Police Disown Document Indicting Ayedatiwa Of Certificate Forgery
The Nigerian Police Force has disowned a document in circulation purportedly indicting the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, of certificate forgery.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, and shared on the Force’s Facebook page on Friday.
The statement read, “We wish to clarify that the said document did not originate from the Nigeria Police Force. The alleged signatory, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, does not have the authority to release such a report on behalf of the Force Criminal Investigation Department or any other such departments within the Nigeria Police Force.
“The Nigeria Police Force is currently investigating the origin of the said document and the circumstances surrounding its circulation.
“We urge the public to exercise caution and refrain from spreading unverified information that could potentially tarnish the reputation of individuals or public officials.
“Furthermore, we assure the public that any official communication or report regarding investigations conducted by the Nigeria Police Force will be released through appropriate channels.”
On January 9, 2023, the PUNCH report that Aiyedatiwa debunked a report that he was involved in a certificate forgery scandal, describing the report as the handiwork of some of his political detractors.
Aiyedatiwa was sworn in on December 27, 2023, following the demise of his principal, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who lost his protracted battle against prostate cancer.
Before Akeredolu’s death, Aiyedatiwa was acting governor and had battled an impeachment plot launched against him by the state House of Assembly, believed to be loyal to Akeredolu.
Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has fired back at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike.
Secondus described the former governor of Rivers state as a chronic liar.
The former PDP chief was reacting to Wike’s comments at a recent media parley in Abuja.
Wike had described Secondus, Senator George Sekibo and other PDP leaders in Rivers State as “expired politicians and buccaneers.”
The PDP leaders queued behind Governor Sim Fubara, who has been at loggerheads with Wike.
In a statement on Wednesday, Secondus, through his media adviser, Ike Abonyi, in Abuja, said Wike’s performance at the media engagement was an exhibition of “his well-known trait of being economical with the truth, harbinger of half-truths and a mastermind of outright falsehoods just to hoodwink unsuspecting members of the public to believe his brew by playing to the gallery and drawing some unwarranted applause and attention.”
Secondus further described Wike as “a showman noted for his double-speak, twisting of facts to score some cheap political points, and someone who stands the truth on its head.”
He also referred to Wike’s utterances during the Abuja parley as “appalling and rather unfortunate.”
The Kano State government has initiated a new legal action against the former governor of the state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his wife, and six other individuals.
The suit, filed before a State high court, alleges multiple counts of corruption, misappropriation, and diversion of funds amounting to billions of naira.
The defendants in the fresh suit include Ganduje’s son, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd., Safari Textiles Ltd., and Lesage General Enterprises.
According to the charges filed by the prosecution counsel, the allegations against the All Progressives Congress national chairman include soliciting and receiving bribes, collecting kickbacks from contractors, and converting public funds for personal use.
The charges detail alleged corruption and financial misconduct during Ganduje’s tenure as Governor of Kano State.
Bello, son of the immediate-past Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has distanced himself from his younger’s outburst against Governor Uba Sani. Recall that Governor Sani had revealed that his administration inherited $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities from the El-Rufai administration.
Addressing a town hall meeting in Kaduna on Saturday, the governor said the huge debts had not stopped his administration from meeting its contractual obligations.
Reacting, Bashir El-Rufai took to his X handle to berate the governor for shying away from his responsibility by staying away from the state and residing in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
ADVERTISEMENT The younger El-Rufai also accused Governor Sani of surrounding himself with a retinue of incompetent aides appointed for political patronage.
However, in a post via his X handle over the weekend, Bello, a member of the House of Representatives, distanced himself from his brother’s outburst.
The federal lawmaker stated that he is loyal to Governor Sani and he will not criticize him publicly.
ADVERTISEMENT He said: “It’s a known thing in politics that some people won’t rest unless there are fights between one another. I am in the middle, and I could even be meeting with the governor tonight in thirty minutes.
“Two weeks ago, I had to call my brother and tell him to drop a tweet. I did that today, but he refused. He is over 30 years old. People should stop confusing our handles.
“I am loyal to Governor Uba Sanni, and I will not criticize him publicly. No one will make me do that. He mentored me, gave me my first government job, and believed in my election. This, too, shall pass. The rural development being done in Kaduna State is impressive.
ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Nigeria, as a whole, not just Kaduna, is facing financial constraints. As leaders, we are all elected to do what we can with what we have and improve it. I honestly do not see what the fuss is about.”
He added: “The governor is the leader of the state, and for the sake of transparency, even though Mallam as the outgoing governor put it in his outgoing speech how much money he is leaving in the state, it is within the governor’s—let me take that back—it is the duty, of course, for the sake of transparency, to let the citizens of the state know the financial condition.
“And now, let me clarify, social media attacks will never shake my boss, Governor Uba Sani. So, a few attacks from people for obvious reasons coming at him is not the reason he did what he did.”
Dr Richard Somiari, Director of Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre, said that the results of an autopsy conducted on deceased singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, a.k.a Mohbad, would be ready in the next three weeks or four weeks.
Somiari disclosed this on Wednesday, March 20, while testifying during a coroner’s inquest into the death of the singer.
The witness was cross-examined by the defence counsel in the inquest.
Recall that the musician died on September 12, 2023, at the age of 27 years.
His d£ath generated controversies, prompting Lagos State Government to direct a coroner’s inquest into the d£ath.
The inquest began on October 13, 2023.
During the last inquest hearing on March 20, Somiari told the Coroner, Magistrate Adedayo Shotobi: “We expected to get the first set of autopsy results in three to four weeks and re-confirm to authenticate the cause of the death.
“We searched for multiple possibilities, to check if poison was involved in the d£ath of Mohbad since no actual cause was mentioned.”
The forensic expert assured the public of adequate security and monitoring of samples for the autopsy.
“We have a place where items are stored for safety and security of results. There is a procedure for monitoring samples moved abroad,” he said.
An Ohio woman who left her 16-month-old daughter alone for more than a week while she vacationed, leading to the girl’s death, was sentenced to life in prison without parole Monday morning, March 18.
Kristel Candelario, 32, left her daughter, Jailyn, alone and unattended at her home in Cleveland on June 6, 2023. Authorities said she did not return until June 16.
According to prosecutors, Candelario traveled to Detroit and Puerto Rico. She returned 10 days later to find the girl unresponsive and called police.
The child was pronounced dead at the home. She was discovered in a playpen soiled with urine and feces, according to a press release from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.
Forensic pathologist Elizabeth Mooney determined Jailyn died from starvation and severe dehydration due to pediatric neglect and ruled Jailyn’s death a homicide.
On Feb. 22, Candelario pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated murder and one count of endangering children.
Candelario has now been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of patrol for aggravated murder and eight to 12 years for endangering children.
County Common Pleas Court Judge Brendan Sheehan told Candelario she committed “the ultimate betrayal” by leaving her daughter alone without food.
“Just as you didn’t let Jailyn out of her confinement, so too you should spend the rest of your life in a cell without freedom,” Sheehan said. “The only difference will be, the prison will at least feed you and give you liquid that you denied her.”
Candelario, who has struggled with depression and related mental health issues, said she has prayed daily for forgiveness.
“There’s so much pain that I have in regards to the loss of my baby, Jailyn,” she said. “I’m extremely hurt about everything that happened. I am not trying to justify my actions, but nobody knew how much I was suffering and what I was going through … God and my daughter have forgiven me.”
During the court hearing, Candelario‘s parents also stood up to speak.
“My heart is ripped apart in 1,000 pieces,” Candelario’s mother said. “I am here to tell the world that my daughter came from a home where there were values
FG reveals names of terrorism financiers
The Nigerian Sanctions Committee on Monday revealed the identities of nine specific individuals and six entities that have been recommended for sanction following their involvement in terrorism financing. 👇
The nine individuals under sanctions are:
1. Tukur Mamu 2. Yusuf Ghazali 3. Muhammad Sani 4. Abubakar Muhammad 5. Sallamudeen Hassan 6. Adamu Ishak 7. Hassana-Oyiza Isah 8. Abdulkareem Musa 9. Umar Abdullahi
The six BDCs and firms are:
10. West and East Africa General Trading Company Limited 11. Settings Bureau De Change Limited 12. G. Side General Enterprises 13. Desert Exchange Ventures Limited 14. Eagle Square General Trading Company Limited 15. Alfa Exchange BDC
Top of the list of individuals named in the document was a Kaduna-based publisher, Tukur Mamu, who is currently being tried by the Federal Government for allegedly aiding the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022.
According to the document sent to Punch, Mamu “participated in the financing of terrorism by receiving and delivering ransome payments over the sum of $200,000 US in support of ISWAP terrorists for the release of hostages of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.”
The document said one of the individuals is “the suspected attacker of the St. Francis Catholic Church Owo, Ondo State on June 5, 2022, and the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, on July 5, 2022.”
Another was described as “a financial courier to ISWAP Okene. She is responsible for the disbursement of funds to the widows/wives of the terrorist fighters of the group.”
According to the document, another of the individuals “in 2015, transferred N60m to terrorism convicts.”
He was also said to have “received a sum of N189m between 2016 and 2018.”
The same person is said to “own entities and business reported in the UAE court judgment as facilitating the transfer of terrorist funds from Dubai to Nigeria.”
Another was said to have “had a total inflow of N61.4 bn and a total outflow of N51.7bn from his accounts.”
The Senate on Wednesday, March 20, passed the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2024.
The resolution of the Senate followed its consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND that considered the Bill.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Muntari Dandutse (APC – Katsina South) presented the report during plenary.
President Bola Tinubu had last week transmitted the Bill to the National Assembly for its consideration and passage.
The Senate had given the Bill accelerated hearing by suspending relevant sections of its standing rules and referred the Bill to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.
After debate on the Bill, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the Bill to the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND for further legislative work and to report back in one week.
The Bill seeks to provide easy access to higher education for indigent Nigerians through interest-free loans from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund established in the Act to provide education for all Nigerians.
‘Squid Game’ Actor, Young-Soo Convicted of Sexual Misconduct
Korean actor, Oh Young-soo, known for his role in the hit Netflix series “Squid Game,” was found guilty of sexual misconduct by a South Korean court on Friday.
The 79-year-old actor received an eight-month suspended sentence and was ordered to attend mandatory sexual violence treatment classes, New York Times report.
According to the report, Young-soo, who won a Golden Globe Award in 2022 for his role as Player No. 001 in ‘Squid Game’, had publicly denied the charges and told reporters after the verdict that he planned to appeal the decision.
A district court judge, Jeong Yeon-ju, in Seongnam, a city southeast of Seoul, was said to have found Young-soo guilty of inappropriately hugging an actress, holding her hand and kissing her cheek in 2017, after which prosecutors charged him in 2022 after the actress filed a complaint accusing him of inappropriately touching her.
The report further disclosed that Judge Jeong Yeon-ju said across multiple occasions in August and September 2017, Young-soo had hugged the woman, held her hand, kissed her cheek and laid in her rented room, where he made potentially inappropriate sexual comments.
The judge added that she received sexual violence counseling in March 2018 and tried to forget her distressful memories for some time, until the success of “Squid Game” in 2021 prompted the woman to demand an apology from Young-soo about his actions, for which he apologised.
“Mr. Oh denied kissing the woman, claimed that he had held her hand to help her carry things, and said that his apology to her was not an admission of guilt”, the judge said.
Young-soo’s lawyers argued that the woman’s narrative was inconsistent. But the judge found her accusations credible.
NYT also reports that the sexual misconduct charge hurt his career well before the court rendered a verdict as Young-soo was not included in the cast for Season 2 of “Squid Game,” scheduled for release this year.
The lawmaker representing the Abia South Senatorial District, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has said that contrary to the claim that some ranking senators received N500 million from the 2024 budget, he only received N266 million.
Recall that the senator representing Cross River North, Agom Jarigbe on Tuesday, March 12, revealed that senior ranking senators had received N500 million each from the 2024 budget while he got nothing.
Lawmakers who have spent at least four years in the Senate are regarded as ranking senators.
Jarigbe made the revelation on the floor of the Senate while speaking on allegations of budget padding raised by the lawmaker representing Bauchi Central, Senator Abdul Ningi.
Ningi had earlier accused the Senate of padding the 2024 budget, saying the National Assembly added an extra N3.7 trillion to the initial budget.
Reacting to the allegation on Arise Television on Wednesday, March 13, Abaribe said Ningi knew it was a mistake to make a claim he could not prove.
Abaribe then denied receiving N500 million as alleged by Jarigbe. He added that despite being a senior senator, he only received N266 million.
Abaribe said: “Senator Ningi knew it was going to be a mistake. He knew. He’s a member of the Senate. He can’t say he didn’t know. He’s an old Senator. He has been in the Senate before. He knew that this wasn’t correct.
“I never got 500 million. I think Jarigbe tried to clarify his statement. He came back subsequently to say, ‘No, Ningi told me I was given’, because he didn’t get. He’s also a ranking Senator.
“So, I think that at the end of the day, what you see really is that…well, I’m an APGA Senator–the only APGA Senator in the Senate. Maybe being a minority of the minority, they didn’t consider me worthy of being given. Nobody told me about that money.
“I wanted to say that, without equivocation, that both Jarigbe and the Senate leader tried to clarify this issue. Number one: nobody was given 500 million. Even a few of my colleagues called me to say, ‘Ahh you get 500 million we dey beg you for money but you no wan give us one naira out of it.’ Can you imagine?”
Abaribe proceeded to explain how the Zonal Intervention Project funds were shared among senators.
Abaribe said he got N266 million from the money allocated to lawmakers in the six geo-political zones. According to him, lawmakers from some zones, like the Northwest, which has seven states, would expect to get less than what he got, as his Southeast zone has only five states.
He said: “So, of course I got 266 million for what’s called Zonal Intervention Fund which Nigerians call “constituency project” funds. And this thing takes a budget circle which is twelve months. So if at the end of twelve months you don’t see what’s in the budget for your constituency, then you hold your representatives whether in the Reps or Senate culpable.”
He added, “I have been saying that all fingers are not equal and by privilege of office, certain people will get but not every Senator gets an equal amount.
“These are six zones in the country, and every zone gets its own N10 billion in intervention. Now, if you are from the Northwest zone, because you have seven states, the senator will get less than me who comes from the five-state zone.
“My state, Abia, gets N2 billion and if we break it down for both the Senate and the representatives, the Senate is getting 40% and the House gets 60%.
“I got about N266 million as zonal intervention. The person in the Northwest who has seven states, will necessarily get less, about a hundred million and something.
“So it’s not correct when we say every constituency must get an equal amount.”
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) on Saturday, February 24 said it received the preliminary report from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) regarding the helicopter crash that claimed the life of Dr Herbert Wigwe, former Group CEO of Access Holdings, his wife, son and two others.
The Director, of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NSIB, Bimbo Oladeji, made the disclosure in a statement in Lagos.
The tragic incident occurred on February 9, involving an Airbus Helicopter EC130B4 in Halloran Springs, California.
Initial findings suggest the helicopter suffered catastrophic damage as it caught fire before the crash due to adverse weather conditions.
Speaking on the NTSB report, Oladeji said:
“The preliminary report on the Airbus Helicopter EC130B4, registered as N130CZ and operated by Orbic Air, LLC, under Part 135 regulations for on-demand flights, outlines crucial details surrounding the tragic incident.
“Departing from Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California, the helicopter journeyed to Boulder City Municipal Airport in Nevada via Palm Springs International Airport.
“However, during its flight, adverse weather conditions characterized by rain and a mix of snow were encountered, as reported by witnesses.
“Reports from law enforcement and eyewitnesses also indicated that several individuals travelling along Interstate 15 (I-15) observed a “fireball” in the area, prompting calls to emergency services.
“Subsequently, the wreckage of the helicopter was discovered in the high, mountainous desert and scrub-brush-covered terrain near Halloran Springs, California.”
Nigerian Afrobeats singer David Adeleke, also known as Davido, has announced a donation of N300 million to orphanages across Nigeria through his Foundation.
On Tuesday via his X account, the Grammy-nominated artist made known the donation
Davido stated that the donation is his yearly contribution to the nation.
He added that the details on the disbursement will be available on Wednesday.
“I and my foundation pledge the sum of 300 million Naira to orphanages around Nigeria … as my yearly contribution to the Nation ❤️ .. details of disbursement tomorrow 🇳🇬,” he tweeted
Recall recently, the Grammy-nominated singer received a gift from Atletico Madrid forward, Memphis Depay.
The striker reportedly gave Davido a multi-million naira Rolex timepiece when he performed at his 30th birthday celebration recently.
Davido confirmed the gift on his Instagram story, claiming it was the first time he had ever gotten a present.
The artiste also claimed that he has always been the one who gives to others.
He wrote, “N*gga bought me a rolex on his own birthday! I never receive gifts, I’ve always been the one to gift people.
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