US Visa Drop Box provision no longer available in Nigeria
The drop box visa processing option is no longer available for US visa applicants in Nigeria, marking a significant shift in the visa renewal process.
Nairametrics sources confirm that the service, which previously allowed eligible applicants to renew their visas without an in-person interview, has been quietly removed from the appointment booking system.
While the US Embassy in Nigeria has yet to issue an official statement on the change, applicants attempting to schedule visa renewals have reported that the drop box feature is no longer an option on the appointment booking platform.
Appointment backlogs Applicants who spoke to Nairametrics stated that they have not been able to access the platform suggesting that it may have been removed.
However, Nairametrics sources confirm the feature may have been removed as a slew of executive orders from Donald Trump started to impact the world.
This development is coming amid a backlog of visa applications, with many applicants waiting months to secure drop box appointments before this removal.
Some even reported waiting nearly a year to get a physical appointment, adding to the frustration of an already tedious process. This change comes at a time when many applicants had already been struggling with long wait times—some as long as a year—to secure an in-person visa appointment.
As of January, dropbox appointment slots were unavailable in Lagos, pushing many applicants to seek alternatives in Abuja. Now, with the complete removal of the drop box feature, all applicants will have to go through in-person interviews, returning to the process that was in place before 2020.
What you should know
The drop box (Interview Waiver) program in Nigeria was initially introduced to ease the visa renewal process by allowing certain applicants to submit their documents without attending an in-person interview at the US Embassy or Consulate.
To qualify, applicants had to meet specific criteria, including:
Having a prior US visa that expired within the last 24 months.
The previous visa must have been issued in Nigeria as a full-validity, multiple-entry visa. Applying for the same visa classification as the prior approved visa.
No record of overstaying, working without authorization, or having criminal convictions in the US.
In August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Department of State expanded eligibility, allowing those whose visas expired within 48 months to apply through the drop box system.
This measure aimed to streamline visa renewals and reduce in-person interactions amid pandemic restrictions.
However, the drop box service in Nigeria has faced previous suspensions. In 2018, during Donald Trump’s first administration, the US government removed the option, citing concerns over visa overstays by Nigerian travellers.
At the time, the US mission mandated in-person interviews for all applicants, leading to longer processing times and delays in securing visa appointments.
With the recent removal of the drop box feature, Nigerians applying for US visas will now revert to full in-person interviews, adding to the already extended wait times for visa appointments. This policy shift may significantly impact business travelers, students, and frequent visitors who previously relied on the drop box system for faster renewals.
Over 150 women raped during Congo prison break, U.N. says Hundreds of people can be seen escaping from the prison in a video as plumes of black smoke billow nearby and what sounds like gunshots ring out.
At least 165 women were raped by male inmates after a mass breakout from a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said, citing officials in the central African nation.
After fighters from the M23 rebel group advanced toward the eastern city of Goma the U.N. said inmates at the Muzenze prison took advantage of the chaos and started to escape on Jan. 27.
In a video posted to X and verified by NBC News, hundreds of people can be seen escaping from the prison as plumes of black smoke billow nearby and what sounds like gunshots ring out.
“DRC officials report that at least 165 women were raped by male inmates during the mass prison break,” the United Nations said in a report four days later.
Vivian Van de Perre, the United Nations’ representative for the DRC, said in a briefing from Goma on Wednesday that the situation was “still highly volatile” in the city, which is home to around 2 million people.
Many residents were fleeing the city because “the conditions are really, really dire ... and we are actually afraid of health outbreaks in our camps, for the people that we are sheltering, but also for ourselves,” she said.
She added that the U.N. had been “unable to verify firsthand all the numbers and exactly what transpired” at the prison due to the situation in Goma.
Her comments came as farther south, Rwandan-backed M23 rebels moved into mining town of Nyabibwe, in an apparent violation of a unilateral ceasefire the group announced on Monday.
The capture of Nyabibwe takes the rebels a step closer to the provincial capital, Bukavu, some 40 miles south, a city the rebels said last week they had no intention of capturing.
Congo accuses Rwanda of using the M23 to pillage valuable mineral deposits. Rwanda says it is acting in self-defense and to protect ethnic Tutsis.
M23's capture of Goma last week displaced hundreds of thousands of people and fanned fears of a wider regional war.
On Friday, the U.N.'s Human Rights Office (OHCHR) warned that the escalation could lead to the increased use of sexual violence as a weapon of war by rival armed groups, which has long fueled the conflict in eastern Congo.
Reports that 52 women were raped by Congolese troops in South Kivu, including alleged reports of gang rape, were verified by the OHCHR on Friday.
The DRC's government launched an action plan to combat sexual violence by members of the military in 2014, but a report by the U.N. five years later found that perpetrators of sexual violence could still act with
Last year, Doctors Without Borders, the aid group also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, reported that it had treated over 25,000 survivors of sexual violence across the DRC in 2023 — the highest number it had ever recorded in the country.
Paraman: Peter obi will never become the president or vice president of Nigeria.
You know in life, whatever you wishes one negatively comes to you too. Obi, Tinubu, Atiku, Buhari etc, are all made men....Presidency is just an addition. What about you Paraman? Do you have atleast balance of 100k in your bank account as you are reading this.....are you sure you can still make it in life? Becareful what you wish others.
We Won’t Accept Tinubu’s Directive To Reinstate Obasa As Lagos Speaker, Says Lagos APC Governance Advisory Council Member
Obasa was on January 13, 2025, removed by a majority of lawmakers over alleged misconduct, abuse of office, and financial misappropriations.
Muraina Akanbi Taiwo, a member of the Governance Advisory Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, has stated that the impeached Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, will not be reinstated, despite a directive from President Bola Tinubu.
The GAC is the highest decision-making body of the Lagos APC.
The Peoples Gazette on Sunday reported that President Tinubu had instructed members of the Assembly to prepare for the reinstatement of Obasa.
Obasa was on January 13, 2025, removed by a majority of lawmakers over alleged misconduct, abuse of office, and financial misappropriations.
Obasa was subsequently replaced by former deputy speaker, Mojisola Meranda.
In a statement sent to Peoples Gazette on Wednesday, Taiwo was quoted as saying the moves to reinstate the impeached speaker would be rejected, despite their loyalty to President Tinubu.
“Loyalty to Mr President, the cause, and the leadership of the party remains paramount, but democracy must take its course,” the GAC member was quoted as saying.
“As the Qur’an states in Surah Al-Imran (3:26): ‘Say, O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and take sovereignty away from whom You will.
“You honour whom You will and humble whom You will. In Your hand all is good. Indeed, You are over all things competent.
“What will be, will be. We can only pray for Allah’s guidance and wisdom as we move forward.”
He added that the removal of Obasa was long overdue and in the state's best interest, as assembly members have stated that his leadership style had negatively impacted their performance in various constituencies.
According to him, the leadership change in the Lagos State House of Assembly “may not have been a hasty decision but one borne out of deep frustration and necessity”.
“Having attended two meetings where members spoke openly and emotionally, I witnessed firsthand the weight of their grievances.
As Monday Meeting Ends In Stalemate “They detailed the enormous challenges they faced under the former speaker—challenges that seem to have drained their motivation and hindered their performance as lawmakers,” he added.
SaharaReporters recently reported how Lagos lawmakers apologised to President Tinubu for unilaterally initiating the impeachment process against Obasa.
The apology followed a directive given by GAC leadership during one of its meetings with the Assembly members at the Lagos House, Marina on Monday night.
The meeting also had in attendance Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat.
“Members of the GAC after many disagreements among themselves directed the lawmakers to write two apology letters to the President. It is obvious that the lawmakers didn’t want Obasa reinstated but it seems the President really wants him back. Also, GAC members are divided on the matter,” a source at the meeting had said.
"I want to believe that apart from the reasons the President gave, I think he took that decision to avoid the state plunging into a crisis. Also, the President directed that the former Speaker be reinstated to check the excessiveness of the lawmakers. You know they removed the lawmakers without carrying some leaders of the party along.
"So, they were told to write two apology letters to the President which they instantly wrote. The first letter was to apologise for making the wrong move of impeaching the Speaker without informing the leaders of the party. In the letter, they promised to commute the removal of Obasa to resignation.
"The second letter was written by lawmakers from Lagos West to the President. In the letter, they accepted Hon. Mojisola Meranda as the Speaker of the House and told the President they would be disregarding the zoning formula. They expressed their willingness to allow her complete her term. Out of the 20 lawmakers from Lagos West, 17 signed the letter.”
‘I Can Now Take Care Of My Nine Children Properly’, FFK Says After Acquittal
Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe who freed the ex-minister held that the EFCC failed to establish a prima facie case against him.
Former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK) has expressed relief following the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s acquittal in a medical forgery case against him.
He said, “I thank God for my family and my children. Four criminal cases by the EFCC in the space of the last 18 years has been quite an ordeal for me because it hurt my family, my career, my business, my everything.
“So, today, we got the fourth and final one done. By the grace of God, I can now live my life, face my family, take care of my children properly, my nine
Earlier on Tuesday, a Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, the Lagos State capital, acquitted and discharged Fani-Kayode of the charge of medical forgery levelled against him.
Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe who freed the former minister while delivering ruling on the no case submission filed by his counsel held that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against him.
The court upheld the no case-submission filed by his counsel, Norrison Quakers (SAN) and ruled that Fani-Kayode had no case to answer as the EFCC did not link him to the offence.
In her ruling, Justice Abike-Fadipe said that the prosecution failed to present the defendant’s associates who collected money from him or the lawyer who claimed that the defendant had instructed his law firm to take the medical reports to the Federal High Court.
Before the court, Fani-Kayode was facing a 12-count charge brought against him by the EFCC following his alleged use of forged medical report(s), which he tendered before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he was being prosecuted by the EFCC for an alleged N4.9billion fraud.
The former minister, however, denied the allegations.
Ogun state government suspends monarch for humiliating 73-year-old man, as police summon him
The Ogun State Government has ordered suspension of a traditional ruler Olorile of Orile Ifo Oba Abdulsemiu Ogunjobi who publicly humiliated a 73 year old man and rained curses on him in a viral video.
Penpushing reports the suspension of the 43-year old monarch was announced on Monday, as Ogun State Police Command summoned Ogunjobi for questioning and subsequent investigation into the incident was launched by the police authorities.
The source from government quarters, on Monday disclosed that the traditional ruler was suspended for six months for alleged public assault, adding that the action by the authorities was taken in a bid to ensuring dignity of persons and for the protection of sanctity of the revered traditional institution..
Penpushing further reports that the siurce who doesn’t want his name in print added the royal father was seen as exhibiting uncivil conduct not befitting the status of a royal stool, explaining that the decision to suspended him after he and his victim were invited by the Commissioner, Ministry of Local Govt and Chieftaincy Affairs for interrogation.
The source added that this became imperative as a result of the reckless utterances and public misconduct of the monarch as it was evident in the social media and being bandied in the larger public space,disclosing that after the investigation conducted on the matter, the monarc has been suspended and stripped of the paraphernalia of the stool pending the determination of his culpability or otherwise on the allegation.
Penpushing also reports that source stated that foregoing decision was reached by the Ministry in conjunction with the Egba Traditional Council in accordance with Section 52(1) of the Obas and Chiefs’ Law of Ogun State 2021.
The Ogun State Police Command in similar vein said it has taken cognizance of a disturbing video circulating on social media, in which an elderly man, Areola Abraham was seen prostrating while being subjected to verbal abuse and assault by Oba Abdulsemiu Ogunjobi, the Olorile of Orile Ifo.
Penpushing reports that the police in a statement stated that given the gravity of the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, has ordered a thorough and discreet investigation into the matter, and further assures to adhere to the rule of law and fundamental human rights principles in the instant case.
The statement disclosed that both parties reported at the State Criminal Investigation Department Eleweran, and their statements were obtained,emphasizing that the Command unequivocally condemned any form of assault, harassment and violence regardless of the individuals involved.
Penpushing further reports that the statement emphasised that the command will ensure that justice is served and members of the public will be abreast of relevant updates in due course.
[quote]VIIRAL VIDEO: Ogun Traditional Ruler Humiliates, Assaults 73-Year-Old Man, Says ‘You’ll Die And Go Blind; I Own Nigerian Police, I’ll Send You To Jail’
The traditional ruler was heard insulting and hurling abuses at the elderly man, accusing him of betraying his rulership.
A shocking video has surfaced online showing a 73-year-old man, identified as Chief Abraham Areola, being humiliated and assaulted by a traditional ruler, Olorile of Orile Ifo in Ogun State, Oba Semiu Ogunjobi.
The 2-minute video captured one of the monarch’s aides snatching the elderly man’s cap as he knelt disoriented, while another struck him from behind, despite his polite attempts to ask what he had done wrong.
The traditional ruler was heard insulting and hurling abuses at the elderly man, accusing him of betraying his rulership.
The traditional ruler said: “You are a conspirator and a betrayer. Your children will not succeed. It will never be well with you, your wife and your children. You will continue to live in abject poverty. You will die and you will turn blind. Whoever thinks he is courageous enough should come out to face me. The entire Ifo land belongs to me.”
“I will send you to prison. I own the entire Nigeria Police Force. I will send you to prison. Even if you die, we shall bury you and nothing will happen and nobody will even know,” the traditional ruler threatened.
In an interview with The PUNCH, the victim said that the traditional ruler had threatened him with death, despite being unaware of his alleged offence. The monarch, however, denied being the person seen humiliating the elderly man in the video during a separate interview with PUNCH Metro on Sunday.
However, sources within the community, the victim, and Emmanuel Ojo, the Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, confirmed the monarch’s identity in a post condemning the video.
Emmanuel Ojo also condemned the incident in a post shared on his various social media handles.
He said the incident stemmed from a kingship supremacy dispute.
The governor’s aide wrote: “I came across a disturbing video online showing Chief Arinola Abraham Love (JP) being subjected to public humiliation and physical assault.
“In the video, he was seen kneeling on the road while being slapped and verbally abused by someone identified as Ọba Semiu Olawale Ogunjobi, the Oloorile of Orile Ifo.
“This incident reportedly stemmed from a kingship supremacy dispute.
“The king allegedly took offence at Chief Arinola Abraham Love’s perceived support for a coronet Oba named Wasiu (as mentioned in the video). In response, he confronted the elderly man in his area and treated him in a manner unbefitting of a traditional ruler.
“Such an act is highly condemnable and completely unjustifiable, regardless of the underlying issues.
“There are more dignified and lawful ways to address disputes, especially among traditional leaders. Resorting to force, assault, and public humiliation is unacceptable and must be strongly denounced.”
Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, berated the action of the traditional ruler.
“This will be investigated, and if proven to be true, necessary action will be taken,” he said.
The Oba has been invited and interrogated today by the command. The matter is being looked into for justice to prevail. Nobody can claim to be controlling the NPF. Justice must be served by all means. Thanks. pic.twitter.com/PBwMTHDnHZ
Trump’s FBI director pick says U.S. SEAL Team Six rescued American hostage from northern Nigerian bandits within 60 seconds
Mr Patel was the brain behind the rescue operation.
President Donald Trump’s nominee for the FBI director, Kash Patel, on Thursday, said the U.S. SEAL Team Six spent only 60 seconds in rescuing a kidnapped American citizen who had been kept hostage in northern Nigeria.
Mr Patel stated this during his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate on January 30, 2025.
He was grilled about his role in the secret operation to rescue Philip Walton, a 27-year-old son of American missionaries who had been kidnapped by armed bandits from the neighbouring Niger and moved to northern Nigeria for ransom.
“The operation lasted for 60 seconds,” Mr Patel told the U.S. Congress on Thursday.
He was further grilled about his alleged carelessness in parroting a false approval that the Nigerian government had given the SEAL Team Six clearance to use the Nigerian airspace. Mr Patel was the brain behind the rescue operation, having obtained intelligence on the location where Mr Walton was being held.
He saw the opportunity for the Seal Team Six to strike given the bandits could move Mr Walton to a new location.
It was while the aircraft was aboard with agents mid-air that the U.S. senior officials learnt that the Nigerian government had not yet granted the Navy SEALs clearance to use their airspace, let alone land.
Then-Defence Secretary, Mark Esper, in his memoir, noted it was one of Mr Patel’s numerous slip-ups and that he was highly concerned for the SEALs, particularly whether they would get shot down from the unauthorised mission.
“I was concerned that being packed in an aircraft burning holes in the sky for an extra hour or so would wear on the special operators, that it might affect their readiness somehow,” ABC cited Mr Esper’s memoir recounting the op.
Mr Esper said the SEALs had their suspicions that Mr Patel fabricated the clearance he said the Nigerian government gave them.
“My team suspected Patel made the approval story up, but they didn’t have all the facts,” Mr Esper wrote.
Mr Patel refuted the allegations in his own book “Government Gangsters” claiming there were persons who tried to undermine the president’s agenda by raising roadblocks to counterterrorism missions in Africa and the Middle East.
The operation was eventually a success after the State Department intervened and acted swiftly to obtain airspace permission from the Nigerian authorities before the Navy SEALs landed.
Mr Patel has faced significant opposition in his quest to become FBI director and it is yet unclear whether he answered the queries satisfactorily.
“Tragically, what was meant to be a innocent Hookup meeting turned into a harrowing ordeal. The suspect allegedly brandished a dagger, using it to threaten and subdue the victim before restraining her by tying her hands and legs and taping her mouth shut inside the bathroom. He then fled the scene, stealing her two mobile phones."
Kogi Jihadist Threatens Yoruba People For Rejecting Sharia Law: ‘It’s Time To Start Preaching Jihad In Yorubaland’
The Okun man, who is identified as Abbey on the space, argued that the rights of Muslims to practice Islam are under threat because the Yoruba people have rejected the implementation of Sharia law in the South West region.
A recent online discussion has sparked concern within the Yoruba community after an Okun man from Kogi State, who identifies more with his Fulani heritage, made alarming remarks directed at the Yoruba people.
During a recorded X Space discussion titled "No Space for Hate Mongering in Nigeria," the individual stated, "It's time for Jihad conversation to start," raising fears about the intent behind his words.
His statement was filled with threats and intimidation, particularly directed at Yoruba conservatives. The Okun man, who is identified as Abbey on the space, argued that the rights of Muslims to practice Islam are under threat because the Yoruba people have rejected the implementation of Sharia law in the South West region.
He said, “When you now have a particular tribe, and I keep saying it, Yoruba tribe fell so horribly. I don’t know where we got it wrong but I am ashamed that I even have traces of Yoruba heritage. When I look at what has happened in the last few hours or few months since the ISP (Independent Sharia Panel) conversation took off.
“It is unfortunate that the people we have even been putting our eyes on as being the most tolerant in terms of religion are very far from it. I say openly here that the Yoruba non-Muslims are the most intolerant human beings in all ramifications.
“I mean not just intolerance against Islam, they are the most intolerant, especially those that tag themselves conservatives. And they have one thing in common, these are people that don’t exist off social media, that is one.
“Secondly, these are people that can’t even point you to their father’s house in the so-called Yoruba land. It is no longer a cruise; it is now very clear that there is an agenda to completely ostracise Muslims and Islam from southwest Nigeria.
“This is where Jihad conversation comes about. For those of you bastards that don’t know the meaning of Jihad, record the conversation, I want to repeat it again. This is now the time that Jihad conversation should be taking place. Your right to practise your religion is being threatened. That is why you are admonished, that is the only thing you should fight.
“You can fight when people are threatening you from practising your religion; that is what is happening now. Your right to practise your religion peacefully is now being threatened. They don’t want you to exercise your right to practise your religion. That is when Jihad conversation should come about. That is why we should even be discussing it; what is Jihad all about?
“If you have state governors giving voices to the online mobs and vagabonds, and people who don’t even have a name or a face. You have state governments, you have Christian traditional rulers also amplifying and giving them voices. Then you should know that you are now at the breaking point.”
He said he felt sorry for Muslims in Southwest Nigeria, claiming that their plight is not different from that of Palestinians in Gaza amid Israeli occupation.
He said, “You should know that you are now in a situation whereby you are not in any way better than the Palestinians and people in Gaza. The only difference is that while it is foreigners, the Israelis trying to steal the land of the Palestines, your so-called Yorubas are the ones trying to render you as second-class citizens in your own fatherland.
“They are ones that want to ostracise you and your religion simply because they are either too uninformed or the level of their islamophobia cannot just be helped anymore. I would be surprised if we are having a conversation and at the end of the day, we allow people with agenda to come and interject it.”
Keep Sharia Law In Sokoto, Other Northern States Where It Has Worsened Suffering; It’s Alien To Yoruba Society, Group Replies Sultan Describing himself as non-Yoruba, he said he is an Okun man with a Fulani mother. However, he said he identifies more with his Fulani heritage.
Abbey added that the conversation is only setting the stage for what is to come in the coming days and months.
He said, “Like I said, I am not a Yoruba man, I’m an Okun man. I’m not from the southwest; I’m from Kogi State. And as a Muslim, the Sultan speaks for me and represents my interest. So when a group of barbarians in the so-called Yorubaland, southwest Nigeria, the Yoruba nation terrorists and their apologists, when you see the unprintable names that they have been calling the Sultan.
“This is just a warning. Alaafin of Oyo is not someone that we cannot also drag, the Ooni of Ife is not somebody that we cannot drag. When you decide to be unfortunate and we decide to push back, you now say, ‘Oh, I told you, he is not Yoruba, he is a Fulani slave.’ Yes, I am. My mother is Fulani. In fact, I identify more with my Fulani heritage. So this will be just wetting the ground for what will be happening in the coming months, coming days, and the coming weeks.”
He further asserted that he does not require the votes of the Yoruba people, implying a disregard for their political power and influence.
He said, “If I ever come to you to ask for your votes, the hell with you and your votes.
“I don’t need the vote of Lagos, I don’t need the vote of Osun, I don’t even need whatever your so-called Yoruba conservatism has to offer, they are useless to me.
“If I want to contest election, I will contest in Kogi. My Okun people, we don’t discriminate, we are not even Islamophobe.
He further said, “I think if we want to have a vvry decent conversation, I don’t know if it is still a cruise to some people but it has now gone beyond cruise when the lives and religion of a group of people are being threatened on their own soil.
“Some groups of people want to turn their fellow countrymen and tribesmen into second-class citizens in their fatherland because they practise a certain religion. It shouldn’t be taken for a joke; no agenda should even be tolerated.
“My joy is that I am not from the south west and I am not living in the south west and God forbid that I would be in the south west and I would have some people who want to dictate to me on how to practise my religion. It will never happen; I would rather die than succumb to that kind of mental slavery. Again, I can never be from the south west or live in the south west and tolerate what the Muslim Ummah are tolerating in the southwest today and it is gradually spreading.
“You could see what they are doing to the Sultan of Sokoto, the president of the NSCIA (Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs), where you have a bunch of vagabonds, a bunch of sub-literates, untrained, uncircumcised Yoruba nation terrorists and their urchins unleashing all sorts of unprintable names on the person and office of the Sultan simply because he explained his role as the leader of the Muslim Ummah in Nigeria.
“But you do not see that kind of attack when the CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria) president speaks for northern Christians. You will never see any northern question why the CAN president is meddling in the affairs of Hausa Christians, Fulani Christians, Kanuri Christians, Takanda Christians and so on and so forth.”
His remarks have been widely denounced as hate speech and a threat to Nigeria’s ethnic and religious harmony.
On Thursday, SaharaReporters reported that a group under the aegis of Society for Yoruba Culture Renaissance had vehemently rejected the establishment of Sharia law and panels in Oyo, Ekiti and other southwestern states.
In a press statement made available to SaharaReporters, the indigenous Yoruba people said the application of Sharia is alien to their society, adding that it has the potential to disrupt the peaceful coexistence among people of different religious beliefs.
SaharaReporters had reported that the Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel in Ekiti State recently held its first public sitting at the popular Oja Oba Central Mosque, Ado-Ekiti.
The Ekiti State Government had reacted to that by stating that the existing legal structure in the state does not recognise Sharia Court or Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel.
However, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar, argued that the Sharia panel initiative is legal, as it is provided for in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Section 275).
NSCIA, therefore, urged the governors and traditional authorities in the southern part of the country to preserve and protect the constitutional rights of Muslims in their respective domains.
The Sultan-led group also emphasised that Muslims should be allowed to practise their faith without hindrance, just like other religious groups.
In response, the Society for Yoruba Culture Renaissance emphasised that Sharia law is an Arabic cultural practice suitable for societies with a dominant Muslim population, which is not the case in Yorubaland.
The group also accused the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar, of attempting to incite a religious crisis in southwestern Nigeria by advocating for the implementation of Sharia law in the region.
I decided to post this on crime section cos I don't see this as an entertainment but provoking and promoting human ritual.
This Pretty Mike of a guy is really promoting nonsense.....watch the video below and share your thoughts. This is a very dangerous trend that calls for caution
Nigerian Man, a Lawful Permanent Resident of the US, Sentenced to 75 Months & Ordered to Pay Over $342,000 in Restitution to Victims of Catfishing Scheme
United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that Edwin Okoronkwo, age 36, of Nigeria, was sentenced on January 29, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Okoronkwo to 75 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Okoronkwo will be placed on a 3-year term of supervised release and will be deported by immigration authorities. Okoronkwo was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $342,535.00 to seven victims as a result of his crimes.
Edwin Okoronkwo, a citizen of Nigeria and a lawful permanent resident of the United States, and his spouse, Julie Okoronkwo, residing in Nebraska, used “catfishing” schemes to obtain money from victims via the Internet. In doing so, they convinced victims to send money using false online social media personas. In some instances, they claimed to be high-ranking members of the United States military on overseas missions. Through the “catfishing” schemes, victims from all over the country were tricked into sending money through the United States Postal Service (USPS) and other commercial carriers such as FedEx and UPS.
The Okoronkwos used victims’ personal identifying information (PII) obtained from identity theft victims to open bank accounts and other online financial services accounts, including peer-to-peer digital payments platforms (e.g., PayPal and Venmo, Zelle, and Cash App). They directed the victims of the “catfishing” schemes to send money from the victims’ personal peer-to-peer digital payment platform accounts to the peer-to-peer digital payment platforms opened by the Okoronkwos using the names and PII of the identity theft victims. From those false accounts, the Okoronkwos would then transfer money into their personal bank accounts, to bank accounts opened using the names of identity theft victims but controlled by the Okoronkwos, or to cryptocurrency exchange platforms. Some of the money would also then be passed along to recipients overseas to Nigeria via international wire transfers through remittance services.
Julie Okoronkwo contacted “catfishing” victims over the phone to further convince them of the legitimacy of their need for cash and obtained from her workplace – a hospital – victims’ means of identification, including their social security numbers and Nebraska driver’s license information. The means of identification were used by the Okoronkwos in furtherance of their “catfishing’ schemes. Julie Okoronkwo was previously sentenced to imprisonment for 25 months by U.S. District Judge Buescher on January 10, 2025. Judge Buescher stated at Edwin Okoronkwo’s sentencing hearing that the crimes were “truly a tragedy for the victims.”
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Nigerian Man, a Lawful Permanent Resident of the US, Sentenced to 75 Months & Ordered to Pay Over $342,000 in Restitution to Victims of Catfishing Scheme
United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that Edwin Okoronkwo, age 36, of Nigeria, was sentenced on January 29, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Okoronkwo to 75 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Okoronkwo will be placed on a 3-year term of supervised release and will be deported by immigration authorities. Okoronkwo was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $342,535.00 to seven victims as a result of his crimes.
Edwin Okoronkwo, a citizen of Nigeria and a lawful permanent resident of the United States, and his spouse, Julie Okoronkwo, residing in Nebraska, used “catfishing” schemes to obtain money from victims via the Internet. In doing so, they convinced victims to send money using false online social media personas. In some instances, they claimed to be high-ranking members of the United States military on overseas missions. Through the “catfishing” schemes, victims from all over the country were tricked into sending money through the United States Postal Service (USPS) and other commercial carriers such as FedEx and UPS.
The Okoronkwos used victims’ personal identifying information (PII) obtained from identity theft victims to open bank accounts and other online financial services accounts, including peer-to-peer digital payments platforms (e.g., PayPal and Venmo, Zelle, and Cash App). They directed the victims of the “catfishing” schemes to send money from the victims’ personal peer-to-peer digital payment platform accounts to the peer-to-peer digital payment platforms opened by the Okoronkwos using the names and PII of the identity theft victims. From those false accounts, the Okoronkwos would then transfer money into their personal bank accounts, to bank accounts opened using the names of identity theft victims but controlled by the Okoronkwos, or to cryptocurrency exchange platforms. Some of the money would also then be passed along to recipients overseas to Nigeria via international wire transfers through remittance services.
Julie Okoronkwo contacted “catfishing” victims over the phone to further convince them of the legitimacy of their need for cash and obtained from her workplace – a hospital – victims’ means of identification, including their social security numbers and Nebraska driver’s license information. The means of identification were used by the Okoronkwos in furtherance of their “catfishing’ schemes. Julie Okoronkwo was previously sentenced to imprisonment for 25 months by U.S. District Judge Buescher on January 10, 2025. Judge Buescher stated at Edwin Okoronkwo’s sentencing hearing that the crimes were “truly a tragedy for the victims.”
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
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