ONE WORD

  The federal government has filed a two-count charge of illegal processions of firearm and ammunition against suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele before the Federal High Court in Lagos. The federal government in the charge sheet, seen by our correspondent, accused Emefiele of possessing a single-barrel shotgun (JOJEFF MAGNUM 8371) without a licence. The government maintained that the offences are contrary to section 4 of the Firearms Act Cap F28 Laws of the Federation 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1b) of the same Act. In the second count, the suspended CBN Governor was accused of having in his possession 123 rounds of live ammunition (Cartridges) without a licence, which is contrary to section 8 of the Firearms Act Cap F28 Laws of the Federation 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1)(b)(il) of the same Act. The case is yet to be assigned to a judge. Emefiele has been in DSS’ custody since June 10 for “investigative reasons”, according to the...

Barely 24 hours after a Federal Capital Teritorry High Court sitting in Abuja ordered the release of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, from detention, another court has nullified his arrest, detention and interrogation by the Department of State Services (DSS). In a judgment upon an Originating Motion on Notice brought before the Court by Emefiele, against Incorporated Trustees of Forum for Accountability and Good Leadership, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Inspector General of Police, State Security Service (SSS) and the Central Bank of Nigeria, the presiding Judge held that the arrest, detention and interrogation of Emefiele were in violation of the subsisting judgment and orders of Justice M. A. Hassan in Suit No. FCT/HC/GAR/CV/41/2022. Emefiele through his Counsel, Peter Abang, had asked the court to set aside, quash, invalidate and nullify the arrest and detention of the Appl...

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has written to the National Assembly seeking an amendment to the 2022 supplementary appropriation Act to allow the Federal Government to source N500 billion for palliative to cushion the effect of subsidy removal.  The letter, which was read on the floor of the House during Wednesday’s plenary by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, stated that the money would be sourced from the 2022 supplementary Appropriation Act of N819.5 billion. The letter reads in part: “I write to request the approval of the House of Representatives an amendment of the 2022 appropriation act in accordance with the law. The request has become necessary in other to source for funds to provide necessary palliatives to cushion the effect of the recent removal of fuel subsidy in Nigeria. “The sum of N500 billion only has been extracted from the 2022 appropriation act of N819.536 for the provision of palliatives to Nigerians to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal. I expect that the House wil...

From the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday came a directive to International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs): pay dollars received through Diaspora remittances to domestic beneficiaries in naira. A circular to banks, IMTOs and the public by CBN Director, Trade and Exchange Department, O.S Nnaji, listed 62 approved IMTOs to carry out the directive. In the list are Western Union, World Remit Limited, CashPot Limited, eTransact International Limited, Leadremit Limited, Flutterwave Technology Solutions Limited, and Interswitch Limited. Others are Belyfted Limited, Caperemit UK Limited, Chime In (Sendwave), Colony Capital Limited, Comet Trading Nigeria Limited, CSL Pay Limited, CP Express Limited, among others. The circular titled: Payout Option in Naira Receipt of Proceeds of Diaspora Remittances, said: “Further to the circular referenced TED/FEM/FPC/GEN/01/011 dated November 30, 2020 in respect of the above subject, the Central Bank of Nigeria hereby announces Naira as a payout opt...

A United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, has sentenced Olalekan Jacob Ponle, a.ka. Mr Woodberry, to eight years and three months in prison for multimillion-dollar fraud. A federal judge, Robert Gettleman convicted Ponle on July 11, and he is to be deported to Nigeria after serving his jail term, according to court documents. “The defendant is hereby committed to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to be imprisoned for a total term of 100 months as to count,” Gettleman said. Mr Woodberry sentenced to eight years imprisonment in US, to be deported to Nigeria Mr Woodberry was sentenced after being found guilty of one count of fraud. Seven other counts were dismissed following a plea bargain in April this year. The judge ordered the convict to submit himself to the U.S. Marshal Service for onward transfer to the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, where he would be allowed visit from family members, especially his Ameri...

The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Mr. Julius Abure, has urged members of the party to be alert, following information available to him that the All Progressives Congress, APC, was already preparing for a possible re-run of the 2023 presidential election. This, he explained, was because the ruling party was aware the tide was heavily tilted against it in the ongoing legal challenge to the presidential election results as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Abure said this during an online meeting held with Nigerian-American Coalition for Justice and Democracy, led by Professor Eddie Oparaoji, the Labour Party Diaspora Chairman in the United States, in Abuja yesterday. Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement quoted Abure as calling on the over 10 million members of the party to be “on the alert and get ready to further humiliate APC and its government in the polls if their sinister plot fails to materialize.” He ...

In what could be described as a major breakthrough in the fight against crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region, Tantita security outfit which is a private security outfit owned by Former militant leader High Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias TOMPOLO have arrested an oil vessel christened MT TURA 2, and twelve suspects in the border waterways between Delta and Ondo state. The arrest of the vessel and suspects which also had the support of the Joint Task Force operation Delta safe , is part of the synergy and charge by the federal government, in reducing crude oil theft to the barest minimum level. The arrest of the vessel notorious for criminal activities since 2016 despite changing it's original name from ALI, which is a Turkish name to MT-TURA 2 according to the director of TANTITA operations, was as a result of intelligence gathering. On his part, the commander JTF operation Delta safe hails the synergy between TANTITA and the military One of the arrested twelve suspects who i...