For Failing to Give SARS N100,000 Bribe, Lagos Bus Driver Spends 4 Years in Prison – Newstrends
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For Failing to Give SARS N100,000 Bribe, Lagos Bus Driver Spends 4 Years in Prison

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3 years ago

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Headfort Foundation, a prison reform initiative, has narrated how Femi Ariyo, a Lagos-based commercial bus driver, spent four years in prison due to false claims made by police personnel.

In a tweet on Tuesday, the foundation said operatives of a Lagos task force seized Ariyo’s bus in Ikeja in February 2018. The operatives then directed him to the office of the now defunct Ikeja Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to recover his bus, Headfort stated.

Ariyo’s life took a turn for the worse when he got to the Ikeja office. According to Headfort, SARS officers arrested him and declared him an armed robber and accomplice of his conductor.

“Ariyo maintained his innocence and refuted the allegations. They wrote two statements for him and tortured him,” Headfort said.

“The Investigating Police Officer (IPO) requested N100,000 from Ariyo to guarantee his release and do away with the charges, but neither Ariyo nor his relatives could pay the money.”

Unable to raise the money, the police charged Ariyo to court in 2018, and he was remanded in the Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre.

Headfort said that in 2019, Ariyo appeared at the Tinubu High Court six times without being able to secure adequate legal representation because of his indigent status.

The foundation said that in 2021, Femi came in contact with a lawyer of theirs who took his case up, compiled his case file and assigned it to Abdu-Salaam Abbas and Co. law firm, its partner.

“They agreed to represent Femi on a pro bono basis. The firm detailed a team of two bright lawyers, namely Khalid Abbas, a partner, and George Ayanjompe, an associate, to undertake the defence of Femi,” Headfort said.

“After over a year of assiduously deploying resources and putting up a dogged defence for Femi, on the 14th day of June 2022, our partner firm –Abdu-Salaam Abbas and Co – secured the freedom of Femi.”

FIJ

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Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

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20 minutes ago

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April 27, 2025

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Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf

Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of weaponising the EFCC to silence him, alleging he was treated like a criminal for criticising the government.

Speaking in an interview with Arise Television on Sunday, Yusuf alleged that his recent detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was part of a deliberate attempt to silence him. “This government deliberately denied me bail to shake me up… all to try and silence me. But I am not someone who can be silenced,” he said.

In February, the EFCC arraigned Yusuf before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on a five-count charge of alleged fraud. He pleaded not guilty.

Recounting the events that led to his detention, Yusuf said EFCC operatives stormed his home on 29 January without presenting an arrest warrant. “They walked into the house and said they wanted to see me, claiming I was expecting them. They only later showed their badges,” he said.

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He described how the operatives prevented him from changing clothes and blocked his wife from providing him with alternative clothing. Yusuf also recounted how, during transport, officers treated him “as if they had captured a notorious criminal like Kachalla Bello Turji,” a notorious bandit leader.

Yusuf spent six days in EFCC custody before his arraignment and was subsequently denied bail, a move he said was unconstitutional. “Bail is a constitutionally guaranteed right for any accused person, except in cases of capital offences or terrorism, and my case was neither,” he said.

The denial of bail forced Yusuf to spend an additional 24 days at Kuje Prison. He characterised his imprisonment as a period of “retreat for rest, prayers, and reflection,” insisting it only strengthened his spirit.

“The whole purpose was for the government of President Bola Tinubu to try to silence any form of dissent,” Yusuf said. “This is coming from a president who himself was once a NADECO activist — someone who fought against the military dictatorship.”

He warned that the current administration is attempting to stifle democratic criticism and create a “one-party dictatorial state.”

Yusuf was appointed executive secretary of the NHIS in 2016 by former President Muhammadu Buhari. He was suspended in 2017 and again in 2018 by the health minister and the NHIS board over allegations of corruption, and was eventually removed from office in 2019.

Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

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NDLEA discovers N1.04bn drugs in Lagos hotel

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50 minutes ago

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April 27, 2025

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NDLEA discovers N1.04bn drugs in Lagos hotel

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have raided an 80-room hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, which was allegedly being used as a front for the distribution of illegal drugs.

After an extensive search, agents reportedly recovered 589 bags of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, totaling 417.3 kilograms. The haul is valued at approximately One Billion Forty-Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira (₦1,042,500,000) on the street.

In a statement released on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed the arrests of three individuals during the operation, which took place between Friday, April 25th, and Saturday, April 26th, 2025.

The suspects—Eze Ayitu, Ofuokwu Samuel, and Emmanuel Ameh—were detained in the raid at the five-storey building, located in Victoria Island. Two other individuals, Noble Philip and his accomplice Kenneth, were said to be currently being sought by authorities.

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The NDLEA also disclosed that items believed to be linked to the alleged drug trafficking were seized from the premises of the hotel, known as The Hook Hotel or Caesar Hotel and Caesar Lounge.

According to the statement, among the recovered items were several vehicles, including a Toyota Prado Landcruiser Jeep, a Toyota Sienna Vehicle, a Volkswagen Delivery Van, a Kia Ceranto Car , and a Grand Caravan Dodge. Additionally, 74 new television sets, 10 used televisions, and 13 refrigerators were found.

In a separate operation on Sunday, April 20th, at the Seme border near Badagry, Lagos, NDLEA operatives apprehended three Ghanaian women allegedly attempting to smuggle 4.8 kilograms of Ghana Loud into Nigeria.

The individuals arrested were Haziza Zubairu, 42; Samirat Mustapha, 43; and Jamila Salifu, 26.

NDLEA discovers N1.04bn drugs in Lagos hotel

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Tompolo speaks on Fubara planned return as Rivers gov

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56 minutes ago

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April 27, 2025

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Government Ekpemupolo, widely known as Tompolo

Tompolo speaks on Fubara planned return as Rivers gov

Government Ekpemupolo, widely known as Tompolo, says President Bola Tinubu and Nyesom Wike, the federal capital territory (FCT) minister, are doing everything in their power to restore Siminalayi Fubara as governor of Rivers State.

Tompolo, who serves as the chairperson of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, an oil pipeline surveillance firm focused on combating crude oil theft in Rivers and the Niger Delta, shared his views during an interview with Arise TV on Saturday.

On March 18, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing a prolonged political crisis. The president suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers Assembly for an initial six-month period. Tinubu appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired vice-admiral, as the sole administrator for the state.

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This emergency rule has sparked public protests, with many citizens demanding a prompt return to the previous political structure.

Tompolo expressed his belief that Fubara will soon resume his duties as governor.

He emphasized that the ongoing political tension in the state is being addressed by all relevant parties. “The duly elected governor of Rivers is coming back,” Tompolo affirmed. “The problem between Wike and Fubara is between ‘boy and oga’. Our president is one person who has been protecting democracy, and there is no way he is truncating it. We are doing everything, including the president and Wike. Fubara is coming back as governor.”

Reports indicate that Fubara met with President Tinubu in London in early April.

The meeting was reportedly initiated by the suspended governor, who is eager to return to office. During their talks, Fubara is said to have made certain promises to help resolve the ongoing political crisis in Rivers.

Tompolo speaks on Fubara planned return as Rivers gov

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