Headline

16 States Carpet EFCC Amid Lingering N776bn Fraud Cases

Published

11 months ago

October 12, 2024

Facts have emerged on why no fewer than 16 state governments may have instituted a suit at the Supreme Court to challenge the legality of the laws that established the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.

The suit, marked SC/CV/178/2023, was originally filed by the Kogi State Government through its Attorney General, Muiz Abdullahi SAN. However, 15 other states joined as co-plaintiffs on Tuesday.

The states are Ondo, Edo, Oyo, Ogun, Nassarawa, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa, Enugu, Benue, Anambra, Plateau, Cross River, and Niger.

The states contended that the formation of the agencies breached constitutional provisions. They argued that the constitution required the endorsement of a majority of the states’ Houses of Assembly for the EFCC Act, but this was not done before the agency was created.

After the arguments, a seven-member panel of apex court justices, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, fixed October 22 for hearing and granted leave for consolidation of the case on Tuesday.

However, it was learnt that the suit may not be unconnected with the protracted legal battle between a former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, and the anti-graft agency over allegations of financial misappropriation to the tune of N110bn. The EFCC also recently reopened N772bn money laundering cases against 13 other former governors and ministers.

The EFCC in January 2024 reopened the cases, including that of the diverted $2.2bn that involved two former Ekiti State governors, Kayode Fayemi and Ayo Fayose; former Zamfara State Governor and current Minister, Bello Matawalle; two former Enugu State governors, Chimaroke Nnamani and Sullivan Chime; former Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Adamu; and former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Others are former Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili; former Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji; former Gombe State Governor, Danjuma Goje; former Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wamako; former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva; and former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido.

Speaking, the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said the legal actions against the commission were indicative of its effectiveness in fighting corruption.

He said, “As a matter of fact, the actions are coming based on what the commission is doing. If we were not doing our work and generating the necessary action against corrupt practices, the kind of concerted hostility the commission is experiencing would not arise. I think this is an appraisal of the work the commission is doing and its effectiveness.

“Whatever they are doing, there is no way it can stand. Yes, the matter is before the court, and the court is the only institution to adjudicate on the matter.”

But in response to enquiries made by The PUNCH, some of the states offered conflicting reasons for their involvement in the suit.

The Oyo State Commissioner of Information, Dotun Oyelade, told The PUNCH that the suit “was in line with what the state government had always imbibed in its legal system.”

Group seeks probe of N380m health agency contract
He said, “With respect to what might be the statutes of the EFCC, if legal lacunae are observed, it is not going to be business as usual, nor will it be a factor of which political party you belong to.”

But the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the Ogun State Governor, Mr Kayode Akinmade, said, “It is not true that we filed a suit to challenge the constitutionality of the EFCC. What we filed was a suit to challenge the constitutionality of some policies of the NFIU restricting the access of state governments to their money by for example limiting how much they withdraw in cash. We did not even join Kogi’s suit. We filed our own.”

The Cross River State Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang, also told The PUNCH that the state was not involved in the case despite being on the list.

He said, “What Cross River State joined was the previous suit instituted by the Kogi State Government against the National Financial Intelligence Unit, and it was done under the previous administration of Ben Ayade.”

According to him, the case was to challenge and determine whether the NFIU has the legal standing to investigate how local government funds are appropriated in a state.

The Plateau State Government also denied being involved in the suit, stating it had never called for the scrapping of the EFCC.

The state Commissioner for Information, Musa Ashoms, said, “We have not taken a position on the cancellation of the EFCC as a state. It is a creation of law, and we believe the law should be allowed to take its course on any matter in the country.”

The Nasarawa State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Labaran Magaji, declined comment on the matter.

Similarly, the Katsina State Commissioner of Information, Bala Salisu, told our correspondent that he wasn’t aware of the case.

He promised to get back to our correspondent when briefed. But as of the time of filing this report on Friday, he had yet to respond to inquiry.

Efforts to get a reaction from the Benue State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Fidelis Mynin, were unsuccessful as his phone rang out. Also, he did not respond to the text message sent to his cellphone as of the time of press.

When The PUNCH reached out to the Sokoto State Commissioner for Information, Sambo Danchadi, he did not answer calls or respond to text messages sent to him.

When contacted, the Edo State Commissioner of Communications, Chris Nehikhare, referred The PUNCH to the state Attorney General, Oluwole Osaze Uzzi. But the AG did not pick up calls made to his lines and did not respond to messages sent to him on WhatsApp.
PUNCH

Headline

US Commits $32.5m To Support Food Security In Nigeria

Published

2 hours ago

September 3, 2025

Editor

The United States Government has committed $32.5m to the United Nations World Food Programme to support food and nutrition assistance for hundreds of thousands of people affected by conflict in Nigeria.

According to a statement released by the US Embassy in Abuja on Wednesday, the funding will enable WFP Nigeria to reach approximately 764,205 vulnerable individuals in the Northeast and Northwest regions of the country.

These areas have been severely impacted by ongoing insecurity and displacement, with millions struggling to access necessities.

The assistance package includes general food distributions as well as targeted nutritional support.

Among the beneficiaries are 41,569 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls, and 43,235 children who will receive specialised nutrition support through electronic food vouchers, according to the statement.

“World Food Program Nigeria, with US Government’s contribution of $32.5m, will provide food assistance and nutrition support to internally displaced persons across conflict-affected areas.

“With the US Government’s donation, the World Food Programme Nigeria will provide food and nutrition assistance to 764,205 beneficiaries across Northeast and Northwest Nigeria.

“This includes complementary nutrition top-ups for 41,569 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls and 43,235 children through electronic food vouchers,” the statement read.

On December 18, 2024, PUNCH Online reported that the United States Agency for International Development has denounced recent media reports misrepresenting US agricultural initiatives in Nigeria, stating that its programmes operate transparently and align with the country’s laws.

In a statement issued by the US Mission in Nigeria, USAID highlighted the significant achievements of its agricultural collaboration with Nigeria, which it claimed has supported over five million Nigerian farmers since 2019.

The agency maintained it has boosted food production and strengthened rural economies across the country through its efforts.

Headline

UK To Ban Sale Of Energy Drinks To Children

Published

4 hours ago

September 3, 2025

Editor

The United Kingdom government has unveiled plans to prohibit the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks, including popular brands such as Red Bull, to anyone under the age of 16 in England.

Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, announcing the move on Wednesday, said the step was aimed at safeguarding young people’s wellbeing.

“By stopping children from buying these drinks, we’re laying the groundwork for healthier and happier generations,” he explained.

Government figures suggest that up to one in three teenagers aged 13 to 16 regularly consume energy drinks, many of which contain more caffeine than two cups of coffee.

While most major supermarkets already enforce a voluntary restriction, the new policy would make it a nationwide rule.

“How can we expect pupils to thrive in the classroom if they’re running on the equivalent of a double espresso every day?” Streeting asked, stressing that the government was responding to concerns raised by parents and teachers. “We’re determined to address the root causes of poor health and educational struggles head-on.”

Headline

Indian Man Gets Death Sentence For Burning Wife Alive Over Skin Colour

Published

4 hours ago

September 3, 2025

Editor

A court in India recently sentenced a man to death for setting his wife, Lakshmi, ablaze alive due to her dark skin colour. This harsh punishment reflects the gravity of the crime and its impact on society.

As reported by BBC on Wednesday, the attack on Lakshmi took place on the night of 24 June 2017, the murder dates eight years back, and the judgment, delivered at the weekend, has made headlines in a country where public obsession with colourism is well documented.

The attack on Lakshmi took place on the night of 24 June 2017, according to the court order seen by the BBC.

Before her death, Lakshmi revealed that her husband, Kishandas, frequently mocked her for being dark-skinned, calling her “kali” and body-shaming her since their marriage in 2016.

On the night of her attack, Kishandas brought a plastic bottle containing a brown liquid, purportedly a skin-lightening medicine.

According to Lakshmi’s statements, he applied the liquid on her body, and when she complained about a strong acid-like smell, he set her on fire with an incense stick.

Adding to the cruelty, Kishandas poured the remaining liquid on her while she was burning and then fled. Her family rushed her to the hospital, but she later died from her injuries.

The judge, Rahul Choudhary, condemned the act as not only a murder but “a crime against humanity,” stressing that Kishandas “broke her trust” and showed “excessive cruelty in throwing the remaining liquid on her” while she burned.

He described the case as fitting the “rarest of the rare” category, saying, “It will not be an exaggeration to say that this heart-rending brutal crime was not just against Lakshmi, but it’s a crime against humanity.”

He added, “It’s a crime that shocks the conscience of humanity, which cannot even be imagined in a healthy and civilised society.”

The public prosecutor called the verdict “historic,” hoping it would serve as “a lesson for others in society.”

He said, “A young woman in her early 20s was brutally murdered. She was someone’s sister, someone’s daughter; there were people who loved her. If we don’t save our daughters, then who would?”

This tragic story highlights the deep-rooted issue of colourism, where darker-skinned women face widespread discrimination and abuse.

Despite ongoing campaigns to challenge these prejudices, the preference for fair skin remains strongly embedded in many areas of life, continuing to cause immense harm. Until societal attitudes change, such heartbreaking incidents are likely to persist.