Jose Mourinho would love to manage Manchester United again but the club does not want to reappoint the Portuguese, according to the Manchester Evening News.
It is claimed the 61-year-old has told confidants he would “walk” to Manchester to manage United for a second time, having been sacked by the club in December 2018.
Mourinho, who was sacked by Roma in January after two-and-a-half years in charge, is reportedly a friend of United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe but the two-time Champions League winner is not expecting an approach from his former club.
Mourinho’s reported interest in the Man Utd job comes after the Red Devils suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on Monday which has left Erik ten Hag’s side eighth in the Premier League table.
Mourinho became Man Utd boss in May 2016 and won the Europa League and League Cup in his two-and-a-half years in the job.
The ex-Chelsea boss has since managed Tottenham and Roma, having won the Europa Conference League with the Italian side in 2022.
The Kano State Police Command has arrested 17 suspected forex hawkers during a raid in the Wappa Bureau De Change area of Fagge local government area on May 7, 2024.
Spokesperson of the Command, SP Abdullahi Kiyawa disclosed this in a statement.
Kiyawa said the operation was carried out in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS), with the aim of stabilising the foreign exchange market and eliminate unauthorised operations.
The police raid targeted locations where foreign exchange transactions were taking place, ultimately resulting in the arrest of 29 individuals.
After thorough screening, 12 persons were released over their proven innocence from lack of evidence, while the remaining 17 were taken into custody.
The statement partly reads, “At the end of the operation, a total of twenty-nine (29) people were arrested out of which twelve (12) were screened out for lack of evidence while Seventeen (17) were arrested with the following exhibits recovered; (1) Sum of Sixty-eight Thousand (68,000) CFA, and (2) Thirty (30) Rupees (Indian Currency).
“Further investigation revealed that the seventeen (17) suspects were operating under one Association of unlicensed Bureau De Change and they will be charged to Court for prosecution,” the statement read.
Kiyawa said essence of the operation was to flush out elements that operates illegally in a bid to stabilise the foreign exchange market in the country.
The arrest excludes genuine Bureau de Change operators who carry on their legitimate businesses in their offices, the police spokesman explained.
Commissioner of Police in the state, Mohammed Gumel commended the combined efforts of the police and DSS operatives for their success in the operation.
He emphasised the importance of upholding the law while maintaining legitimate operations within the financial sector and warned that illegal practices will not be tolerated.
The statement also stated that the suspects will be prosecuted, while encouraging the public to report any suspicious movements or activities to the police.
Your Claims On Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Project Self-serving, Politically Motivated – Umahi Fires Atiku
AFOLABIThe Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has said the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project complied 100 per cent with the Procurement Act.
Umahi made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesman, Orji Uchenna Orji while reacting to the accusations made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Recall that Atiku had accused the Bola Tinubu government of awarding the contract to HiTech construction without competitive bidding but rather due to a personal relationship between the president and chairman of the firm.
The vice president also accused President Tinubu of promoting propaganda and putting his personal interest above that of Nigeria.
Reacting, Umahi stated that the project was awarded based on the EPC+ F procurement process, stressing that the project is an unsolicited bid.
The minister also berated the former vice president for his comments over the landmark project and for linking the award of the coastal highway to nepotism
He added that Atiku’s accusations were, “intrinsically superficial, baseless, self-serving and politically motivated to imprint malice in the minds of unsuspecting members of the public, especially the gullible.
Umahi said Atiku’s claim that Seyi Tinubu, the son of the President has an interest in CDK Integrated Industries Ltd is not tenable as the company that did bid for the project was Hitech Construction Company Nigeria Ltd.
The statement read, “For the avoidance of doubt, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project complied 100 per cent with the provisions of the Procurement Act and was awarded based on the EPC+ F procurement process, that is to say, the project is an unsolicited bid done on EPC+F.
“Under this model of procurement, the investor provides all the designs, part of the financing and construction, while the FGN pays counterpart funds. The bid of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project came through this process.
“The ministry received the bid, worked on it, and sent the same to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). The BPP worked on it in accordance with the stipulations of the Procurement Act and came up with a competitive price slightly lower than the ministry’s price and even lower than the cost of similar projects awarded five years ago, including the Bodo-Bonny project awarded to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc. The BPP issued a certificate of “No Objection” on the project to the Federal Ministry of Works as required by the Procurement Act.
“Consequently, the Federal Ministry of Works took the certificate of “No Objection” to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), and the FEC deliberated on and approved the same. It would be recalled that the FEC had first approved the project model on EPC+F before the process of procurement even started.
“This is a testament that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, section 1, followed due process.
“The claim of the former Vice President that the son of the President of Nigeria has interest in CDK Integrated Industries Ltd is not tenable as the company that did bid for the project was Hitech Construction Company Nigeria Ltd which has a full legal personality, as it were. Again, these claims are nothing but a digression showing absolute frustration of a false accuser who is bereaved of facts to substantiate his claims.”
Cybersecurity Levy: 'You're More Interested In Milking A Dying Economy' - Peter Obi Knocks Tinubu govt
AFOLABIFormer presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi, has slammed President Bola Tinubu’s government for the imposition of the cybersecurity levy on Nigerians.
He said the government was interested in milking a dying economy instead of nurturing it to recovery and growth.
Obi accused the government of coming up with policies that not only impoverish the citizens but also make the country’s economic environment less competitive.
According to him, the imposition of a Cybersecurity Levy on Nigerians will further erode whatever is left of their remaining capital after the impact of the Naira devaluation and high inflation rate.
In a post on his X handle on Wednesday, Obi questioned when the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, has become a revenue collecting centre.
The former Anambra State governor said it was unthinkable to expect the suffering citizens of Nigeria to separately fund all activities of the government.
He said: “The introduction of yet another tax, in the form of Cybersecurity Levy, on Nigerians who are already suffering severe economic distress is further proof that the government is more interested in milking a dying economy instead of nurturing it to recovery and growth.
“This does not only amount to multiple taxation on banking transactions, which are already subject to various other taxes including stamp duties but negates the Government’s avowed commitment to reduce the number of taxes and streamline the tax system.
“The imposition of a Cybersecurity Levy on bank transactions is particularly sad given that the tax is on the trading capital of businesses and not on their profit hence will further erode whatever is left of their remaining capital, after the impact of the Naira devaluation and high inflation rate.
“It is inconceivable to expect the suffering citizens of Nigeria to separately fund all activities of the government. Policies such as this not only impoverish the citizens but make the country’s economic environment less competitive.
“At a time when the government should be reducing taxes to curb inflation, the government is instead introducing new taxes. And when did the office of the NSA become a revenue collecting centre?
“And why should that purely national security office receive returns on a specific tax as stated in the new cybersecurity law?”
Popular singer Simisola Kosoko, also known as Simi, has opened up on her relationship with her colleague, Falz.
Simi explained that she and Falz have intense musical “chemistry.”
Speaking during an appearance on Angela Yee’s podcast, the mother of one stated before she got married most people thought that they were in a romantic relationship.
She also hinted that she has a new song with Falz coming out later this month.
According to her, “I have one more single coming out at the end of this month. I can’t say the title now but I can tell you who I’m featuring on it. It’s Falz!
“This is interesting because Falz and I have a history. Before I got married, we did an EP and everything. People thought we were dating. We had a couple of songs together and people loved them. They were like, ‘You have a good chemistry.’ So we decided to do a joint EP and we made an EP called ‘Chemistry.’ People really loved it.
“So we want to do something again for the culture. It’s kind of a funny song. I’m really excited and I can’t wait for people to hear it.”
‘Look beyond Labour in addressing citizens’ welfare’ - SDP Presidential candidate, Adebayo, advise FG
AFOLABIPresidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 General Elections, Adewole Adebayo, has advised the Federal Government to focus on the social investment elements of the 1999 Constitution and make life better for the citizenry.
Speaking with journalists in Lagos, Adebayo noted that the country had organised its politics and government around sharing money, hence the endless agitation for the betterment of workers’ welfare without necessarily looking at how to fix the economy for the benefit of all Nigerians.
According to him, the N615,000 being demanded by Labour as the national minimum wage would not sound the same way it sounds today in the next four years and, therefore, would not take the country anywhere.
“Whether you pay salary, pay allowance, pay grants, like we did during the Udoji Award, give loans and all that, what is that loan chasing? Remember during the Udoji Award, everybody ran to UTC to buy bicycles once they got it, the price of bicycles skyrocketed.
“Meanwhile, in China, if you join the civil service, they will not give you any Udoji Award; they will give you a bicycle because the bicycle comes with the job. If you were in the colonial government and you were an assistant district officer, school officer, health officer or forest ranger, all these things are tools. When you are getting the job, they will direct you to the staff quarters and the school your child should go to,” he added.
Noting that the country should organise its politics around this philosophy, Adebayo noted that if the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration wants to place the welfare of Nigerians on a sustainable path, it must first stop worrying about who is a worker or who is not.
He added: “They have to first look at Chapter 2 of the Constitution and say if by virtue of this Constitution I have been given a mandate to come and govern Nigeria, what are the promises inside the Constitution? What is the minimum that Nigeria should do? Do we have the resources to put them there? By that, you now know that you need new hospital beds and new roads.
“During the Second Republic, all the governors understood these social investment elements and that is why all the state governments had their own school boards, scholarship boards and water boards such that water got to houses even in rural areas. What we are doing now is monetary government, where we share money.
“The way our Constitution is crafted, it is not related to your job. It is related to your being a citizen. While I was growing up, I schooled in Lagos and Ondo states during the Jakande and Ajasin era. I was too young to be employed by anybody. I was about five years old in primary school, and as such, I was not employable, but the government was interested in knowing whether I had eaten or not before we started class.
“When we got to school, the first thing they would give us was bread, beans and milk. When they were chasing you around in primary school to give you that inoculation, it wasn’t that you were going to be employed by them, it was required that the government made sure you were not blind or crippled,” he said.
The Naira yesterday depreciated to N1,415 per dollar in the parallel market, from N1,410 per dollar on Monday.
Similarly, the Naira depreciated in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, NAFEM, to N1,416.57 per dollar.
Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative exchange rate for NAFEM fell to N1,416.57 per dollar from N1,354.21 per dollar on Monday, indicating N62.36 depreciation for the naira.
Consequently, the margin between the parallel market and NAFEM rates narrowed to N1.57 per dollar from N55.79 per dollar on Monday.
On Tuesday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) continued its crackdown on Bureau De Change (BDC) operators in Abuja amidst the persistent naira depreciation against the dollar.
These raids are part of the federal government’s and the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) ongoing efforts to address the naira’s downward spiral.
Recent reports highlighted how speculators in the forex market and digital marketing sphere have intensified pressure on the naira.
Last week, the EFCC arrested and paraded over 20 BDC operators, accusing them of collaborating with currency speculators to undermine the value of the naira.
Confirming the latest raid, a BDC operator in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, disclosed anonymously that EFCC operatives had once again apprehended some operators.
“They were here again. They’ve taken away some people,” the BDC operator informed Daily Trust over the phone.
In response to inquiries, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale described the raids as part of an ongoing operation.
“The exercise is a continuous one. So, if our officers are there, I don’t think they are in a wrong place,” Oyewale stated.
Thirteen persons have been kidnapped from Piko, a remote community in Bwari Area Council of Abuja, by suspected gunmen during a stealth invasion of the community that caught vigilance group and other security agencies unawares.
A source at the community disclosed yesterday that the Maidakin of the community, Chief John Jatau, confirmed that 10 residents were kidnapped, including four nomadic Fulani herdsmen. However, one of the nomads escaped from the kidnappers’ custody.
He listed the following as those kidnapped and still in the captivity of the abductors: Nuhu Anyiwoyi, Emmanuel Nuhu, Danjuma Ali, Parisa Numa, Ezekiel Jatau, Shekwosa Ezekiel, Roseline Samuel, Salome Jacob, Abyelo Ezr, and Ezra Male.
It was also gathered that the kidnappers have placed N900 million ransom on the victims.
He said: “The kidnapping incident occurred last Sunday at about 11p.m.
The kidnappers raided the village for about one hour without any response or reaction from the community or outsiders, and the major challenge the community faced last night in terms of communication to others was as a result of no telecommunication network in the village, so they picked people from house to house, kidnaping 13 people and later released three.
“The Madakin Piko informed me that they have called and they said they need the ransom of N900 million. They picked about four Fulani people and one of them is released.”
When contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, neither confirmed nor refuted the kidnap incident.
There are indications that Microsoft African Development Centre (ADC) may shut down its West Africa operation, located in Lagos, Nigeria.
Industry sources in the know revealed this to The Guardian on Tuesday, though no official statement from Microsoft yet.
It was gathered that the management of Microsoft had on Monday informed the staff of the sudden development.
Affected staff, according to information gathered, might be paid their salaries till June and their HMOs.
A source within Microsoft Lagos office neither confirmed nor denied the development when reached out to yesterday.
“I cannot say anything on that for now. Thank you,” the source stated.
While the immediate cause of the shutting down of the ADC remains sketchy, industry sources claimed it might be due to the current economic situation in the country.
The industry source, however, said that ADC in East Africa, situated in Nairobi, Kenya is not affected, “only that of Nigeria.”
The ADC was launched in Nigeria in 2022 after it was set up in 2019. It formed part of Microsoft’s $100 million investment for two development centres in Africa, with the other located in Nairobi. Since its launch, ADC was reported to have hired 120 engineers and more than 200 total employees in Nigeria.
At the launch in 2022, Managing Director, Microsoft ADC, West Africa, Gafar Lawal, said, “We intended to recruit 500 full-time engineers by the end of the year or by 2023. However, currently, we have exceeded 500. This is to tell you about the abundance of talents we have in Africa.”
The ADC was commissioned by former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isah Pantami and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The ADC aimed to facilitate the creation of tech solutions that will solve both African and global problems.
“We desire to recruit exceptional engineering talent across the continent that will build innovative solutions for global impact. This also creates opportunities for engineers to do meaningful work from their home countries and be plugged into a global engineering and development organisation,” Microsoft had said in a statement.
The ADC facility in Lagos also housed the Microsoft Garage, an entity, launched to scale innovation in the tech ecosystem. An increased Microsoft presence in Africa will empower partners and customers as they use Microsoft solutions in fields important to the continent like FinTech, AgriTech and OffGrid energy.
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The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has attributed the current fuel scarcity to the combination of low refining capacity and inconsistent government policies in the petroleum sector.
IPMAN Deputy President, Zarma Mustapha, disclosed this on Tuesday while reacting to the concerning development of Nigerians grappling with fuel scarcity, with widespread reports of long queues at petrol stations across the country.
Speaking on Newsnight broadcast by Channels TV, Mustapha said the scarcity is a result of the dwindling supply of petroleum products, particularly Premium Motor Spirit, commonly known as petrol.
According to the IPMAN official, the roots of the current fuel scarcity can be traced back to the late ’70s when the Nigerian government established IPMAN and other major marketers to alleviate supply challenges in the petroleum sector.
He said, “Despite efforts to expand refining capacity and build infrastructure such as depots and refineries, the country has failed to keep pace with the growing demand for petroleum products, leading to recurrent shortages. There is a need for continuous investment in refining infrastructure to meet the needs of Nigeria’s burgeoning population and economy.
“Government policies have also played a significant role in exacerbating the fuel scarcity situation. Inconsistencies in pricing regulations, particularly regarding PMS, have deterred private investors from participating in the importation and distribution of petroleum products. While certain products like Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and kerosene have been deregulated, PMS remains under the control of the NNPCL, further limiting competition and supply chain efficiency.
“Despite efforts by some independent marketers to import petroleum products, the unfavourable foreign exchange rates and high operational costs have rendered such ventures unprofitable. The disparity between the exchange rates at which NNPC imports fuel and the prevailing market rates has discouraged private importation, leaving NNPCL as the primary importer of PMS. As a result, independent marketers like IPMAN are left to rely on NNPC for their supply, impacting their bottom line.”
The IPMAN official, however, urged the Federal Government to review its policies and increase investment in refining capacity to ensure a stable and reliable supply of petroleum products in the country.
“While IPMAN acknowledges the role of market dynamics in determining retail prices, the association emphasises the importance of consistent supply to meet consumer demand.
“The current situation highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive review of government policies and increased investment in refining capacity to ensure a stable and reliable supply of petroleum products across Nigeria.
“As citizens endure the inconvenience of fuel scarcity once again, stakeholders look to the government for effective solutions to address the underlying issues plaguing the country’s petroleum sector,” he added.
The Federal Government on Tuesday vowed to pursue the criminal case against the crypto platform, Binance, and its officials, to a logical end.
Speaking against the backdrop of a bribery allegation made by the Binance Chief Executive Officer, Richard Teng, in a blog post published by the New York Times, top officials of the President Bola Tinubu administration described as false and unfounded the accusation that some individuals demanded $150m bribe in cryptocurrency to settle the criminal charge against the firm.
The NYT on Tuesday reported that on a trip to Nigeria in January, Tigran Gambaryan, a compliance officer with the exchange, received an unsettling message: The company had 48 hours to make a payment of roughly $150m in crypto.
Gambaryan, a former United States law enforcement agent, understood the message as a request for a bribe from someone in the Nigerian government.
The incident allegedly occurred before Gambaryan and a colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, were arrested and detained on the orders of the National Security Adviser. Anjarwalla subsequently escaped and has been traced to Kenya.
Gambaryan has been held in Kuje Correctional Facility in the last four weeks, after he was transferred there from a safe house on April 8.
Both Binance and Gambaryan are facing trial for tax evasion and money laundering.
Their trial was scheduled to begin last Thursday, but the court postponed it until May 17.
Gambaryan reportedly wrote a three-page report describing the payment request and gave it to Binance’s lawyers, two people familiar with the report told NYT.
He also reportedly alerted contacts in the Nigerian government and recounted the incident to them.
Binance had denied that Gambaryan had any “decision-making power” in the company.
The case is the latest legal headache for Binance, which agreed to a $4.3bn fine last year to settle charges by the US government that it allowed criminal activity to flourish on its platform.
In April, the company’s founder, Changpeng Zhao, was sentenced to four months in prison for his role in those violations.
The spokesman for the ONSA, Zakari Mijinyawa, said in a text message to NYT that the Federal Government would make its case “on the strength of the facts and evidence, in accordance with due process.”
“We are confident that Nigeria has a good case. Binance equally will have every opportunity under the rule of law to make its case and see justice delivered,” Mijinyawa said.
In his post, Teng laid out the history of Binance’s engagement with Nigeria, which has become a hotspot for the crypto industry.
It has the second-highest rate of crypto adoption in the world behind India, according to Chainalysis, a data firm.
In 2023, the financial regulators issued a statement directing Binance to stop soliciting investors in Nigeria.
Binance halted its advertising in the country and offered to meet with government officials, Teng said.
On January 8, Teng said Gambaryan and a group of Binance employees met with lawmakers, but the meeting was contentious
The lawmakers, he wrote, read aloud a list of accusations against Binance, including tax violations.
They also threatened to pursue an arrest warrant for Teng, the article said.
As the Binance employees left the meeting, Teng wrote they were approached by “unknown persons” who suggested that they make a payment to settle the allegations.
Later, a local lawyer representing Binance spoke with someone purporting to be an agent of the House committee, Teng further claimed in his article, adding that the purported agent demanded “a significant payment in cryptocurrency to be paid in secret within 48 hours to make these issues go away,”
The amount was roughly $150m, four people familiar with the matter said, according to a Bloomberg report, quoting NYT sources.
“Our team grew increasingly concerned about their safety in Nigeria and immediately departed. We, of course, declined the payment demand via our counsel, not viewing it to be a legitimate settlement offer,” Teng wrote in his post.
Teng claimed that Binance had received assurances that Gambaryan would be safe if he returned to Nigeria.
According to him, a company adviser with deep local connections recommended that Binance officials meet with the ONSA.
EFCC dismisses allegation
However, a prosecutor with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ekele Iheanacho, dismissed Teng’s allegation, vowing to prosecute the case to the end.
Iheanacho, one of the lawyers prosecuting the Binance officials, said, ‘’Nobody demanded any money, the case is being taken to a logical conclusion. He’s making it up although I am not aware of any such allegations. As far as I am concerned, the charges are going on and we are making every effort to ensure that we get to a logical end.’’
The Media Adviser to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Kamarudeen Ogundele, directed inquiries to the information minister and the Presidency.
He said “You can call the minister of information or president’s spokesperson. This allegation is not court-related. It is not an allegation against the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The information minister, Mohammed Idris, could not be reached for comment as calls to his phone rang out.
But senior officials, who spoke in separate interviews with The PUNCH on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk about the matter, dared the Binance boss to reveal the names of individuals who demanded the bribe.
A top official in the ONSA, who is close to the probe, said, “Did he (Binance CEO) mention a name? Since he didn’t mention a name, why should anyone be worried? Why should anyone waste their time if somebody made an unfounded allegation but could not mention any name?”
A top EFCC chief, who is close to the trial, also said, “If someone would say something like this, he should have the capacity to mention the people. It’s not worth our time, anybody can say anything but as long as they can’t substantiate it, it’s a waste of time. He should mention names, if not, all that he’s saying is rubbish.”
Two top officials at the EFCC accused the Binance CEO of blackmailing the Federal Government.
They noted that Teng’s claim was frivolous, describing his action as ‘’the modus operandi of foreign personalities and corporations facing legal charges in Nigeria and other African countries.’’
One of the sources noted, “It is not only the EFCC that is prosecuting or investigating Binance over its atrocities against Nigeria. There are allegations of money laundering, and tax evasion, amongst others, against the company, and several federal government agencies are probing the company’s activities in the country.
“But the latest comment about alleged request for bribery by the Binance CEO is a blackmail against the Federal Government. That is the modus operandi of international corporations and individuals facing charges in Nigeria or anywhere else in Africa.”
A senior official noted, “It is the tradition of these international players to blackmail the country whenever they’re caught. What is the correlation between the alleged request for bribes and the allegations brought against Binance?
“The facts are there – they evaded tax, their platform is being used to launder money, so why are they not facing the facts? The claim is frivolous and a mere blackmail against the government.”
The spokesperson for ONSA, Mijinyawa, could not be reached for comments on Tuesday. He did not respond to calls and a message sent to his phone.
The spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, declined comment.
CSOs react
Commenting on the development, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa Ibrahim, said he wasn’t surprised by the allegation, noting the bad reputation of Nigeria’s administrative justice system.
He urged the CEO to “be bold enough” to name persons and organisations involved in the alleged demand for bribes so that they could be dealt with decisively.
‘’This allegation is not enough, it should be investigated and let Nigerians know those undermining their country’s integrity. The (Binance) CEO should be bold enough to mention those individuals or corporate organisations that have demanded bribes on this matter.
‘’This is important in order not to make frivolous accusations and to also deal decisively with these public officials who always mortgage this country. So, we urge him to be courageous and bold enough to also mention those individuals, those organisations, those government officials, if at all they were involved”, he said
Similarly, the Chairman of the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, said Binance should be compelled to name the alleged persons so they can be prosecuted.
He added that the officials who allowed the Binance executive to slip out of the country should be equally investigated.
“Binance should be compelled to name names, and everyone involved should be prosecuted and punished. All the agencies involved in the Binance case; DSS, NIA, DMI, Immigration Services, which let him slip out of Nigeria should be investigated and culpable offenders should be prosecuted and given deterrent punishment,’’ he suggested.
Binance did not respond to email queries to provide clarity and insight on the ‘unknown persons’ who suggested making payment to settle the allegations.
The crypto exchange did not also respond to how much the ‘unknown persons’ requested.
The Nigerian Senate has shed light on the reason behind the recent escape of inmates from the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, attributing it to the deteriorated state of the prison infrastructure, which was constructed with mud over a century ago.
Following a closed-door session with Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, clarified that the incident at Suleja was not a typical jailbreak but rather a consequence of the dilapidated condition of the prison walls, weakened by age and recent heavy rainfall.
The escape occurred on April 24, 2024, when 118 inmates fled the Suleja Correctional Facility after heavy rain. During his visit to the facility, Tunji-Ojo indicated plans to relocate some Correctional Centres to provide improved facilities.
Senator Oshiomhole highlighted the historical context, stating, “I know exactly that this particular prison was built in 1914. I think that was the year of Southern and Northern Nigeria amalgamation for about 200 people. And they now have about 419 inmates. And some of these places were built with mud.”
He clarified that the prison wall’s collapse due to heavy rainfall was the primary cause of the incident, emphasizing that it was not a deliberate jailbreak.
Despite the escape, efforts by the Minister and security agencies have led to the re-arrest of some inmates, with ongoing efforts to track down others.
In response to the incident, the Senate expressed satisfaction with the Minister’s briefing but stressed the need to modernise prison facilities to meet contemporary standards. Senator Oshiomhole emphasized the importance of investing in correctional facilities and leveraging modern technology to enhance security.
Additionally, the Senate discussed broader issues within the criminal justice system, including the high number of individuals awaiting trial and the financial burden on states to maintain prisons.
Minister Tunji-Ojo assured that the federal government is addressing the situation and implementing measures to prevent future occurrences, affirming that the safety of inmates remains a priority.
“We will have a correctional center that is safe for all inmates,” Tunji-Ojo concluded.
Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman has revealed the most difficult game he played at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro used Lookman majorly on the left wing during the tournament in Ivory Coast and he started six of the seven matches.
Lookman scored three goals and was named in the Team of the Tournament.
Nigeria encountered the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in the semifinals where they won via penalty shootout.
They went on to play the host nation, Ivory Coast in the final and were beaten 2-1 by the Elephants.
However, the Atalanta forward told Calister Enejele that the Super Eagles’ opener against Equatorial Guinea was the most challenging.
“‘Probably Equatorial Guinea because we played at 2 pm, the heat and humidity was tough for us. Probably you have to say that game,” he said.