The Department of State Services (DSS) has raised alarm over what it called plans by criminal elements to return the country to the pre-2015 era reminiscent of IED attacks on soft and hard targets in parts of the country.

DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya said in a statement that though there are already reported cases of such incidents in some areas, the Service has uncovered a ploy by suspected criminal gangs to forge an alliance among themselves with a view to launching further attacks on critical infrastructure and other frequented public places like worship and relaxation centres, especially during and after the holidays and festive celebrations.

“The objective is to achieve some self- serving interests as well as cause fear among the citizenry,” he said in the statement.

“The Service, however, recalls its earlier warning that some groups and individuals were plotting to stoke violence in the country.

“Following these, patrons, owners and managers of aforementioned public places are advised to be wary of this development and implement basic security measures to deter the threats.

While the Service is committed to the disruption of this trend and pattern of violent attacks, it will continue to partner with other security agencies to ensure that necessary drills are emplaced in order that public peace and order are not jeopardized.

“To this end, residents are enjoined to go about their lawful businesses and share, with security and law enforcement agencies, useful information on the activities of criminals.

“Meanwhile, the DGSS, Alhaji Yusuf Magaji Bichi, fwc wishes all and sundry a hitch free Workers’ Day and Sallah celebrations.”

A trigger-happy policeman is currently on the run after he allegedly shot dead two persons at the venue of a birthday party organized at a bar in Gowon Estate, Egbeda area of Lagos.

According to eyewitnesses, the officer was given food and drinks by the party organizers who asked him to join in their celebration.

It was after he ate and drank alcohol to his satisfaction that he began to shoot sporadically, allegedly killing two of the guests who were spraying money at the celebrant.

A video shared online showed the gory bodies of the deceased persons as well as those who sustained gunshot injuries.

Confirming the incident, the spokesman of the state police command, SP Benjamin said. “i can confirm there was shooting at the bar on sunday night and two persons were killed. we are investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting. i can assure you that those responsible will not go free. They will face the music.

"The commissioner of Police Lagos State, CP Abiodun Alabi, has zero tolerance for such behaviour and has already given marching orders to the DPO to fish out the culprits.”

It was also gathered that the policeman was invited to provide security by the celebrant identified as Ifeanyi alias Asiwaju of Computer Village.

Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has pardoned a civil servant in the State, who was suspended for spreading death rumour about the Governor. Akeredolu directed the Head of Service, HoS, Pastor Niran Adeyemo to recall the suspended civil servant back to service.

The HoS had last week disclosed the suspension of the civil servant who was accused of spreading the false information on his Facebook page.

While breaking the Ramadan fast, Iftar, with the muslim faithful in Akure, the State capital, the Governor said “father forgive them for they know not what they were doing”.

The Governor, who was making his first public appearance in the State after his vacation, frowned at the high rate fake news. He also challenged journalists to always cross-check and confirm stories.

Akeredolu added that civil servants should channel their energy into more meaningful conversation of sharing good news in the State, rather than spreading fake news.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), on Monday, opposed the endorsement of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for a second term. This was contained in a statement by Professor Ishaq Akintola, Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).

It would be recalled that the NIGERIAN NEWSTRACK reported that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), last week, endorsed the incumbent Governor of the State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for a second term in office for the 2023 gubernatorial election.

However, MURIC, on Monday, in a statement, disagreed with the leadership of the party, saying that the endorsement violated a long standing unwritten rule on rotational governance between Christians and Muslims in Lagos State.

He said the Christians have had their two terms and it is the turn of Muslims to produce a governor by 2023.

According to him, “It is on record that ex-Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, a Christian, spent four years in office and another Christian, Babajide Sanwo-Olu was brought in ostensibly to complete the Christians’ two terms which expires by May 2023 when a Muslim, ceteris paribus, is expected to take over the reins of office.

“That is why Muslims in Lagos State regard the recent endorsement given to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to run for the Christians’ third term as unfair, unjust and provocative.

"It may not be known in official circles, but Lagos Muslims are grumbling and we have been under pressure for some time now to speak up,” he said.

The statement said it rejected exclusivism in matters of governance, adding that “Lagos Muslims are tax payers and key stakeholders in issues affecting the welfare of Lagos citizens. We must, therefore, be consulted on matters of governance.”

“We refuse to be blindfolded on the way to the polling booth. Neither shall we be satisfied just as voters, we must also be voted for. That is the essence of democracy. It must be participatory. The choice of candidates and leadership must not be lopsided in a democracy. Every segment of society must be consulted,” he added.

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has replied to the alleged threat by some group of herders to attack and take over the entire South-East geopolitical zone.

According to a Daily Post report, there has been threat by the herdsmen to invade the region and take over the land as they have done to other places across the country.

The spokesman of the secessionist group, Emma Powerful, while reacting to a statement by a former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, lamenting the killings in Benue State by suspected Fulani herdsmen, said they are waiting for them (herdsmen) to do their worst in the South East.

According to Emma Powerful, the IPOB members are not disturbed by threats from the herdsmen that they own the country and have conquered many parts of Nigerian.

He said, “We are waiting for them, let them come and invade and take over Igboland. We will not spare them, let them come again and invade any part of Igboland and let us see if they can succeed.

“They can only do what they are doing in the places they are doing it now, but not in Igboland. Everybody knows that these people are the problem of Nigeria and we can’t relent until their evil control is dissolved”.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a billionaire drug baron Afam Mallinson Emmanuel Ukatu.

He is behind the N3 billion Tramadol deal involving the embattled suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari-led Intelligence Response Team, (IRT), the Director, Media, and Advocacy of the NDLEA Femi Babafemi confirmed in a statement on Monday.

“After months of surveillance and evading arrest, Ukatu who is Chairman of Mallinson Group of Companies was eventually nabbed onboard a flight to Abuja at the MM2 terminal of the Lagos airport, Ikeja on Wednesday 13th April,” he explained.

“Investigations revealed he’s been a major importer of large consignments of different brands and high dosages of Tramadol Hydrochloride, ranging from 120mg, 200mg, 225mg, and 250mg, all of which are illicit.

"Ukatu owns pharmaceutical and plastic manufacturing companies, which he used as a cover to import illicit drugs into Nigeria.

“This is in addition to operating 103 bank accounts, most of which are used to launder money.” Mr Babafemi noted that the drug baron came under watch last year after five cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized from his staff on 4th May 2021 when he sent them to sell to undercover police officers (unknown to Ukatu) from the then Kyari-led IRT of the Nigeria Police, Ikeja Lagos.

The price of a carton of Tramadol was negotiated at N17 million each as against the then black market value that ranged between N18 million and N20 million a carton in Lagos, the NDLEA spokesman added.

He said after the arrest of Ukatu’s staff – Pius Enidom and Sunday Ibekwete – Kyari’s men were then led by the suspects to Mallinson’s warehouse at Ojota in Lagos where 197 additional Cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized by the IRT Team.

The monetary value of the 202 cartons of Tramadol seized from Mallinson in one day was over N3 billion. According to him, three weeks after the seizure, the Kyari’s IRT team transferred only 12 Cartons of the Tramadol with one truck and a suspect to the Lagos Command of the NDLEA, leaving 190 cartons unaccounted for.

“After over eight months of following the lead, anti-narcotic officers of the Agency eventually arrested Ukatu at the Lagos airport on 13th April 2022.

"Kyari and four top members of his team are already facing trial for a different but similar offence at a Federal High Court in Abuja,” the statement added.

PRESS RELEASE

In 2005, a US National Intelligence Council paper “Mapping Sub-Saharan Africa’s Future” floated the idea there could be a military coup in Nigeria. At the time this was hardly an earth-shattering prediction: 2005 was only six years after the return of civilian democratic rule and just over a decade since the Abacha military coup of 1993 – the final of seven coups since independence.

However, for the last 29 years – close to a generation – there have been none. Since the return of democracy in 1999 there have been six general elections, four elected presidents, four transfers of power – including one in 2015 between the winning opposition candidate and the losing incumbent president seeking re-election.

Yet despite all the evidence to the contrary, the collapse predictors keep doubling down on their bets.

Most recently retired former US Ambassador to Nigeria 2004-7 John Campbell has updated his book, of which the first edition said:

“While Nigerians often claim they are masters of dancing on the brink without falling off, the disastrous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, the radical Islamic insurrection Boko Haram, and escalating violence in the delta and the north may finally provide the impetus that pushes it into the abyss of state failure”.

It didn’t of course, quite the opposite: Jonathan was defeated at the 2015 general election with power peacefully transferring to the victor, President Muhammadu Buhari.

Campbell is always more careful than others who openly claim their predicted collapse is just around the corner. Still, it is always there, as innuendo: “I have never predicted the breakup of Nigeria because I have never thought it would happen. But, were it to do so, the likely consequence would be a humanitarian disaster” – said Campbell in a blog post in 2012 for the US Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) think-tank.

That same CFR is now publishing the new edition of Campbell’s book. It seems unlikely the conclusion will be that Nigeria is improving on any measure as – for international Nigeria watchers - there seems little that can ever be found to suggest it is.

Yet the people of Nigeria - the majority of which were born after the last coup of 1993 - and who have known nothing their whole lives except democracy and elected government are the living proof that democracy is here to stay.

Though often negative, Campbell does however consistently express an important view that it is in the interests of the United States to encourage democracy and security in Nigeria. The government of Nigeria concurs. It is a pity therefore that US policy and support towards our country, including during the Buhari administration, has been so inconsistent.

In 2015 the then newly-elected Buhari government requested US military support in the form of Super Tucano jet fighters for the Nigerian Air Force. The Nigerian military, security, and intelligence services repeatedly made this request. The US administration of the time concurred: the delivery of such jets would help deliver a critical turning point in Nigeria’s struggle against jihadist terrorists across the Sahel.

Yet two years later, that jet delivery was rescinded, the reasons given that unless Nigeria improved its religious relations between Christianity and Islam then US support would not be forthcoming in this, and many other areas.

Such views were compounded by the constant lobbying of US Congress by the opponents of the Nigerian government who had lost the previous election, and many of their southern religious supporters – including Mathew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Diocese of Sokoto, who, unsurprising, provides a supportive quote for the dustcover of the new edition of Campbell’s book. (Kukah even took to addressing the US Congress himself, briefing his audience on the history of coups in Nigeria – without, of course, mentioning that none had occurred since 1993, some 29 years ago).

Fortunately, now today under a new US administration these jets have been delivered, and with it, a serious blow against the terrorists - with the supreme leader of Islamic State in West Africa and scores of other leaders of the group eliminated in airstrikes.

It is all very well to claim it is in the United States’ interests to help Nigeria become an even-better democracy and stable country. It is quite another to forever avoid mentioning the last coup was 29 years ago, and that since 1999 Nigeria has enjoyed 23 unbroken years of democratically elected governments and peaceful transitions between them.

It is also inconsistent to preach the need for stability but needlessly delay sharing military equipment in the form of jets - not least when it is now proven they would have helped Nigeria much earlier defeat the terrorists who threaten our country.

Hopefully, the United States and Nigeria are going to forge ahead with our continuing partnership in fighting terrorism in and out of the subregion.

The dream of our founding fathers of a strong, united and prosperous Nigeria remains very much intact.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity)

April 24, 2022

There are a total of 763 commercial banks located across the 54 countries that make up the African continent.

Findings by Business Insider Africa show that South Africa and Tanzania have the highest concentration of commercial banks at 51 and 50, respectively. Kenya on the other hand has 42 commercial banks, followed by Egypt with 40, Ghana with 34, Uganda with 24 and Nigeria with 22.

Interestingly, not only does Africa have a lesser number of commercial banks compared to other continents —Asia has at least 1,900, the EU has about 6,000 and the USA alone has more than 4,000 —African banks also have significantly lower valuations compared to their foreign counterparts.

But this is not to say that all the banks in Africa have low valuations. As you will see shortly, some African banks have total assets valued at over $100 billion. Assets basically include all the properties, cash, account receivables and other valuable resources owned by corporations such as banks.

Before we go ahead and unveil the list, it's important to mention that this information was sourced from Statista, a leading global provider of markets and consumer data.

Below are Africa's largest banks by asset size, comprised mostly of South African and North African banks.

Standard Bank (Stanbank) Group: At $172.9 billion, this South African bank has the largest asset size in Africa.

National Bank of Egypt: This Egyptian bank's total asset size is valued at $124.9 billion.

Absa Bank: This is another South African bank and it has a total asset size of $87.8 billion.

FirstRand: The third South African bank on the top 10 list has a total asset size of $81.9 billion.

Nedbank Group: This South African bank has a total asset size of $78.6 billion.

Attijariwafa Bank: This Moroccan bank has a total asset size of $63.8 billion.

Banque Misr: This Egyptian bank has a total asset size of $57.9 billion.

Banque Centrale Populair: This is a Moroccan bank and it has an asset size of $49.9 billion.

BMCE Bank Group: This is yet another Moroccan bank and it has an asset size of $37.3 billion.

Investec Bank: Lastly, we have South Africa's Investec Bank which has an asset size of $29.9 billion.

Emmanuel Macron comfortably defeated far-right rival Marine Le Pen on Sunday, heading off a political earthquake for Europe but acknowledging dissatisfaction with his first term and saying he would seek to make amends.

His supporters erupted with joy as the results appeared on a giant screen at the Champ de Mars park by the Eiffel tower.

Leaders in Berlin, Brussels, London and beyond welcomed his defeat of the nationalist, eurosceptic Le Pen.

With 97% of votes counted, Macron was on course for a solid 57.4% of the vote, interior ministry figures showed. But in his victory speech he acknowledged that many had only voted for him only to keep Le Pen out and he promised to address the sense of many French that their living standards are slipping.

"Many in this country voted for me not because they support my ideas but to keep out those of the far-right. I want to thank them and know I owe them a debt in the years to come," he said.

"No one in France will be left by the wayside," he said in a message that had already been spread by senior ministers doing the rounds on French TV stations.

Two years of disruption from the pandemic and surging energy prices exacerbated by the Ukraine war catapulted economic issues to the fore of the campaign. The rising cost of living has become an increasing strain for the poorest in the country.

"He needs to be closer to the people and to listen to them," digital sales worker Virginie, 51, said at the Macron rally, adding he needed to overcome a reputation for arrogance and soften a leadership style Macron himself called "Jupiterian".

Le Pen, who at one stage of the campaign had trailed Macron by just a few points in opinion polls, quickly admitted defeat. But she vowed to keep up the fight with parliamentary elections in June.

"I will never abandon the French," she told supporters chanting "Marine! Marine!"

Macron can expect little or no grace period in a country whose stark political divisions have been brought into the open by an election in which radical parties scored well. Many expect the street protests that marred part of his first term to erupt again as he presses on with pro-business reforms.

"There will be continuity in government policy because the president has been reelected," Health Minister Olivier Veran said. "But we have also heard the French people's message."

How Macron now fares will depend on the looming parliamentary elections. Le Pen wants a nationalist alliance in a move that raises the prospect of her working with rival far-rightists like Eric Zemmour and her niece, Marion Marechal.

Hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon, who emerged as by far the strongest force on the left of French politics, said he deserves to be prime minister - something that would force Macron into an awkward and stalemate-prone "cohabitation".

"Melenchon as prime minister. That would be fun. Macron would be upset, but that's the point," said Philippe Lagrue, 63, technical director at a Paris theatre, who voted for Macron in the run-off after backing Melenchon in the first round.

Outside France, Macron's victory was hailed as a reprieve for mainstream politics rocked in recent years by Britain's exit from the European Union, the 2016 election of Donald Trump and the rise of a new generation of nationalist leaders.

"Bravo Emmanuel," European Council President Charles Michel, wrote on Twitter. "In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union."

"Congratulations to the President and a true friend @EmmanuelMacron on the election victory," Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on his Twitter account in early hours on Monday.

"The financial markets will breathe a collective sigh of relief following Macron's election victory," said Seema Shah, Chief Strategist at Principal Global Investors.

The disillusion with Macron was reflected in an abstention rate expected to settle around 28%, the highest since 1969.

Initial polling showed the vote was sharply split both by age and socio-economic status: Two-thirds of working class voters backed le Pen, while similar proportions of white-collar executives and pensioners backed Macron, an Elabe poll showed.

Macron won around 59% of votes by 18-24 year-olds with the vote almost evenly split in other age categories.

During the campaign, Le Pen homed in on the rising cost of living and Macron's sometimes abrasive style as some of his weakest points.

She promised sharp cuts to fuel tax, zero-percent sales tax on essential items from pasta to diapers, income exemptions for young workers and a "French first" stance on jobs and welfare.

"I'm shocked to see that a majority of French people want to reelect a president that looked down on them for five years," Adrien Caligiuri, a 27-year-old project manager said at the Le Pen rally.

Macron meanwhile pointed to Le Pen's past admiration for Russia's Vladimir Putin as showing she could not be trusted on the world stage, while insisting she still harboured plans to pull France out of the European Union - something she denies.

President Muhammadu Buhari has mourned the victims of an explosion that rocked an illegal refinery in Imo State and also ordered an intensified clampdown on illegal refining sites across the country.

About 100 people were killed on Friday after a fire engulfed an illegal crude oil refining site in the Abaezi forest, in Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.

Two days after the tragic incident, President Buhari described the explosion as  a “catastrophe and a national disaster.”

In a statement issued on Sunday by his media aide, Garba Shehu, the Commander-in-Chief said the responsibility for the loss of lives and property must squarely lie with the sponsors of the illegal refinery, “who must all be caught and made to face justice”.

The President conveyed “the condolences and the full depth and range of the nation’s shock and trauma” to the families of the victims, the Ohaji Egbema community, and the government and people of Imo State.

To forestall a reoccurrence of the incident, the President ordered the armed forces, security, and intelligence agencies to intensify the clampdown on illegal refineries.

This is even as he urged community leaders, the police, and the secret service to never allow the occurrence of the heart-breaking incident in any part of the country again.

Meanwhile, the Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has commiserated with the families of affected victims.

He, however, explained that running an illegal refinery in the area amounted to economic sabotage to the state and the nation and a criminal act that all should desist from.

The governor warned those still in the business of running illegal refineries in the state to stop forthwith or face the wrath of the law.

Illegal refineries have remained a menace, posing an environmental and economic threat to the nation and resulting in condemnation and crackdowns by the government – especially in the South-South.

Earlier this month, amid reports of widespread crude oil theft and the environmental impact of illegal refineries – evident in the soot problem in Rivers State, the Nigerian Navy launched an operation to combat the threat.