Police detectives in Enugu have arrested and arraigned a 29 year old mother of four and three others for an alleged involvement in Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Cards swapping in the state. Confirming the story, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, said, “Operatives serving in Hawk Tactical Squad of the Enugu State Command, together with Troops of the Nigerian Air Force Enugu, on May 6, 2023 at about 4.30pm, intercepted and arrested the suspects in Emene axis of Enugu. The names of the suspects were given as: Michael Sopuruchi aged 36, Osinachi Godwin aged 18 and Moses Ani aged 29, and and a mother of four, Chika Nwoko aged 29. “The suspects were arrested, while escaping to their above-mentioned criminal hideout in Emene, Enugu, after they fraudulently stole the ATM Card and Personal Identification Number (PIN) of an unsuspecting 63 year old male victim, while pretending to assist him withdraw money from a commercial Bank ATM along Ogui Road, Enugu”, he said. The Police image maker added, “Immediately after the swap, the suspects used the Card and PIN to withdraw the total sum of four hundred and ninety-five thousand Naira (N495,000.00) from the victim’s account.” The suspects, he said, confessed to the crime, stating that they have carried out many other criminal acts of ATM Cards swapping and fraud within Enugu metropolis. Four different banks’ ATM Cards, including that of the victim, were recovered from them. The suspects have been arraigned in court where the Magistrate ordered that they should be remanded in Enugu Custodial Centre. The case was adjourned to June 7, this year for further hearing while the case-file was transmitted to the Attorney General for legal advice, through the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Ministry of Justice, Enugu State. Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ahmed Ammani, has commended the Joint Operatives for busting and bringing the criminal syndicate to book. He, however, called on bank customers, particularly the elderly and those without proper knowledge of how to use ATM of banks to exercise caution and seek the assistance of Bank staff while using their cards on the machine.

  Thursday 25 May 2023 Buhari orders banks to issue NIN cards to Nigerians Judge threatens bench warrant against Fani-Kayode Contract defaults: FG seeks N’Assembly approval to pay aggrieved investors N544bn Countdown to handover: FEC holds last session, govs dissolve cabinets Why Buhari Approved Last-Minute Funds — Presidency Kidnapped Corps Members Released In Port Harcourt Nigeria Air Plane To Arrive On Friday, Says Sirika Appointment Of Ministers Of State Unconstitutional, Keyamo Tells Buhari Abiodun, Amosun Trade Words Over Dangote Refinery Siting In Lagos CBN Increases Interest Rate To 18.5% Ex-Ogun Deputy Speaker Arraigned Over Alleged Breach Of Peace Bus Conveying Intending Nasarawa Pilgrims Crashes Fuel Consumption: Reps Call For Forensic Audit Of NNPCL Policeman Killed In Shootout With Gunmen In Ebonyi 35 Osun Students Discharged After Inhaling Teargas US Approves $285m Sale Of Air Defense System To Ukraine ‘This Is Pay Back Time’, Wike Backs Akpabio For Senate Presidency Refinery: We’ll ask Dangote to sell forex at good rate — Emefiele Gbaja, deputy clash at plenary Pressure on me, can’t wait till May 29 — Buhari FEC Approves Power Projects In Daura, Others Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has said that the union expects the incoming Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration to bring proper technocrats capable of addressing labour issues in the country. Ajaero stated this during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today. Tinubu would be sworn in on Monday to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari. Ajaero said with the right caliber of people, the administration can resolve some of the serious challenges facing the country. He said, “I think the best for them (Tinubu administration) is to sit down and study the situation; if they understand it they will handle it one after the other. “It will be good for them if they bring proper technocrats to handle that sector. The trade unions and their leaders are not unreasonable. If you have a new government that is a listening government and has the right caliber of people to handle those issues, the issues would be resolved. “The major problem is implementation. Many policies approved five, eight years ago have not been implemented. Lack of implementation seems to be at the heart of some of the crises we are facing. Check the ASUU issue, check the resident doctors issue, power sector and other sector of the economy, it is just implementation.”

  Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south district, says 70 senators-elect have thrown their weight behind Godswill Akpabio in his bid to become the president of the 10th senate. Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, and Barau Jibrin, senator representing Kano central, were recommended by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the leadership of the senate. Speaking on Tuesday in an interview with Arise Television, Ndume said he is supporting Akpabio because he has the experience needed for the position and also for the sake of stability in the country. “He (Akpabio) was a minority leader. He knows what to do from Day 1. And then he needs the acceptability of the senators-elect who are going to vote on that day,” Ndume said.   “And so far, Alhamdulillah! We have 70 people that have signed or endorsed the candidature of Akpabio. First on the list is myself and the last on the list is from Bayelsa. “I’m the one leading the campaign for Akpabio. It is based on the need to have stability, equity, justice and fairness in the country considering the heightened concerns on some issues especially the zoning, the religion and whatever. “The stability group which I lead is not about money but about stability in the country by ensuring there is justice, fairness and equity in terms of who now leads and becomes the number 3 citizen, bearing in mind that the number one and two are all Muslims and also bearing in mind also that the south-south where Akpabio comes from has never since 1999 had a shot of the senate presidency or speakership.   “Having Akpabio, with the experience that he has being one time the minority leader in the senate, and one time minister, governor, commissioner. “With that kind of experience and the fact that I think that he is the most ranking from south-south from the senators we have, especially of the APC faction, I had no problem with my conscience, throwing my weight behind him.”

  The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the operating licences of 132 microfinance banks, four primary mortgage banks, and three finance companies in the country. Channels Television reports that the revocation exercise was disclosed in the official gazette of the Federal Government published on the website of the CBN on Tuesday. According to the apex bank, the financial institutions “failed to fulfil or comply with the conditions subject to which their licences were granted; or failed to comply with the obligations imposed upon them by the Central Bank of Nigeria in accordance with the provisions of Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020, Act No. 5.”   The four primary mortgage banks whose licences were revoked are Resort Savings & Loans, Safetrust Mortgage Bank, Adamawa Savings & Loans and Kogi Savings & Loans. The finance companies whose licences were revoked include HHL Invest & Trust Limited, TFS Finance Limited and Treasures & Trust Limited. Some of the microfinance banks listed include Bluewhales Microfinance Bank, Igangan Microfinance Bank, Mainsail Microfinance Bank, Everest Microfinance Bank, Merit Microfinance Bank, Musharaka Microfinance Bank, Nopov Microfinance Bank, among others. CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, said the licences were revoked in the exercise of the powers conferred on the apex bank under Section 12 of BOFIA 2020, Act No. 5. See below the full list of the affected banks and financial institutions:   S/N Name Of Institution ATLAS MICROFINANCE BANK BLUEWHALES MICROFINANCE BANK EVEREST MICROFINANCE BANK IGANGAN MICROFINANCE BANK MAINSAIL MICROFINANCE BANK MERIT MICROFINANCE BANK MINNA MICROFINANCE BANK MUSHARAKA MICROFINANCE BANK NOPOV MICROFINANCE BANK OHON MICROFINANCE BANK PREMIUM MICROFINANCE BANK ROYAL MICROFINANCE BANK STATESMAN MICROFINANCE BANK SUISSE MICROFINANCE BANK VIBRANT MICROFINANCE BANK VIRTUE MICROFINANCE BANK ZAMARE MICROFINANCE BANK NORTH CAPITAL MICROFINANCE BANK CHIDERA MICROFINANCE BANK EXCELLENT MICROFINANCE BANK NI’IMA MICROFINANCE BANK COSMOPOLITAN MICROFINANCE BANK PROGRESSIVE LINK MICROFINANCE BANK TRUST ONE (FOMERLY DESMONARCHY) EKUOMBE MICROFINANCE BANK FIRST INDEX MICROFINANCE BANK OLA MICROFINANCE BANK ULI MICROFINANCE BANK VERDANT MICROFINANCE BANK AGULERI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED 31. APEKS MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED FAHIMTA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED MANNY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED REALITY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED SURBPOLITAN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED ONYX MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED OSINA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED OLOFIN-OWENA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED ZIKADO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED PRUDENTIAL CO-OPERATIVE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED PENIEL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED TARABA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED BRASS MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED MICHIKA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED NDIAGU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED NORTHBRIDGE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED FCT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED OMU-ARAN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED CHERISH MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED BIPC MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED DANELS GLOBAL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED BANCORP MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED MANNA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED MONEYWISE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED MERCURY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED NEW AGE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED PEARL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED ZAWADI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED SEED CAPITAL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED EDUEK MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED EKSU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED DAKINGARI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED OGOJA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED NWABOSI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED NUTURE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED ACTIVE POINT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED AMOYE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED BOLUWADURO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED IYEDE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED MAYFAIR MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED CALABAR MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED IGHOMO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMTED HACKMAN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED IDESE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED BRIDGEWAY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED GRASSROOT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED SURELIFE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED TIJARAH MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED IC-GLOBAL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED EJIAMATU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED BRIYTH COVENANT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED NANKA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED CUB MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED BFL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED UMUNNE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED OROKE MICROFINANCE BANK ALKALERI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED CROWNED EAGLE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED UNIFA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED DADINKOWA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED IFESOWAPO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED OAF MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED BAMA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED NGALA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED IWOAMA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED KADA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED KEFFI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED NUT-ENDWELL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED FIRST MULTIPLE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED SBDC MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED OROS CAPITAL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED OZIZZA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED PRIMERA CREDIT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED IFEANYICHUKWU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED IHIOMA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED JOSAD MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED AKPO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED AIYEPE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED ABC MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED STAR MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED PURPLE MONEY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED UTUH MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED STALLION MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED KJL MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED CREDIT AFRIQUE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED COWRIES MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED LAWEBOD MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED MABINAS MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED BUSINESS SUPPORT MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED OGBE-AHIARA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED OLOFIN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED OBOSI MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED FIYINFOLU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED BISHOPGATE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED AWKA MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED ZIGATE MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED ESAN MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED ENUGU-UKWU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED ECHO MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED ALLY MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED NETWORK MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED AWGBU MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED SCHEDULE II LIST OF FINANCE COMPANIES LICENCES REVOKED S/N Name Of Institution HHL Invest & Trust Limited TFS Finance Limited Treasures & Trust Limited SCHEDULE III LIST OF PRIMARY MORTGAGE BANKS LICENCES REVOKED S/N Name Of Institution RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS SAFETRUST MORTGAGE BANK ADAMAWA SAVINGS & LOANS KOGI SAVINGS & LOANS

  Civil Society Organisations in conjunction with Network Against Corruption And Trafficking has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate Senator Godswill Akpabio over allegations of financial misconduct. The group held a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja where they called for an investigation into Senator Godswill Akpabio’s alleged financial misconduct. the Executive Director of Legal at NACAT, Mr. Justice Ojefia, referred to an audit report of Akwa Ibom State treasury between 2011 and 2015, accusing Senator Godswill Akpabio of financial misconduct amounting to N1 trillion naira during his tenure as governor. Ojeifa stated that the financial misconduct included circumventing procurement processes, suspicious payments, possible money laundering, and awarding contracts to non-existent shell companies. “These financial manipulations have cost the good people of Akwa-Ibom State, money amounting to over N700 billion, under the watch of Akpabio. “To make Akpabio a Senate President is a reward for monumental corruption orchestrated in Akwa Ibom and Ministry of Niger Delta and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). “Akpabio as governor looted over N1 trillion of Akwa Ibom State treasury and over N200 billion NDDC funds as a minister. “How will Akpabio be allowed to preside over the same Senate when he accused the entire Senators as being behind the corruption in NDDC during the NDDC probe?   He said that giving Akpabio Senate President mandate is to whittle down the fight against corruption. “He will enact laws that will weaken the EFCC and ICPC since he has cases with them,’’ Ojefia said. The Chief Press Secretary to Akpabio, Mr. Jackson Udom, denied the allegations and described them as blackmail. Udom also stated that every public officer could be investigated after leaving office. “Investigation is no conviction. Every public officer could be investigated after leaving office and that is the right thing to do. “Sen. Akpabio left office eight years ago after a meritorious service to Akwa Ibom and his legacies and performance as the state governor from 2007-2015, are still visible in the state. Mr. Jackson Udom responded to the allegations against Akpabio, stating that the accusations were unfounded and motivated by a desire to bring Akpabio down. He suggested that Akpabio’s colleagues in the Stability Group were working to make him Senate President of the 10th Senate, with the aim of providing stability to the President-elect’s administration when it comes into power on May 29, 2023.

  A scammer in China used artificial intelligence to pose as a businessman’s trusted friend and convince him to hand over millions of yuan, authorities have said. The victim, surnamed Guo, received a video call last month from a person who looked and sounded like a close friend. But the caller was actually a con artist “using smart AI technology to change their face” and voice, according to an article published Monday by a media portal associated with the government in the southern city of Fuzhou. The scammer was “masquerading as (Guo’s) good friend and perpetrating fraud”, the article said. Guo was persuaded to transfer 4.3 million yuan ($609,000) after the fraudster claimed another friend needed the money to come from a company bank account to pay the guarantee on a public tender. The con artist asked for Guo’s personal bank account number and then claimed an equivalent sum had been wired to that account, sending him a screenshot of a fraudulent payment record. Without checking that he had received the money, Guo sent two payments from his company account totalling the amount requested. “At the time, I verified the face and voice of the person video-calling me, so I let down my guard,” the article quoted Guo as saying. He only realised his mistake after messaging the friend whose identity had been stolen, who had no knowledge of the transaction. Guo alerted police, who notified a bank in another city not to proceed with the transfers, and he managed to recover 3.4 million yuan, the article said.   It added that efforts to claw back the remaining funds were ongoing but it did not identify the perpetrators of the scheme. The potential pitfalls of groundbreaking AI technology have received heightened attention since US-based company OpenAI in November launched ChatGPT, a chatbot that mimics human speech. China has announced ambitious plans to become a global AI leader by 2030, and a slew of tech firms including Alibaba, JD.com, NetEase and TikTok parent ByteDance have rushed to develop similar products. ChatGPT is unavailable in China, but the American software is acquiring a base of Chinese users who use virtual private networks to gain access to it for writing essays and cramming for exams. But it is also being used for more nefarious purposes. This month police in the northwestern province of Gansu said “coercive measures” had been taken against a man who used ChatGPT to create a fake news article about a deadly bus crash that was spread widely on social media. A law regulating deepfakes, which came into effect in January, bans the use of the technology to produce, publish or transmit false news. And a draft law proposed last month by Beijing’s internet regulator would require all new AI products to undergo a “security assessment” before being released to the public. AFP

  Residents of Imo state, under the name concerned Imo Indigenes, on Tuesday protested against the state government registration of the Imo State Social Benefit Number. The protest led by Comrade Uchechukwu Okoronkwo, took place in front of the Imo government house in Owerri. Some of their grievances, we’re that the government of Governor Hope Uzodimma, allegedly collected from residents their details of the Permanent Voters Cards, PVC, before people can be registered. They alleged it would be used to rig November 2023 Imo governorship election. According to them, “We are here to peacefully demonstrate against the attempt by Governor Hope Uzodinma’s government to scuttle and truncate the November 11, Governorship poll in the state. We decided to let the world know that Imo people will resist any plot by whosoever carries out such nefarious action. “You are aware that Governor Uzodinma and his agents are gradually perfecting this plot to perpetuate the heinous act through what they tagged, “Imo State Social Benefit Number” to the people. “Our conviction to believe that APC-led Imo state government is working towards rigging the November election is the unwholesome invitation of Imo people to gather at polling centers in the state with their Permanent Voters Cards (PVC).” “The government is making the rigging strategy appear so legitimate by ridiculously telling some gullible Imo citizens that the government is organizing an empowerment scheme which can only be accessed with Permanent Voters Card (PVC,), National Identification Number (NIN), and Bank Verification Number (BVN). “In their continuous deceit, Governor Uzodinma and his agents are telling their victims that the Social Benefit Number will offer the people a renewed life and raise them from poverty, penury, and lack. With this white lie, many people in the state rushed and submitted their PVCs thereby becoming victims of voter identity theft aimed at cloning their PVCs and pre-or-front-loading of the BVAS with fake votes ahead of the November Governorship election in the State,” they said. Reacting, Governor Hope Uzodimma’s Special Adviser on Student Affairs, Franklyn Oparaji, addressing the youths said: “PVS are not being collected. It is just a means of identification. This exercise will guarantee the security of the Imo people. And welfare for Imo people. How can we identify you as an imo people when you don’t have an identity number? So, the government means well for the people.”

  President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday urged the Senate to approve a request to pay judgment debt in the sum of $566,754,584.31, £98,526,012.00 and N226billion being judgement debt owed by the Federal Government through the issuance of promissory notes. Buhari’s letter of request was read at plenary by Senate President Ahmad Lawan. Details Shortly…