The Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa, established by Economic Community of West African States, says Boko Haram splinter group, Islamic State West Africa Province, moved about N18bn ($36m) generated from trading and taxing communities in the Lake Chad region through the Nigerian financial system annually.

The group, set up by ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in 2000, stated that both Boko Haram and ISWAP had continued to mobilise, move and utilise funds through the nation’s formal financial and commercial system.

It noted that the government lacked adequate insight into Boko Haram and ISWAP international linkages and abuse of the formal financial and commercial sectors.

It said even though the Department of State Services had significant ability to identify and investigate terrorist financing activity, and that it even conducts parallel financial and terrorism investigation, there was little evidence of the effectiveness of such efforts.

Meanwhile, Borno state government had IGR of N11.58 billion in 2020 (see The Guardian, April 16, 2021), a figure N6.42 billion less than what ISWAP, which operates within its boundaries, generates annually.

The group, known as GIABA, stated these in its 2021 Mutual Evaluation Report, where it also noted that Nigeria lacked an explicit policy to confiscate proceeds of crime or property of equivalent value, including terrorism financing.

It also said the Nigerian government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari failed to confiscate the assets of terrorists as stipulated in the global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing standards.

Nigeria has been battling Boko Haram insurgency for about 12 years, during which thousands have been killed, including civilians and soldiers; several persons, including schoolchildren and women, were kidnapped with many still in captivity while millions have been displaced.

Meanwhile, the GIABA report was adopted by the global financial intelligence agency, Financial Action Task Force, whose recommendations help authorities to go after the money of criminals dealing in illegal drugs, human trafficking and other crimes.

The report stated, “Boko Haram/ISWAP pose significant TF (Terrorist Financing) risks that are challenging to disrupt, operating in large part outside the formal financial and commercial system in the conflict zone.

“In these areas, Boko Haram and ISWAP are mainly able to “live off the land” through a variety of means, including kidnapping for ransom, extortion and taxation, raiding and controlling commercial activity.

“As with other forms of illicit financial activity, the pervasive use of cash enables these groups’ funding. A study estimated ISWAP’s revenues, deemed larger than Boko Haram’s, at up to USD$36m annually, much of it from trading activity and taxation in the Lake Chad region.

“According to Nigerian authorities, both groups have also continued to mobilise, move and utilise funds through the formal financial and commercial system as well, accounting for a relatively small portion of TF activity. These groups also engage in international trafficking activities and as sworn adherents to the Islamic State, also have links with other regional and global terrorist networks.

“The authorities believe that any external support from ISIS Core may account for a small portion of ISWAP’s overall revenues. However, trade with broader criminal networks that could extend to regional jihadist organisations appears to generate significant income for both Boko Haram and ISWAP.”

The Financial Action Task Force assessment noted that the Nigerian authorities did not prioritise terrorism financing investigations, as there were only a few terrorist financing prosecutions and convictions, which do not reflect the country’s risk profile in terrorist financing.

Notably, no individual, body or corporation has been convicted in Nigeria for funding terrorism since the insurgency started in 2009.

The Task Force said in the assessment, “Nigeria has a significant but incomplete understanding of its TF (terrorist financing) threats and risks. It lacks adequate insight into Boko/ISWAP’s international linkages and abuse of the formal financial and commercial sector. The authorities do not prioritise TF investigations, as there are only a few TF prosecutions and convictions which do not reflect Nigeria’s TF risk profile.

“Department of State Services, Nigeria’s lead counter-terrorism agency, has significant ability to identify and investigate TF activity. It conducts parallel financial investigations in conjunction with terrorism investigations. However, there is little evidence of the effectiveness of such efforts.

“The content of TF-related Suspicious Transactions Reports submitted to the NFIU (Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit) has not been of demonstrable value, appearing to add little to Nigeria’s CFT (Combating the Financing of Terrorism) efforts. The agency maintained that Nigeria did not demonstrate effective legal and operational frameworks for seeking international cooperation, including for the recovery and repatriation of assets.

“Nigeria did not demonstrate that it prioritises and provides constructive information or assistance, including adequate, accurate and current basic and beneficial owner information of legal persons promptly.”

It noted that the nation recently enacted the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, 2019 to streamline processes for mutual legal assistance

The financial task force observed that the larger commercial banks and those affiliated with international groups have a good understanding of money laundering and terrorism financing risks.

In contrast, it submitted that the non-bank financial sector such as bureau de change, microfinance banks and insurance intermediaries have a low level of understanding of money laundering and terrorism financing risks, stressing that the level of supervision of registered/licensed forex dealers was not commensurate with the risk of the sector.

“At the same time, thousands of forex dealers operate informally and are entirely unsupervised,’’ the GIABA report affirmed.

Already, the Central Bank of Nigeria in July suspended sale of forex to BDCs due to what it termed illegal activities and corrupt tendencies. The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, said Nigeria was the only country selling foreign exchange to BDCs.

He said the apex bank sustained the practice because of the role the BDCs played in the economy, but that it was disappointing to find that they turned themselves into agents that facilitated graft and corruption in Nigeria, which necessitated their suspension.

About 400 BDC operators and traders were arrested in Kano, Borno, Abuja, Lagos, Sokoto, Adamawa, Kaduna and Zamfara for alleged money laundering and terrorism financing by security agencies in March while 190 others nabbed for alleged link to terrorism reportedly paid N900m in penalties before they were allowed to return to their business.

Months after they were apprehended and despite promises by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, the suspects have not been arraigned or prosecuted.

We’ll study report, make position known – AGF

Speaking on the delayed arraignment of the 400 BDC operators and traders, the media aide to the AGF, Umar Gwandu, told our correspondent that “The prosecution process is ongoing; the Federal Government continues to do the needful within the provisions of the law in its doggedness to fight money laundering.”

Gwandu had reportedly said in May 2021 that the prosecution of the arrested BDCs operators would commence as soon as possible.

Also responding to GIABA assessment, Gwandu told our correspondent, “The Federal Government will access, study and assess the report. The Federal Government will make its position known after critical examination of the content of the report.”

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has sent a delegation to London to engage with the Financial Action Task Force over the negative assessment.

A source told our correspondent that they learnt the delegation, led by the Special Assistant to the President on Justice Sector Reforms, Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagu, was presently holding talks with FATF officials in England.

“The government is worried by the negative assessment and is working to prevent possible sanctions on Nigeria. The Attorney-General has dispatched a team to London to hold talks with the FATF and prevent serious sanctions on Nigeria which may impact our global standing,” the source noted.

Findings showed that the FATF was considering sanctions against Nigeria for failing to comply with the global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing standards.

In 2017, the FATF suspended Nigeria’s membership of the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units due to the lack of legal framework and autonomy for the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, which was then an arm of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The suspension was lifted in 2018 and Nigeria was readmitted into the Egmont Group, after the country fulfilled the requirements of the organization, a global body of 155 Financial Intelligence Units that facilitates the exchange of financial intelligence, expertise and capability against money laundering, terrorism financing and financial crime.

Reports have it that the mutual evaluation was released in August and subsequently adopted by the GIABA member states of which Nigeria is a member.

The assessment stated that the EFCC and other enforcement agencies did not prioritise money laundering investigations but focused primarily on money laundering predicate offences.

The West African financial intelligence watchdog in its evaluation of Nigeria further said the use of financial intelligence by law enforcement agencies remains limited due to the low level of feedback to the NFIU, limited scope of entities that file suspicious transaction reports, lack of reporting on cross-border movement of bearer negotiable instruments, inbound cross-border movement of currency disclosures due to the low level of implementation of these systems and the limited scope of institutions from which the NFIU requests additional information to support its analysis.

GIABA said, “Nigeria lacks an explicit policy to confiscate the proceeds and instrumentalities of crime or property of equivalent value. The country did not demonstrate effective seizure and confiscation of all types of proceeds and instrumentalities of crime, including terrorism financing.

“The legal framework is deficient on asset-sharing and formal arrangements for assets sharing with foreign countries for purposes of restitution. The authorities have not effectively utilised the physical cross-border declaration system to seize or confiscate falsely declared or undeclared currency and bearer negotiable instruments.”

While acknowledging steps taken by Nigeria to increase its risk understanding of money laundering and terrorism financing threats, the evaluation stated that the country’s depth and sophistication of its understanding of key money laundering risks, including of corruption and fraud, legal persons, (including free zone enterprises) and politically exposed persons are underdeveloped, considering their complexity, materiality and scope.

The agency also highlighted the lack of coordination among the security agencies, stating that the number of investigations, prosecutions and convictions for money laundering was inconsistent with the key findings.

It said, “Several agencies are designated to investigate and prosecute money laundering cases. However, there is limited or lack of coordination among these agencies. Law enforcement agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, do not prioritise ML (money laundering) investigations and focus primarily on ML predicate offences.

“There are also technical compliance deficiencies related to Recommendation 3. As a result, stand-alone ML offences are not pursued, nor are those related to foreign predicate offences. The number of investigations, prosecutions and convictions for ML is inconsistent with the risk profile of the country. There is no reliable data to determine if the sanctions applied to natural and legal persons for ML are proportionate and dissuasive.”

Meanwhile, the anti-graft agencies, including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, EFCC and the police did not respond to questions on the GIABA assessment of their activities as their spokespersons kept mum when contacted on Saturday.

Emefiele had said at a Monetary Policy Committee meeting on September 17 in Abuja, “We have unwittingly supported activities of those who illegally buy foreign exchange from this illegal market, carry them in aircraft out of the country, go to buy arms and ammunition and bring them back into the country and commit crimes whether it is Boko Haram, kidnapping or all sorts of nefarious activities. We cannot do that any longer.”

The NFIU however said on September 24 that it had information on the sale of foreign exchange to fund terrorism in the country and that it had launched a manhunt for the perpetrators. It said it had achieved some breakthroughs in recent times through intelligence gathering on the illicit transaction.

Speaking at a three-day workshop organised in Lagos by GIABA, the Associate Director, Intelligence and Investigation Support, NFIU, Biola Shotunde, said, “Yes, we have intelligence gathering that shows us those patterns and we have worked on that. We have used such intelligence appropriately and that is why we have recorded some successes. Our engagement with other agencies is enormous and proactive. It is an ongoing effort and we are becoming stronger.”

She, however, did not go into details when asked the number of persons arrested in connection with the crime.

Punch

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

Presidential Steering Committee on Covid-19 has reviewed the International Travel

Protocol of 22nd October 2021. This revised protocol is aimed at further reducing the risk of importation and exportation of Covid-19 especially the variants of concern.

In-bound Passengers:

All passengers arriving in Nigeria are expected to provide evidence of and comply with the following rules:

1. Covid-19 PCR test to be done within 48hrs before departure

2. Post-arrival Day 2 Covid-19 PCR test

3. Self-isolation for 7 days (For unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals)

4. Day 7 post-arrival exit PCR test (For unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals)

Out-bound Passengers

All out-bound Passengers are required to provide either of the following documentation:

1. Valid evidence of full vaccination against Covid-19.

2. Negative PCR test result within 48hrs from the time of boarding.

The review of the protocol is based on science, national experience, and global developments.

The PSC assures Nigerians that it shall continue to monitor global and specific country situations with a view to taking necessary measures to safeguard the health of Nigerians.

The PSC calls on all Nigerians to ensure that they have taken their full dose of Covid-19 vaccinations and to continue to observe compliance to public health social measures.

This revised protocol comes into effect on 5th December, 2021.

Sun

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, is to launch a nationwide deployment and use of virtual court proceedings in Nigeria’s correctional centres.

AGF’s spokesperson, Umar Gwandu, said in a statement on Friday that the minister would “launch the pilot project for the deployment and use (of) Virtual Court Sitting facilities at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja on Monday, December 6, 2021.”

Gwandu explained further:, “The development is part of the process to implement the Post-Covid-19 Justice Sector Plan marshaled out by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in April, 2020”.

The statement added, “Secretary of the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion, Leticia Ayoola-Daniels working with the representative of the supporting organization; Oyinye Ndubuisi of the UNDP are working assiduously to ensure achievement of the laudable project.”

This is coming more than a year after Malami muted the idea in the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown in April last year.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic last year, virtual court proceedings have gained traction in the Nigeria’s judicial system, due to the lockdown and other safety measures that restrict physical court sittings.

National Judicial Council (NJC) has also issued a virtual court sittings guidelines for various courts, many of whose chief judges have also issued practice directions to that effect.

Gwandu further said on Friday that the initiative was one of the strategic interventions by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice “towards engendering lasting reforms in the Criminal Justice Sector in Nigeria.”

As a way of addressing the intractable delays in Nigeria’s criminal justice system, the statement said the Justice Ministry in collaboration with the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion, conceived the project to “expedite engagement with the Nigerian Correctional Centres to make it possible for evidence of suspects in custody to be taken without their physical presence in court to avoid disruptions.”

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service; Halilu Nababa as well as members of the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion, are some of the dignitaries expected at the occasion.

PT

 

 

Two persons were on Friday killed during an attack by bandits on Ungwan Gimbiya community, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Over 50 residents of the community were also said to have been abducted by the attackers who invaded the area in the early hours of Friday.

The attack was carried out barely a week after the state government restored telecommunication services that had earlier been shut down to tackle insecurity in some parts of the state.

As of the time of filing this report, there were no official reactions to the latest attack.

Many residents of Ungwan Gimbiya, located around Sabo, had fled the area following the activities of bandits.

The community is a few kilometres away from Kakau Daji where over 60 worshippers of the Emmanuel Baptist Church were kidnapped on Sunday, October 31, 2021, during a church service.

Two of the abductees were killed on the spot while two others were later shot dead.

Similarly, some bandits were reported to have invaded Kainuwar Isa and Kigu of Dutse ward in the Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing one person and abducting 13 others.

The incident, it was gathered, took place Thursday night, according to a source, who added that the gunmen shot indiscriminately when they stormed the community.

There has been no official statement from the authorities.

Punch

 

Researchers released a nutritional index this week aiming to inform guidelines and help Americans achieve healthier and more environmentally stable diets. The index ranked foods by minutes gained or lost off healthy life per serving, with processed meats and sugary drinks among the biggest offenders.

Findings included over 5,000 foods in the U.S. diet classified by health burden and environmental impacts.

“We use the results to inform marginal dietary substitutions, which are realistic and feasible,” authors wrote. “We find that small, targeted, food-level substitutions can achieve compelling nutritional benefits and environmental impact reductions.”

The foods studied ranged from 74 minutes lost to 80 minutes gained per serving. Sugary drinks, hotdogs, burgers and breakfast sandwiches were linked with most minutes of healthy life lost, whereas fruits, non-starchy and mixed vegetables, ready-to-eat cereals and cooked grains were associated with the largest gains.

More specifically, researchers found that consuming one 85-gram serving of chicken wings translated to 3.3 minutes of life lost, owing to sodium and harmful trans fatty acids, while a beef hotdog on a bun resulted in some 36 minutes lost “largely due to the detrimental effect of processed meat,” study authors wrote. What’s more, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were associated with a positive increase of 33 added minutes.

Foods like salted peanuts, baked salmon and rice with beans were also associated with positive gains between 10 to 15 minutes.

Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences published findings in the Nature journal, detailing their newly developed Health Nutritional Index (HENI), drawing on the 2016 GBD study for dietary risk components and harmful health effects linked to certain foods.

“Previous studies investigating healthy or sustainable diets have often reduced their findings to a discussion of plant-based versus animal-based foods, with the latter stigmatized as the least nutritious and sustainable,” the study reads. “Although we find that plant-based foods generally perform better, there are considerable variations within both plant-based and animal-based foods that should be acknowledged before such generalized inferences are warranted.”

Researchers also classified foods by nutritional and environmental impact, or shorter-term global warming. Healthy environmentally sustainable foods included nuts, fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and some seafood, whereas foods with poor nutritional value and production linked to high environmental impacts (i.e. greenhouse gas emissions) included beef, processed meat, pork and lamb, cheese-based foods and certain salmon dishes. In contrast, most poultry, dairy, egg-based foods and cooked grains fell into an intermediate zone.

“In agreement with previous studies, this suggests that nutritionally beneficial foods might not always generate the lowest environmental impacts and vice versa,” study authors wrote.

Finally, researchers found that swapping 10% of daily caloric consumption from beef and processed meat for fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and certain seafood could reap significant health benefits, with the team citing a gain of some 48 minutes per person per day and a 33% smaller dietary carbon footprint.

New York Post

 

Sleep used to be regarded as a time when the brain turned itself off to recharge its batteries, but research over the past 20 years has put that theory to rest.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanners, which use magnetic resonance to generate images of brain activity, have shown that the organ is active during sleep.

Although there is still much to be discovered, the brain uses that time to clean out toxins and repair itself, and to reinforce memories and lessons learned during the day.

Sleep research is a relatively new discipline, but it’s already understood that a good night’s sleep is much more important to our overall health and well-being than was previously thought.

Sleep is set to become the next health revolution, similar to the way diet revolutionised our view of healthy living in the 20th century.

Sleep research has also opened up a new avenue of scientific inquiry – “sleep engineering”. As our understanding of what happens when we sleep improves, scientists are developing ways to influence our sleep so that its benefits are maximised.

In a presentation for New Scientist Events, a webinar organised by the British science weekly New Scientist, Penelope Lewis, professor of neuroscience at Cardiff University in Wales, discussed current trends in the field. Lewis’ research involves experiments which manipulate sleeping subjects’ brainwaves to boost memory, and guard against age-related problems like dementia.

The experiments revolve around a technique called electroencephalography (EEG), in which electrodes placed on the scalp measure the brain’s electrical activity during sleep – neurons, the cells that the brain uses to communicate with itself, work by firing off electrical impulses. The resulting measurement depicts oscillations, which look like soundwaves.

When they have mapped a subject’s brainwave activity, Lewis and her team focus on certain patterns in the oscillations and try to artificially manipulate them, to trick the brain into doing things that benefit the sleeper.

The three phases of sleep are light sleep, slow wave sleep – commonly known as deep sleep – and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Each phase produces different oscillations, as the brain is carrying out different functions.

Repairing damage during sleep

Researchers have not fully figured out the brain’s actions, but believe that it’s engaging in restoration and repair, and consolidating learning and memory.

The brain flushes out beta amyloids, for instance, toxins that can cause the plaques that have been associated with age-related damage like dementia. It clears them out twice as quickly during sleep.

As we age, our sleep becomes disrupted, says Lewis. The oscillations during slow wave sleep are stretched out – the waves look flatter. The extent of this stretching mirrors the deterioration in our brain. This is where sleep engineering comes in, she says. If the stretching can be reversed, perhaps the deterioration in the brain will slow as a result.

Lewis says that a new technique called “closed-loop auditory stimulation” has managed to achieve this, and has boosted memory in sleeping patients. It is something she hopes will ultimately be able to combat memory loss resulting from dementia.

“We make simple sounds at exactly the right times during the oscillations to boost the amplitude [volume] of the cell waves. We are hoping this may help us ameliorate some of the loss of cell oscillation and potentially slow down some of the age-related damage,” she says.

“We monitor the EEG online, and detect when an oscillation is coming to a peak. At that time, we produce a clicking sound, and the click will boost the amplitude of the oscillation. That also boosts the next peak, and a little bit after that. If we keep applying these clicks through the night, we can boost the amplitude of slow wave sleep,” says Lewis.

This technique works well on young people, and has been shown to improve their memory during a night of sleep – their memory functions much better the day after stimulation, Lewis says. So far, it has not worked as well in older people.

Consolidating the day’s learning

As anyone who has taken the popular online Coursera course Learning How to Learn will know, learning is consolidated by a good night’s sleep. If you have an exam the next day, it’s better to go to bed early than stay up cramming.

“Individuals are significantly better at tests the next day after sleep,” Lewis notes. “There is a dramatic overnight improvement, and a real improvement the next day to the next evening.”

The learning consolidation – a function of memory – occurs with all types of sleep and is related to the number of peaks in the oscillations in the EEG.

“The brain practises recently learned memories – it is essentially rehearsing during sleep. There is a reactivation of memory during sleep, and that reactivation is important for the consolidation of memories. People improve overnight.”

“Sleep engineering comes in a very interesting way,” says Lewis. “It turns out that we can control the memory in the brain with a technique called ‘targeted memory reactivation’. Recently acquired memories are paired with a sound, and then the sound is played during sleep. That triggers the memory reactivation process and develops a consolidation,” says Lewis.

The reactivated memory is stronger for 10 days, although it will fade after 20 days.

“But there are also structural changes in the brain – an increase in grey matter after about 10 days,” Lewis says. “So a little bit of cueing in the night leads to long-term functional, structural, and behavioural changes in the brain. It’s quite amazing.”

South China Morning Post

Lauretta Fagbohun

 

..promises to donate a studio for the college of broadcasting as he shares life experience

The great Fuji maestro, Wasiu Ayinde Marshall popularly known as Kwam 1 de ultimate says his mum who was a music talent was his role model that inspired him into music at a very tender age of six.

The music Icon who disclosed this at the event center of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential library, where the Freelance and Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria (FIBAN) honoured him said he started his music career as 'Ajiwere Onisaari', who sings islamically during the breaking of Muslim fast early in the morning. 

Tagged," TIme Out with K1 De Ultimate", the Mayegun of Yorubaland who described music as a strong power of inspiration explained that his father was a disciplinarian and a religious person, while his mother, a trader was his source of his music career .

According to him, his father, late Adisa Adesanya from the Anifowose family of ljebu ode Ogun State, was a staunch member of Ansarudeen society of Nigeria while his mother, a princess of a reigning  king then, was talented in music.

"My mother was a singer as at that time but her father was not in support of her singing career. so, her father married her out to my father, with the intention of stopping her from singing or if her husband allows such he can support her music career, then she can continue in her husband's house."

"Infact, I share in the belief  that whatever is in the blood that brought you to life is sincerely what you are, Kwam 1 said.

"When my mother got to Lagos her kind of music was not listened to in Lagos, so she found it very difficult to get followers. When my mother gave birth to me, I took after her musical career and this is where I am today". 

"I owe my mother a lot. I am thankful to God for the impact she had on me. As Ajiwere Ajisaari in Agarawu  Lagos island,we had different categories. Then it was only Ajiwere Ajisefe that was so popular but there were many singers in that journey of music".

Speaking on his journey to stardom, K1 De Ultimate narrated how he engaged in some musical competitions for three years .

"They entered me for competitions and I won laurels for 3 years. At the age of ten, I could stand with intermediate and I moved to Fuji Lawa, Agarawu is still very much there".

"They gave me the leadership to represent Agarawu later I opted out and turned professional at age 15. Since then I chose music as a way of life and living."

"Singing has always been my strong power, though some said my voice was not good, it's cracky but all thanks to God I still found my way here".

He said, "Talazo was my nickname in Agarawu. As a young boy my mum used the Talazo drug for me whenever, I purge, so when people complain they are  purging, I recommend it to them, so people started calling me "Talazo".....Then I took advantage of that name to add value to what I later found as my journey of success of life. The Talazo Fuji which was so popular". 

"I have done so many things in life. I was once a clearing and forwarding agent, I'm a qualified technician, I worked repairing airconditioners. I have done so many beautiful things with my life but in every thing I do I always find myself returning to my music."

Wasiu Ayinde later pledged the donation of a studio for the college of broadcasting in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

 

Nigeria’s debt to China, France, Japan, India and Germany rose to $4.26bn as of June 30, 2021 from $3.85bn at the end of 2019, according to data obtained from Debt Management Office.

An analysis of the data showed that the country spent $402.74m in the 18-month period servicing bilateral loans, even as it borrowed $400m.

As of December 31, 2019, Nigeria owed $3.18bn to the Exim Bank of China, $76.13m to France’s Agence Francaise Development, $361.75m to Japan International Cooperation Agency, $32.14m to the Exim Bank of India, and $202.27m to Germany’s Kreditanstalt Fur Wiederaufbua.

The bilateral loans accounted for 13.89 per cent of the country’s total external debt of $27.67bn as of the first quarter of 2020.

A total of $94.99m was paid as debt service for bilateral loans in Q1 2020, with China and India $94.61m and $382,310 respectively. Japan, France and Germany got nothing within this period.

The bilateral loans increased by $110m to $3.95bn on June 30, 2020, accounting for 12.54 per cent of the total external debt of $31.48bn.

The country spent $14.26m servicing the bilateral loans in Q2 2020, with France and Germany getting $14.22m and $44,340 respectively while China, Japan and India got nothing.

The debt owed to the five countries rose by $130m in Q3 to $4.08bn on September 30, 2020, making up 12.74 per cent of the total external debt of $31.99bn.

The cost of servicing bilateral loans was $114.6m in Q3, with China, India and Germany getting $100.86m, $412,220 and $13.32m respectively, while Japan and France got nothing.

Nigeria’s total indebtedness to these countries fell slightly by $2m to $4.06bn at the end of 2020, accounting for 12.17 per cent of the total external debt of $33.35bn as of December 2020.

The country incurred a debt service cost of $34.34m in Q4, with China, France and Germany receiving $20,000, $21.14m and $13.19m respectively, while India and Japan got nothing.

The bilateral loans rose by $120m in the first three months of this year to $4.18bn, accounting for 12.73 per cent of the total external debt of $32.86bn.

A total of $106.33m was paid as debt service for bilateral loans in Q1 2021, with China and India receiving $102.2m and $4.13m, while France, Japan and Germany got.

The total debt owed to the five countries increased further to $4.25bn as of June 30, 2021, with China having $3.48bn; Japan, $74.77m; France, $482.15m; India, $34.59m; and Germany, $174.39m.

Bilateral loans accounted for 12.70 per cent of the country’s total external debt of $33.47bn at the end of June, while it spent $38.22m servicing the loans in Q2 2021.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said in October that the Federal Government was uncomfortable with the fact that it exceeded the borrowing threshold in the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

“But we have made sure that we have planned over the next few years that the borrowing is scaled down, and also that we are able to borrow at levels that we can actually repay the debt service obligation,” she added.

Punch

 

Lagos State has shut down Dowen College, Lekki, indefinitely following the death of a student, Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, after allegedly being bullied by schoolmates.

Commissioner for Education Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo announced the closure after a meeting with the School Management and Staff.

State authorities said the school will remain shut until the completion of the investigations by the police. The Commissioner called for calm, saying no effort would be spared in getting to the root of the incident.

Sylvester Oromoni, a 12-year-old student of Dowen College, located in Lekki area of Lagos State, was allegedly murdered by some cult groups.

The deceased was said to have been assaulted by some cult groups, who he identified before his death, as students of the college for refusing to join the fraternity.

He was admitted in a Lagos hospital on Friday following the attack and confirmed dead on Tuesday.

A relation of the deceased, Perrison Oromoni, took to the micro blogging site, Twitter on Wednesday, to announce his demise.

He revealed that the 12-year-old passed away on Tuesday after a series of tests and X-rays indicated that he sustained internal injuries from severe beating.

But Dowen College, who reached out to the family, said his injuries were sustained while playing football.

Speaking further on the issue, Perrison said: “We’re from Delta State, but he goes to Dowen College in Lekki.

They called my uncle because his son was injured when he was playing football. Reaching the hospital, it was confirmed that he was being bullied and beaten up, causing internal damages.

“After tests and X-rays, it was confirmed he was beaten up badly. He died yesterday (Tuesday) morning, and his entire body was swollen.

“Before his passing, he said they had been pressuring him to join a cult group.. He said they were going to kill him if he talked.”

In a screenshot shared on  his blogging site, Perrison said the late Sylvester mentioned a few names of the students, who pressured him to join their cult group before he died.

He said: “Anybody that can kill me should kill me now. My brother won’t die for nothing, Anslem Temile, Michael Kashamu and Benjamin Favour and Dowen college, just know he called your names before he died.”

According to a media report, a representative of Dowen College, Ayomide Falona, has said investigations have begun into the matter while refuting the claims of assault.

When contacted the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Adekunle Ajisebutu, said, he had not been briefed.

---

---

 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been advised to be more civil and professional while discharging their duties in public.

Legal experts who gave this advice were talking on the legality of EFCC'S raiding of Conference Hotel in Ogun State, describing the action as primitive and obnoxious.

Nigerian Newstrack correspondent spoke to Barristers Habeeb Whyte, Semiu Akinbami and  Biola Adesanya who all agreed that the EFCC has a right to arrest at anytime, but must act within the confines of the act establishing the commission.

Excerpts of the interview is shown below:

Barrister Habeeb White, in his words said,"I think the approach and manner to which the commission effected arrest on the teeming Nigerian youths at that place was very wrong. It was not done in a normal and civilised manner. It was more or less like a fracas, more like you were coming to fight people, you were coming for war."

"When you are making arrests and you are shooting, you are harrassing people, you are beating them up, you are collecting their phones to be checking. You should have done your thorough research or investigation before coming into that place."

"Fine, EFCC has a right to arrest anybody at anytime they want to do that but it should be done in a cordial and civil manner. What they did that day portrayed the commission as not being a professional body itself."

"That is, in my own simple way ,they never applied caution , common sense with what they did, with all due respect. Imagine you entering an event and you are shutting down the whole light , shooting in the hall, for what? If you are looking for criminals ,are you saying everybody in that all, on that day, are all criminals? If you are to say that everybody in that place are all criminals, does it mean that the commissioner of police that was there on that day is also a criminal too?"

"There are several ways of effecting arrest, we have watched the way FBI would burst into people and will arrest them ,without even affecting the innocent ones."

"It means that the commission only relied on hearsay, they were not sure about who and who they were going there to arrest. How would you arrest people searching phones, stripping them, beating them up, it is very bad. It is very bad for our system and EFCC has portrayed itself in another manner that most of us do not think they should be operating."

"Yes, EFCC is empowered to arrest people, but when you are arresting someone there are procedures to do it, that is what we are saying. We are not saying they should not do their job, all we are saying is that they should follow the rules of law. How could you be barging into people's hotel rooms, destroying properties."

"Now they have arrested, who will repair the damaged properties now, who will do that? Nobody will do it. They are causing more harm, more economic hardship for the hoteliers now. Look at the hotel, they destroyed it, they took people's phones away, who are the people that will get those things back? Is that the law? The law protects everybody, the innocent, the victim ,the guilty one, the law protects everybody. So that when you are carrying out your own lawful duties it has to be in accordance with the law."

Barrister Semiu Akinbami in his own submission said, "there can not be raiding indiscriminately. They must have got an information about a person or group of persons. But it cannot be like the number of people arrested at the conference hotel like 60, 70. No!"

"Granted they can arrest and investigate but it cannot be 60 people at thesame time, in a confine place like conference hotel. I understand those people were there for socials, giving them awards , how can that constitute.., they can not all be criminals. How can they say they want to investigate all of those who came for an award."

"But if after investigation they realised that they are not affected or they have not committed any offence the best is to release them unconditionally".

Barrister Biola Adesanya who is handling the release of some of the victims arrested said, "the way and manner they got people apprehended at the area is not ideal at all, is not pleasant, it is an obnoxious act".

In his words, he said "it is an act that is unspeakable, it is a despicable act that  should be condemned absolutely, totally".

"Ordinarily, even if EFCC has an informant within or they have an information that some guys are gathering in a place where they want to have a ceremony and award themselves, there is a way they can go about it. The law is clearly written and stated  when it comes to issues like that."

"First of all before they can invade people's premises there is what is called search warrant, except there is reasonable ground that criminal activities are going on within that premises, that is when that search warrant would not have a role to play."

"Let them present their search warrant, by the time they present it I am very sure the conference authority will afford them that opportunity to carry out their search or searches. And at that point if they get to any ocassions like that they need not to destroy anybody's property, they need not to harrass anybody other than whosoever they are targeting, whosoever they are suspecting to be the target, they can walk up to such person, presents their warrant of arrest or search warrant and search the person. If they are able to establish any form of criminal nexus or criminal responsibility or if they are able to establish that ok, this person we've come to search, that person is culpable of what they are alleging him of, then at that point they can arrest such person for further investigation."

"Not bumping into an occasion, start harrassing people, start arresting people then take them off. That their action is tantamount to ultra vires action, acting outside the purview, outside the bound of their power. And it is questionable, it is an act that is making us feel there is no law in Nigeria anymore, and we have law, we have good laws. Nobody is above the law, they are not above the law, they are still Federal government agency, they are working for the federal government."

"Even the police is well recognised in the 1999 constitution, more than the EFCC. EFCC was never mentioned in the 1999 constitution, they are not recognised. Even if they want to carry out such operation, it should be the police that would do that not EFCC. What is the full meaning of EFCC? Why are they now going outside the act that established them? Why are they going outside the act that made provisions for their 'does' and 'don'ts'? The only thing they can be seen to be doing is to be infringing on people's fundamental rights. Their action is totally in repungnance to chapter 4 of the 1999 constitution, which has to do with right to presumption of innocence, personal liberty and all."

"Everybody arrested there have their right to be protected under the 1999 constitution. Majority of them are innocent, but the innocent ones that were arrested instead of releasing them. What they should have done, if you arrest anybody and you get to find out that, that person you arrested is an innocent person ,then at that point they should have released such person unconditionally, not giving such person stringent bail conditions to regain his freedom."

"It is wrong, what if the person can not meet up that bail conditions, what would now be his fate? He will be languishing in their custody or in their prison, or in their detention, it is wrong. What is wrong is wrong, let us be factual about what they have done. Coming to invade people's property, late midnight, destroying their property to break in, that is what? As for me, I would refer to them as official criminals."

It would be recalled that the EFCC had few months ago raided some hotels in Abeokuta causing anger from some lodgers who claimed the operatives broke into their rooms and saw them naked.

The recent in their sting operation was the Conference hotel, where the operatives were widely reported as unknown gunmen at the early hours of Sunday morning.

Reports had it, that the men arrived at the hotel in a combat-like manner and shot into the air repeatedly causing panic.

The operatives were said to have arrived the hotel around 2:00 a.m. and left after less than an hour operation. They reportedly went away with over 20 cars and numerous mobile phones.

The commission when contacted denied the raid as both, the Public Relations Officers of the Ibadan and Lagos offices of the EFCC denied knowledge of the alleged invasion.

The spokesperson for Ibadan zone, Tokunbo Odebiyi, said he has no information about the operation.

“I’m not aware of any invasion of any hotel in Abeokuta.”

His counterpart in Lagos, Ayo Oyewole, also said he was unaware of the raid.

The commission later confirmed the raid of Conference Hotel.

Spokesman Wilson Uwujaren said the agency’s operatives came to arrest Yahoo Yahoo Boys who were holding an award ceremony on Saturday night.

The operatives of the Lagos Command arrested 60 suspected internet fraudsters, he said.

The event tagged “Peer Youths Awards”, investigation revealed, was organised to reward high-level internet fraudsters.