Police on Thursday paraded the alleged mastermind of the March 28, 2022 Kaduna-Abuja train attack with 276 other suspected criminals.

The evening train was attacked on March 28, 2022 when kidnappers derailed the train and killed eight people while 62 others were kidnapped following which ransom running into hundreds of millions were paid before Federal Government secured the release of the remaining victims.

Parading the suspects during his visit to Kaduna Police Command on Thursday, Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the arrest of the mastermind followed painstaking efforts to bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book. 

He decried the unfettered foray of youths in their 20s into crime and the misuse and abuse of drugs, noting that use of drug contributed to over 80% of crimes perpetrated by youths in the country.

Speaking on the achievements of the Kaduna Police Command since January 2024, the Force PRO said they include arrest of alleged mastermind of the Kaduna-Abuja train attack, Ibrahim Abdullahi aka Mande, who was arrested in Rido.

Also arrested in a separate operation was one of his alleged accomplices in the train attack, Auwal Ayuba.Ayuba admitted to being involved in the attack on the train under the directive of Mande, noting that after kidnapping the train passengers, they were later on sold to Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP).

But the suspected gang leader, Abdullahi refuted the allegation, noting that he wasn’t involved and he was not leader of the gang that planned and attacked the train. He also disclaimed the Ayuba, saying that he has never met him before.

The Force PRO added the Kaduna Police arrested Yakubu Saidu, the mastermind and leader of the notorious kidnapping gang that attacked St. Raphael Catholic Church, Fadan Kamanta, Zonkwa where they razed the Priest house leading to the death of Stephen Naaman in the fire with property worth millions, including a Honda vehicle and a motorcycle, were consumed by the fire.

Adejobi said: “On 12th January, 2024, police operatives attached to anti-kidnapping unit of Kaduna State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), based on credible information swooped in and arrested one Ibrahim Abdullahi aka MANDE at Abuja-Kaduna Road flyover by Rido Junction. The suspect confessed to being the leader of a kidnap syndicate terrorising Kaduna-Abuja highway, ranked among other criminals like Dogo Gide and Bello Turji.

“He had participated in various kidnapping incidents including the kidnapping incident at Greenfield University and he partook in almost all the kidnappings along the Abuja-Kaduna highway. On 27th April, 2024, some vigilante members arrested and brought to the station one Auwal Ayuba aged 27, a resident of Kubacha Town suspected of being a kidnapper. After thorough investigation the suspect confessed to being a member of kidnapping gang and has participated in several kidnappings in Kubacha, Jere and Katari axis where many victims were kidnapped.

“On February 29, 2024, vigilant operatives of the Kaduna Command Monitoring Unit conducted a well-coordinated operation at the residence of a suspected kidnapper, one Adamu Abdulwahab, in Ganga Uku Village, Mararaban Jos, which resulted in the apprehension of the suspect and recovery of crucial exhibits, including 1 fabricated cartridge revolver rifle, 1 fabricated pistol, 2 Dane guns, 6 live cartridges, 1 discharged GPRG ammunition, 7 discharged cartridges, 2 SIM cards, 2 Tecno handsets, and 1 bloodstained cutlass.

“It was revealed during investigation that 35-year-old Adamu Abdulwahab, in connivance with other suspects who are currently at large, had kidnapped one Samaila Abdullahi, aged 40, of Keke Kingdom, Mararaban Jos, on February 13, 2024, and forcefully taken him to an unknown destination. Efforts is being intensified to locate and rescue the victim.

“On 12th February, 2024, suspected bandit/gun runner Adamu Shuaibu, aged 35, from Dumale Village under Jere L.G.A. of Kaduna state, was arrested following reliable information available to the police on his involvement in criminal activities within the state, including the supply of arms and ammunition to other criminal suspects. One AK-47 rifle with breach no. 1970/TY 1938 and an empty magazine was recovered from his custody.

“During this period, our proactive measures and relentless pursuit of criminal elements have resulted in remarkable outcomes including the arrest of 81-armed robbery suspects, 40 kidnap suspects, 73 murder/ homicide suspects, 36 rape suspects, 22 suspects involved in cult-related crimes, and 28 suspects engaged in other criminal activities. We have successfully recovered 16 firearms of various types, along with 226 ammunition of diverse calibers.

“Our operations have led to the retrieval of 28 stolen vehicles, over 200 harmful weapons, and 600 bags of fertilizers. A total of N3,350,000 only, previously paid as ransom to kidnappers, has been successfully recovered, while our swift and coordinated efforts have resulted in the safe rescue of 158 kidnapped victims, all of whom have been reunited with their families unharmed.”

The Nigerian government has begun a 15-day emergency supply to end the fuel scarcity nationwide.

The South West Regional Coordinator of the NMDPRA, Engr. Ayo Cardoso disclosed this in a statement.

Recall that fuel scarcity has lingered across Nigeria for days.

Although the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited assured that it had sufficient petrol to go around the country, the scarcity has persisted.

Corroborating NNPCL’s position, Cardoso said barely two days ago, the country received 300 litres of Premium Motor Spirit.

He stressed that Nigerians do not need to panic as the fuel queue will soon vanish.

“As I said earlier, there would be enough fuel across Nigeria soon. We have received over 300 million litres as of Tuesday.

“More have arrived, but I can’t give you the figure. Vessels will keep arriving in Nigeria for 15 days, which started counting on Monday, and we will keep distributing the product nationwide.

“The masses should not panic; all these will soon vanish. We are not prioritising anywhere; each state has its allocation to be delivered accordingly,” Cardoso stated.

The Naira lost N112.38 against the US dollar at the foreign exchange market in April 2024.

FMDQ data showed that the Naira traded at N1,390.96 per dollar on Tuesday, 30th April, compared to N1,278.58 per dollar at the beginning of the month.

This represents a 10 per cent depreciation against the dollar in the period under review.

The development comes despite the Naira recording a 12 per cent gain against the dollar in the first 12 days of April, adding to its 14 per cent surge in March. Consequently, Goldman Sach described the Naira as the best performing currency.

However, the losses recorded in the second half of April have resulted in a month-on-month decline.

Meanwhile, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, governor, Olayemi Cardoso, stated that the apex bank is planning policies to tackle Naira’s instability in the forex market.

A 19-year-old man arraigned before Mutawatawa magistrate on charges of having sexual intercourse with his 14-year-old sister in Uzumba, Zimbabwe, has been convicted.  

It was gathered that in January 2023, the 19-year-old man decided to take things a notch up bizarrely as he chatted with his sister. He asked his sister to be his girlfriend. Strangely, the 14-year-old admitted to feeling the same way for her brother. 

The two decided to hit it off and start dating. They decided to keep their relationship under wraps, knowing how much trouble it would attract if ever known. 

During their relationship, the 19-year-old man convinced his sister to have sex with him. She agreed, and the two did the act on different occasions, both at home and in the garden. However, the girl later got pregnant and this was noticed by their grandmother. 

Upon being questioned, she revealed her brother was responsible. The grandmother reported the case to the police, leading to the 19-year-old man’s arrest for incest. He appeared in a Mutawatawa Court, where the Magistrate sentenced him to 14 months in jail. Two months were struck off, and he will serve an effective 12 months.

Fresh facts about how Finidi George beat fan favourite Emmanuel Amuneke and other applicants to the Super Eagles job have emerged, The PUNCH reports.

Monday, the Nigerian Football Federation approved the recommendations of its Technical Committee to appoint Finidi as coach ahead of over 60 other local and foreign applicants.

Some of the other coaches who applied are US U-19 coach Michael Nsien, Spain-based former Katsina United coach Henry Makinwa, Sylvanus Okpala and Daniel Amokachi. Former Cameroon coach Antonio Conceicao and Dutchman Danny Bujis also reportedly applied for the job.

A member of the NFF Technical Committee, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said some stakeholders had tried to influence their decision in favour of their candidate.

He said Technical Committee members, however, resolved to stick to their guns and pick the best candidate for the position no matter whose ox was gored.

“Some of these people think they are the masters of the game, but they don’t know that some of us have been in this game for some time too. Do you know they set up a WhatsApp platform to decide and influence who will become the coach of the Super Eagles. But we snubbed them,” our source said.

“It could have been the other way round and we would still move on and support whoever the NFF picked.

“We know that some candidates that were not picked for the job would complain, that’s life for you. The important thing now is to support who is there and see how we can qualify for the World Cup. Now we have a manager, he’s going to coach the team, he has the desire to coach and he’ll definitely sit down with the federation officials to sort out his contract.”

On how they arrived at Finidi as the best choice for Eagles, our source said with just weeks to the crucial World Cup qualifiers against rivals South Africa, they needed someone who had an in-depth knowledge of the squad, and not a new coach who would come with a new philosophy alien to the players.

He added that Finidi, having served for 20 months under Peseiro, emerged the right man for the job, while his knowledge of domestic and continental football as current NPFL champions Enyimba also gave him the nod.

Our source added, “Finidi, with due respect to him, has been on ground, and he’s in tune with the dynamics of the modern game, and that for us is a big plus. He’s working with Enyimba, won a league title for them, has coached on the continent and he’s been busy coaching in recent years.

“At the national team level, he’s been with the Eagles as assistant and we know we have some tricky World Cup qualifiers ahead. A new coach might come in with tactics that the players will struggle to adapt to. We don’t need that now.

“Also, as a coach who understand the domestic league very well, his experience in this regard will come in handy when selecting players for the home-based players.”

The Technical Committee member added monetary considerations also played a role in Finidi’s choice for the job.

“Who will pay a foreign coach $70,000 in today’s Nigeria? The money is just not there,” our source added.
Meanwhile, some of the applicants have spoken on the process that led to the appointment of the new coach.

Even though Emmanuel Amuneke described the process as “fair”, he admitted that there was no interview to select the best candidate for the job.

“There was no interview (for the job), neither was there any talk about the job with the federation. There was no contact from the federation nor was there an offer to take the job. They have chosen a new coach, who is one of us, we just need to move on and support him,” Amuneke said.

When asked if he thought the process of selecting the candidate for the coaching role was transparent, US U-19 coach Michael Nsien, who also applied for the job, said, “It depends on people’s standards of process. There weren’t interviews, which I think is basic, it would give the appearance (that it was transparent) at least.”

Nsien, a former U-23 national team star, is positive Finidi will get a competent backroom staff to work with.

“Hopefully he is surrounded with good staff,” he said.

Another applicant, Sylvanus Okpala, who won the AFCON title in 1980 as a player and as an assistant coach in 2013, declined comments on the process that saw Finidi emerge as the winner but congratulated the former Ajax star.

He said, “The important thing is that Finidi has been selected and he is there now. All he needs is the support of everyone to excel, but the biggest support he can get is the one he gives to himself to be successful and take the Eagles to where they belong.

“I feel okay with Finidi’s appointment as the new Super Eagles coach because all of us cannot be there and obviously only one person will be appointed among us. I congratulate him and I wish him the best, hoping that he will take the Eagles to the next level.”

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has promised workers in the state that his administration will implement the new minimum wage that is approved by the Federal Government.

Recall that the Federal Government on Tuesday announced 25 percent and 35 percent salary increase for civil servants across various consolidated salary structures.

A statement released on the eve of the Workers’ Day celebration and signed by the Head of Press, National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission, Emmanuel Njoku, stated that the increases took effect on January 1, 2024.

Sanwo-Olu gave the assurance on Wednesday during the Workers’ Day celebration held at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan.

He promised to look at some of the demands of various unions in the state, saying that his administration would continue to ensure good welfare packages for all workers in the state.

“This year’s theme, ‘People First,’ resonates deeply with our administration’s philosophy, which is underpinned by our firm belief in prioritizing the welfare of our people.

“Through various measures, policies, and initiatives, we have demonstrated that the interest and welfare of the people come first and remain the ultimate goal of all our actions. Our response actions are geared towards mitigating the impact of these trying times and offering support to both our workers and citizens alike.

“We have been steadfast and intentional in implementing our social intervention programmes, providing crucial assistance to those in need throughout the state. From subsidised food items through our Ounje Eko, and Eko Cares initiatives to incentives on social services, we have made tangible differences in countless lives.

“Healthcare initiatives that ensure access to quality medical services for all, transportation support, and educational opportunities for our children exemplify our commitment to creating a Lagos where everyone has a fair chance to thrive. Our dedication to putting people first extends beyond mere words,” said the governor.

On his administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare, Sanwo-Olu said: “As we look towards the future, I want to reaffirm our commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable society in which the interests of workers receive the attention it deserves.

“We will continue to invest in education, training, and skills development to equip our workforce with the tools they need to succeed in their places of work because we recognize the vital role that workers play in driving progress and prosperity in our society. And we pledge to build a future where every worker is respected, empowered and able to live with dignity and pride.”

UK police named a 14-year-old boy killed in a sword attack in London this week as Daniel Anjorin and said the suspect will face murder and other charges over the violent rampage.

The teenager died on Tuesday morning as he walked to school in Hainault, in the east of Britain’s capital, when he was attacked by a man wielding what appeared to be a Samurai-type sword.

Police tasered and arrested the suspect, a 36-year-old man who was not previously known to police.

Police named the suspect as a Spanish-Brazilian national, Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, and said he would appear at Barkingside Magistrates Court on May 2.

He has also been charged with “two counts of attempted murder, two counts of grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary, and possession of a bladed article”, police said in a statement.

‘Profound shock’

The independent school attended by Anjorin said in a statement on Wednesday that they had been left in “profound shock and sorrow” at the pupil’s death.

“He was a true scholar, demonstrating commendable dedication to his academic pursuits. His positive nature and gentle character will leave a lasting impact on us,” Bancroft’s, in Woodford Green, near Hainault, said.

London’s Metropolitan Police force said Tuesday’s horror unfolded just before 7:00 am (0600 GMT) when the accused crashed a van into a house fence, hitting a 33-year-old man before stabbing him in the neck.

A 35-year-old man was then attacked inside a nearby property, causing lacerations to his arm, before Anjorin was killed.

Police arrived on the scene 12 minutes after the first emergency call and attempted to neutralise the suspect with incapacitant spray and a Taser gun but these had little effect.

The suspect seriously injured two police officers, both of whom required surgery on Tuesday and remain in hospital.

One, a woman, suffered severe injuries to her arm and nearly lost a hand, the Met said.

The man fled again as terrified witnesses took cover in houses before police used a Taser to overpower him, detaining him 22 minutes after the initial call.

“This is a complex investigation due to the number of crime scenes, forensic evidence, hours of CCTV footage and witnesses we need to speak to,” Larry Smith, the detective leading the investigation, said in a statement.

“I know that many people will want answers and we are working to provide them as soon as we can”, he said.

Police have said the attack was not terror related.

It came amid a rise in stabbings in the United Kingdom and shortly before voters decide in local elections on Thursday whether to re-elect London mayor Sadiq Khan for a record third term.

Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has criticised the opposition Labour Party’s Khan for his record on crime.

Anjorin’s death is the second recent tragedy to hit Bancroft’s, after a former pupil, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, was killed in Nottingham last year as she tried to save her friend from a knife attacker.

Valdo Calocane was sentenced to indefinite detention in a psychiatric hospital for stabbing to death 19-year-old O’Malley-Kumar, fellow student Barnaby Webber and 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates.

Commercial banks in Nigeria closed 2.021 million bank accounts in the first quarter of 2024, Q1’24, to clean their books of questionable accounts and comply with regulatory orders on the linkage of bank accounts to the National Identity Number, NIN.

This is contained in a report by the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System, NIBSS, which also indicated that the number of inactive bank accounts grew month-on-month, MoM, by four million or 2.0 per cent to 19.7 million in March 2024 from 19.3 million in the previous month, February.

A bank account is classified inactive when it records zero transactions including deposits, withdrawals, transfers or point-of-sale transactions for six months.

However, details of the “Industry Bank Account Database”, a monthly data reported by banks, and compiled by the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System, NIBSS, also indicated that the number of active bank accounts grew by 6.62 million or 3.0 per cent to 219.64 million from 213.02 million in February.

Recall that in December 2023, the CBN issued a directive to all commercial banks in the country to restrict tier-1 accounts without proper Biometric Verification Number, BVN, and National Identity Number, NIN, that are not linked by Thursday, March 1st, 2024.

According to NIBSS data on BVN enrollment count, 61.6 million Nigerians have BVN as of April 2024.

The naira declined to N1,370 against the dollar at the parallel section of the foreign exchange (FX) market on Wednesday.

This represents a 1.48 percent depreciation from N1,350 traded on April 29.

Currency traders, also known as bureau de change (BDC) operators, put the buying rate of the greenback at N1,330 and the selling price at N1,370 — leaving a profit margin of N40.

At the official window, the local currency appreciated by 1.98 percent to N1,390 on April 30 — from N1,419.11 on April 29.

During trading, the exchange rate rose as high as N1,450 and as low as N1,200 according to data from FMDQ Exchange, a platform that oversees FX trading in Nigeria.

The naira devaluation has continued to pose significant challenges to firms, cutting deep into profit margins and eroding shareholders’ dividends.

On April 30, Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, said the devaluation of naira created the “biggest mess” for the company in 2023.

“We are doing whatever it takes to make sure that at the end of the day, we will be paying dividends because if you look at our dividends last year, it was almost 50 percent more so we will try and get out of the mess,” Dangote said.

“The biggest mess created was actually the devaluation of the naira from N460 to N1,400.”

He said almost 97 percent of the companies, especially in food and beverages businesses, will not pay dividends this year due to the FX constraints.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has confirmed a widespread consensus among federal and state governments, along with private employers, regarding the necessity to raise the national minimum wage.

Naija News reports that Oshiomhole, while speaking on Channels Television’s “Politics Today,” highlighted the outdated nature of the current N30,000 minimum wage in light of the escalating cost of living.

“The current minimum wage of 30,000 is a joke,” Oshiomhole stated, emphasizing the dire need for an adjustment.

He pointed out the severe drop in purchasing power affecting employees at all levels, from directors and permanent secretaries to entry-level positions.

“You need to beef it up,” he added, suggesting the potential for wages to be indexed to inflation, a practice observed in other market economies.

Expectations for an announcement of a new minimum wage during the Workers’ Day celebrations were unmet, leaving the workforce in anticipation.

However, the Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, reassured workers at the May Day celebration in Abuja that any agreed-upon adjustments would be retroactive from May 1, 2024.

“It is regrettable that the new national minimum wage is not ready before today, but a wide consultation is ongoing to ensure that the document is put together as soon as possible,” Onyejeocha said.

Oshiomhole praised the government’s commitment to implementing the new minimum wage from the specified date.

The current Minimum Wage Act, established at N30,000, was signed in 2019 by former President Muhammadu Buhari and is due for its five-year review to align with the contemporary economic needs of workers.