Connect with us

News

Troops intercept 73 young Nasarawa men travelling to Imo

Published

on

 

Soldiers of 72 Special Force Brigade, Nigeria Army, Makurdi on Monday night intercepted 73 young men from Nasarawa State on their way to Imo State.

The able-bodied young men who were loaded in five trucks were intercepted at Agan Toll Gate, Makurdi by the military working on a security report.

Also seen with the young men were 47 Bajaj motorcycles. The trucks were said to be conveying some minerals from Plateau State to a Port Harcourt based company.

Benue State Deputy Governor, Benson Abounu, who visited the barracks on Tuesday commended the Special Forces for their diligence and professional conduct.

The deputy governor expressed joy that despite the attempts to evade arrest, the soldiers were able to apprehend the trucks and arrest the men.

Abounu said that the arrest was contrary to speculations in town about the confiscation of a truck loaded with arms and men who were trying to attack the town, saying, “no arms were found after a thorough search conducted by the soldiers.”

READ  Tinubu's campaign train lands in Minna for mega rally (PHOTOS)

He expressed surprise at how such a large number of young men from the same state could be found together going to a place like Imo State, which is known to be experiencing serious security challenges at the moment.

The deputy governor charged the security men to carry out detailed profiling of the passengers for further action as the answers coming from them do not add up.

The Commander of 72 Special Forces Brigade, Lt. Col. AD Alhassan said that his men acted based on security report.

He said that as soon as they got the report that some trucks were heading to Makurdi they moved to intercept the trucks immediately.

Lt. Col. Alhassan said they spent a couple of hours waiting for them before they finally arrived at night.

He said that the soldiers had conducted a thorough search on them with all goods on the trucks offloaded and their motorcycles dismantled for proper search but said no arms were found.

READ  Buhari in Imo, sues for peace

One of the young men, who said his name is Ayugwa, said they were all going to Imo State to do okada business, adding that they were aware of the serious security challenges there but decided to go because their brothers there told them that everything had calmed down.

 

 

News

American School refunds $760,000 of Yahaya Bello’s children fees to EFCC

Published

on

By

 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has confirmed the receipt of the refund of $760,000 paid as advanced school fees by a former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello for his children at the American International School, Abuja.

 

Dele Oyewale, spokesperson for the EFCC, confirmed the development to The Post on Saturday.

 

“The school has refunded the entire $ 760, 000 to the EFCC’s recovery account,” he said.

 

Earlier, the American International School of Abuja had asked the EFCC to provide “authentic banking details” for the refund of fees paid for the children of the former governor.

 

Bello allegedly paid $720,000 in advance as fees for five of his children from the coffers of the Kogi State Government.

 

The children are in Grade Levels 2 to 8 at the school.

 

On April 17, EFCC operatives laid siege on Bello’s residence in Abuja in an attempt to arrest him over an alleged N80.2 billion fraud.

READ  NDLEA intercepts 1.550kg cannabis concealed in golden morn cereal pack at Lagos airpot (VIDEO)

 

While the operatives were at the house, Usman Ododo, governor of Kogi, arrived at the property and reportedly whisked Bello away.

 

In a letter addressed to the Lagos Zonal Commander of the EFCC, the school said the sum of $845,852 has been paid in tuition “since the 7th of September 2021 to date.”

 

AISA said the sum to be refunded is $760,910 because it had deducted educational services already rendered.

 

“Please forward to us an official written request, with the authentic banking details of the EFCC, for the refund of the above-mentioned funds as previously indicated as part of your investigation into the alleged money laundering activities by the Bello family,” the letter reads.

 

It added, “Since the 7th September 2021 to date, $845,852.84 in tuition and other fees have been deposited into our bank account.

 

We have calculated the net amount to be transferred and refunded to the State, after deducting the educational services rendered as $760,910.84.

READ  PHOTO NEWS: India’s COVID-19 cremation center

 

“No further additional fees are expected in respect of tuition as the students’ fees have now been settled until they graduate from ASIA.”

 

The school said it would draw the attention of the anti-graft agency if there were any further deposits by the Bello family.

In a statement signed by Greg Hughes, AISA also said, “Ali Bello contacted the school on Friday 13 August 2021 requesting to pay the family school fees in advance until the students graduate from High School.”

 

The Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, had earlier revealed that the former governor transferred $720,000 from the government’s coffers to a bureau de change before leaving office to pay in advance for his child’s school fee.
Olukoyede revealed this during an interview with journalists on Tuesday in Abuja.

 

He said, “A sitting governor, because he knows he is going, moved money directly from government to bureau de change, used it to pay the child’s school fee in advance, $720,000 in advance, in anticipation that he was going to leave the Government House.

READ  Imo PDP rep member escapes assassination attempt on eve of election

 

“In a poor state like Kogi, and you want me to close my eyes to that under the guise of ‘I’m being used.’ Being used by who at this stage of my life?”

Continue Reading

News

Good Morning! Here Are Some Major News Headlines In The Newspapers Today: Military commander killed in ambush by bandits in Katsina

Published

on

By

 

1. Military commander of an army camp located at Sabon Garin Dan’Ali, in Danmusa local government area of Katsina state has been killed in an ambush. Sources said the incident happened Thursday evening and the corpse of the deceased, a major in the army, was deposited at a hospital in Katsina.

 

2. Movement would be restricted for the duration of today’s local government election in Oyo State, the State Government announced on Friday evening. The restriction will help officials of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission, OYSIEC, to conduct the poll without hindrance.

 

3. Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, were among the dignitaries who attended the wedding fatiha of the children of emirs of Kano and Bichi, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero and Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero, on Saturday.

READ  Attacks: Soldiers, DSS, others deployed to INEC offices in Imo – REC

 

4. President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Jim Ovia, renowned banker and businessman, as the Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND. This is contained in a statement issued by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, on Friday.

 

5. Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, on Friday, urged his predecessors including Chief Samuel Ortom, to refrain from interfering in his administration, warning that he would not allow anyone to destabilise his government. Alia while briefing journalists on his return from the USA, Friday morning, said the past governors have had their own term.

 

6. The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has said the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, led government in Kano State is behind the various protests against him in Abuja. Ganduje in a statement by his aide, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, alleged that the Kano government had been hiring protesters from the streets, mostly Kwankwasiyya members, some of whom are from the North Central geo-political zone to demand his resignation.

READ  Unknown gunmen set police station on fire, kill officer in Imo

 

7. The American International School of Abuja has paid $760,910.84 to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, from the $845,852 school fees allegedly deposited by former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello in respect of five of his children in the school.

 

8. Bandits have attacked the palace of the Emir of Zurmi, Alhaji Bello Muhammad Bunu, killing three people and abducting some residents of the town. The bandits, who stormed the town around 10pm on Wednesday, according to locals, also attacked the residence of the former Military Administrator of Nasarawa State, Colonel Bala Muhammad Mande (rtd).

 

9. The Nigeria Correctional Service has stepped up efforts to track down and recapture escaped inmates of the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, Niger State. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Thursday, said the government would relocate a lot of correctional centres to create better infrastructure and security.

 

10. Men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, assigned to tackle currency mutilation, dollarisation of the economy, and forex malpractice, have arrested 34 suspected currency speculators accused of foreign exchange fraud. This was made known in a statement shared on the commission’s website on Friday.

READ  Major News Headlines In The Papers Today: Ede agog ahead of Sunday's inauguration of Adeleke as Osun Gov

Continue Reading

News

UPDATED: Tinubu appoints Jim Ovia as chairman of education loan fund

Published

on

By

 

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Jim Ovia as the chairman of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

 

Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesperson, announced the appointment of Ovia, chairman of Zenith Bank, in a statement on Friday.

 

Ngelale said Tinubu believes that Ovia will bring his immense wealth of experience to ensure that no Nigerian student suffers a paucity of funds in the quest for tertiary education.

 

On April 3, Tinubu signed the student loans amendment bill into law to provide Nigerians with quality and accessible education.

 

The law will allow Nigerian students in tertiary institutions to access low-interest loans for tuition and other academic needs.

 

Subsequently, the president appointed Akintunde Sawyerr as the managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of the fund.

 

Tinubu also appointed Frederick Oluwafemi Akinfala as the executive director of finance and administration, while Mustapha Iyal will serve as the executive director of operations of NELFUND.

READ  Tinubu's campaign council demands apology from ThisDay, publisher

 

 

Continue Reading

Trending News