Author: Staff Editor

Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged fraud linked to the ministry she headed. In a notice published on its website, the anti-graft agency called on members of the public with useful information on her whereabouts to contact any of its offices through the telephone numbers provided. The commission said Farouq, 52, is an indigene of Zamfara State, with her last known address listed as EN008, Okpo River, off Agulu Street, Maitama. Farouq served as minister between 2019 and 2023 under…

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday convicted a former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, on a 12-count charge of money laundering involving ₦33.8 billion preferred against him by the Federal Government. In a judgment delivered by the trial judge, James Omotosho, the court held that the prosecution, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had proved its case against the former minister beyond reasonable doubt, as required by law. The judge held that the prosecution established that at least ₦22 billion was siphoned by the defendant and his cronies, stating that: “This is sufficient to sustain the…

Justice Maryanne Anineh of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, admitted into evidence a prior judgment of the FCT High Court against former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Bello alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving the sum of ₦110.4 billion. At the resumed hearing, prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, informed the court that he was concluding the examination-in-chief of Prosecution Witness 14 (PW14), Nicholas Okehone, an internal…

The fourth defendant in the trial of six persons being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over an alleged coup plot to overthrow the government of Bola Tinubu told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday that he had no knowledge of any such plan, insisting in a recorded statement that he was misled. Zekeri Umoru, an employee in the maintenance department of the Presidential Villa working with Julius Berger Nigeria, made the claim in a video recording played in court as part of the prosecution’s evidence against the defendants. Proceedings began on a sombre note after…

Zenith Bank Plc has announced the retirement of its Founder and Group Chairman, Jim Ovia, following the expiration of his tenure in line with regulatory requirements. The bank disclosed this in a corporate notice issued in Lagos on May 5, 2026. Ovia completed the mandatory 12-year tenure permitted under corporate governance guidelines for financial holding companies, non-interest banks, and payment service banks in Nigeria. As the founder of Zenith Bank, he has been a central figure in its growth trajectory and was credited by the Board for providing strong leadership, strategic direction, and effective oversight throughout his time as chairman.…

A senior legal team representing Lebanese-Nigerian businessman Massad Fares Boulos, the Boulos family, and SCOA Nigeria Plc has issued a stern cease-and-desist notice demanding the immediate withdrawal of what it described as “malicious, scandalous, and highly defamatory” videos circulating on social media. The notice, signed by renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro, alleges that the viral content contains false claims suggesting that the Boulos family and SCOA Nigeria Plc improperly benefited from Federal Government budget allocations linked to the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road Project. According to the legal letter, the allegations being circulated online are “unfounded, baseless, and a…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, May 4, 2026, arraigned former Chairman of the Board of Directors of defunct Skye Bank Plc, Tunde Ayeni, before Justice Jude Onwuzuruike of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Apo, Abuja. Ayeni was arraigned on a 17-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, misappropriation, and conversion of investors’ funds to the tune of ₦15,665,085,429 (Fifteen Billion, Six Hundred and Sixty-Five Million, Eighty-Five Thousand, Four Hundred and Twenty-Nine Naira). Prosecution counsel, E. E. Iheanacho, SAN, informed the court that the matter was slated for arraignment and that the prosecution was…

Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja, on Monday, May 4, 2026, admitted extra-judicial statements made by Henry Omoile, co-defendant to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele. The court ruled that the statements made on February 26, 2024, marked as Exhibits 1–3, were not obtained under duress and were therefore admissible as evidence. However, the court declined to admit the statement dated February 27, 2024, on the grounds that it was not made in the presence of a legal practitioner, nor was it recorded on video. The judge’s decision followed…

Justice S. C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, April 30, 2026, adjourned the trial of former Taraba State Governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku, alongside a former Permanent Secretary in the state’s Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bello Yero, to June 15, 2026. The adjournment followed the announcement in court by Yero’s counsel, Samuel Fagade, of his immediate withdrawal from the case. Both defendants are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 15-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, and alleged conversion of public funds to the…

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has tasked financial technology companies across the country to remain vigilant and safeguard their networks against the manipulative antics of fraudsters. He gave the charge in Abuja on Thursday, April 30, 2026, while addressing chief executive officers (CEOs) of fintech companies at an industry engagement meeting held at the Commission’s corporate headquarters. Olukoyede, while applauding the executives for their strides in expanding the global financial space and digital asset platforms through inclusion and innovation, cautioned that fraudsters are increasingly exploiting the same platforms to perpetrate criminal…