Category: Crime

Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), will today interrogate the Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo over the award of a N438 million contract to a company linked to him by the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Ms. Betta Edu. A leaked memo had shown that the firm traced to Mr Tunji-Ojo received a total of N438 million as payment for ‘consultancy fees’ from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. But the interior minister denies any involvement in the contract, insisting that he was no longer involved…

A Nigerian military female personnel named Ruth Ogunleye, has come forward with serious allegations against her superiors. She claims that some superiors, whom she identified as Col. IB Abdulkareem, Col. GS Ogor, and Brig. Gen. IB Solebo, have made her life unbearable. Ogunleye holds Col. IB Abdulkareem particularly responsible for the difficulties she has faced in the Army. Ogunleye, known as @Ogunleyeruthsavage1 on TikTok, recently shared her distressing experience on the platform. She claimed that Abdulkareem had made repeated attempts to assault her, administered injections against her will, forcibly removed…

Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, has said that one of the soldiers who spoke against the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for ordering the arrest of one of their colleagues for driving one way, in a viral video, has been apprehended. In a few minutes of a viral video currently in circulation, Lagbaja noted that the action of the soldier caught riding one-way did not represent the entire Nigerian Army. The Army Chief, who was seen addressing journalists, said the soldiers criticising the governor were fake, adding that…

The President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has summoned the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to Aso Rock over payment of N438 million as consultancy fee to a company linked to him by suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu. The company, New Planet Project Limited, was one of the numerous consultants awarded contracts from N3 billion given out by the suspended minister for the National Social Register contract. The social register was created for cash transfers and other social investment programmes. New Planet Project Limited was initially paid N279 million…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has summoned the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, to its headquarters in Abuja over an alleged N585M scandal. The invitation came few hours after President Bola Tinubu announced Edu’s suspension from office.

Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, the accountant-general of the Federation (AGF), has faulted the ‘disbursement’ of N585,189,500.00 into a personal account. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, in a viral document personally signed by her and directed to the Office of the AGF, instructed the payment of the funds to one Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola. The document also showed that the payment of the N585.189 million grant, meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos states, was made into Oniyelu’s account. But reacting to the…

Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, has said that the N585m fraud allegation against her is an attempt by some forces to undermine the efforts the ministry is making to fight corruption and uplift the needy. Betta Edu stated this in a statement posted on her Facebook page on Saturday. The minister came under heavy criticism on Friday after a memo surfaced where she directed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer N585 million to a private account owned by one Oniyelu Bridget. Following…

President Bola Tinubu on Sunday directed a thorough and comprehensive inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of N585m in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu. “In light of recent events, the President has directed that a thorough and comprehensive investigation be conducted to ascertain the accuracy and validity of the reported details,” a statement signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Sunday. The statement is titled ‘Minister of Information and National Orientation addresses circulating narratives on payments made by Ministry of Humanitarian…

Rasheed Zubair, Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, says the disbursed N585,198,500.00 into a personal account is legal and in line with extant civil service rules. Edu in a viral document personally signed by her and directed to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, instructed the disbursement of the funds to one Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola. The document also showed that the payment of the N585.198 million grant, meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River,…

•How EFCC ordered 52 firms to submit forex allocation forms from 2014 to 2023 Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday stormed the headquarters of Dangote Industries Limited in Ikoyi, Lagos, in furtherance of the ongoing investigation into the alleged abuse of the foreign exchange allocations by the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele. The anti-graft commission is probing the alleged preferential allocations of forex to the Dangote Group owned by billionaire Aliko Dangote and 51 other companies under the Emefiele-led CBN.…

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are presently raiding the head office of the Dangote Group in Lagos over forex transactions with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It was gathered that the EFCC officers are conducting a search on forex allocations to Dangote Group during the tenure of Godwin Emefiele as the CBN Governor. The development was confirmed to The Star on Thursday by top officials of the anti-graft agency, who craved anonymity. “Our operatives are on a search of the company. So many things went…

Citing health challenges, the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq has officially written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission seeking an extension of the deadline to meet with EFCC interrogators over an ongoing probe into the N37,170,855,753.44 allegedly laundered during her tenure in office, through a contractor, James Okwete. The PUNCH had earlier exclusively reported that Umar-Farouq faces arrest by operatives of the EFCC after failing to appear before interrogators at the EFCC Headquarters on Wednesday. Reacting to the development in an exclusive…

The embattled National Co-ordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, Halima Shehu, who was arrested in connection with an alleged ₦44billion money laundering, has been released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on bail. Our correspondent exclusively gathered that Shehu was released on Wednesday night and had been mandated to report at the EFCC Headquarters every day while the investigation continued. The PUNCH reports that the NSIPA Coordinator was arrested and taken into EFCC custody on Tuesday night following her suspension by President Bola…

Mohammed Buba Marwa, the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, has revealed that the agency has seized N800bn worth of illicit substances and arrested 42,105 offenders, including 46 barons, in the last three years. Marwa, a retired Brigadier General of the Nigerian Army, gave the figures on Monday when he received the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, at the NDLEA National Headquarters, Garki, Area 11, Abuja. “The criminal elements rely on drugs to carry out their criminalities and that is why we have been very ferocious…

Nigeria, according to the recently published Africa Organised Crime Index 2023 – compiled by the Enhancing Africa’s Response to Transnational Organised Crime (Enact) project comes second behind first placed Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) when it comes to the scourge of organised crime. According to the report, “the most pervasive criminal market in Africa was human trafficking.” “Over the past five years, criminality across Africa has steadily increased and shows no sign of slowing down. Human trafficking remains a serious challenge; the cocaine markets have spiked in East, West…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared a former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, wanted over alleged fraud. The commission in his verified facebook page urged Nigerians who knows the whereabout of Agunloye to report to the nearest police station or inform the EFCC. The EFCC stated: “Dr. O Agunloye is wanted by the EFCC. You know his whereabout? Please don’t hesitate to inform the EFCC or the nearest Police Station.” The EFCC had invited Agunloye for questioning over his role in the $6 billion Mambila…

The Lagos State Police Command has a new Commissioner of Police. He is Fayoade Adegoke Mustapha and would replace Idowu Owohunwa, who was recently promoted to the rank of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police. Fayoade’s posting was contained in a police wireless message on Tuesday. The police wireless message dated December 11, 2023, was marked TH.5361/FS/FHQ/ABJ/T.5/103 and signed by the Nigeria Police Force Secretary, on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. The posting is with immediate effect, the signal emphasised. The Lagos State Police spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed…

The Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, on Friday, said that he has never approached the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to plead on behalf of anyone who violates the law since its establishment about 22 years ago. The traditional ruler stated this when he received the Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, who paid him a visit in his palace in Ilorin, Kwara State capital. The Emir said since the establishment of the anti-graft agency, he has never pleaded on behalf…

An Ogba based Lagos State Magistrates’ Court, has ordered the remand of three suspects who allegedly murdered Adeniyi Sanni, an aide to Senator Solomon Adeola, also known as Yayi, at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre for the next 30 days. The defendants are Fred Azeez Okuno, a 43-year-old resident of Lagos; Lucky Idudu Michael, a 33-year-old from Delta State; and Adedigba Segun, a 26-year-old from Ibadan, Oyo State. They were alleged to have committed the offence on August 5, 2023, at a checking point in Ojodu Beger around midnight. The Lagos…

Engr. Kola Gbolasere Balogun, the chairman of Equipment & Protective Applications International Limited (EPAIL) has assured that the company can meet all the defence equipment, surveillance systems and technological solutions requirements of the Nigeria armed forces and other security agencies. He gave the assurance when the company hosted the Minister of Defence, Muhammed Abubakar Badaru, at its factory complex located in Orimerunmu, along the Lagos/Ibadan expressway. Balogun disclosed that EPAIL was established to deepen technology, research and development indigenously to service the ordinance and technological needs of the security agencies,…

Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, the outgoing Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC has described his task at the helm of affairs of the anti-graft agency as a very tough one. The ICPC boss while speaking during a dinner organised for him by friends, families, and some senior staff of the ICPC in Abuja said the job was psychologically, emotionally, and physically draining. In a post on the ICPC website on Monday, November 20, Owasanoye was quoted as saying, “Every day, you have to decide whether…

Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, has informed the Senate Joint Committees on Diaspora and Inter-Governmental Affairs and Foreign Affairs that the employer of Ikem, a Nigerian student beaten to death in the Philippines, has been charged with murder, along with five others. Dabiri-Erewa made this known at the investigative hearing of the Joint Senate Committees presided over in Abuja on Monday by Sen. Victor Umeh. Dabiri-Erewa, in a statement signed by the NiDCOM Spokesperson, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, on Tuesday stated that the Philippines authorities have declared the…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday brought the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emeifele, to the Federal High Court, Abuja. The EFCC had failed to comply with the order of the FHC directing it to produce Emefiele in court on Monday or release him unconditionally. Following the disobedience by the commission, the court restated its order and adjourned proceedings till Wednesday. However, EFCC complied with the order as Emefiele was led into the court by heavily armed operatives.

In a bid to rid the nation of all businesses involving illicit drugs, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 42 drug barons and one drug baroness in the last 42 months. The lastest of these arrests was billionaire Idumota trader, Nwaoha Anayo, who was nabbed at Onitire, Aguda area of Surulere, and 12, 700, 000 pills of tramadol recovered from him on October 31. Earlier in the same October, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) took into custody two wanted heads of transnational criminal…

Suspected Boko Haram terrorists, on Sunday, attacked Zabarmari farmers while working on their rice fields in Mafa local government area of Borno State, killing over 15. Awali Casa, a rice farmer, who confirmed the attack on Monday in Maiduguri, said there was palpable fear among the Zabarmari rice farmers as they were still searching for the bodies of their fellow farmers killed on their rice fields by the terrorists, as well as those missing. The heavily armed terrorists reportedly stormed the rice fields and attacked the farmers who were harvesting…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said it seized 14,481,519 pills of hard drugs with a street value of N13 million in Amuwo Odofin and Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State. The agency also arrested no fewer than 10 suspects among which were three blind men and one businessman among others, for allegedly trafficking drugs. The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. The spokesperson disclosed that the tramadol pills and bottles of codeine syrup were discovered following raids of different…

A planned attack by terrorists in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State has been thwarted by personnel of the Nigerian Army and the Department of State Service. The personnel of the two agencies during a joint operation carried out in the early hours of Friday uncovered the planned attack and apprehended two suspected terrorists. A statement by the Director, Army Public Relations, Onyema Nwachukwu said five AK 47 rifles, five AK 47 Rifle Magazines, one rocket-propelled gun, five RPG bombs, six hand grenades, five pairs of desert camouflage uniforms,…

Troops of the Nigerian Army have neutralised a wanted notorious bandit nicknamed Mai-Nasara at Sangeko Forest in Kebbi State. The team also killed two other suspected bandits believed to be members of the same gang. This is according to a press statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to Kebbi State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, on Monday. Idris quoted the Director, Security at the Cabinet Office, Birnin Kebbi, AbdulRahman Usman, as revealing the success story. While applauding the efforts of the security personnel in fighting crimes and criminalities, especially in the…