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Meta Deletes 1,600 Facebook Groups Linked To ‘Yahoo Boys’

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Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has taken down another 1,600 Facebook groups tied to Yahoo Boys.

This new crackdown followed an earlier purge in July that saw the removal of 63,000 accounts associated with the scam groups, according to its Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report.

It also included the deletion of 7,200 assets in Nigeria, including 1,300 Facebook accounts, 200 pages, and 5,700 groups that were providing scam-related resources.

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In a statement released on Thursday, Meta disclosed that these groups were involved in recruiting, organising, and training new scammers.

READ ALSO: LP Members Jubilate As INEC Obeys Court Order Invites Abure

While Meta has been actively removing these violating accounts for years, it announced the implementation of new processes to speed up the identification and removal of such accounts.

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The company explained, “Yahoo Boys are banned under Meta’s Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy — one of our strictest policies — which means we remove Yahoo Boys’ accounts engaged in this criminal activity whenever we become aware of them.

“While we’ve been removing violating Yahoo Boys accounts for years, we’re putting new processes in place which will allow us to identify and remove these accounts more quickly.”

Alongside its crackdown on scammers, Meta introduced enhanced safety features aimed at protecting users, particularly teenagers, from sextortion scams.

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READ ALSO: Nigerian Pastor Fumes As Facebook Deletes His Post

These measures include blocking suspicious accounts from following teens and restricting scammers from accessing follower lists used for blackmail.

Meta further described sextortion as a severe crime where scammers threaten to expose intimate imagery of young adults and teens unless their financial demands are met.

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To curb this, Meta is rolling out global protections, including preventing the screenshotting or recording of ephemeral images and videos sent via Instagram DM or Messenger.

A new feature that blurs images containing nudity and warns users of the risks will also be enabled by default for users under 18.

“We’ll continue to evolve our defences to help protect our community from sextortion criminals. This includes helping teens and their families recognize these scams early, preventing potential scammers from reaching their targets, and working with our peers to fight these criminals across all the apps they use,” Meta added, noting its ongoing efforts to educate teens and families on these threats and to work with other platforms to tackle these crimes comprehensively.

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[JUST IN] Trump’s Threat: Nigeria Ready To Work With US, Other Countries To Wipe Out Terrorists – FG

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The Federal Government has said Nigeria is willing to work with the United States and other countries to wipe out remnants of terrorists and criminal elements in Nigeria.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated this during a world press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

While acknowledging that Nigeria is faced with insecurity challenges, he clarified that it is not targeted at any religion or group, as peddled by faulty data.

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He saud in the last two years, President Bola Tinubu has deepened his commitment to dealing with insecurity, evident in the country’s improved standing on the Global Terrorism Index and recent change of security service chiefs.

READ ALSO:Ex-US Mayor, Sultan Clash Over Alleged Christian Genocide

He called on the United States and other nations to support President Tinubu in ridding the menace of criminals and terrorists making life unbearable for Nigerians.

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“The Nigerian government is willing to work with other international bodies, including the United States, to ensure that criminals are permanently wiped out.

“We welcome support from international partners, including the US, to deal with its security challenges.

“President Tinubu is taking the lead to resolve all challenges with the US, including other countries.

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READ ALSO:Ex-US Mayor, Sultan Clash Over Alleged Christian Genocide

“Nigeria is not running away from the fact that we have a big insecurity situation.

“The government and people of Nigeria have taken note of the US stance over the alleged violation of human rights.

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“President Tinubu is determined to confront and end security challenges,” he said.

Recall that last week, US President Donald Trump threatened military action in Nigeria if nothing is done about alleged killings of Christians.

This comes after Trump designated Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’.

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Edo Twin Babies Died Of Natural Causes — Autopsy Report

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An autopsy report regarding the death of twin babies who were referred to a medical facility in Benin has revealed that the babies died naturally.

The twin babies were referred to Med-Vical Medical Centre, Benin, on August 2025 in a severely ill condition and extremely premature.

The babies died in the hospital which led to family members and friends accusing the hospital of masterminding the death of the twins through negligence.

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The widespread of allegations prompted the Edo State Police Command to initiate an investigation into circumstances surrounding the death of the babies.

READ ALSO:I Apologise For Mutilating You, Let’s Reconcile, Former FGM Tells Estranged Daughter

In the autopsy report conducted by a team of pathologists —Dr. Ducan Iyawe, Dr. D.E Imasogie, Dr. K.O Abinokhauno, and Dr Ijomone, and made available to newsmen on Wednesday, it was revealed that the baby died of natural causes.

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The final report was read in the presence of the Edo State Commissioner of Police, the state Ministry of Health, and the Nigerian Medical Association (Edo State Chapter) on Wednesday.

The findings listed the cause of death as foetal squames in the lungs leading to respiratory distress, acute foetal asphyxia, neonatal sepsis and bronchopneumonia

The autopsy has shown clearly that the baby died of natural causes and there was in fact no case of negligence, secrecy, or any form of malpractice as alleged,” the report stated.

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The medical team emphasized that all the babies’ organs were intact, adding that death resulted from complications associated with extreme prematurity and severe illness.

The twin babies were originally delivered prematurely in another hospital, referred to another private facility before subsequent referral to Med-Vical Medical Centre for advanced neonatal intensive care and life support.

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“Despite the hospital’s intervention, the infants could not survive the severe complications linked to their early birth and critical conditions,” the report stated.

Reacting to the report, Ms. Onyedikachi Nwizu of Med-Vical Medical Centre’s Management, expressed relief at the findings, but described the allegations as “false, malicious, and devilish.”

READ ALSO:US Revokes Visas Of Foreigners Who Mocked Kirk’s Assassination

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She disclosed that though pained by the loss of the babies, the hospital had instructed its legal team to take steps to redeem its reputation, which had been “seriously dented” by the false accusations.

Recall that parents of the babies, Mr Jerry Sylvester and Mrs. Edwina Jerry had earlier petitioned the Edo State Commissioner of Police, accusing Med-Vical of professional misconduct and concealment.

Their allegations circulated widely on social media and were reported by several news outlets, prompting the police to order a formal autopsy to ascertain the cause of death.

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Ex-IYC President Demands Toru-Ebe, Oil River States Creation, 33 LGs In Bayelsa

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Pioneer president of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC),
Dr Felix Tuodolo, has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to create Toru-Ebe and Oil River states.

The former commissioner for Ijaw Affairs in Bayelsa State also urged the government at the centre to create 33 Thirty-three (33) additional Local Government Councils for Bayelsa State.

Tuodolo, who said Bayelsa is one of the largest oil and gas producing states in Nigeria, added that the state accounts for a substantial portion of the country’s oil production, estimated to be around 35-45%.

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He noted that despite the state’s significant contribution to Nigeria’s GDP, land and river mass and huge potentials for steady growth and development, the state currently had only eight (8) Local Government Areas, emphasising that Thirty-three LGAs were proposed for creation to make Bayelsa a constitutional state since the 1999 Constitution stipulates that every state must have a minimum of ten LGAs.

READ ALSO:IYC Urges Tinubu To Sack NCDMB Boss

The statement read, “Importantly, the three major tribes in Nigeria all have their own states. The Yorubas have six states, the Hausa- Fulani has 19 northern states and the Igbo has five, and now seven with the resolutions to create a sixth state for them and an extra state in each Geo-political zone, which Ijaws strongly supports. But the Ijaws do not have a single state because the only Ijaw state, namely, Bayelsa, does not even meet the requirement of a state with only eight LGAs. The proposed new thirty-three LGAs for Bayelsa must be created for the Ijaws to accept that they have a state. Nigeria should take seriously the creation of 33 additional LGAs in Bayelsa State. This 33 LGs creation was as old as the creation of Bayelsa State.

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“These including other demands made by the INC Global in the envisaged new constitution include: (d) Protection and remediation of the Ijaw environment (6) Federal resource contribution through resource control and payment of tax (1) True federal Constitution (with no unitary colouration) (g) Reintegration of own vide the wholesale prosecution of the Ijaw struggle for self-determination, which had lasted centuries (h) Improve the quality and quantity of representation in the Ijaw region”, he added.

Dr Tuodolo also threw his weight behind the call by the INC Global the creation of Toru Ebe State out of the present Ondo, Edo and Delta States.

READ ALSO:Tompolo, Otuaro: Call Your Subjects To Order, IYC Tells Itsekiri Monarch

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He argued that the oil revenue from the Ijaw areas in the three states accounts for the largest revenue accruing to the National Economy, stressing that despite the receipt of the 13% Derivation Revenue by the 3 states (Delta, Edo and Ondo), the Ijaw areas which are mineral producing had been denied of any meaningful development.

“The proposed state with a population of 2.7million people has natural landscapes with beautiful beaches and lengthy coastline which can be annexed into a blue economy and tourism that will make the State economically viable”, he noted.

The INC Global also demanded the creation of the oil river state.

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We proposed Oil Rivers State that will comprise Ijaws in Rivers and Akwa ibom States. These areas remain the most naturally blessed but environmentally degraded in the entire world with massive oil (exploration) and gas flaring threatening the very survival of the People”, he emphasised.

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