Headline

Bank Customers Lose N2.72bn To Fraudsters – Report

Published

3 years ago

January 29, 2023

A report by FITC has revealed that bank customers in Nigeria lost a total of N2.72bn to fraud in the first and second quarters of 2022.

It was also disclosed that there was a total of 67,878 cases of fraud recorded within this period.

This was according to the second quarter report obtained by our correspondent from the website of FITC.

FITC’s institutional members are members of the Nigerian Banker’s Committee, which comprises the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation and all liscensed banks in Nigeria.

The data, however, showed a decline in the number of fraud cases across the banks compared to the first quarter of 2022.

According to the report, a total of 27,356 incidents of fraud and forgeries were reported in Q2, compared to 40,522 reported cases in the first quarter of 2022, representing a 32.49 per cent decrease between within the periods.

The total sum reported to be involved in fraud cases during the period also decreased by 40.05 per cent from N14.65bn in Q1 2022 to N8.78bn in Q2 2022.

Likewise, for the total amount lost due to fraud incidences, there was a slight decrease of 23.66 per cent from N1.54bn in the first quarter of 2022 to N1.17bn in the second quarter of 2022.

The report showed that mobile fraud which includes fraud activities through USSD transactions had the highest occurrence followed by computer/web fraud and POS fraud.

The report read in part, “Evaluating the total amount lost to frauds in Q2 2022 reveals that Mobile Fraud accounts for 38.18 per cent at N449m loss, followed by Miscellaneous & other types of fraud accounting for 32.19 per cent (N379m) and Suppression of Entries at 11.02 per cent (N129.64m).

“A closer look at the unusual amount recorded under the miscellaneous fraud revealed that the fraud was carried out via E-naira for which the banks were liable.

“With regards to the returns by payment channel, the analysis reveals that there was a decrease in the amount lost to fraud via the web, ATM and PoS channels.”

“The amount lost via the web channel decreased considerably from N1.07bn to N98.4m while the amount lost via the ATM channel decreased from N43m to N5.9m. On the other hand, an increase was noted in the amount lost via the bank branch, mobile fraud channels, from N103.45m to N618.24m (497.56 per cent) and N270.92m to N449.03 million (65.74 per cent).”

The FITC further said it was necessary for banks to further strengthen their internal control measures for improved efficiency in pre-empting fraud activities and ultimate prevention of fraud.

Recently it was reported that at least 6,047 Bank Verification Numbers of bank customers have been placed under the CBN watch-list for fraudulent transactions.

According to the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System, Nigeria has one of the most advanced electronic payment capabilities in the world. It said the increase in transaction processing speed and available channels had also created an avenue for fraudulent transactions to thrive.

In its ‘NIBSS Insight: Fraud in the Nigeria Financial Services’ report, it said, “Statistically, even a one per cent successful fraud rate would result in 100,000 successful fraudulent transactions daily.

“This would directly impact customer’s faith in the entire system and could significantly impact our financial inclusion drive as well as the CBN cashless policy.”
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Headline

Canada-based Nigerian Sets Guinness World Record For Longest Leadership Lesson

Published

3 hours ago

September 19, 2025

Editor

Nigerian-born leadership coach and author Peter Adeleke has officially set a new Guinness World Record for the longest leadership lesson, after teaching for 28 hours and 45 minutes in Calgary, Canada.

Adeleke, who embarked on the marathon lecture in August targeting between 30 and 48 hours, aimed to surpass the previous record of 24 hours.

In a post on Instagram on Monday, he announced that the Guinness World Records had approved his attempt, making him a title holder.

A screenshot of the confirmation email from GWR partly read, “We are thrilled to inform you that your application for the longest leadership lesson has been successful and you are now the Guinness World Records Title Holder!”

Confirming the record on its official website, GWR stated, “The longest leadership lesson is 28 hr 45 min and was achieved by Peter Adeleke (Canada), in Calgary, Canada, on 30 August 2025.

“Peter is an author, speaker and qualified leadership expert. He set out to achieve a record in the field to change the narrative of leadership.

“He hopes to raise the bar in leadership development and spark conversation around transformational leadership.”

Also, celebrating the milestone, Adeleke wrote on Instagram, “It’s official! He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms… Blessed be the Lord my strength which teacheth my hands to war, my fingers to fight, & my mouth to speak.

“I am humbled and honoured to officially announce that I am now a Guinness World Records Holder for the Longest Leadership Lesson in history.

“This journey was not by strength, but by grace, resilience, and the unwavering support of an incredible team. To God alone be the glory.”

On his website, he further explained why he did not reach his initial 48-hour goal, saying, “Originally, I had set out to teach for 48 hours, but I completed the feat in 28 hours instead.

“And I’ve learned that in leadership — and in life — success isn’t always about hitting the exact target you set. It’s about pushing boundaries, discovering your true limits, and creating meaningful impact along the way.

“Did I break the record? Yes, I did — and it’s now official and confirmed! What mattered most was surpassing the previous record of 24 hours, and I achieved that by delivering a leadership lesson that lasted 28 hours.”

This achievement makes Adeleke one of a growing number of Nigerians to hold a Guinness World Record.

In a similar development, celebrity chef Hilda Baci last week set a new record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice, weighing 8,780 kilogrammes (19,356 lb 9 oz) at the Gino World Jollof Festival in Lagos, making her a two-time GWR title holder.

In May 2023, she set the record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual, cooking for 93 hours and 11 minutes, surpassing the previous record of 87 hours and 45 minutes held by Indian chef Lata Tondon.

Headline

Kimmel’s Suspension: Obama Slams Trump For ‘Dangerous’ Attack On Free Speech

Published

18 hours ago

September 19, 2025

Editor

Former United States President Barack Obama has condemned the suspension of the late-night show hosted by Jimmy Kimmel following remarks he made about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

In a post on X on Thursday, Obama described the suspension of the show as a dangerous attack on free speech led by President Donald Trump.

He wrote, “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.

“This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.”

Obama’s comments came after ABC, owned by Walt Disney, announced on Wednesday that Jimmy Kimmel Live had been suspended indefinitely.

The decision followed threats of a federal investigation into Kimmel’s remarks about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a close Trump ally who was shot and killed on September 10 while debating students at a Utah university.

During Monday’s broadcast, Kimmel accused Kirk’s supporters of using his assassination to “score political points.” At least one local ABC affiliate had already announced plans to stop airing the program before the network’s decision.

The suspension has sparked backlash from free speech advocates, who argue that the administration’s actions amount to political censorship.

Headline

Ghana To Take More West African Deportees From US

Published

19 hours ago

September 19, 2025

Editor

Ghana will receive another 40 West Africans deported from the United States in the coming days, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said, after the government revealed last week a deal had been struck with Washington.

Deporting people to third countries instead of their home nations has been a hallmark of US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants, notably by sending hundreds to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

Ghana President John Mahama announced last week that 14 deportees from the region had been sent to the country, sparking questions over their current whereabouts and pushback from the political opposition.

“On humanitarian grounds, pan-African solidarity, let us accept our fellow West Africans. And let’s make the point that Ghana is your home,” Ablakwa told Ghanaian broadcaster Channel1 TV late Wednesday.

He said the deportees, who are vetted before arrival, will be allowed to remain in Ghana temporarily, per regional visa-free travel rules, or return to their home countries.

The Ghanaian government previously said that many of the deported west Africans had already returned to their home countries — though lawyers in the United States say at least some of them are being held in military detention in Ghana in “cruel conditions”.

Five Nigerians and Gambians deported to Ghana were granted protection from deportation by immigration authorities in the United States, their lawyers said in a Tuesday statement.

If they continue on to their countries of origin, they risk “torture, persecution or death”, said Lee Gelernt, of the American Civil Liberties Union.

In an unprecedented move, Trump has overseen the deportation of hundreds of people to Panama, including some who were sent away before they could have their asylum applications processed.

Hundreds have also been sent to El Salvador, with the US administration invoking an 18th-century law to remove people it has accused of being Venezuelan gang members.

Some were sent despite US judges ordering the planes carrying them to turn around.

The deportation agreement with Ghana comes as Washington has hiked tariffs on Ghanaian goods and restricted visas issued to its nationals.