The wife of Niger state governor, Hajiya Fatima Umar Bago has called on individuals, leaders, and groups to expose people who hide under the guise of culture to perpetrate sexual abuse. Speaking at the 2nd International Conference on Rape and Child Sexual Abuse organized by The Peak Story, Bago noted that exposing the abusers and their antics would enable young girls to identify and point them out.
According to reports, a kidnap victim residing in Abuja, who was identified as Segun Akinyemi was rescued by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Thursday. The Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hassan disclosed this development, adding that the Kawo Divisional Police Headquarters, Kaduna State received a distress call that the culprits and their victim were transiting through Kaduna State reportedly on their way to Kano State.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has warned against the act of raising money through crowdfunding to pay ransoms for kidnapped victims, noting that rather than solve the problem, it will worsen it. Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, stated this on Wednesday while briefing news men on the outcome of the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Minister for Federal Capita Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has expresses commitment to stamp out all form of criminality from the Abuja FCT and environs, saying FG can no longer condone such barbarism. The Minister made this declaration today during a town hall meeting at the Bwari Area Council of the FCT with stakeholders of the community. Wike convene the meeting following the increase incidents of kidnapping around the FCT and environs in recent time.
New Jersey, a state in the United States of America, is set to return stolen assets valued at $8.9 million which were stolen under the administration of Goodluck Jonathan to Nigeria. It was reported that Jersey’s Royal Court has ruled in favor of returning stolen assets valued at £6.9 million ($8.9 million) to Nigeria. The decision comes after Jersey’s Attorney General issued a forfeiture notice in November, asserting that the funds, deposited in a Jersey bank account, were likely misappropriated by Nigerian government officials in 2014. The illicit transfer of funds was reportedly disguised as government-sanctioned contracts for arms purchases during Boko Haram incursions in Nigeria between 2009 and 2015.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reopened money laundering cases against former governors and ministers. The antigraft agency disclosed that the renewed investigations encompass alleged misappropriation of public funds ranging from arms procurement to various forms of diversions. The estimated sum under investigation exceeds N853.8bn. According to sources within the commission, the Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, is revisiting these high-profile cases due to the vow he took upon taking office - "reviewing all high-profile cases, and also to tackle corruption regardless of suspects’ social or political status".
