News & Announcements

Kehinde Adekusibe, 28, was detained by the Osun State Police Command for using derogatory language on the microblogging website Twitter.

Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force Headquarters’ public relations officer, announced the arrest on his verified Twitter account, @Princemoye1, on Thursday.

The statement, titled, “Osun Police Arrests Social Media User Who Tweeted ‘Let’s Kill All The Igbos,” read, “The Osun Police Command has arrested one Kehinde Adesogba Adekusibe, ‘m’, 28 years who violated the social media policy on hate speech.

“It could be recalled that, on 18th May, 2023, the suspect, Kehinde Adekusibe, on his Twitter handle, tweeted, “Let’s kill all the Igbos. Let’s flush them out of Yoruba lands.

“I hate these people with passion. They are violent people. They are the worst. They hate us. Let’s hate them without holding back.”

The Force PRO stated that immediately the force got knowledge of the hateful act, detectives from the cyber crime section at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Osogbo, “swung into action, and through intelligence led investigation, the suspect was arrested at Ilesa where he hibernated.”

“The suspect has confessed to the crime, and he will be charged to the court after the completion of the investigation.

“We have done what is needful on this matter. It can only take some time; every offence committed leaves a trace, and culprits will surely face the music.”

Adejobi appreciated the state police command for its wonderful efforts on the matter.

Asari Dokubo, a former Niger Delta protester, is currently being met by President Bola Tinubu at the State House. Abuja.

Around 11:00 am, Dokubo arrived to the Aso Rock Villa. He then met with the President behind closed doors.

Dokubo had arranged for Niger Delta youths to attend the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal hearing in Abuja three weeks prior.

He was a fervent Tinubu supporter who had pleaded with Nigerians on Thursday to hold him responsible if the president’s government failed.

He noted that former presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari did not act as Tinubu has in the most recent weeks of his administration while discussing the effects of the suspension of gasoline subsidies.

He said: “If Ahmed Bola Tinubu fails, hold me responsible. I am unapologetic.

“I have known him since 1992 and I know what he stands for, and can stand in the gap between him and the people and say this.

“This is a step my brother Goodluck failed to take when he had the opportunity. The same step Buhari could not take and Tinubu took it from his first day at the office.”

The Department of State Services (DSS) has quizzed the suspended chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Abdulrasheed Bawa for questioning.

The spokesperson of the Service, Dr. Peter Afunanya, who confirmed this last night, said Bawa honoured DSS invitation after he was suspended from office.

According to him, “Bawa arrived a few hours ago. The invitation relates to some investigative activities concerning him.”

The DSS, however, didn’t state if he has been released on bail or is still being held at their facility.

Bawa’s suspension is coming barely one week after the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele was suspended by President Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu Suspends EFCC Chairman Bawa Indefinitely

President Tinubu had sent Bawa on indefinite suspension from office.

According to a statement by the office of the secretary to the government of the federation (OSGF), the removal of the commission’s chairman is to allow for a proper investigation into his conduct while in office.

This, the statement noted, followed weighty allegations of abuse of office leveled against Bawa.

The president directed Bawa to immediately hand over the affairs of his office to the director of Operations in the commission who will oversee the affairs of the Office of the Chairman of the Commission pending the conclusion of the investigation.

The suspended EFCC boss was the first staff of the commission to be appointed as the chairman.

Appointed in 2021 at the age of 40, while he was Deputy Chief Detective Superintendent heading the Lagos zonal office of the EFCC, Bawa was confirmed as the chairman of the commission in February 2021.

He joined the organization in 2004 and was in October 2015 appointed to head the commission’s investigations of Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former minister of Petroleum Resources, and her associates.

He is the youngest chairman of the commission as previous substantive chairpersons of the EFCC, including Ibrahim Magu, who chaired the agency in an acting capacity for almost five years, stepped into the highly coveted office at well over 40 years of age.

The pioneer chairman of EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, assumed office at about 43 in 2003 and left in 2007.

His successor, Farida Waziri, assumed office in May 2008 at the age of 59 and left on November 23, 2011.

Ibrahim Lamorde, stepped into office at the age of 49 on November 23, 2011, and left on November 9, 2015.

Apart from his record age, Bawa was the first substantive chairman without a background in the Nigerian Police Force, a feature which appears to be in line with one of the reported recommendations of the Ayo Salami panel
Bawa who hails from Jega, in Kebbi State, graduated from the Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics (Second Class Upper) in 2001.

Bawa, who joined the EFCC as an Assistant Detective Superintendent (ADS) in 2004, also holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy, which he obtained from the same university in 2012.

He was part of the pioneer EFCC Cadet Officers, course one, 2005.

He rose through the ranks to become a Deputy Chief Detective Superintendent (DCDS), a position he has been holding since 2016 up till the time of his nomination as the chairman of the EFCC.

He has about 17 years working with the EFCC as a detective and has vast investigation experience and has been part of the prosecution of advance fee fraud, official corruption, bank fraud, money laundering, and other economic and financial crimes related offenses.

Bawa was deployed to head the commission’s operations zonal office in Lagos in August 2020 and remained in the position till his appointment as chairman of the commission.

The Kano State Government claims that it has not yet made a decision regarding the five new emirates created by the previous Dr. Umar Ganduje administration.

This information may be found in a statement made on Thursday in Kano by Bature Dawakin Tofa, the state governor’s press secretary.
He said the government has not raised the issue with the state House of Assembly.

On Wednesday, there were widespread rumors that the government had started the process of dissolving the Emirates and restoring Muhammad Sanusi II, the deposed emir of Kano.

“The engagements between the executive and legislative arm of government in Kano will be open and transparent to allow residents access to information on major policies and decisions of the NNPP-led administration.

“His Excellency only submitted a request to appoint 20 special advisers which was graciously approved by the state assembly in its maiden sitting.

“It is expected that the list of nominees for commissioners would be sent to the assembly next week for confirmation”, the press secretary added.

Guinness World Records have dismissed receiving any application from Ekiti-born Chef Dammy who claimed she has set a 120-hour cook-a-thon.

The young lady began trending on social media after she embarked on a 120-hour cooking marathon, attempting to break the record of Nigerian chef Hilda Baci, who currently holds the world record for the longest cooking time by an individual.

However, her decision to challenge Hilda Baci’s record sparked mixed reactions and ignited a widespread debate on social media.

On Wednesday morning, June 14, Chef Dammy reached her target of 120 hours, leaving many wondering if Guinness World Records would approve her feat.

To clear the air, an online platform reportedly sent a press inquiry to Guinness World Records on Tuesday, June 13.

A response received from the organization suggested that the chef did not seek their approval before beginning the cook-a-Thon, as there are procedures and rules that would have been sent to her to follow.

“We have not received an application for this attempt. Applications can be made via the Guinness World Records website for our records management team to review.

“Once an application is accepted, the record claimant receives a set of detailed guidelines specific to that record category that must be adhered to.

“This also details a list of evidence that must be submitted for our team to verify the record. Guinness World Records maintains a rigorous review process to uphold the integrity of each Guinness World Records title,” the organization was quoted to have said.

The Data Protection Bill was enacted into law on Monday by President Bola Tinubu.

This information was provided in a statement that Babatunde Bamigboye, the director of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau’s legal enforcement and regulations division, signed.

Dr. Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner of the NDPB, voiced hope for Nigeria’s digital economy in the wake of the new regulatory framework.

He praised the president for giving the nation’s more than 200 million citizens new hope for the growth of their right to privacy and other fundamental freedoms in both digital and analog commerce.

The statement read in part, “Nigeria has taken a giant leap forward in the global data race with the assent to Nigeria Data Protection Act by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Act was signed on the 12th of June 2023.

“The NDPB, pursuant to the express provisions of the new act, has transmuted into a full-fledged commission and it is mandated to among others:

(a) regulate the deployment of technological and organisational measures to enhance personal data protection;

(b) foster the development of personal data protection technologies, in accordance with recognised international best practices and applicable international law;
conduct investigations into any violation of a requirement under the Act;

(c) impose penalties in respect of any violation of the provisions of the Act or subsidiary legislation made thereof;

(d) where necessary, accredit, license, and register suitable persons to provide data protection compliance services;

(e) issue regulations, rules, directives and guidance under the Act; and

(f) register data controllers and data processors of major importance.”

The bureau further disclosed that the act is one of the strategic ways the president is fulfilling his campaign promise of creating 1 million jobs in the digital economy sector.

About 500,000 jobs are expected to be created through the training of data protection officers and licensing of data protection compliance organisations to offer services to data controllers and processors.

AbdulRasheed Bawa, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has been placed on indefinite leave of absence by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In response to “weighty allegations” of abuse of office against him, he stated that this would enable a full examination into his behavior while in office.

Willie Bassey, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation’s director of information, stated this in a statement on Wednesday.

Mr. Bawa has been instructed to turn over immediately to the Director of Operations of the Commission while the investigation is ongoing.

The statement read, “President Tinubu has approved the indefinite suspension from office of AbdulRasheed Bawa, CON, as the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to allow for proper investigation into his conduct while in office. This follows weighty allegations of abuse of office levelled against him.

“Bawa has been directed to immediately handover the affairs of his office to the Director, Operations in the Commission, who will oversee the affairs of the Office of the Chairman of the Commission pending the conclusion of the investigation. “

Former United States President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 37 charges levelled against him in the case involving the mishandling of secret files.

On Friday, the US department of justice unsealed a 49-page document which details the charges — known as an indictment.

Some of the counts include unlawfully retaining and sharing national defence information, nuclear secrets, and obstruction of justice.

The indictment also details the various locations where the former president allegedly stored classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, including “in a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, an office space, his bedroom, and a storage room”.

Walt Nauta, Trump’s valet, is also implicated in the charges.

The development makes Trump, who is campaigning to return to the White House, the first US president to face federal charges.

Appearing in court on Tuesday, Todd Blanche, the former president’s attorney, told the judge “We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty”.

Trump was allowed to leave court without any restrictions to domestic or international travel but was asked not to discuss the case with Nauta who is charged with six criminal counts in the case.

In April, Trump appeared in court over charges bordering on hush money payments made to an adult actress just before the 2016 presidential election as an attempt to buy her silence.

A trial date has not been set for his second set of charges this year.
                 

In Britain, three people have been found dead in Nottingham in what police described as an “horrific and tragic incident”.

A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two people were found dead in the street in Ilkeston Road just after 4 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Tuesday.

The third man was found dead in Magdala Road, Nottinghamshire Police said.

Another three people were in hospital after someone tried to run them over in a van in Milton Street, in what police believe is a connected incident.

Chief Constable Kate Meynell said: “This is a horrific and tragic incident which has claimed the lives of three people.

“We believe these three incidents are all linked and we have a man in custody.

“This investigation is at its early stages and a team of detectives is working to establish exactly what has happened.

“We ask the public to be patient while inquiries continue. At this time, a number of roads in the city will remain closed as this investigation progresses.”

Roads closed on Tuesday morning included Ilkeston Road, Milton Street, Maples Street, and Wood Borough Road, from the junction with Magdala Road into the city.

The tram network was also disrupted with all services suspended on the Nottingham Express Transit (NET) as the police investigation continued.

Local resident Glen Gretton said he was woken up around 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning by the sounds of a series of police cars passing his home.

The 46-year-old delivery driver, who lives in a flat on Mansfield Road in Sherwood, told the PA news agency: “I heard a police car go past. It was driving extremely quickly, followed by another one, another one.

“They just kept coming so I knew something major was happening somewhere around the city centre.”

Thousands of junior doctors throughout England have joined the strike as the salary conflict with the British Government continues.

The 72-hour strike by doctors, who can have up to eight years of hospital experience or three years in general practice, continued until 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) on Saturday and is anticipated to result in the cancellation of hundreds of National Health Service appointments and procedures.

This most recent development comes after NHS leaders issued a warning that as the UK’s hot weather persisted, a greater proportion of people would need emergency assistance.

According to NHS officials, urgent and emergency care will continue to take precedence.

Junior physicians are on strike for the third time this year, and major disruptions are anticipated.

Concerns have also been raised concerning the availability of employees, with some consultants declaring that they would refuse to cover strikes unless their employers agreed to a higher overtime rate.

The British Medical Association is demanding the “full restoration” of salary, which has reportedly been reduced by 26%.

To resolve the conflict, the government has given 5%.

The co-chairmen of the BMA junior doctors committee, Drs. Vivek Trivedi and Robert Laurenson, stated in a statement that “young physicians are in despair at this government’s failure to listen.

“It should never have taken two whole rounds of strike action to even put a number on the table.

“And for that number to be a 5 per cent pay offer in a year of double-digit
inflation, itself another pay cut beggars belief.

“We have made it clear that junior doctors are looking for the full restoration of our pay, which has seen a 26 per cent cut,’’ it noted.

The junior doctors in England had seen their pay cut in real terms by more than a quarter over the last 15 years.

The statement added, “Today, they are demonstrating what that means to the survival of the NHS.”

53 percent of England’s 1,935 young physicians, according to a BMA survey released on Wednesday, are preparing to leave the NHS.

According to the poll, the government’s response to industrial action has caused the doctors to consider quitting.

Approximately 67% of people believe the NHS won’t exist in its current form in ten years, and 88% believe it will get worse over the next 18 months.

In the meantime, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has received a letter from BMA Chairman of Council, Prof. Philip Banfield, pleading for him to get involved in mediating the conflict.

The BMA’s decision to continue its strike action was deemed “extremely disappointing” by Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay.

He said: “this 72-hour walkout will put patient safety and our efforts to cut waiting lists at risk.

“During recent meetings with representatives of the BMA junior doctors committee, we made a fair and reasonable opening offer and were discussing both pay and non-pay issues until they chose to end the talks by announcing new strike dates.

“If the BMA cancels these damaging and disruptive strikes and shows willingness to move significantly from their positions, we can resume confidential talks and find a way forward, as we have done with other unions.”

On Wednesday, doctors will form picket lines in front of their hospitals, and the BMA would also hold rallies the remainder of the week.

This would make the protests in Oxford, Birmingham, London, and Manchester.

The NHS Confederation’s acute network director, Rory Deighton, expressed concern about the strike’s effects.

According to him, “The NHS has become used to managing the disruption caused by industrial action so patients should feel assured their local services are doing everything they can to prioritise “those with the greatest clinical need and provide safe services for patients.”

However, each wave of strikes chips away at the NHS’s resilience, impacting on staff, internal relationships, and their ability to deliver on government pledges to reduce the elective backlog.

“A particular challenge this time will be securing the level of consultant cover for absent junior doctors due to ongoing local negotiations on the overtime payments,” Deighton insisted.

He continued, “In reality, this means that it is still uncertain exactly how many planned procedures and appointments will need to be scaled back and rescheduled.

“The national advice remains that patients should assume their care will continue unaffected unless told otherwise.

“With the BMA having announced its intention to re-ballot its members for a mandate for a further six months of strikes, and with industrial action from consultants, radiographers and nurses possibility, the short-term outlook feels gloomy.

“A resolution is desperately needed, and we urge the government to search for a resolution to this dispute.”

The national medical director of NHS England, Prof. Sir Stephen Powis, stated earlier this week that the most recent strike might have some effect on practically all routine or planned care.

A similar junior doctor protest in April resulted in the rescheduling of 196,000 hospital appointments and scheduled operations.

Speaking on Wednesday, he said , “The NHS is facing significant disruption this week with a three-day strike that is set to be exacerbated by the ongoing hot weather.”

The numbers of people seeking emergency care are on the increase as temperatures rise.

“While thousands of appointments are likely to be rescheduled due to strike action, the NHS will continue to prioritise urgent and emergency care,” Powis alerted further.

But with the country in the midst of a heatwave, the public can play their part by being sensible in the warm weather.

He maintained, “For the vulnerable and elderly, this includes drinking plenty of water, using sunscreen and avoiding prolonged periods in the sun or swimming in unsafe water.

“Please do also consider checking in on any vulnerable friends, family members, or neighbours who may struggle with the heat and humidity.

“People with conditions such as asthma should continue to use their inhalers,” Powis concluded.