Folarin Kehinde

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has requested INTERPOL to watch-list former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello in three North African countries: Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.

The move, according to EFCC sources, is based on credible intelligence, and also extends to Egypt, Libya, and Sudan.

Sources within the anti-graft agency revealed to The Nation that various strategies are being considered to address the situation, including the possibility of storming the Kogi State Government House in Lokoja, where Bello is believed to be hiding.

According to them, the watch-listing was activated in anticipation of Bello’s expected court appearance on July 17th before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Bello faces a 19-count charge, including allegations of money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of public funds amounting to about N80.2 billion.

Despite denying the allegations, he has repeatedly failed to appear before Justice Emeka Nwite on scheduled dates in June.

An EFCC source stated, “Ahead of the next hearing of the case, EFCC has activated many options, including taking concrete action to watch-list Bello in North Africa. We are aware of a botched exit to Morocco via Cameroon and are determined to prevent him from fleeing into exile.”

The EFCC’s Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, was recently in Tunisia, where he met with Heads of INTERPOL in North Africa to request Bello’s placement on a Red Alert. The request was accepted, and the watch listing took immediate effect.

“We took this step because we suspect that Bello has been biding his time to avoid arraignment. We expect him to appear in court to prove his innocence. The EFCC must do its job to prevent setting a bad precedent,” the source added.

A Yoruba man simply identified as Femi on Saturday in Osogbo, Osun State jumped into Osun river, not long after he complained about the hardship facing him under President Bola Tinubu’s administration

A resident of the area close to the scene told 9News Nigeria that Femi stood on the Gbodofon bridge located along Osogbo/Gbongan road around 10:30 am and jumped into the river.

A vulcaniser, working close to the scene, who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons, said he observed a man walk down from the Old Governor’s Office end of Osogbo/Gbongan road and stood for a few minutes in the middle of Gbodofon bridge before he took a plunge into the river.

He said, “I was at a spot close to the bridge working on a customer’s tyre when I looked towards the Gbodofon bridge and I saw a man walking down from Old Governor’s Office end of the Osogbo/Gbongan.

“He stood right in the middle of the bridge and took a plunge into the Gbodofon river. People around were seized with fear after the incident.”

During an interview, the spokesperson of Osun State Fire Service, Ibrahim Adekunle, said operatives of the agency were called for an emergency rescue operation when the victim jumped into the river around 10:30 am.

“We responded, but the river is overflowing at the moment. We made efforts and we are still looking for the person, but we are yet to recover the body. From what we were told, the person involved is a man,” Adekunle said.

President Bola Tinubu has been re-elected as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States and Government for a second one-year term.

The unanimous decision was made by fellow Heads of Government at the 65th Ordinary Session held at the State House in Abuja on Sunday.

Tinubu’s first term was set to expire on July 9, 2024.

More to follow…..

Clerics, rights activists, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria are expressing outrage over the federal government’s decision to sign the controversial $150 billion Samoa Deal.

This agreement reportedly includes clauses that require underdeveloped and developing nations to support LGBTQ rights as a condition for receiving financial and other forms of support from advanced countries.

Named after the Pacific Island Samoa, where it was signed on November 15, 2023, the agreement is gaining traction despite opposition from many countries that uphold Islamic and Christian values and are sensitive to their cultural norms.

News of Nigeria’s ratification of the agreement emerged on Monday, July 1, when Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, the minister of budget and economic planning, confirmed the development at a European Union (EU) reception in Abuja.

However, Bagudu’s media assistant, Bolaji Adebiyi, clarified on Wednesday that the documents referenced by Bagudu during the EU reception pertained strictly to economic development and did not mention LGBTQ or same-sex marriage.

Adebiyi insisted that Bagudu signed an agreement related to a $150 billion trade component, not LGBT issues.

When contacted for comments on the controversy surrounding the Samoa Agreement, Kamarudeen Ogundele, spokesman for the attorney general of the federation and minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, indicated he needed to gather more information and did not provide further details by press time.

Sonnie Ekwowusi, a Lagos-based lawyer and chairman of the Human and Constitutional Rights Committee of the African Bar Association (AfBA), raised concerns in an article on Wednesday.

He criticised the signing of the Samoa Agreement, describing it as “nauseating” and questioned the judgment of Nigerian officials.

“The Samoa Agreement, named after the Pacific Island, Samoa, where it was signed on November 15, 2023, celebrates perversity. Certain Articles of the Agreement especially Articles 2.5 and 29.5 legalise LGBT, transgenderism, abortion, teen sexual abuse, and perversity in African countries. The signing of the Agreement by Nigeria constitutes a threat to the sovereignty of Nigeria and Africa. It further debases our democracy.

“I can wager that neither Minister Atiku Bagudu nor the Nigerian officials or diplomats who signed the Samoa Agreement on our behalf, understand the import of the agreement to Nigeria’s sovereignty, let alone the destructive impact of the Agreement in Nigeria. This explains why many African bodies including the AfBA have condemned the agreement and respectfully urged African countries not to sign it.

“Not infrequently, Nigerian officials in Geneva, New York, and other places sign international agreements or treaties over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine with little or no knowledge of their contents,” Ekwowusi said.

Ekwowusi further queried whether Nigerian officials who signed the agreement were representing the interests of the Nigerian people.

He recalled that Nigeria and 34 other African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries had initially refused to sign the agreement on November 15, 2023.

Former APC vice Chairman in Edo State and the Uzoya of Esan land, Chief Francis Inegbeneki has given his assurance to Edo people and the PDP National to ensure the victory of the PDP Guber Candidate, Dr. Asuerime Ighodalo in the September 21st gubernatorial election.

Inegbeniki gave this assurance during the Inaugural Meeting of the PDP National Campaign Council for the Edo State Governorship Election held in Abuja earlier today.

While speaking, he noted that he resigned his appointment in APC two weeks ago to joined the largest party in Africa, PDP to ensure that he support a competent candidate for the Guber election.

He said, “I must say that myself and my supporters have come to join the PDP to deliver for a very competent candidate.

A man with capacity, a man that is loved, I must confess that the PDP did a very good job by electing a qualified and competent candidate. By the grace of God, we will join hands with you to deliver…come September 21st.”

He also urged the PDP to be resilient as the APC having nothing to present to the give the good people of Edo State are looking for shortcuts to maneuver the elections.

In his final remarks he reiterated his commitment to ensuring Ighodalo’s victory come September 21st, “I assure you sir, we will work and work and work to deliver Asue Ighodalo as next governor”.

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