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Suspected Fraudsters Arrested for Impersonating Police to Defraud Traders in Niger State

Fola Badmus5 months ago5 months ago03 mins

The Niger State Police Command has arrested four suspected fraudsters who pose as police officers to swindle unsuspecting traders of their money and cattle at different markets. The suspects identified as Aliyu Abbas, 35, of Funtua, Katsina; Jibrin Idris, 35, of Gwiwa, Jigawa; Musa Ya’u of Daura, Katsina; and Abubakar Yahaya, 45, were arrested on April 16, 2025. Spokesperson of the command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, who confirmed the arrest in a statement, said the suspects were found to be in possession of a handcuff, N1.2 million, cut-to-size papers, liquid chemicals for counterfeiting notes, and two mobile phones. “On 16th April, 2025 at about 3pm, acting on a credible intelligence that a syndicate of four men who specialized in defrauding unsuspecting members of the public in various markets around Niger State were sighted at Izom cattle market, planning to defraud a person after selling his cattle,” the statement read. “Based on this, Police operatives of Maje Div mobilised to the scene and intercepted one black Mercedes Benz vehicle with Reg. No. KTU 747 HF with the following suspects; Aliyu Abbas 35yrs of Funtua, Katsina, Jibrin Idris 35yrs of Gwiwa, Jigawa, Musa Ya’u of Daura, Katsina and Abubakar Yahaya 45yrs of Daura, Katsina. “On interrogation, the suspects confessed to being fraudsters and a sum of one million, two hundred thousand naira was recovered from them. Other exhibits include a bunch of cut to size papers, liquid chemicals claimed to be used for counterfeit notes, handcuff, and two phones. “Some victims identified the syndicate as fraudsters who had swindled them of their money and cattle at different markets. It was also said that at times, they do present themselves as policemen to their victims or counterfeit notes producer and other means of defrauding people. “The suspects are under further investigation and will be charged to court after investigations

Peter Obi Was Packaged By The Elite, He Had 10 Suvs In His Convoy – Sowore

Fola Badmus5 months ago5 months ago07 mins

During an interview on Noble Nigeria hosted by Noble Eyisi, Sowore explained his principled stance on not aligning with political godfathers in order to win power. Human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) Omoyele Sowore has said he refuses to compromise his values for political gain, warning that Nigeria has become “a burial ground for good- intentioned people” where evil is more likely to thrive than virtue. During an interview on Noble Nigeria hosted by Noble Eyisi, Sowore explained his principled stance on not aligning with political godfathers in order to win power. ‘Peter Obi Was Packaged by the Elite’. On the subject of Peter Obi, Sowore was unflinching. He described the former Anambra State governor as a “packaged” candidate promoted by the elite to hijack the energy of the #EndSARS movement. “After #EndSARS, the youth were ripe for power. But the elites knew they had to insert someone they could talk to,” Sowore claimed. “So they gave them Obi, and it was all packaging.” According to Sowore, Obi is not the revolutionary some people think he is. Sowore also accused Obi’s supporters of waging an aggressive information campaign and using social media to silence dissenting voices. “Obi was portrayed as the face of the youth struggle, but it was a tyranny of the minority,” he said. “Even Wole Soyinka told me he almost fell for it up to a point. He said I was almost endorsing this guy. And then he woke up one day and his name was all over, and he said he was asking, what did I do wrong? What did I do wrong? It turns out they just picked on him for no reason. And even though he didn’t participate in the election, he became the most ridiculed person after the election. That was what got him upset. And he said, ‘Oh, if this is my last assignment on earth, I’m going to let people know who you people are.” Recounting his own encounters with Obi, Sowore shared personal stories of what he described as hypocrisy and stagecraft. “When we were running for election, I noticed something about him. If Peter wants to take a private jet, he will go and enter through commercial place and greet everybody. You think?. And then they will bring a vehicle and put him to go to the private jet area,” he said. He narrated how Obi would then switch to the VIP lounge for a private jet. “I was actually expecting that he was driving Innoson motors,” he said. “Peter Obi had nothing less than 10 big Toyota SUVs waiting for him. And I was telling myself, why do you have to lie? So why do you have to cover up for this? Nobody’s going to be upset with you that you are a presidential candidate if you have a convoy. “But look at this trajectory, and that packaging is his style. And if you want to get away with finding out, then he’ll send his people after you.” “I knew him and he knew that I knew him. But there were guys who were against him in those days who didn’t have the courage to come out again, because they were afraid of the backlash, and they did a fantastic job of scaring everybody,” he said. Sowore narrated how Obi once publicly praised him for helping him become governor, but later allowed his associates to smear him and novelist Okey Ndibe with false accusations. “They printed posters in Anambra calling us gay partners,” he recalled. “That’s when I knew he endorses those rabid online attacks.” “Information Warfare Worse Than Military Rule” Sowore warned that the political atmosphere in Nigeria had become dangerously intolerant, comparing the media manipulation around Obi’s rise to tactics seen during the civil war and military rule. “But there were guys who were against him (Obi) in those days who didn’t have the courage to come out again, because they were afraid of the backlash, and they did a fantastic job of scaring everybody,” he said. He added that many of the youth leaders from EndSARS had been co-opted or silenced, naming popular activists and entertainers who allegedly supported the elite’s plan.

Pope Francis’ Funeral Holds On Saturday

Fola Badmus5 months ago5 months ago03 mins

The body of the late Pope Francis will be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday at 9:00 AM to lie in state until his funeral on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM. The Holy See Press Office announced on Tuesday that Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside at the funeral Mass, which will be concelebrated by Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from across the globe. The Eucharistic celebration will conclude with the Ultima commendatio and the Valedictio, marking the beginning of the Novemdiales, or nine days of mourning and Masses for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul. The late Pope’s body will then be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica and then to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for entombment. Earlier, on Wednesday, the coffin containing the Pope’s body will be carried from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside over the rite of translation on April 23, which will begin at 9:00 AM with a moment of prayer. The procession will pass through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs, according to the Holy See Press Office. The procession will then exit through the Arch of the Bells into St. Peter’s Square and enter the Vatican Basilica through the central door. At the Altar of the Confession, the Cardinal Camerlengo will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, at the conclusion of which the visits to the body of the Roman Pontiff will commence.

NNPCL Earns ₦336bn from Crude Sales to Dangote, Foreign Buyers

Fola Badmus5 months ago5 months ago04 mins

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) generated ₦336.37 billion from crude oil sales in the first quarter of 2025, with Dangote Petroleum Refinery accounting for over 32 percent of the transactions. Internal documents submitted at the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meetings and obtained by The PUNCH revealed that crude supplies to the refinery totaled ₦107.44 billion, with unit prices ranging from $74.87 to $80.34 per barrel. These transactions were settled in naira using exchange rates recommended by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), between ₦1,501.22/$ and ₦1,562.91/$. This naira-based crude supply arrangement is part of the Federal Government’s initiative to support local refining, conserve foreign exchange, and reduce fuel import dependency. Initially introduced in July 2024, the naira-for-crude policy directed NNPCL to sell crude oil to Dangote Refinery in naira for an initial six-month phase. While the refinery briefly suspended sales in naira in March 2025 due to currency mismatch concerns, the Federal Executive Council reaffirmed the agreement, emphasizing its importance as a sustainable long-term policy. Following the policy’s reinstatement, Dangote Refinery slashed its ex-depot petrol price to ₦835 per litre—its third reduction in six weeks—underscoring the benefits of local crude supply. During Q1 2025, the refinery received seven cargoes totaling 915,821 barrels from the Okwuibome field operated by Sterling Oil (SEEPCO), under a Production Sharing Contract. However, SEEPCO has faced scrutiny over alleged expatriate quota abuse and anti-labour practices, prompting investigations and sanctions from the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB). Despite these controversies, SEEPCO’s operations continue to play a vital role in Nigeria’s oil sector. The NNPCL’s sales documents listed crude shipments to Dangote Refinery with transaction values ranging from ₦5.69 billion to ₦34.18 billion. These shipments contributed significantly to local supply while leveraging domestic exchange rates. The total value of the crude lifted by Dangote Refinery was $70.54 million, equivalent to ₦107.44 billion, all settled in naira. In addition to domestic sales, NNPCL also realized ₦228.94 billion from exporting 1.95 million barrels of crude oil to international refiners, sourced from Egina, Erha, and Forcados Blend fields. These export transactions, executed under Production Sharing Contracts with companies like Total, ExxonMobil, and Pan Ocean, were priced between $74.90 and $78.94 per barrel. The export exchange rates provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria were slightly lower than those used for Dangote’s domestic purchases, reflecting the volatility in the foreign exchange market and the challenge of balancing forex earnings with domestic energy priorities.

Refiners Warn Fuel Importers May Soon Be Pushed Out of Business

Fola Badmus5 months ago5 months ago09 mins

Crude Oil Refinery Owners Association of Nigeria has projected that importers of petroleum products in Nigeria may soon go out of business if they refuse to follow local refining trends. CORAN stated this as the Federal Government ordered the return of the naira-for-crude deal despite calls for its cancellation by the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria. In an interview with our correspondent, the Publicity Secretary of CORAN, Eche Idoko, dismissed the claims by DAPPMAN that the sale of crude to local refineries in naira affected the economy negatively. According to Idoko, the depot owners, who are primarily importers of petroleum products, made the claims because they would not want to go out of business. He argued that those who own depots to store imported products will not want the refineries and the pipelines to function as their functionality would send them out of business. “We understand why they (the importers) wanted the Federal Government to cancel the naira-for-crude deal. For them, they would not want to go out of the market. And I keep telling you, a man who has drums that store water in order to make money, would not want the pipes to run. Because if the pipes start running, his drums go out of business. That’s what tank farm owners do,” Idoko stated. The CORAN spokesman said appeals were made to the depot owners to re-strategise so as to remain relevant when Nigeria becomes a refining hub. However, Idoko said the importers remained adamant in the business of fuel importation, saying they would go out of business because refining has come to stay in Nigeria. “Unfortunately, we are asking them to come so that we can re-strategise and change their business strategy so they can remain relevant when Nigeria becomes a refining hub, but they are not forthcoming. “Well, as long as they decide to keep to that position, at some point, they will all go out of business. Because refining in Nigeria has come to stay,“ he stressed. Idoko worried that some individuals are still hellbent on continuing a regime of importing substandard fuel into the country. He explained that importers do not want local refining to succeed, and they have since resorted to kicking against the naira-for-crude deal. According to him, the price of petrol was heading to N700 per litre before the naira-for-crude deal was discontinued, adding that the price ought to have dropped further with the crash in crude oil prices across the globe if not for the suspension of the naira deal in March. “The price of PMS continued to rise because these middlemen are the elements that want to see that local refining is not sustained. When we turned to local refining in this country, we saw the price of petroleum products dropping. And it was going to go down more as the crude prices crashed. “Unfortunately, we have middlemen who pride themselves as agents. They have no scheme in the game other than that they have fixed prices because they don’t have risk. All they do is to connect Nigerian consumers with international traders and then make their money and go away. So, they don’t have anything to lose. They have no investment in this business. They just come in as agents, make money, and then cash out,” he stated. Idoko said, “It is foolhardy for anybody to think that in their bid to continue a regime of importing substandard petroleum products, they could thwart the naira-for-crude policy. We appreciate the Federal Government for bringing back the naira-for-crude deal.” The naira-for-crude deal ordered by President Bola Tinubu allowed the sale of crude in naira to the Dangote refinery, prompting a crash in fuel prices. With the supply of crude in naira, the Dangote refinery continued to crash petrol prices across the country. From about N1,100 per litre, the company slashed the price of premium motor spirit to N860. But importers of petroleum products lamented the repeated reduction of petrol prices by the refinery. Some of the importers lamented that they were compelled to sell below their costs, as consumers only buy from where the product is cheaper. While Nigerians were rejoicing over the price slashes, fuel importers and retailers said they were counting losses. Sunday PUNCH reports that importers lost an average of N2.5bn per day and N76.5bn in a month due to Dangote’s sudden price changes in March. With the belief that the naira-for-crude deal was giving Dangote an undue advantage over its competitors, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria asked the Federal Government to cancel the deal, arguing it was inimical to the country’s economy. The DAPPMAN Executive Secretary, Olufemi Adewole, disagreed, saying, “The naira-for-crude-oil transaction framework presents significant risks that could affect Nigeria’s foreign exchange stability and deter foreign direct investment.” Adewole emphasised that crude oil transactions are traditionally carried out in US dollars due to its stability and global acceptability. He stressed that failure to align with this international standard could isolate Nigeria from global markets, diminishing trade opportunities and discouraging investment inflows. “The global oil market operates in US dollars due to its stability. Continuing the policy could alienate trade partners and investors who rely on the predictability of the dollar,” he stated. However, the Federal Government ignored DAPPMAN’s call for cancellation, ordering that the naira-for-crude deal should continue indefinitely.

Music Icon, Ebenezer Obey, Debunks Death Rumour

Fola Badmus5 months ago5 months ago12 mins

Music legend, Evangelist Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi has debunked rumour making rounds on social media over his death, saying he is alive and that the public should disregard the rumour. The musician turned cleric took to his Instagram fields to dispel the rumour in the early hours of Tuesday. Obey, who sang one of his gospel tracks; ‘Satan You Don Lose’ said in the video; “It is a fake news that started a few hours ago that I, Evangelist Professor Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi, has passed on to glory. “It is a pure lie. I am alive. And that is not what Jesus has written about me. What Jesus has written about me is only what will manifest upon my life. “I’m alive says the Lord and don’t believe any fake news. I’m alive and I dey kampe. “My time is not up yet. Until when Jesus says my time is up, nobody, I said again nobody, nobody nobody…. “Thank you very much all people that have been calling. “I’m alive.” Trendbrio recalls the music icon was rumoured dead in July 2020 and this makes it the second time.

aster: Senator Natasha distributes 600 bags of rice to constituents

Senator Natasha distributes 600 Bags of Rice to Constituents For Easter Celebration

Fola Badmus5 months ago5 months ago02 mins

Lawmaker representing Kogi Central senatorial district, Senator Natasha H Akpoti -Uduaghan on Saturday, distributed 600 bags of 50kg rice to constituents to alleviate their burden of purchasing food during the Easter season. The distribution, which cuts across party lines, targeted various groups including religious bodies, market women, vulnerable people, forums, and party faithful across the 57 wards of the five local government areas in the senatorial district. The beneficiaries included religious bodies, market women, vulnerable people, Forums, and party faithful amongst others. Speaking during the distribution programme at the senator’s residence in Okehi local government, former House of Representatives Member, Hon. Abdulrahman Badamasiu, urged constituents to continue to support and pray for Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, especially during the occasion of the festive period. He explained that the Senator will continue to bring democratic dividends to the people despite her illegal suspension by the Senate. Recall Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had earlier distributed 2,400 bags of grains during Ramadan and organised training and empowerment programmes despite being suspended by the Senate.

Ekiti Governor Reaffirms Commitment to World-Class Tourism Development

Fola Badmus5 months ago5 months ago02 mins

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has reiterated his administration’s commitment to transforming the state’s tourism destinations into globally recognized attractions. Speaking at the 7th edition of the Hike Ekiti Mountain Safari held at Sagbonke Mountain in Efon Alaaye, the Governor described tourism as a key driver of economic growth with the potential to significantly boost the state’s revenue. Impressed by the natural beauty of Sagbonke Mountain—also known as the Mountain of Cloud—Governor Oyebanji called it a hidden treasure with immense global appeal. He directed relevant ministries and agencies to develop a comprehensive investment plan for the site, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between government, investors, and cultural custodians to unlock its full potential. The Governor encouraged stakeholders to partner with the government in turning Ekiti’s natural endowments into sustainable tourism assets. He expressed confidence that with coordinated efforts, Ekiti would soon rank among Nigeria’s top tourism destinations, citing Sagbonke Mountain as a symbol of the state’s untapped wealth. Director General of the Bureau of Tourism Development, Amb. Wale Ojo-Lanre, praised the Governor’s vision and commitment to revitalizing the tourism sector. He highlighted Ekiti’s rich cultural heritage, serene environment, and natural wonders as unique assets that, under the current administration’s leadership, could position the state as a must-visit destination for global travelers.