The Nigerian Immigration Service has intercepted 21 minors suspected to be victims of human trafficking at Geidam town near the Nigeria-Niger Republic Border in Yobe state.

The Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service in the state, Sani Sule-Jega, while handing over the suspected victims to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), said the children are between the ages of seven to 15 years.

According to him, the minors were being transported from Magama local government area in Niger state to the Niger Republic for studies and do not have any travel documents.

“These are minors between the ages of seven to fifteen who were intercepted at Geidam border Out-Post in Geidam local government area of Yobe state. The purpose of that out-post is to checkmate all illegal entry because our core mandate is border security and migration management,” he said.

“They are coming from Magama local government area of Niger state to Niger Republic. They are traveling without travel documents to back up their journey, that is why we are suspecting them, we have handed them over to the appropriate authority, the NAPTIP for further investigations.”

The prime suspect, Abubakar Sadiq, who is also their guardian told Channels Television that the children are being transported to Niger Republic for studies.

“It was their parents that asked me to look for a school that is cheap, that is why I am taking them to a school in Maine in Niger Republic,” he said.

The guardian, the driver and the suspected victims have been handed over to the NAPTIP for further questioning

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized 199,495 litres of smuggled fuel in Adamawa State. 

A statement by the NCS on Thursday said the move is in line with the agency’s resolve to crack down on smuggling.

The Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi said intelligence-driven operations by NCS officers in the Adamawa/Taraba Command led to the interception of 199,495 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

He added that “the operatives of Operation Whirlwind had successfully seized fuel, with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦199,495,000, being smuggled across borders using tankers, jerry cans, and drums.”

“These economic saboteurs are determined to inflict hardship on law-abiding Nigerians, but let it be clearly understood that the Nigeria Customs Service remains resolute in its mandate to protect our national economy, ” he said.

“Despite the well-articulated economic reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to stabilise the energy sector, some unpatriotic elements remain determined to undermine these efforts through complex smuggling operations,” the statement quoted Adeniyi as saying.

The Customs’ boss said operatives carried out the interceptions at strategic smuggling routes, including Mova, Dasin, the Galamba-Song axis, and the Mubi-Maiha corridor.

Adeniyi assured Nigerians that the NCS would continue to adapt its strategies, strengthen intelligence gathering, and collaborate with security agencies to close in on smugglers.

“There will be no safe haven for them within our operational areas,” he said.

Nigeria Customs Hits Economic Saboteurs, Seizes 199,495 Litres of Smuggled Fuel

In view of the consequences caused by the economic saboteurs against the citizens, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), under the leadership of CGC Adewale Adeniyi, has intensified its crackdown on fuel smuggling, seizing nearly 200,000 litres of petroleum products in Adamawa State under Operation Whirlwind.

Announcing the latest development in Yola, Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi condemned smugglers’ continued sabotage of Nigeria’s energy sector by describing their actions as a direct assault on the economy.

“Despite the well-articulated economic reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to stabilise the energy sector, some unpatriotic elements remain determined to undermine these efforts through complex smuggling operations.” CGC Adeniyi said.

According to him, intelligence-driven operations by NCS officers in the Adamawa/Taraba Command led to the interception of 199,495 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), adding that “the operatives of Operation Whirlwind had successfully seized fuel, with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦199,495,000, being smuggled across borders using tankers, jerry cans, and drums.”

The CGC also detailed the tactics used by smugglers, including night-time river crossings at Dasin Waterways, illegal storage facilities near border towns, and concealment in unauthorised dispensing points.

“These economic saboteurs are determined to inflict hardship on law-abiding Nigerians, but let it be clearly understood that the Nigeria Customs Service remains resolute in its mandate to protect our national economy.” He stated.

According to him, Customs operatives carried out targeted interceptions at strategic smuggling routes, including Mova, Dasin, the Galamba-Song axis, and the Mubi-Maiha corridor.

The CGC, however, assured Nigerians that the NCS would continue to adapt its strategies, strengthen intelligence gathering, and collaborate with security agencies to close in on smugglers, adding, “There will be no safe haven for them within our operational areas.”

In his closing remarks, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Finance and Administration, ACG Hussain Ejibunu, praised the Customs chief for his leadership and the officers’ dedication.

He also highlighted the importance of public cooperation, urging citizens to report suspicious activities to security agencies.

In line with the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023 and following the legal backing of a competent court of law, the seized petroleum products were auctioned to the residents of Adamawa State at the rate of N630 per litre in some designated filling stations, while those in 25 litres jerrycans will be disposed at N10,000 each.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has flayed the Federal Government for implementing the policies of Bretton Woods institutions, saying the removal of subsidies and increased tariffs are emasculating Nigerians.

“They keep on emasculating us through stupid taxes. It will come to a point when people can pay but they won’t pay,” NLC spokesman Benson Upah said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Thursday. 

The labour union official rejected the recent announcement of a 50% telecom tariff hike by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and proposed a 5% increase in the cost of data and calls.

He said there was no going back on the nationwide protest scheduled for Tuesday, February 4, 2025, to drive home the displeasure of the group against the recently announced telecom tariff increase.

Upah said, “This rally is to halt this mindless tariff increase. And if by any chance there has to be an increase at all, 5%, given the fact of our situation that there have been increases across board.

“But now to say 50%, it is not going to work. Where will the ordinary Nigerians be at the end of the day when we have energy tariff increases?

“The manufacturers are groaning, the middle-class people are groaning. The ordinary Nigerians on the streets can’t even afford to turn on the lights in their sitting rooms. When taxes are low, more people than when you have high taxes.”

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have consistently advocated the removal of energy subsidies and the floating of the naira, saying failure to effect the two economic policies has plunged Nigeria into severe inflationary pressures.

After his inauguration in May 2023, President Bola Tinubu, former Lagos governor, removed petrol subsidy and floated the naira. Petrol prices more than quadrupled, soaring from less than N200 per litre to over N1,100 in many parts of the country. The naira also took a nosedive, wobbling from around N700/$ to N1,600.

Food and commodity inflation have skyrocketed as Nigerians battle what can pass for the worst cost of living crisis since the country’s independence over six decades ago

The Court of Appeal Abuja has affirmed the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organization.

In a unanimous decision by a three-member panel led by Justice Hamma Barka, the appellate court affirmed the judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which outlawed the IPOB.

The court held that it found no reason to set-aside the order the Federal Government got against the group.

According to the court, the FG acted lawfully by proscribing the organization whose activities threatened the nation’s security and continued existence.

It resolved all the issues against the IPOB and dismissed its appeal for want of merit.

The late former Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Abdul Abdu-Kafarati, had in a ruling he delivered on September 15, 2017, outlawed the activities of the IPOB in Nigeria.

The proscription order followed an ex-parte motion the former Attorney-General of Federation and Minister of Justice, Mister Abubakar Malami, filed on behalf of the Federal Government.

Specifically, Justice Kafafati declared as illegal, all activities of the group, particularly in the South-east and South-South regions of the country.

He further restrained “any person or group of persons from participating in any of the group’s activities”.

The Judge directed the AGF to ensure that he published the proscription order in the official gazette, as well as in two national dailies.

In a follow-up ruling on January 22, 2018, the court dismissed a motion IPOB filed to challenge the legal validity of the proscription order which it said was surreptitiously obtained by the AGF.

Dissatisfied with the decisions, the IPOB approached the appellate court to set them aside.

The organization, in its appeal which it filed through its team of lawyers led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Mr. Chukwuma-Machukwu Umeh, urged the appellate court to set aside in its entirety, the ruling/final decision of the high court.

It alleged that the then AGF suppressed and misrepresented facts in the affidavit evidence he tendered before the court, maintaining that the proscription order was tantamount to declaring over 30million Nigerians of Igbo extraction as terrorists.

The Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, on Thursday criticised the economic policies of the Federal Government, claiming they are imposing severe hardship on Nigerians.

He made the statement during a meeting of the National Reconciliation Committee of the People’s Democratic Party with governors from the North East and other key stakeholders in Bauchi. Attending the meeting were the Governors of Bauchi and Taraba, as well as the acting PDP National Chairman.

Fintiri expressed frustration with the state of the nation’s economy, stating: “Nigeria is bleeding, we are suffering, there is too much anger, and the economic policy is not working. That is why we always call on the Federal Government to reconsider some of these economic policies that are only putting hardship on Nigerians.”

He further emphasized that holding a position of power is a privilege given by God, and therefore, the country must be governed based on trust and responsibility.

The governor also urged the Federal Government to focus on policies that do not bring further pain to Nigerians, adding: “Whatever will make us cry must not be part of your policy because the country belongs to us. It does not belong to the World Bank, IMF, or the international community,” he said.

In his remarks on party unity, Fintiri assured that the three governors from the North-East would work together to strengthen the PDP in the region.

The governor also highlighted the importance of unity in the region, which he believes contributed to the party’s victory in all states of the region during the last presidential election.

“There is no state in the zone that PDP lost. Even the one we lost in Borno, up until now, we are still wondering how we lost that election because we know we did not lose that election in Borno,” he said.

During the meeting, the Chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, acknowledged the factors that led to the party’s loss in the last election.

He identified disunity within the party as a key reason and expressed the committee’s commitment to addressing these issues.

“We are here to interact with our leadership and membership of our great party so that we can discuss where we are falling short of what we were supposed to do, which led to the outcome we witnessed,” Oyinlola said

About 30 members of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday stormed the Department of State Security office in the Magodo area of the state.

Their visit appears to be connected to the detention of two of their colleagues who were invited on Wednesday for questioning relating to issues of the state assembly.

The two lawmakers invited for questioning are Hon. Lanre Afinni and Hon. Sylvester Ogunkelu. According to sources, one of them has been released, while the other lawmaker is still in DSS custody.

The lawmakers currently within the premises of the DSS include: Hon. Abiodun Tobun Representing Epe constituency on, Hon Gbolahan Yishawu representing Eti-Osa constituency two, Hon Kehinde Joseph representing Alimosho constituency two, Hon. Solomon Bonu representing Badagry constituency one and some others.

After six hours of questioning, 30 members who visited the DSS office have been released.

The lawmakers refused to comment after been released.

The invitation is related to the removal of the former Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, who was removed on January 13 over allegations of financial misconduct, and other issues.

The embattled former Speaker wrote a petition to the DSS concerning the process of his removal.

The lawmakers said they will react to the issue at the appropriate time

Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos has upheld the penalties and interest amounting to $87.9 million imposed on MTN Nigeria Communication Plc by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The court gave the verdict while delivering judgment in an appeal filed by FIRS against the Tax Appeal Tribunal’s (TAT) decision of October 20, 2023.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the Tax Appeal Tribunal had awarded a principal sum of $71 million on MTN but did not grant the penalties and interest that FIRS had requested.

But dissatisfied with the TAT’s ruling, FIRS had approached the Federal High Court in an appeal marked FHC/L/1A/2024, urging the court to set aside the decision of the Tax Appeal Tribunal.

FIRS specifically prayed the court for an order setting aside the decision of TAT and an order directing the Appellant to pursue all penalties and interest arising from the principal sum awarded by the Tribunal in its judgment dated October 20, 2023.

In its brief of argument, FIRS posed two key issues for determination before the court, asking whether the Tribunal was correct in refusing to grant the Appellant the accumulating penalties and interest after determining that the goods and services purchased by the Respondent were subject to value-added taxes.

The tax agency also asked the court to determine whether the Tribunal was right to apply the provisions of the Company Income Tax Act (CITA) to address assessments related to the penalties and interest arising from the operations of the Value Added Tax Act,

In response, MTN raised one main issue for determination on whether the Tribunal erred in law by setting aside the penalties and interest imposed by the FIRS on the Respondent’s principal value-added tax liability.

MTN also contended that the Tribunal correctly dismissed the penalties and interest imposed on its alleged principal VAT liability and that the Tribunal accurately interpreted Sections 13(2) and (3) of the 5th Schedule to the FIRS Act.

They further asserted that the Appellant’s arguments regarding the applicability of these sections do not align with the Notice of Appeal and are, therefore, ineffective.

In his judgment, Justice Faji resolved all the issues canvassed by the parties against MTN Nigeria Communication Plc.

He held, “The decision of the TAT contained from page 750 of the record to the effect that interest and penalty are not due to be paid by the respondent to the appellant is hereby set aside.

“This appeal, therefore, succeeds. I grant the three reliefs sought, as prayed,” the judge held

The convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, has been granted bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja to the tune of N10m and one surety in like sum.

According to the ruling of the court, the surety must be a responsible individual with landed property valued in like sum.

The surety is expected to deposit the original documents of a landed property and a passport photograph to the Registrar of the court.

The trial judge, while ruling on the bail application on Thursday, ordered Sowore to also deposit his International Passport with the Registrar of the court.

The trial judge, however, gave Sowore 24 hours to perfect the bail conditions or be remanded by the Police until the bail is perfected.

LEADERSHIP reports that Sowore, founder and two-time presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 general elections, respectively, is being prosecuted by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on 17-count charges bordering on cybercrimes and deliberately calling the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, ‘illegal IGP’.

Cristiano Ronaldo might be the Great Of All Times (GOAT) to many fans across the football world, but not everyone in his household agrees, with the Portugal star admitting that his own son prefers Real Madrid star’s Kylian Mbappé.

Ronaldo has scored a club-record 450 goals for Los Blancos between 2009 and 2018.

Mbappé has the chance to continue his hot streak later on Wednesday against Brest, while Ronaldo is next in action against Al Raed on Thursday.

Ronaldo who scored twice in Al Nassr’s comfortable Saudi Pro League win at the weekend to move to the top of the division’s goal-scoring charts, but that was not enough to impress his 5-year-old, Mateo.

In an excerpt from an upcoming interview with Spanish outlet La Sexta, Ronaldo admitted the France captain has surpassed him in his son’s eyes.

“Mateo, he really likes Mbappé,” Ronaldo said. “He sometimes tells me: ‘Hey dad, Mbappé is better than you,’ and I reply by saying: ‘No, I am better than him, I have scored more goals.”

Mbappé, who is known to have idolised Ronaldo in his youth, has started to emulate some of his feats at the Bernabéu in recent weeks after his high-profile move from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.

It was reported that after his hat-trick against Real Valladolid on Saturday, Mbappé now has 15 goals in LaLiga, second in the Pichichi race behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski.

Emefo Etudo, the lawyer representing suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, popularly called Evans, has told a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Wednesday that his client has repented from his criminal ways and has applied to the Lagos State Government for mercy.

Emefo Etudo, the lawyer representing suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, popularly called Evans, has told a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Wednesday that his client has repented from his criminal ways and has applied to the Lagos State Government for mercy.

Etudo told the court presided over by Justice Adenike Coker, that despite the amended charge and the plea of his client, he (Evans) has applied to the Lagos State Government through the Attorney-General’s office for a plea bargain.

The defence counsel stated this after Evans pleaded not guilty to an amended five-count charge bordering on murder, attempt to murder and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

Billionaire Kidnapper ‘Evans’ Seeks Plea Bargain

“Our focus in this matter is the plea bargain which we have submitted to the state government. My client is now a repentant person. He was a young man consumed by crime, but he is now remorseful. Presently, he is a 200-level student of the National Open University. In fact, he made A1 in all his papers in NECO while in prison. All these were made possible through a scholarship given to him by the Federal Government.

“My Lord, we have asked the Lagos State government to give him the opportunity to go round schools in the state to talk to youths about the dangers of crime,” Etudo said.

State Prosecutor, Y.A. Sule, confirmed Evans’ application for plea bargain, saying that the appropriate authorities would consider it, adding that the business of the day was for the re-arraignment of the defendant to enable the matter to start de novo