Fresh facts have emerged over the recent arrest of Martin Joseph Figueira, a Belgian national of Portuguese origin in Zemio by the Central African Defense and Security Forces.
During subsequent interrogations and investigations, it was revealed that the man, Figueira, had been employed by a non-governmental organization operating in the Central African Republic.
Figueira was allegedly involved in espionage activities.
Following his arrest, a judicial inquiry was opened by the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Bangui to investigate the case.
The investigation suggested that Martin Figueira was collecting information and had connections with various rebel groups that were compromising security in several Central African regions.
Military expert, Sylvain Nguema, in a statement said correspondence between Figueira and CPC spokesman Mohamadou Bello Saïdou indicated that Figueira had been in communication with Central African armed groups.
“In an audio message, Figueira promised to send Bello 100 euros, apologizing for not being able to send more at that time.
“In another conversation, Figueira informed Bello that he had not been able to buy a smartphone in Portugal but found a shop in Bangui with a wide selection of simpler phones. He then asked the rebel spokesman who could come to his hotel to collect the phone.
“The investigation is ongoing, and further developments are expected.”
Central Africa: Fresh facts emerge in case involving alleged spy, Martin Figueira
Central Africa: Fresh facts emerge in case involving alleged spy, Martin Figueira
Police foils attempt to raze Delta INEC office
Police operatives in Delta State on Tuesday foiled an attempt by some unidentified youths to destroy an area office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Warri.
According to reports, the young men, armed with weapons and containers filled with substance suspected to be fuel, chanted war songs and made moves to force their way into the local INEC premises, while its officials were out for delineation of electoral units and wards, in compliance with a Supreme Court judgment.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident.
READ ALSO: Tension as Police ban Abuja Shi’ite procession over security concerns
Political sources hinted that while the Warri indigenous Urhobo and their Ijaw counterparts were in support of the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment on the delineation of electoral units and wards in the Warri federal constituency, the Itsekiri were alleged to have opposed the exercise.
Recall that INEC officials had last Wednesday visited Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State for the commencement of the wards/units’ delineation.
The commission’s officials visited Oporoza, the traditional headquarters of the Gbaramatu Kingdom and began a fresh delineation of electoral wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency.
The post Police foils attempt to raze Delta INEC office appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
48,000 farmers to get free fertilizer in Kebbi
No fewer than 48,000 farmers are to benefit from free fertilisers as well as agricultural implements provided by the Kebbi State Government.
The state governor, Dr. Nasir Idris, announced this on Tuesday at the launching of agricultural inputs by the State COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus, Kebbi State Cares Coordinating Unit.
He said the exercise is under the State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fadama III Implementing Unit
“This was in fulfillment of my campaign promises, assuring that under my administration no farmer would be left behind.
“100 trucks of assorted fertilizers would be distributed to the people of the state free, and 110 trucks of fertilisers would also be distributed to the Local Government Areas in the state free-of-charge”
The governor then urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the inputs given for mass food production.
Earlier, the State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Abba Sani-Kalgo, highlighted the importance of the programme and commended Gov. Idris for the support and assistance to the ministry.
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BREAKING: EFCC, Yahaya Bello’s lawyers in war of words in open court, judge walks out
The planned arraignment of Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi State on alleged N82 billion fraud charges took a dangerous dimension on Wednesday when two senior advocates engaged in a war of words during the proceedings.
The two lawyers are Abdulwahab Mohammed, standing for Bello, SAN, and Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, standing for the federal government.
Trouble started when Mohammed announced his appearance for the former governor and left out his colleague, Adeola Adedipe, SAN.
However, the federal government counsel opposed the exclusion on the grounds that Adedipe should be included in the proceedings until discharged by the court.
Adedipe interrupted the argument of the federal government lawyer, insisting that he was not prepared to be part of the proceedings.
At this stage, Mohammed interjected and announced that Adedipe had filed a notice of withdrawal from the proceedings.
As Justice Emeka Nwite was about to deliver a ruling on the contentious appearance matter, Bello’s lawyer stood up and requested to be allowed to stay outside the proceedings if the court proceeded with the ruling.
Fuming with anger, Mohammed openly called Pinheiro, SAN, a rough lawyer who takes delight in misleading the court.
His attempt to make further abusive remarks about the federal government lawyer was aborted, but Mohammed refused to apologise, insisting that he would leave the court should the judge go ahead with the ruling.
When tempers rose beyond control, Justice Emeka Nwite, out of anger, abruptly brought the proceedings to an end by walking straight into his chamber.
At the time of this report, tension was still high in the courtroom.
BREAKING: EFCC, Yahaya Bello’s lawyers in war of words in open court, judge walks out
Anambra varsity, tech firm partner to drive AI inclusion among students
The Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Anambra State and Bredhub-UBTECH, have announced a partnership to drive Artificial Intelligence and robotics inclusion for the students and other community members of the institution.
To achieve this, both parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for “Artificial Intelligence and Robotics education”, to equip students and other members of the institution to experience Robots and also learn to programme them.
During the MoU signing ceremony at the office of the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kate Omenugha, on Tuesday, the importance of equipping the young ones with artificial intelligence to align with its disruptive change, identifying problems and driving solutions with the innovation was highly emphasised.
Speaking during the ceremony, the vice-chancellor noted that the students and the community environment have a lot to gain from the exercise, as it is one of the things the school can do to equip society and the young ones for the disruptive change taking place globally.
She said, “I feel very excited about this partnership because this is the kind of disruptive change we want to create in this university. When we came into this institution, we wanted to add education and social spice to what we are doing and I am a bit fulfilled that this exercise will drive the process.
“The school has to key into this innovation because there are many things to learn. We want, not just the students, but the entire school community and the outside environment, including children out there to key into this. It is one of the things we can do to help change the society and the young people.
“We need to keep the young people busy by changing their psyche so that they become more productive and responsible to the community. We are going to use both the internal and external publics of the institution to drive this exercise because it is something we are going to find both rewarding and fulfilling.”
Earlier, in his speech, the Managing Director/CEO of Anambra State ICT Agency, Chukwuemeka Agbata, described the partnership as a phenomenal change that is about to happen to the university, adding that it would enable the institution to have access to technology that is currently disrupting the whole world.
Agbata, who advocated the review of educational curriculum to allow ICT, noted that the university system plays a very important role in energising the Anambra tech drive that the governor is aiming to achieve, adding it is no coincidence that the exercise is flagging off at the institution.
Also speaking, the Managing Director/CEO, Bredhub-UBTECH, Michael Ahamefule, described the partnership as a great opportunity for both the institution and the firm as it has opened the window for innovations to commence.
Ahamefule said, “Training the students of the institutions on AI and robotics will have a significant impact on their future careers and the wider society. It will prepare them for the future job market. AI and robotics are increasingly being adopted across industries, and training students in these areas can prepare them for the changing job market.
“The world has moved away from analogue and we are in the fourth revolution. It is a way of equipping them with innovations to enable them to identify problems and proffer solutions using technology. This opportunity will give our students the leap they need to join the revolutionary world.
“By training students in higher institutions on AI and robotics, we can empower them to shape the future and address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
“The signing of the MOU is the formal agreement and partnership to collaborate and work together with the institution towards equipping the students and the university community on AI and robotics.”
After the MoU signing ceremony at the VC’s office, students of the institution were allowed to experience AI and Robots and also learn to program them.
The robotics demo was done at the Faculty of Social Sciences, where a handful of students, who were in attendance, expressed delight at the experience of handling and programming robots.
One of the students from the Department of Political Science, Ifeoma Okeke, said, “It is a memorable experience. I learnt how to use the tools to identify and solve problems and I believe this will help the students greatly in accessing the technological innovations they need in proffering solutions in our various fields.”
FG warns 22 states of five-day massive flooding
The Federal Government has predicted that 94 towns are at risk of a five-day flooding beginning Tuesday, July 16, and ending on July 20, 2024.
The Minister of State of Environment, Dr. Iziaq Salako, disclosed this to The According on Tuesday.
Salako said the identified locations and their environs would likely witness heavy rainfall that may lead to flood within the prediction period.
He listed the concerned states as Adamawa State (Gbajili, Ganye); Abia State (Eziama, Arochukwu); Anambra State (Onitsha); Akwa Ibom (Uyo, Upenekang, Oron, Edor, Eket, Obianga, Etinan); Bauchi State (Tafawa Balewa, Bauchi); Bayelsa State (Letugbene); Borno State (Maiduguri); Cross River State (Ikom, Calabar, Itigidi, Akpap); Nasarawa State (Udeni, Tunga); and the Federal Capital Territory (Abaji, Bwari).
Other are Jigawa State (Miga, Ringim, Dutse, Hadejia); Kano State (Gezawa, Gwarzo, Kano, Karaye, Wudil, Sumaila); Kebbi State (Gwandu, Jega, Kangiwa, Gauri-Banza, Ribah, Sakaba, Saminaka, Kamba, Birnin Kebbi, Bunza, Argungu, Bagudo); Katsina State (Bindawa, Jibia, Kaita, Katsina, Daura, Funtua); Kwara State (Kosubosu); Niger State (Ibi, Bida, Kontagora, Mashegu, Minna, New Bussa, Katcha, Rijau, Wushishi); Plateau State (Jos, Mangu); Rivers State (Port-Harcourt, Onne, Okrika, Bori); Sokoto State (Makira, Goronyo, Isa, Silame, Sokoto, Wamako); Taraba State (Gembu, Beli, Garkowa, Gasol, Serti, Donga, Duchi, Gwarzo, Gun gun Bodel); Yobe State (Gashua, Gasma, Damaturu, Geidam, Kanama); and Zamfara State (Kaura Namoda, Maradun, Shinkafi, Bukkuyum, Majara, Gummi).
Salako, however, urged stakeholders in the country to mitigate the flooding.
On whether the Cameroonian government had notified the ministry of when it would open floodgates of the Lagdo Dam, the minister stated that it was the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation that manages dams.
“If there’s going to be any issue around the Lagdo Dam, they will inform the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, but I’m not sure they have had any information because if they have any information, they usually also transmits such information to us at the federal level,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Sokoto State government has disclosed its readiness to avert any possible flooding across the state this year.
The Commissioner for information, Sambo Danchadi, while speaking with one of our correspondents, said the state government, through one of the Sokoto Emergency Management Agency, was working round the clock to maintain a safe environment.
Also speaking, the Director of Relief and Rehabilitation at the Sokoto Emergency Management Agency, Mustapha Umar, said the agency had carried out sensitisation and awareness programmes in flood-prone areas.
He said, “We even had an evacuation plan, the National Emergency Management Agency asked us to submit our plan and designated areas in case of flood and we have collated that and submitted it to them already.
“We have done a lot in terms of dishing out information to the people and creating awareness for them on dangers involved with flood,” he added
Also, the Bayelsa State Directorate of Flood and Erosion Control said it would continue the task of clearing natural drains within Yenagoa and its environs to mitigate the impact of this year’s flood.
The chairman of the directorate, Walson Omuso, noted that the chairmen of the Rural Development Authorities were locating higher grounds for the erection of makeshift relief camps.
Omuso, however, said the agency was not embarking on any fresh moves in reaction to the flood warning by the Federal Ministry of Environment, which named Bayelsa among the states to be affected by flooding between now and July 20.
Lagos partners FG to tackle malnutrition among women, children
The Lagos State Government, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has trained no fewer than 60 frontline health workers on maternal, infant, and young child nutrition to reduce the burden of malnutrition in the state and the country in general.
The state government expressed optimism that the training of the health workers with support from the World Bank through its Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria Project, would check high infant deaths linked to malnutrition in the country.
Nigeria is ranked number one in Africa and second in the world in terms of malnourished children, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund.
UNICEF also stated that 12 million out of the 35 million under-five children in Nigeria are stunted due to malnutrition.
Left untreated, experts say children with severe acute malnutrition are nearly 12 times more likely to die than a healthy child.
Speaking at the ongoing training of the health workers in Lagos, on Tuesday, the Director and Head of the Nutrition Department, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, said the nutrition workshop is more of a preventive approach and not treatment.
The workshop was organised by the Federal Government under the Federal Ministry of Health, Nutrition Department and supported by the World Bank ANRIN project.
The World Bank ANRIN project focuses on the prevention of malnutrition among pregnant women and lactating mothers including children less than five years.
The programme is being implemented in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Bako-Aiyegbusi, who was represented by a senior medical officer of the ministry, Maria Odey, identified malnutrition as a major contributor to an alarming number of infant mortality in the country.
Odey said, “This training is specifically for nutrition. It is complementary to some treatment courses like the integrated management of childhood illnesses and the integrated management of acute malnutrition.
“It talks more about nutrition because we know that malnutrition is contributing to over 50 per cent of infant mortality.
“So, it is more of a preventive course training and not treatment. It is to encourage mothers and caregivers to use commonly available rich foods to prepare meals for children and promote breastfeeding. We have 60 health workers for the training.”
The director disclosed that the objective of the workshop which was also supported by FHI 360 Alive & Thrive was to improve maternal, infant, and young child nutrition.
The Alive & Thrive initiative, managed by FHI 360, is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Government of Ireland, and other donors.
She added, “We expect that frontline health workers and the community in general, will have basic knowledge of adequate appropriate maternal nutrition, breastfeeding, and adolescent nutrition.
“Part of the specific objective of the workshop is to improve health workers’ counselling skills on maternal and child nutrition and how to get appropriate information from parents to improve their nutrition.”
She noted that nutrition counselling helps mothers or caregivers make the right decisions and take the necessary actions required to improve their nutrition and that of their babies.
This includes decisions and actions on the types, diversity, and amounts of food a mother or caregiver and the child should eat to meet their dietary requirements.
She also noted that the training provided health workers with guidance on how to improve the coverage and quality of maternal and child nutrition counselling.
The Director of Family Health and Nutrition, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Folashade Oludara, said stunted if not reversed by the age of two years could cause irreversible brain damage to the child.
Oludara explained that once the brain of a child was damaged, there was little or nothing anybody could do anymore.
She said, “So we are trying to change this narrative and ensure that none of our children (before they clock the age of two) has malnutrition and do not get stunted to the level that their brain will be irreversibly damaged.
“The objective of the training is to improve Nigeria’s nutritional indices in the state just as we know that right now, there’s food insecurity everywhere and the major group of the community affected are the mothers and children.
“Mothers especially when they are pregnant and children especially when they are under the age of five. So what we are doing today is to intensify the efforts, to improve the efforts of our health workers in providing correct information to the caregivers or pregnant women on the type of nutrition, food or diet that they are supposed to take.”
According to her, the training is going to be focused on the use of locally available foodstuff to be able to meet up with daily nutritional requirements at every level.
Also speaking, State Coordinator, FHI 360 Alive & Thrive Lagos, Olawumi Ajayi, said the organisation would continue to create lasting solutions that improve lives and health outcomes across the globe.
“We believe that through collaboration and continuous learning, we can make significant strides in combating malnutrition and promoting health and well-being for mothers and children in Nigeria and beyond.
“FHI 360 Alive & Thrive is honoured to support the Lagos State Ministry of Health on this training and we believe it will go a long way in improving the nutrition situation in the state,” Ajayi said.
Crypto billionaire, technopreneur arrested for alleged fraud, terrorism funding
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested and charged a tech entrepreneur, Kingsley Inegbedion, for his alleged involvement in romance scams and business email compromise schemes that witnessed him and an accomplice, Efemena Igbe, who is still at large, posing as legitimate business owners to defraud American citizens between April 2020 and May 2023.
According to an online platform, Peoples Gazette, the FBI said the duo used sham corporate entities to receive fraudulent funds distributed into other accounts within and outside the US to conceal the fraud.
The FBI, in a statement, said it had been seeking restitution of funds and forfeiture of property obtained through the fraud scheme allegedly perpetrated by Inegbedion and Igbe, who were said to have used the stolen funds to purchase cashier’s cheques and withdraw cash from various bank accounts.
“Upon conviction of the offences alleged in counts one through 16 of this indictment, the defendants, Efemena Igbe and Kingsley Inegbedion, shall forfeit to the United States of America, pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 982(a)(1), any property, real or personal, involved in such offence, and any property traceable to such property including, but not limited to, a money judgment, that is, a sum of money in United States currency representing the amount of property involved in the offence,” said the FBI statement.
Inegbedion was taken into custody after the grand jury returned the indictment.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force, on Tuesday, confirmed the arrest of a self-acclaimed crypto billionaire, Linus Williams, over alleged fraud, terrorism funding, and non-compliance with regulatory frameworks in the country.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed the arrest in a post on X.com on Tuesday, noted that due diligence would be conducted during the investigation involving Williams, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Blord Group of companies.
The post read, “The FCID (NPF-NCCC) is currently investigating complaints lodged against BLORD GROUP, BLORD REAL ESTATE LTD, BLORD JETPAYE LIMITED, and BILLPOINT TECHNOLOGY.
“These offences include allegations of cryptocurrency fraud, aiding Internet fraud, computer-related fraud, terrorism funding, and non-compliance with regulatory frameworks.
“We will do due diligence in our investigations. Our cyberspace in Nigeria must be safe and secure by all means. We are committed to achieving that.”
Some Nigerians had in recent past been arrested, charged and jailed for criminal offences linked to Internet scams, among others.
One such case was Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpupi, who was jailed for 11 years and three months by the United States District Court after he was found guilty of laundering proceeds of a school financing scam, business email compromise and other fraudulent cyber schemes.
The judgment, which was delivered by Justice Otis Wright II, put an end to Hushpuppi’s trial that started after his arrest in June 2020 in his Dubai, United Arab Emirates hotel apartment.
The Assistant Director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Office, Don Alway, in the statement, described Hushpuppi as “one of the most prolific money launderers in the world.”
Similarly, an associate of Abbas, Olalekan Ponle, aka Mr Woodberry, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and agreed to forfeit $8m in proceeds of wire fraud as well as luxury cars and watches to the foreign government.
Woodberry, in a plea declaration submitted at the US District Court of the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division, pleaded guilty to count one of the indictments, the Peoples Gazette reports.
According to his plea agreement, he is required to pay back the sum of $8 million he fraudulently received from the seven companies that he scammed.
“Defendant understands that by pleading guilty, he will subject to forfeiture to the United States all right, title, and interest that he has in any property constituting or derived from proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of the offence,” stated the document containing Mr Ponle’s signed plea declaration.
King Charles sets target for new UK govt
King Charles III will outline Labour’s first programme for government in a decade and a half on Wednesday when the United Kingdom parliament formally reopens following the July 4 election.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will put turbocharging a flagging economy at the heart of his legislative plans for the coming months as Labour runs the UK for the first time in 14 years.
“Now is the time to take the brakes off Britain,” said Starmer, who led his party to a landslide win over the Conservatives.
“I am determined to create wealth for people up and down the country. It is the only way our country can progress.”
Despite its name, the address is not written by the monarch but by the government, which uses it to detail the laws it proposes to make over the next 12 months.
Wearing the diamond-studded Imperial State Crown and a long crimson robe, King Charles will deliver the proposals from a golden throne in the House of Lords upper chamber during a lavish ceremony.
The speech is expected to include more than 35 bills, including measures to enforce public spending rules and others to prevent a repeat of the utility bill price hikes that triggered the UK’s recent cost-of-living crisis.
The legislation will also flesh out announcements already made, such as the launching of a fund to draw investment into the UK and of a publicly owned body tasked with boosting clean power by 2030.
Labour is also likely to announce the restoration of mandatory housebuilding targets, plans to renationalise Britain’s much-maligned rail services, and the opening of recruitment for a new border security command.
A bill to boost workers’ rights, including a ban on zero-hour contracts, and strengthened protections for renters is also expected to be included in centre-left Labour’s first such speech since it was ousted from power in 2010.
“This is a hungry party,” former Labour minister Tony McNulty told AFP.
“They are chomping at the bit to show that they can return to being what they see as the natural party of government.”
– Ceremonial ‘hostage’ –
The day’s proceedings kicked off at around 9:30 am (0830 GMT) when royal bodyguards ritually searched the basement of the Palace of Westminster for explosives — a legacy of the failed attempt by Catholics to blow up parliament in 1605.
Footage showed the king leaving Buckingham Palace, escorted by mounted cavalry, en route to the Houses of Parliament.
Tradition dictates that an MP is ceremonially held “hostage” in the palace to ensure the king’s safe return.
A parliamentary official known as Black Rod will have the door of the lower chamber House of Commons slammed in their face, a tradition that symbolises parliament’s independence from the monarchy.
MPs will follow Black Rod to the upper chamber, where King Charles, as head of state, will give the speech to assembled lords and ladies in red and ermine robes, plus invited members of the elected Commons shortly after 11:30 am.
In keeping with the convention that the monarch is above politics, keen environmentalist King Charles remained expressionless during the last address in November when then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government announced new oil and gas licences.
“There’s probably much in this King’s Speech that he will favour rather than the other one he had to read out,” said McNulty, a British politics lecturer at the Queen Mary University of London.
“But he’ll play it with a straight face. That’s the job.”
AFP
School Feeding Programme: Abia Govt alarms public on illegal collection of money by suspected criminals
The Abia State Government says its attention has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals who are illegally collecting monies from Abia citizens, falsely claiming to be agents of the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.
The government, in a statement on Wednesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Abia Governor, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha, informed the general public that the school feeding program in the state is currently not operational.
“Therefore, anyone approaching you for money under the pretense of being associated with this program is attempting to defraud you.
“For accurate and reliable information regarding the status of the school feeding program and enrollment details, please reach out to Dr. Ire Kalu Ire, the Program Manager of the School Feeding Program, in the office of the Wife of the Governor,” the government advised.
The statement also urged the public to disregard any requests for the submission of names of cooks, payment of any amount of money, or release of sensitive personal details.
“Stay vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the police for further action,” it concluded.
School Feeding Programme: Abia Govt alarms public on illegal collection of money by suspected criminals