News & Announcements

Journalists in the White House press corps covering President Joe Biden’s administration habitually steal insignia items from Air Force One, four people told West Wing Playbook.

The looting reportedly grew to such a degree under Biden’s tenure that the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, NBC correspondent Kelly O’Donnell, issued a “terse reminder” that stealing from Air Force One is not allowed, several individuals who saw the off-the-record email confirmed to Playbook.

None of the members of the press corps reportedly responded to O’Donnell’s email.

There are chances that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi may dump the party before the next general elections. This is coming just a few days after the party reserved its presidential ticket for Obi in the 2027 elections.

Speaking during an online chat with his supporters on X (formerly Twitter), Obi dropped hints of a likelihood of him pitching his tents elsewhere. He said his focus remains fixing Nigeria for the benefit of all citizens and said that the mission that the “Obidient Movement” has imbibed.
Obi said, “Our engagement is about Nigeria, they are trying to change our focus. What we want to do is not about the Labour Party; it is about what the Obidients want to do about Nigeria.

“We are thinking about water, we are thinking about power, we are thinking about employment, thinking about security. That should be our focus.
“The other matter we will deal with. We were somewhere, we didn’t start with Labour.
“I’m a Christian. Jesus said, When you go into a city, try to change them, live with them, fast. in the end, you can’t come out and even wash the sand that is on your shoes.

“He didn’t say go there and die with them. I tell you, I’m making spirited efforts to change them (LP), but I’m not going to die with them.
“That will not stop what we set out to do. We will try to change them (LP), if we can’t, we will leave them; we will not die with them.”

King Charles III has only been Britain’s reigning monarch for 18 months, yet his funeral plans are already set amid his battle with pancreatic cancer. Named “Operation Menai Bridge,” the monarch’s funeral processions will look similar to Queen Elizabeth II’s ceremonies, dubbed “Operation London Bridge.” As his cancer progresses, royal insiders tell In Touch that Charles’ final resting plans are of timely prioritization.

“It’s a fairly common thing to do among the British royalty, but in Charles’ case expediency is necessary,” says the source, who notes that “some courtiers believe Charles’ cancer is worse than they’re making it out to be.”“Operation Menai Bridge” is set to include familiar protocols. When the monarch dies, Charles’ body will be moved from the throne room at Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. He will lie in state, and his official funeral will take place nine days later. He will likely be buried in the royal vault at Windsor Castle.

– King Charles III family 
“It will have all the pomp and circumstance befitting a British monarch,” adds the source.
The update comes shortly after a separate high-ranking royal insider told In Touch that Charles is not only battling pancreatic cancer – a timely update given that he did not share what kind of cancer he was diagnosed with – but has a mere two years to live. “King Charles is much sicker than the palace lets on and simply isn’t up to the job of running his fractious family, the crown’s business interests and fulfilling the daily duties of the monarchy,” the member of the royal inner circle revealed in early March. “His cancer is eating him alive. He’s very frail. The situation is desperate.”

Royal watchers have begun to witness his decline, too. Though he will be stepping out on Easter Sunday for a service at Windsor, the king is missing from the royal calendar for the foreseeable future, instead relying heavily on his sister, Princess Anne, to do the work of the royal family. While many would have assumed his heir, Prince William, would be stepping up to the plate, he too is missing from the royal schedule due to Princess Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.
However, additional sources told In Touch that more could be at play between Charles and William outside of the family’s respective health crises, as the king is under the impression William is not ready to take the throne.

– The British Royal Tree
“Charles knows the pressures of being the monarch, and he just isn’t sure William is ready to take his place,” the third insider revealed, noting that William is “currently facing a public relations disaster.” “It seems premature, and there could be consequences.”With such an update, the future of the monarchy seems shaky at best, and even Queen Camilla is said to be frustrated by Charles’ declining health and weakened status.

“Behind the scenes, Camilla is disgusted by the king’s apparent weakness and is providing him little comfort as he battles his fatal cancer,” a palace courtier told In Touch in early March, highlighting her vacation from royal duties which started on March 4. “By going on holiday, she was thumbing her nose at stepson William, who is incapable of shouldering the monarchy’s burdens on his own.”

The kidnapped Kuriga school students in Kaduna State have been released after 16 days in captivity, the state Governor, Senator Uba Sani has confirmed.

The Governor announced this on his Facebook page in the early hours of Sunday.

Uba Sani commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the Nigerian Army, without further details.

In the post, he stated: “In the name of Allah the Beneficient, the Most Merciful, I wish to announce that our Kuriga school children have been released.

“Our special appreciation goes to our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for prioritizing the safety and security of Nigerians and particularly ensuring that the abducted Kuriga school children are released unharmed. While the school children were in captivity, I spoke with Mr. President several times. He shared our pains, comforted us, and worked round the clock with us to ensure the safe return of the children.

“Special mention must also be made of our dear brother, the National Security Adviser, Mal. Nuhu Ribadu for his exemplary leadership. I spent sleepless nights with Mal. Ribadu’s finetuning strategies and coordinating the operations of the security agencies eventually resulted in this successful outcome.

“The Nigerian Army also deserves special commendation for showing that with courage, determination, and commitment, criminal elements can be degraded and security restored in our communities.

“We also thank all Nigerians who prayed fervently for the safe return of the school children. This is indeed a day of joy. We give Almighty Allah all the glory.”

The armed men stormed LEA Primary School Kuriga and Junior Secondary School, Kuriga town, in Chikun Local Government Area of the state on March 7 and abducted students including a principal, Abubakar Isah.

The bandits were demanding billions for the release of the students, but both the state and federal governments insisted that no ransom would be paid.

President Tinubu ordered military and other security agencies to ensure the children were rescued.

One of the abducted 287 school children reportedly died in captivity. The released victims had been taken to hospitals for medical attention.

No fewer than two female students of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, have reportedly died following a stampede that occurred at the university’s convocation square on Friday.

The convocation square was the venue for the distribution of palliatives to the students by the Nasarawa State government.

A source within the university said that two female students have been confirmed dead as a result of the stampede which left others with several degrees of injuries.

“What we are hearing now is that two female students have died. They were said to have been suffocated because of the crowd and they were later declared dead by the healthcare workers,” the source said.

Confirming the incident, the National President of the Nasarawa State Students Association, Yunusa Baduku, said that most of the students involved in the stampede had been rushed to hospitals in the area for medical attention.

He said, “Seriously, what happened this morning at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, is uncalled for, and very pathetic.

“After we arranged for the distribution of palliatives to the students which was to be held at the University’s convocation square, they (students) suddenly arrived at the venue in their numbers and overpowered the security.

“They broke through the gate into the Convocation square where the bags of rice were to be shared.

“Unfortunately, most of our female students sustained several degrees of injuries, while others got suffocated because of the population at the venue for the distribution of the palliatives.

“For the numbers of those injured, I cannot confirm that at the moment because some of them are at the school’s clinic while others are here at the FMC, Keffi receiving treatment.”

Baduku, however, commended the university’s management, student leaders and representatives of the state government for their prompt action in assisting the students to get quick medical attention.

The State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, recently distributed two 7.5 kg bags of rice and N5,000 to each student of the Federal University of Lafia, Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia, and the College of Education, Akwanga.

The Defence Headquarters has declared that no fewer than 97 persons are wanted.
The wanted persons include terrorists and insurgents, among others, who are behind violent crimes in the country.

They also include a factional leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Simon Ekpa.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba released the names and pictures of those declared wanted on Friday.

It was reported last week that the military high command was planning to declare some terrorists wanted.
Unlike in November 2022, when the military declared no fewer than 19 bandit leaders wanted with a bounty of N5m on each of them to encourage Nigerians to volunteer information that could lead to their arrest, this time around, no bounty was placed on the 97 persons declared wanted.
The names and pictures contained terrorists from the North East and North West as well as insurgents in the South East and North Central.

A total of 43 persons were declared wanted in North West Zone ravaged by banditry, among which are: Alhaji Shingi; Malindi Yakubu; Boka ; Dogo Gide; Halilu Sububu; Ado Aliero ; Bello Turji; Dan Bokkolo; Labi Yadi ; Nagala; Saidu Idris; Kachalla Rugga and Sani Gurgu.
In the North East ravaged by Boko Haram and Islamic State for West Africa Province terrorists, 33 persons were declared wanted.

Some of them are Abu Zaida; Modu Sulum; Baba Data; Ahmad; Sani Teacher; Baa Sadiq; Abdul Saad; Kaka Abi; Mohammad Khalifa; Umar Tella; Abu Mutahid; Mallam Mohammad; Mallam Tahiru Baga; Uzaiya and Ali Ngule. Also, a total of 21 Insurgents and violent criminals were declared wanted in the southeast and North Central Area.

They are Simon Ekpa; Chika Edoziem; Egede; Zuma ; ThankGod; Gentle; Flavour; Mathew; David Ndubuisi ; High Chief Williams Agbor; Ebuka Nwaka; Friday Ojimka; Obiemesi Chukwudi aka Dan Chuk ; David Ezekwem Chidiebube and Amobi Chinonso Okafor aka Temple among others.

The Federal Government, in a significant move geared towards the protection of national economic integrity and fiscal sustainability, filed a lawsuit against well-known cryptocurrency exchange site Binance.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) made the allegations public on Monday after they were formally filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The case, which has the case number FHC/ABJ/CR/115/2024, accuses Binance of four counts of tax evasion.

Accompanying the crypto company as second and third defendants in the suit are Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, both senior executives of Binance currently held in custody by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charges leveled against Binance include allegations of non-payment of Value-Added Tax (VAT), Company Income Tax, failure to file tax returns, and complicity in aiding customers to evade taxes through its platform.

Furthermore, the Federal Government accuses Binance of neglecting to register with FIRS for tax purposes and contravening existing tax regulations within the country.
One of the counts in the lawsuit pertains to Binance’s purported failure to collect and remit various categories of taxes to the federation, as stipulated by Section 40 of the FIRS Establishment Act 2007 as amended.

This section explicitly addresses the non-deduction and non-remittance of taxes, prescribing penalties, and potential imprisonment for defaulting entities.

The charges outline specific instances where Binance allegedly violated tax laws, such as the failure to issue invoices for VAT purposes, thereby impeding the determination and payment of taxes by subscribers.

“Any company that conducts business exceeding N25 million annually is deemed, by the Finance Act, to be present in Nigeria,” the FIRS noted in a statement.
“According to this rule, Binance falls into that category. So, it is obligated to pay taxes like Company Income Tax (CIT) and also collect and remit Value Added Tax (VAT). However, Binance did not adhere to these requirements, thus violating Nigerian laws and potentially facing investigation and legal action for this infraction.”

The Federal Government says it remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring compliance with tax regulations and combating financial impropriety within the cryptocurrency sector.
By law, FIRS is empowered to assess, collect, and account for revenue accruing to the Federation and administer relevant tax laws.

Binance previously pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws in the United States in late 2023, reaching a plea bargain agreement that resulted in the company paying a hefty fine of $4.3 billion.
  his visit to Governor Sani after the kidnap of the Kuriga school children promised deployment of a Police Mobile Force against banditry in the state.
The governor, while receiving the squad, expressed appreciation to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetekun, for fulfilling his promise on the deployment of the squad.

Exit polls indicated Sunday that Vladimir Putin has won another six-year term as Russian president, clearing the path for the tough former spy to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than 200 years.

The 71-year-old’s victory was never in doubt, with all of his major opponents killed, imprisoned, or exiled, and authorities cracking down on those who publicly criticized the Kremlin or its military incursion in Ukraine.

After voting closed in Russia’s westernmost territory of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, the government-run VTsIOM pollster predicted Putin would easily win with 87 percent of the vote.
The three-day election was highlighted by an increase in lethal Ukrainian bombardments, pro-Kyiv sabotage organizations infiltrating Russian territory, and damage at polling places.

The Kremlin had framed the poll as an opportunity for Russians to lend their weight behind a full-scale military action in Ukraine, where voting is also taking place in Russian-controlled territory.
Kyiv and its allies denounced the vote as a fraud, and President Volodymyr Zelensky referred to Putin as a “dictator” who was “drunk from power”.
“There is no evil he will not commit to maintain his power,” Zelensky wrote in a social media post.

An EFCC witness, Bamaiyi Mairiga, on Thursday, told an FCT High Court, Maitama that the signatures of former President Muhammadu Buhari and the immediate past Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, were forged.
Mairiga, a forensic document examiner with the EFCC, said this while testifying in the ongoing trial of the immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, before Justice Hamza Muazu.
Emefiele is charged with an amended 20-count charge bordering on conferment of corrupt advantage, forgery, criminal breach of trust, conspiracy to obtain by pretense, and obtaining money by pretense.

The sacked CBN governor is accused in the charge of forging a document titled: Re: Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Missions dated 26 January, 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201 and purported same to have emanated from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to the Governor of the CBN.

He is further alleged to have, on February 8, 2023, knowingly obtained, by pretense, $6,230,000.00 by falsely representing the SGF via a letter dated 26 January 2023 with Ref No. SGF 43/L.01/201 requested the CBN to provide a contingent logistic advance for $6,230,000 “in line with the President’s directive”.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him.
Testifying as the sixth prosecution witness (PW6), Mairiga, said that he was on secondment to EFCC from the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).

He told the court that the forensic department of EFCC received a request for the examination of some signatures that were forwarded to the department.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN the witness told the court that as an expert, he knew as a fact that no two writers shared identical handwriting characteristics.
He added that two writers could not produce their writing exactly and no writer could exceed their skill level.

According to PW6, “With this in mind, the signatures were examined for the presence of life quality, slants, alignment, diacritical placement, pen movement, skill of execution and comparisons of class and individual characteristics against the specimen signatures.”
Mairiga told the court that both the disputed and specimen signatures were analyzed to identify individual characteristics present or absent in each of the signatures.

The witness added that a comparison of the identified individual characteristics in both the disputed and specimen signatures were compared to establish similarities and dissimilarities.
“To verify the entire process, further analysis was carried out using further methodology and a peer review by another expert to validate it in terms of reproducibility.
“The conclusion from the analysis revealed that the disputed document showed evidence of forgery and copy act,” Mairiga told the court.
He said it was found out that the skill of execution was discovered to be different from that of the specimen signatures.

The witness added, “Specifically, the disputed signature and the specimen signatures were found to be different concerning pen movement, skill of execution, and loop formation. There were individual characteristics.

“This is a confirmation that the author of the specimen signature did not write the signature of Muhammadu Buhari on the disputed document.”

According to him, the same analysis process led to the conclusion that “the author of the specimen signature did not write the signature of Boss Mustapha on the disputed document.”
Mairiga added that the process was reduced to a report, which was tendered as an exhibit before the court.

Without any objection from the defense, the report was admitted and marked a second Exhibit FDE.
Oyedepo asked the witness to identify the disputed document in the previous exhibits, marked Exhibit PD6 and Exhibit PD7.

Mairiga told the court that the disputed document in Exhibit FDE was the document titled, “Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observe Mission” purportedly signed by Muhammadu Buhari, which was marked “X” in the exhibit.
He added that the second disputed document was marked “X1”, titled “Re: Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observe Mission” purportedly signed by Boss Mustapha.
While being cross-examined by counsel for Emefiele, Matthew Burkaa, SAN, the witness told the court that though he was on secondment from Immigration, he reported daily for work at the forensic department of EFCC.

He further told the court that he had been on secondment to the anti-corruption commission since 2018.
He added that the Head, Forensic of EFCC is Benedict Agboye, who he said was an expert in question document analysis.

The witness said it is preferable in question document analysis to compare the original document to the original instead of photocopy, adding that both original and photocopy could be compared.
At a point during cross-examination of the witness, Burkaa applied to the court to formally note the witness as being in court deliberately to mislead the court.

“Court should take note of his (Mairiga) demeanor of deliberately refusing to answer questions from the defense and the court to mislead them,” Burkaa said.
The prosecution counsel, however, countered this, saying the court has the responsibility of observing the demeanor of a witness.

He added: ”It is unfair for the defense to say that the witness is in court to mislead it.”
Mairiga later told the court that in the report he issued, he analyzed the signatures of both former President Bihari and Boss Mustapha but did not analyze Emefiele’s signature.

Meanwhile, Justice Muazu adjourned the continuation of the hearing until March 11.

During the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi chaired by WTO Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasized the importance of FIFA’s partnership with the World Trade Organization (WTO) in delivering actions that would provide a real impact in improving lives and livelihoods in West Africa and committed to using products from Cotton-4 plus (C4+) in FIFA programs.

Present at the event, were ministers and senior officials from across the WTO’s 164 member states alongside key partners, aiming to generate progress on key international trade discussions that aim to foster development and to explore how best to use football to promote economic inclusion in developing countries, to analyze the economic impact of football and its role in unlocking global economic growth potential and to seek options for the development of capacity-building activities that support the use of football as a tool for women economic empowerment, all of this with a focus on the WTO’s cotton program.

Albeit, President Gianni Infantino stressed that “Football touches the emotions of people, and that’s why we need to use football to promote not just football development but to help people in their day-to-day life; The C4+ initiative in partnership with the WTO is fantastic for FIFA because it puts the spotlight through football on something special.” It would be recalled that in September 2022, FIFA signed a memorandum of understanding with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to promote the effective use of cash crops as a vital raw material for the production of sports apparel amongst West African C4+ countries – Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mali – as well as in Côte d’Ivoire.

The cotton produced in these countries is among the most sustainable in the world however, most is exported as a raw material rather than a finished product. If that could be changed to mean the field-to-fabric cycle is completed in the C4+ nations, they would gain a greater share of the sports apparel market revenues.

“Together with the WTO and other partners, FIFA wants to do something real, something concrete, something impactful, and something that will influence the life of many people,” said Mr Infantino. “We want to create jobs. We want to help in the fight against poverty. We want to empower women – especially in these countries – and this is something that we need to pursue and push.”

Earlier, the FIFA President explained that football had a real economic impact of almost USD 270 billion, with at least 70% of that generated in Europe. By growing the football economy outside of Europe, the potential exists for that value to grow to half a trillion, helping raise the standard of lives around the world in the process.

“We really (wanted to) get involved in something that can make a material difference in the lives of people in Africa and this partnership is designed to do that – produce value-added products on the continent that can go straight into the sports apparel value chain,” said Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. “The economic value in the sport is so underappreciated. It’s an exciting potential that we have not tapped on the continent. 70% of the income is generated in Europe, and this must be expanded to other regions. We have to get some of this back into Africa; we absolutely must!”

FIFA’s partnership with WTO is playing a part in promoting sustainable development via the global football economy, with a specific focus on the C4+ cotton-producing countries in Africa. Initiatives such as committing to using C4+ cotton products in its programmes help drive efforts and investment into the C4+ and African continental value chains.

“FIFA is an association in which 211 countries are members from all over the world,” the FIFA President added. “The big countries, the big clubs, have their producers for apparel, but many others from all over the world struggle to find somebody who produces jerseys and so on for them. We want to support them where needed through this partnership with the WTO.

“Equally, when it comes to FIFA, we also have some projects around the world. Football for Schools is an education project, and we want to use the sportswear that we require to be produced in the C4+ countries.”

Before the end of the event, the FIFA President, the WTO Director-General, together with FIFA Legends Christian Karembeu, Khalilou Fadiga and FIFA Member Associations Africa Director Gelson Fernandes, unveiled the new ‘Partenariat pour le coton’ branding which will be used for more impactful engagement in leveraging sports for greater industrial and socio-economic growth.

In addition to some panel discussions, there were individual speeches from Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Ahmat Abdelkerim Ahmat, the Minister of Trade and Industry of Chad, Shadiya Alimatou Assouman the Minister of Industry and Trade, Republic of Benin, and Moussa Alassane Diallo, Minister of Industry and Trade, Republic of Mali.