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 Rewane: Gaps in Policy Consistency Taking Toll on Economy, Investor Confidence * Says renewed currency pressure to pose economic difficulties in second half 2024 The Chief Executive, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, has warned that the federal government’s policy inconsistency was taking its toll on the economy as well as investor confidence. The economist also warned that the renewed currency pressure may result in further economic predicament for the country in the second half of the year.Rewane gave his perspectives on the economy at the Lagos Business School (LBS) Breakfast Session, with the theme, “Nigerian Economy on The Brink – Adapt or Collapse?#8221; a copy of which was obtained yesterday. On the issue of policy inconsistency by the federal government, the FDC boss specifically referenced the government’s recent suspension of the cyber security levy after announcing its implementation with fanfare. He said the federal government also recently di...

 EFCC Arrests Three for Suspected Naira Mutilation in Benin   Operatives of the  Benin Zonal Command  of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,EFCC, have arrested three persons for suspected naira mutilation and abuse. The suspects were arrested following credible intelligence on their suspected involvement in Naira abuse.    The suspects are: Stanley Ogbolu, 35,  Odiaka Sorwu 42, and Kelvin Anyakwu, 42   They were arrested in Asaba, Delta State at  a burial ceremony allegedly spraying naira notes on a celebrant. The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations  are concluded.  More photos below. 

 EFCC Arrests Four Suspected Internet Fraudsters in Abuja Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, June 6,  2024, arrested four suspected internet fraudsters in Abuja. The suspects were arrested during a sting operation at the Kubwa axis of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT,  Abuja, following intelligence and surveillance on their alleged fraudulent activities in the area. Items recovered from the suspects include four brands of mobile phone. They will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.   One more photo below. 

 Kano Emirship tussle: Court reserves judgment in deposed Aminu Bayero's suit A Federal High Court sitting in Kano, on Friday, has reserved judgment on the fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by the deposed Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado-Bayero. Ado-Bayero, through his counsel M L Yusufari SAN, filed a motion exparte dated May 27, seeking the court to restrain the respondents from arresting, intimidating or infringing on his rights. The respondents are the Attorney General of the Federation, Attorney General Kano, Nigeria Police, Inspector General of Police, Commissioner of Police Kano, State Security Service, NSCDC, Nigeria Army, Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Airforce. When the case came up for hearing, Counsel to the applicant, Michael Jonathan, SAN, said the court has jurisdiction to entertain the case because it was fundamental rights proceedings. Jonathan filed an originating motion dated May 27, in support of affidavit and a written address. He urged the court to hear the ...

 Governors reject N60,000 minimum wage Governors of the 36 states of the federation have rejected the N60,000 minimum wage earlier proposed by the federal government. The Director Media and Public Affairs of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Hajiya Halimah Salihu Ahmed, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, June 7. The governors said the N60, 000 wage is not realistic and unsustainable, arguing that if implemented, it would force some states in the country to be borrowing to pay workers’ salaries. The statement reads in part, “The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is in agreement that a new minimum wage is due. The Forum also sympathises with labour unions in their push for higher wages. “However, the Forum urges all parties to consider the fact that the minimum wage negotiations also involve consequential adjustments across all cadres, including pensioners. “The NGF cautions parties in this important discussion to look beyond just signing a document for the sake of it; any agree...

 Five hunters arrested for torturing teenager to death over N20,000 Five hunters have been arrested in connection with the killing of a 14-year-old teenager in Maiha local government area of Adamawa State. The suspects were alleged to have tortured the victim on suspicion that he stole N20,000. A statement from the state Police Public Relations Officer, Suleiman Nguroje, said they were arrested on Wednesday, June 5, “for the unlawful arrest and torture” of the teenager who they accused of stealing the 20,000. “The suspects are currently under investigation and would be charged to court for the law to take its course,” the Police statement said. The Commissioner of Police, CP Dakonmbo Morris, who condemned the actions of the hunters, warned members of the public against taking the law into their own hands.

 W’Cup qualifiers: Eagles drop to fifth after Lesotho win The Super Eagles have again dropped from fourth to fifth in Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers without kicking a ball after Lesotho shocked Zimbabwe 2-0 away from home in their third game of the group on Friday. Two first-half goals from Rethabile Rasethuntsa and Jane Thaba Ntso did the job for Lesotho as they temporarily moved from fifth to the top of the table with five points. Rasethuntsa opened scoring in the 21st and the second came 10 minutes later from Ntso. It was the first win for Lesotho in the series which began on a promising note for them with a 1-1 draw against Nigeria in Uyo last November. Nigeria will have the chance to topple Lesotho this evening when they take on bitter rivals South Africa in their third game of the series at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo by 8 pm. The Eagles must, however, win by two goals at least, to stand a chance of leapfrogging Lesotho ahead of their next game against Benin R...

 I nearly pulled my gun after discovering three children weren’t mine – Ex-Ghana star, Lamptey Former Ghana football star, Nii Odartey Lamptey has revealed the depth of his emotional turmoil upon discovering that the three children he raised with his ex-wife, Gloria Appiah, were not his biological offspring. In a recent interview, Lamptey said the revelation drove him to the brink of despair, even contemplating the use of a gun in his anguish. Lamptey, speaking with Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV on YouTube in an approximately 10-minute-long video, explained the feelings. He also spoke about how he was smuggled to Belgium with a Nigerian passport. The video was uploaded earlier this month but was translated from Ghanaian language to English by Pulse Ghana on Tuesday. The 49-year-old former Anderlecht and Aston Villa forward revealed the harrowing moment he discovered that the three children he raised with his ex-wife were not biologically his. With a gun in his car, Lamptey contemplated drast...

 Nigerian National Sentenced To 51 Months Imprisonment In The US  For Romance Scäm, Fräúd  And Momey Laundering  A Nigerian national, Uchenna Christian Nlemchi was sentenced to 51 months in prison and ordered to pay $524,000 in restitution and a money judgment in the amount of $868,295 for his role in a hybrid romance scam and business email compromise scheme. Nlemchi was extradited from Hungary to the United States of America last year. There is no parole in the federal system. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement in a statement on Thursday, June 6, 2024.   According to court documents, the scheme began in July 2015 when a co-conspirator initiated a romance scam with a 56-year-old widow in New Mexico using the alias “Sean Bartlett.”  The co-conspirator convinced the victim that he was an engineer working on lucrative oil contracts and promised to marry...

GOV. SANWO-OLU AWARDS N10 MILLION CASH PRIZE TO LASU’S VALEDICTORIAN, AS VARSITY GRADUATES 11,195 The grand finale of the 27th convocation of the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, has been concluded, with the school’s Best Graduating Student, Olaniyi Mubaraq Olawale, going home with N10 million cash prize awarded by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Olawale, a graduate of the Department of Accounting Education, finished with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.98. The university produced 8,477 graduands across 10 faculties, who completed their first degrees in 2022/2023 academic year. For four consecutive sessions, the school has maintained its graduation order, sustaining its academic reputation. The school Visitor, Gov. Sanwo-Olu, congratulated the graduands for the successful completion of their programmes, noting that their attendance of the school was a privileged opportunity that would unlock their full potential. More photos below. 

 UN spokesman condemns Sudan village attack that left more than  100 dead The UN spokesman has condemned a rebel attack on a village in Sudan's Gezira State which killed more than 100 people in Wad Al-Noura by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). "The resident and humanitarian coordinator, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, expressed her shock at the events," said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "She said that we have received credible reports of heavy gunfire and the use of explosive weapons in populated civilian areas where the RSF have confirmed they have been involved in ground operations." Dujarric said the special adviser on the prevention of genocide, Alice Nderitu, called for a thorough and impartial investigation to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. He also said that the International Organization for Migration warns that the number of people displaced by conflict inside Sudan could top 10...

 Somalia elected to UN Security Council after more than 50 years The United Nations General Assembly has elected Somalia to the 15-member U.N. Security Council for a two-year term starting in 2025. Somalia was among five countries that received the winning votes, alongside Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, and Panama. For the first time in more than 50 years, he said, Somalia will have a vote on decisions regarding world conflicts. Following the news, the United Nations in Somalia congratulated the Somali government and its people "on their country's election today to a seat on the UN Security Council for 2025-2026." The five countries that got elected Thursday will replace Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland, whose terms end December 31. Somali and the other elected new members will join existing non-permanent members Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia, whose terms started in January. The Security Council’s five permanent veto-wieldi...

 Operatives of Lagos Rapid Response Squad (RRS) around 10:00 a.m on Friday arrested a suspected vandal removing LED road stud light on the newly renovated Third Mainland Bridge. The suspect, Mubarak Abdullahi (18), living in Makoko had, at the time of his arrest,removed 10 of the LED road stud light screwed to the road to enhance the visibility of road users The suspect was caught red-handed by the operatives on patrol of the bridge  around 10:00 a.m today. The Commander Rapid Response Squad (RRS), CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi weeks ago deployed bike riders on 24 hour security patrol in the area to monitor traffic and infrastructure on the bridge. More photos below. 

 PRESS RELEASE  POLICE, UNODC TRAIN POLICE IMAGE MANAGERS, CRU OFFICERS ON EFFECTIVE COMPLAINT MANAGEMENT As IGP Reiterates Zero Tolerance for Corruption, Unprofessional Conducts  In furtherance of the Inspector's-General of Police approval and zeal to enhance mutual relations between the public and the Police, the Nigeria Police Force in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is currently engaging Police Image Managers and officers of the Complaints Response Unit (CRU) on a comprehensive training program for public on complaint management at the BWC Hotel, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, in Lagos State. The training, which is in two batches, is currently hosting Police Public Relations Officers and officers of the Complaint Response Unit from some states of the Federation and the Force Headquarters, Abuja. It is geared at enhancing the capacity of police personnel to handle complaints more effectively, ensure timely responses, and imp...

 PRESS RELEASE NAFDAC APPREHENDS AND ARRAIGNS FALSIFIED MEDICINE MANUFACTURERS IN KANO HIGH COURT Today, NAFDAC arraigned three individuals and Giddyson Healthcare Limited before the Federal High Court, Kano, on a five-count charge for manufacturing, distributing, and selling substandard and falsified medicines. The defendants, Mr. Amao Gideon, Alumona Godwin Okwiludili, and Hillary Onah Paul Chigozie, were involved in producing counterfeit medicines with zero active ingredients. The falsified medicines include: • Asian Ampicillin 125mg + Cloxacillin 125mg/5ml powder for oral suspension for children. • Asian Ampicillin 125mg/5ml powder for suspension for children. • Erythromycin 125mg/5ml powder for suspension for children. • Artil-Go (Artemether 20mg + Lumefantrine 120mg/5ml) suspension for children. Laboratory tests from NAFDAC Kaduna revealed that these products contained no active medicinal ingredients, posing severe risks such as treatment failure and potential death. Furtherm...

 South Korea remains vigilant for more North Korean trash balloons after vowing retaliation South Koreans were alert Friday for possible new launches by North Korea of balloons carrying rubbish into the South, a day after Seoul activists flew their own balloons to scatter political leaflets in the North. Any resumption of trash balloon launches by North Korea would likely prompt South Korea to respond, possibly with anti-North Korean loudspeaker broadcasts or live-fire exercises along their heavily fortified border. North Korea would probably retaliate with its own measures, further escalating tensions between the rivals. Here is a look at the soaring animosities between the Koreas over the balloon launches: Last week, South Korean authorities discovered about 1,000 North Korean-flown balloons carrying manure, cigarette butts, scraps of cloth, waste batteries and vinyl in various parts of South Korea. No highly dangerous materials were found, but some South Koreans worry that North...

 13 injured in explosion at home improvement store in Romania, authorities say An explosion at a chain home improvement store in northeastern Romania on Friday injured at least 13 people, four seriously, authorities said. A mobile intensive care unit was dispatched to the scene in the town of Botosani, in Suceava county, emergency authorities said. Four of the injured are in serious condition and two are intubated, while 10 were conscious but suffered "various traumas and burns" and are receiving medical attention. Emergency helicopters were alerted, and two ambulances and two fire trucks were sent to the scene to extinguish a fire. A search and rescue mission was underway inside the store. It was not immediately clear what caused the blast, nor whether the injured were customers or staff members. Two of the victims in serious condition will be transported to a hospital in the city of Iasi, about 68 miles to the south, while two will be airlifted to the capital, Bucharest, to...

 Biden singles out conservatives over Ukraine funding in meeting with Zelenskyy President Biden made a point Friday to quickly single out Republicans for Ukraine funding struggles during a brief meeting overseas with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.  Biden, speaking to Zelenskyy in Paris a day after D-Day commemorations, told the Ukrainian leader "You haven't bowed down. You haven't yielded at all. You continue to fight in a way that is just remarkable. It's remarkable. And we're not going to walk away from you."  "I apologize for those weeks of not knowing what's going to pass in terms of funding, because we had trouble getting the bill that we had to pass, had the money in it, from some of our very conservative members who were holding it up. But we got it done finally. And since then, including today, I've announced six packages of significant funding," Biden added. "Today, I'm also signing an additional package for $225 million to help you r...

 Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight rescheduled for November after boxing legend's medical scare forces postponement The heavily anticipated fight between boxing legend Mike Tyson and YouTuber-turned professional boxer Jake Paul is back on after Tyson’s medical scare on a recent flight caused the bout to be postponed.  Most Valuable Promotions announced on Friday that the fight, which was originally set to take place on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, has now been rescheduled for November 15th to give both boxers enough time to prepare.  "Our team has worked diligently with all parties involved to reschedule this monumental fight to a date that ensures both Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are fully prepared, with equal training time, as well as allowing us to keep the event at AT&T stadium in the midst of the Cowboys season," Nakisa Bidarian, Co-Founder of Most Valuable Promotions, said in a statement.  "Paul vs. Tyson is the most cross generational sporting ev...

 Missing Kentucky baby sparks frantic search, parents arrested in motel with drug stash Police in Kentucky are urgently looking for an 8-month-old baby who has been missing for weeks and have arrested the baby girl’s parents who were found holed up in a motel with a stash of fentanyl and methamphetamine. The child, Miya Tucker Rudd of Reynolds Station in Ohio County, was declared missing by Kentucky State Police Thursday after the agency said it conducted a search warrant and welfare check at the family's home but couldn’t find the child. Reynolds Station is about 90 miles southwest of Louisville.  She has not been seen by other family members since the beginning of May, a Kentucky State Police spokesperson tells Fox News Digital. Child protection services had been looking for the child and then called police when they couldn't locate her, the spokesperson said. The girl’s mother, 29-year-old Tesla Tucker, and her father, 30-year-old Cage C. Rudd, were found at a motel in Owen...

 DOJ charges Texas doctor after he blew the whistle on gender-affirming care for minors The Department of Justice filed criminal charges against a whistleblower after he exposed a Texas hospital that was allegedly secretly conducting gender-affirming care on minors. Dr. Eithan Haim, a surgeon who completed his residency at the Texas Children's Hospital, was accused of HIPAA violations and has been indicted on four felony charges. Haim has vowed to fight the charges and suggested the DOJ is corrupt. "They wanted to intimidate me into silence using every technique the federal leviathan had at their disposal. But they failed," Haim wrote Thursday on X. "The only way to lose is to submit to corruption. It's time to fight back harder than ever!.  In a statement to Fox News Digital, Haim's attorney, Marcella Burke, said, "My client is anxious to get to trial to get his side of the story told. I am confident this will result in the correct decision being made....

 National grid shutdown treasonable – SGF The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, on Thursday, condemned the shutdown of the national grid during the suspended industrial action by organised labour. He described the action as a treasonable felony, adding there was nowhere in the world that organised labour had shut down a country’s national grid. The Transmission Company of Nigeria’s workers union had shut down the national grid on Monday to join the nationwide strike embarked on by the organised labour. The organised labour went on strike to compel the government to agree on a new minimum wage for workers. The shutdown of the national grid resulted in a nationwide blackout. Addressing the National Executive Council of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Abuja, the SGF stated that President Bola Tinubu was making frantic efforts to rebuild the country, saying that, “they (labour) want to destroy it”. He said, “Nowhere in the world has labour ever tamper...

 Autopsy reveals possible cause of Mohbad’s death An autopsy conducted on the body of late singer Mohbad at conducted at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) has revealed the possible cause of his death. According to TheCable Lifestyle, the cause of death could not be ascertained, but there is a possibility of drug reaction in view of any significant post-mortem and toxicology findings. The report says samples of the gastric content, blood, bone marrow, liver, kidney, and lung of the late singer were retrieved for a toxicology test. The anatomical and pathological findings revealed that Mohbad had an injury on his right forearm and his body was exhumed with moderate to severe decomposition. The autopsy also showed that “no significant gross finding” could be attributed to the singer’s death. The toxicology “revealed the positive finding of Diphenhydramine, an anti-histamine; however, this concentration was not in a fatal or lethal range”. Anti-histamines are medici...

 Saudi Arabia arrests 7 Nigerian pilgrims over NUSUK hajj pilgrim cards The authority of Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom has arrested seven Nigerian pilgrims performing this year’s holy pilgrimage in Makkah for failure to be in possession of NUSUK identity cards. The seven Nigerian pilgrims from two states were said to have been arrested in front of their hotels on June 5 and 6 over the Nusuk ID cards, otherwise known as hajj permit. In Saudi Arabia, not having Hajj permits, harbouring or aiding those without it attracts a SR10,000 fine, six months’ imprisonment, deportation and banning from Saudi Arabia for 10 years as penalty. Names of the arrested pilgrims were not yet made public and it could not be ascertained yet if retrieves have come their way through the intervention of Nigeria’s hajj commission. Reacting to the development, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, re-iterated its appeal on the collection and use of the cards for their Hajj exercise in the Kingdom of Saudi ...

 7th June, 2024 PRESS RELEASE ARREST OF SUSPECTED ARMED ROBBERS AND RECOVERY OF TWO BERETTA PISTOLS, ONE LOCALLY MADE CUT-TO-SIZE GUN+ ARREST OF SUSPECTED  CAR SNATCHERS AND BURGLARY SUSPECTS IN ASABA 1. ARREST OF SUSPECTED ARMED ROBBERS, RECOVERY OF ONE BERETTA PISTOL, ONE LOCALLY MADE CUT-TO-SIZE GUN: On 05/06/2024 at about 1745hrs while acting on credible intelligence, the special squad deployed to Ughelli by the commissioner of Police Delta State, CP Abaniwonda Olufemi to checkmate the activities of kidnappers, and armed robbers in Ughelli, Warri, Sapele, and environs successfully arrested three suspected armed robbers and recovered their weapons which they use to terrorize innocent residents in Sapele. The team led by ASP Julius Robinson stormed Sapele Town on the said date and effected the arrest of one Blessing Atima aged 23yrs ‘m’ of Jesse Community in Ethiope West LGA of Delta State (The Gang Leader),  Destiny Okpako age 19yrs a 23year ‘M’ of Oviri-Okpe Community...

 ICPC Case: Court Orders Arrest of 3 Rural Electrification Agency Account Staff for Multi-Million Naira Fraud A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has issued a bench warrant for three staff of the Account and Finance Department of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) after they failed to appear in court for a multi-million-naira fraud case brought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The ICPC had charged four REA employees with allegedly receiving about one billion naira under the pretence of false project supervision.  When the cases were called on Thursday before Justice Emeka Nwite, Hanrrietta Onormen Okojie, Umar Musa Karaye, and Emmanuel Pada Titus were absent and they were not represented by any counsel. ICPC counsel Dr. Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha informed the court that the defendants were duly served and notified of their arraignment but chose not to appear.  The ICPC Counsel citing Sections 114 and 184 of the Adm...

 "May Nigeria never happen to us. I don't wish my worst en£my to experience this" Husband accuses hospital of causing his pregnant wife and newborn son's d£@th due to medical negligence. A husband who lost his wife and their newborn son has called out the hospital, while stating that their d£@ths could have been avoided if hospital staff did their jobs right. Prince Ovwiomodiowho, a registered nurse anesthetist, narrated how his wife Mrs Loveth Ovwiomodiowho, 35, was in labour for two days at R-Jolad hospital located in Omotoye Estate, Orile-Agege, Lagos State. He said his wife was assigned to Dr. Marcus Mbakwe, the consultant obstetrician, who his wife continued to see throughout her pregnancy. His wife, who already gave birth to a daughter in 2020, was as healthy as could be and she had no known associated history. He said she also was diligent in attending her antenatal appointments. She went into labour in the early hours of March 7, 2024, and was taken to the hos...