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The embattled immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello said he was ready to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja to answer to the 19-count charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him.

Though Bello was absent for his arraignment, he briefed a team of lawyers who addressed the court on his behalf on Tuesday.

A member of his legal team, Mr. Adeola Adedipe, SAN, told the court that his client would have made himself available for the proceedings, but was afraid that he would be arrested.

“The defendant wants to come to court but he is afraid that there is an order of arrest hanging on his head,” Adedipe, SAN, submitted.

Consequently, he urged the court to set aside the exparte order of arrest it earlier issued against the former governor.

Adedipe, SAN, contended that as at the time the order of arrest was made, the charge had not been served on his client as required by the law.

He noted that it was only at the resumed proceedings on Tuesday that the court okayed substituted service of the charge on the defendant, through his lawyer.

“As at the time the warrant was issued, the order for substituted service had not been made. That order was just made this morning.

“A warrant of arrest should not be hanging on his neck when we leave this court,” counsel to the defendant added.

Besides, the ex-governor maintained that the EFCC is an illegal organization.

According to him, the Federal Government did not consult the 36 States of the federation before it enacted the EFCC Act through the National Assembly.

He argued that section 12 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, required the various Houses of Assembly of states to ratify the Act before it could become operative.

“This is a very serious matter that borders on the constitution and the tenets of federalism. It has to be resolved because as it stands, the EFCC is an illegal organization,” Bello’s lawyer added.

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.

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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.

Nigeria has resumed the prosecution of all Boko Haram detainees in Kainji.

This announcement was made by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, during the ongoing 2-day High-level African Counter-terrorism Summit in Abuja.

According to Ribadu, Nigeria is not only prosecuting Boko Haram detainees but also actively gathering intelligence on the activities of Boko Haram and the Islamic State–West Africa Province (ISWAP).

He noted that this comprehensive approach aims to tackle the terrorist groups head-on and address the evolving security threats they pose.

Ribadu emphasized that the summit underscores Nigeria’s strategic commitment to the UN Counter-terrorism agreement.

He highlighted the diverse terrorist groups threatening Africa and stressed the importance of exploiting digital assets in countering terrorism.

On his part, Vladimir Voronkov, the Under Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism at the United Nations Office on Counter-Terrorism, echoed the significance of collaboration among African countries in combating terrorism.

He emphasized that the success of the United Nations in addressing terrorism relies on African-based solutions.

The 2-day high-level summit convened leaders from across Africa, including President Bola Tinubu, President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, and President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo.

Representatives from Chad and Niger also attended the summit, alongside over four hundred delegates from various African countries.

Organisers say the summit aims to generate solutions to the multifaceted security threats facing Nigeria and Africa.

After barely 12 days in prison, chairs labelled with the name Idris Okuneye aka Bobrisky have reportedly been donated to the Nigerian Correctional facility by the controversial crossdresser.

In a video on social media, various chair stands were seen at the correctional service centre, with inscription: “To Nigeria Correctional Service courtesy Idris Okuneye BobRisky.”

A caption on the video reads: “On behalf of BobRisky, for the Nigerian Correctional Service, Kirikiri, for the visiting area.”

According to the report making the rounds about Bob’s donation, the chairs are meant for the prison’s visiting area.

Bobrisky was on Friday, April 12 sentenced to six months imprisonment over naira abuse.

The Nigeria Police Force has opposed the establishment of state police, saying the country was not ripe for such.

Speaking at a one day dialogue on state policing, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun said the establishment of state police will exacerbate ethnic tension, leading to divided loyalty in the states.

Represented by AIG Ben Okolo, the Inspector General of Police said the establishment of state police will also lead to multiple command structures in the states.

He also said that state governors are likely to abuse the privilege of state police by using it for political gains, leading to possible abuse of power and abuse of huma rights.

He argued that the state government lack thereof required funding that will give birth to the type of policing that the nation requires.

Rather than estabalisibg state police, he recommend the merging of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Federal Road Safety Commission to form a department in the Nigeria Police Force.

He also said there is the need for a yearly recruitment of about 30,000 police personnel into the force annually to meet the UN requirements for morden policing, while also increasing annual budgetary allocation to the force.

Details shortly..

The Nigerian Army has discovered a bakery reportedly belonging to the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists.

The bakery is in Maisani, Timbuktu Triangle in the Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State.

This was revealed by a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst, Zagazola Makama in a post on X on Monday, adding that the troops of Operation Lake Sanity III, Operation Hadin Kai discovered the bakery.

Zagazola said intelligence sources revealed that the discovery was made by the combined troops of 199 Special Forces Battalion in conjunction with Hybrid Forces and Civilian JTF during its exploitation into the terrorists’ den on Sunday, April 21, 2024.

He said the sources revealed that the bakery was “destroyed while items recovered include 2 Lister generating plants, 1 baking machine and several baking materials”.

Zagazola reported that the week-long clearance operation was marked by a total decimation of the terrorists from its stronghold in the Timbuktu Triangle, comprising Buk 1, 2 and 3, Talala, Ajigin, Dusula, Abulam, Gorgi in the dreaded Timbuktu Triangle.

“These groups of terrorists are mostly responsible for attacks, ambushes and IED/mine towards Damboa roads, Damaturu-Maiduguri MSR, attacks towards Askira, Buratai, Buni Yadi as well as the destruction of high tension transmission line connecting Borno and Yobe State,” he said.

President Bola Tinubu has opened the African Counter-Terrorism Summit at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja.

Special adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale in a statement on Sunday informed a high-level summit, organised by Nigeria in collaboration with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), will take place from April 22 to 23.

The Nation reported that the objective of the summit is to enhance multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation and reshape the international community’s collective response to terrorism in Africa, emphasizing African-led and African-owned solutions.

Special guests present at the security summit include: Mr Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary General, United Nations office of Counter-Terrorism; Ms Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General United Nations and Patrice Talon , President of the Republic of Benin, among others.

Details Later…..

The two wives of the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, are currently trying to outshine each other, with both of them laying claim to the Office of the First Lady of the state.

The two women, Ngozi and Titilola, have printed different posters that have gone viral with their names and pictures welcoming Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, to the state.

Mrs Tinubu is billed to be in Osogbo, the state capital on Tuesday for the turning of sod of the Alternative High School For Girls at Oke D.O, Ilesha Road.

In her poster, Ngozi Adeleke wrote, “Welcome to the state of living spring. Experience the beauty of Osun State’s landscape” and signed off as the First Lady of Osun State.

Titilola Adeleke, in her separate poster, also welcomed Mrs Tinubu to the “Official turning of the sod ceremony of the Alternative High School For Girls at Oke D.O, Ilesha Road, Osogbo”

She also signed off as the First Lady of Osun State.

Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested and detained Wale Akinteriwa, a former commissioner of finance under ex Ondo governor, Late Rotimi Akeredolu.

Politics Nigeria reports that Akinyerinwa is also one of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirants in Ondo State.

According to sources, Akinterinwa is being held in connection with the ongoing investigation of his seven-year tenure as commissioner for finance.

Akinterinwa, who claimed that Akeredolu had anointed him as the next Ondo governor, is being investigated for alleged mismanagement of billions of naira.

Sources say Akinterinwa was invited some weeks ago by the anti-graft agency for interaction on some allegations, but was “too busy” to honour the invitation.

He, however, showed up at the EFCC office on Thursday — few days to the Ondo APC governorship primary election.

It was learnt that EFCC decided to be silent on the detention in order not to jeopardise Akinterinwa’s chances in the APC primary.

“In the past few weeks, the EFCC invited Akinterinwa for interrogation on the red flag on some issues during his tenure as Commissioner for Finance. But he has not been forthcoming,” a source said.

“The commission had the option to declare him wanted, but it exercised restrained to avoid being dragged into politics because he was an aspirant for the APC governorship primary.

“But Akinterinwa voluntarily reported to the EFCC in Abuja. He was taken into custody for quizzing.

“Akinterinwa is still in our custody. We did not arrest or pick him up, but he came up to respond to our long overdue invitation. I can tell you that his detention has no political undertone.”