A group of youths on Friday staged a peaceful protest in Osogbo, Osun State, decrying the rising cost of living, with a call on the government to immediately intervene. The protesters, who wielded placards with inscriptions such as ‘change the unfavourable policies’, ‘Nigerians are suffering, we can’t cope again’, and ‘We are humans, stop mistreating the citizens’, among others, assembled along MDS Road, Osogbo very early. Despite the large presence of police operatives near the scene of the protest, the youth kept singing songs expressing the frustration of many Nigerians occasioned by the harsh economy. Addressing the protesters, the chairman, Osun Civil Societies Coalition, Mr. Waheed Lawal, said the protest would continue until the Federal Government finds solutions to the current economic hardship ravaging the country. He said, “Government must ameliorate the suffering of the people. They must do whatever they need to do to make sure that the people live in better conditions. “Nigerians deserve the best. They promised us renewed hope but what they are giving us now is renewed hardship. We reject renewed hardship in our lives, and in our economy because Nigerians deserve the best. “What Nigerians want is a peaceful atmosphere. We don’t want insecurity in our land again. We can’t travel from Osogbo to Ibadan without panicking. You will be thinking that they will kidnap you. “The abduction of monarchs is the order of the day in our country now. We urge the government to provide security for the life and property of the citizens. It is their responsibility, it is a constitutional responsibility. “Every government that fails to provide security for the lives of the citizens is no longer a government. What we are saying is simple, we are ready to face the government in this hardship and we are marathon runners. “We have started this struggle today and if the government fails to listen to us, we will continue to mobilise our people to protest this hardship because enough is enough.” Meanwhile, earlier in the week, youths and women took to the streets of Minna and Kano to protest what they described as the rising cost of living in the country. In Niger, a group of women blocked the ever-busy Minna-Bida Road at the popular Kpakungu Roundabout and called on Tinubu to address the problem of ‘hunger in the land.’ Also on Thursday, as a temporary response to the nation’s growing food crisis and the rising cost of commodities, President Bola Tinubu ordered the immediate release of more than 102,000 metric tons of various grain types from the National Food Reserve and the Rice Millers Association of Nigeria. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this to State House correspondents after the last leg of a series of three meetings of the Special Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention at the Aso Rock Villa on Thursday. Idris said, “The first one is that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has been directed to release about 42,000 metric tons of maize, millet, garri, and other commodities in their strategic reserve so that these items will be made available to Nigerians; 42,000 metric tons immediately. “The second one is that we have held meetings with the Rice Millers Association of Nigeria. Those who are responsible for producing this rice and we have asked them to open up their stores. “They’ve told us that they can guarantee about 60,000 metric tons of rice. This will be made available and we know that that is enough to take Nigerians the next one month to six weeks, perhaps up to two months.”

  As a result of a law enforcement operation on February 7, 2024, 10 defendants were arrested at locations throughout Maryland and three search warrants were executed related to an alleged money laundering conspiracy involving more than $9.5 million in proceeds from fraud schemes. Law enforcement agents from the Homeland Security Investigations Mid-Atlantic El-Dorado Task Force, the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service participated in yesterday’s searches and arrests. Additional defendants are currently fugitives. A federal grand jury in Maryland returned two indictments last year that were unsealed upon the arrests of the defendants. The following defendants were arrested in connection with these two cases. Case Number: 23-CR-411 (MJM) 1. Adanegbe Gift Osemwenkhae, age 38, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; 2. Emily Gil Arias, age 26, of Silver Spring, Maryland; 3. Fatoumata Boiro, age 30, of Largo, Maryland; 4. Lakeisha Parker, age 31, of Baltimore; 5. Martin Ogisi, age 35, of Severn, Maryland; 6. Blondel Ndjouandjouaka, age 30, of Silver Spring, Maryland; 7. Kevin Colon, age 33, of Curtis Bay, Maryland; and 8. Lorena Perez Herrera, age 27, of Silver Spring, Maryland. Case Number: 23-CR-304 (MJM) 9. Yahye Sowe, a/k/a “Cash,” age 40, of Largo, Maryland; and 10. Areal El-Lovieta Harris, age 24, of Hanover, Maryland. The defendants had initial appearances yesterday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Austin. Osemwenkhae, Ogisi, and Ndjouandjouaka consented to detention, Sowe and Boiro were detained pending detention hearings scheduled for February 9, 2024, and the remaining defendants were released on conditions under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services. The indictments were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), Washington, D.C. Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Nicolas Evans of the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Inspector General (“EPA OIG”); and Special Agent in Charge Ken DeChellis, of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service – Cyber Field Office (“DCIS”). According to the indictments, the defendants allegedly created and used limited liability companies and other shell businesses to open bank accounts on which the shell entities were listed as the account holders. Members of the conspiracy had signature authority for the bank accounts, at times using aliases or stolen identities. The defendants and their co-conspirators used the bank accounts to receive money obtained from the fraud victims. The victims included government agencies, organizations, and companies, such as an environmental trust, an urban redevelopment program, a medical center, a transportation and logistics company, a school district, a college, and a county government, among others. Some of the co-conspirators obtained and used forged and counterfeited identification documents, including documents bearing the names of individual identity theft victims. As detailed in the indictments, the victims were deceived into sending money to the conspirators’ bank accounts based on false pretenses, such as being provided with false bank account information for legitimate vendor payments and false wire transfer information for legitimate transactions. After the fraudulently obtained funds were received in the bank accounts, the defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly engaged in financial transactions to conceal and disguise the nature and source of the money through cash withdrawals, the purchase of cashier’s checks, debit card transactions, and by transferring funds to other bank accounts controlled by the conspirators. According to the indictments, the defendants obtained and used a portion of the fraud proceeds for themselves. The defendants allegedly used some of the fraud proceeds to purchase vehicles, some of which were shipped or attempted to be shipped outside the United States. As alleged in the indictment, the defendants also engaged in international financial transactions and caused fraud proceeds to be sent outside the United States. The indictment further alleges that the defendants in case 23-CR-411 (MJM) and their co-conspirators collectively conducted and attempted to conduct financial transactions involving more than $9.5 million in fraud proceeds. The indictment in 23-CR-304 (MJM) alleges that the defendants and their co-conspirators conducted and attempted to conduct financial transactions involving more than $2 million in fraud proceeds. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the conspiracy and for each count of money laundering. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force, IRS-CI, EPA-OIG, and DCIS for their work in the investigation and recognized the Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County and Montgomery County Police Departments for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber and Stephanie Williamson, who are prosecuting these cases. He also recognized the assistance of the Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber.

  Students of the Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo State, on Friday, protested what they described as incessant robbery attacks against them off the campus of the institution. The protesters, who were singing various solidarity songs, barricaded the busy Akure -Ilesa Road, causing gridlock on the expressway. The students said they staged a protest to call the attention of the management of the institution, the government, and the security agencies to act to save them from the activities of the bandits. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, said men of the command had been deployed in the area to ensure the protest was not hijacked by hoodlums. Details later…

  Consumers of bread in Rivers State may have to pay more, as the prices of the staple food will increase from February 7th, 2024. Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the Master Bakers Association of Nigeria, Dr Chidi Emmanuel, confirmed the price increase while speaking to newsmen after an emergency meeting of the association in Port Harcourt. Dr Emmanuel said the high cost of materials, as well as the increase in the cost of cargo clearance by the Central Bank of Nigeria, coupled with the rising cost of energy, had necessitated the increase in the prices of loaves of bread. He said, “There is going to be price increment on all bread sizes from Thursday simply because most of the things we use in producing bread are imported. “So if naira has moved from N1,000 a month ago to about N1,500 to the dollar today, price of things must go up. And that is the position of master bakers, Rivers State branch. “And it is a nation-wide thing, some states have implemented even before today. There is a directive by the national association to all the states to review their cost of production and increase selling price accordingly. “So, we are complying with a directives from the national headquaters and it is effective Thursday. It is a decision taken by the association.” He also said while the prices of loaves of bread will increase, the association will however maintain standards in the production of bread in the state, urging bread consumers to bear with the association. Emmanuel further said, “My advice to them (consumers) is to keep managing. Let’s believe that there will be improvement in the near future. “If the price of the raw materials come down, we will call a meeting again and reduce the prices downward. If the raw materials continue to go up we will call a meeting again and review upwards. It is purely an issue of buying and selling. “So they (bread producers) should try and maintain standard so that they don’t use banned substances to produce bread. “It is better to produce small quantity and sell than a large quantity and unable to sell.” He further advised producers of bread to minimize losses by taking the purchasing power into consideration. He disclosed that the association will announce the prices of all loaves of bread in the state from Thursday.

  Two students of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja have died after inhaling fumes from a power generating set placed close to the window of their apartment overnight. The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Ovye Aya, confirmed this in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Thursday. Aya disclosed that the deceased were identified as Bilikisu Eleojo, 20 years old, and Ibrahim Haliru. According to him, the generating set was placed close to the window of the victims, they slept off and died before daybreak. The lifeless bodies of the duo were reportedly recovered in the room by neighbours in the early hours of Thursday. “There were three students from Kogi State Polytechnic inside the room. One Bilikisu Tijani Eleojo, 20 years old, Ibrahim Haliru, and Mercy Ojochegbe. “When they slept inside their room, a generating set was switched on close to the window of their apartment. “They all slept off and inhaled carbon monoxide as a result of the generating set that was switched on. “Bilikisu Tijani Eleojo, and Ibrahim Haliru were already dead when neighbours discovered the sad incident in the morning while Mercy Ojochegbe who was still breathing was immediately rushed to the hospital. “The incident was reported at the ‘B’ Division of the Nigeria Police Force Lokoja and investigation is ongoing.” He admonished residents always to be safety conscious to avert carbon monoxide poisoning in their homes. In December, a young man and his girlfriend also died after having reportedly inhaled fumes from a generating set locked inside their apartment overnight in Ugborikoko community, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State. It was gathered that the man had just celebrated his girlfriend’s birthday party together with the lover, at a nightclub. It was gathered that on leaving the party, the duo left the club and went to the lady’s shop, and put on the generating set inside before sleeping off, and they died before daybreak.

  The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL), Professor Cyril Ndifon, and one Barrister Sunny Anyanwu in the sexual harassment and gratification case instituted against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Ndifon was granted N250 million bail while Sunny was granted bail with N50 million among other stringent bail conditions. The defence counsel, Joe Agi and Solomon Umoh, had urged the court to grant their clients bail on liberal terms. But the prosecution counsel countered the bail application, asking the court to dismiss it because the don would interfere with the evidence of the witness. Ruling on the bail on Friday, Justice James Omotosho held that while bail is a constitutional right, the court must be guided by the nature of a charge and the possibility of the accused person interfering with the case against him, among other things. He said the defendants are facing sexual harassment offences for requesting nude videos but they are not capital offences like terrorism. Omotosho said, “This court grants the defendants bail on the following conditions; bail is granted to the first defendants in the sum of N250 million with two sureties who own properties within FCT with a minimum valuation of N150 million. “The first defendant and his two sureties must submit their bank statements. “The first defendants must submit his International passport to the court. “The second defendant is granted bail with the sum of N50 million with two sureties who will submit their bank statements. “The defendants must file an undertaking not to interfere with the case, readiness to attend trial and not to cause delay.” Subsequently, Justice Omotosho adjourned the matter to Monday for the continuation of the hearing.

  The Central Bank of Nigeria, in its recently revised consumer protection framework, has mandated financial service providers to comply with minimum standards in their advertising and promotional materials. One of the requirements is that FSPs should not make reference to unaudited financial statements in their sales promotion. Unaudited financial statements are financial reports that have not been examined and verified for accuracy and completeness by an external independent auditor. Other requirements include disclosing contact details and its regulatory authority; disclosing cost of products, including all fees and other associated charges; the nature and value of benefits, where an advertisement refers to, or is linked to other value-adding benefits and avoiding mentioning the names of or making comparisons with competitors. Meet Ondo Regent Whose Father Reigned For Three… CBN noted that “the content of advertisements shall be factual, unambiguous, not offensive, misleading, deceptive, or likely to cause damage. The document stated, “Promotional materials must not focus on benefits and downplay risks, unsolicited advertisements should be free for consumers. “The service providers must honour obligations in sales promotions as advertised and offered; not make opt-in for promotional materials a prerequisite for onboarding consumers to products. “They must stablish a process to periodically evaluate the competence and conduct of employees. “The financial services industry has undergone significant transformation with evolving market trends, proliferation and widespread adoption of technology in the delivery of a broad range of financial products and services through digital channels.” The apex bank said while these changes had provided enhanced consumer choices, convenience, and accessibility, they had also exposed consumers to new challenges and risks. The apex bank added that the objective of the revised document is to promote a safe, trustworthy and consumer-friendly financial services environment by promoting transparency and disclosure through the provision of accurate and clear information to consumers on time. It also serves to protect consumers from unethical and predatory practices that undermine confidence in the use of financial products and services, CBN noted.

  The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Kaduna State Command, has arrested 92 suspects and seized 217.02kg of illicit substances since the beginning of 2024. The state commander of NDLEA, Mr Samaila Danmalam, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Kaduna. According to him, the suspects comprise 88 males and four females. He added that the seized substances included Indian hemp, cocaine, heroin, tramadol, and methamphetamine. The commander said that NDLEA operatives raided 19 illicit drugs in the state during the period. He said that the command secured the conviction of 24 suspects and charged 25 to court during the period. “In its drug demand reduction efforts, 29 drug users were counselled, while seven drug addicts were successfully rehabilitated. “In a bid to dissuade members of the public from illicit drug use and trafficking, enlightenment campaigns were carried out at various locations targeting 6,956 participants. The commander called on members of the public to provide useful and timely information to the command, saying the fight against drug abuse and trafficking requires the support of all Nigerians. (NAN)

  President Vladimir Putin said in an interview released Thursday with controversial right-wing US talk show host Tucker Carlson that the West should understand it is “impossible” to defeat Russia in Ukraine. In a two-hour interview with the former Fox News host — coming just ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — Putin also said a deal “can be reached” on imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. “There are certain terms being discussed via special services channels,” he said, while insisting that the reporter is a spy — something the Journal and US government vehemently deny. It was the first one-on-one interview of Putin by someone from the Western media since 2019. However Carlson, who is close to White House candidate and former president Donald Trump, asked few tough questions and largely listened while the Kremlin leader lectured him on his views of Russian history, portraying the country as a victim of Western betrayals. Putin defended his decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022. And he said the West now realizes that Russia will not be defeated, despite US, European and NATO help to Ukraine. “Up until now, there has been the uproar and screaming about inflicting a strategic defeat to Russia on the battlefield. But now they are apparently coming to realize that it is difficult to achieve, if possible, at all. In my opinion, it is impossible by definition,” he said. He also aimed a message at the US Congress, where Trump-dominated Republicans are increasingly reluctant to keep backing Ukraine with weapons and other military aid. “I will tell you what we are saying on this matter and what we are conveying to the US leadership. If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons,” he said. When asked if Moscow would consider invading other countries in the region — NATO members Poland and Latvia — or generally across the European continent, Putin said that was “out of the question.” “We have no interest in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else. Why would we do that? We simply don’t have any interest. It’s just threat mongering,” Putin said. A war with Poland, he said, would happen “only in one case: if Poland attacks Russia.” Asked about a possible change in leadership after the US election, where Biden is expected to face off against Trump in a rematch of their 2020 contest, Putin indicated he would see little change. “You just asked me if another leader comes and changes something? It is not about the leader. It is not about the personality of a particular person.” Facing Putin in matching white chairs with a small table between them, Carlson rarely pushed back in his interview in an ornate room at the Kremlin — recorded Tuesday and posted on Carlson’s own website — and did not challenge Putin over his relationship with Trump. While president and since being defeated by Biden, Trump has repeatedly praised Putin and failed to condemn the invasion of Ukraine — saying that if he was reelected he would be able to solve the war in “24 hours,” though not saying how. By contrast, Biden has branded Putin a “war criminal” and has made backing for Ukraine’s elected, pro-Western government one of the key priorities of his presidency.