Headlines

A 20-year-old man, identified as Ojo, was on Monday arraigned before an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ekiti State, over alleged house breaking and stealing.

The suspect was alleged to have stolen some noodles, maggi seasonings, salt, onions, ‘fufu’ and a pot of soup all valued at N300,000 belonging to the complainant.

LeadingReporters learnt that the incident happened on Thursday, March 14 2024 at about 12 noon, at Falegan, Ilawe Road in Ado-Ekiti.

The police prosecutor, Inspector Moyosola Adesola, stated that the offences contravened sections 322 and 302(1) (a) of the Criminal Laws of Ekiti State 2021.

However, the defendant denied the charges, with his counsel, Olayinka Opaleke, urging the court to grant him bail.

Meanwhile, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs Taiwo Ajibade, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety in like sum and adjourned the case till April 23, for hearing.

The Nigerian Government has invited controversial Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi for questioning.

Gumi was invited for questioning over his comments on the activities of bandits in the country.

The minister of information and orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated this while addressing journalists at the State House, Abuja, on Monday.

More to come…

The Federal Government has confirmed the outbreak of Ginger Blight Epidemic in four states in Nigeria and the loss of over 12 billion naira by Ginger farmers.

Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi while speaking at the inauguration of the National Ginger Blight Epidemic Control Taskforce in Abuja on Monday stated that the devastating fungal disease has inflicted significant damage upon Nigerian
ginger farms in Kaduna, Nassarawa Plateau states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Abdullahi noted that the blight has caused billions of Naira in losses impacting not only the
livelihoods of countless hardworking farmers, but also Nigeria’s position as the world’s
second largest ginger producer.

“Our preliminary estimates suggested that affected
farmers in southern Kaduna lost over 12 billion Naira.

“Highlighting the significant financial losses. Furthermore, considering that over 85% of
Nigeria’s ginger cultivation occurs in this region. We can safely assume a substantial loss
of cultivated land, potentially exceeding 70% of total land.”

Meanwhile, Abubakar assured that the federal government
through the National
Agricultural Development Fund, NADD Fund will launch a 1.6 billion recovery
package for affected farmers in the ginger producing areas.

He stated that the swift action demonstrates President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to making sure
every problem that beset Nigerian economy is frontally attacked and given all the necessary attention.

He affirm that the ginger blight epidemic serves as a stark reminder of the
importance of preparedness in safeguarding our agricultural resources adding that by investing in
research, extension services, and farmer support systems, we can build a more
sustainable future for our agricultural sector.

The Chairman of the taskforce committee, Engr. Abubakar Abdullahi on his part stated that there is no doubt that the
blight on ginger has negatively affected the GDP earnings from this subsector and it is
of necessity and great urgency that various subcommittees were put in place to forestall
these negative effects.

Abdullahi while assuring of their commitment to salvage the situation pleaded with the Honorable Minister to give the committee the powers to co-opt members that will add value to the task force to discharge their duties efficiently and effectively.

The Federal Government, on Monday, said no ransom was paid for the release of 137 pupils kidnapped from Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State.

“In keeping with the commitment of Mr President, no ransom was paid,” the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, told journalists after the Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to Idris, the president appreciated the role of the security services in the safe return of the abductees, vowing that all those involved in the abduction would be fished out and punished.

On March 6, at the pupils were kidnapped when terrorists on motorcycles stormed their school, whisking them away in an operation that drew condemnation and outrage from the Presidency and the global community, including the UN children’s welfare agency UNICEF.

However, a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, said 137 pupils were rescued, contrary to reports of 287.

According to Buba, the pupils were rescued through a joint effort of the military and local authorities in Zamfara State in the early hours of Sunday.

At the time, the Kaduna-based Muslim cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, had offered to dialogue with terrorists who abducted the school children from Kuriga.

Addressing questions raised about the FG engaging cleric, the minister said, “What I can tell you is that the government will stop at nothing to get any kind of information that is required to solve our problems.

“Sheikh Gumi or any other individual for that matter is not above the law. If you have suggestions that are constructive enough for security agencies to take, they will take it.

“But if they think that he is also making some statements that appear to be reckless, he will also be reprimanded.”

Details shortly…

The federal government has revealed allegation of bribery and corruption against Leno Adesanya, the promoter of Sunrise Power and Transmission Company, in papers filed before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

According to an online newspaper, TheCable, Olu Agunloye, a former minister of power, in his motion on notice, attached documents in which the federal government alleged that Adesanya offered money and women to ministers in the immediate-past Muhammadu Buhari administration in trying to secure favourable recommendations on the $6billion Mambilla hydroelectric power project.

In January 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Agunloye before a Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of fraud in the award of the contract in 2003.

Sunrise is in arbitration with Nigeria at the ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris, France, demanding $2.3 billion in compensation for the country’s failure to honour the contract which was awarded by Agunloye — a day after the federal executive council (FEC) asked the then minister of power to step down the memo.

Nigeria is alleging fraud and corruption of public officials involved in the original contract award and also in the subsequent settlement agreements reached in an attempt to settle the dispute.

Nigeria is likening the conduct of Sunrise and its promoter to that of P&ID officials in the failed gas supply and processing agreement (GSPA) of 2010.

Despite securing an arbitration award rising to $11 billion against Nigeria, P&ID could not enforce it.

A UK court set it aside because public officials got illegal payments in the contracting process and this fact, considered by the judge as significant, had been hidden from the arbitration tribunal.

The court also ruled that P&ID was illegally in possession of privileged internal documents of the Nigerian legal team during arbitration.

The P&ID case ended in victory for Nigeria — with the country’s legal team now hoping this would be a precedent in arbitration cases arising from suspicious and questionable contract awards.

In the motion of notice dated February 26, 2024 and marked FCT/ABJ/CR/617/2023, Agunloye attached Nigeria’s defence at the arbitration wherein the country alleged that Adesanya made repeated attempts to exploit and fraudulently extract huge sums of money from the country “on false pretences”.

“Mr. Adesanya repeatedly sought to undermine Nigeria’s defence of this Arbitration by all means possible without regard to legality. As detailed below, Mr. Adesanya attempted to bribe the former Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu, in the lead-up to the settlement meeting between Sunrise and Nigeria in London on 9 November 2019 by offering him money and women and sought to bribe the former Attorney General of Nigeria and Abubakar Malami, also with money and women, in order to take decisions favourable to Sunrise and influence Nigeria’s defence in this Arbitration,” the document reads, with screenshots of WhatsApp messages attached.

“A look at the pictures of smiling young women whom Mr. Adesanya blithely offered to Mr. Adamu in November 2019 during the settlement discussions and latterly the Attorney General as inducements, can leave no doubt about Mr. Adesanya’s character.

“The below extract of Mr. Adesanya’s WhatsApp message to Mr. Malami with a picture of a woman in November 2021, when Mr. Adesanya was lobbying Nigeria is illustrative,” he added.

Nigeria argued in the document that Adesanya is a man “who fully understands” how to game and take advantage of the weaknesses in the institutions of the Nigerian government.

“He wrongfully procures contracts that his companies are incapable of performing, colludes with key Government officials to obtain confidential Government documents, creates a semblance of credibility through document exchanges with Government officials, files claims against the Government, and then unlawfully seeks to pressure the Government to enter into settlement agreements with his companies in order to obtain a pay-out,” the document reads.

Global cryptocurrency exchange platform, Binance has reacted to reports that its official, Nadeem Anjarwalla, had escaped from detention in Nigeria.

Confirming the report, spokesperson for Binance, Samantha Fuller, said that Anjarwalla was no longer in Nigeria.

The crypto exchange said its concern continues to be the safety and well-being of its employees, and it is actively collaborating with Nigerian authorities to swiftly resolve the matter.

“We were made aware that Nadeem is no longer in Nigerian custody. Our primary focus remains on the safety of our employees, and we are working collaboratively with Nigerian authorities to quickly resolve this issue,” Fuller announced.

However, the spokesperson did not provide details on how the executive left Nigerian custody.

Meanwhile, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has confirmed the arrest of its official allegedly responsible for the escape of Anjarwalla.

A statement by Zakari Mijinyawa, head of strategic communication at ONSA, said “preliminary investigation shows that Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport”.

“The personnel responsible for the custody of the suspect have been arrested, and a thorough investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to his escape from lawful detention,” the statement reads.

Following recent undersea cable cuts that challenged connectivities in many countries in the West African region, Nigeria has called for a coordinated and multilateral approach by the region to protect shared telecommunications infrastructure, and diversify connectivity to ensure uninterruptible connections.

Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, made the submission in a statement delivered at the 21st West Africa Telecommunications Regulatory Assembly (WATRA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) which held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, from the 19th to 22nd March 2024.

Dr. Maida, whose message was delivered at the WATRA AGM by the Deputy Director, Public Affairs of the Commission, Nnenna Ukoha, stated that the recent submarine cable cuts that resulted in nationwide outages on multiple networks in 12 African countries has raised the urgent need for the subregion to establish a mechanism to protect itself from damage to submarine infrastructure and its attendant impact on the subregion.

Maida referred to a report by Cloudflare, an IT service management firm, which indicates that about six countries, including four West African countries, were still suffering from the outages caused by the submarine cable cuts, to buttress the call

“Securing telecom infrastructure is paramount for fostering Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and enhancing investor confidence in the West African sub-region. The reliability and resilience of telecommunications networks are crucial factors that investors consider when evaluating regional opportunities.

“By ensuring the security of these vital assets, we can attract more investment, spur economic growth, and enhance our competitiveness on the global stage. A secure telecoms infrastructure not only facilitates efficient communication and connectivity but also signals a commitment to safeguarding critical assets essential for business operations. This assurance can significantly boost investor confidence and create a conducive environment for sustainable economic development,” he said.

According to him, “the impact of events like cable cuts highlights the need for a coordinated, multilateral approach to protecting shared infrastructure across our member nations.”

Maida therefore, proposed “the urgent need to set up a framework for joint monitoring, risk mitigation, and emergency response procedures for the submarine cables that pass through the sub-region.

“Further to this, we recommend that the WATRA Working Group on Infrastructure expand its mandate to spearhead the development of a comprehensive strategy to safeguard the subregion’s telecommunications networks and associated infrastructure thereby proactively bolstering resilience through improved disaster response protocols to better insulate ourselves from future disruptions.”

He advised that the goals of the Working Group would be to strengthen sub-regional infrastructure resilience, promote the diversification of the sub-region’s connectivity, conduct regular capacity assessments, as well as facilitate the designation of telecommunications infrastructure as critical national infrastructure in member countries.

The West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly, was established in 2002 as a common platform for national telecommunication regulatory authorities in 16 member states to promote the adoption of regulations that stimulate investment in telecommunication infrastructure to deliver more affordable, accessible, faster and secure communication services to citizens.

At the 21st WATRA Annual General Meeting, issues pertaining to accessible and affordable telecommunication services in the sub-region were discussed, including improved consumer protection, quality of service, roaming and conflict resolution for consumers.

A major highlight of the AGM was the reelection of Nigeria’s Engr. Yusuf Aliyu Aboki, as Executive Secretary, for a second term in a unanimous vote by the member countries.

The EVC of NCC commended Engr. Aboki for his firm, inclusive and visionary leadership, which saw the successful delivery of WATRA’s 2022 — 2025 Strategic Plan, noting that Nigeria and indeed the sub-region was proud of the milestones he has achieved during his first tenure.

He further advised the WATRA Executive Secretary to build on the achievements of his first tenure, through stronger partnerships and deeper collaboration while advancing the interests of the sub-regional body.

President Bola Tinubu has again cancelled any elaborate celebration of his 72nd birthday on Friday March 29, 2024.

In a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy on Sunday, March 24, President Tinubu urged his associates and well-wishers across the country not to organise any event in celebration of his 72nd birthday.

Tinubu noted that he will use the opportunity of his birthday to reflect and re-dedicate himself to the task of building a more stable, more secure, virile, prosperous and united Nigeria.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will turn 72 on Friday March 29, 2024. The day will be another important milestone in his life as a leader and a statesman,” the statement read.

“During an auspicious occasion as this, it is customary for family members, friends and associates to celebrate him in different ways.

“As the leader of our country, President Tinubu in deference to this challenging times will not host any birthday event and does not want any of his associates and numerous well-wishers across the country to organise any celebratory event on his behalf or in his name.

“President Tinubu appreciates the honour of being the leader of Africa’s leading nation at this time and he is working very hard to make life better for the generality of our people.

“According to him, because of the present mood of the nation and recent killing of the officers and men of our Army and Police in Delta State and recent spate of security breaches by criminal elements in different parts of Nigeria, there should be no form of birthday event and placing of birthday goodwill advertorial messages in newspapers. Goodwill messages should not be placed on radio and television stations too.

“President Tinubu enjoins friends and associates who may wish to place goodwill advertorials to kindly donate the money to charity organisations of their choice in his name.

“Although the President appreciates the gallantry of our armed forces in freeing our children kidnapped in Kuriga, Kaduna State and in Sokoto State, he will use the opportunity of his birthday to reflect and re-dedicate himself to the task of building a more stable, more secure, virile, prosperous and united Nigeria.”

Recall that in 2022, Tinubu cancelled his 70th birthday celebration to honour the victims of Kaduna train attack.

Similarly, the president cancelled his 71st birthday colloquium in 2023 and fixed prayers for the country.

Nadeem Anjarwalla, one of the two Binance executives detained in Nigeria for alleged tax evasion and other offences, has escaped from custody.

Premium Times reports that Anjarwalla, 38, escaped on Friday, 22 March, from the Abuja guest house, where he and his colleague were in custody after guards on duty led him to a nearby mosque for prayers in the spirit of the ongoing Ramadan fast.

The Briton, who also has Kenyan citizenship, is believed to have flown out of Abuja using a Middle East airliner.

It remains a mystery how Anjarwalla got on an international flight despite his British passport, with which he entered Nigeria, remaining in the custody of the Nigerian authorities.

Authorities are also said to be working to unravel his intended destination to get him back into custody.

An Immigration official quoted in the report said the Binance executive fled Nigeria on a Kenyan passport.

He, however, said authorities were trying to determine how he obtained the passport, given that he had no other travel document (apart from the British passport) on him.

Another source said the two officials were at a “comfortable guest house”. They were said to have been allowed many rights, including telephones, a privilege Anjarwalla exploited to plot an escape.

Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa regional manager, and Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen overseeing financial crime compliance at the crypto exchange platform, were detained upon their arrival in Nigeria on 26 February 2024.

The Nigerian government filed a criminal charge against the two executives before a Magistrate Court in Abuja.

On 28 February 2024, the court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) an order to remand the duo for 14 days.

The court also ordered Binance to provide the Nigerian government with the data/information of Nigerians trading on its platform.

Following Binance’s refusal to comply with the order, the court extended the officials’ remand for an additional 14 days to prevent them from tampering with evidence. The court then adjourned the case until 4 April 2024.

Also, on 22 March, the Nigerian government approached the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The government slammed Binance Holdings Limited, Anjarwalla, and Gambaryan with another four-count charge, accusing them of offering services to subscribers on their platform while failing to register with the Federal Inland Revenue Service to pay all relevant taxes administered by the Service and, in so doing, committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 8 of the Value Added Tax Act of 1993 (as Amended).

According to the Nigerian government, Binance offered taxable services to subscribers on their trading platform while failing to issue invoices to those subscribers to determine and pay their value-added taxes.

In so doing, they committed an offence contrary to and punishable under S.29 of the Value Added Tax Act of 1993 (as amended).