Presidency: Stop embarrassing Nigeria, Ezekwesili faults Emefiele’s response - Newstrends
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Presidency: Stop embarrassing Nigeria, Ezekwesili faults Emefiele’s response

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Oby Ezekwesili

Nigeria’s former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has faulted the response given by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Governor, Godwin Emefiele, over calls for his resignation.

Many Nigerians, including the former education minister, had asked Emefiele to resign his position as CBN governor or be sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari over his presidential ambition.

There had been reports that the All Progressives Congress Expression of Interest and Nomination forms were purchased for Emefiele to contest the 2023 presidential election by his supporters.

A coalition comprising Rice Farmers Association, Emefiele Support Group and Friends of Godwin on Friday reportedly obtained the forms for him.

The CBN governor earlier denied having an interest in the presidential race but made a U-turn on Saturday.

In his response to the public outcry that greeted his purchase of nomination forms, Emefiele said he would decide on whether to contest or not in a few days.

Ezekwesili asked the CBN governor to stop embarrassing Nigeria by resigning his position.

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She said this in a serie s of tweets on Saturday.

She posted, “I just read your waffling neither-here-nor-there tweet reacting to news of your payment of N100M for the APC Nomination form for 2023 Presidential election. Seems you did not read what the APC Spokesperson said to
@Bloomberg. Resign. Stop embarrassing the country. Stop.

“@GodwinIEmefiele, this is for you. Time to end your low-grade hide and seek game that dangerously toys with the monetary authority of this country and its people. Resign.

“It is legitimate aspiration to seek to be President of Nigeria but resign from
@cenbank to go pursue it.”

Reacting through his verified twitter handle, Emefiele said that, should he decide to contest for the political office, he would prefer to use his personal resources.

He said, “I am humbled by the growing interest of those asking that I run for the office of president in the 2023 general elections: I have not come to that decision.

“I note and salute the sacrifices of those farmers and patriots going as far as raising personal funds and offering me presidential nomination forms: I thank them most profusely.

”However, should I answer their calls and decide to seek presidential nomination, I will use my own hard earned savings to buy my own nomination forms.

“I will do so without proxies, in an open and transparent manner in full compliance with the laws and Constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

He said that he would continue to serve the country in his capacity as CBN governor until he received divine counsel to contest for a higher office.

“I will continue to serve and sacrifice for the good people of Nigeria under the able leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“This is a serious decision that requires God’s Divine intervention: in the next few days The Almighty will so direct,” he said.

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Lagos Police Recover Seven Vehicles, Direct Owners to Ikeja Division

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Lagos Police Recover Seven Vehicles, Direct Owners to Ikeja Division
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police Abimbola Adebisi

Lagos Police Recover Seven Vehicles, Direct Owners to Ikeja Division

The Lagos State Police Command has given owners of seven recovered abandoned vehicles 21 days to come forward with valid documents to claim their property or risk forfeiting them through public auction.

The command said the vehicles were recovered from different locations across the state and are currently in police custody.

In a notice published on Friday, November 13, 2026, the police directed anyone claiming ownership of the vehicles to report to the Ikeja Police Division with relevant documents to establish ownership and facilitate their release.

The recovered vehicles include a Kia Optima with registration number JK349AAA, a Toyota Camry with number plate AAA193GZ and a Suzuki minibus with registration number LSR912YH.

Others are a Toyota Camry with registration number LSR979DL, a Hiace minibus with number plate AAA738YD, a Mazda MPV Space Bus with registration number MUS984DN and a Volkswagen Golf bearing registration number JBD140XA.

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The police warned that the vehicles could be forfeited and sold through auction if their owners failed to establish legitimate ownership within the 21-day period.

The command urged members of the public who had lost vehicles matching the descriptions to take advantage of the opportunity to recover their property.

It also stressed the importance of presenting valid ownership documents to enable proper verification before any vehicle is released.

The latest notice forms part of the Lagos police command’s efforts to identify owners of recovered and abandoned vehicles and address the accumulation of unclaimed property at police facilities across the state.

Lagos Police Recover Seven Vehicles, Direct Owners to Ikeja Division

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Two Sentenced to Death in Osun, Maina’s Son Finally Heads to Prison

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Two Sentenced to Death in Osun, Maina’s Son Finally Heads to Prison
Faisal Abdulrasheed Maina

Two Sentenced to Death in Osun, Maina’s Son Finally Heads to Prison

An Osun State High Court has sentenced two men, Toriola Abel and Adeola Adebowale, to death by hanging for armed robbery, while a Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Faisal Maina, son of former pension reform boss Abdulrasheed Maina, to serve a seven-year prison sentence for money laundering.

The two separate court decisions were delivered in Osogbo and Abuja amid renewed attention to the prosecution of serious criminal offences and the enforcement of judicial sentences in Nigeria.

In Osogbo, Justice Yinka Aderibigbe of the Osun State High Court sentenced Abel and Adebowale to death by hanging after finding them guilty of conspiracy and armed robbery.

The offences were committed in 2014 around the Kelebe area of Osogbo, the state capital.

The judge, in his ruling on Thursday, held that the prosecution had established the allegations against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.

The prosecution, led by Wuraola Mosunmola, told the court that the convicts conspired with another accomplice, who remains at large, to carry out the robbery.

During the trial, the prosecution presented witnesses and tendered exhibits, including a locally made firearm, which was admitted as evidence.

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However, counsel to the defendants, Ifedayo Olowoyo, appealed to the court for leniency, arguing that his clients were first-time offenders who had spent approximately 12 years in custody since their arrest.

He also told the court that the defendants had demonstrated signs of rehabilitation and deserved an opportunity to rebuild their lives.

Olowoyo particularly disclosed that one of the convicts was a 300-level student of the National Open University of Nigeria, pursuing his university education through correspondence while in detention.

Despite the plea for mercy, Justice Aderibigbe maintained that the applicable law prescribed the death penalty for armed robbery.

The judge consequently sentenced both men to death by hanging.

However, the court recommended that the Osun State Governor consider exercising the prerogative of mercy, noting that no life was lost during the robbery and taking into account the defendants’ conduct during their prolonged detention.

In a separate development in Abuja, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court ordered that Faisal Maina be committed to a correctional centre to serve his prison sentence for money laundering and failure to make full disclosure of his assets.

The order followed an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), seeking a warrant to enforce the conviction and sentence previously imposed on him.

Faisal, son of Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on October 14, 2026, in the Karsana area of Abuja.

His arrest came about six years after he jumped bail and stopped attending court proceedings during his trial.

The EFCC subsequently took him into custody and approached the Federal High Court to secure an order committing him to the Nigeria Correctional Service to serve his outstanding prison term.

Granting the application, Justice Omotosho directed that Faisal serve three years’ imprisonment on count one, seven years on count two and three years on count three.

The judge ordered that the sentences run concurrently, meaning the seven-year term will determine the overall period of imprisonment.

The sentence is to take effect from October 14, 2026, the date of his rearrest.

Faisal was initially arraigned in 2019 on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering and failure to fully disclose his assets in an asset declaration form.

He pleaded not guilty before Justice Okon Abang but subsequently jumped bail, forcing the court to continue the trial in his absence.

On October 7, 2021, Justice Abang convicted him and imposed five years’ imprisonment on counts one and three, and 14 years on count two, with the sentences running concurrently.

The trial judge also ordered his arrest wherever he might be found and directed that he be taken to a correctional centre to serve his sentence.

Faisal challenged the conviction and sentences at the Court of Appeal, which upheld the conviction but reduced the prison terms in its judgment delivered on November 24, 2022.

The appellate court reduced the sentences to three years on counts one and three and seven years on count two.

His father, Abdulrasheed Maina, was also convicted in a separate money laundering case involving approximately ₦2 billion in pension funds. He has since completed his prison sentence.

 

Two Sentenced to Death in Osun, Maina’s Son Finally Heads to Prison

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EFCC Drags Fuji Musician to Court Over Alleged ₦21.2m Fraud

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EFCC Targets N123bn Recovery From Six Ex-Buhari Ministers

EFCC Drags Fuji Musician to Court Over Alleged ₦21.2m Fraud

LAGOS, Nigeria – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a Fuji musician, Felix Duke Osagie, before a Lagos State court over an alleged ₦21.2 million fraud.

 

The musician was reportedly arraigned on Thursday before Justice Ismail Ijelu in connection with allegations of financial fraud, according to a report published on the EFCC’s social media platform.

 

The arraignment marks another high-profile case involving the anti-graft agency’s investigation and prosecution of alleged financial crimes.

 

However, details of the charge, including how the musician allegedly obtained the money, the identity of the complainant and the specific transactions involved, were not visible in the available excerpt.

 

 

EFCC Drags Fuji Musician to Court Over Alleged ₦21.2m Fraud

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