Headlines

A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the interim forfeiture of digital wallet assets valued at $222,729 to the federal government.

The ruling was issued on Monday by Justice Alexander Owoeye following an ex-parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Owoeye directed the EFCC to publish a notice in a national newspaper, allowing any interested party 14 days to appear before the court and show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the government.

According to the EFCC, the digital assets were recovered from a syndicate of 792 suspected fraudsters involved in cryptocurrency and romance scams. The syndicate includes 114 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos, two Khazartans, one Pakistani, and one Indonesian.

The suspects were arrested on December 10, 2024, at a seven-storey building in Victoria Island, Lagos.

During the court proceedings, EFCC counsel Zeenat Atiku told the court that the digital wallet assets were “reasonably suspected to be proceeds of an unlawful activity.”

Atiku said the agency had gathered intelligence on an alleged large-scale fraud scheme operated by foreign nationals in Lagos. She added that the syndicate financed its activities through a company identified as Genting International Co. Limited (GICL).

Residents of Amegu Nkalaha in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State are fleeing their homes following an attack by suspected armed herdsmen on Sunday, which has claimed at least 16 lives.

When Reporters visited the community on Monday, hundreds of residents were seen leaving with their belongings, including cooking utensils and mattresses, seeking refuge in neighboring areas. Survivors gathered in clusters, mourning their losses as they recounted the destruction left by the assailants.

During the visit, burned houses and properties were visible, with residents stating that the attackers took advantage of Sunday morning when many people were at church. Three additional bodies recovered on Monday were seen being prepared for burial.

A total of seven yam barns were burned, while 25 houses were completely razed. Five others, though not burned, had windows and doors severely damaged. Some of the victims had their throats slit, while others suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

After the killings, soldiers and police officers reportedly arrived in the community to console the residents. However, witnesses claim the security personnel seized phones from individuals recording videos of the destruction and threatened reprisals if the footage surfaced online.

A resident, Edeze, whose phone was confiscated, said, “After they took away 10 recovered corpses, including that of retired policeman James Ogbu, the soldiers returned and handed back the seized phones.”

He further alleged that Ebonyi State Deputy Governor, Patricia Obila, instructed the police to carry out mass arrests in the community, accusing residents of killing Fulani-owned cattle. “She has yet to visit the community,” he added.

President Bola Tinubu has sworn in eight new Federal Permanent Secretaries ahead of the first Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting of the year at the State House, Abuja.

The swearing-in ceremony, which took place on Monday, was preceded by introductory remarks from the State House Director of Media and Publicity, Abiodun Oladunjoye. The newly appointed permanent secretaries are Onwusoro Ihemelandu from Abia State, Ndiomu Philip from Bayelsa State, Anuma Nlia from Ebonyi State, and Ogbodo Nnam from Enugu State. Others include Usman Aminu from Kebbi State, Oyekunle Nwakuso from Rivers State, Nadungu Gagare from Kaduna State, and Kalba Usman from Gombe State.

In addition, President Tinubu administered the oath of office to 18 newly appointed Federal Commissioners of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). Those sworn in include Linda Oti from Abia, Akpan Effiong from Akwa Ibom, Enefe Ekene from Anambra, Steve Ugba from Benue, Chief Eyonsa from Cross River, and Aruviere Egharhevwe from Delta. Others are Nduka Awuregu from Ebonyi, Victor Eboigbe from Edo, Wumi Ogunlola from Ekiti, Ozo Obodougo from Enugu, and Kabir Mashi from Katsina. Also sworn in were Adamu Fanda from Kano, Kunle Wright from Lagos, Aliyu Abdulkadir from Nasarawa, Bako Shetima from Niger, Samuel Durojaye from Ogun, Nathaniel Adejutelegan from Ondo, Saad Ibrahim from Plateau, Modu-Aji Juluri from Yobe, Bello Garba from Zamfara, and Mohammed Usman from Gombe.

Additionally, Kayode Oladele was sworn in as a Commissioner for the Federal Character Commission, while Victoria Iyatan took the oath as a member of the National Population Commission.

Residents of several communities in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State have raised concerns over the presence of notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, in the region.

Reports indicate that Turji’s loyalists were spotted on motorcycles, transporting casualties, on the evening of January 19 and the morning of January 20, 2025. They were seen moving towards the Garsa/Kadanya area in the Bayanruwa den.

Eyewitnesses reported that the fleeing bandits passed through Galadi, Damaga, Rudunu, and Danbenchi, with some sighted near Rudunu, Bankamawa, and Farfaru in Faru District.

Intelligence sources suggest that Turji and some of his men are currently at the Garsa/Kadanya hideout, where they are reportedly being hosted by Jummo Smally, a former rival of the bandit leader.

Efforts to reach the Zamfara State Police Command for comments were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.