FEATURES
The federal government has intensified its scrutiny of Binance, requesting detailed information on its top 100 users in Nigeria and their transaction history over the past six months. This move comes amidst ongoing investigations into allegations of currency speculation, which have been unfolding for the past three weeks.
Binance finds itself at the center of these investigations, facing allegations of involvement in speculative attacks against the Naira, which has recently experienced unprecedented volatility against major currencies, particularly the Dollar, due to currency devaluation concerns.
According to reports from the Financial Times, the Office of the National Security Adviser has also demanded that Binance settle any outstanding tax obligations owed to the federal government arising from its operations within the country.
Nigeria’s focus on Binance and other cryptocurrency platforms stems from its efforts to mitigate its worst economic crisis in three decades and restore public confidence in its currency, which has faced significant challenges.
Gumi Urges Tinubu to Pursue Dialogue with Bandits, Avoiding Buhari’s Approach
In response to these allegations, security agencies, in collaboration with officials from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), have taken action, including blocking web access to cryptocurrency exchanges and detaining two Binance executives who traveled to Abuja to discuss the crackdown.
As a result of the escalating situation, Binance has removed the Naira from its trading platform.
Reports suggest that the detained Binance executives are being held at a guest house in Abuja, adjacent to the office of the national security adviser. Their phones and passports were confiscated upon detention. They could not communicate with Binance until March 5, 2024, a week after their detention, and have yet to be formally charged in court.
According to the Financial Times, the federal government obtained permission to detain both Binance executives for 14 days, which ended on Tuesday.
The crackdown on Binance follows ongoing investigations into the country’s foreign exchange market, which has reportedly suffered from years of distortions, manipulations, and speculative activities, leading to the continuous depreciation of the Naira against major currencies, especially the US dollar, in recent times.
At the recently concluded meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), CBN Governor Mr. Olayemi Cardoso justified the central bank’s actions, particularly against Binance, citing the platform’s facilitation of speculative activities against the Naira. He expressed concerns about illicit inflows and suspicious transactions, emphasizing the CBN’s commitment to safeguarding Nigerians from the disruptive activities of such cryptocurrency platforms.
Cardoso highlighted collaborative efforts between the CBN, EFCC, police, and the Office of the NSA to crack down on alleged economic saboteurs, stressing the determination to maintain market integrity and prevent manipulative practices that distort economic stability.
Fifteen passengers comprising women and children went missing in an attack on an 18-seater bus heading from Zaki/Biam in Benue State to Maihura in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State, on Tuesday.
The heavily armed men suspected to be Vigilante Group attacked the bus at Gamkwe Village, located at Maraban-Baisa in Donga Local Government Area of the state.
The driver of the bus, Mr. Mpuuga Mbaave who escaped the scene of the incident with machete wounds, while speaking with our correspondent on phone, said the armed Vigilante Group were in large numbers with guns, machetes and other light arms.
“I loaded 18 passengers from Zaki/Biam. Immediately after Maraba, I saw many people in Vigilante Group uniforms, they were many, I suspected something was wrong, I then stopped but one of the villagers told me that I should go saying two members of the Vigilante Group were killed by kidnappers, that was why they gathered, that there is no problem, I should proceed.
“As I moved closer, some of the Vigilante Group started shouting, kill all of them. It’s their people that killed our members, they started attacking the passengers and cutting them with machetes.
“They removed all of us, forced us to lie facedown, my bus was still on. When I discovered that it was getting out of hands, I decided to jump up to the bus and left the passengers, my conductor also followed me, all of us were cut with machetes and blood was rushing out of our bodies, that was how we escaped and left the passengers in their hands,” Mpuuga recounted.
The Chairman of Doonga Local Government Council, Hon. Ezra Voka confirmed the incident to LEADERSHIP on phone, saying he was already in the nearby forest in search of the victims.
“Please my friend, I’m already in the bush in search for the missing people, we can’t talk much now till when I get more information from here,” Voka said.
The Federal Government has invited memoranda from the public as it begins the probe of private universities established in the last 15 years.
The Federal Government initiated the probe following an investigative report by Daily Nigerian journalist, Umar Audu, uncovering certificate racketeering in neighbouring Benin Republic and Togo.
Checks by The PUNCH showed that no fewer than 107 private universities were established in the last 15 years.
The Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling set up by the Federal Government would be examining “whether or not private universities established in the last 15 years have in place prescribed facilities, appropriate management structure, adequate funding of programmes, requisite state, and nature of the staff – full-time, contract, adjunct, visiting and other types.”
The committee, in an advertorial published in The PUNCH of Tuesday, noted that the probe was “without prejudice to the periodic accreditation exercise of the National Universities Commission.”
“Memoranda from the general public are, therefore, solicited to provide information to the committee to help it make appropriate recommendations to address the menace in line with its terms of reference,” the committee said.
In his investigative report published late last year, Daily Nigerian journalist Audu had narrated how he obtained a degree within six weeks from Benin Republic and even proceeded to embark on the mandatory youth service under the National Youth Service Corps scheme in the country.
Reacting, the Federal Government, on January 9, 2024, said it would launch an investigation into private universities established in the last 15 years.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, made this known in Abuja while inaugurating the Inter-Ministerial Committee on fake degrees and activities of degree mills in the country.
The Committee Chairman, Jibrila Amin, noted that the inter-ministerial committee would “Review the role of any MDA or its officials (including identifying such officials) in the facilitation of the recognition and procurement of the fake certificate in question.”
The committee will also”examine the rules, procedures and processes for recognition and accreditation of foreign universities and programmes by the Federal Ministry of Education; Establish if unapproved foreign institutions (Degree Mills) exist or not in Nigeria in whatever form with their identities and locations if any.”
It is expected to “make appropriate recommendations for review of any rules, procedures, and processes to prevent re-occurrence and sanctions for identified erring officials.
“Make other recommendations that will strengthen the system of recognition, accreditations and quality assurance of degrees in Nigeria and examine the extant rules, procedures and processes for granting provisional licenses to new universities by the National Universities Commission.”
Justice Peter Kekemeke of an FCT High Court on Tuesday sentenced a fake investigator, Mohammed Momoh, to seven years imprisonment for duping Mrs Mario Al-Makura, wife of the former governor of Nasarawa State.
Kekemeke sentenced Momoh based on the charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, bordering on false pretences.
Momoh after his counsel, Godwin Omagbogu, pleaded on his behalf.
Omagbogu had pleaded for leniency on behalf of his client, saying he was a first-time offender and father to three little children and a young wife.
The prosecution counsel, Diana Nkwap, however, urged the court to use its discretion in sentencing the convict.
The judge held that the punishment under which the defendant is charged attracts 20 years imprisonment maximum and seven years minimum.
Justice Kekemeke thereafter sentenced Momoh to seven years imprisonment.
The judge had earlier on February 27, 2024, convicted Momoh when he held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Momoh was arrested in December 2017 by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for attempting to defraud Mairo Al makura.
The EFCC alleged that the suspect, while posing as a private investigator from the “Villa,” approached the wife of the Nasarawa governor with a proposal to help stop a purported investigation of two accounts belonging to her husband.
The anti-graft agency said Momoh claimed that he came across information regarding the two accounts in 2011.
The EFCC said the defendant requested for N8 million but was offered N6 million. Not clear about the proposal, the governor’s family contacted the EFCC and were asked to play along with the defendant.
The defendant was arrested during a sting operation after he collected marked N2 million from Al Makura.
According to the EFCC, the offence is contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006.
Kaduna-based Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, on Tuesday, sought government’s permission to approach and have talks with bandits who abducted about 287 schoolchildren from Kuriga Government Secondary and LEA Primary Schools in the Chikun Local Government Area of the state.
The Islamic cleric insisted that dialogue was the way to go, calling on President Bola Tinubu to take a different approach from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, who rejected the dialogue.
The PUNCH reports that bandits invaded the Kuriga area of the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, shooting at their victims before taking away at least 280 of the pupils and teachers from both schools.
The incident occurred barely 24 hours after insurgents abducted 200 internally displaced women in Borno State.
The women were kidnapped in Ngala, the headquarters of Gambarou Ngala in Borno State, while fetching firewood in the bush.
Penultimate Thursday, bandits invaded the Gonin-Gora in the same Chikun LGA, prompting residents to barricade the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway in protest against the abduction of an unspecified number of people in the area.
Meanwhile, the government of the affected state has refused to dialogue with the bandits to release the schoolchildren and has also refuted claims that it had hired a private negotiator to facilitate the release of the victims.
However, reacting to the development, Gumi said in a statement, “The government’s stand of no negotiation with the bandits is an unfortunate position. My advice is that the government should dialogue with the bandits not only for these Kuriga school children’s abductions but all cases.
“Also, the government should use the same approach it used in releasing passengers that were abducted on the Abuja–Kaduna train in 2022 to release the Kuriga school children and others.
“I am ready to lead a holistic dialogue between the government and bandits. It is my religious duty to do so for peace.
“I hope the present government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will listen by dialoguing with the bandits because the past administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari refused to do so.”
Gumi had previously negotiated on behalf of state governments to free abducted people by bandits.
In May 2021, one of the parents of the kidnapped students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna State, said rather than point an accusing finger at Gumi for being complicit in the banditry ravaging the country, Nigerians should commend the cleric for his interventions in seeking the release of abducted persons in the country.
President Tinubu has admitted that things are really tough for Nigerians amidst the economic hardship in the country.
Tinubu made the admission on Tuesday at the Aso Villa mosque in Abuja at the first Tafsir, marking the beginning of Ramadan.
President Tinubu advised Nigerians to make sacrifices, discipline themselves, and demonstrate kindness to one another and their neighbours while also supporting the less privileged in society.
He said, “We thank Almighty Allah for sparing us to see another holy month of Ramadan. We thank Allah for sparing us through the elections and giving us the opportunity to be Nigerians.
”Yes, things are tough, but Allah has ordained us to make sacrifices, to discipline ourselves, help others, and be kind to ourselves.
”May Almighty God, that gave us this opportunity, strengthen our resolve; help us change our country, and extend our love to our neighbours.
”We face challenges of kidnapping, banditry, and others. May Allah show mercy on all of us, the dead, and accept our good deeds.
”May Almighty Allah give us strength and good life to see the month of Ramadan through and to continue in good faith to worship him. I advise all of us to continue to pray for our country.”
President Tinubu told the Ulamas that God has given them the wisdom, knowledge, and heart to teach others, emphasizing the importance of teaching forgiveness, patience, and endurance to the faithful, as well as sharing their blessings with others.
”It is in our hearts to make sacrifices and share whatever little we have with our brothers and sisters. Be kind and humble enough. The sacrifice that this period teaches us is enough.
”May Almighty Allah grant us the privilege and the strength; not the strength of hunger but the strength of character and attitude to love our country and make Nigeria great. As-Salaam-Alaikum,” the President prayed.
The Nigerian Senate, on Tuesday, suspended the lawmaker representing Bauchi Central in the National Assembly, Abdul Ningi, for three months.
Senate Ningi was suspended after about three hours of debate over his interview in which he alleged that the 2024 budget was padded with N3.7 trillion.
Ningi had, in the interview on Saturday, alleged that the budget passed by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year is N25tn while the one being implemented by the Presidency is N28.7tn.
After a backlash, Ningi, at a press conference on Monday, recanted some of his words but insisted that N3tn was left unaccounted for in the 2024 budget.
Below are quick twelve facts to know about Senator Ningi.
1. Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi was born in Bauchi, Nigeria on 20 April 1960 (age 63).
2. He attended Ningi East Primary School (1969–1973).
3. Ningi went to Government Secondary School, Misau, in 1978.
4. He enrolled at the Bauchi College of Art and Sciences for a 2-year pre-degree program.
5. He earned his B.Sc. in Sociology from Ahmadu Bello University in 1983, becoming the first in his family to attend university.
6. Abdul Ningi and his wife were married in 1982, and live in Ningi, Bauchi. They have five children.
7. In 1996, Abdul Ningi contested for the Bauchi State assembly under the platform of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) and won, but the Abacha-led government cancelled the election.
8. In 2007, Ningi was elected into the Senate under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform and was later removed by the tribunal.
9. In 2008, the appeal court reinstated Abdul Ningi as the rightful winner of the April 2007 Senatorial election.
10. He served as the Chairman Senate Ad-hoc committee on the Niger Delta crisis, where his input helped in developing the Amnesty program that resolved the Niger Delta militancy.
11. On 12th March, 2024, the Senate suspended Senator Abdul Ningi over allegations of N3.7 trillion padding of the 2024 budget.
12. A few hours after his suspension, Senator Abdul Ningi resigned as the chairman of the Northern Senators Forum.
Hardship: Many Nigerian Households Now Spend All Their Earnings On Food Alone – Obi Laments Rising Cost Of Living
AFOLABIThe Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has continued to express worries amid rising hardship occasioned by the continued spike in commodity prices.
Naija News reports that Obi, in a post on his official X account on Wednesday, worried that many Nigerians now spend all their income on food alone. The former Anambra Governor, who referenced the hunger index forecast, lamented that the situation was becoming very complex.
He further called on the Nigerian government to ensure the security of farmers in the country and give them adequate support to increase food production.
Obi’s statement read, “I was alarmed when, in January 2023, the Cadre Harmonisé, a UNICEF publication, indicated that nearly 25 million Nigerians were at risk of facing hunger between June and August 2023 if urgent actions were not taken.
“I was very concerned and worried like every other Nigerian and I then called on the government of the day to take urgent steps and stem the tide of impending hunger in the nation. By the end of 2023, around 26.5 million Nigerians were then reported to be at risk of hunger in the nation. By the end of 2023, around 26.5 million Nigerians were then reported to be at risk of hunger in 2024, which was still of grave concern to Nigerians.
“It is saddening again to note that the same publication, Cadre Harmonisé is again warning that more Nigerians, to the tune of 31.5 million, are at risk of acute hunger and serious food insecurity between June and August 2024.
“The situation has now become more complex with the high cost of living and high inflation rate which pervades our economy. Today, with our ranking of 109 out of 125 countries measured on the Global Hunger Index, Nigeria is considered among the 20 hungriest nations in the world.
“Many Nigerian households now spend almost all their income on food alone, leaving all other family expenses to anyone’s imagination. I have consistently maintained that the surest way to fight hunger in Nigeria is by moving our nation from consumption to production, which entails aggressive investment in agriculture by fully exploring and cultivating the vast arable lands mostly in the Northern parts of the country.
“Now that we have been given notice of the impending danger – the additional number of Nigerians that will face hunger by June this year, I strongly urge that we work hard and put in place measures that will help us to avert it. We must take urgent steps to boost food production in the country to defeat the rising hunger, and attendant anger in the nation.
“With the high level of insecurity and terror attacks in many parts of the country hindering farmers from their agricultural activities, and management of our monetary policies impacting negatively on small businesses in the agricultural sector, the government must secure the farmers and give them adequate support for increased food production. Building a productive Nigeria remains our focus in the New Nigeria which is possible.”
The Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN) Kaduna state chapter has appealed to political leaders and citizens to embrace liberality against greed, which according to the organisation, is a silent menace killing the country.
The CAN Chairman, Kaduna state Rev. Caleb Ma’aji made the appeal in Kaduna, on the occasion of his 54th birthday anniversary, saying Nigeria is blessed with everything and has no reason to suffer.
Rev. Ma’aji who lamented over the state of the country asserted that Nigeria has been plunged into the current economic realities on the ground of greed, adding that both leaders and the downtrodden are fighting for their personal gain without minding the implication of their actions on the destiny of others.
Speaking on the need for Nigerians to retrace their steps back to God and the good old days where everybody lived together as family, the CAN chairman remarked that life is transient and as such people must learn to live their life with eternity in view so as to have a glorious end.
“One thing I know is that life is transient, life is temporal. But even though this life is transient, it is an opportunity for us to prepare ourselves for eternity. We must live as wise people especially as we grow older. Our life should be tailored through meeting with our creator which obviously every man must come face to face with Him.
“God has so much blessed and chosen Nigeria. He has blessed us with everything we need both human, materials, resources and even immaterial but it is utilizing it inappropriately and wrongly that is causing us the pains that we are going through today.
“There is no fear of God in the lives of the leaders and there is equally greed on the path of followership. When God is not allowed to be in the centre of everything that has to do with us and our lives, we are certainly prone to have crisis, chaos and suffering.
“When leadership leads with the fear of God and the followers also follow with the fear of God, that is when we will have progress and with every sense of sincerity, the better for all of us. But when everybody is just fighting for their own, then Nigerians are bound to suffer.
“The leadership of this country must have the fear of God because the way they live, one day they will be accountable to God. Life, power and position are all transient. They all come and with time, they will go away but one thing is sure, the accountability to God is unshakable, we cannot compromise it and we cannot negotiate it,” The cleric said.
The Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, has revealed that the decision to serve an impeachment notice on Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu was unanimously agreed upon by 21 out of the 24 members of the assembly.
Agbebaku made this declaration during a meeting with members of the Catholic Men Organization of Nigeria, Benin Province, in his office in Benin City on Tuesday.
The delegation, led by Mr. Steven Apologun, visited the assembly to intervene in the impeachment proceedings initiated against the deputy governor.
Expressing gratitude for the peace initiative, Speaker Agbebaku emphasized that the decision to pursue impeachment was a collective one and not solely his prerogative.
He clarified that while he serves as the head of the assembly, decisions are made collectively by all 24 members. Out of these, 21 members endorsed the impeachment petition, indicating a clear majority in favor of the action.
“I am the head in this assembly, made up of 24 members. However, any decision taken is what I follow. 21 out of 24 signed and as a servant of the other 23 members, I do not have much to say,” Speaker Agbebaku remarked.
He reiterated that any resolution to the dispute between the deputy governor and Governor Godwin Obaseki would be determined by the majority of the assembly members, rather than his personal stance.
Earlier in the meeting, Mr. Apologun, the Provisional President of the Catholic Men Organization group, urged caution to avoid portraying the legislature as a tool for political vendettas against the deputy governor.
Apologun highlighted the church’s desire for a peaceful resolution to the discord between the two parties, emphasizing the importance of harmony for the overall well-being of the state.
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The Abia state government has rescued 16 pregnant girls from a baby factory in Aba.
This was revealed by the First Lady of the state, Priscilla C Otti, via a post on X.
Expressing deep concern, the First Lady conveyed her sadness over the discovery.
She strongly condemned the heinous act of profiting from innocent girls and reiterated her commitment to safeguarding the Abia girl-child from violence and exploitation.
Her words: ”I was deeply saddened by the recent discovery of a baby factory in Aba, where approximately 16 pregnant girls were rescued.
”It’s particularly disheartening that this occurred on International Women’s Day, a day when we celebrate the invaluable contributions of women in Abia state.
”I am determined to safeguard the Abia girl-child from violence and exploitation, and I strongly condemn the heinous act of profiting from innocent girls.
”This barbaric practice endangers the lives and well-being of these girls, exposing them to serious health hazards including HIV and other STDs.
”Our findings indicate that unemployment, lack of education, and poverty are contributing factors to this tragedy.
”I reaffirm my commitment to empowering vulnerable girls, especially those recently rescued, through skills acquisition programs.
”Rest assured, all perpetrators will be brought to justice. Let’s unite as Abians to eradicate this despicable practice and ensure the safety and dignity of our girls.”
Nigerian Army troops say they have uncovered and neutralized a major firearms and drone manufacturing factory allegedly operated by the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
According to Army spokesman, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, the factory was located at Onicha Ulona in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State.
He said the troops faced stiff resistance upon raiding the facility but managed to overpower the armed fighters in a fierce firefight.
Nwachukwu said two of the fighters were neutralized, and a substantial cache of arms and ammunition was recovered.
”Items captured by the troops include, a wide range of IPOB/ESN firearms, ammunition, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and a drone manufacturing factory.
”Other items recovered are a variety of weapons, drones under construction, with prototypes, Improvised Explosive Device materials, a fully equipped workshop, and several power generating sets.
”Troops also apprehended four male and two female fighters during the operation,” he stated.
He assured members of the public of the troops’ unalloyed commitment to dismantling terrorists’ and insurgents’ networks.
”We urge the public to continue to support the Nigerian Army and other security agencies as they strive to restore peace and stability in the country,” he concluded
Controversial Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has expressed his readiness to engage with the terrorists responsible for kidnapping 287 school children from Kuriga Government Secondary and LEA Primary Schools in Chikun local government area of Kaduna State.
In a press statement from his media team, Gumi stated that he is willing to facilitate negotiations between the federal government and the bandits to secure the release of all abducted Nigerian citizens.
Gumi proposed that the government should adopt a similar approach used to recover passengers kidnapped from the Abuja-Kaduna train on March 28, 2022.
He encouraged the administration of President Bola Tinubu to avoid repeating the error of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who refused to negotiate with bandits.
In his statement, Gumi said, “The government’s stand of no negotiation with the bandits is an unfortunate position.
“My advice is that the government should dialogue with the bandits, not only for these Kuriga school children abductions but all the cases.”
He further added, “I am ready to lead a holistic dialogue between the government and bandits. It is a religious duty for me to do so for peace.
“I hope the present government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will listen by dialoguing with the bandits because the past administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari refused to do so.”
The school children were abducted last Thursday, and the government has yet to secure their release
Bandits responsible for the abduction of 16 students from a Qur’anic school in Sokoto State have demanded a ransom of N20 million.
The proprietor of the school, Liman Abubakar, also known as Tsangaya, revealed the ransom demand during an interview on Tuesday with Daily Trust.
“I received two calls from them this morning (Tuesday’s morning). In the first call, they asked me whether I don’t care about the plight of my students that was why I didn’t contact them. I told them I didn’t have their contact.
“They then asked me to wait for another call around 11am. Some minutes after 11am, they called again and directed me to meet our village head and tell him to raise N20 million for the children.
“I wanted to plead with them but they said they would not reduce anything from the money. I went and discussed the matter with the village head but we are yet to reach a conclusion,” he said.
The students were reportedly abducted at Gidan Bakuso in Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State last Saturday while seeking refuge in their rooms during an attack on the community.