Author: Staff Editor

A sensational story published by Sahara Reporters and entitled “EFCC Prosecutor Steps Down Amid Pressure to Compromise High-Profile Fraud Case Against International Fraudster Jesam Michael” is, to say the least, totally fabricated, unprofessional, and in bad taste. As an anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) places a high premium on the integrity of its operations and workforce. One of its prosecutors, Geraldine Ofulue, who was part of the team handling the case of Jesam Michael, CEO of Afriq Arbitrage System (AAS) Limited, recently resigned her appointment with the Commission. To avoid a vacuum and ensure diligent prosecution…

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Ambassador Ismail Yusuf as the new Chairman/CEO of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON). Disclosing this in a statement on Wednesday, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanugu, said the appointment is subject to the Senate’s approval in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(2) of the NAHCON Act, 2026. “President Tinubu sent a letter today to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, requesting the expeditious confirmation of Ambassador Yusuf to replace Professor Abdullahi Usman, who resigned this week after about 14 months in the post,” the statement read. Yusuf is a seasoned…

An eighth witness of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the ongoing trial of suspected attackers of St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, in 2022, has corroborated Tuesday’s testimony of the seventh witness, who identified one of the suspects as being among those who carried out the attack. Like the seventh DSS witness did on Tuesday, the eighth witness also identified the second defendant, Al Quasim Idris, as being among those who allegedly killed the worshippers. The witness, an Amotekun operative, told a Federal High Court in Abuja that he was one of the officers who arrived…

The Federal Government has directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to immediately suspend all enforcement actions relating to the ban on sachet alcohol and 200ml PET bottle products. The directive followed a joint intervention by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), which raised concerns about potential economic instability and emerging security risks. In a statement signed by Terrence Kuanum, Special Adviser on Public Affairs to the SGF, the government warned that continued enforcement — particularly in the absence of…

Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court in Lagos, on Wednesday, convicted and sentenced two Chinese nationals and directors of Genting International Co. Limited, Huang Haoyu, also known as Ken, and An Hongxu, to a cumulative 46 years’ imprisonment each, with an option of a ₦56 million fine, over a multi-billion-naira cybercrime and money laundering scheme. The court also ordered the convicts to undertake three days of community service and directed that they be repatriated to their country of origin after serving their sentences and completing the community service. The two were among 792 suspected internet and cryptocurrency fraud…

The trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, resumed yesterday at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, as a witness told the court that cash hoarding by commercial banks contributed to the scarcity of redesigned naira notes issued during Emefiele’s tenure. Mr. Chinedu Eneanya, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the seventh prosecution witness (PW-7), testified that investigations revealed widespread hoarding by commercial banks, which led to significant hardship for Nigerians. During cross-examination, Eneanya said he could not immediately identify the specific banks involved. When asked whether the EFCC made…

The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, February 9, 2026, arraigned Otobor Geoffrey Onajefe on a two-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy and stealing to the tune of ₦37,440,000.00 (Thirty-Seven Million, Four Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira) before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos. Count one reads: “Otobor Geoffrey Onajefe and Philip Otahre Onobrakpe (at large), sometime in 2023 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired to defraud Omotayo Olumide Oyebanji and Mr Ernest Adeii of the sum of ₦37,440,000.00 (Thirty-Seven Million, Four…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, February 9, 2026, arraigned Gidado Ibrahim and Halimat Adenike Tejusho (at large) before Justice H. Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, Abuja, over an alleged ₦600 million job scam. They were arraigned on an amended six-count charge bordering on fraud, obtaining under false pretence, and forgery involving the sum of ₦603,400,000.00 (Six Hundred and Three Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira). At Monday’s proceedings, prosecution counsel Y. Tarfa drew the court’s attention to the amended six-count charge and urged the court to allow the defendant to take his…

The Federal High Court in Lagos has granted a final forfeiture order in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria following a Non-Conviction Based (NCB) forfeiture suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Stanley Akaria Chinemerem, who was accused of defrauding his employer, Mr Godwin Uche Okearafor. The order, delivered by Justice Chukwujeku Aneke of the Lagos Judicial Division, followed months of investigation and legal proceedings, marking a significant victory for the EFCC in its fight against economic and financial crimes. EFCC counsel, Zeenat B. Atiku, informed the court that the Commission traced massive fraudulent transactions…

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has emerged as Chairman of the Governing Council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). According to a statement, Kyari was appointed at the 49th Session of the IFAD Governing Council meeting held in Rome, Italy, on Tuesday. The minister said his appointment was not a personal accolade but a responsibility to vulnerable rural populations across the world. In his acceptance speech, Kyari pledged to promote unity and inclusiveness across continents, promising impartial and strategically focused leadership to foster consensus, strengthen multilateral cooperation, and uphold IFAD’s credibility. “It is with…