The Federal High Court in Abuja, has fixed May 17th to rule on an application by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), seeking to serve by substituted means the charge against a top executive of Binance Holdings Limited, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who fled from custody while awaiting trial. Moses Ideho, Counsel to FIRS, hinted at moves to serve the charge of the fleeing defendant, on Tigran Gambaryan, the defendant who has been available since the matter started. This comes days after the Presiding Judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, had ruled that it was proper to serve on Gambaryan, the charge against Binance, which is the first defendant in the case. The judge had granted the application of the prosecution, stating that the defendant could represent the crypto-exchange company. The counsel to the defendant, Chukwuka Ikwazuonu, however, said it was inappropriate to serve a criminal charge of another defendant on his client, prompting the judge to adjourn the matter for ruling on the mode of service.   Anjarwalla Escapes From Custody Last month, Anjarwalla escaped the custody of the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA). He was a suspect in the Federal Government’s ongoing probe into Binance activities in Nigeria. “The Office of the National Security Adviser confirms that Nadeem Anjarwalla, a suspect in the ongoing criminal probe into the activities of Binance in Nigeria has escaped from lawful custody on Friday, 22 March 2024,” the NSA Office said. “Upon receiving the report, the Office of the NSA took immediate steps, in conjunction with relevant security agencies, MDAs, as well as the international community, to apprehend the suspect.   “Preliminary investigation shows that Mr Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport,” it said. “The personnel responsible for the custody of the suspect have been arrested, and a thorough investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to his escape from lawful detention.” Until his escape, Anjarwalla, who holds British and Kenyan citizenship and serves as Binance’s Africa Regional Manager, was facing trial in Nigerian courts. The suspect escaped while under a 14-day remand order by a court. He was scheduled to appear before it again on April 4, 2024.

  Mr Claudio Sabatino, Vice President of Messrs Leonardo, has assured the Chief of Air Staff, Air Mashal Hasan Abubakar, of his company’s unwavering commitment to the timely delivery of six M-346 fighter aircraft expected in Nigeria before the end of year 2024. The six M-346 fighter aircraft to be delivered before the end of the year is the first batch of the aircraft expected by the Nigerian Air Force. Mr Sabatino stated this when he paid a visit to Nigerian Air Force Headquarters on Wednesday, 17 April 2024. The PUNCH had reported that the Federal Government is acquiring 24 M-346 fighter aircraft from Messrs Leonardo of Italy in a move that marked a significant step in Nigeria Air Force’s ongoing efforts to modernize its fleet as well as bolster its operation effectiveness. The aircraft expected to arrive in Nigeria in four trenches of six each, with the first trench billed to arrive before the end of the year 2024. Confirming the development in a statement on Friday, the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Edward Gabkwet said the Air Chief, Abubakar, commended the move. Gabkwet said, “While thanking the CAS for the warm reception accorded him and his entourage, Mr Sabatino also stated that further engagement between the NAF and his Company would be necessary to conclude other aspects of the project such as the commencement of pilots and engineering training. “Speaking further, Mr Claudio assured the CAS that when finally completed, the maintenance of the aircraft fleet would not constitute a challenge as there is a binding agreement for Leonardo’s maintenance support for a minimum of 25 years. “He also noted that the manufacturing of the aircraft fleet has reached an appreciable state and is being carried out with the utmost skill and expertise. “The assurance of long-term maintenance support provided by Leonardo was particularly met with appreciation by the CAS, who recognized the inherent value of such commitment in ensuring the sustained operational readiness of the entire aircraft fleet,” He added that reflecting on the journey thus far, Air Marshal Abubakar also acknowledged the challenges overcome and expressed optimism for the future trajectory of the partnership. “Envisioning the operational impact that the M-346 fighter aircraft brings to the fore, Air Marshal Abubakar went on to underscore its dual role in bolstering training capabilities and augmenting operational effectiveness in diverse mission scenarios. “Moreover, the prospect of close air support, Air Interdiction, and tactical reconnaissance as well as Advanced Pilot Training capabilities inherent in the M-346 fighter aircraft heralded a new prospect for NAF’s operational versatility. The CAS further proposed the establishment of a dedicated Program Management Office, tasked with overseeing all facets of the collaboration. “Air Marshal Abubakar also used the opportunity of the visit to reiterate the significance of Messr Leonardo’s physical presence in Nigeria as a maintenance hub for their long list of African clientele, while also emphasizing the need for close coordination and synergy in achieving shared objectives with regards to the expeditious delivery of the fleet. “Moving forward, both parties concurred on the importance of regular dialogue and collaboration as well as scheduling future meetings to delve into detailed arrangements on logistics, maintenance protocols, and configuration requirements,” the statement added.

  The founder of the micro-blogging platform, X, Elon Musk has issued a stern warning to users about the practice of engagement farming. Numerous users on X have been reported to be engaging in farming practices to enhance their earnings through the platform’s content creator monetization program. This trend emerges amid the billionaire’s ongoing efforts to combat the proliferation of bots and fake accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter. Musk took to X to announce his stance, stating,“Any accounts doing engagement farming will be suspended and traced to source.” What to know about Engagement Farming Engagement farming refers to the tactic of seeking increased interaction on social media platforms. Users employ this method to garner more followers, likes, comments, and retweets without necessarily adding meaningful content. Instead, the primary aim is to boost one’s online presence. This practice is often utilized by influencers who form groups with fellow content creators. Members of these groups reciprocate engagement by liking, commenting, and sharing each other’s posts. The goal is to create the impression of a highly engaged audience and manipulate algorithms for increased visibility.

  Cape Town International Airport in South Africa has been named the continent’s best airport for 2024. Skytrax, a UK-based airline and airport review and ranking site, announced the ratings on Wednesday at the World Airport Awards in Frankfurt, Germany. Annually since 1999, Skytrax surveys over 570 airports and evaluates traveller experiences across different airports. It also highlights key performance indicators. Respondents are polled on a variety of areas, from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration, through to departure. Data for the latest rankings were collected between August 2023 to March 2024 from more than 100 nationals, Skytrax said. South Africa shone in the ratings on the continent, taking home three awards. Asides ranking first on the list, Cape Town airport also took home ‘Best airport staff service in Africa’ while Durban King Shaka Airport, which came second, had an additional award for ‘Best regional airport in Africa’. Johannesburg’s Tambo International Airport came third, while the Mohammed V International Airport serving Casablanca, Morocco, polled fourth. At fifth place was Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Mauritius, with Morocco making another entry via Menara Airport in Marrakesh for sixth place. Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport, the hub of Ethiopian Airline, was ranked seventh, while the Kigali International Airport in Rwanda scooped the eight spot. Cairo International Airport in Egypt took the ninth position while Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport had the tenth place. Neither the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, nor the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, made the rankings. Ibrahim Idris, a former inspector-general of police, had once compared the Abuja airport to “a world class airport like you see in Dubai”. Former President Muhammadu Buhari had promised that his administration would deliver world class airport infrastructure to Lagos. SINGAPORE LOSES POSITION TO QATAR Doha’s Hamad International Airport in Qatar was named the ‘World’s best airport 2024’ and also won awards for the ‘World’s best airport shopping’ and the ‘Best airport in the Middle East’. The airport is the home of Qatar Airways, the national carrier. Singapore’s Changi Airport, ‘2023 Airport of the year’ winner and 12-times previous winner, dropped to second place in the global ranking, winning awards for the ‘Best airport in Asia’ and the ‘World’s best airport immigration service’. Seoul Incheon Airport, which moved up to third place, was named the ‘World’s most family friendly airport’, while Tokyo’s Haneda Airport came in at fourth place and was declared the ‘World’s cleanest airport’, ‘World’s best domestic airport’, and delivering the ‘World’s best airport PRM & accessible facilities’. Rome’s Fiumicino Airport picked up the award for ‘World’s best airport security processing’ and Istanbul’s airport was voted ‘World’s best airport dining experience’. Below are the lists for the world’s best airports and the Africa ranking. THE WORLD’S TOP 20 AIRPORTS FOR 2024 Doha Hamad Airport Singapore Changi Airport Seoul Incheon Airport Tokyo Haneda Airport Tokyo Narita Airport Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Dubai Airport Munich Airport Zurich Airport Istanbul Airport Hong Kong Airport Rome Fiumicino Airport Vienna Airport Helsinki-Vantaa Madrid-Barajas Centrair Nagoya Airport Vancouver Airport Kansai Airport Melbourne Airport Copenhagen Airport BEST AIRPORTS IN AFRICA 2024 Cape Town Durban King Shaka Johannesburg Casablanca Mauritius Marrakech Addis Ababa Kigali Cairo Nairobi

  Gunmen suspected to be assassins have killed the Chief of Sansani, Alhaji Abdulmutallib Nuhu, in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State.   This was confirmed by the Assistant Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Kwache Gambo, in a telephone interview. According to her, the gunmen in their numbers stormed the residence of the monarch and shot him dead without asking for anything. She stated that the assassins invaded the palace of Jankada of Sansani by 22:00hrs Thursday night. Gambo revealed that empty shells of ammunitions were found in the palace and no arrests have been made so far. She also disclosed that investigations into the killing have been launched to unmask the killers.