May 20, 2022

[GIST] Nigerian Anti-graft Agency, EFCC Obtains Court Order To Detain N80bn Fraud-Linked Accountant-General, Ahmed Idris, For More Days

[GIST] Nigerian Anti-graft Agency, EFCC Obtains Court Order To Detain N80bn Fraud-Linked Accountant-General, Ahmed Idris, For More Days

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has obtained a court decree to detain the arrested Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, for more days.
This was disclosed by an official of the anti-crime body who spoke to Daily Trust on condition of anonymity that the legal department of the commission secured the order within 24 hours after Idris was arrested in Kano.

Ahmed Idris

But the source did not state the court where the order was obtained.
He explained that they have been relying on the order to keep him in their custody pending the conclusion of their investigation.
“He is still here with us, he has been cooperating. We will get to the root of the matter. The good thing is that our legal department has secured a court order helping us to hold him till we conclude our investigations,” the source was quoted as saying.
The official also noted that there is a high tendency that the former Accountant General of the Federation might spend days in EFCC's custody, noting that the “evidence at our disposal is damning”.
He added that some of the properties linked to him in Abuja, Lagos and Kano might be forfeited temporarily, saying that the commission will also push for their permanent forfeiture to the Nigerian government.
 
 
The Nigerian Government on Wednesday announced the suspension of the embattled accountant-general with a view to allowing a thorough investigation into the allegations against him.
 
In a letter conveying Idris’ suspension, the Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed warned the embattled public official not to visit the office at any time.
“Following your recent arrest by EFCC on allegations of diversion of funds and money laundering, I write to convey your suspension from work without pay effective May 18, 2022,” the letter partly read.
Efforts to reach the spokesman for the commission, Wilson Uwujaren on the phone for comments and clarification were not successful.

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Akeju, Music Executive To Produce Anti-Discrimination Song For ARDN Red Card Campaign

Akeju, Music Executive To Produce Anti-Discrimination Song For ARDN Red Card Campaign

 



Akeju, Music Executive To Produce Anti-Discrimination Song For ARDN Red Card Campaign
Akeju, music executive to produce anti-discrimination song for ARDN Red Card Campaign
Abass Mubarak Akeju, American-based Nigerian media executive popularly known as Akeju is set to produce a unity song for the African Renaissance and Diaspora Network (ARDN) Red Card Campaign to end all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls.

The music project will premiere at the 2022 Africa Day Celebration hosted by ARDN at the United Nations headquarters on 25 May 2022, and will feature five African female artists.

The Red Card Campaign was initially launched by ARDN, in collaboration with the Presidential Council for Africa of the French Republic, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

An objective of the campaign is to mobilize global commitments to put an end to all-forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls.

While making comment on the unveiling of the music project, Dr Djibril Diallo, ARDN President and CEO, applauded Akeju for proposing the idea for the song and stated that he look forward to the production with great relish.

“I must first appreciate Akeju for coming up with such creative idea. As an organization with human heart, we hold a strong belief that every human being, irrespective of race, tribe or religion deserves to be treated equally, as promised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, said Dr. Diallo.

“Women and girls are amongst the most vulnerable and marginalized persons in our countries and communities, and must be uplifted and empowered. We hope the Red Card Campaign to bring us closer to the world envisioned by the United Nations — one where no one is left behind. I look forward to the unveiling of the song; and am confident that it will help galvanize our common humanity and further spread the message of solidarity.”

Akeju expressed excitement about the opportunity to work on the project and also explore his inner creativity to carve out a masterpiece that will captivate a global audience.
[GIST] Nigeria Needs A Mother, So I Will Take Country As My Child – APC Female Presidential Aspirant

[GIST] Nigeria Needs A Mother, So I Will Take Country As My Child – APC Female Presidential Aspirant

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A female presidential aspirant on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Uju Ken-Ohanenye, has said that she will take Nigeria as her child if elected as president because the country needs a mother.

Ken-Ohanenye made the statement during a press conference on Thursday in Abuja.

The legal luminary who is the only APC female presidential aspirant under the ruling party said, “The touch of a woman is lacking in the governance of this country, and the earlier the men dropped their ego and admit this fact, the better for us all.

“I will take Nigeria as my child, the country wants a mother and that is why I am in the race to bring in that mother’s touch that the country needs at this time. I have no godfather; all I have is Nigerians and am not going to back out of the race because of men, for I know I have the Nigerian electorate as my backbone.

“I am confident that Nigerians are tired of men being in positions of authority and they want a female to take over come 2023.”

According to her, it is time for women to be at the helm of affairs in the country, as men who have been in power for over 40 years have not achieved much.

“We cannot continue that way, a woman should be given a chance, we need a mother; that is what the country has been lacking,” she said.

Ken-Ohanenye promised to give 60 per cent of political appointments to women across the country and 40 percent to men if elected president in 2023. 

She further promised to prioritise the youths in her administration by creating an enabling environment for businesses to flourish.

According to the female aspirant, “I need a chance to prove how education and how important every Nigerian is, and I cannot get that chance without all of you.

“I believe that if you are shown how important you are by getting you involved in governance, and giving you an enabling environment to achieve your dreams, the sky would be our limit in this country and banditry and other illegalities will gradually come to an end.”

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[GIST] Nigerian Government Signs Terrorism, Money Laundering Bills Into Law

[GIST] Nigerian Government Signs Terrorism, Money Laundering Bills Into Law

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President Muhammadu Buhari passed three bills into law on Thursday in Abuja to improve the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing/proliferation financing framework in Nigeria.

The bills are; the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2022, the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2022, and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Bill, 2022.

The President explained that the news laws conformed with the administration's commitment to end corruption and illicit financing activities in the country.

Femi Adesina, the presidential spokesperson, said "The new laws have provided enough punitive measures and containment strategies against abuses and compromises", noting that the inadequacy of all the repealed Acts had impacted legal actions against offenders.”

On the importance of the legislations, the President said, “The signing of these Bills into law today not only strengthens the Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) framework in the Country, but addresses the deficiencies identified in Nigeria’s 2nd round of Mutual Evaluation as assessed by Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa on compliance with the Financial Action Task Force global standards.

“Accordingly, the repeal of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and enactment of Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 provides comprehensive legal and Institutional Framework for the prevention and prohibition of money laundering in Nigeria and confers on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the legal status of the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering.

“The repeal of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011 as amended in 2013, and enactment of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 provides for the effective implementation of international instruments for the prevention and combating of terrorism and suppression of the financing of terrorism.

“The enactment of the Proceeds of Crime (recovery and Management) Act, 2022 makes comprehensive provisions for the seizure, confiscation, forfeiture and management of properties derived from unlawful activity.”

“The primary objectives of these measures are to ensure an effective, unified and comprehensive legal, regulatory and institutional framework for the implementation of the Acts.

“This is profound and calls for coordinated responses to the challenges posed by the menace. I, therefore, charge all relevant agencies to ensure the effective implementation of these new laws.

“The robust frameworks diligently enshrined in the Acts can only serve useful purposes when every bit of them is enforced.”

Stressing that the fight against corruption requires an “All of Government, All of Nation approach,” the President affirmed that every Nigerian had a role to play to rid the country of corrupt practices.

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters gathered that the government has widened the definition of what it considers to be an Act of terrorism under the newly enacted Terrorism Prevention And Prohibition Act 2022 to reflect contemporary issues the government is dealing with.

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May 19, 2022

[GIST] Kano Explosion: Police Discover Flammable Chemicals At Scene, No Gas Cylinder

[GIST] Kano Explosion: Police Discover Flammable Chemicals At Scene, No Gas Cylinder

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As the controversy surrounding the cause of Tuesday’s explosion in Kano that has claimed no fewer than nine lives, the state police command has discovered a combination of combustible chemicals at the scene.

Earlier, police officials said the explosion emanated from a welder shop, it was a gas explosion.

However, the police have said no gas cylinder was recovered from the site of the incident. Meanwhile, the welder was the first casualty of the explosion.

The command now suspects that the deadly explosion might have been caused by the combustible chemicals retrieved from the scene, which have been sent to a private forensic laboratory to confirm their suspicion.

ARISE News had reported that the Kano State Police Bomb Unit had recovered three combustible chemicals from the site of the explosion.

According to the report, the chemicals recovered were potassium, unidentified volatile chemicals and tobacco.  

The report quoted the command’s spokesman to have said, “The exhibits recovered are potassium, unidentified volatile chemicals and tobacco and the chemicals will be taken to a private lab for forensic analysis.”

 

He said, “We were able to discover that the explosion was ignited by some other chemicals contained in a warehouse attached to the collapsed building where some chemical substances were also recovered. Some combustible materials were also recovered.

“We recovered them at the scene and currently we have launched a discreet investigation into this matter and after our investigation, we will let you know the details of the investigation.”

SaharaReporters had reported that the death toll from the explosion which occurred on Tuesday morning had increased to nine as announced by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

“Nine dead bodies have been recovered so far from the rubble of a collapsed building beside a primary school following an explosion from a gas cylinder at Aba Road in Sabon Gari area of Kano State.

 

“DG @nemanigeria Mustapha Habib Ahmed was at the site of the incident and coordinated the rescue operations. NEMA is presently coordinating the rescue operations with sister agencies,” the ministry had tweeted.

 

Earlier, the police command in Kano State said the explosion was triggered by a gas cylinder and not a bomb.

 

“It is not a bomb explosion, it is a gas explosion,” Commissioner of Police, Sama’ila Dikko, said in a voice recording.

 

“A gas cylinder explosion. Because there is a welder, just by the place, and he is the first victim in this situation.”

 

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