Nelson Ugwuagbo

Fear has gripped residents of Maradun town, the country home of Minister of Stat for Defence, Bello Matawalle, as bandits invaded the town in the early hours of Friday, killing two persons and abducting about 30 others.

Maradun is the headquarters of Maradun local government area of Zamfara State.

Reports indicated that the bandits attacked the town at about 2:00am and it lasted for about two hours, shooting sporadically and ranscking residents’ houses.

LeadingReporters learnt that, although the actual number of the abducted persons was yet to be ascertained at press time, the figure was, however, put around 30, including women, children and adults given the number of homes affected.

A traditional ruler, whose house was ransacked by the bandits, expressed dismay over the high level of insecurity in the town.

“It was to my hearing the bandits burgled my palour’s door, coming towards my inner room, I managed to hide while my wives and children followed another passage and ran away to hide somewhere,” he narrated.

The traditional ruler, who don’t want his name in print, expressed concern over the rampant attacks on the town, saying even last week Friday similar attack was carried out on the town, where cattle and sheep were rustled by the bandits.

A resident of the twon, Hassan Ibrahim, lamented that the attack was terrible as bandits were stationed at different locations with sophisticated weapons.

“When I heard their movement close to my door, I crossed over to a nearby wall and ran for my dear life and luckily escaped but overheard them saying that we have all hidden,” he added.

He stressed the need for the Minister of State for Defence, who is the immediate-past governor of Zamfara State, to intervene in the security situation of his country home to avert further attacks.

There was tension at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos on Thursday morning following a fire incident at Terminal 1 of the facility.

As a result of the fire outbreak, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) diverted flight operations out of Terminal 1 to D Wing of the airport.

Leading reporters understands that the fire outbreak occured at the E54 Passenger Air Bridge at the domestic wing of the airport.

In a press statement by the director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, FAAN, Obiageli Orah, the incident occurred at 5:29hrs on Thursday morning.

The fire was brought under control by the Airport Rescue and Firefighting Services (ARFFS) at 06:41hrs while efforts to ventilate the smoke from the building were in progress as at press time.

“At 05:29 hrs, smoke was detected billowing from the E54 Bridge, leading electrical engineers to immediately cut off power to the entire E Wing. The Airport Rescue and Firefighting Services (ARFFS) team was quick to respond, arriving at the scene by 05:30 hrs.

“Initial suspicions point to sparks from an electrical unit as the cause, but a thorough investigation is ongoing to ascertain the cause of the fire.

“The incident, which had escalated into a fire, was brought under control by 06:41 hrs. Efforts to ventilate the smoke from the building are in progress. In the meantime, all flight operations in Terminal 1 of MMA have been diverted to the D Wing. More details will follow shortly,” Orah stated.

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has confirmed the escape of 119 inmates from the Medium Security Custodial Centres in Suleja, Niger State, following a rainstorm, which destroyed parts of the facility’s structures on Wednesday night.

NCoS, however, said it consequently activated its recapturing mechanisms, and in conjunction with sister security agencies, has so far recaptured 10 fleeing inmates and taken them into custody while it was in hot chase to recapture the remaining 109 on the run.

LeadingReporters had reported that an unspecified number of inmates escaped from the old Suleja Correctional Centre in Suleja local government area of Niger State following a rainstorm that destroyed parts of the facility on Wednesday night. A storm accompanied by heavy rain around 9pm destroyed parts of the custodial centre, a development that led to many of the inmates escaping from the facility.

However, a statement issued by NCoS FCT Command’s spokesperson, DSC A.S. Duza, on Thursday morning, said the Service was on top of the situation, urging members of the public to go about their normal businesses without fear or hindrance.

Duza noted that many of NCoS facilities were built during the colonial era, and that they are old and weak, adding that the Service was making frantic efforts to see that all ageing facilities give way for modern ones with the ongoing construction of six 3000-capacity ultra-modern custodial centres in all the geo-political zones of the country as well as the ongoing reconstruction and renovation of existing ones.

“A heavy downpour that lasted for several hours on the night of Wednesday, 24 April 2024 has wreaked havoc on the Medium Security Custodial Centres, Suleja, Niger state, as well as surrounding buildings, destroying part of the custodial facility, including its perimeter fence, giving way to the escape of a total of one hundred and eighteen (119) inmates of the facility.

“The Service has immediately activated its recapturing mechanisms, and in conjunction with sister security agencies have so far recaptured 10 fleeing inmates and taken them into custody, while we are in hot chase to recapture the rest.

“The Service is not unmindful of the fact that many of its facilities were built during the colonial era, and that they are old and weak.

“The Service is making frantic efforts to see that all ageing facilities give way for modern ones. This is evidenced in the ongoing construction of six (6) number of 3000-capacity ultra-modern custodial centres in all the geo-political zones in Nigeria as well as the ongoing reconstruction and renovation of existing ones.

“The Service wishes to assure the public that it is on top of the situation and that they should go about their businesses without fear or hindrance. The public is further enjoined to look out for the fleeing inmates and report any suspicious movement to the nearest security agency,” FCT Command’s spokesperson stated.

The Federal of Nigeria has revoked the mining license of 924 dormant mineral mining licensees who commercializes and failed to pay statutory charges and dues to the federal government of Nigeria through the Mining Cadastral Office (MCO).

Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Oladele Alake who gave the directive at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday stated that revoking the licenses was expedient as Nigeria cannot continue to suffer low investment on account of nefarious activities of persons who buy licenses from government, resell it or leave the site dormant.

Alake noted that the move to revoke the licenses was important due to licences racketeering thereby creating a secondary black market to pawn mineral licenses noting that the amount at which these licenses are sold are so huge compared to their cost such that funds which could have been used to initiate serious exploration and mining activities are spent on speculators.

He added that in view of due adherence to due process and fair consideration with the standard policy of use it or lose it, the licenses revoked include 528 exploration licenses, 20 mining leases, 101 quarry licenses and 273 small scale mining licences.

He noted that investors across the globe are now free to apply for any of the affected cadastral units on the basis of first come, first served adding that the decision will sanitize the licencing system by penalizing those who have commercialized the opportunities offered by the sector into a bazzar.

Meanwhile, Alake stated that the government has made a policy for defaulters who wishes to make restitution to government in concentration of their reinstatement would pay a stipulated fine depending on the license that was revoked.

“We have here now issued a policy of allowing those whose licenses were revoked to
make restitution to government in concentration of their reinstatement. And the
restitution is also graduated depending on the type of license that was revoked.

“The highest, which is the mining license, will attract a restitution to the federal
government of 10 million per license, per revoked license. Whoever wants to go back to
that site or to have his revoked license reinstated must make restitution to the federal
government of Nigeria by paying a fine of 10 million naira to the government.

For
the small-scale licenses, it will be 7.5 million restitution or fine for restatement and for the exploration license, it will be 5 million for restatement And that would affect
even those ones that have just been revoked now. This new policy would also affect
those that have just been revoked and of course those that were revoked November last
year.” He added.

Dana Air, a prominent airline in Nigeria, has been suspended from operations pending a comprehensive safety and financial health audit conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The decision to suspend Dana Air’s operations comes 24 hours after a plane in the airline’s fleet was involved in a runway accident. 

The NCAA has since initiated an audit to assess both the safety protocols and the financial health of Dana Air.

The suspension of Dana Air was contained in a letter signed by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Dr Emmanuel Meribole addressed to the Director General of the NCAA. 

The letter noted that the recent incidents involving Dana Air have raised serious concerns over the safety and financial viability of the airline. 

”The Honourable Minister has directed that you immediately initiate the suspension of Dana Airline’s fleet until a comprehensive audit can be conducted,” the letter stated. 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has filed a fresh charge at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory against the embattled former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.

EFCC in the charge accused Emefiele of approving the printing of N684,590,000 at the rate of N18.96 billion.

Leading reporters gathered that the EFCC alleged that Emefiele broke the law with intent to harm the public during his implementation of the naira swap policy of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, as stated in the charge sheets.

The anti-graft agency also accused Emefiele of unlawfully approving the withdrawal of N124.8 billion from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation.

The document dated April 2, 2024, and marked Suit No: CR/264/2024, was filed by EFCC’s top prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN revealed that Emefiele will be arraigned on a new four-count charge before Justice Hamza Muazu bordering on disobeying the law to punish Nigerians, iilegal printing of money, abuse of office, among others.

Counts one to four of the charge, read, “STATEMENT OF OFFENCE: Public Servant disobeying direction of law with intent to cause injury to the public contrary to and punishable under Section 123 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89 Laws of the Federation, 1990.

“PARTICULARS OF THE OFFENCE: That you GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE between the 19th day of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007, by approving the printing of N375,520,000.00 pieces of colour swapped N1, 000, at the total cost of N11,052, 068,062 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”

“COUNT 2: “That you, GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE, between the 19th of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, by approving the printing of 172,000,000 pieces of colour swapped N500 (Five Hundred Naira) Notes, at the total cost of N4, 471,066,040 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.

“COUNT 3: “That you GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE between the 19th day of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007, by approving the printing of 137,070,000 pieces of colour swapped N200 (Two Hundred Naira) Note, at the total cost of N3, 441, 005, 280 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”

“COUNT 4: “That you, GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE, on or about the 7th day of October 2020, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 80 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended), by approving the withdrawal of the total sum of N124, 860, 227, 865.16 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation in a manner not prescribed by the National Assembly, which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”

Recall that Emefiele was on November 18, 2023, arraigned before the court on six counts of procurement fraud, in what is the most high-profile corruption case under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He was also accused of abusing his office by approving a contract for the acquisition of 43 vehicles totalling N1.2 billion from 2018 to 2020.

On Monday, April 8, 2024, the EFCC arraigned the former banker alongside one Henry Omoile before Justice R.A. Oshodi of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos for an alleged $4.5bn and N2.8bn fraud.

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has stated that the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, withdrew $720,000 from the government’s account and transferred it to a Bureau de Change to pay for his child’s school fees in advance.

This revelation has raised concerns about the potential misuse of public funds for personal expenses. Legal experts have suggested that such a transaction could be a violation of financial regulations.

The EFCC has vowed to investigate the matter further to ensure accountability in the management of public resources.

Watch video below;

An aircraft belonging to Dana Air has crash-landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

LeadingReporters gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday morning.

No casualty was recorded, while the details surrounding the incident were not readily available at press time.

watch video below;

The controversial cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, on Monday, filed a notice of appeal challenging the six months maximum sentence given to him by a Federal High Court, Lagos.

Okuneye was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on four counts bordering on naira abuse.

He pleaded guilty before Justice A.O. Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
Justice Awogboro, on April 12, sentenced Okuneye to six months imprisonment without an option of fine.

The judge while sentencing the convict said the judgment should serve as a deterrent to others fond of abusing and mutilating the naira.

However, counsel for Okuneye, Mr Bimbo Kusanu, filed a notice of appeal, praying the Court of Appeal to set aside the maximum sentence.

Kusanu is asking the court to replace the sentence with an option of N50,000 fine on each of the counts.

The counsel stated in the notice of appeal that the trial court imposed the maximum sentence on the appellant, who had no previous criminal record of conviction.

He stated that there were options to impose a lesser sentence by the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).

He averred that the sentence imposed by the trial court against the appellant was punitive and contrary to the mandatory provisions of the ACJA.

The appellant stated that the trial court did not consider the positive antecedent of the appellant, who did not waste the time of the court by pleading guilty to the charge.

He stated that the appellant honoured the invitation of the respondent on the first invitation.

He said that the trial court failed to exercise its discretion judiciously and judicially in sentencing the appellant.

He explained that such an act had occasioned a miscarriage of justice against the appellant.