AS the controversy over the recent embarrassing escape from custody of an executive of the cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, Nadeem Anjarwalla through the Nnamdi Azikwe International airport rages on, key players across the country’s aviation sector have described the development as confirmation of the lack of synergy amongst security agents at the airports.

Nadeem Anjarwalla, the regional manager for Binance in Africa, was reported to have fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport through the Abuja airport to escape trial and prosecution.

Many stakeholders who reacted to the news condemned the lapses in Nigeria’s security system and intelligence which they argued made it seamless for the Binance official from perfecting his escape.

A key player who spoke under anonymity queried how a passenger could go through many uniformed personnel at the airport to not only process his papers but comfortably travel through the airport unnoticed.

Commenting on the controversy, the Chief Executive Officer at Selective Security International Ltd, Mr Ayo Obilana described the escape of the Binance executive as unacceptable.

According to Obilana: “I rate the efficiency of the securitymen in charge of airport immigration and state security as unacceptably poor on controversial escape of Mr Anjarwala if he passed through them.

“It’s not about porosity this time but about human error and failure which definitely points in one direction of either systemic failure or compromise. I believe his name should have been put on watchlist in the data base of the two security agencies. There are other possibilities, however, the matter should be thoroughly investigated and thereafter, the tasking authorities should take appropriate steps for redress or mitigation. I hope the airport has a functional CCTV system and if it has, the fugitive’s movements through the airport can be easily tracked including those who aided his escape.”

Equally, the Managing Director of another security agency, Centurion Security Services and a onetime military commandant of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Group Captain John Ojikutu, retired, likened the escape of the Binance official to what happened with the escape of the now known popular underwear bomber, Farouk Abdulmutalab through the Lagos airport in 2009.

His words “Security begins with intelligence which is more than 60% of the Airport Security Defence Layers. If they get intelligence early and it is appropriately shared, what we saw happened last week would not have happened. What happened last week with the escaped man is not different from what happened with the Abdulmutalab escape in December 25, 2009 even when the father warned the National Intelligence Agent and the US Embassy about the irregular behaviour of his son.

While arguing that the airline that boarded the Binance official can only be blamed if it was informed earlier that the man was on the watch list or no-fly list.

“The airport government security agencies on the Aviation Security Defence Layers too appeared not to have any information about the man. What I can tell you from the experience of the Abdulmutalab case and his escape through the Avsec Defence Layers is the disconnect between the government security agencies in their line of duties. Starting with the intelligent agency to the border security agencies which include the immigration, DSS, Avsec/Airlines through the NCAA, etc.”

Other stakeholders who spoke on the controversy further took a swipe at the crop of security personnel manning the different airports who they accused of just sitting at their duty posts idly.

“Our airports are the only airports where security personnel sit instead of on their feet moving around. The Binance official can still come back to Nigeria and make another return same way as he escaped without being detected. The level of corruption in the airport security system particularly with immigration and State security protocols is unimaginable.

The key players also faulted the type of multiple security checks at the international airports which they said does not exist at any known airport in the world. “What obtains at our international airports is indeed shameful and some of us have tirelessly and repeatedly pointed same out to the tasking authority for corrective action but to no avail.”

Popular cross-dresser, Idris Olanrewaju Okuneye popularly known as Bobrisky, has been convicted by Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Lagos, after he pleaded guilty to abuse of the naira.

The judge has reserved judgement on Bobrisky’s sentencing till April 9, ordering his remand in EFCC’s custody.

Before his conviction, Bobrisky pleaded with the court that he was not aware of the law on abusing the Naira.

The judge then told him that ignorance of the law was not an excuse to which Bobrisky replied,”I know my lord.”

He further said to the judge,”My lord I wish that you can give me a second chance to use my platform to inform and educate my followers about spraying money.

“I’m a social media influencer with over five million followers. I would do a video on my page and I will educate people about spraying money.

“I will not repeat it again my lord, I regret my actions my lord”.

With the conviction, Bobrisky could either serve six months in prison, pay a fine of N50,000 or do both.

Section 21 (1) of the CBN Act 2007 states that “a person who tampers with a coin or note issued by the Bank is guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable for imprisonment for a term not less that six months or to a fine not less that N50,000 or to both such fine and imprisonment.”

When the charge was read, Bobrisky pleaded guilty to the first four counts bordering on Naira abuse.

Before the charge was read however, the EFCC’s counsel, Suleiman Suleiman, asked the court to strike out counts five and six bordering on money laundering allegations.

Justice Abimbola Awogboro subsequently struck out counts five and six.

This paved the way for the arraignment of Bobrisky on only counts one to four which is on the abuse of the naira.

When the counts were read, Bobrisky was asked if he understood the charge that was read to him, he replied, “yes, I am guilty”.

Bobrisky was brought into the court in a white bus at 9.12 a.m. on Friday morning by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He was arrested on Wednesday by the EFCC on account of naira abuse and money laundering.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has taken enforcement action against the Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc (“AEDC”) for non-compliance with the Supplementary Order to the April 2024 Multi-Year Tariff Order 2024 for AEDC (the “Order”).

AEDC has been fined ₦200,000,000 (Two Hundred Million Naira) for failure to comply with the prescribed customer band classifications for the tariff billing.

This decision follows a detailed review and customer feedback, which revealed that AEDC had applied the new tariff to all customer bands, contrary to the Order, which was designed to ensure fair billing practices.

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AEDC is therefore mandated to:

Reimburse all customers in Bands B, C, D and E respectively that were billed above the allowed customer categories/tariff bands provided in the Order.

Reimburse through the provision of the balance of customer tokens that the affected customers would be entitled to receive at the applicable rates and all token reimbursements shall be issued to the affected customers by 11 April 2024.

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Pay the sum of ₦200,000,000.00 (Two Hundred Million Naira) as a fine for the flagrant breach of the Commission’s Order.

File evidence of compliance with the directives in a & c with the Commission by 12 April 2024.

The action by the Commission underscores its commitment to protecting consumer rights and ensuring equitable practices within Nigeria’s electricity sector.

In a viral tweet on X, A satisfied passenger praised Air Peace, showed off jollof rice, plantain chips and other foods Air Peace served him during the flight.

The edibles came even though the airline charged half the price British Airways would charge.

He prayed for God's blessing on Air Peace.

Nigerian singer and songwriter, Charles Oputa aka Charly Boy has opened up on his marriage.

He revealed that he married for the wrong reasons.

In an interview hosted by reality TV personality Uriel on Inside Scoop with Pulse, the prominent activist claimed that when he married his present wife in his early 30s, but he was searching for the wrong qualities.

According to him, he was looking for a woman who had a nice figure, beautiful and who can sing, since he was going into his hobby, singing.

All the aforementioned reasons however, were all the wrong reasons. He stated that at the time, those attributes were what he desired so much.

Charly further said that now, he wants something different since he is no longer interested in a lady’s beauty, nyash, or breast.

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has blacklisted several fake loan applications that have been exploiting unsuspecting Nigerians.

The Federal Government endorsed this move, declaring these apps illegal and a menace to society due to their deceptive operations.

These illegitimate loan apps have been causing significant distress through their harassment of users and victims.

Notably, these apps operate outside the legal framework, as they are unregistered with the federal government and have now faced an official ban.

The rise of fake loan apps is a pressing issue in the digital age, where the ease and appeal of online lending platforms have unfortunately also paved the way for fraudulent activities.

Scammers behind these apps lure individuals with the promise of straightforward loan approvals and quick money transfers, targeting those with poor credit scores or limited access to traditional financial services.

Victims, often in dire financial straits, are duped into submitting personal and financial information under the guise of securing a loan.

This sensitive data is then misused for identity theft, financial fraud, or other illegal activities, leaving individuals vulnerable and financially strained.

The CBN’s crackdown on these deceptive apps signals a commitment to safeguarding citizens from digital financial crimes and ensuring a secure environment for legitimate online financial transactions.

Here are the list of fake loan apps that have been blacklisted by the CBN:

EasyCredit

EasiMoni

KashKash

Speedy Choice

GoCash

Soko Loan App

Fast Money

GetCash

Icoin Loan

Naira Plus

9jaCash

LionCash

GMoney

Fast Money

9credit

Swiftkash App

Hen Credit Loan App

Cash Door App

Joy Cash-Loan App

Eaglecash App

Luckyloan Personal Loan App

Getloan App

Easeloan Apps

Naira Naija

Cashlawn App

Easynaira App

Crediting App

Yoyi App

Nut Loan App

Cashpal App

Nairaeasy Gist Loan App

Camelloan App

Nairaloan App

Moneytreefinance Made Easy App

Cashme App

Secucash App

Creditbox App

Cashmama App

Crimson Credit App

Galaxy Credit App

Ease Cash App

Xcredit

Imoney

Naira Naija

Imoneyplus-Instant

Nairanaija-Instant

Nownowmoney

Naija Cash

Eagle Cash

Firstnell App

Flypay

Spark Credit

Luckyloan Personal Loan App

The immediate past Governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu has informed members of Abia State PDP caucus that he has no plan to leave the party but will rather stay with others to rebuild it, ABN TV reports.

Speaking during a well-attended caucus meeting held at the new party secretariat at Onyerubi Crescent, Ogurube Layout, Umuahia, Dr Ikpeazu, who called for unity of purpose among members of the party in the state to ensure that the party quickly returns to winning ways, stated that the exit of some of his former aides to other political parties remains their personal choice.

“We must all take individual responsibility for our performance in the 2023 elections even as our party is going through self-cleansing at the moment. I will remain in PDP and will never be found wanting in my responsibilities to our party and its rebuilding process.

"Those who want to leave will leave no matter what you do but loyalty is also about the realization that at some point this party has been good to you. It is now time for sacrifice, especially from those who previously benefitted from our party in one way or another as we must all join hands to reposition it," he said.

Earlier in his address, the state PDP Chairman, Rt Hon Asiforo Okere thanked members who have remained steadfast in supporting the party, especially after the 2023 elections, and reminded members that the party still maintains a majority at the state House of Assembly even when the election was conducted same day with Governorship election that the party lost.

He announced that the National Working Committee of the party has extended the tenures of elected ward executives by 3 months in acting capacity and the constitution of 3 committees to handle Peace and Reconciliation, Way Forward and Finance.

Also speaking, the Senator representing Abia Central, Col. Austin Akobundu, stated that while people were free to leave and join a political party, the PDP in Abia State is a movement that nobody can kill.

On his part, elder statesman and member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu called for unity and stated that the time for blame game is over as there were no factions in the party, and that leaders and members have learned from the 2023 experience and must be ready to bounce back. According to him, “It is now time to reposition the party and ensure that young members find comfort and space to contribute to the party and leadership in the state."

The whistleblowers who initiated the investigation, detention, and subsequent trial of Binance Holdings Limited executives have expressed concerns about threats to their safety and the safety of their families.

The group urged the Federal Government to consider providing them with state protection.

The Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative and Niger Delta Youth Council have written a letter to President Bola Tinubu in Abuja calling for action.

The group maintained that they are the petitioners and whistleblowers who brought to light the blatant misuse of the Nigerian financial system orchestrated by Binance Holdings Limited.

The National Coordinator of Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative, Amb. Solomon Adodo, and the National Coordinator of Niger Delta Youth Council, Engr. Jātor Abido, jointly signed the letter on Wednesday, March 28th, 2024.

The letter reads in part: “We write as the petitioners and whistleblowers that revealed the brazen abuse of the Nigerian Financial system being perpetrated by Binance Holdings Limited to notify you of the present threat to our lives and seek protection from the State through your express Presidential directive.

“We are presently in deep shock and panic as to how the detainee managed to escape without a trace.

“We are also aware that the Binance Team have a very significant financial war chest which we can never match.

“Our fears also stem from the fact that we blew the lid on the terrorism financing/serious operations carried out through the Binance platform.

“We are, therefore, at very significant risk alongside our immediate families.

“We have nowhere else to run than to the Nigerian government for whom we undertook this daring patriotic task.”