Protesters ground NASS, task lawmakers to back cashless policy – Newstrends
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Protesters ground NASS, task lawmakers to back cashless policy

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Protesters, yesterday, barricaded the entrance of the National Assembly and called on lawmakers to support the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) cashless policy and currency redesign.

The agitators under the umbrella of Initiatives for Patriotic Nigerians argued that the new policy would stabilise exchange rate and promote free and fair elections.

The Convener, Abubakar Kurawa, who spoke in Abuja, said it was not in dispute that proliferation of liquid cash in the hands of many create more damage than good to the country, be it economic, political or security.

“There is no gainsaying that criminals such as kidnappers, drug dealers, oil thieves and so many others not mentioned, always makes use of cash to achieve their illicit goals.

“Given this fact, coupled with the present security challenges across the country, all hands must be on deck to ensure that necessary support is provided to curb the menace. In the case of CBN, the support it can give in this regard is to curtail the money in circulation, hence this policy can’t be more timely.

“Also, this is an election period. Due to amendments of Electoral Acts which makes open manipulation of election results practically impossible, some politicians are likely planning to indulge in massive vote buying (we witnessed what happened in the recently concluded Ekiti and Osun gubernatorial election).

“To this end, CBN is playing its corporate social responsibility by making sure that huge cash withdrawals is made very difficult or impossible. By this, it helps in ensuring free and fair elections.”

Meanwhile, House of Representatives has rescheduled the appearance of the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, before the parliament for Tuesday next week.

Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, who disclosed this at plenary, said Emefiele,  who was scheduled to appear yesterday had written to say he was out of the country.

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The House had last week summoned the CBN governor to appear before him over the  new cash withdrawal limit approved by the apex bank. The CBN pegged the maximum cash withdrawal by individual per week at N100,000 and N500,000 for corporate organisations. Also, the maximum daily limit for individuals at N20,000, effective from January 9, 2023.

Regardless, lawmakers, while debating  a motion on  the propriety of the new cashless policy, had argued that the policy if allowed to stand would strangulate the economy, as well as impose hardship on the people.

According to them, contrary to Section 8(4)(5) of the CBN Act, which mandates the apex bank to brief the National Assembly on monetary policies, at intervals, Emefiele has allegedly kept the parliament in the dark on major policies by the CBN.

However, the CBN governor, in a letter to the House,  informed the lawmakers that  he was part of  President Muhammadu Buhari’s delegation to the Washington DC, and would not be available.

However, a high court of the Federal Capital Territory,  Abuja, has refused  to stop the new cash withdrawal policy of CBN.

Rather, Justice Chizoba Oriji granted an order for accelerated hearing of the motion on notice filed on behalf of 20 million unbanked Nigerian citizens.

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Those who filed the suit marked FCT/HC/CV/724/2022 for themselves and on behalf of 20 million unbanked Nigerian citizens are, Adamu Sarki, Shekwoyi Gaza; Philip Tanko; Victor Okoro and Ismaila Ibrahim.

The rest are Mohammed Rabo; Yunusa Musa Gani; Helen Luka; Suleiman Yusuf and Adamu Gaidam Asu.

Listed as respondents are the president, the Attorney General of the Federation, CBN and the governor of the apex bank.

In an exparte motion moved by their counsel, P. A Obu, the applicants prayed the Court to grant injunctions restraining the Respondents from proceeding with the January 31, 2023 deadline of the use of the current N200, N500 and N1,000 notes as it affects the applicants without any realistic plans or workable guidelines to cover the over 20 million unbanked Nigerians who are vulnerable to information and the use of technologically driven platform without the possibility of financial inclusion.

They prayed for another injunction restraining the Respondents from implementing the revised cash withdrawal limiting the maximum cash withdrawal over the counter (OTC) by individuals and corporate organisations per week to N100, 000 and N500, 000 respectively which is a violation of the  Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2002 which also constitutes a flagrant violation of the fundamental rights of the applicants as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act.

Furthermore they asked the Court to grant an order for accelerated hearing to the Suit and also an order for substituted service on the parties while also praying for the order of court mandating the CBN to produce a detailed plan and guidelines covering the over 20 million unbanked citizens who are vulnerable to the use of telecommunication and technologically driven money platforms.

Justice Oriji having listened to the counsel to the applicants refused the prayers for injunction but rather directed that all the respondents be put on notice to come and show cause why the order for injunction should not be granted against them.

The judge thereafter adjourned the matter to  January 10, 2023 after granting orders for accelerated hearing and substituted service.

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Why I claimed Ooni is my father – Man recants, apologises (+ VIDEO)

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Why I claimed Ooni is my father – Man recants, apologises (+ VIDEO)

In a dramatic turn of events, a middle-aged man whose bold claim of being the son of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, captured widespread attention in a viral video, has now delivered a public apology to the revered traditional ruler.

The apology followed significant controversy stirred by the man’s initial claim, prompting a swift response from the Ooni’s palace.

In the contentious video, the individual, clad in a traditional white Agbada, boldly asserted that Oba Ogunwusi had instructed him and his mother to keep their lineage discreet.

Oba Enitan Ogunwunsi is my father. He hid me with my mother with a clear instruction that I must not reveal myself,” the man claimed in Yoruba.

In a subsequent online video released last Friday, the man expressed sincere regret over any confusion or distress caused by his initial claims.

He explained that his actions were driven by a series of dreams involving the Ooni, which he interpreted as significant.

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According to him, these dreams led him to believe he had a special connection with the monarch, prompting his public appeal.

“I have a reason for creating that video. In 2022, I found myself beside the Ooni in my dream, engaging in discussions,” he said.

Despite his unsuccessful attempts to meet the Ooni in person, he resorted to creating the video as a final attempt to grab attention.

The man, who chose not to disclose his identity in either video, earnestly appealed to the Ooni for understanding, expressing;

My esteemed father, please do not be displeased with me. I did not create the video to defame you; rather, I made it to attract your attention so that I could narrate my dream to you and hopefully meet you.”

He also urged the Nigerian public not to misuse his video to defame the Ooni, emphasizing that his intentions were solely to seek an audience with the monarch, not to spark controversy or dishonor.

WATCH HIM SPEAK BELOW 

Why I claimed Ooni is my father – Man recants, apologises (+ VIDEO)

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Okada rider rapes female passenger in Ogun

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Okada rider rapes female passenger in Ogun

A commercial motorcycle rider has been apprehended for raping a female passenger in Ogun.

The state’s police command made the disclosure on its official X handle on Friday.

It said the suspect would soon be charged to court.

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The suspect, after picking up the passenger, was said to have diverted to a different destination where he allegedly committed the crime.

It read, “Commercial Motorcycle Rider Arrested For Rape: One Afeez Mustapha is in SCID for sexual assault on a female passenger, after diverting to a route different from that of the passenger, and subsequently had unlawful carnal knowledge of her.”

Okada rider rapes female passenger in Ogun

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We kidnap, rape male victims — Arrested Lagos gays

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Arrested Lagos gays

We kidnap, rape male victims — Arrested Lagos gays

•I’m bisexual with feelings for both gender—legal practitioner member

These are indeed evil days and strange things are happening. At the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, eleven suspected criminals who were arrested in the highbrow Lekki area of the state have confessed that they belonged to a vicious gang of homosexuals that kidnap, extort and rape their male victims.

Shockingly, they disclosed that their victims were only healthy-looking males and that they never had anything to do with females during their operations.

Confessions

All the suspects narrated how they joined the gang and how they carried out their atrocities which usually ended with video recordings of their sexual orgies with which they extorted various sums of money from their male victims. One of the suspects who is a practicing lawyer and the oldest member of the gang however tried to cleverly exonerate himself from their devilish acts by saying he was “a bisexual male with feelings for both genders.”

Narrating details of their exploits to Lagos State Commissioner of Police Special Squad led by CSP Kehinde Oni, all the suspects said that they engaged either their fellow gays or unsuspecting victims in any of their apartments situated in the highbrow Lekki, Ajah and Badore axis of the city through a gay app or advertisements acting as estate agents.

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According to one of the suspects, Esama Joel, 28, who is a POS operator at Jakande Estate Lekki, “I am from Edo state, I dropped out from Secondary School and came to Lagos where I started working as a Chef in a hotel. I was supplying liquid soap to hotels, and I was also the owner of the POS which the gang used to extort various sums of money from our victims. It was one Edet that introduced me to gay. What we usually do is to lure our victims to any of our rented apartments, and as soon as he entered the room, two of us would force him to have sex with us through the anus. While we were on it, other members would appear in the same room and start recording our sex orgies on video.

Sometimes, all of us would satisfy ourselves with one victim or just a few of us. But as soon as we finished satisfying ourselves, we would show the victim the video recording and threaten to post it on social media. This usually made them afraid and cry out, begging that we should state our terms. At that stage, we would request his financial details, and if he claimed he had no money, we would insist on calling either his parents or friends. This had always paid off hugely because we always ended up collecting all they had including valuables like gold, costly phones, etc. After that, we usually abandoned them in the apartment and would relocate to another place.”

Another suspect, Fuad Abioye, 23, a Muslim from Kwara state who also lives at Lekki, said he dropped out of Secondary School and started repairing air conditioners. He said, “We are three in our family, and I am the firstborn. My father is a graphic designer while my mother is a trader. I am not married. Edet introduced me to the gay gang. I have been with them for over six months. I have succeeded in luring two victims to the gang, and we collected money from them after raping them through the anus. I have been giving some of the money I made to my father to complete his house while I used the rest to pay my rent and furnish my house.”

Another suspect, Bruno Ebuka, 26, a Christian who lives in Ajah confessed that he had four bank accounts and all the gang members had been sharing the money they realized from their victims. He specifically said that one of their victims did not have money and they had to call his mother, who transferred the amount to the gang.

Gang members sleep with each other

On his part, Victor Ikechukwu, 18, a hotelier and Christian from Abia state who lives at Egbeda stated that he was a front desk staff in a hotel at Opebi, Ikeja. He said he also sells clothes online and that his father died when he was 9 years old while his mother lives in Port-Harcourt with his three siblings.

He said, “I set up two gay guys I met on a gay app called gender. We all agreed to have fun and that was why we hired an apartment where we live together. We indeed recorded our victims on video after which we threatened them and they would release money to us. We normally had three outings in a week. We used different apartments. Our gang members were also sleeping with each other.”

Okolie Francis, 23, a Christian and an entrepreneur from Anambra state said he lives in Badore and graduated from IMT, Enugu. He said one Mack Philips brought him to his house at Ibeju, Lekki. According to him, “he was the one that introduced me to homosexuality but when I stopped sleeping with him, he threw me out of his house. I was homeless until I met a friend who introduced me to the gang. I joined the gang because I was homeless and we used a gay app called Grinder to lure our victims. We also lure our victims from drinking joints.”

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Kelvin Kalu, 33, the oldest member of the gang and a lawyer said he graduated from Madonna University, Okija in Anambra state. He also lives in Lekki. His confession: “My problem started after I got a call from a friend called Johnson on 17th of March, 2024, saying he was in a police station having problems with friends over a theft case. I went there to help them. When I got there, policemen were parading some suspects and one of them pointed at me saying that I was his gay customer. As a lawyer, I post job vacancies for Human Resources groups I belong to.

One Victor reached out to me for the job and I requested his CV but he instead sent his nude pictures to me. He was asking me for money saying that he was starving and I decided to help by accommodating him. One day, after he asked for money and I did not give him, he started threatening me. He later visited my house twice saying that I had sex with him. I am a bisexual male. I have feelings for both genders. I have had conversations with the same gender and it is about intimacy.”

Eno Joel Mbang, 25, a plumber from Cross River State said he was working in a cleaning company at Lekki where he was paid N40, 000.00. He said, “I joined the gang in March this year. We kidnapped our victims, stripped them naked and made love to them after which we would record them and use it to extort money from them. I only benefitted twice since joining them. What we are doing is bad.”

John Bitrus, 28, a businessman from Benue state said he was into liquid soap production until he joined the gang in November, last year. His confession: “I have three sisters but I don’t know how many brothers I have. I came to Lagos through one of my uncles who is now in Cameroun. We all use the gay app. When we kidnapped or lured a victim, he would be taken to a room where one of us would try to seduce him. As soon as he was in the mood, others would jump into the room and record the action. At that stage, the victim would be begging that we should not post it on social media. We would then demand payment. If he didn’t have money, he would call his friends to send money. I can’t say how many men we have slept with or how much money we collected from them.”

Eureka Evans, 27, a bartender from Anambra State is an undergraduate at the National Open University. According to him, “Our main motive was to reduce gay practice in the society but the economic problems in the country made us decide to use it and make money.

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Other suspects, Opeyloyeru Aromide, a realtor from Oyo state, Edet Ekama, 28, from Calabar and Emeka Evans, 27, also confessed their involvement in the criminal act and that they have benefitted from it.

CP Adegoke swings into action

Police sources intimated Crime Guard that the suspects were arrested after two complainants alleged that they kidnapped and robbed them at Lekki and later held them hostage in an apartment where they forcefully collected all their valuables and huge sums of money through their bank accounts.

They reported the case at Maroko police station and when it got to the attention of the Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, he swiftly transferred the case to his Special Squad with stern directives to crack the case and round up all the suspects. It was gathered that the team swung into action and after rounding up the suspects, investigations revealed that they also have international customers, especially from South Africa.

Police sources said that the worse thing about the gang is not only that they are gays but they kidnap, blackmail, extort and rape their fellow men.

Crime Guard learned that after investigations, the suspects were charged to Yaba Magistrate Court 3 on charges bothering on conspiracy, kidnapping and robbery but the suspects were nearly granted bail by the court after some interested parties permeated both the court and some investigators to reduce the charges.

Clandestine moves for bail stopped

It was gathered that the Commissioner of Police was alerted of plans to grant bail to the suspects but he ensured that they were duly remanded in prison custody pending the advice of the DPP. However, sources said while the police were investigating the case, clandestine moves were made severally by some interested highly placed people in the society to compromise investigators without success.

According to police sources, “Some of the interested people claimed to be human rights groups, lawyers and concerned Nigerians but we did not capitulate.

We kidnap, rape male victims — Arrested Lagos gays

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