The CEO of cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, Richard Teng, yesterday said that the company is working very closely with Nigerian authorities following the detention of the company’s Head of Financial Crime Compliance.

A Nigerian court has adjourned until May 2 a case against the executive, Tigran Gambaryan, and another Binance official, who are accused of laundering more than $35 million, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said on April 8.

“What I can say is we are working very closely with the Nigerian authorities to try to resolve the matter,” CEO Richard Teng said, while speaking about Gambaryan’s case at a crypto conference in Dubai.

The other executive Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan who is a regional manager for Africa, fled Nigeria last month.

Anjarwalla and Gambaryan flew to Nigeria following the country’s decision to ban several cryptocurrency trading websites and were detained on arrival on February 26 by EFCC.

In addition to the case brought by the anti-graft agency, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria’s tax agency, has charged Binance and the executives with tax evasion, a case that will be mentioned before a court today (Friday).

“This was a one-off. It’s never happened to us before,” Binance’s Head of Regional Markets, Vishal Sacheendran told Reuters on the sidelines of the Dubai conference when asked about the detentions.

Sacheendran declined to comment on the charges against the company.

The founder of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr Boniface Aniebonam, says the move by Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasaya Movement to hijack the party structure is a betrayal of trust.

Speaking at a news conference in Lagos on Friday, Aniebonam said he gave Kwankwaso the platform of the party to achieve his political ambition of becoming Nigeria’s president on a platter of gold.

Aniebonam said he single handedly registered and nurtured the NNPP from 2002 until 2022 when Kwankwaso and his team approached him to fly the flag of the party in the 2023 presidential election.

He said: “Buba Galadima led the delegation, including Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi and Prof. Sam Angai to my country home in Anambra, to plead for us to accept Kwankwaso in NNPP.

“After the talks, I placed a call to Kwankwaso and after asking him questions about his intentions for Nigeria, I offered him the platform of NNPP as its sole candidate.

“I believed that Kwankwaso was not aware of the internal crisis in the party until he came out openly on live television, displaying a new logo and flag for the NNPP and mutilating its constitution.

“The party’s constitution says the founder is a life member of the board and even when I’m alive, my brother and good friend, Kwankwaso, for whatever reasons, is destroying the party I built from 2002 to 2022 when he joined us to contest the 2023 presidency.”

According to him, “I funded the party for 22 years and Kwankwaso wants to hijack it even when he is not a member of the board of the trustees or the leader of the party.

Aniebonam said he founded NNPP after he founded the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and NAGAFF, therefore, is the parent body of the NNPP.

He recalled that Kwankwaso and others were expelled from the party for anti-party activities but as a life member of the board with inherent powers, he would grant him pardon if he purged himself of what he is doing.

“The kangaroo convention even when there was a court order stopping it, is null and void because a Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, ruled that NNPP issue is an internal crisis.

“This means that the issues can only be settled using the constitution. However, we are ready to pursue the interpretation of the constitution up to the Supreme Court.”

The NNPP founder said with this singular action, Kwankwaso would no longer enjoy the sole candidacy of the NNPP should he even be pardoned.

A money laundering case to the tune of N300m against former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke has ended after seven years.

The presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the trial on Friday.

Ekwo upheld Adoke’s “no-case” submission against the money laundering charges against him because the prosecution, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) failed to establish a prima facie case against him.

In 2017, the EFCC had prosecuted Adoke and a property developer, Abubakar Aliyu, alleging money laundering.

charges before Justice Abubakar Kutigi of the FCT High Court, even though the case did not mention the Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245 transaction.

Although the EFCC admitted before Ekwo that it was a mortgage that Adoke took from Unity Bank, it alleged before Kutigi that the money was a bribe from the sale of the oil block by Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd. in 2011.

However, on March 28, Kutigi identified the paradox, and subsequently dismissed the charges against Adoke and other defendants, chiding the EFCC for wasting the court’s time for four years.

Ekwo further upheld the no-case submission, and consequently discharged and acquitted Adoke.

The Commissioner of Police, FCT, CP Benneth Igweh, has expressed heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the management and personnel of the FCT Police Command for the kind gesture of the minister, FCT, Chief Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, for fulfilling his promise to the Command.

The minister had directed the FCT Command to hunt down and arrest or neutralize two wanted bandit/kidnapping kingpins who had been terrorizing Abuja particularly the Bwari, Dutse Alhaji and Kubwa axis.

He backed the decisive action/directive by placing a bounty of twenty million naira (₦20million) on two notorious and most wanted kidnappers on February 14, 2024, and has matched his words with action following the arrest of the two wanted kidnappers.

A statement by FCT Command said, “The implementation of such measures reflects the minister’s leadership and responsiveness to the security and safety of residents.

“The Command is therefore highly honored and grateful for his unflinching and continuous support in combating crime and ensuring the well-being of the residents.

“The CP ensured that the fund was distributed amongst the tactical teams and the divisional police officers of the command to ensure better service delivery.

“He also reassures the Minister and the residents of FCT that the command under his leadership will leave no stone unturned in the fight against crime and criminality and will continue to work assiduously to ensure the safety of residents.

“He urges residents to be vigilant and take advantage of the police emergency lines to report suspicious activities through: 08032003913, 08028940883, 08061581938, and 07057337653 PCB:
09022222352, CRU: 08107314192″

A Brazilian woman recently shocked many people after she wheeled a dead body into a bank.

The woman reportedly wheeled the corpse of an elderly man into a Rio de Janeiro bank on Tuesday, April 16, to try to get him to co-sign on a loan.

The bank customer, identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes, was captured on video standing next to the deceased seated in a chair and seemingly holding up his drooping head.

The footage captured Nunes talking to the dead man, whom she addressed as her “uncle,” and asking him to sign financial documents that would allow her to take out a $3,400 loan.

“Uncle, are you listening? You need to sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, because I can’t sign for you,” Nunes says in the video, while pushing a pen between his limp fingers and instructing him to hold it “hard.”

“Sign so you don’t give me any more headaches, I can’t take it anymore,” she adds.

When a bank worker tries to point out that the man’s color looks off and he appears “not well,” Nunes dismisses his concerns.

“He is like that. He doesn’t say anything,” Nunes says. “Uncle, do you want to go to the [hospital] again?”

Bank staffers quickly called the police, who arrived and arrested Nunes.

It was later determined that the deceased, identified as 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga, had been dead for several hours before his trip to the bank.

“She tried to pretend to get him to sign the loan. He already entered the bank dead,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz told TV Globo. “The main thing is to continue the investigation to identify other family members, and find out more about this loan.”

Cops said they will look into the circumstances of Braga’s death and will try to determine whether Nunes is actually his niece, and whether other relatives were involved in the alleged attempt to commit bank fraud.

Nunes could face charges of theft through fraud, or embezzlement, and abuse of corpse.

Watch the video below:

The Nigerian Senate has postponed the resumption of plenary from the 23rd of April 2024 to the 30th.

The postponement was contained in a notice issued by the Clerk to Senate, Chinedu Akubueze which was released on Thursday in Abuja.

Part of the notice read: “Distinguished Senators are hereby, respectfully informed that resumption of plenary, which was earlier postponed to Tuesday 23rd April 2024, has further been postponed to *Tuesday 30th April 2024 at 11 am.

“Kindly note that the plenary sitting will be held at the main Chamber of the Senate.

“All inconveniences this postponement may cause Distinguished Senators are highly regretted, please.”

DAILY POST reports that the latest postponement is the second since Lawmakers in the upper and lower legislative Chambers went on Easter and Sallah recess.

Exclusive court documents obtained by THE WHISTLER have revealed the Kano State Government’s plan to rely on 15 witnesses to nail former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife Hafsat Umar, their son Umar Abdullahi Umar, and four others in a corruption case.

The eight-count charges allege a web of corrupt activities. The first charge alleges that Ganduje, while serving as governor between 2015 and 2023, corruptly asked for and received $200,000 from a beneficiary of a state government contract. The second charge accused him of receiving a $213,000 kickback from a contractor handling the remodelling of the Kantin Kwari textile market in Kano.

In the third and fourth charges, Ganduje and others were accused of criminal conspiracy and breach of trust involving N1.376bn earmarked for the purchase of face masks and other medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ganduje, his wife Hafsat, and businessman Abubakar Bawuro allegedly diverted the funds for their personal use.

Ganduje, alongside his son Abdullahi Umar, was further accused in the fifth and sixth charges of conspiring to illegally allocate 501 plots of land belonging to the state government to a company owned by their family. The proceeds from the sale of these lands, amounting to 700 million Naira, were allegedly diverted for their benefit.

Among the witnesses the Kano State Government plans to put forward is a forensic expert who will authenticate a viral video allegedly showing Ganduje collecting bribes from a contractor while he was governor of the state.

Also, multiple contractors will testify how they were allegedly forced to give Ganduje a percentage of contract funds awarded to them by the former governor’s administration.

A Department of State Services (DSS) officer, Hussain Muhammad Dan Borno, will explain his presence in the alleged bribery video showing Ganduje collecting stacks of dollars from a supposed contractor.

Others include a police inspector, Muhammad Nuhu, who will present the findings of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission’s investigation and an officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdullahi Mamman, who will present evidence collected during their investigation.

Below are the eight charges preferred against Ganduje and others:

FIRST HEAD OF CHARGE

That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Sometimes between the period of January 10th, 2016 or there about, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor of Kano State and being a public servant in the government of Kano State corruptly asked for and received the sum of $ 200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand United State Dollars) being benefit for yourself from one of the beneficiaries of contracts awarded by the Kano State Government on your instruction and approval as part of your function as the Governor of Kano State thereby committed the offence of official corruption contrary to and punishable under Section 22 of The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended), Law No2 of 2009, Laws of Kano State of Nigeria.

That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Sometimes between the period of February 10th, 2017 or there about, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor of Kano State and being a public servant in the government of Kano State agreed to do or caused to be done an illegal act, to wit, dishonestly and/or corruptly to your own advantage collected a kick back of the sum of $ 213,000 (Two Hundred And Thirteen Thousand United State Dollars) being money generated from people and entities seeking or holding the execution of Kano State Government contact and or project for the remodeling of Kantin Kwari textile market as a bribe through one of the contractors (agent) thereby committed the offence of official corruption contrary to and punishable under Section 22 of The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended), Law No2 of 2009, Laws of Kano State of Nigeria.

THIRD HEAD OF CHARGE

That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Sometimes between the period of September 2020 and march 2021 or there about, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, together with one Hafsat Umar (your spouse) and Abubakar Bawuro, a Business man, Safari Textile Ltd, a limited liability company, wholly owned and maintained by the 3rd Defendant, agreed to do an illegal act to wit: dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of N1,376,000,000.00 (One Billion Three Hundred and seventy Six million Naira) through account No. 7085982019 belonging to the 3rd Defendant being monies earmarked and approved for the purchase and supply of face marks and other hospital equipment for the health sector, thereby causing wrongful loss to the people and government of Kano State and thereby jointly committed the offence of Criminal Conspiracy contrary to section 96 and punishable under section 97 of The penal code (as amended) CAP,105, Vol.2. The Laws of Kano State of Nigeria, 1991.

FOURTH HEAD OF CHARGE

That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Sometimes between the period of September 2020 and January 2022 or there about, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, together with one Hafsat Umar (your spouse) and Abubakar Bawuro, a Business man, Safari Textile Ltd, a limited liability company, while entrusted with the sum of N1,376,000,000.00 (One Billion Three Hundred and seventy Six million Naira) or dominion over the said sum, earmarked for the purchase and supply of face masks and other hospital equipment dishonestly misappropriated and/or converted the said sum to your own use through account No. 7085982019 belonging to the 3rd defendant, thereby jointly committed the offence of Criminal Breach of Trust contrary to section 311 and punishable under section 312 of The penal code (as amended) CAP,105, Vol.2. the Laws of Kano State of Nigeria, 1991.

FIFTH HEAD OF CHARGE

That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Sometimes between the period march of 2021 or there about, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor and being a public servant in the government of Kano State for your own benefit and that of your immediate family conspire with the 4th defendant (Umar Abdullahi Umar) being your biological son using 6th defendant (Lamash Properties Ltd) a company owned and or operated by members of your family including the 4th defendant and dishonestly allocated 501 (five hundred and one) high density plots of lands you hold in trust for the benefit all Nigerians at Zawachiki layout No. TP/KNUPD/256B in the name of 6th defendant company under the pretext of site and services arrangement in the land compulsory acquired by you being the Governor of Kano State from destitute members of the public (peasant farmers) were it was sold and the proceed part of which the sum of #700,000,000.00 (Seven Hundred Million Naira) was deposited in the account of Bureau de change operator vision Steel link Ltd No. Domicile at Access Bank where dollar equivalent was given to the 4th defendant to the detriment of the people and government of Kano State thereby jointly committed the offence of Criminal Conspiracy contrary to section 96 and punishable under section 97 of The penal code (as amended) CAP,105, Vol.2. The Laws of Kano State of Nigeria, 1991.

SIXTH HEAD OF CHARGE

That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Sometimes between the period march of 2021 or there about, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor and being a public servant in the government of Kano State for your own benefit and that of your immediate family conspire with the 4th defendant Umar Abdullahi Umar, being your biological son using 6th defendant Lamash Properties Ltd a company substantially owned and or operated by members of your family including the 4th defendant and dishonestly allocated 501 (five hundred and one) high density plots of lands you hold in trust for the benefit all Nigerians at Zawachiki layout No. TP/1CNUPDA/256B in the name of 6th defendant company under the pretext of site and services arrangement in the land compulsory acquired by you as a governor of Kano state from destitute members of the public (peasant farmers) which was sold and the proceeds, the sum of #700,000,000.00 (Seven Hundred Million Naira) was deposited in the account of Bureau de change operator vision Steel link Ltd No. 7816362026 Domicile at FCMB where dollar equivalent was given to the 4th defendant thereby causing wrongful gain to yourself and causing wrongful loss to the people and government of Kano State thereby jointly committed the offence Criminal Breach of Trust contrary to section 311 and read together with section 79 and punishable under section 312 of The Penal Code (as amended), CAP. 105, Vol. 2. The Laws of the Kano State of Nigeria, 1991.

SEVENTH HEAD OF CHARGE

That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Sometimes between the period of September 2020 and march 2021 or there about, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor and being a public servant in the government of Kano State for your own benefit and that of your immediate family conspire with the 5th” defendant Jibrilla Muhammad also a public servant in the government of Kano State served as the managing director of Kano State investment and properties Ltd using the 8th defendant Lesage General Enterprise Ltd a company wholly owned and or maintain by your immediate family to convert the Kano state government property known as Kano cotton ginnery located at challawa area of Kano State that was initially valued at #750,000,000.00 (seven hundred million Naira) purportedly at the discounted rate of three hundred and twenty million Naira) the amount which payment was not evident causing wrongful loss to the people and government of Kano State thereby jointly committed the offence of Criminal Conspiracy contrary to section 96 and punishable under section 97 of The penal code (as amended) CAP,105, Vol.2. The Laws of Kano State of Nigeria, 1991.

EIGHTH HEAD OF CHARGE

That you, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Sometimes between the period of September 2020 and march 2021 or there about, at Kano in the Kano Judicial Division, while serving as the Governor and being a public servant in the government of Kano State for your own benefit and that of your immediate family conspire with the 5th” defendant Jibrilla Muhammad also a public servant in the government of Kano State served as the managing director of Kano State investment and properties Ltd using the 8th defendant Lesage General Enterprise Ltd a company wholly owned and or maintain by your immediate family to convert the Kano state government property known as Kano cotton ginnery located at challawa area of Kano State that was initially valued at #750,000,000.00 (seven hundred million Naira) purportedly at the discounted rate of three hundred and twenty million Naira) the amount which payment was not actually made and documented thereby causing wrongful loss to the people and government of Kano State thereby committed the offence of Criminal Breach of Trust contrary to section 311 read together with section 79, and punishable under section 315 of The Penal Code (as amended), CAP. 105, Vol. 2. The Laws of the Kano State of Nigeria, 1991.

According to the Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), BDC operators are purchasing dollars at N980/$ in the open market and selling them at N1,020/$.

This was confirmed by the President of ABCON, Aminu Gwadebe, while featuring on a Channels Television programme, Business Incorporated, where he stated that the naira has appreciated faster than expected against the United States Dollar.

Gwadebe applauded the government and the Central Bank of Nigeria for its efforts so far, saying it’s the first time in the last 15 years that the exchange rate for the dollar in the parallel market is less than that at the official window.

He acknowledged that there is now calmness in the market as speculation which has been one of the major destabilisation factors is no longer there.

Gwadebe said: “Our quote rate we buy at N980 and we sell at N1,020 as at now.

‘’There is a lot of confidence, we have seen how the central bank treasury bills have been oversubscribed and we have seen how they have also corrected the flows of diaspora remittances. Now we are having a chunk of diaspora remittances coming in because of the so many policies of the central bank that tried to calibrate how the inflows should be coming in even though there is a lot of gaps that is not coming that is still externalised in the diaspora window.’’

Dino Melaye, a former Kogi senator has clarified reason for his altercation with Samuel Ortom, the former governor of Benue at the Peoples Democratic Party meeting on Wednesday.

Melaye had engaged in an heated argument with the ex-governor of Benue at a crucial meeting of the PDP north-central geopolitical zone in Abuja.

Melaye at the meeting expressed shock that Ortom could feel comfortable sitting in a PDP meeting, walking in majestically after his alleged anti-party activities that made the party lose both the presidential and gubernatorial elections in Benue state.

The two had a verbal encounter when the former senator declared that Ortom should face disciplinary action from the PDP.

Taking to his account on the X platform on Thursday, Melaye said he ‘attacked’ Ortom because the former Governor betrayed the PDP in the 2023 election, has already declared support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections, hence, should not be in attendance at a PDP meeting.

Melaye on Thrusday wrote on X (formerly twitter) that he attacked Ortom because he betrayed the PDP in the 2023 election and has already declared support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections, hence, should not be in attendance at a PDP meeting.

“Why will Ortom attend a PDP meeting after declaring support for Tinubu in 2027. Hence, my altercation with him at the PDP North Central Zone leadership meeting,” Melaye wrote.

On Jan 8, Ortom said that the G5 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would replicate support for President Bola Tinubu’s candidacy in 2027 if he decided to seek re-election

The party’s NEC meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday (today).