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Soldiers, police take over strategic areas as #EndSARS protesters stay away
The plans by youths to hold another round of protests on Monday failed as military and police personnel took over strategic locations in some states.
President Muhammadu Buhari had threatened to deal with any act of hooliganism under the guise of peaceful protests just as the police warned that any form of demonstration would be crushed.
Organisers of the protests, who had raised awareness on the social media, had planned to mass on the streets to demand the release of all protesters detained during the first protest and unfreezing all accounts of their colleagues suspended by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a result of the earlier protest.
Based on the fallout of the October protests while was hijacked by hoodlums resulting in orgy of killings, massive looting and destruction of property, the police on Sunday warned the organisers of the fresh protests to desist from going ahead with the plans as the country was yet to fully recover from the last incident.
Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command and soldiers from 81 Division Nigerian Army were on Monday deployed in strategic areas of the state to enforce the ban emplaced on the second wave of #EndSARS protests.
The security operatives were seen at black spots and known volatile areas.
The deployment of the military and police personnel was a follow-up to the warning issued on Sunday by the state command Commissioner of Police, Mr Hakeem Odumosu.
Ogun State Police Command also banned protest in the state, warning prospective protesters to desist from such action or face the full wrath of the law.
A statement by the command spokesperson, Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said while the command recognised that it was the right of citizens to protest to express their grievances over issues of governance, “there is, however, nothing at present that calls for such a protest in the gateway state, except for those who see troublemaking as a lucrative business.”
The army said the deployment of soldiers was nothing out of the ordinary but in continuation of their normal routine patrols.
The acting Deputy Director, 81 Division Army Public Relations, Major Olaniyi Osoba, denied claims that soldiers were deployed in Lekki tollgate to abort the proposed protest.
He said, “We have soldiers in that axis on their routine patrol but they are not at Lekki tollgate. Besides, the soldiers you saw were drawn from Operation MESA.”
He, however, noted that the army would show up if they were called upon like they did during the first wave of the protest.
The police also debunked allegations that a protest was held at Lekki tollgate despite the ban.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Olumuyiwa Adejobi, a Superintendent of Police (SP), said the viral but fake video of the purported protest was circulated to create tension and destabilise the security network put in place.
He said, “The command wishes to debunk the fake video that has been circulated to create tension and destabilise security network in the state.
“The video was one of the viral videos released during the recent violent EndSARS protest before the Lekki Tollgate plaza was set ablaze by the violent protesters on October 21, 2020.
“The command, therefore, urges the general public to regard the video as baseless and mischievous.”
However, protesters marched on Osogbo, the Osun State capital, to demand good governance.
The protesters, under the auspices of Face of #EndSARS Movement, converged on Ogo-Oluwa area of the state and marched on the state House of Assembly where they demanded an audience with the leadership of the house.
The protesters, led by a man identified as Mr Emmanuel Adebisi, carried different placards with inscriptions such as: “We are not fighting for any political party; #End Bad Judiciary in Nigeria; #End fake judicial panel of Inquiry in Osun; Unfreeze all the frozen accounts; We are Nigerian youths.”
The protesters called for the release of all detainees arrested during the demonstrations in October and asked the CBN to unfreeze the accounts of protesters.
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Police bust Nigerian prostitution ring in Cyprus
Police bust Nigerian prostitution ring in Cyprus
Authorities are in the process of dismantling a Nigerian prostitution ring in Limassol, following the arrest of three women, in collaboration with the anti-trafficking unit, according to reports on Wednesday.
The case came to light last year when a woman filed a complaint, initially claiming she was a victim of theft.
However, during questioning, police grew suspicious that she was, in fact, a victim of sex trafficking. Further investigation confirmed this, and the woman was subsequently relocated to a safe house, police spokesman Christos Andreou stated.
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The investigation was prolonged due to the victim’s limited information about her traffickers, Andreou explained.
Through coordinated police efforts, a 44-year-old woman was arrested on October 9, suspected of involvement in the trafficking operation.
Another woman was apprehended on October 18, followed by the arrest of a third woman, aged 33, on Tuesday.
Authorities are still searching for two men believed to be connected to the case.
Andreou added that police have gathered significant evidence and expect the case to be brought to court in the coming days.
Police bust Nigerian prostitution ring in Cyprus
metro
Lagos-Ibadan road: Mother of 4 dies from tanker fire burns
Lagos-Ibadan road: Mother of 4 dies from tanker fire burns
In a similar incident, a nursing mother was hospitalised after suffering serious injuries while trying to save her children from the flames.
The fire ignited when a petrol-laden tanker overturned near a commercial bank at midnight, reportedly due to the driver falling asleep at the wheel.
Eyewitnesses described how the vehicle lost control, leading to the explosion.
In the aftermath, the community experienced significant damage, with petrol spilling through drainage systems and impacting homes approximately a kilometer away from the expressway.
Many buildings suffered shattered windows, damaged roofs, and cracked walls.
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Ismail Emmanuel, the husband of the deceased, recounted the harrowing events.
He explained that the smoke obstructed Mercy’s escape, and she inadvertently fell into a burning drainage as she tried to flee.
Despite urgent efforts to save her, Ismail faced a daunting demand for a N6 million deposit at the hospital, which he could not afford.
“I was at work when my son called about the fire,” he said. “He couldn’t find my wife, and after some time, he informed me they were heading to the hospital with her injuries.”
They moved from Sagamu to Abeokuta and finally to Igbobi Hospital in Lagos, but it was there that he learned of the hefty deposit required. Ultimately, they transferred her to Gbagada General Hospital, where she died.
Ismail has since placed his wife’s body in a private morgue and is seeking government assistance for his family.
Another resident, Bidemi, shared that a neighbour, known as Iya Ada, was also injured while attempting to rescue her children. Her home was severely damaged, losing furniture and other belongings to the fire.
“She fell and suffered burns on her side,” Bidemi reported, noting that Iya Ada is currently hospitalised.
Several other victims have called on Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, for support after losing vehicles that were crucial for their livelihoods.
The vehicles represented their only means of income and sustenance for their families.
In response, the governor has expressed his condolences to those affected and urged tanker drivers to be more cautious while on the road.
Lagos-Ibadan road: Mother of 4 dies from tanker fire burns
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BREAKING: Nigerian court convicts crypto firm for unlicensed USDT-Naira trading
BREAKING: Nigerian court convicts crypto firm for unlicensed USDT-Naira trading
A Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted a Nigerian crypto dealing company, Official Gredo Limited, for illegally conducting USDT to Naira transactions without a banking licence.
Justice Inyang Ekwo convicted Official Gredo on Wednesday in accordance with the company’s plea bargain arrangement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The court ordered the forfeiture of N140 million held in the company’s account to the EFCC recovery account.
The sentencing in suit no: FHC/ABJ/CR/308/2024 followed a guilty plea by Nnamdi Okereke, the company’s director, when the amended money laundering charge was read to him.
At the arraignment on Wednesday, the company was accused of failing to report in writing to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) a single transfer of N76,462,500.00 paid from Renderstack Technologies Ltd into the Providus Bank Ltd account No. 5400608751 operated by Official Gredo, as specified under section 10(1)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
The company and Okereke among several firms and individuals were indicted by the EFCC for negotiating United States Dollar Tether (USDT) against the Naira with the public, despite not being an authorized dealer in the Nigeria Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market.
Okereke pleaded guilty to the one-count charge.
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Subsequently, EFCC lawyer Martha Babatunde, Esq., and the defendant’s counsel, I.O. Offodili, urged the court to affirm the contents of the plea bargain as agreed by the parties.
According to the plea bargain, the defendant admitted committing the offenve and has restituted N140,000,000 to the EFCC, being part of the amount associated with the disputed transaction.
Passing his ruling, Ekwo convicted the company and affirmed the plea bargain agreement.
The judge stated that the plea bargain agreement between the complainant and the defendant should not prevent further investigations from being carried out on other persons or companies with respect to the case.
“The Defendant shall forfeit the sum of N140,000,000 recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the course of the investigation to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“The sum of N140,000,000 being the amount restituted by the Defendant shall be deducted from the account of CZMUNCH FABRICATORS AND WIRING VENTURES—CHIMERA LOGISTICS AND HAULAGE SERVICES, with account number 5435830566 domiciled in Moniepoint Microfinance Bank, which will be transferred to the EFCC Recovery Account,” Ekwo said.
The judge subsequently sentenced the company to a fine of N1 million, which would be paid to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Ekwo held that the defendants should pay the amounts within 14 days or the EFCC should bring the director back to be sent to prison.
BREAKING: Nigerian court convicts crypto firm for unlicensed USDT-Naira trading
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