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The Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Zenith, Providus, and Jaiz banks have been apprehended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) amid a sweeping investigation into an embezzlement scheme linked to former and current Ministers of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu and Sadiya Umar-Farouk, Politics Nigeria has gathered.

The affected CEOs are Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu (Zenith Bank), Haruna Musa (Jaiz Bank), and Walter Akpani (Providus Bank).

Multiple high-level sources within the Presidency, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the arrests on Tuesday.

These banking executives, long suspected of facilitating the improper diversion of public funds into private accounts, are now facing the music within the confines of EFCC custody.

The anti-graft agency is dissecting a web of suspicious transactions involving hefty sums of public money funnelled into private accounts, allegedly approved by Dr. Edu and Farouq leveraging their ministerial positions.

Ms. Farouq, who led the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs under the previous administration of Muhammadu Buhari, is additionally accused of mismanagement of N37 billion earmarked for the conditional cash transfer program during President Buhari’s tenure.

The sources revealed that a potential deliberate lapse in flagging suspicious activity by the banks – a crucial responsibility mandated by anti-financial crime laws and Central Bank directives – played a critical role in this brazen misappropriation of public funds.

Attempts to obtain comments from the detained CEOs’ respective banks on the matter did not yield immediate results.

President Bola Tinubu has slashed by 60 per cent the travel expenditure of government officials in his administration.

Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this to State House Correspondents on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to him, the decision was part of cost-cutting measures of the Presidency.

He said that the decision will affect the office of the President, Vice President, First Lady, Ministers and heads of agencies.

He said, “Tinubu has directed that all state entourages be drastically reduced. This is not a request. It is a directive. The office of the president and staff will be affected. VP, appointees are affected.

“By this directive, there will be a slashing of expenditure on official travel by 60 per cent.”

He said consequently the President is limited to 20 number of staff outside the country.

He also said every minister is limited to having just four members of staff on any foreign trip while heads of agencies are limited to just two.

Ngelale said Tinubu has also said that he will no longer travel with huge security delegations to any state in the country.

The presidential spokesman also added that if the president travels to any state, the security in the state will take care of his security and the same applies to the vice president and other top government officials.

Popular Christian television channel Emmanuel TV, owned by late Pastor TB Joshua of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations, says it will no longer be broadcasting on MultiChoice platforms, DStv and GOtv.

The highly viewed religious TV channel, has also announced its departure from other pay-TV services.

MultiChoice confirmed that Emmanuel TV would no longer be available on DStv and GOtv packages starting from January 17th, 2024.

This development comes amid the three-part documentary by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) detailing the alleged atrocities and sexual crimes committed by late TB. Joshua on his disciples.

The 3-part documentary revealed the clandestine lifestyle of the now-deceased founder of SCOAN. It detailed stories of abuse, harassment, rape, manipulation, and staged miracles. Sources told the BBC that the church knew about all the allegations but never investigated them. They alleged the sexual crime spanned over two decades.

A part of the documentary revealed how SCOAN shielded its congregation from the truth about the collapse of one of the church’s guesthouses in 2014. A video that was shown multiple times to members on Emmanuel TV showed a short clip of the structure with something that seemed like an aircraft flying over it.

Emmanuel TV, founded by the late televangelist TB Joshua in Nigeria in 2006, gained popularity and expanded its reach through its YouTube channel, which became one of the most subscribed Christian ministry YouTube channels globally.

However, in April 2021, YouTube shut down the channel due to “gay curing” claims, as it violated policies against alleging mental illness, disease, or inferiority based on membership in a protected group, including sexual orientation.

The video titled ‘THE SPIRIT OF MAN IS TORMENTING YOU!!!’ | TB Joshua Personal Prophecy” was about Chetanna Nwabuwa a Nigerian living in Ghana who the church claimed was allegedly possessed by a strange spirit.

The channel, which had over 1.8 million subscribers and 600 million views before the suspension, was reportedly the most-watched Nigerian Christian ministry on YouTube.

Consequently, Emmanuel TV had to start over on YouTube, and Facebook also removed some of its posts for the same reasons.

Following TB Joshua’s passing in June 2021, Emmanuel TV has relied heavily on rebroadcasting old content and repeats of the late televangelist’s programs, producing less new content than the prolific scale during Joshua’s lifetime.

It was gathered that the new management at the Synagogue Church of All Nations, led by the wife of the late founder, Pastor Evelyn Joshua, is facing numerous challenges following the inability of the new management to step into the shoes of the late T.B. Joshua fully.

President Bola Tinubu has summoned the minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to the Presidential Villa.

The summon follows the controversy that has hitched the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the award of a consultancy contract to the tune of N438 million, for the National Social Register to New Planet Projects Ltd, a company he is a beneficial owner.

Details shortly….

Bandits, on Sunday, attacked travellers on the Abuja–Kaduna highway and abducted over 30 people, witnesses and community leaders told the Daily Trust yesterday.

The abduction took place at Dogon-Fili near Katari, along the Kaduna- Abuja highway in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Findings by this newspaper revealed that the last reported incident on the road was on March 1, 2023 when 23 people were abducted.

A former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani confirmed the attack on his X page, disclosing that two of his friends narrowly escaped being kidnapped by the bandits.

He also said that the bandits blocked the road and operated for some time even though there were more security operatives on the road than there used to be in the past.

Sani said two of his friends from both opposition and ruling parties who were returning to Abuja from Kaduna narrowly escaped during the bandits’ attack.

Sani said: “Just when we felt safer, last night (Sunday) kidnappers returned to the Kaduna-Abuja Road. They blocked the road and abducted scores of persons around 9pm near Katari village. Two of my honourable friends from both the ruling and opposition parties had to run through the bush like Usain Bolt. But despite this incident, there is a stronger security presence along the route than it used to be in the past.”

A resident of Katari, Suleiman Dan Baba, said the incident happened around 9:33pm when the bandits, wielding AK-47 rifles, emerged from the bush and blocked the two lanes, adding that they operated for close to 45 minutes.

He also narrated that the bandits opened fire and deflated the tyres of some vehicles, which he said forced drivers, including commercial vehicles to stop.

“The bandits forced travellers to alight from their vehicles at gunpoint, before moving them into the bush,” the source said.

Another resident of Jere, Samaila Shehu, said the incident happened at a distance of about one kilometre away from Jere, and over 30 travellers were abducted at the scene.

Daily Trust learnt that the bandits, who divided themselves into two groups, also invaded Bishini and Kokore communities located along Abuja-Kaduna highway and also whisked away an unspecified number of villagers.

Shuaibu Adamu Jere, a community leader, also confirmed the incidents, stating that his relative escaped the attack near Dogon Fili, close to Katari town on Sunday. He said that a driver was injured, and two vehicles, a Sharon and another small car, were found empty by the roadside after the incident.

“Yes, the incident happened around 9:30pm, and the operation lasted about 45 minutes around Dogon Fili near Katari on Sunday. The driver of one of the vehicles was shot and left at the scene. One of my relatives escaped the attack,” he said.

He could not however specify the number of people abducted as the attack took place at night, but said the injured driver was rushed to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.

Another resident of Katari, a lawyer, who prefers not to be named, also confirmed that the highway was blocked on Sunday night as he was preparing to return to Kaduna.

President Bola Tinubu has sacked the heads of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

Those sacked are Mr. Babatunde Irukera, the EVC/CEO of FCCPC, and Mr. Alexander Ayoola Okoh, the Director-General/CEO of BPE, according to a statement released by the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, on Monday.

The statement directed the outgoing CEOs to hand over to the next most senior officers in their respective agencies.

“By this directive of the President, their removal from office takes immediate effect,” the statement added.

Suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, defied President Bola Tinubu’s directive to hand over to the Permanent Secretary on Monday evening, Politics Nigeria has learned.

Barely minutes after the official announcement of her suspension, which carried a clear instruction to hand over and “fully cooperate with investigating authorities,” it has been observed that no immediate handover activity has taken place at the ministry.

Instead, staff confirmed that Dr. Edu left the office shortly after receiving the suspension letter delivered by a State House official. It is also learnt that all security and protocol personnel assigned to her were also recalled, following standard procedure.

However, questions arose about the official handover as an unnamed Ministry official familiar with public service operations said the Permanent Secretary requires an official memo, not just a media report, to act on a suspension directive.

Efforts to reach the Permanent Secretary, located on the 5th floor of Phase 1 in the Federal Secretariat, proved unsuccessful, Nigerian Tribune reports. His personnel stated he was busy and unavailable for comment. When informed of the official suspension letter, they emphasised the need for due process, saying, “The Perm Sec has not seen the letter. He’s a man of due process.”

Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of the FCT High Court on Monday awarded N100 million in damages to the suspended former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, against the Federal Government and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for violations of his rights.

The embattled Emefiele had dragged the Federal Government, Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and EFCC to enforce his fundamental rights to life, personal liberty, fair hearing, and freedom of movement.

Emefiele sought a declaration from the court that his continued detention by the agency of the first and second respondents since June 10, 2023, and subsequent transfer to the custody of the third and fourth respondents on October 26, 2023, without being arraigned in court is unlawful.

He said the respondent, in defiance of several valid subsisting court orders for his release, amounts to a grave violation of his fundamental rights to life and personal liberty, as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

He, therefore, among others, sought an injunction restraining the respondents from further arresting and/or further detaining him on his release by the court without presenting a criminal charge against him.

He also sought damages in the amount of N1 billion in his favour for the violation of his fundamental rights.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, for questioning over allegations of corruption in the handling of N37.1 billion social intervention funds during her tenure.

Mrs Umar-Farouq arrived at the headquarters of the commission in Abuja in honour of an earlier invitation over the pending case on Monday morning.

She posted via her X handle at 10.17 a.m. on Monday that she had just arrived at the commission’s office.

“I have, at my behest, arrived at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to honour the invitation by the anti-graft agency to offer clarifications in respect of some issues that the commission is investigating,” she tweeted.

EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, similarly confirmed the development in a telephone interview with our reporter, saying, “Mrs Sadiya Umar-Farouk arrived at our office this morning.”

The ongoing investigation by the EFCC revolves around the staggering sum of N37.1 billion (N37,170,855,753.44) allegedly laundered by officials of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development then led by Mrs Umar-Farouk as the minister.

The EFCC had earlier grilled Halima Shehu, the suspended National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) being supervised by the ministry.

The commission detained Mrs Shehu after raiding NSIPA’s office in the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, on 2 January. She was held for questioning till the following day when she was released on bail.

Mrs Shehu, who was recently suspended by President Bola Tinubu, was responsible for overseeing the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. She was replaced with Akindele Egbuwalo, in an acting capacity.

The EFCC also summoned Mrs Umar-Farouk for questioning over the case, but she requested a rescheduling of the appointment.

When the news of the ongoing EFCC investigations started filtering out linking her to one of the officials at the centre of the alleged scam, Mrs Umar-Farouk tweeted to deny any wrongdoing.

“I remain proud to have served my country as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with every sense of responsibility and will defend my actions, stewardship and programmes during my tenure whenever I am called upon to do so,” she had posted on X.