Metro News

Person who collected $6.2m from CBN not staff of SGF office, Boss Mustapha tells court

Published

2 years ago

February 13, 2024

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Former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, has said the recipient of the $6,230,000 from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is not a staff of the SGF office.

One Jubril Abubakar is alleged to have collected the money meant for the payment of foreign election observers.

However, while giving evidence as the second prosecution witness in the trial of Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the CBN, Mustapha said his office had no record of Abubakar.

“Jubril is not my staff…There is no record of him,” Mustapha said.

“Not a dollar was brought to my office. No part of the money was brought to me.

“It is not the practice of the office of the SGF to send staff to any bank to collect money.”

Mustapha also said there was no memo to make payments to any government agency.

“No, my lord. If it is related to this transaction. There could have been others but not this,” he said.

‘FG HAS NO BUSINESS PAYING FOREIGN ELECTION OBSERVERS’

The former SGF said the federal government has no business with election observers because it is the duty of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“Nigeria government has no business with foreign election observers. That I know for a fact because I have managed two election cycles,” he said.

“It is the responsibility of INEC to cater for election observers.”

He said the issue of paying international election observers was never discussed at the federal executive council (FEC) meeting held on January 18, 2023, as claimed in the said letter.

“My role as the secretary to the council (FEC) is to prepare the agenda for the meeting. It was a 16-point agenda and there was no agenda that had to do with payment for foreign observers. So it could not have appeared in the conclusions,” he said.

‘I DID NOT SIGN ANY LETTER ADDRESSED TO CBN’

When shown exhibit PD6 which is said to be a letter from the office of the SGF, Mustapha said: “This letter did not emanate from the office of the SGF. I did not sign it.”

“I am not privy to the operations of the CBN so I cannot write to the director of banking service,” he added.

Mustapha reiterated that he did not know Abubakar who is alleged to be the coordinator of a task force set up by the federal government.

He said the heading of the letter is defective, as it presupposes, that there was a previous correspondence before it.

He also said the document does not conform to the standard with which letters are drafted by the office of the SGF.

Mustapha added that as a superior officer, he could not have referred to Emefiele as “dear sir”.

Earlier, during cross-examination, Ogbu Michael, a deputy director at the CBN who was formerly a branch controller at the time, told the court that he authorised the payment of the $6.230 million after the approval from the banking services department.

He said the money was paid in cash and was expected to be refunded in the second quarter of 2023.

When asked by Matthew Burkaa, counsel to Emefiele, if he authenticated the identity card used for the payment of the money, Ogbu said, “I went by the payment instructions and did not go beyond the identity card attached to the document. The money was paid in USD cash to Jubril”.

Bukaar further asked if the identity card presented a National ID, Driver’s license, international passport or voter’s card, the witness said: “The instruction was to pay with the ID indicated.”

Hamza Muazu, presiding judge, adjourned the matter to March 7, 11 and 25 for the continuation of trial.

Metro News

Terrorists release videos of abducted Ogbomoso school principal, teacher as they beg FG, Makinde for help

Published

1 day ago

May 17, 2026

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Videos showing the principal and a teacher who were abducted from schools in Oriire LGA of Oyo state have been released by their abductors.

It would be recalled that suspected terrorists attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School in Ogbomoso, all in Oriire LGA last Friday.

The Oyo police command said two people were killed during the attack on the schools. At least 45 schoolchildren and teachers were reportedly kidnapped during the incident.

The commissioner for information in Oyo state, Dotun Oyelade, said the kidnappers have been reportedly trapped in a section of the Old Oyo National Park.

In one of the trending videos, Alamu F.O, principal of Community High School, Esiele, narrated how gunmen invaded the school on Friday at about 9:30 am.

The principal said the staff members and students at the school were abducted during the attack.

“We have been here since Friday. I’m making this video to ask for help from everyone, starting from the Federal Government, Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde, Christian Association of Nigeria, and all well-meaning Nigerians,” she pleaded.

“Come to our help and settle this thing peacefully so that our lives will not be lost.”

The background of the video shows that it was shot in a forest.

Another video shows a woman carrying a child on her back, who identified herself as Temitope, a worker at First Baptist Church, Yawota.

While in tears, she said the gunmen attacked the Baptist School on Friday and kidnapped the teachers and schoolchildren.

“Please help us. We need help. Tinubu, please help us. Our governor, Seyi Makinde, please help us. The children are here crying. Please help us so that we won’t waste our lives,” she said.

Metro News

NDLEA intercepts ammunition concealed in bags of garri

Published

2 days ago

May 17, 2026

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Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a large cache of military-grade ammunition concealed inside bags of bags of garri during one of the agency’s anti-narcotics operations.

A suspect, Husaini Suleiman, 42, was arrested in connection with the ammunition during a raid operation at Dan Magaji area of Zaria town, Kaduna state.

The agency also discovered thousands of pills of tramadol 225mg hidden inside a keg of red oil in a separate interception.

In a statement released on Sunday, the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that officers often come across other dangerous items while searching for illicit drugs and concealed narcotics.

The statement said, “In the course of our work searching for illicit drug concealment, we also stumble on other items that constitute threats to national security as it happened in the attached videos.

“In one instance, #ndlea_nigeria officers discovered a large cache of military grade ammunition in cassava flakes (garri) and in the second video, thousands of tramadol 225mg pills were found concealed in a keg of red oil.”

Metro News

Five killed, nine rescued as building collapses in Abuja

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2026

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Five people are reportedly killed after a building collapsed in the Durumi 3 area of Abuja, near the popular Gudu Market.

According to reports, the iincident occurred at about 9:00 a.m. on Saturday.

The Mandate Secretary for Health and Human Services in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, who spoke on behalf of rescue agencies, confirmed that 15 people were pulled from the rubble.

According to Dr. Fasawe, nine victims were rescued alive, while five were confirmed dead. One person remains in critical condition.

Dr. Fasawe said preliminary findings by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) suggest that the developer may have compromised the quality of cement mixture used during construction.

She urged residents and developers intending to build in the nation’s capital to obtain the necessary approvals from the FCT Development Control before commencing construction.