Author: Farouk Abbas

THE Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Friday ordered the final forfeiture of a sprawling array of assets, luxury vehicles, and cash  both in naira and dollars linked to a massive fraud scheme involving the illegal diversion of funds from Union Bank customers. Justice Daniel Osaigor granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) application for a non-conviction-based final forfeiture of the assets following detailed investigations which uncovered a fraudulent withdrawal of over ₦2 billion from the accounts of 575 unsuspecting customers of the bank. The application was argued by EFCC’s counsel, Hanatu Kofar-Naisa, who urged the court to…

VICE PRESIDENT Kashim Shettima has revealed that he was nearly removed as the Governor of Borno State during the presidency of Goodluck Jonathan, and only escaped the fate due to the intervention of the then Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Bello Adoke. Shettima, who governed Borno from 2011 to 2019, made this disclosure on Thursday in Abuja during the public presentation of Adoke’s memoir, “OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Nigerian Oil Block.” “I was the most demonised public official during the Jonathan era,” Shettima declared. “There was even a plan to illegally remove me from…

AMID the recent policy change by the United States government reducing visa validity and entry allowances for Nigerians, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has met with the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, in Abuja to discuss ways to address the concerns and strengthen bilateral cooperation on immigration matters. The closed-door meeting, which took place on Wednesday, came just a day after the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria announced a major revision to its visa protocol, stating that most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerians will now be valid for only three months and allow for single entry only.…

JUSTICE Yusuf Halilu of an Abuja High Court on Tuesday ordered the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, to do everything within his power to produce five former senior police officers for prosecution. Mr Halilu issued the order on Tuesday after prosecution counsel Rimamsomte Ezekiel expressed disappointment over the former officers’ absence in court in spite of being served with the charge. Mr Halilu said: “You are the prosecutor. You should do all within your powers to ensure that the defendants attend court on the next adjourned date for the purpose of arraignment.” He subsequently, adjourned until Sept 25 for the prosecution…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of 146 out of 194 foreigners arrested for cybersecurity attacks relating to financial crimes in the country. “Last year, we arrested about 194 foreigners who were involved in various forms of financial crimes and activities that are inimical to the economic growth and development of our country. “Today, I can tell you that we have succeeded in prosecution and conviction of 146 of them. They will serve their jail terms and will be repatriated to their respective countries, ” Olukoyede said. He said majority of the foreigners posed as…

JUSTICE Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, on Tuesday, adjourned ruling on an application filed by the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, seeking to travel out of the country, on health grounds. At the resumed hearing of the money laundering case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against the former governor, his counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, told the court that he had filed an application, dated 19th June, 2025 and filed on June 20, 2025. “It seeks an order for the release of the 1st defendant/applicant’s international passport by the registrar to…

THREE Senior members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have filed a suit, challenging the interim leadership of the party led by a former Senate President, David Mark, before a Federal High Court in Abuja. In the suit filed on July 4, the plaintiffs, Adeyemi Emmanuel, Ayodeji Tolu, and Haruna Ismaila, are asking the court to determine the legality of the interim leadership of the ADC. They hold that Nwosu lacks the right to convene either a National Working Committee (NWC) or National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting or any other since his tenure as national chairman has expired. The plaintiffs…

THE Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has fined Multichoice Nigeria the sum of N766,242,500 (Seven-Hundred-and-Sixty-Six-Million-Two-Hundred-and-Forty-Two-Thousand-Five-Hundred naira) for violating the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDP Act). The NDPC slammed the fine on the South African pay TV from firm after investigating for one year. “The investigation which commenced in the second quarter of 2024 was triggered by suspected breach of privacy rights of Multichoice subscribers and illegal cross-border transfer of personal data of Nigerians. NDPC found, among others, that Multichoice violated the data privacy rights of subscribers and their friends who are not necessarily subscribers”, NDPC Head, Legal, Enforcement & Regulations,…

THE Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, has described the late elder statesman and industrialist, Aminu Dantata, as a rare gem whose selfless contributions to humanity and national development will be remembered for generations to come. Bayero remarked on Sunday shortly after returning from Madinah, Saudi Arabia, where he had travelled to lead funeral prayers for the late business mogul. Upon his return to Kano, the Bayero paid a condolence visit to the bereaved family of the deceased patriarch. According to a statement signed by Abubakar Balarabe Kofar Naisa, the Chief Press Secretary to emir, said the world would…

THE United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has filed a civil forfeiture complaint against a Nigerian national, Ehiremen Aigbokhan, accused of stealing over ₦460 million in cryptocurrency intended for the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January 2025. According to court documents, Aigbokhan allegedly orchestrated a sophisticated Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme from Lagos, Nigeria. The operation involved creating spoofed email addresses that closely resembled those of officials on the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee. Investigators said the suspects used a nearly identical email address, substituting a lowercase “L” for an uppercase “I”, to impersonate committee co-chair Steve Witkoff. The deception…

MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has slammed critics who insist the President Tinubu administration is underperforming, saying such people are “politically expired” and blind to ongoing progress. Speaking on Wednesday during the flag-off and commissioning of road projects in the Ushafa-Bwari area of Abuja, Wike aimed at long-time political critics who, he claimed, had drifted across multiple parties since 1999, yet still fail to acknowledge progress. “Let them hear. Let those who don’t have vision, who are politically expired, and those who, since 1999, have belonged to over 10 political parties — let them see what…

THE coalition of opposition politicians on Wednesday formally took over the structure of the African Democratic Congress ADC as its political platform for the 2027 general election. The event saw some ministers in the Muhammadu Buhari administration as well as some former members of the National Working Committee NWC of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC. At the event, which was held at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, the National Chairman of the party, Chief Ralph Okey Nwos,u said the ADC held 12 meetings of its National Executive Committee NEC, within the course of 18 months. According to him, Nigeria…

MEMBERS of the opposition coalition, under the auspices of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), have converge on the Yar’Dua Centre in Abuja for an unveiling. News Point Nigeria reports that the  2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar; his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi; a former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai; and a former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, are present at the mmeting. Also present are a former Senate President, David Mark; and a former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, who were recent appointed as interim national chairman and national secretary of the…

A WITNESS in the ongoing trial of Hadi Sirika, former Minister of Aviation, has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja how the former minister allegedly exploited his position to award multi-billion-naira aviation contracts to companies owned by his family members. Testifying before S.C. Oriji (Justice), Christopher Odofin, the twelfth prosecution witness and an investigating officer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), narrated how Sirika, who served as Aviation Minister from November 11, 2016, to May 29, 2023, manipulated a contract for the construction of a terminal building and apron expansion project. According to Odofin, what…

THE Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State, Aliyu Bello, has been suspended by the leadership of his ward. The suspension is coming hours after the leaders of the party in the state passed a vote of confidence on the chairman in an emergency meeting in Lafia, the state capital. The chairman of the APC Gayam Ward in Lafia Local Government Area of the state, Ibrahim Ilyasu, disclosed this during a press briefing in Lafia on Tuesday. He explained that the suspension of the state APC chairman followed a unanimous decision by all the party officials from…

CALLS to stop Presidents from appointing the chairman, commissioners and other presiding officers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) took centre stage, yesterday, in Abuja, as the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room issued its comprehensive Credibility Threshold for Nigeria’s 2027 General Election. Relatedly, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Wole Oke, asked INEC to address the confusion that voters always confront while casting their votes owing to overcrowding of ballot papers. The Credibility Threshold for Nigeria’s 2027 General Election was officially unveiled by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and former governor of…

THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Monday, fixed July 22 to hear a fresh bail application that was brought before it by alleged Abuja-Kaduna train kidnap negotiator, Tukur Mamu, who is facing a 10-count terrorism charge. Mamu, through his team of lawyers led by Johnson Usman, SAN, is praying the court to order his release from the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, to enable him to seek proper medical attention. The defendant told the court that his health had deteriorated badly while in custody, saying there was an urgent need for him to undergo surgery.…

THE Presidency on Saturday night said former Benue State Governor, George Akume, remained the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). There have been reports that Akume stepped down as SGF to become the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, in a statement, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga “there has been no change in the status” of Akume. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, currently in Saint Lucia, has not made any new appointments. “The information circulating about Akume’s replacement is untrue,” he said. On Friday, June 27, 2025, former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje resigned as APC National…

THE All Progressive Congress (APC) governors under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) have unanimously welcomed the resignation of the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, saying it aligns with the party’s “continued evolution”. The resolution was taken as the PGF concluded a two-day strategic regional meeting in Benin City on Saturday, hosted by the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo. A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State, Fred Itua, on Saturday, said the PGF reaffirmed its strong belief in a united, just, and prosperous Nigeria, committing to…

AN EFCC investigator testifying in the ongoing trial-within-trial of former Power Minister Saleh Mamman has informed the Federal High Court in Abuja that the defendant willingly provided several confessional statements to the Commission, all made in the presence of his legal counsel and associates. Appearing before Justice James Omotosho, the first prosecution witness, Abubakar Kwaido, rejected allegations that the statements were extracted under pressure. “I was surprised to hear that he was threatened, as you can see in the videos we played, the defendant and his lawyer were smiling,” Kwaido said. “He gave all his statements personally, either written or…