Nigeria's government has instituted criminal charges against Binance, a leading cryptocurrency exchange platform.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) filed the charges on Monday.

According to TheNation, the lawsuit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja under case number FHC/ABJ/CR/115/2024, accuses Binance of four separate tax offenses.

They include non-payment of Value Added Tax (VAT); failure to file tax returns; non-payment of Company Income Tax (CIT) evasion and “aiding customer tax evasion”.

The FIRS alleged that Binance’s platform facilitated customer tax evasion.

In a statement on Monday in Abuja, the FIRS noted that filing the suit goes beyond the issue of registration, asserting that Binance failed to adhere to existing Nigerian tax regulations.

According to the FIRS: “The Federal Government also accused Binance of failure to register with FIRS for tax purposes and contravening existing tax regulations within the country.

“One of the counts in the lawsuit pertains to Binance’s alleged failure to collect and remit various categories of taxes to the federation as stipulated by Section 40 of the FIRS Establishment Act 2007 as amended.

“Section 40 of the Act explicitly addresses the non-deduction and non-remittance of taxes, prescribing penalties and potential imprisonment for defaulting entities”.

Specifically, the FIRS accused Binance of neglecting to register for tax purposes.

The lawsuit claimed that Binance did not register with the FIRS as required by law while another charge alleges that Binance’s operations violated established tax regulations in Nigeria.

The FIRS provided details to support its claims.

The lawsuit named Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, senior Binance executives in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as the second and third defendants.

The FIRS emphasised its commitment to enforcing tax regulations and tackling financial misconduct within the cryptocurrency sector.

The agency is empowered by law to assess, collect, and account for federal revenue, including administering relevant tax laws.

The lawsuit comes after Binance pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws in the United States in late 2023.

The company settled the charges through a plea bargain that resulted in a $4.3 billion penalty.

This lawsuit represents a major development in regulating cryptocurrency activities in Nigeria.

The outcome of the case will be closely watched by industry players and could set a precedence for future regulation of the cryptocurrency sector in Nigeria.

Details Shortly…

Former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has again sparked speculations of defecting from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

El-Rufai had a closed-door meeting with prominent members of the SDP on Sunday night.

This act has sparked more rumours about his upcoming political endeavours.

In the latest development, El-Rufai was seen at Senator Abubakar Gada’s residence in Abuja, accompanied by SDP chairman Shehu Musa Gabam and other key party figures.

Among those in attendance were the gubernatorial candidate for Oyo State under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 elections, Senator Teslim Folarin, and a notable member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from Bauchi State, Senator Nazif Suleiman.

This gathering at Senator Gada’s home in Abuja on Sunday evening follows a recent event hosted by El-Rufai at his own residence in Abuja.

Guests included the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam (an APC member), Shehu Musa Gabam, and others for a Ramadan iftar.

Daily Trust reports that El-Rufai also visited Gabam at the SDP secretariat yesterday.

Despite the diverse responses on social media to the photographs taken during these visits, there has been speculation regarding El-Rufai’s potential presidential candidacy in 2027.

However, his media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, has refuted any political intentions behind these visits. Adekeye has dismissed these speculations as an “unhealthy fixation on politics,” highlighting the possibility of personal connections existing separately from political associations.

See more photos from the latest meeting below:

Nigerian afrobeats star, Davido has revealed that he met his wife, Chioma Adeleke before he started making money.

During a recent interview, Davido stated that he met the chef before attaining wealth and fame as a superstar.

He expressed that meeting Chioma during that phase was crucial, as it would have been challenging for him to consider marriage now, suspecting that women might be interested in him solely for his wealth or status.

Davido emphasized his happiness in having a close circle mainly comprising individuals who knew him before his rise to fame and fortune.

In his words;

“I have a friend, anytime I am on the phone with my wife, he would say he has everything in the world, but a wife is what he is missing.

“I met my wife before I had money, but I was telling myself if I didn’t meet her before then and now I am single, and I meet a girl, it wouldn’t be the same. I would feel the lady is talking to me because I am Davido and I have money.

“My own success is when I see people around who were there when I had nothing and they see me now, that’s the feeling, not like when you blow up and start hanging out with a new set of people. You need to keep the people that were there with you since grinding”.

Watch The Video Below;

Popular Nigerian crossdresser and influencer, Idris Okuneye aka Bobrisky has received a cheque of one million naira for being the Best Dressed Female at the movie premiere of ‘Beast of Two Worlds’.

He won the title of Best Dressed Female at the movie premiere, which also featured several other elegantly attired female celebrities.

Afterwards, he received a cheque for one million naira.

See Video Below;

Ex-BBNaija housemate and influencer, Bella Okagbue has deleted all photos of her boyfriend, Sheggz Olusemo from her Instagram page.

Bella who recently documented her trip to the UK to join her boyfriend has given reasons to doubt the stability of their relationship.

A quick check on her Instagram profile revealed the absence of pictures featuring Sheggz.

The only remaining post with him is a sponsored one, which she moved from her Timeline to her reels.

See below;

On the other hand, Sheggz still maintains pictures of them together on his Instagram page. Also worth noting is that he did not publicly congratulate Bella on her recent renewal endorsement deal with Royal Hairs.

Bella’s action has sparked conversations online, with some expressing hopes that the couple won’t go their separate ways.

It is also worth noting that the reality star has faced allegations of being obsessed with her boyfriend and how her entire content revolves around him alone.

See reactions below;

Ceec Ceec said, “Bella is so obsessed with Sheggz. Once a man notices you are so into him, he will frustrate you.”

Junik Preiz wrote, “I’m not a hater, I honestly don’t want Bella for Sheggz. I wish this girl would cut off that relationship so that a better Odogwu would come for her.”

Joy Omotayo noted, “So that long epistle on Twitter yesterday was because of him. So he dey….it’s well.”

Pep Intern penned, “We can’t accept this. Sheggz must marry her.”

B3rants opined, “She signed a new deal, she wants to trend. My own Bella can never leave Sheggz.”

 

Veteran actor and chieftain of the Labour Party, Kenneth Okonkwo has given his opinion about men of God misleading their followers.

According to him, religion is being used improperly for selfish gains.

When asked if he saw himself as a man of God, he responded by saying that he was a child of God.

In his further explanation of this distinction, Kenneth Okonkwo stated that he felt unprepared to take on the great obligations that come with adopting the role of a man of God.

According to Kenneth Okonkwo, a lot of self-described men of God take advantage of their followers’ faith and confidence in order to gain wealth and other advantages for themselves.

In addition, Okonkwo expressed grave reservations over the moral rectitude of contemporary churches.

He implied that certain churches have turned into havens for evil and immoral activity when he went so far as to call them “the devil’s headquarters.”

See Video Below;

Sterling Bank’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Abubakar Suleiman has claimed that professional bankers who are wealthy may be stealing.

He stated this while speaking at the induction ceremony of 485 newly inducted members of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) held in Lagos.

Recall that Suleiman, addressing an audience that included notable figures such as former institute presidents and the Lagos Commissioner of Finance, Abayomi Oluyomi, emphasized the essence of banking as a service-oriented profession.

He starkly cautioned that a career in professional banking is not a pathway to becoming a billionaire, barring unethical practices.

He said, “If your purpose is wealth, and I will say this with all sense of responsibility, if you find a banker, a professional banker, not an owner, not an owner-manager, not an entrepreneur in banking but a professional and he says he’s wealthy, look at the person and ask how?

“By virtue of being a professional in employee status, that is not the road map to ‘billionaireship’ unless you are a thief and you are not. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be bothered becoming certified, taking your professional career so seriously, if all you are interested in is to make money.

“If you are looking for a purpose, banking will offer you a purpose. And there is a lot that banking can offer you if you are looking for a higher level of service. But if you are looking for wealth and to ride private jets, your ambition has already denied you the ability to be ethical.”

Organisers of the 2024 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award, AMVCA have released list of nominated films, actors and actresses.

The list was released on Sunday.

This will be the 10th edition of the event.

Films like Jagun Jagun, Mami Water, A Tribe Called Judah and Breath of Life lead the way in terms on nominations.

Here is the full list:

Best Writing Movie Nominees:

1. A Tribe Called Judah (Olufunke Ayotunde Akindele, Collins Okoh and Akinlabi Ishola)

2. Mami Wata (CJ Fiery Obasi)

3. Jagun Jagun (Adebayo Tijani)

4. Breath of Life (BB Sasore)

5. Over The Bridge (Tosin Otudeko)

6. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (Tunde Babalola)

7. Afamefuna (Anyanwu Sandra Adaora)

Best Documentary Nominees:

1. Ormoilaa Ogol (The Strong One)

2. Lobola, A Bride’s True Price?

3. Empalikino (Forgiveness)

4. The Water Manifesto: Osun (Water for Gold)

5. Sowing Hope

Best Documentary Nominees:

1. Ormoilaa Ogol (The Strong One)

2. Lobola, A Bride’s True Price?

3. Empalikino (Forgiveness)

4. The Water Manifesto: Osun (Water for Gold)

5. Sowing Hope

Best MultiChoice Talent Factory Nominees:

1. Grown

2. Her Dark Past

3. Somewhere In Kole

4. Full Time Husband

5. The 11th Commandment

6. Mfumukazi

Best Scripted Nominees:

1. The Slum King

2. Half Open Window

3. Itura

4. The Passenger

5. Magic Room

Best Digital Content Nominees:

1. Layi Wasabi (Medical Negligence and Copyright Infringement)

2. Taooma (The Boyfriend)

3. Lizzy Jay (National Treasure)

4. Elozonam, Jemima Osunde & Angelina Idoko (Hello Neighbour)

Best Unscripted M-Net Original Nominees:

1. What Will People Say

2. Date My Family Zambia

3. Nwuyee Bekee (Foreign Wives)

4. Royal Qlique (Season 2)

5. The Irabors’ Forever After

Best Indigenous Language (West Africa) Nominees:

1. Mami Wata (CJ Fiery Obasi)

2. Jagun Jagun (Femi Adebayo)

3. Ijogbon (Kunle Afolayan)

4. Orisa (Odunlade Adekola

5. Nana Akoto (Kwabana Gyansah)

Best Indigenous Language (East Africa) Nominees:

1. Where The River Divides

2. Wandongwa

3. Nakupenda

4. Itifaki

5. Ormoilaa Ogol (The Strong One)

Best Indigenous Language (Southern Africa) Nominees:

1. Service to Heart

2. Uncle Limbani

3. Motshameko O Kotsi

Best Costume Design Nominees:

1. Daniel Obasi

2. Demola Adeyemi

3. Bolanle Austin Peters, Ituen Basi, Folake Coker and Clement Effanga

4. Lola Awe

5. Bunmi Demilola Fashina

Best Indigenous M-Net Original Nominees:

1. The Passenger

2. Nana Akoto

3. Apo

4. Irora Iya

5. Love Transfusion (Kiapo Cha Damu)

Best Short Film Nominees:

1. Broken Mask

2. Eighteenth Year

3. Man and Masquerades

4. A Place Called Forward

5. T’egbon T’aburo

Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

1. Joke Silva (Over The Bridge)

2. Bimbo Akintola (The Black Book)

3. Fathia Williams (Jagun Jagun)

4. Genovevah Umeh (Breath of Life)

5. Tana Egbo-Adelana (Ijogbon)

6. Ejiro Onajaife (Madam Koikoi)

7. Eliane Umuhire (Omen)

Best Lead Actor Nominees:

1. Richard Mofe-Damijo (The Black Book)

2. Wale Ojo (Breath of Life)

3. Stan Nze (Afamefuna)

4. Marc Zinga (Omen)

5. Lateef Adedimeji (Jagun Jagun)

6. Gabriel Afolayan (This is Life)

7. David Ezekiel (Blood Vessel)

8. Gideon Okeke (Egun)

Best Lead Actress Nominees:

1. Funke Akindele (A Tribe Called Judah)

2. Adaobi Dibor (Blood Vessel)

3. Ireti Doyle (The Origin: Madam Koi Koi)

4. Kehinde Bankole (Adire)

5. Evelyne IIy (Mami Wata)

6. Omowumi Dada (Asiri Ade)

7. Segilola Ogidan (Over The Bridge)

8. Lucie Debay (Omen)

Best Supporting Actor Nominees:

1. Timini Egbuson (A Tribe Called Judah)

2. Alexx Ekubo (Afamefuna)

3. Demola Adedoyin (Breath of Life)

4. Itele D Icon (Jagun Jagun)

5. Gregory Ojefua (This is Life)

6. Levi Chikere (Blood Vessel)

7. Ropo Ewenla (Over The Bridge)

Best Cinematography Nominees:

1. Mami Wata

2. Jagun Jagun

3. Ijogbon

4. Blood Vessel

5. Breath of Life

6. Over The Bridge

7. Omen

Best Editing Nominees:

1. Chuka Ejorh and Onyekachi Banjo

2. Holmes Awa

3. Alex Kamau and Victor Obok

4. Dayo Nathaniel

5. Antonio Ribeiro

6. Nathan Delannoy

Best Sound Design Nominees:

1. Ava Momoh (Over the Bridge)

2. Daniel Pellerin and Amin Bhatia (Kipkemboi)

3. Grey Jones Ossai (Breathe of Life and Blood Vessel)

4. Samy Bardet (Mami Wata)

Best Art Direction Nominees:

1. Mami Wata (C.J Fiery Obasi)

2. Blood Vessel (Victor Akpan)

3. Over The Bridge (Abisola Omolade)

4. Breath of Life (Okechukwu Frost Nwankwo, Kelechi Odu)

5. The Black Book (Pat Nebo and Chima Temple)

6. Jagun Jagun: The Warrior (Tunji Afolayan)

7. Omen (Eve Martin)

Best Makeup Nominees:

1. Feyisayo Oyebisi (A Tribe Called Judah)

2. Francesca Otaigbe (Over the Bridge)

3. Campbell Precious (Mami Wata)

4. Hadizat Gambo (Mojisola)

5. Hakeem Onilogbo (Jagun Jagun)

Best Writing TV Series Nominees:

1. Skinny Girl in Transit (Season 7)

2. Wura (Season 2)

3. Visa on Arrival

4. MTV Shuga Naija

5. Volume

6. Masquerades of Aniedo

7. Slum King

Nadeem Anjarwalla, one of the executives from Binance detained in Nigeria on allegations of tax evasion and other offenses, has reportedly escape from custody.

Anjarwalla, aged 38, allegedly fled from the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague were being held, purportedly taking advantage of a moment during Ramadan prayers when guards escorted him.

Despite his British passport remaining under the control of Nigerian authorities, he is believed to have exited the country using a Kenyan passport, Premium Times reported.

Authorities are currently working diligently to determine his intended destination and take steps to apprehend him.

The detention of Anjarwalla and his colleague, Tigran Gambaryan, unfolded after their arrival in Nigeria on February 26, 2024.

They were promptly subjected to criminal charges, including alleged tax-related offenses, leading to their remand by a local court.

In a separate legal maneuver, the Nigerian government brought forth additional charges against Binance Holdings Limited and the two executives, accusing them of conducting operations without the requisite registration and tax compliance.

This development comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s intensified efforts to combat financial crimes, including money laundering and terrorism financing.

Binance, a prominent cryptocurrency exchange platform, has found itself at the center of this crackdown.
The Nigerian government alleges that over $21.6 billion in transactions on Binance involved individuals whose identities were shielded, pointing to potential illicit activities such as money laundering, terrorist financing, and market manipulation.

These activities, according to Nigerian authorities, have had adverse effects on the nation’s economy, contributing to currency fluctuations and undermining the value of the Naira.

The detention of Binance executives in Nigeria follows closely on the heels of the platform’s settlement of criminal money laundering charges in the United States.

Binance’s founder and CEO, Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, entered a guilty plea and agreed to resign from his position.

Zhao’s criminal trial, which is linked to the charges brought by the US Department of Justice, has been postponed to April 30.

The lifeless body of Mosha, a 9-year-old who was reported missing in Kenya has been discovered.

A human rights activist, Njeri Wa Migwi, who disclosed this in a post on Sunday, March 24, 2024, said the incident happened in the Soweto area of Nairobi.

 
 It was gathered that the grade 3 pupil was last seen alive while playing with her friends on Friday, March 22.
 
According to reports, her mother went to call her to come in for dinner but they couldn't find her.
 
The family went to report to the police at both Kayole and Soweto stations after two hours of searching for her at the neighbours' houses.
 
On Saturday morning, her body was found dumped on the roof of the building next to their house.
 
She had been r*ped and killed by an unknown person.