A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Josef Onoh, has said that former President Mohamadu Buhari’s eight years in office were characterised by monumental corruption and insecurity.

Onoh stated this in a statement issued on Friday while responding to Buharis’ claim that Nigeria experienced significant improvements in its security and economy under his tenure.

The former President stated that he inherited a bad economy and security challenges from the Peoples Democratic Party, which was in government for 16 years.

Buhari, however, asserted that his government’s strategies successfully tackled these challenges, curbing terrorism and economic hardship.

Responding to Buhari’s comments, Onoh said the country experienced economic collapse, monumental corruption and insecurity under his watch.

Onoh asserted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is suffering from the consequences of Buhari’s mismanagement of the economy during his eight years in office.

The statement read, “Nigerians today accuse Tinubu’s administration of being the worst they have met without knowing that the President chose to be silent and carry his cross alone without shouting or calling names.

“He continues to navigate the economic minefields the Buhari administration left behind after they failed to frustrate him from becoming the president.

“Under Buhari’s watch, the North East. North Central, South East, South West couldn’t go to sleep in peace. When you assumed office on May 29, 2015, the cumulative number of people killed in Nigeria, according to the NST, was 34,972. But from the day you assumed office, the death figure rose to 98,083 as of May 16, 2023.

“Under your watch as President, 98,083 were killed in 12 years; 27,311 persons were killed in your first term in office; 35,800 were killed between 2019 and May 2023.

“Let me remind General Buhari that Nigeria has never witnessed the level of insecurity witnessed under his administration, not even during the Civil War. Let me refresh your memory with figures of Nigerians killed under your watch: In 2015, 5556; In 2016, 5763l; In 2017, 4618; In 2018, 6565; In 2019, 8340. In 2020, 9694; In 2021, 10575; In 2022, 9079; In 2023, 2921 totalling 63,111.

“You rode on the mantra of change but ended up changing Nigeria for the worst, and after you failed, you turned around to blame PDP your continuous self-assessment begs certain questions: could this stance be a political pretence or stem from a genuine insensitivity which has been your trade mark.”

Onoh said under the Buhari administration, Nigeria was ranked high in the Global Terrorism Index and was ranked low in the Global Peace Index.

He added, “In 2019, under your watch, Nigeria was ranked 3rd below Afghanistan and Iraq out of 138 countries in the Global Terrorism Index and was said to be the 14th most fragile in the world and the 9th in Africa, according to the Fragile States Index. Unsurprisingly, in the same year, our country was also ranked 148th out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index, far below former war-ravaged countries like Sierra Leone (52), Liberia (59) and Rwanda (79).

“Under your watch, attacks and reprisal attacks continued in states like Kaduna with accusations of ethnic cleansing and mismanagement of religious and cultural diversity today. Tinubu’s administration has brought peace to southern Kaduna.

“Your insensitivity and ineffectiveness of your security chiefs were part of the reason for the spread of insecurity that allowed these groups to operate with impunity while you displayed ‘the failure or unwillingness while in authority to address these and other non-state actors and to secure ungoverned spaces, which cumulatively allowed the violence to mutate.”

The APC chieftain also stated that the former president failed to handle the economy and insecurity, which affected the country’s attraction for foreign direct investment.

He added, “On the issue of economy, your failure to handle insecurity created an environment in which Boko Haram extended its operations’. The heightening insecurity continued to impact negatively on the business environment and business flows of our nation during your tenure.

“Under your watch, one of the biggest fish markets in West Africa, located in Baga near the Lake Chad basin in North East Nigeria, has long been abandoned due to the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency and only under Tinubu’s administration has life gradually started coming back.

“Without prejudice, I maintain that in any fair assessment of Buhari’s administration, either by himself or even artificial intelligence, he must take these facts into consideration before giving false credits to his elapsed administration or himself. He should always remember these staggering statistics i have provided clearly have a verifiable impact on the direction of investment decisions, whether foreign or local.

“In the end, it affected both the perception of Nigeria globally and the reality of citizens’ livelihoods in our oil-rich country, which today Tinubu’s administration is paying the price of his ineptitude.

“Finally, one of the greatest legacies the Buhari administration left in the minds of Nigeria as its greatest contribution to the economy was a success story of a recharge card seller turned billionaire overnight and a serving Central Bank governor running for president from the comfort of his office using public funds.

“Your administration yesterday introduced “Ranka ya Dede Nepotism”, today, it’s “Emiloka”, tomorrow it might be “igbo kwenu” and what will be next tomorrow’s catchphrase. Because your 8 years in office was truly the las vegas of insecurity and corruption”.

Mohammed El-Rufai, eldest son of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said he supports the probe of his father’s administration by the Kaduna State Government, provided it is done with clear, unbiased intent.

In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Saturday, Mohammed stressed that while accountability is crucial, any probe must focus on uncovering facts rather than settling personal scores.

The lawmaker representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, however, urged that investigations not be used as a political weapon.

“If done for selfish reasons, such inquiries only harm progress,” he said.

Speaking further, Mohammed stated reconciling his father and his successor, Governor Uba Sani, is not his responsibility, saying that the rift between the two is being exaggerated in the media.

Mohammed, however, stated that he was not happy with the ”cold war’ between his father and the governor, considering the role both played in his life.

Emphasising his commitment to serving his constituents, Mohammed stated that his priority is effective governance in his constituency and not mediating in the ongoing rift.

He said, “Some people are delighted, seeing my father and the Governor enmeshed in a conflict, just like the legendary Bollywood actors, Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra fighting.”

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, the founder of Love World aka Christ Embassy has opened up on why several gospel musicians, such as Sinach, Joe Praize, Frank Edwards, Eben, and others left his church.

The singers had started their music careers at the Love World before dumping church. Many claimed they left due to restrictions on ministering outside Christ Embassy.

For instance, as Sinach’s international music ministry grew, her presence at Christ Embassy became scarce, which allegedly displeased Oyakhilome.

It is believed that Oyakhilome asked her to return and actively participate in the church’s singing ministry to no avail.

In a viral video, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome explained that he stopped working with the singers because they were no longer celebrating God.

According to Oyakhilome, he tried to get them to change their ways, but they refused and stopped following him. In his words:

“Why did it happen? The church was turned into a party place, not a prayer place where God’s word was truly celebrated…they were not soul winners; they led praise in church, and when it was time for prayers, they were gone.

The church lost its way of worship, everything changed, the music in the church became worldly, they danced for themselves, celebrated themselves not God, they charged for their singing, they became professionals making money from the church….and many pastors didn’t know that this was the world coming into the church.

I did at the beginning and celebrated them but when I changed, they refused to change with me, so I had to let them go; God was getting my attention and saying this is not the way. I told them the Lord wanted us to do the right thing…they had become too popular and because they were making even little money….do they know what big money is? The little money they were making was too attractive to them, so they didn’t want to follow me, so they made a detour….I hope they all repent…..they are not worship leaders.”

Tragedy struck the people of Abagana Community in Njikoka local government area of Anambra State on Friday, when a 37-year-old man, Anthony Kosisochukwu Okafor sent his elder brother, Mr. Emmanuel Okafor, 45, to his untimely grave.

LEADERSHIP learnt that the sad incident happened at about 7pm on Friday when Anthony and his deceased brother, Emmanuel Okafor, had disagreement over foodstuffs sharing at their Adegbe Village home in Abagana.

It was learnt that the younger Okafor, in a fury of anger during the quarrel between him and his elder brother, pierced the latter’s chest with a stick, resulting to his death.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga confirmed the incident on Saturday, disclosing that the younger Okafor has been arrested by a joint security team of the Abagana Police Division and operatives of the state ad-hoc security organisation, Anambra Vigilante Goup (AVG).

Ikenga further revealed that the suspect has confessed to engaging his deceased brother in a fight about foodstuffs consumption.

The Command’s spokesperson said, “The suspect confessed to having engaged the victim in a fight over a heated argument about using foodstuffs in the house. Kosisochukwu was said to have used a stick to pierce the deceased chest.

“The victim was rushed to the hospital and was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty.”

The PPRO described the incident as quite disturbing as it highlights the importance of addressing domestic violence and conflicts amongst family members.

Police further emphasised that the incident underscored the need to manage conflicts and emotions in healthy and constructive manners to avoid irreparable consequences.

“The case has been transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka and shall be charged to court on the conclusion of the investigation”, the PPRO stated.

Abductors of the former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Retired General Maharazu Tsiga, have demanded a N250 million ransom as a condition for his release.

DAILY POST recalls that Gen Tsiga was kidnapped on Wednesday night following the invasion of his residence in Katsina State by over 100 gunmen.

According to a member representing Bakori/Danja federal constituency Katsina State, Abdullahi Balarabe Dabai, the attackers after surrounding the house, began to break doors, a situation that prompted the general to come out and asked them what they were looking for.

Security operatives had launched a manhunt for his release from the captivity of the assailants.

A source close to the family who preferred anonymity, told Daily Trust on Friday that the family was contacted and N250 million was requested.

Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday said Mexico has received almost 11,000 deported migrants from the United States since January 20 when President Donald Trump took office.

Sheinbaum said the figure included about 2,500 non-Mexicans.

Sheinbaum, earlier this week, reached a deal with Trump to pause threatened tariffs on Mexican goods in exchange for deploying thousands of National Guard police to the country’s northern border with the United States in a bid to further reduce the flow of U.S.-bound migrants.

The Mexican president, while speaking at her regular morning press conference, added that Mexico has also repatriated deported migrants to Honduras via flights as well as ground transportation.

She, however, emphasized that the repatriations were not forced.

“It’s voluntary. We will accompany them so they can go to their home countries,” she said

The Nigerian currency, Naira, continued its appreciation run against the dollar at the parallel foreign exchange market on Friday.

According to a Bureau de Change operator in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, Abubakar Alhasan, the Naira appreciated to N1565 per dollar at the close of business on Friday from N1570 traded on Thursday.

This means that on Friday, the Naira recorded a N5 gain against the dollar compared to the N1,570 exchange rate the previous day.

Meanwhile, at the official FX, the Naira closed at N1,500.41 per dollar on Friday from N1,499.98 exchange on Thursday, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s FX data.

A comparison across the FX market showed that the gap between the official and parallel windows has shrunk to N64.59.

DAILY POST reports that in the five days, the Naira recorded significant appreciation, with the highest on Thursday.

The Naira’s gain against the dollar may not be unconnected to CBN’s FX Code and FX sell extension to BDC operator policies

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested nine suspects linked to the gruesome killing of Justice Azuka, the lawmaker representing Onitsha North 1 Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly.

Azuka was kidnapped on December 24, 2024, along Ugwunaobankpa Road in Inland Town, Onitsha, while returning home for Christmas.

His decomposing body was discovered by the roadside near the Second Niger Bridge in the early hours of Thursday.

Announcing the arrests in a press statement on Friday, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra, CP Nnaghe Itam, disclosed that a joint security team comprising police operatives and Anambra Vigilante Group (AVG) personnel had launched a mission to rescue the abducted lawmaker, only to find his lifeless body.

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“Our interaction today is to highlight some of the notable breakthroughs recorded by the Anambra State Police Command on major incidents in the state within the period under review,” Itam said.

“Many of you are aware of the gruesome murder of Justice Azuka, the State House of Assembly member representing Onitsha North Constituency 1 in the Anambra State House of Assembly who was abducted on December 24, 2024, in Onitsha.

“This serious incident motivated the Command to go the extra mile in intelligence gathering and discreet investigation.

“In the early hours of February 6, 2025, at the Second Niger Bridge, the joint security team comprising the police and AVG operatives, on a mission to rescue the abducted State House of Assembly member representing Onitsha North, found his lifeless body at the scene. (May his soul rest in perfect peace.)”

According to him, on the same day the body was discovered, “the command operatives in a joint operation with Anambra State vigilante operatives, acting on intelligence-led information, arrested nine suspects actively involved in this unfortunate incident and recovered two pump-action guns.

“One of the suspects sustained a gunshot injury in his leg during a gun duel with the Police operatives.”

The arrested suspects include: Ugochukwu Onuorah (30); Ikemefuna Ossai (20); Ikenna Orugu (27); Chibuike Obiefuna (19); Chinonso Olisa (19); Chinedu Okoli (21); David Ojini (25); and Peter Sunday (20), described as the most notorious, with a tattoo on his chest reading “No peace 4 d Government.”

The Commissioner also revealed that the command had successfully arrested “one Chidiebere Nwosu, a kidnap suspect in Uruagu, Nnewi, and neutralised some of his gang members that were involved in the attack of Police personnel attached to the Rapid Response Squad after a successful arrest on 3rd October 2024.”

He further disclosed: “We have also neutralized more than 100 notorious criminals and successfully destroyed many criminal camps in Ufuma, Eziowelle, Achalla, Ogbaru, and many other places in the State.”

CP Itam extended his appreciation to the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, “for his guidance and overall support,” and also thanked “the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, sister agencies, the media, residents of the State, Anambra State Vigilante operatives, Civil Society Groups, Organisations, and many others for their unflinching support within the nine months that I have spent in the State as the Commissioner

of Police.”

The National Identity Management Commission has identified over 6,000 Nigeriens registered on its database with the National Identification Number.

This was as President Bola Tinubu directed an inter-ministerial committee to ensure comprehensive data for the National Social Register for the Federal Government’s social investment programmes.

Impeccable sources in the Presidency told Saturday PUNCH that the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, briefed the Federal Executive Council on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, on the activities of NIMC, an agency under his purview.

The minister reportedly affirmed that the NINs were withdrawn from the illegal holders in an ongoing database clean-up. 

On October 13, 2022, the Defence Headquarters in Abuja said troops in conjunction with the Nigeria Police and operatives of the Nigeria Immigration Service intercepted two suspected fake NIMC officials.

The Director of Defence Media Operations at the time, Maj.-Gen. Musa Danmadami, in a statement, said, “It was revealed that the suspects had visited the Gagamari IDP camp in the Niger Republic to register non-Nigerians in the IDP camp.

“Items recovered from the suspects include National Identification Number registration machine, printing machine, laminating machine, a computer tracking machine and a generator set among other items.”

The fake agents were reportedly charging non-Nigerian citizens, primarily from neighbouring countries such as Niger Republic, to obtain Nigerian NIN.

Investigations revealed that such fraudulent registrations occurred in border communities, further heightening the risk of unauthorised access to Nigerian identity credentials.

The NIMC enrols citizens and legal residents, assigning them a unique NIN.

The 11-digit number is tied to an individual’s biometric and demographic data, providing a centralised system to verify personal identity for various governmental and private transactions.

Sources at the Presidency told our correspondent that President Tinubu wanted the existing database to reflect the details of the most vulnerable Nigerians who needed social interventions such as conditional cash transfers and student loans.

A source said, “It was the Minister of Interior that gave that briefing because, you know, NIMC is under him.

“The interior minister said NIMC is tidying up the database because they found over 6,000 people from Niger Republic who obtained NIN. But they have been wiped from the database.

“The humanitarian ministry needs the data for its social register to perform its function. Also, the education ministry needs that data for student loans. The President doesn’t want to disburse money to people they cannot identify. They (NIMC) are ensuring that they verify the data. They are also registering more Nigerians and fine-tuning the data. So, the President wants it done quickly.”

The source revealed that after the briefing, the President asked the national security adviser and the interior minister to join an existing panel overseeing the humanitarian ministry.

Recall that while announcing the suspension of the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, on January 7, 2024, Tinubu asked a panel headed by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance to, among other functions, “conduct a comprehensive diagnostic on the financial architecture and framework of the social investment programmes to conclusively reform the relevant institutions and programmes in a determined bid to eliminate all institutional frailties for the exclusive benefit of disadvantaged households and win back lost public confidence in the initiative.”

On January 12, the President suspended all Social Investment Programmes administered by the National Social Investment Programme Agency, including the school feeding programme, for six weeks.

A day later, he approved the establishment of a Special Presidential Panel to be led by Mr Wale Edun.

The SPP included the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance as Chairman, and the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, as a member. 

Other members are the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammad Idris; Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijjani; and the Minister of Youth, Ayodele Olawande.

The panel now includes the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Interior Minister, Tunji-Ojo; the Education Minister, Tunji Alausa; and the Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda.

Another source at Tuesday’s FEC meeting said, “It is an inter-ministerial committee; the President asked the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and the Minister of Interior to join. The National Security Adviser is also on that committee. The interior minister is there because, you know, NIMC is under him.”

Giving further context to the developments, the Director-General of NIMC, Bisoye Coker-Odusote, said the agency was working to ensure transparency and accuracy in government payments, particularly for humanitarian purposes.

In a phone interview with our correspondent on Friday, she said, “There is a presidential panel for the humanitarian ministry. If you recall, when the former minister left, they set up an interim panel. So the Minister of Interior and the others have been added to that panel to ensure that they can use the NIN to make payments for humanitarian ministry so that the NIN can be used to ensure accuracy and transparency.

“This literally means that the people collecting money are not ghost beneficiaries, they’re real people, and they’re identifiable. So, you have to use a verifiable set of records to identify them, and that’s where NIMC comes into play using the NIN.

“It will save the country a lot of money if you can tie NIN and identify those beneficiaries. That way, everything is transparent. Nigerians can see that the government has made the right choice and has paid the people that receive the money. The people that really need the money are the ones that get the money.”

Coker-Odusote added that the data clean-up would ensure accurate and verifiable details on the National Social Register.

“The National Social Register under humanitarian [ministry] houses the names of all the beneficiaries they want to pay.

“Now, you have to be able to verify the identities on those social registers, which means they must have a NIN for you to be able to make your payment.

“That way, you just ensure people don’t put fictitious names on the list. You’re able to make sure you verify the identities of those people. Once you’re able to verify the identity, you can make payments,” she added.

The NIMC DG clarified that recent reports about SIM registration concerns stemmed from the telecommunication companies, which had been rectified.

“What has been in the news about NIN-SIM linkage is from the telcos’ end. The telcos have more than one number for each person.

“So, they had an issue, a glitch on their end, and they corrected it already. It has nothing to do with NIMC. We don’t collect more than one phone number,” she stated.

As of the time of filing this report, the spokesperson for the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr Sola Akinlabi, declined to comment on the issue.

Security experts argue that undocumented foreigners holding a NIN is not new, adding that the tide will continue if there is no political will to stem it.

An expert, Brig. Gen. Aliyu Momoh (retd.), said, “There is nothing new in what is happening in the country. Our borders are porous. But the political will is what is lacking.

“Everywhere you go in some northern states, you see many non-Nigerians moving freely without documentation. Can Nigerians do that in Chad or Cameroon? No! Can you walk in Niger Republic without your papers as a Nigerian?

“However, because of socio-cultural and religious factors, there has not been much action taken for several years now. But I will give it to the current leadership, both of the President Bola Tinubu and the Service Chiefs. There is so much to be done. But we must give it to them.”

The House of Representatives member representing Kebbe/Tambuwal federal constituency of Sokoto State, Rep. Abdussamad Dasuki, has donated N100 million to his constituents as Ramadan palliatives.

Presenting the cheque on Friday in Sokoto to a 35-member Ramadan Palliatives Committee, to procure and distribute the palliatives to members of his constituency, Dasuki said this was timely because of the state of the economy and the upcoming Holy month of Ramadan.

“Ramadan starts soon and what we are doing today is to ensure that Muslim faithful in Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency are supported as they observe Ramadan, which is one of the pillars of Islam. The committee will decide the kind of Ramadan palliatives to give to the people,” Dasuki said.

He said the Ramadan palliatives committee comprises Imams and some community leaders in the constituency.

“Our plan is to ensure that these palliatives get to the people before Ramadan to provide succour to them during the Holy month of Ramadan,” Hon. Dasuki added.

The committee is chaired by Hon. Abubakar Sadiq Sanyinna, who is also the chairman of Elders Committee in Tambuwal, while the Deputy Chairman is Hon. Adamu Haruna Kebbe, who is the former Special Adviser to Governor Aminu Tambuwal on Special Duties, with Hon. Attahiru Danmadi, Senior Legislative Assistant to Rep Dasuki, serving as the secretary of the committee.

Other members of the committee include Hon. Alhaji Haruna Kamaniya, PDP Chairman in Kebbe local government area, and Hon. Alhaji Ummaru Sarkin Noma, PDP Chairman in Tambuwal local government area of Sokoto State.

Rep Dasuki urged the people of Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency to embrace charity and be generous to others.

Describing the observance of Ramadan as one of the five pillars of Islam, making it a fundamental aspect of the Muslim faith, Rep Dasuki said increased acts of kindness and generosity create a spirit of unity and compassion, both within the Muslim community and in the broader society.