Kindly discountenance any news about the release of Chief Sunday Adeyemo or that he is on his way to Germany. It is not true, please.

“With the assistance of a worldwide renowned professor and prof Akintoye and lawyers (Falola and myself), we are negotiating for something more comfortable for him than prison to meet his health demand.

“I advise you to remain calm and prayerful.”

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France seizes yacht linked to Russian oligarch
By The Nation On Mar 3, 2022

France has seized a yacht linked to Rosneft boss Igor Sechin in the Mediterranean port of La Ciotat, the country’s finance minister has said.

In a statement Thursday, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said the vessel was seized overnight as it was being prepared to depart the dock, despite being in need of repairs.

The yacht was owned by a company of which Sechin was identified as being the main shareholder, the statement said.

By Tola Owoyele



Sources in the Ukrainian intelligence have told Ukrainska Pravda that Ukraine’s ex-President Viktor Yanukovych is in Kremlin, Russia’s seat of power, being prepared for a special operation.

The sources said Vladmir Putin plans to replace Voladmyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, with Yanukovych.


Yanukovych is a former Ukrainian president who served from 2010 until he was removed from office during a revolution in 2014.

During Yanukovych’s time in office, Ukraine was seen to be subservient to Russia. The CNN once referred to Putin as ‘Ukraine’s Puppet Master’ while Yanukovych was president in 2014.

Yanukovych rejected a pending European Union association agreement the same year and pursued closer ties with Russia, leading to his exit.

Violent clashes between protesters and Ukrainian forces caused him to flee to southern Russia.

With Yanukovych back in power, Kyiv would lean more towards Moscow than the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or Western Europe, observers say.

By Idowu Isamotu


A former Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, on Wednesday called on Nigerian workers to, as a matter of urgency, quickly wake up and rescue the country from “a few reckless elites in control of the governance process who are running the country aground”.

Jega, a Professor of Political Science, Bayero University, Kano, specifically said the forthcoming 2023 general elections may be the “make or break” epochal moment for Nigeria, depending on actions and inactions of workers.

The former INEC boss, who spoke in Abuja at the 2022 Workers’ Political Conference organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), argued that the sorry state of the socioeconomic conditions under which the Nigerian working people have devastated the Nigerian economy and heightened insecurity.

Jega, who chaired the conference spoke on the theme: “Commitment to National Emancipation and Development through Effective Political Engagement by Nigerian Workers.”

Apparently commenting on the current fuel scarcity, strike action embarked upon by members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), incessant borrowings, among other issues, Jega said Nigeria needs an urgent, serious and positive rescue with the active engagement and involvement of the Nigerian workers.

“Nigeria is, undoubtedly, at a point in its history when the issue of national emancipation for credible national development, beneficial to the Nigerian people, requires being raised high on the front banner of national discourses by patriotic Nigerians and friends of Nigeria, and especially by the Nigerian workers themselves.

“The sorry state of the socioeconomic conditions under which the Nigerian working people, indeed the overwhelming majority of all citizens live and work, the reckless misrule and mis-governance by a tiny, rabid and reckless band of elite, and the manner by which these myopic ‘elected’ so-called ‘leaders’ and their collaborators, have devastated the Nigerian economy, heightened insecurity, and virtually destroyed the basis for national cohesion and integration, Nigeria, as a potentially great nation, is crying for a rescue mission, before it is too late.

“Such a rescue mission cannot be serious, positive and successful, without the active engagement and involvement of the Nigerian workers through their genuine representatives in working class organizations and movements, in alliance with other progressive and patriotic Nigerians,” Jega said.


He added, “Most analysts agree that while Nigeria may not have totally collapsed, it is in the process of collapsing, as reckless elites in control of the governance process are blindly running the country aground. And the 2023 general elections may be the ‘make or break’ epochal moment.

“Given this, all hands of progressive forces need to, have to, to on deck to prevent our country from imminent collapse, and to turn it around on to a trajectory of good democratic governance for beneficial democratic, socioeconomic development, and human security for Nigerian citizens.

“A broad alliance of progressive forces for national rescue and emancipation is absolutely required to get Nigeria out of the current unwholesome predicament in which it finds itself.”

On his part, the President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, lamented that the country had never been like this since democracy returned in 1999, saying the polity is already being overheated ahead of 2023 general elections.

He said, “To say that Nigeria is at political crossroads would not be a statement of alarm. It would be a factual construction of our reality. With 2023 in view, there is a lot of politicking, intrigues and subterfuge in the political space. Every indication shows that the polity is once again being overheated.

“Sadly, as it has become the norm with our cycle of broken politics, the polity is not being heated with questions and answers on how the current political mandate has been used by political office holders.

“The polity is not being overheated with concerns on how the current ruling elites have honoured the socio-economic rights of Nigerians in Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution.

“The polity is not being overheated with new ideas of how politicians can meet the expectations of Nigerians who want constant power to power their potentials, motorable roads, adequate security that will keep us from always looking over our shoulders and living wages that will offer workers a chance at decent living.

“Our country has not always been like this. During the quest for our national independence, the wheel of our collective liberation from the grips of the colonial masters did not turn until the muscles of Nigerian workers were applied.

“The June 1945 nationwide strike action created the big momentum that finally caught the attention of the British colonialists that Nigerians were ready to take their own destiny into their own hands. And what was the fulcrum of our agitation for independence? It was the demand for equality, decent work, and social justice.”

Russian soldiers taking part in the invasion of Ukraine are in ‘complete disarray, according to voice recordings obtained by a British intelligence company.

The intercepted radio messages indicate that troops are refusing to obey central command orders to shell Ukrainian towns and are complaining about running out of supplies of food and fuel.

The recordings are among around 24 hours of material obtained by intelligence firm ShadowBreak since the invasion of Ukraine began last week.

In one of the eavesdropped conversations, listened to by The Telegraph, a soldier reportedly sounded as though he was crying.

In another, a soldier was heard losing his temper when asking when food or fuel would arrive.

He said: “We’ve been here for three days! When the hell is it going to be ready?”

Two Russian troops – believed to be Rafik Rakhmankulov, 19 (left) and Mgomd Mgomdov, 26, from Kizilyurt (right) who were captured by Ukrainian forces in the country’s east.

A third message revealed a tense exchange in which the same soldier had to remind a colleague speaking from a command centre that they could not use artillery on an area until civilians – who were labelled ‘the goods’ – had left.

ShadowBreak’s founder Samuel Cardillo, 26, told The Telegraph he had been sent the messages by amateurs listening in with antennas.

He said: “What we have found is that the Russian operatives are operating in complete disarray.

“They have no clue where they are going and how to really communicate with each other properly.”

He added: “There were periods where we heard them (Russian soldiers) crying in combat, a period where they were insulting each other – obviously not a sign of great morale.’

Cardillo said that some of the messages were also ‘proof of war crimes’ because they revealed order to fire missiles into urban areas.

Other video recordings are said to show Russian soldiers retreating back into Russia after becoming frustrated, whilst a text message sent by a soldier to his mother is alleged to have said: “The only thing I want right now is to kill myself.”

In a further sign that morale may be poor, a senior U.S. defence official told the New York Times on Tuesday that some troops have “deliberately punched holes” in their vehicles’ petrol tanks in the hope of avoiding combat.

Parts of the Russian military are also still using analogue ‘walkie-talkie’ two-way radios, making them more vulnerable to interception.

Ukrainian forces are also said to have had no problem jamming Russian communications and interrupting them with the sound of their national anthem. NAN

By Abubakar Akote, Minna


Bandits have wreaked havoc in Matane, hometown of the Secretary to the Niger State Government, Ahmed Ibrahim Matane.

The village is in Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State, which has recorded multiple attacks in recent times.

Daily Trust gathered that bandits invaded the village on Tuesday, setting shops, houses and other valuables ablaze.

The attackers also invaded Bamba-Lamba community, a few kilometers Eastern Kontagora.

A resident of Bamba-Lamba, Hashimu Ahmed, told our correspondent that the the bandits struck around 5pm and set the entire community ablaze.

“They surrounded the community. I was able to escape to Kontagora town with my family. They set our homes ablaze. We now live in an open place; we need help,” he said.

The State Commissioner of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Internal Security, Emmanuel Umar, confirmed the attack to our correspondent.

He said several houses and shops as well as other belongings were burnt by the bandits.

Umar said he could not confirm the casualties.

The Commissioner explained that the attackers moved from one village to another, noting that security operatives have been on the trail of the bandits since Monday when they blocked Minna-Suleja road.

He said the bandits were frustrated because their only escape route to Zamfara had been blocked by the troops.

The Canadian High Commissioner, Kevin Tokar and a crew of Canadian sailors visited the Oshodi area in Lagos on Tuesday, where they participated in a chess tournament with some children.

Founder of the Chess In Slums Africa initiative, Tunde Onakoya, revealed this via his verified Twitter page on Tuesday.

He said, “On this day in history, the Canadian High Commission visited Oshodi under-bridge.

“We received the Canadian High Commissioner, Kevin Tokar and eight sailors from the HMCS Goose Bay-a Kingston class patrol ship in the Royal Canadian Navy led by Commander Daniel Rice”.

The CISA is a non-profit organisation that uses the game of chess to help youngsters in slum communities realise their full potential through chess training. Its activities are geared towards rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

By Ibrahim Ramalan


Ukraine on Tuesday offered Russian soldiers money and promised them immunity from punishment if they surrender.

“Make your decision. Come out without weapon, with white flag,” Defence Minister Oleksii Resnikov wrote on Facebook.’’

Each soldier was being offered the equivalent of more than 40,000 dollars.

The campaign was reportedly being financed by the international IT industry.

“Anyone who refuses to be an occupationist will bring peace. For those who choose the path of the occupationist there will be no mercy!” said Resnikov.

Whether surrendering Russians will actually receive the money could not be verified.

According to Ukrainian sources, at least 200 Russian soldiers have been captured so far.

In interrogation videos, many have said they believed they were taking part in a manoeuvre but were actually sent to fight in Ukraine.

Russia attacked the neighbouring country on 24, without declaring war.

According to the UN, more than 400 civilians have already been killed.

The Russian army had already fired at least 113 ballistic missiles at Ukraine, according to Ukrainian sources but Moscow vehemently denies attacking Ukrainian civilians.

The Ministry of Defence in Kiev said more than 5,700 Russian soldiers had been killed but again, these figures cannot be independently verified.

Meanwhile, Ukraine listed some 29 aircraft, 29 helicopters and 198 tanks among allegedly destroyed Russian military equipment.

By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja

The Federal Government mulling over the report of the Working Group on National Savings Scheme that has proposed a mandatory savings scheme for all Nigerians between 18 to 50 years of age, as the Federal Government seeks ways of mobilizing funds to boost the national economy.

The Working Group which presented its report to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed in Abuja yesterday advised the government against making it mandatory for corporate bodies to save.

Dr. Ore Sofekun, CEO Foothold Advisors, who presented the report on behalf of the Committee Chairman, Mr. Fola Adeola, said implementing a mandatory national savings scheme was feasible but noted that it has to be driven by incentives, primarily tax.

“The scheme”, according to the group “will be open-ended and considering its medium-term to long-term objective, participants will have the opportunity to decide how their contributions will be invested and will be able to make periodic re-allocations.

“To allow for product diversification and provide savers flexibility and choice, multiple investor risk/return profiles have been designed with corresponding savings products. These products will allow service providers to offer an array of diversified product options tailored to match customer needs. New Government issued savings instruments that have features to protect savers from rising inflation have been recommended and a number of special products have also been proposed with the needs of Nigerians in mind”.

The group also recommended the scheme should be supervised by the Securities and Exchange Commission, starting off as a department in the commission.

“With the Investment and Securities Act (ISA) of 2007 currently being reviewed, a new section should be introduced in the proposed Investments and Securities Bill (ISB) to provide for the establishment of the National Savings Scheme as a mandatory scheme and other related matters. The new provisions in the ISB should be articulated to give the NSS its own advisory board. The governance structure of the Scheme should be robust and transparent with stringent measures in place to ring-fence the assets of the Scheme”, it added.

The Committee suggested a N1.26 billion fund for the take-off of the scheme.
Receiving the report, Mrs. Ahmed thanked members of the committee, which was set-up in May 2020, for their work, saying the government would review the report and come up with a position.

She observed that “mobilization of domestic savings for capital formation and investment remains a critical success factor for harnessing the true growth potential of the Nigerian economy. The just launched Medium-Term National Development Plan 2021-2025 recognizes the role of a deep financial market in supporting the high and sustainable growth the plan aims to attain.

“I hope the proposals made in this report will guide the Government in taking actionable steps to actualize the objectives outlined”, she added.

Earlier, the Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr. Lamido Yuguda explained that the need to establish a National Savings Strategy was outlined in the 10 Years Capital Market Master Plan “as one of the key strategies to enhance capital formation by mobilizing domestic funds for investment to drive rapid economic growth.

“It envisaged the deliberate provision of risk capital as venture capital and private equity that are naira based and more committed to the long-term prosperity of Nigeria as well as create a buffer to the instability created by foreign investors. The CAMMIC commissioned a white paper on a National Savings Strategy and recommended to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning the formation of a Working Group to explore the feasibility of the report findings”, he added.

By Adrian Zorzut, Natalia Penza, The Sun

A Ukrainian sailor sunk his Russian boss’ $7.7 million luxury superyacht in Spain before accusing him of selling weapons to Vladimir Putin.

The yacht, named the Lady Anastasia, is owned by businessman Alexander Mijeev.

Mijeev took over Rostec, a Russian state-owned weapons supplier, in 2016.

The Ukrainian sailor, identified as Taras Ostapchuk, tried to sink his boss’ 156-foot-long plush boat in Majorca by flooding its engine room, according to Majorca Daily Bulletin.

The chief engineer – who had been working on the vessel for more than a decade – opened one valve in the engine room and a second where the crew lived before allegedly telling three workers, also Ukrainians, to jump ship.

He also shut down the electricity and closed the fuel valves.

The yacht was left with a destroyed engine room.

Taras was arrested and later told a Spanish court he blamed his boss for producing the weapons that were being used to attack Ukraine.

The 55-year-old told a judge on Sunday he didn’t regret his actions and “would do it again”.

According to local press, he said: “I watched the news about the war. There was a video of a helicopter attack on a building in Kyiv.”

“The armaments used are produced by the yacht owner’s company. They were attacking innocents.”

Ostapchuk was released on charges. He claims he had no intention of causing harm to life.

He later admitted: “I’ve lost the first battle, which was to sink my Russian boss’s ship but I will win the next one.”

He confirmed he went berserk around midday on Saturday after seeing a helicopter carrying weapons he believes were made by Mijeev’s firm attacking an apartment block in Kyiv similar to one where his family live and have just fled from to hole up in a village nearby.

The Sun Online has contacted Mijeev’s office for comment.

The unrepentant sailor, speaking after being released by a court in Majorca pending an ongoing probe, told island paper Ultima Hora he would be joining the fight against Putin’s soldiers.

He said he would catch a flight to Poland from Majorca this afternoon before getting on a train or bus to the Ukrainian capital.

The luxury boat has five cabins and is 156 feet long.

He told the paper: “I’m going to fight. As soon as I reach the first Ukrainian city I will look for a military commander and ask him if they need me.”

“I told myself: ‘Why do I need a job if I have my country. I had a good job as a head mechanic on the boat and a good salary but I am going to fight for my nation.”

”I am not going to lose my country. I am not a hero, I’m a middle-aged man, but I have a lot of experience as a mechanic.”

“I’ve never held a weapon but if necessary I will. Why not!”

Speaking of the TV footage he was watching on a Spanish news channel that led to him allegedly carrying out the attack on Lady Anastasia, he added: “I live in a very similar building.”

“From my window, I can see the Ukrainian parliament. I was wondering what’s had happened to my house when I saw the footage because its in a very similar position.”

Ukraine has been bombarded with explosions and missiles after it was invaded by Russia on Thursday.

More than 300,000 civilians have fled as shells rained down across the country over the weekend – as the battle for the capital, Kyiv, stretched into a fourth day.

The largest plane in the world – Ukraine’s Antonov-225 cargo plane – was destroyed by Russian strikes outside Kyiv on the fourth day of Moscow’s invasion, Ukraine’s state-owned Ukroboronprom group said Sunday.

“Russian invaders destroyed the flagship of the Ukrainian aviation, the AN-225” at the Antonov airport in Gostomel near Kyiv, the group said in a statement.

The aircraft was unique to the world, at 84 meters long (276 feet) it could transport up to 250 tonnes (551,000 pounds) of cargo at a speed of up to 850 kilometres per hour (528 mph).

It had been named “Mriya”, which means “dream” in Ukrainian.

“This was the world’s largest aircraft, AN-225 ‘Mriya'” Ukraine’ Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted Sunday.

“Russia may have destroyed our ‘Mriya’. But they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state. We shall prevail!”, he added.

Gostomel airport has seen violent clashes since the start of Russia’s invasion, launched by President Vladimir Putin Thursday.

The Russian army has said it is trying to seize strategic infrastructure.

Weapons manufacturer Ukroboronprom estimated that restoring the “Mriya” would cost over $3 billion (2.7 billion euros) and could take over five years.

“Our mission is to ensure that these expenses are covered by Russia, which deliberately inflicted damage on Ukraine’s aviation,” the group said.

Initially built as part of the Soviet aeronautical program, the An-225 made its first flight in 1988.

After years of not flying after the fall of the Soviet Union, the only existing copy made a test flight in 2001 in Gostomel, about 20 kilometres from Kyiv.

It has been operated by Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines for cargo flights and was in high demand during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. (AFP).

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the presidential election will hold on February 25, 2023.

Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, disclosed this on Saturday at a media briefing in Abuja.

He added that the national assembly elections will hold on the same day, while governorship and state house of assembly polls will take place on March 11, 2023.

By Muideen Olaniyi


Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has said reports of preliminary investigation linked some serving police and military personnel to bandits.

He spoke during the weekly briefing organised by the Presidential Communication Media Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

El-Rufai: We Know Where Bandits Are But Someone Has To Go There To Kill Them
Plateau Village heads on the run as bandits close in

Reacting to the suspicion that the security arrangements might have been infiltrated by terrorists, El-Rufai said: “Yes, we’re concerned and it’s not impossible to have infiltrators. As I alluded to when I was answering this question, the preliminary report of (investigation into) Boko Haram financing also showed some links to bandits and pointed to some police and military officers in service as having some communication or connection with the bandits.

“So, there’s always that risks, in any system you have traitors and we’re concerned about that. But till date, we don’t have any firm evidence of that. I think a lot more work needs to be done.

“As I said, we need to pursue the financing and logistics chain of banditry as well because the amount of money these bandits are making is enough to destabilize this country. It’s a lot of money. We only have an idea of what it is because those that make the payments don’t tell us the truth all the time, but we hear from the legal intercepts of the conversations about how much money they are asking for, how much they have received and so on.

“The numbers are mind boggling. It’s a major source of national insecurity and it will grow unless it’s decisively dealt with, he said.

He said if the government could cut off the finances of the bandits, seize their funds, and disrupt the logistic supply chain, 50 per cent of the battle would have been won.

The governor said banditry in the North West was far more serious than the Boko Haram crisis going by the growing number of the people killed and kidnapped.

While advocating simultaneous air and land attack on the terrorists by contiguous states, he said the piecemeal attacks had not been effective enough to curb the spate of kidnapping in the North West.

He said although a simultaneous land and air assault in all affected states might lead to the loss of innocent lives, his administration was willing to risk the collateral damage to secure Kaduna State and its environs.

He said his government had spent close to N21bn over the last seven years on security; while the federal government had reimbursed N100m.

He also said his administration would sack more unqualified secondary school teachers this year as 7,700 had been employed to take over from them.

He said Nigeria would produce its first steel by a private company based in Kaduna after a $600m investment on 143 hectares of land.

Julius Berger Nigeria plc, Setraco Nigeria Limited, China Harbour Engineering Company Nigeria Limited and eight other construction companies, will now manage the nation’s 12 highways on concession basis.

Announcing the successful firms yesterday, Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, said that the process would unlock capital in excess of possibly a trillion naira.

According to him, the process has taken the government two years for the concessionaires to emerge because the government wanted to follow the rules.

“If you have followed the process we are now two years. This is just how long it is. This is how many cooks are required to make the broth. It is a long process but it can also be very rewarding. You have to follow the rules and we have followed all the rules. We are at the point now where we are seeking to unlock capital in excess of possibly a trillion naira if the process succeeds,” he said..

Fashola said that when the government started in 2015, it had a budget of N18 billion

“The fourth sukkuk was N210 billion to be spent on 66 roads. We have innovated and initiated tax credit schemes which have brought in Dangote, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), BUA Group, PZ Industries, all putting their feet into water to contribute in constructing our road infrastructure.”

Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun of the Supreme Court in a unanimous judgment delivered on December 10, 2021, affirmed a judgment of the Court of Appeal, Calabar division, which had earlier upheld a Federal High Court decision that barred the former Minister under late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s administration from occupying public office in Nigeria.

A former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has been barred from holding public office in the country for life.

Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun of the Supreme Court in a unanimous judgment delivered on December 10, 2021, affirmed a judgment of the Court of Appeal, Calabar division, which had earlier upheld a Federal High Court decision that barred the former Minister under late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s administration from occupying public office in Nigeria.

In the Court of Appeal’s judgement on June 1, 2010, Justice A.F.A. Ademola ordered, “1. A declaration is hereby made that the 2nd Defendant undermined and subverted the rule of law, the due administration of justice and integrity of the judiciary in the letters of 8th January, 2008 and 16th February 2009 written by him in the capacity of the Defendant.

“2. A declaration is hereby made that 2nd Defendant is not a competent, fit and proper person to hold office as the 1st Defendant having regards to the oaths of Allegiance and office.

“3. N50,000,000,00 exemplary damages is hereby awarded against the 1st and 2nd Defendants in favour of the plaintiff.
“4. A perpetual injunction is hereby made restraining the 2nd Defendant from occupying/holding the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and public offices in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

But In the matter titled, SC.939/2015, Aondoakaa had asked the Supreme Court to upturn the judgment delivered by Appellate Court on September 3, 2015.

The five-man judicial panel at the Supreme Court, which also awarded N2million against the appellant in favour of the 1st respondent (Emmanuel Obot), were Justices Mary Peter-Odili, Kekere-Ekun, Mohammed Lawal Garba, Ibrahim Saulawa and Emmanuel Agim.
A 58-page certified true copy of the judgment stated that, “The appellant (Aondoakaa), as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to boot was reckless and acted in a manner most unbecoming of the occupant of such an exalted office.”

Aligning with position held by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole in the Court of Appeal judgment, Kekere-Ekun quoted reasons advanced by the lower court in its decision.
Oyewole was of the view that “The fact leading to this appeal captured a most sordid low in administration of justice in this country.

“It is unthinkable that the occupier of the exalted office of Attorney General would subvert the ends of justice, as was crudely done in this case by the appellant. Public office is a sacred trust and an Attorney General should epitomize all that is good and noble in the legal profession. That office should never again be occupied by individuals of such poor quality as the appellant.

“It is ironic that the appellant should approach the same temple he so brazenly desecrated for succor against the consequences of his appalling conduct.

“To restore the dignity of the legal profession and reinforce the confidence of the administration of justice. The Nigerian Bar Association is invited to the facts of this case and the judicial reactions thereto and subject the appellant to its appropriate disciplinary processes.”

The facts prompting the litigations, which had dragged on for 15 years, is traceable to the People’s Democratic Party primary election held in December 2006 for nomination of candidate for Uyo Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State for the general elections of April 2007.

Obot, who emerged winner of the primary election, was substituted with the name of Bassey Etim after he (Obot) was “duly presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the PDP candidate.”

On December 12, 2007, the Court of Appeal, Calabar division in appeal numbered CA/C/45/2007 delivered judgment in favour of Obot, ordering the President of the Court of Appeal to set up a new Tribunal to adjudicate over Obot’s petition in Uyo.

Following a petition he received from Etim, Aondoakaa, in his capacity as the AGF, wrote a letter to the President of the Court of Appeal, urging him not to comply with the decision of the Court of Appeal, Calabar division, which had ordered the constitution of new panel of judges to hear the matter.

Notwithstanding Aondoakaa’s letter, the President of the Court of Appeal went ahead by setting up a new panel of judges in compliance with the order of the court.
The new panel gave judgment on April 18, 2008 that Obot be sworn into the House of Representatives as the member representing Uyo Federal Constituency, and Etim’s appeal to the Court of Appeal was dismissed with an order that INEC should issue Certificate of Return to Obot.

Curiously, though by virtue of Section 246(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the decisions of the Court of Appeal are final regarding appeals emanating from National and State Houses of Assembly elections, the former AGF wrote to the then chairman of INEC, Maurice Iwu, urging him not to obey the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which he described in the letter as “obvious desecration of the institution of the judiciary.”

At the same time, he also wrote to the Speaker of the House of Representatives advising him to disregard the judgment but “to allow the status quo ante to remain until the last word is heard from the Supreme Court.”

Consequent upon Aondoakaa’s letters to the INEC chairman and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Obot was not issued Certificate of Return nor sworn into the office he was elected to serve the people of Uyo Federal Constituency, hence he slammed a law suit on May 15, 2009 against the then AGF in his personal and official capacity at the Federal High Court, Calabar division through his lawyer, Uwemedimo Nwoko (SAN).

Leke Baiyewu


Members of the House of Representatives’ Joint Committees on Customs & Excise; and Banking & Currency on Tuesday clashed over the move to issue a warrant of arrest on the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Customs and Excise, Leke Abejide, had ruled that the warrant be issued on Emefiele over his alleged refusal to answer summons by lawmakers.

The House had on January 27, 2022, asked the CBN to suspend the electronic evaluation and invoicing policy recently introduced in the import and export chain, warning that it might negatively affect revenue collection by the Nigeria Customs Service.

Emefiele was also to appear before the committee to explain the implication of the policy to Customs’ revenue target in 2022.

The resolution was based on Abejide’s motion titled ‘Call on the Central Bank of Nigeria to Suspend the Implementation of the new Guidelines on the Introduction of E-Evaluator, E-Invoicing for Imports and Exports Businesses in Nigeria.’

Moving the motion, Abejide had recalled that the CBN, on January 21, 2022, issued a circular on guidelines on imports and exports businesses in Nigeria, with Reference Number TED/FEM/FPC/PUB/01/001 to take effect from February 1, 2022, 10 days after the issuance of the guidelines.

The lawmaker had said “sudden monetary/fiscal circular hurriedly or half-hazard implemented often leads to policy summersault, hence major policy change such as this, a grace period of 90 days is usually expected for transactions to run their full course to avoid distortion in the economy and price distortions of trade.”

Adopting the motion, the House had urged the CBN to “suspend the policy with immediate effect to enable adequate sensitization on the workability of the policy in all major ports of entry including seaports, airports and border stations.”

The lawmakers also “invite the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to brief the Committee on Customs and Excise, with the assurances that the target revenue of N3.1tn given to the Nigeria Customs Service by the Federal Government of Nigeria, which the NCS announced to the media that they are targeting N4.2tn, will not be distorted by this sudden policy implementation.”

Also, the House urged the CBN to give a 90 days’ timeline for subsequent new fiscal/monetary policy implementation to allow for adjustment in order to stabilise the economy.

At the investigative hearing on Tuesday, Abejide expressed his displeasure with the absence of Emefiele, saying the parliament could not continue to tolerate it; hence, a warrant of arrest should be issued.

While some members of the committee opposed the suggestion, insisting that they must be given an opportunity to express their views on the matter and vote on the next line of action, others alleged that the CBN governor had always ignored invitations from the National Assembly and that he was being shielded by some unnamed lawmakers.

In the midst of the disagreement that ensued, a member, Sada Soli, pleaded for calm and called for an executive (closed-door) session.

Emerging from behind the closed-door after about 10 minutes, Abejide said, “Please, everything has been withdrawn behind closed doors and we resolved to withdraw the warrant of arrest earlier issued against the CBN governor. But if anyone tries to look down on the parliament, we will go ahead.”

“We communicated with him twice; he said we should give him time, that he was having meetings with some governors. Even the director in charge of this guideline is out of the country. He wrote to us officially. They said they didn’t see the second letter that we wrote informing them about this meeting. Now they are aware.

Taiwo Ojoye



No fewer than 74 directors applied for the 10 vacant positions of permanent secretaries declared by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

It was gathered that 37 directors scored 50 per cent and above in the qualifying examination, while 37 scored below 50 per cent, which led to their disqualification.

A circular obtained from the OHCSF with reference number HCSF/PS/CMO/154/I/70 and signed by Olusola Idowu on behalf of the Examination Committee, explained that the 37 directors, who passed the examination, would sit an ICT proficiency test on Thursday in Abuja.

The circular read in part, “The invited candidates are to note that the ICT proficiency test will take place on Thursday, February 24, 2022 by 8am at the Muhammadu Buhari Centre, National Intelligence Agency, Asokoro.”

The OHCSF had announced that it was seeking suitable candidates to fill up the vacancies in the Office of the Solicitor-General of the Federation and other permanent secretaries, who were scheduled to retire by 2022.

While the solicitor-general also serves as the Permanent Secretary of the Federation, other vacancies include permanent secretaries for Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Cross River, Jigawa, Plateau, Sokoto and Taraba states.

The Head of Service had explained that the eligibility criteria to participate in the exercise would include officers in the mainstream Federal Civil Service, who had attained the position of substantive directors on Salary Grade Level 17 on or before January 1, 2020, and had updated their records on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System verification portal, and were from the states listed above and were not retiring earlier than December 31, 2023.

“In addition, all legal officers in the mainstream of the Federal Civil Service from all the states of the federation, who have attained the position of substantive director on Salary Grade Level 17 on or before January 1, 2020 and are not retiring from service earlier than December 31, 2023 are eligible to participate in the exercise,” Idowu stated.

A human rights lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi has said Nigerians have the right to sue celebrities who mislead into patronising fraudulent brands.

Olajengbensi on Tuesday said celebrities cannot claim innocence when companies they endorse and promote as genuine end up swindling customers.

According to him, it is immaterial whether or not the promoter intended the outcome as the law will still find such a brand ambassador liable should something go wrong.

He said, "Often, the Brand Ambassadors are either seen consuming the products or making representations to the public that the organisation they are promoting have been tested and trusted.

"Relying on this, many innocent members of the public believe and act on the representation of the so-called celebrity and many times, suffer grievous damages to their health or risk the loss of their funds by trusting the brands. By virtue of investing in an organisation which a celebrity Brand Ambassador had advertised and held out as genuine, members of the public become victims of misplaced trust. In view of this, it is essential that both the Brand Ambassadors and the general public understand their duties and liabilities under the extant laws.

"To start with, a person found wanting in this regard may be guilty of misrepresentation. From whatever angle one looks at the capacity of those advertising on behalf of the organisation; Brand Ambassadors, Face of Organisation, promoter or agent, one thing is certain; they are making representations to the public and should the representations turn out to be the adverse of what they represented, they shall be held liable for misrepresentation.

"'Misrepresentation' is defined by Black's Law Dictionary, Eighth Edition to mean, "The act of making a false or misleading assertion about something usually with the intent to deceive. The word denotes not just written or spoken words but also any other conduct that amounts to false assertion".

"Misrepresentation is the act of inducing someone to do what they ordinarily wouldn’t have done. The essential elements herein are that the representation was made and that an innocent party acted on the representation which resulted in a loss.

"It is immaterial whether or not the representor intended the outcome. This is because the Supreme Court in Afegbai v. A.G Edo State & Anor. (2001) LPELR-193 (SC) has stated that the state of mind, knowledge or belief of the representor is immaterial in determining whether or not there is a misrepresentation.

"Secondly, a Brand Ambassador shoulders the responsibility which is in tandem with the responsibility of a promoter. By virtue of Section 61 and 62 of the Company and Allied Matters Act, their liability is not only to the public but even to the organisation they represent.

"In a similar view, under both Criminal and Penal Codes, whoever induces another to do what they wouldn't have wilfully done is said to have committed cheating if such inducement resulted in the loss of pecuniary or proprietary rights. See Section 320 1(b) of Penal Code.

"Consequently, it goes without saying that a celebrity who holds himself out as an agent, promoter or ambassador of a company and misled members of the society to believe in a state of affairs which turn out false, is guilty and liable upon conviction. It is not a defence that the so-called ambassador had a good motive, what the law looks into is the existence of a wrongful misrepresentation which the public acted upon and which resulted in damages."

SaharaReporters recently reported how some Nigerians called on security operatives to arrest some celebrities, including David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, Divine Ikubor, known professionally as Rema, and Williams Uchemba for endorsing and advertising a Ponzi scheme company, RackSterli, which has allegedly defrauded many people.

“I wanna introduce you guys to one of the biggest investment platforms in Nigeria. There are a lot of opportunities over there… It has been very, very reliable for the past six months. We’ve had great recommendations,” Davido said in one of the videos seen by SaharaReporters.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said on Monday, that the microblogging site, Twitter, is expected to open its Nigerian office before the end of March 2022.

The minister, who disclosed this when he appeared on a radio progarmme, the Radio Link, in Abuja, said the move is part of the agreement the company reached with the Federal Government last year to have the ban imposed on it lifted.

He said: “Twitter also agreed to comply with all payable taxes, as they are operating under Nigerian laws and this they agreed to do within one week of restoring their operations.

”Twitter agreed to immediately work with the Federal Government in the area of code of conduct, that was in line with global best practices

“Twitter agreed to immediately enroll Nigerians in its law enforcement portals and Partners Support Portal.

“The law enforcement portal will provide dedicated channels for the Nigerian law enforcement agencies to escalate reports on contents that violate the code of conduct or national laws.

“Similarly, the partner support portal provides a direct channel for government to engage Twitter staff to manage prohibited contents.”

According to him, other social media platforms operating in the country will be expected to follow suit in due course, as the government vowed to ensure that only wholesome content was allowed to pass through the platforms henceforth.

Mohammed maintained that the government’s intention to regulate social media was borne out of the desire to sanitise social media and not to stifle the freedom of speech and expression or strangulate the media as some people might believe.

He said: “We are going to regulate the social media not because we want to stifle the media or we want to violate the right of expression. We want to ensure that only wholesome contents are available on social media.

“Recently, we were all shocked when an 18-year old boy, accused of killing his 21-year old girlfriend for money rituals, confessed that he learnt the diabolical act on social media. The teenager, in collaboration with his friends, cut off the head of the victim and was burning it in a pot when they were apprehended.”

“The government has the responsibility to ensure that social media platforms were responsible and the contents they displayed are not harmful to young people, as well as the unity of the country,” he said.

He reiterated that relevant laws and the broadcasting code would be amended to ensure that the agreement reached with Twitter was applicable to other social media platforms.

By Abbas Jimoh


Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the old generation of Nigerians, especially politicians to give way for the younger breeds in the building of a prosperous Nigeria.

He said this at the 2022 annual lecture of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation (MMF).

The programme, which held on Monday, had as its theme, “Beyond Boko Haram: Addressing Insurgency, Banditry and Kidnapping across Nigeria”.

Former Head of State, Murtala Muhammed, was killed, aged 37, along with his aide-de-camp, Lieut. Akintunde Akinsehinwa, on February 13, 1976, in a failed coup.

Obasanjo said rather than compete, the older generation should collaborate with the younger ones and provide them with the requisite knowledge and experience to transform the country for the better.

Obasanjo was responding to a comment in the keynote address by Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, who said he was in primary school when the late Murtala and Obasanjo directed the affairs of the country.

“We need to have an intergenerational collaboration. Fayemi said he was in primary school when Murtala-Obasanjo were there. So, if people of Murtala-Obasanjo are competing with you, as governor then something is wrong.

“Murtala-Obasanjo group should be stepping aside. Whatever experience and knowledge you have, we should be able to give it to you and should be able to give it to those coming after you, so that whatever you have you are passing it down to those of you who are coming behind not to start competing with you but make you have access to what would make you Nigeria better you find it,” Obasanjo said.

On her part, the Chief Executive Officer of the foundation and daughter of the late military Head of State, Dr. Aisha Muhammed Oyewole, pledged the commitment of the organisation to improving the socio-economic development of Africa in line with the ideals of her late father.

She said, “We have made notable impacts in the lives of people, especially the marginalized, disadvantaged, and vulnerable in addition to contributing to promoting good governance and empowerment.”

Delivering the keynote, Fayemi said an all-encompassing social compact had become an urgent imperative in Nigeria’s quest to look beyond Boko Haram towards an all-around national rebirth.

“Looking beyond Boko Haram, the clarion call to us as Nigerians is clear: In the face of a broken socio-economic fabric that has generated so much anguish, despair, and distrust among us, we must step back and summon that Nigerian genius that is innate in us in order to reimagine our country and reinvent our vision of oneness.

“To do this, it is evident to me that the time has come, and it cannot be postponed, for a new compact to be forged between state and society whose centerpiece must be an inclusive and expansive project of human security in our land.

“Clearly, the leadership in the most affected state in the North East has been up to the task in terms of its response to forging a new compact between state and society. Yet, in spite of the best efforts of my brother, Governor Babagana Zulum and his government following in the footsteps of former Governor Kashim Shettima, it’s clear that what is required is a comprehensive national response, not an isolated state strategy,” Fayemi said.

Charleys:
You saw her uterus outside.
You saw the Uterus of A 16 year old girl outside....


I don't believe you.
Short and simple.

There are so many underage kids in the north giving birth and no one sees Their Uterus outside

Residents of Gpekure, Makuba and Galapai communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State are still in shock over the killing of some civilians and security operatives.

Daily Trust had reported how lives were lost when operatives who were on a rescue mission ran into explosives planted by insurgents/bandits.

Mohammed Ibrahim, a Civil Defence Commander, was among those killed in the tragic incident.

Commenting on the attack, Emmanuel Umar, Niger State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, said, “We lost four of our security personnel who were in our security vehicle that ran on the bomb.

“I and other security agencies are yet to get to the point where the explosion took place because we are waiting for the bomb experts to inform us of the safety of the areas before we can go there.”

The Police Public Relations Officer in Niger, Wasiu Abiodun, gave details of the attack in a statement.

“The Niger State Police Command wishes to confirm that on 21/02/2022 at about 0100hrs, armed bandits/terrorists attacked Galadima-Kogo village, Shiroro LGA killing about six persons and set some houses ablaze.”

“However, joint tactical teams comprised of the Military, Police, NSCDC and Vigilantes were mobilised to the scene, and unfortunately while on their way, a truck with NSCDC personnel ran into an Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) planted by bandits/insurgents along the routes and exploded.

“Consequently, as a result of the IED explosion, four NSCDC personnel lost their lives, while the driver sustained serious injuries and presently receiving treatment in a hospital, in Minna.”

He said commissioner of police had deployed the Police Explosive Ordinance Unit (EOD) to sweep the area with a view to defuse other IEDs that might have been planted in the area.

Niger is one of the states being affected by the high wave of insecurity in the country.

Boko Haram insurgents have reportedly taken over some communities in the state, hoisting their flag.

Different communities in Niger are also under siege.

UNLESS reason prevails and major stakeholders in the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) act cohesively, a fresh crisis capable of making a major bloc of the aggrieved to break away is looming, Sunday Tribune can report. 

APC had been enmeshed in a web of intra-party schisms precipitated by power play over the control of power levers in the party ahead of 2023 elections. 

Sunday Tribune reliably gathered that a lot is dependent on the outcome of party’s national convention scheduled for this weekend, even as contending forces are readying their troops to go all out for a win. 

It was gathered that overt moves by a cabal close to the presidency to scuttle the presidential aspiration of one of the gladiators is escalating tension in the party. Multiple sources said should the cabal win the battle, the losing side will resort to its Plan B which is to dump APC for another platform. 

The aggrieved camp, it was learnt, has opted to promote the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as the platform to realise the aspiration of its members if they are shut out of APC. “The choice of SDP is not fortuitous. It was borne out of the party’s rich history in the country’s democratic journey. They settled for an existing party because of the hurdles the other side may place in their way if they want to register a new party. 

“Just recently, we got to know that the National Assembly in the new Electoral Act Amendment Bill forbids INEC from registering a new party before 2023 elections. These people appear to be ahead of their competitors in terms of strategy,” said a source in the party. 

Sunday Tribune gathered that the decision of the erstwhile governor of Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni, to rescind his decision to get the guber ticket of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), after dumping PDP, and opt for SDP is intricately connected to the grand plan. 

“Oni was convinced that APGA is only popular in Anambra State and not even in the whole of the South-East. The party will not resonate with the electorate in Ekiti. So, he was told to consider SDP which the people of Ekiti and South-West will easily connect with. 

“He is not going to do it for the fun of it because he has been promised some cash backing to further energise his campaign and ensure SDP puts forward a strong showing in Ekiti gubernatorial election,” the source said. 

The grand plot to use SDP, it was gathered, is not solely an agenda from the South of the country, as aggrieved APC members from the North are also keying into it. 

A source told Sunday Tribune that even those who may lose out in the power game in the opposition PDP, following what was described as the “vice grip of its governors on the party structure” are already being wooed to join the movement to SDP. A former vice chancellor of a federal university in the North-Central part of the country is said to be coordinating efforts at birthing a third force to APC and PDP, although Sunday Tribune could not confirm as of the time of this report if the plan fits into the SDP agenda. 

Meanwhile, uncertainty has dogged the planned national convention of the APC, about a week to the make-or-break event. As of yesterday, the APC has yet to constitute a convention committee and the sub-units that will work together to organise the exercise. 

Among others, issues of zoning of party offices and finding appropriate candidates endorsed by the leader of the party, President Muhammadu Buhari, are yet to be resolved. 

Buhari is expected to return to the country today after his trip to Belgium for the EU-AU summit and he is expected to meet the APC governors on Monday night

by Jonathan Nda-Isaiah



A fresh video footage obtained in connection with the 25kg drug smuggled into the country from Brazil via Ethiopia has contradicted claims of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) concerning the alleged involvement of suspended deputy commissioner of police Abba Kyari.

The NDLEA had linked Kyari alongside four others in connection with the cocaine said to have arrived at the Enugu International Airport.

NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, had accused Kyari and the four others of being members of a drug syndicate.

The police had also issued a statement signed by its deputy spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, afterwards saying the five policemen tampered with exhibits in a case of illicit drug trafficking.

The police said after investigations, they were able to identify two international drug couriers identified as Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus, who were arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu on January 19, 2022 upon their arrival from Addis Ababa aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET917.

The two suspects were subsequently transferred to the NDLEA on January 25.

However, investigations have shown that only four police officers from IRT were involved in the arrest of the suspects and the drugs.

It was reliably gathered that, the four police officers ran into trouble for being unable to get compensation from NDLEA for the whistleblower, as is always the case, having promised him he would receive full compensation, an agreement the whistleblower undertook to reveal the arrival of the drugs into the country.

The head of the four police officers who went to Enugu for the operation subsequently contacted Abba Kyari if he knew any senior officer in the NDLEA so he could help get the whistleblower his compensation.

According to a highly placed police source, Kyari, acting on the fact that the four officers were under his control and moving to assist, accepted and called one of them, who was seen in the car with him.

They met two times according to the reliable source, with the second meeting showing a photograph of Kyari standing near the NDLEA officer’s SUV.

The source disclosed further that the NDLEA had in their custody the two suspects and the drugs since January 22 but never proceeded with the case and only came out with the news declaring Kyari wanted in their bid to absolve the agency’s men who are complicit in the deal.

The source at the police headquarters revealed that Kyari alongside three other agents of the IRT were called into the headquarters on Saturday to enable the police carry out its investigation.

The police kept the four men until Monday to the full knowledge of the NDLEA, the source hinted.

He added that Kyari and the three others were actually with the police at the force headquarters when the NDLEA declared them wanted, raising concern about the motive of declaring people ostensibly under custody wanted.

While the NDLEA acted what the source described as a script, they were unaware of the videos of interrogation that had been kept secret by the IRT officers who after arresting the two drug peddlers made a video of the proceeding.

“As if the policemen knew, the videos of their interrogation with the two drug suspect were not released to the NDLEA but kept secret because the suspect had indicted officers of the NDLEA, the source who released the video explained.

The agency’s men both in Enugu Airport and Abuja allegedly became angry at Kyari’s intervention and his bid seeking compensation for the whistleblower and moved to accuse him of being a part of the drug syndicate, he added.

“Kyari did not know anything about the drugs. He did not take part in their arrest. He didn’t even hear it. He was only called by the head of the team to help use his good offices to talk to the NDLEA senior officer so that the whistleblower can be paid.

“It’s what the police do. All serious security agencies do that in Nigeria and across the world. It’s even a policy of this government to use whistleblowers.

“The NDLEA officers in Enugu Airport got angry and contacted their colleagues in Abuja. They became uncomfortable with the demand to be compensated and decided to act funny.

“Do you know the video showing Kyari and the NDLEA officer in the car is not complete? They tempered with the video. Let them show complete video and what they discussed.

“The money was handed over to Kyari to give to his men to compensate the whistleblower but he said no, he was not interested. That was why he handed over the money to him. It was a clear set up but if the complete video is released, how the money was given to Kyari would be revealed,” the source said.

The source who revealed the video of the interrogation queried;

“Why would the police interrogate the drug peddlers and then turn around to sell the drugs. Why would they hand over the men to the NDLEA if they wanted to sell the drugs?”

Meanwhile in the obtained video, the suspects alleged that they were helped to beat security check at the airport by compromised NDLEA officials who were given their photographs before arrival.