18 Suspects Taken to US Over 2021 Killing of Haitian President Moise

Eighteen suspects accused of involvement in the 2021 assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moise have been transferred from Haiti to the United States to face trial.

US officials said the suspects were transported to Florida on Sunday, as American authorities continue their prosecution of people allegedly connected to the plot.

Federal prosecutor Jason Reding Quinones said the suspects were flown from Haiti on a military aircraft to face proceedings in the Southern District of Florida.

He said US authorities had so far indicted 30 people in connection with the assassination and warned that the prosecutions were not over.

Among those transferred was Joseph Felix Badio, a former anti-corruption official with Haiti’s Ministry of Justice who has been identified as a major suspect in the investigation.

Haitian government and police sources said the other suspects included Colombian nationals who were allegedly part of the group involved in the operation.

Colombian Nationals Among Suspects

Colombia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that 17 of its citizens had been transferred from Haiti to the United States.

The ministry said the Colombian government was monitoring the development but had not participated in the decision or process that led to the transfer.

Moise was killed at his private residence in Port-au-Prince on July 7, 2021. Investigators said a group of about 20 Colombian military-trained mercenaries had been hired in connection with the operation.

The president’s security detail came under scrutiny after failing to prevent the attack.

In May, four men were convicted in a Miami federal court over charges connected to the plot, including conspiracy to kill or kidnap Moise and providing material support for the operation. They could face life imprisonment.

US prosecutors said the men were linked to CTU Security, a Florida-based private security company, and had allegedly been attracted by the prospect of lucrative contracts after Moise was removed from power.

The assassination plunged Haiti further into political and security turmoil. The country has since struggled with gang violence and remains without a president, while preparations continue for elections scheduled for December, subject to security conditions.

18 Suspects Taken to US Over 2021 Killing of Haitian President Moise

Tinubu’s UNGA Absence Fuels Questions Over Planned Trump Meeting

An American lobbying firm linked to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has claimed that a proposed meeting between President Bola Tinubu and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly will no longer take place.

The claim by Von Batten Montague York-LC came shortly after the Nigerian Presidency confirmed that Tinubu would not physically attend the 81st UN General Assembly in New York.

Instead, Vice President Kashim Shettima has been directed to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the gathering.

In a post on X, the US-based firm said the proposed Tinubu-Trump meeting had been cancelled. It also claimed that any possible US endorsement of Tinubu ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election was no longer on the table.

The firm alleged that securing a meeting with Trump and obtaining his endorsement was a major objective of Tinubu’s planned UNGA trip. It further claimed that about $9 million in Nigerian public funds had been spent on efforts to facilitate the proposed engagement.

Those allegations have not been independently established.

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Tinubu to Miss UNGA

The development follows the Presidency’s confirmation that Tinubu will not attend the annual gathering in person.

The President had previously been listed as a speaker for the high-level General Debate, but the government subsequently announced that Shettima would represent him.

The change ends weeks of uncertainty over whether Tinubu would travel to New York. Nigeria’s UN ambassador had earlier indicated that arrangements had been made for the President to attend the 81st session.

Meanwhile, reports of a possible Tinubu-Trump meeting had attracted attention because of the two countries’ diplomatic and economic engagements.

The latest statement by the lobbying firm is therefore another development in the ongoing debate over whether such a meeting would take place. However, the firm’s claims about the proposed meeting, the alleged $9 million expenditure and Tinubu’s supposed objective remain allegations rather than independently verified facts.

Tinubu’s UNGA Absence Fuels Questions Over Planned Trump Meeting

EFCC Recovers N140m for B4 Sail as Alleged Loan Debt Hits N2.25bn

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has returned N140 million recovered during an investigation into an alleged loan fraud to B4 Sail Limited, an investment and money-lending company in Lagos.

The funds were handed over in bank drafts on Thursday, September 17, at the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 office in Ikoyi.

The Acting Zonal Director, Bawa Usman Kaltungo, presented the recovered money to representatives of B4 Sail.

How the Investigation Began

The recovery followed a petition filed by B4 Sail on April 20, 2026, concerning Jacob Oyebola Esan and companies linked to him.

According to the petition, Esan approached the company in August 2025 on behalf of Geo Fields Plc to secure a N500 million loan to support the business.

The facility reportedly carried a monthly interest rate of 15 per cent and was expected to be repaid within one month.

The EFCC said its investigation later established that Esan had obtained other loan facilities from B4 Sail, taking his total exposure to N1.065 billion.

As security for the loans, shares belonging to Esan were pledged through Calyx Securities Limited, which acted as the clearing house for the stocks. The arrangement reportedly gave B4 Sail a lien over the shares and first claim to proceeds from their sale.

However, the commission said the shares were eventually sold without B4 Sail’s knowledge.

This allegedly contributed to Esan’s failure to repay the facilities. With accrued interest, the outstanding amount subsequently rose to N2.2505 billion.

The EFCC said the N140 million recovery was being returned to the company as part of its responsibility to ensure recovered funds reach legitimate owners and victims after due process.

EFCC Recovers N140m for B4 Sail as Alleged Loan Debt Hits N2.25bn