Nelson Ugwuagbo

Tigran Gambaryan, the Binance executive facing charges of money laundering has raised concerns about his treatment by the Nigerian government.

In a video shared widely on social media by SYMFONI, Gambaryan, who was seen using crutches, accused the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCOs) of neglecting him on orders from the government.

“This is Fucked Up, he was told not to help me. This is an instruction from the government. It is a show, I am an innocent person,” Gambaryan asserted in the video.

This incident follows his recent arraignment at the Federal High Court in Abuja. On August 28, 2024, Gambaryan’s legal team, led by Mark Mordi, SAN, submitted a bail application on his behalf.

However, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), represented by counsel Ekene Iheanacho, opposed the bail request, arguing that Gambaryan’s health condition, which he has lived with for over a decade, does not warrant bail.

“My Lord, I don’t want to go into detail about this issue. Ordinarily, the defendant had been living with this (disk) condition for the past 12 years before he came to Nigeria. It is not as if it is a new issue,” Iheanacho stated.

Gambaryan’s wife, Yuki, also spoke out, calling the situation “entirely unjust” and accusing the Nigerian government of unlawfully detaining her husband after luring him to the country under false pretenses.

In April, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered that Gambaryan remain in Kuje prison until a decision on his bail application was reached.

Tigran Gambaryan and his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who is currently at large, were apprehended in February on charges of exploiting Nigeria’s currency through their cryptocurrency platform

The Federal Government has stated that Binance is not registered in Nigeria, has not paid taxes in the country, and has been operating without the necessary regulatory oversight or safeguards to detect criminal activities.

In the meantime, American lawmakers have urged the U.S. government to declare Tigran Gambaryan “wrongfully detained” in Nigeria, adding to the international pressure on the case.

Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) cracks down on environmental violators, sealing off two Chinese companies for operating in filthy conditions and failing to properly dispose of waste.

The enforcement action aims to protect public health and the environment from the harmful effects of poor waste management practices.

The companies are Yibao Industrial Limited, Bara Village along the Sagamu – Abeokuta Expressway and Ronchang Industrial Park, opposite Julius Berger yard Lagos -Ibadan Expressway.

Special Adviser and Managing Director of OGWAMA, Abayomi Hunye who led the enforcement team said the action followed several warnings which were not heeded.

Hunye explained that the two companies were also found guilty of engaging the services of unaccredited waste collectors to evacuate their waste in contravention of section 17 of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority Law of 2020 as well as their continued prevention of the assigned waste collectors to evacuate their waste from their facilities since 2021.

He noted that their unaccredited waste collectors who operate at odd hours were also found guilty of dumping waste on the Sagamu – Abeokuta and Lagos – Ibadan Expressways illegally.

Hunye said, “The essence of shutting them down is to ensure that they comply with the standard ways of managing wastes in the state. We have served them several notices and warnings and they refused to comply.

“We have even gone to their premises for inspections severally to counsel them to clean their environment and engage government approved waste collectors but they were unyielding”

“They both engage unaccredited waste collectors who have no capacities to manage their waste that is why their premises are dirty thereby exposing residents of the state to unnecessary odour and possible underground water infections from their untreated waste”

“So we have no alternative than to shut them down in the overriding public interest as their behaviour and action smacks of gross disrespect to constituted authority especially from companies owned by foreigners who are hellbent on destroying our environment”

He maintained that the state government would not sit back and watch the firms damage the state by engaging in conduct that is not tolerated in their home country.

The OGWAMA boss, however, warned other companies engaging in similar conduct to operate within the state’s waste management laws or risk facing sanctions

He also called on the Community Development Association CDA and other Non-Governmental Organizations NGOs to complement OGWAMA’s efforts by acting as whistle-blowers so that more companies who are in the habit of improper waste management can be brought to justice to further enhance the quality of life of residents of the state.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday affirmed Prince Yusuf Kadari, SAN, as the deputy governorship candidate of the Labour Party, LP, for the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Edo State.

The court, in a judgment delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite, held that the LP was within its rights when it nominated Kadiri as the running mate to its flag-bearer for the election, Olumide Akpata.

Justice Nwite held that the electoral body had no right to reject Kadiri’s nomination since the party acted in line with provisions of both the Electoral Act 2022 and the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

Recall that the governorship candidate of the LP, Akpata, had picked Kadari as his running mate for the election slated for September 21.

Even though Kadiri’s name was forwarded to INEC by the party, however, the electoral umpire published Alufohai Oluyinka Faith as the deputy governorship candidate of the LP.

Realizing the error, the party wrote the electoral body, asking it to replace the name it published with that of the candidate it nominated and forwarded to it.

Following the failure of INEC to comply with the directive, LP brought the case before the court.

The Nigeria Police has declared a British national, Andrew Wynne (also known as Andrew Povich or Drew Povey), wanted for allegedly sponsoring terrorism in the country. Wynne is accused of building a network of sleeper cells aimed at toppling the government and plunging the nation into chaos.

According to Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Wynne rented a space at Labour House, Abuja, for an “Iva Valley Bookshop” and established “STARS of Nations Schools” as a cover for his subversive activities. Adejobi stated that documentary evidence and confessions revealed Wynne’s involvement in issuing directives, monitoring progress, and providing finance and operational guidance to achieve unconstitutional regime change in Nigeria.

Wynne allegedly mobilized and deployed several billions of naira to his Nigerian collaborators, urging them to mobilize the public to violently storm police facilities and military barracks. This, Adejobi said, was intended to instigate international condemnation of the Nigerian government. These acts are in clear violation of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 and other relevant laws.

Since the commencement of investigations, Wynne has fled the country. He and one of his local coordinators, Lucky Ehis Obiyan, have been declared wanted, and a global hunt for them has commenced. Meanwhile, ten suspects allegedly involved in the plot have been arraigned in court for their roles in the alleged plot to topple the government.

The arraigned suspects are Angel Love Innocent, Opaluwa Eleojo Simeon, Michael Tobitoba Adaramoye (aka Leni), Suleiman Yakubu, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Abayomi Adeyemi, Abdulsalam Zubairu, Nuradeen Hamis, and Bashir Bello. They face charges of Criminal Conspiracy, Terrorism Financing, Treasonable Felony, Subversion, and Cybercrime.

ACP Adejobi clarified that the invitation extended to certain individuals within the NLC leadership has nothing to do with rights advocacy and activities of the Union leadership. Rather, it aims to clear the relationship between the individuals and Andrew Wynne, who is also financing terrorism in Nigeria.

Following the interaction between the police investigation team and the NLC President, there is now a clearer understanding of the focus of the ongoing police investigation and the depth of Andrew Wynne’s subversive network and activities.

An aluminium worker identified as Lawrence Uzor, attacked his wife and gouged out her eyes allegedly for ritual purposes in Abia State.

The incident happened at Adiele Estate in Umueze Ibeku in Umuahia North Local Government Area of the state on Saturday night, August 24, 2024

The suspect, who hails from Umuchieze in Bende LGA of the state, used a knife to remove the victim’s eyes while she was asleep.

Lawrence also attacked his landlady, Madam Lovejane Nwaiwu, as he knocked off some of her teeth and cut off her upper lip.

Madam Nwaiwu, who was also admitted at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, said she heard a noise in the couple’s apartment and went to find out what was happening.

“At about 10 pm on Saturday, I heard the man shouting ‘Odogwu, Odogwu (mighty, mighty)’. I was worried as I had not heard the man and his wife, Amarachi Lawrence praying like that,” she explained.

“I started praying for them. After that, I couldn’t sleep up to about 12 am and was restless. At about 1 am, the wife, who is a teacher with one of the foremost private schools in Umuahia and aged 38 years started shouting, ‘Mummy, I have been killed’. I opened my door, came out peeped through their bedroom window and saw the man pressed down on the wife with a knife in his hands

“I started pushing on people’s gates and calling out to Umueze people, but nobody came out or responded. After all, my attempts to call neighbours to come and nobody answered me, I went to their parlour door and started knocking on the door and suddenly, he opened the door while holding the knife and tried giving me cuts on the head but I defended my head with my hand and he cut me at the hand and further slashed the knife at my face that incidentally cut me at the mouth and many of my upper teeth came out.

“I ran into my house and locked the door, while he ran outside, locked our gate and went to a neighbour’s house to tell them that he had killed his wife and his landlord’s wife. While inside my room, I called my mother and my daughter, who then called a church neighbour and the community vigilance team who rushed to the neighbour’s house and apprehended him.”

First Lady of Abia State, Mrs Priscilla Otti, said she was deeply saddened by the case just a few days after signing the compact agreement with the UNFPA on gender-based violence.

Mrs Otti, who spoke at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC Umuahia where the victims are being treated, said she would take immediate action to ensure the victim is well and protected.

Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North senatorial district, has clarified that he has no interest in becoming the governor of the proposed Anioma State.

He emphasized that his support for the state’s creation stems from a deep commitment to the welfare and progress of his constituents at the national level.

Nwoko made this disclosure during the Anioma stakeholders summit in Asaba over the weekend, where he addressed speculations surrounding his alleged gubernatorial ambitions.

He reiterated that his sole interest is in advancing the welfare of his people, not in seeking political power.

The senator emphasized that the pioneer governor of Anioma State should come from the Ndokwa nation, a region that has long been marginalized despite its significant economic contributions through oil production.

He highlighted the Ndokwa region’s neglect, environmental degradation, and lack of development despite being home to three oil-producing local government areas.

Nwoko illustrated the benefits of state creation by drawing a parallel to the establishment of Delta State from the former Bendel State.

He noted that statehood can drive development, citing Asaba’s transformation from a small village to a thriving city once it became the capital of Delta State.

The senator also highlighted the political advantages of creating Anioma State, including increased representation in the Senate, House of Representatives, and state assembly.

He emphasized that statehood would provide a stronger voice for his constituents and foster greater development in the region.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the submissions of polling and collation agents from political parties, specifically the Labour Party (LP) and All Progressives Congress (APC), ahead of the forthcoming Edo State governorship election.

The rejection was due to widespread failure to meet the required digital submission guidelines.

This development was confirmed by INEC Chair­man, Prof. Mahmood Yaku­bu, during a meeting with political parties in Abuja on Thursday.

Prof. Yakubu reiterated the commission’s commit­ment to digitalising the electoral process, stating that the manual method of agent nominations is “gone for good.” He emphasised that political parties must adapt to the digital proce­dure, which has now be­come the standard for sub­missions.

Despite prior training sessions and the availability of a help desk, political par­ties reportedly failed to meet the submission criteria, particularly regarding the quality of images uploaded for Polling Unit, Ward, and Local Government agents. The APC, LP and ADP each have about 3000+ agents disqualified while the PDP had the lowest with only 141 agents disqualified.

Prof. Yakubu highlighted that while observer groups and media organisations have successfully complied with the digital require­ments, political parties must do the same to ensure smooth operations on elec­tion day.

He also stressed that the Commission would only produce accreditation tags for agents whose details meet INEC’s guidelines.

In preparation for the election, INEC plans to con­duct a mock accreditation exercise to test the Bimodal Voter Accreditation Sys­tem (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) por­tal. The test run, scheduled for September 10, 2024, will take place across 12 polling units in six Local Govern­ment Areas, representing Edo State’s three senatorial districts.

This move underscores INEC’s determination to modernise Nigeria’s elec­toral processes, even as it faces resistance from polit­ical parties unprepared for the digital transition.

A group under the aegis of Igbo National Council (INC) Worldwide has revealed that about 98 security checkpoints exist in the five states of the Southeast region.

It also lamented what it described as incessant harassment and extortion from citizens and motorists by the security personnel manning the checkpoints.

In a press statement issued by its National Coordinator, Chilos Godsent, he revealed that Abia State topped the list with 37 checkpoints followed by Imo State with 23 checkpoints.

It further revealed that Anambra and Enugu have 15 checkpoints each, as Ebonyi came behind with 8 checkpoints.

The press statement said that the research was carried out by the directorate of human rights protection, a research department of the council with the mandate of checking human rights violations by various security outfits in the region.

It further stated that the council was propelled to embark on the task following a series of reports from members of the public on the humiliations they were encountering in the hands of the security personnel on a daily basis.

Godsent further stated in the press statement that some of the checkpoints are manned by a joint task force, comprising the military, police and civil defense, while at some blockades it will be either the military or the police.

He stated that even though the group was not happy with the rate of insecurity in the region, the security operatives should carry out their operations with human face.

The group pointed out that if the security personnel kept to rules of their professional engagement, it would build a healthy relationship between them and the civilians who also have responsibility of helping the security outfits in the fight against criminalities.

But the group, however, regretted that the checkpoints and outposts have allegedly turned to illegal toll gates and humiliation points against civilians who are the road users.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has issued a stern warning that he will not permit any individual to seize control of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) structure in Rivers State.

The former Governor of Rivers State has threatened to spark a political crisis in the states of any PDP governors who dare to meddle in the party’s affairs in Rivers State, vowing to fiercely defend his home state’s PDP chapter against external interference.

The PDP governors, who met in Taraba State on August 23, weighed in on the crisis rocking the party in the state and reiterated their support for Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The PDP Governors’ Forum, in a communiqué read by its Chairman and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, called for a review of the party congress outcome to restore Fubara’s leadership role in the state.

Speaking at the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Saturday during the party’s state congress, Wike urged the PDP governors to stay clear of the party’s affairs in Rivers.

He said, “Let me assure all of you, not while we live will anybody take away the structure of the PDP from us. But let me tell people, I hear some governors who say they will take over the structure and give it back to somebody.

“I pity those governors because I will put fire in their states. When God has given you peace, you say you don’t want peace – anything you see, you take.

Because I heard they got some money from a signature bonus, and so their heads are getting big that they will put a hand in my own state. Prepare because I have the capacity to do the same thing in your state.

“Whether you are from Bauchi, I don’t give a damn; whichever state you are from, as far as I know that you are trying to put yourself in Rivers State, your hand will get burnt, and you will never sleep in your state.”

The Rivers PDP has been in crisis following the fallout between Wike and his predecessor, who was absent at the congress.

Amidst Nigeria’s economic woes and soaring inflation, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Yemi Cardoso, and his four deputies have allegedly purchased bulletproof SUVs valued at over N10 billion, sparking controversy and public outcry.

According to reports, the CBN officials have been spending extravagantly, including the purchase of ultra-modern armoured vehicles and an increase in their allowances, even as many Nigerians struggle with hunger, hardship, and inflation.

It is reported that Governor Cardoso recently procured six armoured Lexus LX 600 2023 models for himself and the four deputy governors—Emem Usoro, Philip Ikeazor, Bala Bello, and Sani Abdullahi—at a cost exceeding N10 billion.

Cardoso secured two SUVs for his personal use in Lagos and Abuja, while the other four deputies received one.

Furthermore, sources indicate that the officials already had armoured vehicles in their convoys before acquiring the new ones.

Additionally, it is claimed that about 20 Toyota Camry cars, each costing approximately N85 million, were purchased for CBN management and board members.

Reports also allege that the CBN governor and his deputies have significantly increased their annual housing allowances to around N1 billion, despite residing in official residences in Maitama, Abuja.

Moreover, they have reportedly upgraded their international travel privileges from business class to first class, with the cost of a first-class ticket from Abuja to New York currently around $15,000.

Their foreign travel allowances have also allegedly been increased, with each official reportedly receiving $7,000 per night during foreign trips.