Crime Facts

CBN directs banks to charge 0.5% cybersecurity levy on electronic transactions

  The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed banks and other financial institutions to implement a 0.5 percent cybersecurity levy on electronic transfers. This is contained in a circular signed by Chibuzor Efobi, director of payments system management and Haruna Mustafa, director of financial policy and regulation on Monday. The directive was issued to commercial, merchant, non-interest and payment service banks, as well as mobile money operators. CBN said the policy would take effect in two weeks and charges would be described as ‘Cybersecurity Levy’. According to the apex bank, the deduction and collection of the cybersecurity levy is a sequel to the enactment of the Cybercrime (prohibition, prevention etc) Amendment Act of 2024. “Following the enactment of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) (amendment) Act 2024 and under the provision of Section 44 (2)(a) of the Act, “a levy of 0.5% (0.005) equivalent to a half percent of all electronic transactions value by the business specified in the second schedule of the Act, is to be remitted to the National Cybersecurity Fund (NCF), which shall be administered by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA),” CBN said. CBN said the charges would be remitted to the national cyber security fund, which would be administered by the office of the NSA. “Deductions shall commence within two (2) weeks from the date of this circular for all financial institutions and the monthly remittance of the levies collected in bulk to the NCF account domiciled at the CBN by the 5th business day of every subsequent month.” CBN said failure to remit the levy is an offence which attracts a fine of not less than 2 percent of the annual turnover of the defaulting business, amongst others. “Finally, all institutions under the regulatory purview of the CBN are hereby directed to note and comply with the provisions of the Act and this circular.” Meanwhile, earlier, banks announced the reintroduction of 2 percent charge on deposits above N500,000.

EFCC grills six senior NSCDC officers over N6bn fraud

  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested six senior officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps over alleged N6bn fraud. The senior officers are currently being grilled by EFCC interrogators at the commission’s headquarters, Jabi, Abuja, The PUNCH can confirm. Though details of the probe are still sketchy, our correspondent gathered that the NSCDC officers were handed over to the EFCC on Monday on the order of the NSCDC Commandant General, Ahmed Audi. Impeccable sources privy to the development but who were not authorised to speak to the press revealed that the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, had earlier written a letter to the NSCDC CG, demanding the officers’ release for interrogation. A source revealed, “Six senior NSCDC officers are currently in our custody. They’re being grilled by our investigators over alleged fraudulent activities running into over N6bn.” Confirming the development, another source said, “The EFCC did not arrest the NSCDC CG, neither is he being probed. We only have six senior NSCDC officers in our custody, and they’re being probed over alleged N6bn fraud. “The EFCC Chairman had earlier written to the NSCSC CG to provide the officers, and the CG did. Now they’re in our custody and are being grilled by EFCC interrogators.” The spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, could not be reached for comments on Monday as phone calls and text messages to his phone lines were not responded to nor returned. Meanwhile, when contacted for comments, the spokesperson for the NSCDC, Babawale Afolabi, said he was not aware of the development. “I’m not aware of this,” Afolabi said in a terse WhatsApp message sent to our correspondent on Monday.

Hamas accepts Gaza truce proposal

  Hamas said Monday it accepts a proposal for a truce in the seven-month-old war in Gaza, as Israel renewed an order for Palestinians in Rafah to evacuate ahead of a long-threatened invasion of the city. The Hamas announcement brought cheering crowds onto the street amid tears of happiness, chants of “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest”) and celebratory shooting in the air. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the proposal “is far from Israel’s essential demands”, but the government will send negotiators for talks “to exhaust the potential for arriving at an agreement”.   Close Israeli ally the United States said it was “reviewing” the Hamas response. However, Israeli warplanes launched intense strikes on Rafah, a journalist working with AFP reported. Hamas member Khalil al-Hayya told the Qatar-based Al Jazeera channel the proposal agreed to by Hamas includes a three-phased truce. He said it includes a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the return of Palestinians displaced by the war and a hostage-prisoner exchange, with the goal of a “permanent ceasefire”. Israel’s military meanwhile reiterated an earlier call for residents of east Rafah city to evacuate as it prepares for a “ground operation” in the southern Gaza city. Renewing the call for people to leave, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israeli “aircraft targeted more than 50 terror targets in the Rafah area” on Monday. Hamas in a statement said its leader Ismail Haniyeh had informed mediators Qatar and Egypt “of Hamas’s approval of their proposal regarding a ceasefire agreement”. A senior Hamas official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said Israel must now decide whether it accepts or “obstructs” a truce after seven months of war. Israel called on Palestinians to leave eastern Rafah amid increasing global alarm about the consequences of an Israeli ground invasion of the city bordering Egypt. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, condemned the order saying it would be “impossible to carry out safely”, and the world body’s human rights chief Volker Turk called it “inhumane”. Later, Dujarric said that Guterres called on both Israel and Hamas to “go the extra mile needed” to seal a truce. The evacuation call followed disagreement between Israel and Hamas over the group’s demands to end the war, during weekend negotiations in Cairo.   Egyptian state-linked media said the talks stalled after a rocket attack claimed by Hamas’s armed wing killed four Israeli soldiers on Sunday. Netanyahu has vowed to send ground troops into Rafah regardless of any truce, defying international concerns. In the statement responding to Hamas’s announcement, Netanyahu’s office also said the Rafah offensive will go ahead “to exert military pressure on Hamas in order to advance the release of our hostages”. – ‘Thousands’ leaving – Cairo’s foreign ministry warned of “grave humanitarian risks” for more than one million Gazans sheltering there and urged Israel to “exercise the utmost restraint”. US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu spoke and Biden restated “his clear position” on Rafah, the White House said. It also said Netanyahu “agreed to ensure the Kerem Shalom crossing is open for humanitarian assistance for those in need”. Israel closed the crossing Sunday after the four soldiers were killed there by rockets fired from the Rafah area. Gaza’s bloodiest-ever war began following Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel estimates that 128 of the 250 hostages abducted by militants on October 7 remain in Gaza, including 35 whom the military says are dead. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has conducted a retaliatory offensive that has killed at least 34,735 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. About 1.2 million people are sheltering in Rafah, the World Health Organization says. Hamas said Israel was planning a large-scale offensive “without regard for the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe” in the besieged Gaza Strip or for the fate of hostages held there. Israel said its “limited” and temporary evacuation order aimed “to get people out of harm’s way”. The Palestinian Red Crescent said “thousands” of Gazans were leaving eastern Rafah. – ‘Where can we go?’ – Israel’s military in a statement urged eastern Rafah residents to head for the “expanded humanitarian area” at Al-Mawasi on the coast. But aid groups said Al-Mawasi was not ready for such an influx. Asked how many people should move, an Israeli military spokesman said: “The estimate is around 100,000 people.” The Red Crescent said the designated evacuation zone hosts around 250,000 people, many of them already uprooted from elsewhere. Palestinian man Abdul Rahman Abu Jazar, 36, said the area “does not have enough room for us to make tents” because it is already full. “Where we can go?” he asked. EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell called the evacuation orders “unacceptable” and urged Israel to “renounce” a ground offensive. Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi posted on X: “Another massacre of the Palestinians is in the making… All must act now to prevent it.” UNICEF warned that around 600,000 children packed into Rafah face “further catastrophe”. The main aid group in Gaza, UNRWA, said an Israeli Rafah offensive would mean “more civilian suffering and deaths”, and that it was “not evacuating”. – ‘Return all hostages’ – Soon after the war started, Israel told Palestinians in northern Gaza to move south to “safe zones” –- including Rafah. But Rafah has been repeatedly bombed and Palestinians say nowhere in Gaza is safe. Emergency workers said air strikes killed 16 people in Rafah on Sunday, hours after Hamas rockets killed the Israeli soldiers. The strike led Israel to close the crossing. Qatar-based Haniyeh accused Netanyahu of sabotaging the truce talks, which Netanyahu’s office on Monday called “an absolute lie”. Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv late Monday, calling on their government to accept a truce deal and hostage release. The Hostage Families and Missing Families Forum said in a statement Hamas’s announcement “must pave the way for

Nigeria cuts electricity supplies to Benin Republic, Togo, Niger to boost domestic supply

  The Federal Government has decided to improve the domestic power supply by cutting the sales to cross-border in the Niger Republic, Niger Republic and Togo. The electricity regulator, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) ordered a department within the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the System Operator (SO), to cap power supply to the three neigbhouring customers to six per cent. NERC’s order, published on Friday, was dated April 29, 2024, and effective from May 1, 2024, was jointly signed by the commission’s Chairman, Sanusi Garba, and Vice Chairman, Musiliu Oseni.   The directive, outlined in a document titled ‘Interim Order on Transmission System Dispatch Operations, Cross-border Supply, and Related Matters,’ will only last for six months, subject to change. According to the document, power delivery to Nigeria’s neighbours must not exceed six per cent of the total grid electricity at any given time. The electricity sector regulator expressed concern about sub-optimal grid dispatch practices, which have impacted the ability of Distribution Companies (DisCos) to meet their service tariff commitments to end-users. “The reliance on limiting Discos’ load off-take while prioritising international off-takers and Eligible Customers has proven neither efficient nor equitable,” the document read. NERC stressed that the current international and bilateral contracts with Generation Companies (GenCos) often fall short of industry standards. It stated that many off-takers contracted bilaterally by GenCos exploit this prioritisation, exceeding their contracted levels during peak operations without penalties. As an interim measure, NERC said the move was targeted at guiding the system operator and TCN in implementing Standard Operating Procedures to enhance transparency and fairness in grid operations. The order also called on the system operator to place interim caps on capacities supplied to international customers for the next six months, minimising the impact on domestic supply obligations by Gencos.     The document stated that the system operator must develop and present a pro-rata load-shedding scheme to ensure equitable load allocation to all off-takers (Discos, international customers, and eligible customers) during generation drops or grid imbalances. “The system operator will log and publish hourly readings, enforcing penalties for violations of grid instructions and contracted nominations. Maximum load allocation to international off-takers in each trading hour shall not exceed six per cent of the total available grid generation.” It partly read, “The commission hereby orders as follows: The system operator shall develop and present to the commission for approval within seven days from the issuance of this order a pro-rata load-shedding scheme that ensures equitable adjustment to load allocation to all off-takers — Discos, international customers, and eligible customers — in the event of a drop in generation and other under-frequency related grid imbalances necessitating critical grid management. “The system operator shall implement a framework to log and publish hourly readings and enforce necessary sanctions for violation of grid instructions and contracted nominations by off-takers in line with the grid code and market.   “The aggregate capacity that can be nominated by a generating plant to service international off-takers shall not be more than 10 per cent of its available generation capacity unless in exceptional circumstances a derogation is granted by the commission.“The system operator shall henceforth cease to recognise any capacity addition in bilateral transactions between a generator and an off-taker without the express approval of the commission,” it added. It urged, “The system operator and TCN to immediately initiate and install integrated Internet of Things (IoT) meters at all off-take and delivery points of eligible customers, bilateral supplies, cross-border trades, and outgoing 33kV feeders of the Discos to provide real-time visibility of aggregate offtake by grid customers. “The installation of and streaming of data from the IOT meters should be completed within three months from the date of this order.”

Faulty Aircraft Stops Shettima From US-Africa Summit

  Vice President Kashim Shettima, originally scheduled to represent President Bola Tinubu at the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa, has been forced to make a detour. Shettima was expected to join other political and business leaders across Africa, the United States of America and beyond for the summit featuring high-level dialogues, networking business sessions and the plenary. The summit is scheduled to be held from May 6 to May 9, 2024 However, a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, on Monday, revealed that a technical fault with the VP’s aircraft was responsible for the change in plans. According to Nkwocha, the Vice President had to heed the advice of the managers of the Presidential Air Fleet. Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will now represent President Bola Tinubu at the Summit. ”The Vice President will carry on with other national duties,” the statement read. The high-profile summit at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will bring together political and business leaders from across Africa, the United States, and other regions. It features high-level dialogues, networking sessions, and plenaries. ”Among the African heads of state expected are President Joseph Boakai of Liberia, President Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi, President Joao Lourenço of Angola, President Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi of Botswana, President José Maria Neves of Cabo Verde, and Deputy Prime Minister Nthomeng Majara of Lesotho.” ”The US-Africa Businesshol Summit aims to foster economic cooperation and explore investment opportunities between the United States and African countries.”

Kenya deports Nigerian captured assaulting Kenyan woman

  Kenya has deported a Nigerian man caught on CCTV camera assaulting a Kenyan woman. This was contained in a Saturday Joint Press Release by the Republic of Kenya’s Ministry of Gender, Culture, The Arts and Heritage State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action. The release, tagged for immediate press release, was titled: “Deportation of a Nigerian National Who Has Been Physically Abusing a Kenyan Woman.” It was co-signed by Anne Wang’ombe, Principal Secretary of the State Department of Gender and Senator Gloria Orwoba. It noted that the man, John Nwankwo Noko, the foreigner accused of physically assaulting his Kenyan partner confined to a wheelchair, was deported on Saturday, May 4. This incident has sparked concerns regarding Gender-Based Violence (GBV). “The act of violence has not only violated the rights of an individual but has also highlighted the broader issues of gender-based violence, that is rampant in our society,” it read. The case was first brought to the attention of the police by Nominated Senator, Gloria Orwoba on Wednesday, May 1. Orwoba, acting on the video that first went viral on social media on April 29, visited the woman at her home, who confirmed that her life was in danger. She [the woman] claimed that her Nigerian partner “had been threatening to kill her and her two domestic workers if they outed him.” Senator Orwoba then reported the matter to Karen Police Station, after which it was picked up by the offices of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kindiki Kithure, and that of Immigration PS Julius Bitok. “Mr Nwankwo Noko has been arrested and processed for deportation,” Gender PS confirmed. The nominated senator, who has continually advocated for violence against women has since demanded an end to the rising cases, saying they not only leave women with physical and emotional damage but also tear the moral fabric of our society. On May 4, Orwoba on her X handle, posted, “We shall end Gender Based Violence one incident at a time. This is a warning to all those others out there! There is no room for Gender Based Violence in Kenya. We are just beginning…” Meanwhile, five Nigerian nationals were deported from Kenya and declared persona non grata due to their alleged involvement in various criminal activities, including drug trafficking in the country. The five; Olayiwola Saheed Tunde, Nwosu Prince Chukwuebuka, Ajibade Adewale, Nwanonaku Alexander Odirachukwumma and Olayiwola Babatunde Akintomwawere, were deported by the Directorate of Immigration Services on March 18, 2024. According to local reports, “The Investigations Department reported that some of the foreigners had even sneaked back into the country after being declared persona non grata and deported in 2023,” a source at Nyayo House told Citizen Digital. “They had become a nuisance to the public and us, as law enforcement.” The Immigration department further states that Nigerian nationals previously deported from Kenya, find themselves in neighbouring Tanzania where they continue coordinating criminal activities in Kenya in collaboration with their counterparts in the country. Also, a Nigerian man, simply identified as Obinna, was deported in 2019 after Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiangi, signed his deportation papers

Siblings flog teacher, lock up admin officer for flogging brother

  There was pandemonium on Monday morning at a secondary school in the Agip axis of Port Harcourt, when the family of a J.S.S.1 student simply identified as Favour, allegedly accosted a female teacher, Sonia Amadi on her way to work and whipped her for allegedly flogging their child inappropriately. Also, they allegedly went into the school compound and locked up the Admin Officer identified as Joy Ajayi, inside her office and threatened to do the same to her. It was gathered that it took the intervention of other parents to prevent the family who had physically assaulted the female teacher from beating up the Admin officer. Speaking with newsmen, an Admin Officer of the school, ‘Silver Bird International School’ Agip, Mile 4, in Port Harcourt, Joy Ajayi said she was in her office on Monday morning when three boys matched in, locked the door and said they wanted to flog her. She stated, “One of the boys carried the scissors we used in doing school work and threatened to stab me. He asked why should they flog his brother in this school. “All the teachers came out that there was no need for them to take this thing to that extent. But they refused to open the door. There was a parent inside here with me and we were resolving an issue. “So the parent had to start begging them that they should calm down. They were here for more than 15 to 20 minutes. My teachers were outside trying to get inside but they could not. “They were saying they would flog me and that we should go and call the Police or lawyer. I now said I have a right to defend myself. As I was talking, that was when their father came, and said they should open the door. They opened the door and their father now said he wanted to take his family and that he would come back later. She narrated how the group used a cane on one of the teachers, saying, “Before they came to my office and locked me up, a teacher was flogged, my English teacher Sonia Amadi when she was coming to school. “They flogged her seriously. She is in the office and I have to ask her to calm down. The mother of the boy also slapped her as she was coming to school. “The same people who came to my office had already accosted my teacher and flogged her seriously. As she was entering the gate they followed her and matched straight to my office, “she added. It was gathered that the management of the school has lodged a formal complaint at the Ada George Police Division where the teacher was issued a medical form to visit the clinic for treatment. When contacted, the spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said she was yet to receive a report on the incident but promised to find out and get back to our correspondent. Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report on Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, a rights group, the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, has condemned the alleged assault on the female teacher and invasion of the school by the student’s family The National Coordinator of the group, Price Wiro, in a statement, said the parents of the student should have reported to the Ministry of Education if they felt their child was treated inappropriately or the Police in case of physical assault rather than taking laws into their hands. Wiro called on the Police to ensure a thorough investigation into the incident and anybody found culpable should be made to face the law. He stated, “We condemn the invasion of the school by the student’s brothers and the locking up of an admin staff on account that she flogged their child in a manner that they considered inappropriate. “I want to advise parents that if you feel that the way your child was treated in school is not right, there are channels for seeking redress. If there are physical signs of assault you can go to the police or the Ministry of Education to make a formal complaint. “Resort to self-help by taking the laws into your hands is not the way to go. I therefore call on the Police to thoroughly investigate this matter anybody found culpable no matter how highly placed should face the law.”

Again, Rivers Assembly Vetoes Fubara, Passes Procurement Amendment Bill

  The political face-off between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly is showing no signs of reprieve as the House is tackling the governor over the state’s Public Procurement Law. At plenary on Monday, the Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, accused the governor of financial irresponsibility and recklessness in the way he spent money without appropriation. One of the items on the agenda for the day’s sitting was the governor’s handling of state financing which the Speaker condemned. The Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, asked his colleagues to veto the governor on the state public procurement amendment bill. Of particular concern was the issue of Emohua Local Government where the staff are yet to be paid their March salaries. With a banging of the gavel, the Speaker signalled the passage of the second reading of the Rivers State Public Procurement Amendment Bill 2024. This is the latest in the political saga involving Governor Fubara and the House of Assembly. The latest veto is coming on the heels of five previous vetoes during which the Assembly has overridden the governor to enact laws. In April, the Rivers State House of Assembly vetoed Governor Fubara and enacted an amendment to the Rivers State Local Government Law.

S’Africa building collapse traps 48 workers

  A multi-storey building under construction in South Africa’s coastal city of George collapsed on Monday trapping about 48 workers in the rubble, the city hall said. Seventy people were on the site at the time of the collapse, of which 22 have been taken to hospital, a city spokeswoman said. Details later AFP

Biden Again Warns Netanyahu As Rafah Invasion Looms

  US President Joe Biden on Monday “reiterated his clear position” to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against an invasion of Rafah, the White House said, after Israel defied US warnings and told Palestinians to evacuate part of the southern Gaza city. The two leaders spoke as Biden mounts a diplomatic offensive to get ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas back on track, with Jordan’s King Abdullah II due at the White House for lunch. Biden told Netanyahu in April that invading Rafah would be a “mistake,” and Washington has said it does not support an offensive without a credible plan to aid some 1.2 million civilians sheltering there. “The president reiterated his clear position on Rafah,” the White House said in a brief readout of the call, adding that Biden also briefed the Israeli leader on talks to free Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian militants. Netanyahu meanwhile “agreed to ensure the Kerem Shalom crossing is open for humanitarian assistance for those in need,” the White House said, after Israel closed the key Gaza border crossing following a Hamas rocket attack. Biden did not respond to shouted questions and walked straight to the Oval Office from his helicopter, Marine One, after returning to the White House from a weekend at his family home in Wilmington, Delaware. Earlier, a spokesman for the US National Security Council announced the Biden-Netanyahu call, saying “we have made our views clear on a major ground invasion of Rafah to the Israeli government.” “We continue to believe that a hostage deal is the best way to preserve the lives of the hostages, and avoid an invasion of Rafah, where more than a million people are sheltering,” the spokesman told AFP. Biden is under growing domestic pressure about the war in Gaza in an election year, with pro-Palestinian protests roiling US university campuses. New York’s prestigious Columbia University, which has been at the heart of the protests, said Monday it had canceled its main graduation ceremony next week. ‘Catastrophe’ Israel’s military called Monday for the evacuation of Palestinians from eastern Rafah in a move Washington believes is in response to a rocket strike by Hamas militants that killed four Israeli soldiers on Sunday. The evacuation call followed intensified disagreement between Israel and Hamas over the Islamist group’s demands to end the seven-month war, during weekend talks in Cairo. Consultations between the United States and Qatar, which like Egypt are mediating the talks, were expected on Monday in Doha, but state-linked media in Egypt said negotiations had stalled after the rocket strike.   Biden’s lunch with the Jordanian king, a key US ally in the Middle East, is sure to focus on the ceasefire talks. King Abdullah II last visited the White House in February when he called for an immediate ceasefire and warned an attack on Rafah would cause a “humanitarian catastrophe.” In April, Jordan worked alongside the United States and other allies to shoot down Iranian drones that Tehran sent towards Israel, with the kingdom keen to avoid a wider conflict. Israel’s apparent determination to press ahead with a Rafah offensive underscores the difficulties Biden has had exerting any leverage from being Israel’s main military and diplomatic backer. In a shift in early April after months of unstinting support, Biden warned Netanyahu that US policy on Gaza depended on the protection of civilians and aid workers. The warning, which followed the killing of seven aid workers in an Israeli drone strike, was the first hint of possible conditions to Washington’s military support for Israel. But since then, the United States has declined to curb the multi-billion-dollar assistance pipeline to Israel, saying it has been allowing in more aid to Gaza. AFP