The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has secured the conviction of one Quadri Adeyinka, a staff of the Nigeria Immigration Service for committing a travelling passport fraud. A statement by the Spokesperson for the Commission, Ag. Director, Public Enlightenment and Education, Demola Bakare, FSI, on Monday, said the commission has arraigned the convict before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja on a four-count charge bordering on gratification, conferment of corrupt advantage and cheating contrary to extant provisions of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and the Penal Code Act. Counsel to ICPC, Dr Osuobeni Akponimisingha had, in the course of the trial, led evidence before the court on how Adeyinka defrauded Ovie Ojeffia under the pretence of regularising the latter’s international passport. Adeyinka was said to have received the sum of ₦100,000 from Ojeffia, to regularise the said passport but reneged. The victim thereafter petitioned ICPC, which led to the investigation and arraignment of the convict before the court. In his judgement, Justice Onwuegbuzie found Adeyinka guilty on all four counts charge, and sentenced him to seven years each for counts 1 and 2, five years for count 4, and two years for count 3. The sentences are to run concurrently.

  The Advocacy Centre for Development has lamented the killing of 2,545 security officers, and 17,886 civilians and the abduction of 15,597 persons from 2019 to 2023. Disclosing this on Friday in Gombe State at the end of a one-day roundtable engagement with stakeholders on National Day of Mourning, the Convener and Team Lead, Ibrahim Yusuf, blamed the political class for the wanton killings. This year marks the 7th National Day of Mourning, as declared by the Joint Nigeria Crisis Action Committee on May 28, 2018. The day was called to denounce the level of impunity and frequency of violent killings in the country. A statement in 2018 by Chidi Odinkalu, Yemi Adamolekun, Abiodun Baiyewu, Ier Jonathan-Ichaver and Auwal Musa (Rafsanjani) on behalf of the Co-Ordinating Committee of JN-CAC said the day of national mourning would witness a set of activities for remembrance, solidarity and awakening to the challenges confronting the nation. Speaking on the seventh edition in Gombe, Yusuf decried the reckless use of the military in civil matters, calling for an end to killings and abductions in the country. Yusuf said, “The killing of 2,545 security officers and 17, 886 civilians as well as abduction of 15,597 persons from 2019 to 2023 across the country were the clear absence of political will.” While lamenting the surge in atrocities against women, children, Persons with Disabilities, students, teachers and the most vulnerable, schools and institutions of learning, he regretted that the government appeared unwilling to take urgent action to protect the demographics. “The armed forces are deployed in all 36 states of Nigeria on internal security operations, thereby retrenching the constitutional role of the Nigeria Police Force. This is a constitutional anomaly. The rise in fatalities from military operations shows that the military is over-stretched. This cannot continue. “Here in Gombe State, we have issues of farmer/herder clashes in some communities of the state during the rainy season and we are calling on the state government and the security agencies and the traditional institutions to do the needful, without fear or favour, by putting an end to the issues of unrest in the state,” he said. He lauded as timely, the establishment of the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs and and the inauguration of Operation Hattara and Gombe Security Traffic and Environmental Corps by the Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya. “As Nigerians bleed, we have come together on this seventh National Day of Mourning to ask the people in authority to take urgent steps in preventing the menace,” he said. The group, in a 10-point communique signed by Saidu Malala, chairman; Abubakar Jibrin, member; and Garba Ubale, member; asked communities to participate in providing useful, timely and accurate information to security operatives. It called for the reactivation of the roles of traditional institutions in society and, the reintroduction of educational marshals in schools to guard against drug abuse, youth restiveness and other social vices. It added, “Religious leaders should at all times preach the gospel of peace, tolerance and mutual understanding in their places of worship. “Operators of social media handles and platforms should refrain from posting unverified information that may trigger friction between communities. “Conventional media have been described as key players in sensitising the public on the importance of peaceful coexistence. “Proactive measures to be taken by both security operatives and citizens in bringing lasting peace in the country. “The roundtable also emphasised peaceful coexistence among communities, irrespective of the diverse ethnic, cultural, political and religious settings in the country.”

  Monday 10 June 2024 Local refining may crash petrol price to N300/litre – Modular refineries Marketers register with Dangote refinery ahead of loading EU raises Schengen visa fee to €90 Boundary dispute tears friendly Ekiti, Kwara communities apart I saved Tinubu’s political career, says Atiku ‘Is That The Right Priority?’ APC’s Lukman Questions Coastal Road Project Bandits Kidnap Catholic Priest In Kaduna Security Operatives Storm Bandits’ Hideout In Abuja, Arrest Suspects Israel Rescues Four Gaza Hostages During Operation APC Clears Local Govt Polls In Yobe Soldiers Killing: Army Raids IPOB Camp In Abia, Neutralises Six NDLEA Intercepts Codeine Shipment From India, US And UK-Bound Opioids In Ladies’ Hair Tinubu Appoints Nkiruka Maduekwe As NCCC DG EFCC Arrests 127 Suspected Fraudsters At Ondo ‘Yahoo’ Party Experts see danger around minimum wage battle FX, power, inflation top manufacturers’ concerns in Q1’24 How Jonathan, wife, others forced Wike on Rivers —Clark Corpses of 5 workers recovered from collapsed building in Abia Govs, lawmakers should also earn N62k minimum wage — Father Mbaka Tinubu sued over failure to account for loans by ex-presidents Governors Spend Billions On Cars For Lawmakers Abia Gov Orders Renovation Of NYSC Camp Oando Contributes $550m To Afreximbank’s $3.3bn Loan To NNPCL Northern Elders Ask FG To Set Up Pastoralist Commission Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  No fewer than 30 occupants of two commercial vehicles have been reportedly abducted by people suspected to be kidnappers along Nasarawa-Keffi road in Nasarawa state. The gunmen who reportedly abducted their victims and took them into the bush are said to have contacted families of two of their victims demanding for N10m ransom for the release of each of victim. It was gathered that the passengers were abducted last Friday night within the axis of Keffi and Karu local governments of the state. Our Correspondent gathered that a driver of one of the two vehicles escaped, a pregnant woman beaten and abandoned while an old man said to be suffering from stroke was also left behind for delaying the movement of the suspected kidnappers into the bush. The escaped driver whose name was not immediately obtained at the time of filling this report was said to have reported the incident to the Uke Division of the Nasarawa state Command of the Nigeria police. One of the victims’ relations who spoke to journalists on account of anonymity said the whereabout of their sister, a second year student of the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, was yet unknown; adding that they were yet to be contacted by her abductors. “Our sister was kidnapped last Friday while on her way from School. I was contacted on Saturday by the police because the driver recovered some of the victims phones and my sister’s own was among those recovered. “Though I gathered that the military and the police are currently in the bush on the trail of the suspected kidnappers as well as trying to ensure the rescue of the victims. When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, DSP Ranham Nansel told our correspondent that an incident happened along Nasarawa-Keffi road where a 18-seater bus was attacked in the night on Friday. “An incident happened along Nasarawa-Keffi Road, where an 18-seater bus was attacked at night on Friday. Police in collaboration with other security agencies, responded. “The criminals were trailed and 3 people were rescued and the vehicle removed to the police station”.

  The European Union (EU) collected €3,435,200 from rejected Schengen visa applications from Nigeria in 2023, according to statistics on Schengen visas. The EU governments globally garnered €130 million from such rejections, with African and Asian countries bearing 90% of the costs, as reported by EUobserver. The report highlights that African countries are particularly affected, with visa rejection rates reaching 40-50% for nations like Ghana, Senegal, and Nigeria. These figures, however, do not account for the additional costs incurred from missed travel opportunities for business and leisure, or the expenses related to legal advice and private agencies involved in visa processing. The phenomenon of visa rejections has been termed “reverse remittances” as shared by EUobserver, emphasising that these non-refundable fees remain with the EU governments regardless of the application outcome. “Visa inequality has very tangible consequences and the world’s poorest pay the price,” Marta Foresti, founder of LAGO Collective and senior visiting fellow at the Overseas Development Institute, told EUobserver. “You can think of the costs of rejected visas as ‘reverse remittances’, money flowing from poor to rich countries. We never hear about these costs when discussing aid or migration, it is time to change that,” she added. Morocco and Algeria top the list for the highest number of visa applications to the EU. Data also shows that rejection rates for short-term visitor visas to Europe and the UK are higher for applicants from low and middle-income countries. The total cost of Schengen visa rejections increased to €130 million in 2023, up from €105 million in 2022. The rejection rate is anticipated to rise further in 2024, as the EU visa application fee for adults is set to increase from €80 to €90 on June 11, following a recent decision by the EU Commission.

  Popular Catholic priest, Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka, has urged the Federal Government to address the minimum wage issue cautiously to prevent potential crisis. The cleric’s remarks come amid ongoing deliberations between the Federal Government and labour unions regarding the new minimum wage, which the government has proposed at N62,000, while labour unions demand N250,000. Mbaka criticised the allowances given to legislators despite the hardships faced by Nigerians, suggesting that senators, governors, and members of the House of Representatives should also receive the proposed N62,000 national minimum wage. He advised the Federal Government to proceed with caution to avoid a crisis. Speaking to journalists on Saturday, Mbaka stated, “If we decide to give labour N60,000 or N62,000, why not generalise it to the House of Assembly members, senatorial members, House of Representative members, and governors? “They are all civil servants, so are the others slaves? I can’t understand why they are amazing billions as sitting allowance, wardrobe allowance, newspaper allowance, and suffering allowance. “The people that should have such allowances are those suffering in the village.” Speaking further, Mbaka said, “How much are our teachers, nurses, and doctors being paid? Let’s be realistic, our civil servants that wake early and return late daily, how much are they being paid? “Looking at the level of inflation in the country, you will see that we are all not sincere in this country. “I’m pleading with the government that a stitch in time saves nine; this situation must be handled with care because it might be hijacked and nobody knows the ripple effect.”

  The parish priest of Saint Thomas Catholic Church, Zaman Dabo community in Zango Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Reverend Father Gabriel Ukeh, has been kidnapped by bandits. He was said to have been abducted by the bandits in the early hours of Sunday. According to a statement by the Vicar General of the Kafanchan Catholic Diocese, Reverend Father Emmanuel Kazah, solicited prayers for the immediate and safe release of the abducted priest. “While we solicit fervent prayers for his urgent and safe release, we equally condemn this act of incessant kidnappings for ransom of innocent and defenceless citizens of our communities, and we call upon the government to horn its security intelligence as we approach the celebration of Sallah. “As we work with security operatives for his quick release, we wish to call on all to stay away from taking the laws into their hands. We will use every legitimate means to ensure that Fr comes back to us safe and sound. “Through the intercessions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Priests and Religious, may Jesus the crucified hearken to our prayers and hasten the unconditional release of His Priest and every other abducted person,” the statement read in part.