The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that 7,746 deceased voters were removed from the national voter register in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as of December 2022.

The Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Etta-Messi, disclosed this to our correspondent on Thursday.

“Seven thousand, seven hundred and forty-six decreased persons across the 36 states and the FCT were removed from the National Register of voters as of December 2022,” she disclosed.

According to INEC, a thorough cleaning of the voter register is usually done before every general election.

In its 2023 post-general election review in December 2024, INEC highlighted challenges with cleaning up the voter register, despite improvements in the voter registration process that added 12,298,944 new registrants.

One major issue is the difficulty in removing deceased persons due to gaps in official death records.

“Problems with official death records continue to make it very difficult for INEC to remove deceased registrants,” the commission noted.

The commission also identified the problem of double or multiple registrations, which was addressed by deploying the Automated Biometric Identification System.

 This process flagged and removed 2,780,756 cases of invalid registrations, representing 22.6 per cent of all new registrants nationwide.

INEC further noted concerns about declining voter turnout. The 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections recorded a turnout of 27.5 percent, down from 35.6 per cent in 2019.

Some stakeholders attributed this decline partly to an inflated voter register and called for more rigorous efforts to clean it.

Stakeholders at the review recommended that INEC should strengthen collaboration with agencies such as the National Population Commission and the National Identity Management Commission to identify deceased voters.

There were also calls to suspend individuals who have not voted in the past three elections and require them to revalidate their registration.

“One suggestion from this review was to strengthen collaboration with other agencies such as NIMC and NPC to identify deceased persons in the register and remove them. In addition, the commission could suspend individuals who have not voted in the past three elections from the register and request them to revalidate their registration,” INEC noted in its review.

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has declared that those responsible for the explosion that rocked parts of Ibadan last year are currently in prison.
Makinde, on Thursday, stated that the culprits are facing trial for terrorism and are presently being held in custody.

The governor made these assertions in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, and made available to DAILY POST.

DAILY POST reports that an explosion occurred at Dejo Oyelese Close, Bodija Housing Estate in Ibadan, on January 16 last year.

Some lives were lost as a result of the incident, while several people sustained varying degrees of injuries.

DAILY POST reports that properties worth millions of naira were also destroyed in the incident.

Speaking about the incident one year later, Makinde reiterated his administration’s determination to ensure the safety and security of all parts of the state.

Makinde, while praying for the repose of the souls of those who died, called on citizens to join hands with the government to secure the state.

“The explosion of January 16, 2024, could have been prevented if those who noticed the storage of explosive devices in residential areas had informed our security operatives. That means the people who died did not have to die, the houses that were destroyed didn’t have to be destroyed, and the disruption we experienced didn’t have to happen.

“To prevent a recurrence of such incidents in any part of the state, let us all take security issues seriously and cooperate with security operatives by providing necessary information to help them discharge their duties of securing our lives.

“We pray for the repose of those who lost their lives in the incident and ask that Almighty God continues to strengthen their loved ones.

“As a government, we have taken steps to prosecute those who caused this unfortunate incident. They are facing trial for terrorism and are currently being held in prison,” he said.

The member representing Kiru/Bebeji constituency, Kano, and chairman of the House Committee on Housing and Habitat, Dr. Abdulmumin Jibrin Kofa, has emphasized the need for urgent reconciliation between former governors Rabiu Kwankwaso and Umar Ganduje amidst their lingering feud.

Jibrin, who described the situation as unfortunate and a setback for Kano State, made the call on Thursday while featuring a radio program monitored by our reporter.

He charged all well-meaning citizens of Kano to join hands together in reconciling the two political leaders for the betterment of the state.

According to him, the two political leaders and long-time friends have excelled in their political careers.

“While Kwankwaso started in the Kano State Civil Service and later became the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, rising through the ranks to become a two-term governor, Minister of Defence, Senator, Ambassador, presidential aspirant, and candidate who remains a potential future president or vice president, Ganduje was, on the other hand, a civil servant, Director in FCT, Commissioner, Deputy Governor, Executive Secretary, two-term governor, and now the Chairman of the ruling party.

“Not everybody will be chosen by God to hold these offices. They have both been blessed in a special way by God.”

Speaking further, he said, “Whoever is aware of what is happening in Kano knows that the genesis will not be unconnected to the lingering feud between Kwankwaso and Ganduje. Everybody knows we are all NNPP and disciples of Senator Kwankwaso and his movement, Kwankwasiyya. But it is an obligation upon some of us to force a reconciliation between the duo.

“Whether they like it or not, the issue of politics is something different; it is their choice, but as Muslims we have a duty to do the right thing by reconciling them.

“They were friends for a long time, and they started good things together, but what is happening between them is sad and painful. This is not a time to open old wounds but a time to embrace a future of peace, unity, tranquillity, progress, and development.

“We are already working hard towards that, but I am calling on all of us who believe in this reconciliation effort to come together and make it a reality. Let us see Kwankwaso attending the wedding of Ganduje’s daughter and Ganduje attending the wedding of Kwankwaso’s son. They should stand for each other in times of happiness and sadness. Forget about seeing them in the same political party; that’s their choice.

“I don’t have anything personal on this, but it is the right thing, and for those people who don’t want to see a reconciliation between Kwankwaso and Ganduje, May Allah guide them to the right path,” he concluded.

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have arrested a soldier, Lance Corporal Sani Aminu, for allegedly being in possession of a substance suspected to be ‘Canadian Loud’, a highly potent strain of imported cannabis.

Aminu, who serves in the Nigerian Army under service number 13NA/70/11481, was apprehended by a police patrol team on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, in the Surulere area of Lagos.

According to a police signal, the operation was led by ASP Alex Dung, who intercepted the soldier at around 8:15pm.

The signal stated, “SITUATION REPORT X ARREST OF MILITARY PERSONNEL X TODAY BEING 15/01/2025 X AT ABOUT 2015HRS X PATROL TEAM LED ASP ALEX DUNG ATTACHED MINE X INTERCEPTED AND BROUGHT TO THE STATION 13NA/70/11481 L/ CPL SANI AMINU ATTACHED TO ABALTI BARRACKS SURULERE X WITH SUBSTANCE SUSPECTED TO BE CANADIAN LOUD X SUSPECT WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO CP TACTICAL SQUAD 1 FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION PLEASE X SUPOL 74 ORILE-IGANMU.”

The police have since confirmed that Aminu will be handed over to the Commissioner of Police Tactical Squad 1 for further investigation.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is set to arraign three ex-appointees of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for a fresh N64 million money laundering charges.

This is coming after the ICPC had last week, in a separate charge, arraigned the former chief of staff and commissioner of finance in Kaduna State, Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Sa’idu, for a money laundering.

ICPC, in a two-count charge filed before the Federal High Court in Kaduna, accused Sa’idu of accepting a cash payment of N155,000,000 from Ibrahim Muktar, a public officer in the ministry of finance.

The El-Rufai’s ex-appointees are a former senior special adviser/counsellor to El-Rufai, Mr. Lawal Adebisi; the ex-accountant general of Kaduna State, Mr. Umar Waziri, and the former finance commissioner in the state, Mr. Yusuf Inuwa.

Also joined in the suit is Solar Life Nigeria Limited, the company whose bank account is believed to have received the diverted funds.

ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, said in the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Kaduna Judicial Division, ICPC accused Mr. Lawal of conniving with the two other accused persons to divert a total sum of N64,800,562 in three tranches of N10,000,000, N47,840,000, and N7,320,562 to the bank account of Solar Life Nigeria Limited, where Mr. Lawal is believed to be the sole signatory.

The four accused persons are expected to appear in court on Friday, January 17, 2025, to take their plea.

A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has convicted and sentenced one Odeyemi Oluwaseun to one year imprisonment for internet fraud.

The convict, a self-styled spiritualist, was prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a two-count charge that bordered on internet fraud, impersonation and obtaining by false pretences.

Count one of the charges read: “That you, Odeyemi Hammed Oluwaseun, sometime in December, 2023 in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly induced one Bose to send $3200.00 worth of gift cards to you, with the impression that the same would be used to diabolically influence her ex-husband to return and marry her, while you pretended and represented yourself to be one Lord Hill, a female spiritualist with email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same Penal Code.”

Count two read: “That you, Odeyemi Hammed Oluwaseun, between August, 2023 to September, 2023 in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly induced one Schneider Alina to send $4500.00 worth of gift cards to you, with the impression that the same would be used to diabolically control her ex-boyfriend to return and marry her, while you represented yourself to be a female spiritualist with Instagram account _Visions_by_Tendo_12 and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same Penal Code.”

He pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to him, after which the prosecution counsel, Sesan Ola, reviewed the facts of the case, tendered the convict’s extra-judicial statements and evidence, including the sum of $1,000 recovered from him and prayed the court to convict and sentence him as charged.

In his judgement, the presiding judge, Justice Abdulgafar sentenced Oluwaseun to six months suspended jail term on each of the counts, and ordered that the sum of $1,000, iPhone 15 and 2008 Toyota Camry car recovered from him be forfeited to the federal government.

Oluwaseun, a 23-year-old man, who hails from Oyo State, defrauded his victims on the internet by posing as an American-based female spiritualist with powers to cause jilted women and estranged wives to regain the affection of their men.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on Thursday warned that the tax reform bills initiated by the Federal Government would undermine the operations of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, and weaken public university education in the country.

This was disclosed by the Bauchi Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Prof Timothy Namo, during an interview with journalists in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

DAILY POST recalls that the Federal Government submitted four tax reform bills to the National Assembly for consideration in November 2024.

Namo called on the National Assembly to suspend the debate on the bills, noting that their passage would redirect more funds to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFund. He warned that this would deprive TETFund of the necessary resources to function effectively.

“The bills seek to enact a new law and abrogate the Education Tax,” Namo explained.
“These bills, if passed into law, will replace the Development Levy, which has been a major source of funding for TETFund projects. All funds generated from the education tax will instead be ceded to the newly established NELFund.

“The far-reaching implication is that by 2030, all funds generated from the Development Levy will be accessed solely by NELFund. This is dangerous and unpatriotic.

“This poses a serious threat to the survival of TETFund and, consequently, the Nigerian tertiary education system,” he said.

Namo emphasised that TETFund had been instrumental in supporting infrastructural development, postgraduate training, research, and capacity building in public tertiary institutions across Nigeria since 1993. He asserted that ASUU would resist any move detrimental to TETFund’s operations.

The coordinator also revealed that ASUU leadership had engaged the Federal Government on the potential dangers of the bills and urged the National Assembly to set aside the proposals in the interest of Nigerians.

No fewer than 49 Higher National Diploma final-year students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic are on the verge of expulsion following a result verification process that exposed the alleged use of fake National Diploma results.

PUNCH Metro learnt on Thursday from a result verification update released by the polytechnic that the students had allegedly presented fake ND results while seeking admission into the HND programmes of the institution.

In a two-batch result verification list released by the polytechnic, the affected students cut across Mass Communication, Pharmaceutical Technology, Marketing, Science Laboratory Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Accountancy among others.

Some of the fake results were reportedly obtained from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, The Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa and Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa, Oyo State.

The institution had on Monday announced the indefinite closure of the polytechnic over a planned protest by the students.

Speaking with our correspondent on Thursday, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, ‘yemi Ajibola, noted that the verification was part of the institution’s process of authenticating documents submitted by admitted students.

Ajibola noted that the delay in the release of results was occasioned by the verification process, and after due diligence, the affected students were found to have submitted fake ND results.

He said, “We have our internal mechanisms for verifying results submitted by every student of the polytechnic. Some of the results had yet to be verified because the schools they came from had yet to confirm their results, while some of the results were found to be fake.

“We had a backlog of results to verify because of some administrative issue which necessitated the delay, and we are working on getting them resolved as soon as possible.”

He added that the students with fake results would not be immediately expelled but would be allowed to come and defend the results before final action was taken.

“They will not be expelled immediately. The institution will write each of the affected students to come and defend the result they presented, and in a circumstance where we detect an error in the verification process, we will rectify it.

“However, anyone who could not substantiate his/her results will be expelled,” Ajibola said.

The PUNCH reported on Thursday that the Ogun State Government and the students of MAPOLY disagreed over an alleged attack by the students on the state’s Deputy Governor, Mrs Noimot Salako-Oyedele.

While the government claimed that the deputy governor narrowly escaped an attack by the protesting students, the students, on the other hand, alleged that the deputy governor’s security detail fired shots at them during a confrontation.

The House of Representatives Committee on University Education has stated it will not approve the 2025 budget estimates of Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State, and all other universities whose vice chancellors failed to appear for budget defence at the National Assembly.

The chairman of the House Committee on University Education, Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata, made this known during the committee’s meeting for the 2025 budget defence of universities and inter-university centres.

Fulata emphasised that the exercise is crucial as it allows legislators to gain a proper understanding of the progress, opportunities, and challenges peculiar to each university.

He noted that the committee had recently carried out oversight visits to all the federal universities under its supervision, except Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State. According to him, the university’s management not only blocked legislators from conducting the oversight visit but also failed to respond to letters and correspondence regarding the 2024 budget performance and previous years. Additionally, no member of the university’s management team appeared for the budget defence when the roll call was taken.

The committee warned against non-compliance with federal character principles in the recruitment of employees and the appointment of principal officers within the university. The lawmakers urged vice chancellors and university councils to address these issues promptly.

Furthermore, the committee advised university management to ensure that internally generated revenue is utilised in line with constitutional provisions, warning that unapproved expenditure constitutes a gross violation of the constitution.

While acknowledging the primary purpose of universities—teaching, learning, and research—the committee expressed concern about the limited number of research outputs being effectively utilised.

Speaking on behalf of the universities, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Yusuf Ribadu, highlighted that university education is the cornerstone of national development. He pledged to take necessary steps to ensure progress.

Ribadu identified key challenges facing university education in Nigeria, including inadequate funding, the envelope system of budgeting, deficits in the quality and quantity of teachers, unreliable power supply, and land encroachment.

Police have arrested a suspected fake lawyer identified as Godwin Eguabor while he was representing a client in a court in Lagos state.

Eguabor reportedly appeared before a magistrate court in the Badagry area of Lagos on Wednesday on behalf of a litigator.

Atule Elchors, the vice-chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Badagry branch, said at the court hearing on Wednesday, Eguabor announced his appearance as legal counsel to a client.

Elchors said he has been hearing a rumour that a fake lawyer was engaging in legal services in Badagry.

“I stood up and told the court that the person who appeared before the magistrate is not a legal practitioner,” NAN quoted the NBA vice-chairman saying.

“And that we have been looking out for him.

“We asked for his supreme court number, which is the enrollment number of every lawyer, but he could not answer, he was just telling us stories.

“The worst thing is that the name he is using in court is different from the name he gave the police when they came to arrest him.”

BAIL APPLICATION

On Thursday, Eguabor was taken to the magistrate court by the police and charged for an offence bordering on illegal parade of oneself as a lawyer.

Edet Ekpo, the prosecutor representing the police, told the court that the offence contravened section 380 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

L A Layeni, the magistrate, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in like sum.

Layeni ordered that one of the sureties should be a company’s managing director and present a statement of account of the company for one year.

He said that the sureties must deposit N25,000 to the account of Ikeja high court registrar.

He adjourned the case to February 19 for further hearing.