The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has called on President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and Yomi Arowosafe, Secretary of the Universal Service Provision Fund, USPF, to account for and explain the whereabouts of the alleged missing or diverted ₦26.9 billion of public funds from the Universal Service Provision Fund, USPF. SERAP urged the President to direct Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to promptly and effectively investigate the allegations that ₦26.9 billion of public funds are missing…
Author: Funke
An aspirant for the All Progressives Congress, APC ticket for the Share/Oke-Ode state’s constituency seat in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Abdulrasheed Akogun, has officially submitted his completed nomination form ahead of the 2027 election cycle. Akogun, popularly known as “Omo Akogun,” said the move marked a major step toward realising his ambition of representing the people of Share/Oke-Ode Constituency under the platform of the APC. The aspirant also announced plans to commence a ward tour across the constituency as part of efforts to engage party members, stakeholders and residents on his vision for the area. Akogun seeks purposeful…
For having unlawful sex with his 12 years old sister-in-law, a man, Chika Donatus Nneli aged 42, has been convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison for the offence of defilement. Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Sexual and Domestic Violence Court, Ikeja handed him this judgement following a plea bargain agreement to the amended two-count charges of sexual assault. The defendant, an importer was 37 years old when he perpetrated the crime against his sister-in-law, who lived with the couple on the promise that she would be enrolled in school, but that never happened. Trouble began for the convict…
Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court, Ikeja, on Thursday refused to grant bail to Ufoma Joseph Immanuel and his company, Intermediate Investment Holdings Limited over an alleged $1.5 million fraud. Earlier, the court also dismissed the preliminary objections filed by the boss of Intermediate Investment Holdings Limited. Justice Dada delivered the ruling on the applications filed by the defendant on January 5, 2026. The judge refused the defendant bail application on the ground that he is a flight risk, citing his failure to honour the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC invitations after being granted administrative bail was indicated…
Troops of the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in collaboration with other security agencies have rescued all victims abducted from the Daarul-Kitab Islamic Orphanage in Lokoja, Kogi State. This development was confirmed by the Kogi State Government. According to Kingsley Femi Fanwo, Hon. Commissioner for Information and Communications in a statement released on Wednesday, the remaining victims were rescued following coordinated and sustained search-and-rescue operations. The operation led to the safe recovery of five boys, two girls, and two adult females from the Agbaja Forest axis in Lokoja Local Government Area. Fanwo noted that the troops of the 12 Brigade…
Nigeria may face the most technologically sophisticated disinformation campaign in Africa ahead of the 2027 general elections if urgent steps are not taken to strengthen fact-checking systems and media verification processes, Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society, CEMESO, Dr. Akin Akingbulu, has warned. Akingbulu raised the concern on Tuesday in Abuja at a technical summit organised by CEMESO. During the stakeholders’ engagement titled, “Mitigate Misinformation and Disinformation in the Electoral Process: Elevate Fact-Checking Capabilities of Journalists,” held at BON Octagon Hotel. According to him, the country’s information ecosystem is under severe pressure from artificial intelligence-driven misinformation, foreign…
The Police High Command on Wednesday announced significant breakthrough in its operations detailing major successes in the arrest of suspected terrorists, kidnappers, and other criminal elements, across the country in April 2026. According to a statement by the Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon Placid, the operations led to the arrest of 28 suspected terrorists, 85 suspected kidnappers, 62 armed robbery suspects, 51 murder and culpable homicide suspects, and 54 suspected cultists. The operations were carried out under the leadership of Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu. The police also rescued 189 kidnapped victims from various criminal…
The Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade, has warned that the rise of artificial intelligence-driven misinformation, particularly deepfakes, poses a significant threat to credible journalism ahead of the 2027 general elections, urging Nigerian journalists to strengthen their fact-checking capabilities. Speaking at a technical summit organised by the Centre for Media and Society, CEMESO, in Abuja on yesterday, Arogundade said the rapid evolution of AI tools has made it increasingly difficult for citizens to distinguish between authentic and manipulated information. He noted that deepfakes, AI-generated images, videos, and audio that convincingly mimic real people and events have become…
The Federal Government has banned honorary degree holders from using the “Dr” title, in a decisive move to curb what it described as widespread abuse of academic honours. Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education announced the ban during a press briefing at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday, May 6 He disclosed that the decision was approved at the Federal Executive Council meeting held on April 30. Alausa explained that the directive targets the misuse of honorary degrees, noting that the privilege had increasingly been exploited for political patronage and financial gain. The Minister said the Federal Government took…
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has faulted the judgement delivered in the N5.5 billion defamation suit involving the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, describing it as inconsistent with established legal principles. Reacting to the ruling, Adegboruwa, who is one of the lawyers in the case, said the judgement failed to reflect critical legal arguments presented before the court. “The judgement did not reflect the legal arguments canvassed in the case, especially on the legal status of DSS as to whether the agency established by law is DSS or SSS,” he stated. Court ignored key legal questions The…