News

Sacked Agencies Members Drag Adeleke To Court, Demand N2bn

Published

2 years ago

November 15, 2023

Members of the four recently dissolved statutory commissions in Osun State have filed N2bn suits against Governor Ademola Adeleke before the National Industrial Court in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that the governor, on October 30, 2023, announced the dissolution of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission; Osun State Judicial Service Commission; Osun State Civil Service Commission; and Osun State House of Assembly Service Commission.

New boards were on Monday inaugurated for the commissions.

But members of the dissolved commissions, in four separate suits, contended that they were sacked before the completion of their five-year tenure, which ought to end in 2025.

The four separate suits are each demanding N500m in damages against the governor.

In the suit filed through their counsel, Muhydeen Adeoye, the sacked commission members urged the court to declare the dissolution of the commissions and refusal to pay salaries and other emoluments due to them as illegal.

Apart from the governor, also joined as defendants in the suit were the Osun State Attorney General; the Commissioner for Finance; and the state House of Assembly.

In one of the suits, the sacked OSSIEC Chairman, Segun Oladitan, and six members urged the court to compel the governor to reinstate them to their offices and allow them to serve out their five-year tenure that would end by 2025.

In a similar vein, Babafemi Osunro and four others urged the court to declare dissolution of Osun State Civil Service Commission before 2025, as illegal and demanded reinstatement and payment of N500m damages.

In their suit, Awolola Abiodun and six others challenged the dissolution of the Osun House of Assembly Service Commission, while Adebayo Salmon and three others asked the court to nullify the order of the governor sacking them as members of the Osun State Judicial Service Commission.

The claimants’ counsel, Adeoye, told our correspondent that all the parties had been served, adding that they were waiting for the court to pick the hearing date.

PUNCH

News

Police Arrest Nollywood Production Manager For Assaulting Crew Member

Published

3 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Police have arrested a Nollywood production manager, Anierobi Courage, for allegedly assaulting a crew member.

Anierobi Courage, better known as Nwa South, reportedly assaulted the head of makeup, Mary Chizzy Eze, on October 28, 2025, while on the set of the film “Lagos to Opulence.”

A trending video of the physical altercation showed the production manager pressing Mary’s throat after slapping her, an act that has sparked widespread outrage on social media.

Reacting to the public condemnation, the Nigeria Film Crew Community (NFCC), in a statement released on Thursday, described Courage’s actions as “animalistic behaviour.”

Announcing his arrest, NFCC called on Nollywood producers and other stakeholders to blacklist Courage across all productions.

“The production manager violently hit and strangled Mary Chizzy Eze for speaking up against unequal treatment among the crew. While she has received medical care, he has been arrested.

“This level of disregard for human dignity is unacceptable. We stand firmly against all forms of abuse, assault, and crew maltreatment,” the NFCC said.

News

‘EFCC Collected N10m Before They Released Me’ – Oladips Alleges [VIDEO]

Published

4 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Editor

Popular Nigerian singer, Oladips has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of collecting N10 million from him.

The rapper made this known nearly a year after he was arrested by EFCC during a midnight raid in his estate.

Oladips was arrested with some of his neighbors for alleged fraud in November 2024.

He was released after spending five days in detention.

Speaking about his experience with the EFCC, Oladips in his latest interview on Trending podcast, stated that nothing was found on him after the EFCC investigations.

While revealing that the EFCC collected N10 million from him before his release, he lamented that “Nigeria just happened to me”.

“It’s just one smelling place like that. They just packed us there like sardines and they gave us nonsense food. Funny enough it was Zlatan that was sending me food. Zlatan is not even a friend, that’s my blood.

“He was sending someone to buy good food for me because the food there is bad. They just packed us there like sardines. I’m not even supposed to be there first of all. Like, why did I spend four to five days there when you people (EFCC) didn’t find anything on me, not even a single thing. And they still collect N10 million from me before they released me.”

When asked “Is it a thing you can take up against the EFCC later, or you will just allow the sleeping dog lie?”, the singer responded “Who is my father?”

“Who is my father now? At the end of the day, who is my father? It’s just me and my truth. It’s not something I will want to. I don’t just know how the system works. I for dey their page now if to say I dey do Yahoo. They didn’t find anything on me. If they are watching this, they know that I’m saying the truth.

“They collected money from me before they released me. They didn’t find anything on me. So, what was the money for? What was all that stress and suffering for? It’s just Nigeria. Nigeria just happened to me,” he said.

https://x.com/i/status/1983504280972615813

News

Bank MD Jailed Five Years For N32m Fraud

Published

5 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Editor

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured a five-year conviction of a former Managing Director of Bonghe Micro Finance Bank, Grace Karka, for her role in a N32m fraud, with an option of fine.

The PUNCH learnt in a statement by the EFCC on Thursday that the agency received a petition from the bank alleging that the defendant transferred N32m while she was the bank’s MD to an unknown account.

The statement noted that the petitioner said the fraudulent act was discovered during an audit of the bank’s account domiciled with a commercial bank.

She was subsequently arraigned before Justice Benjamin Lawan Manji of the Adamawa State High Court on counts of criminal conspiracy and cheating.

One of the charges read: “That you, Grace Andreas Karka and Prince Moses Batalu, between August 2020 and March 2021 in Yola, Adamawa State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did agree amongst yourselves to do an illegal act, to wit theft of N66,792,960.00 from Bonghe Micro Finance Bank Nigeria Limited (account number 2013668857 domiciled with First Bank Nigeria Limited) by dishonestly moving the said sum without necessary approval, contrary to Section 61(2) of the Adamawa State Penal Code Law 2018.”

According to the statement, the defendant was arraigned in November 2024, but she pleaded not guilty, which led to a full trial.

The EFCC said during the trial, the prosecutor presented witnesses and tendered several documents, while the defendant presented three witnesses.

Following the trial, the judge found the defendant guilty and sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment.

“Justice Manji, on October 17, 2025, while delivering judgment, said the prosecution proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted the defendant accordingly on counts one and two.

“The judge also sentenced Karka to five years’ imprisonment with an option of N3m each on counts one and two. The sentence is to run concurrently.

“In addition, the court ordered the convict to restitute the balance of N29,877,040 to the petitioner,” the statement added.

This is not the first time a former bank MD has been jailed for fraud.