The Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) has said the words British Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, used in describing Nigerian Police was unfair.

The National Chairman of PCRC, Mogaji Olaniyan, said while the Nigeria Police have its challenges, they are also doing great work in the nation.

Olaniyan, who stated this in an interview with newsmen on Friday, advised Kemi Badenoch to use her good office for the country’s good.

The PCRC Chairman said that there are many good and decent police officers in the country, like the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Adegoke Fayode, who rejected N20 million bribe.

He emphasized that United Kingdom and United States policemen in the 1960s and 1970s were also accused of corruption and unprofessional practices.

“While we are not denying the fact that there are challenges and room for improvement, we must not forget the great dangers of ridiculing our country.

“It is an undeniable fact that many horrible things happened and are still happening in foreign countries, particularly in the UK and US, that are not reported by their media.

“Rather than ridiculing the Nigeria Police, it would have been better for Badenoch to use her good position to impact positively on the system,” he said.

He emphasized that Kemi‘s outburst could be a result of an experience she had with some police officers, but that should not take away the great work of some of the personnel.

“It is possible that Badenoch or her family members were stopped or interrogated by the Police in Nigeria over an issue which prompted that derogatory comments.

“This should never take away or ignore the great works of the police in Nigeria, especially, under the current leadership,” he stated.

The Oyo State Police Command has announced ongoing investigations into the tragic stampede at a children’s funfair held in Ibadan on Wednesday.

The incident, which occurred at the Islamic High School, Orita Bashorun, resulted in the death of at least 35 children, with six others sustaining critical injuries and currently receiving medical treatment.

The probe follows a directive from President Bola Tinubu, who ordered a thorough investigation into the causes of the stampede.

Speaking on Channels Television’s programme, The Morning Brief, on Friday, Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso, shed light on the initial findings of the investigation.

According to Osifeso, preliminary evidence suggests that poor crowd management may have played a significant role in the tragedy.

He explained that the system for entry into the fair might have contributed to the chaos. Initially, attendees were required to pay a token fee to gain entry.

However, at some point, the fees were reduced, and later, entry was reportedly granted for free. This shift, Osifeso suggested, may have led to agitation and confusion among the crowd.

“Investigations are in progress, but from the preliminary findings, it was discovered that at some point the fair, they were supposed to go in with a token, at some point the prices were slashed and later, some had the opportunity of going in free. So, at some point, something must have gone wrong as regards some sort of agitation,” Osefiso said.

He highlighted that the overwhelming number of attendees far exceeded the expected capacity for the venue, further exacerbating the situation.

“In this case, when it comes to crowd control anything could have triggered it; it could be excitement, it could be fear, it could be panic and judging by the space, which at the end of the day we discovered that the crowd that got into that place which was not the originally planned number, could have also contributed to the stampede because those going in actually did most of the damage to those already in,” Osifeso stated.

In the aftermath of the incident, the police confirmed the arrest of seven suspects believed to have played a role in the stampede.

Among those in custody are Naomi Silekunola, a former queen of the Ooni of Ife, and the Principal of Islamic High School, Ibadan, Fasasi Abdulahi.

The police have not disclosed the specific roles of the suspects but have assured the public that the investigation will be transparent and thorough.

Former Special Adviser on Media to ex President Olusegun Obasanjo, Doyin Okupe, has said the priority given to defence in 2025 budget showed President Bola Tinubu’s seriousness in tackling insecurity.

The former Director-General of Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation said the projections on daily crude oil output, price and foreign exchange benchmarks, are realizable.

Okupe stated this on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Recall that President Bola Tinubu, in the 2025 budget, allocated to defense and security ₦4.91 trillion, infrastructure ₦4.06 trillion, health ₦2.48 trillion and education ₦3.52 trillion.

“The oil daily production of slightly more than ₦2 million barrels, the forex benchmark of ₦1,500 to the dollar and the projected crude oil price of $75 are all vividly realistic figures going on by current and predictably prevailing global trend.

“The huge allocation of ₦4.91 trillion (10 percent) to Defence and Security underscores the seriousness and political will of the administration to finally decimate insurgency and banditry.

“These two plagues are major contributors to food shortage, availability and inflation as they prevent farming activities in the North,” Okupe said.

The former aide to ex-president, Goodluck Jonathan, commended the President for the budget size. He said it showed the administration was out to spend thereby providing the necessary impetus for economic growth of the country.

“All in all, the huge size of the budget is also indicative of government’s intention to increase its spending thereby providing the necessary impetus for economic growth and increase in purchasing power of the citizens.

“The 2025 budget further strengthens the workability of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he added.

Former federal lawmaker Senator Shehu Sani has lamented that the Kaduna-Abuja free train ride announced by President Bola Tinubu’s government has facilitated the movement of thugs.

DAILY POST recalls that on December 26, the Federal Government announced a free train ride for any Nigerian wishing to travel during the Christmas festivities.

The initiative, which received praise from citizens, has reportedly been hijacked in some quarters by thugs, according to Shehu Sani.

In a post on his official social media on Friday, the former lawmaker expressed his concerns, lamenting that thugs have taken over the Kaduna-Abuja train station for aimless trips.

He wrote: “The FG Kaduna-Abuja free train ride is a good gesture that has not helped those travelling for Christmas but provided an opportunity for thugs to take over the station and the train seats, just travelling to and from Abuja without purpose.”

The Nigerian Government will in the coming day partner with Bloomberg to rebrand the country’s global image and attract foreign investments.

In a statement released on its X handle the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) is expected to sign a two-year tenure initiative aimed at rebranding the nation’s global image and attracting foreign investment.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), is set to partner with Bloomberg in a two-year initiative aimed at rebranding the nation’s global image and attracting foreign investment,” it said.

Speaking at a meeting with Minister of Finance, Wale Edun Bloomberg’s Global Director, Nicole Keefe, reiterated the company’s commitment to reshaping Nigeria’s narrative and showcasing its economic potential to the global audience.

“Bloomberg plans to leverage its vast media network to highlight Nigeria’s achievements and opportunities, addressing investor hesitations tied to outdated or negative perceptions”, the statement added.

On his part, Armstrong Takang, CEO of MOFI, noted that the partnership would spotlight key government projects such as the Real Estate Investment Fund and gas pipeline initiatives, further promoting Nigeria’s progress in critical sectors.

A United States-based Nigerian, Oluwole Adegboruwa, and his accomplice, Enrique Isong, have been sentenced to 40 years combined jail term for coordinating the sales and distribution of a banned drug through the dark web across several states in the US.

PUNCH Metro gathered from a statement obtained on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Utah on Thursday that the US District Court also ordered Adegboruwa to forfeit the sum of $20m.

According to the statement, Adegboruwa led a syndicate of drug peddlers whom he instructed on how drugs obtained by customers through a dark web marketplace he controlled would be packaged and distributed.

Stressing on the arrest of the convict alongside Isong, it noted that the convict sold and distributed 300,000 oxycodone pills between October 2016 and May 2019 and made a sum of $9m from the illegal drug trade.

While Isong was jailed for 10 years in October, Adegboruwa was jailed for 30 years in November 2024.

The statement read, “Oluwole Adegboruwa, 54, of Las Vegas, Nevada, the main defendant and mastermind in a multi-million dollar dark web drug trafficking operation was sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment. He was also ordered supervised release for life and the forfeiture of over $20m, which is among the largest forfeitures holding a defendant financially accountable for his crimes in the history of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.

“The sentence, imposed by the US District Court Judge Jill N. Parish, comes after a jury found Adegboruwa and his co-defendant Enrique Isong, 49, of Los Angeles, California, guilty in May 2024 of multiple federal crimes, including conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and money laundering. On October 23, 2024, Isong was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and three years of supervised release.

“According to court documents, evidence presented at trial, and statements made at Adegboruwa’s sentencing hearing, from October 2016 through May 2019, Adegboruwa sold more than 300,000 oxycodone pills on dark web marketplaces to customers throughout the United States. The jury found that Adegboruwa organised and supervised a continuing criminal enterprise that earned approximately $9,112,471 in drug proceeds.”

Stressing the trial process, the statement noted that the convict confessed that he controlled the sales of illicit drugs and accepted payments through cryptocurrency before converting them to local currency.

It continued, “The jury found that Adegboruwa was unquestionably in charge of the illicit narcotics operation. Each member of his enterprise served in different capacities. Some were tasked with locating and procuring pharmacy-grade pills that were then re-sold through various dark web marketplaces. Others were involved in packaging the pills and/or shipping them to customers.

“At trial, Adegboruwa admitted that he controlled sales on the dark web markets and the monetary accounts, including the cryptocurrency accounts through which the enterprise received the bulk of its profits. Adegboruwa also admitted he was the one who decided to start his online dark web drug sales operation.”

Reacting to the judgement, the DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Special Agent in Charge, Jonathan Pullen, noted that Adegboruwa concealed profits from his criminal proceeds in cryptocurrency transactions. He noted that the DEA would ensure that drug traffickers do not have a hiding place.

“Adegboruwa’s criminal drug enterprise was complex, sophisticated, and generated millions of dollars in profits concealed in cryptocurrency transactions. This sentencing is a stark reminder that the DEA is relentless in the pursuit of justice and that drug traffickers cannot hide their illicit activities even in the secretive expanses of the dark web,” Pullen said.

The Lagos Blue Line Phase 1, spanning 13 kilometers from Marina to Mile 2, successfully transported 2.37 million passengers by December 2024, 15 months after its launch on September 2023.

Constructed and operated by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the electric light rail project is a key milestone in Lagos State’s transportation plan.

This data was disclosed earlier in the week by John Zhao, a senior CCECC official, via his official X (formerly Twitter) account.

“On September 4, the Lagos Light Rail Blue Line Phase 1 celebrated its first year of operation. Built and operated by #CCECC, this phase spans 13 kilometers, including 8.1 kilometers of elevated bridges and a 530-meter sea-crossing bridge.

“The line features 5 stations and a design speed of 80 km/h. Since its official launch, it has safely transported 2.37 million passengers, providing residents with a more convenient and comfortable transportation option,” Zhao’s tweet read.

The 2.37 million passengers recorded by December 2024 builds on earlier milestones, including 1 million passengers transported within the first 219 days, 1.6 million in the first year of operation, and 583,000 passengers moved during the initial four months of service, from September 4, 2023, to January 4, 2024.

What you should know
The Lagos Blue Line metro rail, spanning 27 kilometers, is a vital component of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) system. The first phase, a 13-kilometer stretch from Marina to Mile 2, was completed in 2023 and began commercial operations in September of the same year.

The second phase, a 14-kilometer extension from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko, is currently under construction by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and is expected to be completed by 2026.

As of December 2024, 26-27% of Phase 2 was completed, according to Olasunkanmi Okusaga, Director of Rail Transport at the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).

As part of Phase 2, LAMATA plans to demolish the Mazamaza Bridge and construct a new one after structural tests revealed the existing bridge could not support railway operations.

Two additional bridges—the Satellite Bridge and the LASU Bridge—will be constructed, each designed with a lifespan of over 75 years to guarantee long-term durability and safety for rail operations.

The Phase 2 project will include six stations at Festac, Alakija, Trade Fair, Volkswagen, LASU, and Okokomaiko.

Additionally, a 400,000-square-meter depot at Okokomaiko will serve as the central hub for rail maintenance and operations, ensuring seamless functionality and supporting future expansions of the rail system.

YORUBA elders under the auspices of Kaaro Oojiire ÌmÍ Oodua Foundation, KOOOF, yesterday, expressed worry over the rising cases of ritual killing and body parts harvesting in the South West.

The Yoruba elders, in a statement by their Vice President/Diaspora Counsel, Gbenga Adewusi, wondered how cases of human decapitation and harvesting of human bodies have now become a daily occurrence.

Adewusi said: “The recurrence of the activities of those involved in the human ritual in the Southwest is indeed a shameful episode that should no longer be ignored and or swept under the carpet by all stakeholders in Yoruba land.

“What makes the news alarming is the regularity of the sordid and inhuman activities, and the various types of people involved – from Muslim imams to Christian pastors, from teenagers to old and young men and women.

“If urgent actions are not taken it will ultimately affect the peace, tranquillity, progress, and development of the Southwest because no investor wants to invest in an area where citizens are regularly and gruesomely murdered to harvest their body parts.

“The current evidence gleaned from news reports indicate that the majority of those caught by the security services have been Muslim Alfas and Christian pastors. However, this simple fact is not an excuse to exonerate the Yoruba people from the menace of ritual killing because all those caught by the authorities were mostly sons and daughters of the Southwest soil.”

While condemning the act, KOOOF insisted that something urgent needed to be done to bring the scourge to a halt.
“We are all aware that there is a false narrative about ritual killing in the Southwest. The false narrative is that ritual killing is practised by the traditional Yoruba religious believers. This false perception is neither supported with available evidence nor is far separated from the truth.”

“We, members of KOOOF boldly state that there is no money ritual at all. Those engaged in ritual killings for money are not practising the authentic Yoruba tradition.”

The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted the immediate past Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, bail in the sum of N500 million and three sureties.

The trial judge, Justice MaryAnne Anenih, made the pronouncement after listening to the fresh bail application brought before the court following the court’s refusal to grant Bello bail at the last sitting.

Bello, alongside two others, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, are facing trial on 16 counts preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering to the tune of N110.4 billion.

The court, however, granted the second and third defendants, bail in the sum of N300m with two sureties alongside other conditions. 

Further reading out the conditions for Bello’s bail, the judge held that the sureties must be responsible citizens who are landowners in any of the listed areas in Abuja – Maitama, Guzape, Apo, Wuse 2 or Asokoro.

She ordered that the sureties must deposit the documents of the property with the court’s registrar alongside two recent passport photographs.

Justice Anenih also ordered that Bello must deposit two copies of his recent passport photograph alongside a photocopy of a means of identification which could be either an International Passport or National Identity card after showing the original to the court’s registrar.

She held, “The first defendant must not travel without the permission of this court and he shall remain in the Kuje Correctional Facility until the bail conditions are met.”

Recall that on December 10, the court had rejected Bello’s bail request citing procedural irregularities in the filing of the application.

Justice Anenih, while delivering the ruling, stated that the application was premature and filed before Bello was present in court or custody.

The court noted that the bail application, dated November 22, 2024, was filed before Bello’s arraignment, which took place on November 27, 2024; days after he was taken into custody on November 26, 2024.

She said, “Having not been filed when the first defendant was either in custody or before the court, this instant application is incompetent.

“Consequently, the application, having been filed prematurely, is hereby refused.”

At the resumed sitting on Thursday, the defendant’s counsel, J.B Daudu, said, “My Lord, the matter is for hearing of bail application for the first defendant.”

Daudu, further told the court that he had been in discussions with the lead prosecution counsel and they had agreed to ensure a speedy trial.

While he urged the court to grant the first defendant’s bail application, he requested that the court graciously review the bail conditions for the 1st to 3rd defendants.

He urged the court to spread out the conditions for the sureties and not limit the property to only the Maitama area of the FCT. He said it is difficult for property owners in Maitama to volunteer their C of O’s being that the properties are mostly commercial for businesses.

He said, “We urge your lordship to grant the application. Now if my lordship is minded to grant bail we ask for the terms granted to be what the defendant can meet.

“I’m asking if the net can be spread out to other high-brow areas like Apo, Wuse 2, Asokoro, Garki and other areas within the FCT area.”

The prosecution counsel, Olukayode Enitan, confirmed that the defendant’s counsel had been in talks with the prosecution team, saying, “I confirm the evidence given by the distinguished member of the bar that is leading the defence, J.B. Daudu (SAN), that he has been in conversation with the leader of the prosecuting team.

“As with the legal tradition that we should cooperate with members of the bar when it does not affect the course of justice, we have decided not to make this contentious, bearing in mind that no matter how industrious the defence counsel might be in pushing forward the application for bail and no matter how vociferous the prosecution counsel can argue against the bail application, your lordship is bound by your discretion to grant or not to grant the application. We are, therefore, leaving this to your lordship’s discretion.”

After listening to both counsel, Justice Anenih stated that the offence brought against the former governor is a bailable one, saying, “The offence on which the first defendant is charged are ordinarily bailable. After due consideration, the bail application for the first defendant succeeds and the bail application is hereby granted in the sum of N500 million.”

She also proceeded to spread out the bail conditions for the second and third defendants, stating that the two sureties should be landowners in like sum in any of the following areas in Abuja: Wuse 2, Garki, Maitama, Asokoro, Gwarimpa or Guzape.

As fixed in the last proceeding, The adjourned date remains January 29 and 30, 2025, for hearing.

The 10th Senate led by Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday, passed the N49.7tn 2025 Budget for a second reading.

The budget was passed during plenary after various deliberations on the budget which was presented yesterday by President Bola Tinubu.

The budget was later referred to the Committee on Appropriations after being put to a voice vote by Akpabio, who presided over the session.

The Committee on Appropriations is chaired by Senator Solomon Adeola.

Tinubu, on Wednesday had presented the 2025 Budget of Restoration to a joint session of the National Assembly, targeting peace and prosperity with a revenue projection of ₦34.82tn to fund the aggregate expenditure of ₦47.9tn.

In the proposed budget, which has a deficit of ₦13.0tn, Tinubu earmarked ₦4.91tn for Defence and Security, ₦4.06tn for Infrastructure, ₦3.5tn for Education, and ₦2.48tn for Health.

The President, in his budget speech, also disclosed that ₦15.81tn is allocated for debt servicing, with salient parameters including 2.06 million barrels of oil production per day, an exchange rate of ₦1,500 to a US dollar, and an inflation rate of 15%, down from the current 34.6%.

He said, “The numbers for our 2025 budget proposal tell a bold and exciting story of the direction we are taking to retool and revamp the socio-economic fabric of our society.

“In 2025, we are targeting ₦34.82tn in revenue to fund the budget.

“Government expenditure in the same year is projected to be ₦47.90tn, including ₦15.81tn for debt servicing.

“A total of ₦13.08tn, or 3.89 per cent of GDP, will make up the budget deficit.

“This is an ambitious but necessary budget to secure our future.

“The Budget projects inflation will decline from the current rate of 34.6 per cent to 15 per cent next year, while the exchange rate will improve from approximately 1,700 naira per US dollar to 1,500 naira and a base crude oil production assumption of 2.06 million barrels per day (mbpd).

“These projections are based on the following observations: (i) Reduced importation of petroleum products alongside increased export of finished petroleum products, (ii) Bumper harvests, driven by enhanced security, reducing reliance on food imports, (iii) Increased foreign exchange inflows through Foreign Portfolio Investments, and (iv) Higher crude oil output and exports, coupled with a substantial reduction in upstream oil and gas production costs.”

Tinubu informed federal lawmakers that a series of economic reforms being carried out by his government are yielding positive results, saying, “Our economy grew by 3.46 per cent in the third quarter of 2024, up from 2.54 per cent in the third quarter of 2023.

“Our Foreign Reserves now stand at nearly 42 billion US dollars, providing a robust buffer against external shocks.”