Police operatives in Kaduna have burst an Internet fraud syndicate that duped Kaduna State University (KASU) students of about N60 million.

The police arrested the syndicate of three internet fraudsters who were notorious for defrauding unsuspecting students at KASU of their tuition fees.

The arrested suspects were Muhammad Uthman Busari of Nariya Kaduna, AbdulAzeez Hamza of Hayin Dan-mani Kaduna, and Noel Nims Audiya, who were mainly cybercafe operators that compromised the students’ registration portal and took undue advantage of students who chose to pay their fees online rather than via the normal banking platforms.

Spokesperson of the Police in Kaduna, ASP Mansir Hassan, explained that “the suspects often collect tuition fees from students in full but will pay a lesser amount into the state’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) and go further to intercept and manipulate the electronic transaction receipts from the TSA to read complete payment.”

“So far, the suspects have shortchanged over three hundred students of KASU, and the total amount involved is put at over sixty million naira, which the principal suspect Muhammad Uthman Busari have used in building and furnishing a house, purchase of a car, electronic appliances, gadgets and plots of lands in both Kaduna and Kwara States.”

“The suspects have since been charged to court for prosecution. To checkmate activities of computer-related crimes in the State, the Kaduna Police Command wishes to inform members of the public of the newly established cybercrime unit by the Commissioner of Police, CP A.D. Ali, psc which is targeted at investigating cybercrime-related offences.”

“Thus, victims of social media account hacking, fake purchase alerts, deceptive social romance, cryptocurrency, and forex frauds, among many other offences within the state, should forward their complaints to the Commissioner of Police through the newly created unit for diligent investigation,” Hassan added.

The media have been urged to exercise restraint in their reportage concerning the current security challenges in some parts of the country.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, stated this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.

Onanuga said that the media had the responsibility to promote laudable actions by government and make positive criticism based on the overriding national interest.

According to him, screaming headlines that paint gory pictures of the situations will only hurt the country by scaring away genuine local and foreign direct investments.

“Media reporting about cases of kidnapping, communal killings and isolated terrorism acts must show some moderation by not giving the impression that all Nigerians no longer sleep with two eyes closed or are not safe in going about their day-to-day business.

“To sell our newspapers or clickbait, we tend to exaggerate and embellish, sometimes forgetting the social responsibility of the media, not to give the impression that our country is under siege by criminals or that every nook and cranny of our country is under their stranglehold.

“One of our newspapers took this responsibility to heart in its report on the same Tuesday, making its major headline, the efforts by security agents to rein in the minority vagabonds in our midst,” he said.

The presidential aide stated that though Nigeria had yet to reach the zenith of security, it was still not the worst country in terms of insecurity.

For instance, he said that in robbery and kidnapping, Nigeria was not among the most endemic countries, adding that global listing put the country at less than one person to 100,000 persons involved in the crime.

Onanuga said: “In a report by the World Population Review, Nigeria is not among the top 10 countries in the world, with kidnapping epidemic.

“Turkey leads with 42 people kidnapped out of 100,000 people. Lebanon is second with 15 people out of 100,000 and Kuwait third with 12 out of 100,000 held in captivity.

“Canada, Belgium, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, Eswatini and United Kingdom make up the remaining top 10. Kidnapping in Nigeria is 0.334 per 100,000.

“The frightening headlines on Tuesday were based on the report by the Civil Society Joint Action Group that calls for an emergency on the security situation, surprisingly oblivious that our security agencies have been working in that spirit for a long time, since 2009.”

He called for media support in the efforts by security agencies at nipping criminality in the bud since the beginning of insecurity in the 1990s.

“Our security agencies deserve society’s appreciation for their efforts so far in trying to nip in the bud the evils of kidnapping, banditry, communal killings and terrorism in our country.

“Their efforts, most often understated, have made our country safer, at least, than South Africa or the United States where 44,310 people were killed last year in gun violence,” he said.

The presidential aide said that government had been putting in place various kinetic and non-kinetic measures to improve security of lives and property.

“President Tinubu has been providing material support to security agencies to discharge their duties.

“In recent weeks, we have seen the police setting up a Special Intervention Squad, equipped with drones.

“The DSS has stepped up its anti-kidnapping act, rescuing 154 abducted people in the last few days.

“Last week, President Tinubu approved N50 billion as special funds to address some of the lingering security challenges in North-east. He also approved special funds to the FCT for the acquisition of equipment to track criminals,” he said.

Onanuga urged all stakeholders to complement the efforts of the national and sub-national governments in tackling insecurity in the country.

Former Deputy National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George has advised the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, to drop his 2027 presidential ambition because he will be too old to serve the country as a president.

Speaking at a media parlay in Lagos on Wednesday, Bode George said Atiku is 77 years old now and by 2027 he will be 81, adding that Nigerians don’t need an old man to lead them again.

Bode George asked the former Vice President to support a southern candidate in 2027, saying that the south has to complete their eight years in office before power can return to the north in 2031.

Bode George said Atiku and Northern politicians nursing ambition to fly the flag of the party in 2027 should stop putting their political ambition ahead of the party’s best interest.

He said it was really about time. that these people realize that they have a duty to party that is greater than their personal leadership ambitions.

“In 2027, I can’t tell Atiku not to contest but our party must be definitive and definitively state that the presidency must still be in the south. General Muhammadu Buhari spent eight years and he is from the north.

“Our party must produce its own presidential candidate from the south. I hope we learned something from the 2023 general election. We Atiku’s ambition is greater than the national ambition and national interest of our country.

“I heard someone saying they want to form a mega party to win the presidency. Which mega party, do you think you can spin and you will deliver into the basket? Do you know how long it takes to have a solid party?

“Age also has cut up with some and you can see the way they are talking and telling President Joe Biden of the US to take a good rest because he is already 82 years old. He wants to go for another four years and he will be the oldest president that has ever ruled in America.

“My brother Atiku Abubakar was 77 years old last year and by 2027 he will be 81 years. Atiku should be in a situation where he plays like the big uncle in the room or the elder in the room.

“What would anybody carry me now to do because I’m heading to 80 years and I want to go and be minister, to do what? Let’s mentor the younger generation and let’s be consistent with our strong belief in our party norms.”

YouTube has taken down the main channel run by the late founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet TB Joshua — Emmanuel TV, amid allegations against the late preacher.

Emmanuel TV is used to broadcast the religious activities performed by the church.

This is coming on the heels of the controversial documentary reports by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) about the allegations of torture and rape perpetrated by TB Joshua.

A platform — openDemocracy identified and reported more than 50 abusive videos amplifying abuse against Joshua’s accusers on the video platform.

YouTube said: “The flagged channel was terminated for violating our hate speech policies.”

YouTube has policies against cyberbullying and harassment and specifically forbids harassment against survivors of sexual violence.

Recall the BBC World Service in partnership with openDemocracy broadcast earlier this month a three-part documentary in which whistleblowers who were once senior members of SCOAN went on the record with allegations of sexual and psychological torture, financial fraud, and criminal negligence by Joshua.

As part of the backlash against these abuse survivors, YouTube accounts promoting SCOAN broadcast and shared archival video footage depicting several of these whistleblowers’ experiences while they were church members.

These videos, filmed originally by the church’s Emmanuel TV media department, showcased some of the women who participated in the investigative documentary.