A staff of Abestone Microfinance Bank Abeokuta, Olagoke Dare has been arrested by men of the Ogun state police command for planning with another person to rob himself of cash sum of N3 million naira belonging to his employer.

The arrest was contained in a  release made available to newsmen by the police Spokesman, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi.

According to the statement,  the suspect was arrested following a distress call received by the police at Ibara divisional headquarters, that armed robbers have attacked the duo of Olagoke Dare and Mary Agbejo while coming out from a commercial bank at Oke-ilewo area, where they had gone to withdraw money. 

The statement  stated further  that “after the distress call, the DPO, Ibara division, SP Segun Ajao quickly mobilised his men and moved to the scene where one Idowu Tunde was arrested with the assistance of members of public”

”The arrested suspect, who was armed with a mock gun, informed the police during interrogation that it was Olagoke Dare who informed him that his employer will be sending him and one other person to withdraw the sum of three million naira, and that they should come and rob them of the money” the statement  stated .

“The suspect stated further that it was the same Dare Olagoke who gave him the toy pistol for the operation. He confessed further that while Dare and his other colleague were in the Bank, he had already hid in their car which was deliberately left opened by Dare in accordance with their plan”

“While they got into the car, Idowu Tunde explained that he came out suddenly from the back seat and pointed the gun to the lady who was in  possession of the money “. 

"But the lady noticed that the gun did not look original consequent upon which she dragged the gun with him and raised alarm” 

“It was the alarm that attracted people who pursued them and called the police.”  the statement concluded.

Meanwhile, the acting commissioner of police, DCP Abiodun Alamutu, has ordered the immediate transfer of the two suspects to the state Criminal Investigation and intelligence Department for discreet investigation.

He therefore advised that companies should endeavour to always run background checks on their members of staff before employing them. 

Unknown gunmen on Sunday attacked the offices of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Nnewi, Anambra State.

As at the time of filing this report, it was unclear if there were casualties in any of the two offices attacked, but it was gathered that a passerby was hit by a stray bullet.

The gunmen, according to eyewitnesses, drove from Owerri Road in four Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), stopped at Emecourt Road Junction where they released some gunshots which made passersby to scamper for safety, before they headed to the offices, which they also set ablaze.

“They later drove through Nkwo Triangle Roundabout and moved towards Nnobi Road.

“Military armoured vehicle later surfaced and drove round town passing through Emecourt Road. But there was no exchange of fire as the military and the gunmen did not meet,” the source said.

The State Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga confirmed an incident of fire in Nnewi, but refused to state categorically the offices involved.

He said: “At about 2pm, of 3rd Oct 2021, the command received a distress call of fire incident in Nnewi. The Police Operative are currently on ground and the area has since been cordoned off. Further details shall be communicated,” he said.

Daily Post

..HE FAILED ON ALL POLICIES HE CAMPAIGNED WITH

Human rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari has destroyed Nigeria.

The senior lawyer noted that Buhari has failed in his tripodal policies through which he campaigned and won election in 2015 which are: Economy, security and anti-corruption.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria spoke at a human rights lecture organised by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, with the theme: Nigerian School Children; Insecurity and Human Rights, held in Abuja.

He pointed out that many children can no longer go to school, adding that more than seventy percent school children in Nigeria are out of schools.

According to him, from Jangebe to Chibok; from Dapchi to Kaduna between December 2020 till date, over 700 hundred school children have been kidnapped with some of them being killed or forced into marriage.

“[They were] not kidnapped in the forests but from their schools. It got so messy in Kaduna that the kidnappers demanded bags of rice, vegetable oil, salt, beans and other condiments to be cooking for their children pending when they will get enough money to get them released on ransom,” Ozekhome lamented.

He went on to say that Nigeria is currently a failed state and cannot even be called a country anymore, explaining that non-state actors such as Boko Haram, bandits and other terrorists now possess enough powers to challenge the government.

“Is that a country? Does any of you who have children living in hostels and dormitories sleep with your two eyes closed? Not knowing of when next they’ll strike? He queried.

“When President Muhammadu Buhari was campaigning for this office…I like my President but I do not like his governance style and policies.

“Policies that have impoverished Nigeria. Policies that have made Nigeria the poverty capital of the world, overtaking India. Policies that have made Nigeria that was until 2015 the biggest economy in Africa overtaking South Africa and one of the seven fastest growing economy in the world.

“His tripodal policies were on economy, security and anti-corruption. The bad news is that he has dismally failed in all of them. Security is worse right now…Boko Haram we used to have that time at least people were able to vote for him in 2015 and he won in the North East, showing that though Boko Haram existed, they were not so rampant to prevent people from voting.

“Boko Haram has since graduated, strutting around like a proud peacock. Armed banditry has escalated, kidnapping is the order of the day. In security, he has failed.

“In economy, I have already told you, we’re now the poverty capital of the world. What of anti-corruption? Go and check, we’re 168 out of 180 covered by Transparency International.

“In West Africa, we’re the 3rd most corrupt country. So where have the President and the government helped Nigeria? I had on television and in my write-up challenged Nigerians that anyone who can carry the Holy Quran or take up the Holy Bible or if you’re an atheist, pick up a piece of Sango Iron and say your life is better off today than you were in 2015.

"I challenge the person for a national debate but until now no one has taken up the challenge because everybody knows things are not right. The deaf can hear it; the dumb can speak it; the blind can see it and even the numb can feel it.

“So it’s not a question of whether you are in APC, PDP, APGA, Labour, Zenith or PPA. Hunger knows no strike, religion or nationality. The fact is that things are bad for everyone whether Muslims or Christian, atheist, old men, women, youth and children .

” Things are bad and it could be worse except Nigerians come together and go back to the drawing board. Some people are saying that Nigeria is a failing state and I say no. I don’t agree.

“If you asked me, with all due respect, I’ll say Nigeria is a failed state. Do you know why? It is because one of the greatest indices of a failed state is when non-state actors like Boko Haram, kidnappers, armed bandits have efficient and commensurate powers to match state actors like security forces. That’s a failed state.

“When Boko Haram, bandits and kidnappers begin to tell the government, ‘this is what we want.’ Taking over lands and planting their flags as Governor Zulum of Borno State and Bello of Niger State have cried out that in some lands in their States, they have planted flags; they’re demanding for taxation; they issue identity cards and give pass to people to pass.

“We don’t need any other evidence of a failed state. It’s not about liking or not liking a government, it’s about saying the reality on the ground. Please Nigerians, let’s go back to the drawing board. If you like, bring all the helicopters and fighter jets you can, the truth is that the problem is more endemic than you can see.

“Because on the surface, it looks insecurity but beneath it is what we call social injustice and lack of egalitarianism…Nigeria is wobbly, gobbling and fumbling because it was not neatly packaged on the 1st of January, 1848 by Lord Lugard.

“It started with Lady Flora Louise Shaw on the 8th of January, 1897 in an article she wrote on Economic Times where she gave Nigeria her name “Niger Area”. And we agreed to live together. And if we agreed, let us live together in peace and unity. Let’s not always say ‘Nigeria is indivisible; it’s indestructible.’

“We don’t say that by words of the mouth, we nurture it. Pakistan and India used to be one country; Eritrea and Ethiopia used to be one country as well as Sudan and Southern Sudan. So it’s not by merely saying it, you have to nurture it.

“We must have peace and social justice… we are talking about the kind of peace and social justice Chief M.K.O Abiola preached…Let us reformat and reengineer Nigeria. Let’s make a new constitution for ourselves. A constitution that will be… Indigenous, owned by the people and respected by all and legitimate.

“Not a constitution that was imposed by the General Abdusalam Abubakar government when they were going back to the barracks. How many of you know that Nigeria actually contested the 1999 elections without a constitution? Nigerians never made the constitution by themselves but even if we’re to manage it, Section 14 of that constitution said that the primary purpose of the government is to provide welfare and security for the people, are we having it?”

Daily Post

Ladi, Son of Chief Rotimi Williams, has reportedly died of COVID-19 complication.

Chief Ladi was said to have passed away at about 3:00 am at St Nicholas isolation hospital from Covid-19 complication, despite being vaccinated.

His death was confirmed by his younger brother, Chief Kayode Rotimi-Williams.

“I just lost my elder brother, Chief Ladi Rotimi Williams (aged 74+) to Coronavirus. He passed on at 3am this morning,” he said.

Adewale Daniel Jayeoba, a 24 year old, has been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged investment scam.

The EFCC said Jayeoba, a native of Ori-Ade Local Government in Osun State, used to live at Suit 1004, Providence Centre, MKO Abiola Way, by NNPC Mega Station, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

“The public is hereby notified that Adewale Daniel Jayeoba of Wales Kingdom Capital is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the alleged case of an investment scam,” the anti-graft agency’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said on Monday.

It was gathered that the commission had in June arrested Jayeoba’s parents, Emmanuel and Victoria Jayeoba for allegedly defrauding people in a N935million Ponzi scheme.

At the time, Uwujaren said the couple, in complicity with their son (still at large), “operated the scheme in the guise of forex trading.”

The couple was said to have been arrested at their residence in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

“They are parents to Adewale Daniel, Marketing Director, Wales Kingdom Capital Limited,” it was said at the time.

The father, Emmanuel, was described as a Director in Wales Kingdom Capital; operating about five bank accounts with which he had allegedly received N18,397,913 before he was arrested.

The mother, Victoria, had six bank accounts through which she reportedly received up to N916,607,715.

The EFCC urged anybody with useful information about the wanted man’s whereabouts to contact any of its offices across the nation.

..as hotel guests threaten legal action, says operatives barged into rooms while naked

Celia Suites, one of the three Hotels, recently raided by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in Abeokuta, has faulted the gestapo approach in which the operation was carried out, describing it as unprofessional.

The Compliance officer of Celia Suites, Idowu Mosope stated this while giving update about the raid by the EFCC operatives, revealing that some of the guests have threatened to sue the hotel over the invasion .

It will be recalled that the EFCC operatives at the early hours of Monday had invaded three hotels including the government-owned MITROS annex, Celia Suites and Daktad Suites in Abeokuta and whisked away 56 suspected fraudsters .

The EFCC Head of Public Affairs, Ibadan, Mr. Tokunbo Odeniyi confirmed the incident .

When Celia’s compliance officer spoke, he narrated that the EFCC operatives numbering about 25 and fully armed to the teeth, stormed the hotel in a commando-like manner, without any warrant of arrest.

Mosope revealed that EFCC operatives went to the hotel’s front office at gun point, and threatened workers to lead them to the CCTV.

He further revealed that the operatives allegedly went to the hotel’s server room, took their gadgets and DVR.

He added, “After that they collected the hotel master cards, they did not allow our staff to lead them ,they were opening the rooms one after the other with the master cards”.

Guests at one of the hotels that were raided by the operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday narrated how their privacy was allegedly violated during the sting operation.

The guests who raised complaints to the Compliance officer of Celia’s Suites, Idowu Mosope disclosed that the EFCC operatives allegedly forcefully entered their rooms and met many of them naked.

Mosope however said some guests complained that they were naked when the EFCC operatives barged into their rooms around 3:00 am on Monday in search of internet fraudsters .

The Compliance officer who claimed that he has attended series of training by EFCC on money laundering and fraud, said the operatives pointed guns at the guests and later went away with three guests that arrived Nigeria from Dubai.

He further said, “They invaded into privacy of these guests without allowing our staff to guide them in line with the international standard and hotel practices. That was not what they told us in the training .

“They did not knock , they did not spend more than 20 minutes here, it is like they are tracing somebody . If they had told us we would have shown them and other guests would not have known . They opened all the rooms and some guests were naked and scared .

“Now , the guests want to sue the hotel and not EFCC .They said why did we allow their privacy to be intruded , why did we give them master cards . We did not say they should not work, our boss hate anything like internet fraud . We don’t take them.”

He added that the EFCC operatives checked all the 15 rooms in the hotel, entered all the rooms and took away three guests.

“The guest came in on Saturday with his pregnant wife from Dubai and two of his friends .

“We collected his profile when he came and kept it .

“On his luggage we called police because the EFFC did not take his luggage away and his wife left the second day . We called police and they came to document it before we packed the load so that anytime he comes we can handover this luggage to him .

He however advised that the operatives need to be professional by arming themselves the warrant.

He said ” they should have come with warrant of arrest of somebody they are tracing , we are partners in progress.

“They have told us that we should cooperate and we are cooperating, anybody that they are tracking they should show us so that other people will not be affected. This has given us bad image, our reputation has gone bad this is demarketing on its own .”

Platform Times

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and foremost human rights activist, Femi Falana will be representing the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) in their legal battle against the Federal Government.

The chairman of Communication and Communique of the NARD, Dr Julian Ojebo, disclosed this on Monday.

Barely two weeks after the resident doctors started the strike, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, through the Minister, Dr Chris Ngige, took the doctors to the National Industrial Court to explain why the “no work no pay” rule should not be applied against them.

The  court however adjourned the case till September 15, 2021.

The NARD started the work to rule on August 2, 2021, after the Federal Government failed to fulfill its agreement made with them through a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Chief among the 12 demands by the doctors are: the payment of salaries owed 114 House Officers who are on the GIFMIS platform, withdrawal of the circular by the Head of Service removing House Officers from the Scheme of Service, payment of death in service insurance benefits to families of 21 doctors who died of COVID-19 in the line of duty, among other demands.

The Nation

The Naira was at a record low against the dollar on Thursday, depreciating to nearly N550 at the unofficial market from N530 at last week’s close as demand for the greenback from importers continues to bump up against scarce market liquidity.

Checks in Kano revealed the record high forex rate especially at the Kano’s popular Wapa BDC market in Wapa, where forex traders said as of Thursday evening, a dollar was exchanging for N549, and that it could even exceed N550 before the close of the day.

Aminu Shua’ibu Malan, a trader in the market, said: “Prior to the last three days, it used to be around N520, but has now reached N550.

“This is caused by the high demand by importers and its scarcity courtesy of this Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy. We are afraid that if this policy continues, a dollar could reach about N600-N700, which will surely spell doom for our economy.”

The traders, who said that there is no hope in sight as to when the Naira will appreciate, called on the apex bank to have a rethink on its dollar ban policy in order to save the country’s economy.

In Abuja, the Naira continued a free fall, sheding off about N12. At the Wuse Zone 4 BDC market, most of the forex traders sold the naira for between N540 and N542 to the dollar, as against about N528/$1 last week.

A BDC operator named Sumaila said he sold for N540/$1. He also said the price has spiked because even the banks don’t sell to BDCs, yet most SMEs get their forex funding needs from BDCs’ supplies.

Some other BDC operators said they sold the dollar for between N540 and N542.

Ibrahim Audu, a forex hosteller who prospects for customers at Wuse Zone 4 Abuja, told our Correspondent he could arrange for N542/$1 if the Correspondent would sell up to $10,000.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos showed that dollars exchanged for between N530 to N535 at the parallel market.

“We started at N525 this week and it has continued to rise because of high demand,” says a Bureau De Change operator.

“We don’t even understand it again. They said banks should give dollars and when you go there, they would tell you there is no dollar. The banks too have become Bureau De Change,” another BDC operator, who identified himself simply as Hassan, said.

“We now sell at N529, N530. We hope very soon, things will change and CBN will reconsider their stand,” he added.

EFCC reads riot act to bank heads

In the meantime, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has warned banks against fraudulent election financing, foreign exchange malpractice and money laundering.

Baba gave the warning on Thursday during an interactive session with managing directors of banks at the Lagos Zonal Command of the commission.

According to a statement by the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujiaren, the anti-graft agency boss charged the bankers to comply with the guidelines of CBN on the issuance of Personal Travel Allowance, PTA, and Business Travel Allowance, BTA, to their customers.

“You need to ensure full compliance with regard to knowing your customers and ensuring that you do not give opportunities for foreign exchange malpractices,” he said.

Pointing out the salient issues EFCC will tackle, Bawa said, “Some of the issues we have identified include foreign exchange malpractices and fraudulent election financing.”

‘Banks selling to cabals’

Chairman of BDC Operators, Local Airport, Danladi Sunday blamed the CBN for the development.

He said while the CBN had directed commercial banks to sell dollars, the banks only supply to “cabals.”

“The stoppage of dollars to bureau de change is the cause of this problem. The CBN said they would be giving to commercial banks and the commercial banks are not selling to everybody, they are only selling to their cabals,” he alleged.

“And once the demand is higher and supply is lower, definitely, the money is going to be high. The solution now is for the CBN to call us back. Once they call us back, the money would come down.”

Trading Desk Manager at AZA Murega Mungai said: “Despite the current weakness, the central bank on Tuesday said it still expects the country’s unofficial and official rates to converge.”

The Naira was trading at 411.30 to the dollar on the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Rate Fixing (NAFEX) window this week. We expect the currency pressure to persist in the coming days as demand for forex continues to outweigh supply.

Daily Trust

The Southwest Security Stakeholders Group, SSSG, on Friday, warned bandits and other criminal elements to stay away from the southwest region or face the wrath of the group.

The group said this shortly after an emergency meeting held at Omole Phase 2, Ikeja.In a statement jointly signed by its convener and Secretary, the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams and Alhaji Owolabi Amusat respectively, the group said there are feelings that bandits have perfected their plans to strike in southwest. 

The  group said: “In recent times, bandits have variously attacked the North East, North West and North Central, leaving in its wake, disturbing scenes of terror, killings and destruction that are capable of destroying the sanctity of Nigeria.

On this note, the Southwest Security Stakeholders Group has considered it necessary to beef up the security operations in our region, and we charged the police and all other security outfits across the region to remain vigilant in ensuring that the region is safe.

Any  attempt to invade the southwest will bring about both economic and political doom.”The group, however, dismissed Sheikh Gumi’s visit to Igboho town, saying the visit was an attempt to mock and undermine the efforts of Yoruba activists and freedom fighters. 

It also stated that the Islamic cleric’s body language, utterances and that of his cohorts, Usman Yusuff in Igboho town truly showed that he was behind the DSS attack on Igboho’s Soka home, and that part of the Yoruba territories have been conquered. “Gumi is a Nigerian, he has the right to visit any part of the country but it shouldn’t be to the extent of deliberately attacking Igboho’s ideology in his hometown. Such attempt is provocative, and can lead to crisis as it is in parts of the North. That was why it elicited various reactions. Gumi’s ideas are always at variance with the present reality in the country and I think it is better for him to desist from fanning the embers of discord in the country and the southwest in particular.

“SSSG is driven by the calls to ensure effective security across the southwest. We are also keen on regionalism where each region will control the security architecture of their respective region.

If Nigeria does not return to or go back to regionalism based on the true federalism that we had in the past, there may be crisis and nobody should blame those agitating for self determination.

“But as a group, we will not relent in the struggle to protect the South West and we are determined to partner with the police and other security agencies to combat crime and make the region safe for all and sundry”, the statement noted. 

Vanguard

Two teachers from Lagos State, Adeola Adefemi, and Olusegun Adeniyi, have been named in the top 50 shortlist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2021 in partnership with UNESCO.

The winner would get the $1 million (N411,690, 000) prize.

Adefemi teaches English Language at Oke-Odo Senior High School while Adeniyi teaches art at Caleb British International School, Lagos.

The $1m award was won last year by an Indian village teacher, Ranjitsinh Disale.

Also, Oluwadamilola Akintewe, a 22-year-old student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State; Blessing Akpan, 23-year-old student of the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State; and Esther Ajari, 22-year-old student of the University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, have been included in the top 50 shortlist for its new sister award, the Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2021.

They are in the race for the $100,000 (N41,169, 000) chegg.org global student prize.

The top 10 finalists of both categories would be announced in October 2021.

The winners of both prizes would be chosen from the respective top 10 finalists by the Global Teacher Prize Academy and the Global Student Prize Academy made up of prominent individuals.

The  winners are due to be announced at an awards ceremony in Paris in November.

According to a statement by the founder of the Varkey Foundation, Sunny Varkey, the stories of the shortlisted Nigerians highlight the importance of education in tackling the great challenges ahead – from climate change to growing inequality and global pandemics.

A statement from the organisers said Adefemi and Adeniyi were selected from over 8,000 nominations and applications from 121 countries while the students were shortlisted from over 3,500 nominations and applications from 94 countries.

Head of Chegg.org, Lila Thomas, in a statement said the Global Teacher Prize was set up to recognise one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession as well as to shine a spotlight on the important role teachers play in the society.

The statement said, “Adeniyi is renowned for bringing out the creative side of his students with two decades of nurturing new talent and creating stimulating art projects in his blended classroom that improves their self-confidence and encourages them to be lifelong learners, critical thinkers, and global citizens.”

The organisers said in her first teaching assignment, Adefemi, was sent to a school that had been labelled “low-performing”.

“Soon, she revolutionised the curriculum and her students’ performance by launching the ‘Every Child Counts’ campaign, creating subject-associated clubs, and encouraging students to enter competitions.

“Within two years, her school won the African Top School Award for its academic performance. Her students have since won 103 different international, national and state competitions.”

The students who applied for the Global Student Prize are being assessed on their academic achievement, impact on their peers, how they make a difference in their community and beyond, how they overcome the odds to achieve, how they demonstrate creativity and innovation, and how they operate as global citizens.

Daily Trust