By Gbenga Nicholas, Abuja Three young Nigerian girls, trafficked to Ghana under the false promise of job opportunities, have been rescued and repatriated, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) announced on Friday. The victims, identified as Divine, Favour, and Bright, aged between 17 and 19, were received on Thursday at NiDCOM’s Lagos office after being freed from their captors. According to a statement by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations, and Protocols at NiDCOM, the girls—originally from Bayelsa and Ebonyi states—were lured into sex trafficking by their “aunties,” who deceived them with offers of employment in Ghana. Upon their…
Author: Abimbola Ogunaike
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By Gbenga Nicholas, Abuja Three operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) sustained gunshot injuries during a raid in the Jahi area of Abuja on Thursday night, 17 April, 2025, reports thegazellenews.com The officers were attacked by armed men as they exited an uncompleted building where the operation had taken place. According to Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA, the team was acting on intelligence and surveillance reports when they stormed the building in the NNPC area of Jahi. The raid led to the recovery of 74 bottles of codeine, 10 litres of codeine syrup, 48 grams of…
Governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, has declared that he will not be distracted by the clamour in some quarters for him to run for Presidency in 2027. The Governor noted that he would not allow anyone to set an agenda for him, adding that as of now, he remained committed to delivering infrastructure, policies and programmes that will make lives more meaningful for the people, which is the mandate given to him by the Oyo State people. Makinde stated this on Tuesday, 15 April, 2025, while appearing on Channels TV’s Politics Today. He maintained that though he has the…
Lagos State has begun a journey to achieve energy independence with the target of 6 gigawatts in power generation over the next three years. This ambitious energy plan was disclosed, on Tuesday, during Lagos Energy Summit, where the State Government’s representatives are meeting with regulators, investors and stakeholders to fashion out the plan. The bold move to establish a reliable clean energy source to address power shortfall in the State was a direct result of the Lagos State Electricity Act signed into law last December by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, which gave legal framework for private investment in public energy infrastructure.…
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday, April 14, 2025, presented its first prosecution witness, PW1, Peter Obumuneme Okoye, against Jude Chigozie Okoye, elder brother and former Manager of Paul and Peter Okoye, before Justice A. Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos. Okoye is standing trial alongside his company, Northside Music Limited, on a seven- count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N1.38 billion. One of the counts reads: “That you, Jude Okoye Chigozie and Northside Music Limited, sometime in 2022, in…
Stanbic IBTC Bank lost N576,664,517 to cybercriminals through a breach in its internal bank security and it has commenced the process of tracking and arresting individuals who may have benefited from the fraud. The funds were lodged into various accounts through which the fraudsters initiated transactions with innocent individuals and registered companies. The cybercrime was reported to the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) at Ikoyi in Lagos State. Consequently, the police investigated the money trail and linked it to over 450 accounts domiciled in 37 financial institutions, including fintech companies and microfinance banks. In order to prevent the beneficiaries of…
By Abdullah Adeyanju Binuyo Nigeria, the pulsating heart of Africa, stands at a critical juncture in its development trajectory. With a rich tapestry of cultures and a burgeoning population, the nation’s future hinges on the accuracy and integrity of its demographic data. The history of census exercises in Nigeria is a complex narrative, marked by political tensions, logistical hurdles, and widespread distrust. From the colonial era counts, which were often viewed with suspicion and used to serve imperial interests, to post-independence attempts marred by ethnic and regional rivalries, . Nigeria’s quest for a credible, reliable and widely acceptable census is…
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to deal decisively with insecurity in Nigeria, which, he said, has developed branches and spreading like a monster across the country. Describing Nigeria as “a wounded and bleeding nation in need of healing”, he said all security operatives must restrategize in their approach to end the widespread insecurity in the country, while resources allocated to fight crimes in the country must be used honestly and transparently. Kaigama stated these in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of a Chrism Mass held Our Lady…
The governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma has said that President Bola Tinubu is what Nigeria needs to attain her desired growth. The Governor, who is also the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, stated this in Lagos over the weekend, noting that Tinubu is not only performing but also going beyond the expectations of Nigerians with his policies and style of governance. “President Tinubu is performing. He is living to expectation. You don’t change the winning team,” the Governor said. Describing Tinubu as a person who has a national outlook on almost every issue, Uzodimma said Nigerians are lucky to have someone…
No fewer than eight of the 1,800 shortlisted for Kwara Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) jobs have tested positive to outlawed drugs, automatically losing their slots to the next best candidate in the highly competitive exercise TESCOM Chairman, Bello Taoheed Abubakar, who made this disclosure in a statement issued on Monday, 14 April, 2025, said in the statement that the eight shortlisted candidates tested for hard drugs such as benzodiazepine, tramadol, cotinine, marijuana, and amphetamine — all of which are considered unsafe for human health. According to TESCOM boss, the drug test was conducted by the NDLEA with the full support of…