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Alleged N4.6bn Fraud: Court Adjourns Fani-Kayode Others’ Trial Till Jan. 24 Justice Daniel Osaigor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, adjourned till January 24, 2022 further hearing in the alleged N4.6bn fraud involving a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode and others. Fani-Kayode is standing trial alongside a former Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman, a former Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, Yusuf Danjuma, and a company, Join-Trust Dimensions Nigeria Ltd. on a 17-count charge bordering money laundering to the tune of N4.6billion. 

 Court Adjourns Naira Marley’s Trial Till Feb.16 Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos has adjourned the trial of Azeez Fashola, also known as Naira Marley, till February 16, 2022. Marley is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy and credit card fraud. He pleaded "not guilty" to the charges when he was arraigned on May 20, 2019. At the last sitting on October 27, 2021, Augustine Anosike, a forensic analyst testifying as the second prosecution witness, had concluded his examination-in-chief. The court subsequently adjourned till November 30, 2021 for cross-examination. At today's proceeding, however, the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that the witness was absent in court on "compassionate grounds”.

 Ogun 2022 Appropriation Bill: Abiodun presents N351bn 'Budget of Restoration'  Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, on Tuesday presented a sum of N351bn as the proposed appropriation bill for the year 2022 before the House of Assembly. Abiodun, while presenting the fiscal proposal christened 'Budget of Restoration', said the main task of his administration next year is to increase pace of the implementation of its development plan as already designed and encapsulated in the 'Building Our Future Together' agenda. Adding that the budget for 2022 will also seek to sustain and improve on the gains so far made in the delivery of good governance to the people of Ogun State, Abiodun noted that the state under his watch, has begun moving very steadily towards full recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.  He said his administration's budget credibility as determined by performance in year 2021 was better than what Ogun has ever had in its history wh...

 Destruction of 20tons drugs an indication of NDLEA's resolve — Marwa Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has described the public destruction/burning of 20 tons of assorted illicit drugs in Abuja on Tuesday is a further affirmation of the resolve of the anti-narcotic agency to wage a total war against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria. According to him, We may recall that when President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign of the NDLEA on June 26, 2021, he declared that WADA should not just be a slogan, but a call to civil action by all Nigerians Todays public destruction of 20 tons of illicit drugs and substances, further buttresses that call to action.  To be destroyed here today is approximately 20, 000 kilograms of illicit drugs worth billions of naira. Approximately, 19, 598 kilograms of these assorted illicit drugs were seized by the FCT Comm...

A 29 Year Old Virgin Bachelor Weds A 28 Year Old Virgin Bride In Lagos. The virgin groom Pastor Oghale Ighele, 29 wedded the virgin bride Dr Clementina Agbate, 28 last weekend at Marcillina’s Place, GRA Ikeja. According to the Groom, “While I was growing up, my parents kept hammering on the need for me to keep myself and never mess up and I heeded their advice. I tried to make friends who would not deceive me into having sex before marriage. I was also fully involved in church activities and I thank God for guiding me.” The bride added  “I am happy and fulfilled marrying as a virgin, though it was not an easy thing to do. I took the decision of remaining a virgin till I get married when I was a teenager. Meanwhile, I grew up in a Christian home. So, I had to keep myself. It was not easy for me. I was severally tempted by my lecturers while in the university. Friends also tried to lure me into fornication and men asked me out. In fact, I went through so many challenges. But what gui...

President Muhammadu Buhari sympathizes with families of policemen reportedly murdered in the Southeast by misguided separatist elements, who videotaped the bestial killings, and proceeded to share it widely on social media.  The President laments the horrific nature of the bloodletting, which indicates that some minds are completely overtaken by hatred, and reduced to the basest level imaginable.  Noting that the three abducted policemen, two of whom were later brutally executed, were serving the country, and providing security to those who ironically turned against them, President Buhari sends heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, praying for God’s comfort in their deep sorrow.  He equally sympathizes with all those who have lost loved ones in the different theatres of insecurity that had rocked the country, charging them to take solace in the inevitable victory of good over evil.  As the areas where insecurity was once fiercest in the country experience s...

Need for countries to form a common front against COVID-19 stressed By Princess-Ekwi Ajide (ABS Abuja Bureau Chief) With the advent of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron,  the World Health Organisation,  WHO,  has expressed worry that even though almost eight billion vaccines have been administered around the world, one hundred and three countries still have not reached the forty percent target, and more than half of them are at risk of missing it by the end of the year. In his opening remarks at the Special Session of the World Health Assembly,  the Director General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus said COVID-19 has exposed and exacerbated fundamental weaknesses in the global architecture for pandemic preparedness and response. According to him, Omicron demonstrates just why the world needs a new accord on pandemics and the current system disincentivizes countries from alerting others to threats that will inevitably land on their shores saying that global health securi...