Gunmen have kidnapped a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Joseph Azubuike and three other persons in Ebonyi State. Channels Television gathered that the cleric was abducted on Monday in Isu, Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State close to his residence in the area. Although the police authorities are yet to react to the incident, the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki confirmed the abduction in a statement on Tuesday. The Chancellor of the diocese, Fr. Matthew Uzoma Opoke, said Azubuike was whisked away by the gunmen while returning from pastoral duties.   In a statement titled, “Call for prayers,” the diocesan chancellor asked the Catholic faithful to pray for the unconditional release of the priest. He also confirmed that three other victims were kidnapped alongside the priest, although he didn’t reveal their identities. “Fr. Joseph is the Parish Priest of St. Charles Parish, Mgbalaeze Isu in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State,” the statement read. “He was abducted alongside three other people. The abductors are making financial demands but with your prayers, we are going to have them back unconditionally. May Mother Mary of priests, intercede for us. Amen. St. Joseph-Pray for us.” Ebonyi is one of the states in the South-East that has been hit by gunmen. Other states include Abia, Imo, Anambra and Enugu. In recent years, armed gangs have been kidnapping people, including priests, for ransom from villages and on highways mainly in the northwest in recent years. The practice has spread to other parts of the country, increasing insecurity in the nation.

  Justice James Omotoso of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered an investigation of the Prosecution Counsel, Ibrahim Mohammed, who filed an eight-count charge against Senator Stella Oduah. The court is inquiring how the charge sheet which was filed in June by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is being prosecuted by the police. The controversy began when the matter was called and the counsel, Mohammed, announced his appearance for the Nigeria Police Force. He told the court that the defendant, Stella Oduah, was not in court because the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) said she could not be served because she was indisposed. The judge went further to inquire about who signed the charge, which the prosecutor affirmed. Justice Omotosho further probed if he was a police officer, and he answered in the affirmative. He said he was seconded to the EFCC but had been deployed back to the Police Force in November 2022. He added that he resumed at the Legal Department of the Police Headquarters in January 2023. The court further inquired how the charge was filed in June 2023 by the EFCC, but is being prosecuted by the police. The judge asked if a reasonable man would believe his explanations. He further added that the Prosecution Counsel will be taken to the anti-graft agency to explain himself. He subsequently called for the investigation of the counsel. In a brief ruling, Justice Omotoso ordered the EFCC to investigate the Prosecution Counsel and revert to the court. The court also ordered the counsel, Ibrahim Mohammed, to report to the EFCC immediately. Oduah was expected to be arraigned before the court on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged complicity surrounding her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate and allegedly receiving money fraudulently from the Federal Government. The case has been adjourned till July 18 for the EFCC to report to the court, on its investigation. FG Vs Oduah The Federal Government filed an eight-count charge against former Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah at a Federal High Court in Abuja on June 26, 2023, according to court documents made available to Channels Television on Monday. One of the counts read, “That you SENATOR STELLA ODUAH AND D.A.O OSHINOWO (at large) sometime in the year, 2017, at Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did conspires amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: make a document titled ‘Re: Request for National Youth Service Confirmation Which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 3(6) of the miscellaneous offences Act CAF M17 of the revised edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007 and Punishable under section 3 (1) (c) of the same Act.”

  The House of Representatives has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop the implementation of its directive that banks should add customers’ social media handles as means of identification. This was the resolution of the House following a motion sponsored by nine members. The CBN had released its Customer Due Diligence Regulations 2023, noting that the inclusion of social media handles on “Know Your Customer” would galvanize compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing provisions. However, the House was worried that if the directive takes effect, Nigerians, who are not on social media with large turnovers from their businesses and trades, would be systematically excluded from formal banking systems. Part of the concerns of the House was the untold hardship the directive would cause millions of Nigerians, especially the illiterates, or semi-literate business owners, traders and entrepreneurs living in the villages and rural areas who do not have social media handles. Meanwhile, the House said it would investigate the issue of excess charges and illegal deductions by commercial banks in the country.

  An account holder with the Keystone Bank, Bala Ibrahim, has been finding it difficult to meet his financial needs after an erstwhile manager of a branch of the bank in the Agege area of Lagos State, Tijani Saleh, allegedly made an unauthorised withdrawal of N5.9m from his corporate account. Ibrahim, while speaking with our correspondent, said efforts to get the bank to refund his money proved abortive. PUNCH Metro gathered that Ibrahim opened a corporate account with the bank and funded the account with N20m. Shortly after funding the account, Ibrahim said he was in need of N5.9m to fund some of the projects his company was doing but had yet to be given a cheque to withdraw money from the corporate account. In a bid to get the money withdrawn, Ibrahim said he approached the bank manager to advise him on the options to explore to enable him to withdraw the money, adding that the manager demanded the letter-headed paper of his company to process the request. The businessman, however, said things took another dimension when without his consent, the bank manager allegedly used the letter-headed paper to make an unauthorised withdrawal of N5.9m from his corporate account. Upon discovering that the money had been withdrawn when he requested his statement of account, Ibrahim said he raised the alarm and the bank, after getting wind of the manager’s action, sacked him. He, however, noted that the bank had yet to refund his money despite knowing that the erstwhile manager was responsible for the unauthorised withdrawal. Ibrahim said, “I opened a N20m corporate account with the Keystone Bank. But when I needed some money to facilitate some projects in my company, I approached the bank manager. He told me to send the letter-headed paper of my company and I did. to refund his money despite knowing that the erstwhile manager was responsible for the unauthorised withdrawal. Ibrahim said, “I opened a N20m corporate account with the Keystone Bank. But when I needed some money to facilitate some projects in my company, I approached the bank manager. He told me to send the letter-headed paper of my company and I did. “It was later on I realised he used the letter-headed paper to withdraw N5.9m from my account without my consent. The bank got wind of his action and sacked him. Since then I started begging them to return my money, but they refused. “I then reported the matter to the EFCC but the matter was turned against me and I was charged to court. We spent over five years on the case before I was finally discharged and acquitted.” Ibrahim said after the case was concluded, the EFCC failed to charge the bank to court or compel them to pay him the money. “They accused me of withdrawing the money and yet claimed for a reversal. I wrote several letters to make them reverse the money. They have refused. I wrote the EFCC to charge them to court as they did to me but they refused. All I want is my money back,” he said. Reacting, the spokesperson for Keystone Bank Plc, Edward Ettu, in an email sent to our correspondent, said a forensic report showed that Ibrahim withdrew the money through a counter cheque. Ettu partly stated, “When the matter was reported to the police, they went further to investigate the N20m lodged into the account of the customer. The customer refused to allow his fingerprints, amongst others, to be taken but eventually, a forensic report showed that he was the one that withdrew the money through a counter cheque because his chequebook was not ready. “That judgment neither said he had money with the bank nor that the bank debited his account legally. That did not come up in court at all. The same man that is asking about N5.9m filed a suit against the FG, EFCC, and the bank claiming damages to the tune of over N2 bn but did not make any claim of N5.9m against the bank. “Up till now, there is no suit against the bank on N5.9m. Our record shows that he was the one that withdrew the money and the forensic examination conducted on his writing and signature proved that. It is not true that the bank debited his account illegally and no court order said so.” Calls and text messages sent to the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, for a comment on the matter were yet to be responded to as of the time this report was filed.

  Four police officers have reportedly been killed by bandits on Gusau -Sokoto road in the Bungudu Local Government area of Zamfara. An indigene of the area who gave his name as Haruna Musa said the bandits who were in large numbers ambushed and shot the police officers who were on duty on the road on Monday. According to Musa, the police officers had mounted a roadblock on the road very close to Bungudu town when the bandits opened fire, killing four of them. Musa said, “The police officers were on duty and mounted a roadblock not knowing that the bandits were hiding in a bush near the roadblock. “The bandits suddenly came out of their hiding place and opened fire on the police officers, killing four of them.” Musa maintained that the bandits later moved to a nearby village and rustled several animals and stole foodstuffs. The spokesperson of the state police command, SP Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the attack but denied knowing whether any policeman died during the attack.

  Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited owned by former militant leader Government Ekpemepulo aka Tompolo has intercepted another massive vessel carrying barrels of stolen crude oil in Escravos area of Delta State. The effort was said to have been in collaboration with security operatives. The vessel, allegedly owned by a Nigerian registered company, was heading to Cameroon with the cargo onboard when it was apprehended at an offshore location with the captain and crew members onboard. According to the Executive Director of Operations and Technical at Tantita Security, Captain Warred Enisuoh and the Commander of the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe, Rear Admiral Olusegun Ferreira, the oil cargo was illegally sourced from a well-jacket offshore in Ondo State with no valid documentation at the time of the arrest. They said the vessel had been operated in stealth mode in the last 12 years. The discovery was the latest in the series of disturbing findings by Tompolo’s firm contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited. Editor’s Note: This photo is for illustrative purpose 

  Unknown persons have allegedly carted away the recently reinstalled airfield lighting systems at the domestic runway 18/36L of Murtala Muhammad Airport. The PUNCH gathered that the disappearance of the approach lighting systems had raised security concerns in Nigeria’s busiest airports. According to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity, those who carted away the lighting systems took advantage of the closure of the runway for over three months. The source alleged that some FAAN workers connived with outsiders to steal the airport lighting equipment. “The criminal took advantage of the closure to commit the crime. I cannot give the actual worth of the theft, but almost all the lighting was removed. The permanent secretary came around to see for himself the huge damage done. A lot of FAAN officials have been suspended,” the source confirmed. The PUNCH also gathered that some heads of relevant departments at FAAN have been suspended over the missing lighting equipment on the directives of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Dr Emmanuel Meribole. The source also disclosed that investigations had since commenced to unravel those responsible for the missing safety equipment. According to the source, the regular incursion and stealing of safety components at the airports are carried out by a syndicate, consisting of some workers of the agencies, who have access to the restricted areas and accomplices from outside. A top official with FAAN, who did not want his name in print, said the agency’s Managing Director, Mr Kabir Yusuf, was displeased with the development. He stated that FAAN MD had also ordered the suspension of security personnel who were in charge of guarding critical airport facilities. Reacting to the latest development, a former Military Commandant at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (retd.), said, “This is not new at MMA. I wish the FAAN management could go back to 1990 when similar things happened in the airport. I was convinced that it was an ‘insiders threats’. What did I do? I positioned soldiers on the runways and ensured that no FAAN maintenance staff went near the runways for anything without my approval; otherwise, it was shoot at first sight. It stopped completely. Runway lightings were being stolen and my conclusion then was that runway lightings can only be useful for runways and not roads or houses. “Those stolen were being sold to FAAN by the same workers. That is why I am not in support of the unions carrying the picketing of their employers to the airport’s security controlled areas.” The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, FAAN, Mr Yakubu Funtua, told The PUNCH stated that investigations had been launched and that the agency would do all within its powers to avoid a reoccurrence. He said, “FAAN is doing all it can to get to the bottom of this. You are very aware that there are many agencies within the airport, including the different ones that are supposed to be taking care of security there. So, it would be unfair to put this (the theft) on our (members of) staff and I don’t think there is any FAAN (member of) staff that wants the agency to crash. “Note that most of our revenue comes from Lagos. So, what kind of staff will ‘kill the goose that lays the egg?’ However, we can’t say exactly who did it, but we are doing all that we can to recover what is lost. We are going to recover it because we are going to find out those people who did it and then block all those loopholes.” For 15 years, the Lagos Airport domestic runway 18L was shut down to night operations due to the absence of airfield lighting. Domestic airlines were forced to use runway 19 at the international airport, which consumes more aviation fuel because of the longer distance. The equipment, which aids aircraft to take off and land at the domestic airport at night, was installed on the 2.7 kilometres long runway last November.

  Tuesday 11 July 2023 Lagos airport runway light stolen, seven suspended It’s illegal for National Assembly to fix members pay – Obasanjo Fayose will pay for working against Atiku – PDP NEC member Clearing agents dump land borders over rising charges, forex Ecobank asks FBN to reject Otudeko’s share acquisition FG To Harmonise FIRS, Customs, Other Revenue-Collecting Agencies Putin Met With Wagner Chief In Moscow After Aborted Mutiny — Kremlin How FG Will Double Annual Revenue Without Increasing Taxes – Tinubu’s Aide Tinubu Returns To Nigeria After ECOWAS Summit Sitting Judges Should Not Preside Over Election Tribunals – Afe Babalola Akeredolu Writes Ondo Assembly, Extends Medical Leave We Saw Ugliest Phase Of Corruption In Last Administration, Says Kukah Tompolo’s Firm Intercepts Another Massive Vessel With Stolen Crude Hamzat Tenders Oath Declaration Form Before Tribunal Adebutu, Nine Others Arraigned For Alleged Vote Buying ACF, JNI, CAN Condemn Plateau Killings Insurgency: Zulum Bans Metal Scavenging In Borno Nasarawa NMA Suspends Warning Strike Poly Lecturers Begin Indefinite Strike Over Poor Working Conditions NYSC certificate: FG sues Stella Oduah for ‘felony’ ‘Increase oversight, control money supply’ — Agora Policy advises CBN on taming inflation Presidential Poll: APC already preparing for re-run — LP Alleged abuse of office: Court fixes Oct 17 for case against Malami Insecurity: S-East govs, lawmakers, Ohanaeze Ndigbo to meet Tinubu INEC: Court halts trial of suspended Adamawa REC, Yunusa-Ari Nigeria flares $3.9b gas in four years amid pollution, revenue leakage concerns Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  A 24-year-old Ghanaian man has been arrested after a 13-hour gun battle with the police shortly after he allegedly fatally shot his mother and sister in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States. The report revealed that at approximately 8:30 in the morning of that fateful day, authorities from the Worcester Police Department responded to a distress call at a residence on Colby Avenue, where a domestic incident had occurred. But, the suspect had already fled the scene before the police arrived, but officers engaged with a family member who provided critical information upon their arrival, Africa News said. The security operatives found the 24-year-old male suspect, visibly armed with a handgun, commanding him to surrender, as the officers initially succeeded in getting him to comply. However, in a sudden turn of events, the suspect jumped up, fired at the officers, and quickly retreated inside the house. With the safety of the victims in mind, the Worcester Police Department assembled an extensive team to resolve the situation, the report said. The efforts involved the Hostage Negotiation Team, SWAT Team, K9 Unit, drone operators, and a Mobile Crisis mental health clinician. For nearly thirteen grueling hours, officers tirelessly attempted to persuade the suspect to peacefully surrender. Hostage negotiators tirelessly sought to establish contact, while drone surveillance provided crucial aerial video footage and SWAT officers maintained a vigilant perimeter, while Worcester Paramedics and Firefighters stood by, ready to assist. Unfortunately, the suspect continued to engage officers, discharging his weapon on multiple occasions, prompting officers to return fire. Finally, at approximately 9:30 am, a breakthrough occurred when the suspect cautiously stepped out of the rear of the residence and with the assistance of a K9 unit, law enforcement successfully apprehended the individual. According to Africa News, paramedics promptly attended to his medical needs before he was taken into custody and transported to the hospital. Both the suspect and his victims sustained injuries and were promptly transported to the hospital for medical treatment. Their current conditions remain undisclosed.

  Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the self-determination of lawmakers’ emoluments as immoral and unconstitutional, decrying that those who should uphold the constitution are “the ones who undermine it”. The former President said this on Monday while delivering a speech at the 60th anniversary celebration of legal icon Aare Afe Babalola’s call to the Bar held in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital. According to Obasanjo, salary allocation for elected officials is the responsibility of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), which he said the lawmakers had jettisoned to fix salaries for themselves. Under Paragraph 32(a-e) of Part I to the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the commission is saddled with determining the remuneration appropriate for political officeholders, including legislators, among other functions. “The point in Nigeria which I have seen and which I can attest to is most of the people who are supposed to be operationalising or managing and seeing the constitution and democracy move forward, they are actually the ones who undermine the constitution,” Obasanjo said. “All elected people, by our constitution, their emolument is supposed to be fixed by the revenue mobilisation commission, but our lawmakers set that aside and they make laws and put any emolument for themselves. “Even if that is constitutional, it is not moral and, of course, it is neither constitutional nor moral.” He also complained that so many other aspects of the Nigerian Constitution such as the Federal Character were “absolutely ignored”, saying that the Federal Character Commission barely carried out its function. The former President said that when the constitution is “continually breached like that”, the country’s democracy becomes one where anything goes. The former Nigerian leaders commended Aare Babalola for his contributions to the development of the country, saying that he had made things he met in life better than he met them. “You have met this world at a point, you have met your community at a point, you have met your family at a point and what you have done is that what you have met, you have made it better than what you have found,” Obasanjo said.