Category Nigeria News

The Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced a former director of Afromedia Plc, Alhaji Mohammed Gobir to seven years in prison for orchestrating a sophisticated, multi-million-naira and foreign-currency fraud.

Justice Raliat Adebiyi convicted and sentenced the defendant on all 17 counts brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The charges included stealing, obtaining by false pretence, forgery, and possession of fraudulent documents.

The EFCC initiated prosecution in 2016 following a damning petition from Afromedia Plc, which revealed a complex scheme of deception and financial manipulation that bled the company of hundreds of millions of naira and substantial sums in foreign currency.

According to court documents and EFCC’s presentation, Gobir fraudulently secured a seat on Afromedia’s board by falsely promising to invest N1 billion into the company. Once in a position of influence, he allegedly siphoned off a staggering $3.5 million, $514.4 million, $2.1 million, and £51,000 from company funds under various false pretences.

READ ALSO: EFCC Secures Final Forfeiture Of Assets Tied To Multi-Billion Naira Bank Scam

One of the most audacious claims Gobir made, prosecutors said, was that he needed $250,000 to secure a waiver certificate to retrieve $250 million he claimed was being temporarily held by British anti-money laundering authorities in a UK bank.

Justice Adebiyi, however, dismissed the claims as entirely fictitious and part of a deliberate ploy to mislead and defraud the company.

In another instance, Gobir deceived Afromedia into releasing over $514 million on the pretext that it was required to facilitate the transfer of $70 million from a non-existent London bank account.

His arrest in September 2015 at his upscale Ikoyi residence followed months of investigations by EFCC into what officials described as one of the more elaborate financial frauds within Nigeria’s corporate boardrooms.

In her judgment, Justice Adebiyi condemned Gobir’s actions as a grave breach of trust, stating that his manipulation of corporate structures for personal gain represented “a betrayal of confidence and fiduciary duty.”

The Academic Staff Union of Yobe State University, Damaturu, branch has declared an indefinite strike.

It is demanded that the Yobe State Government implement a ₦70,000 minimum wage of 2024 consequential adjustment, appropriate promotion placement, yearly increment, and payment of arrears of the minimum wage of 2019 consequential adjustment.

Other demands include payment of a thirty-five percent and twenty-five percent salary award consequential adjustment from January 2023 to date, postgraduate facilitation allowances for staff, among others.

The Chairman of the ASUU Branch, Ahmed Karage, revealed that the members of the Union will not resume work until their demands are met.

READ ALSO: Gov Lawal Launches School Feeding Programme, Shares Meal With Zamfara Pupils 

“After several months of engagements, formal communications, and appeals to relevant government authorities, we regret to inform you that the academic staff under the umbrella of ASUU has been compelled to embark on indefinite industrial action due to the government’s failure to meet our demands presented,” Karage said.

“These include implementation of a ₦70,000 minimum wage of 2024 consequential adjustment, appropriate promotion placement and yearly increment, and payment of arrears of minimum wage of 2019 consequential adjustment”.

“Other demands include payment of thirty-five percent and twenty-five percent salary award consequential adjustment from January 2023 to date, postgraduate facilitation allowances for staff, among others,” he said

In a move to tackle the growing number of out-of-school children in Zamfara State, Governor Dauda Lawal has launched the state’s Homegrown School Feeding Programme, aimed at boosting school enrollment, retention, and completion.

The official flag-off took place at Dan-Turai Primary School in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, where the governor also joined pupils in sharing a symbolic meal.

His gesture reinforced the state’s commitment to nurturing a generation of well-fed, well-educated children.

In his remarks, Governor Lawal noted that the flag-off signifies his administration’s strong commitment to working with relevant stakeholders to implement various strategies to increase school enrollment in Zamfara State.

He said, “Our commitment to reform includes initiatives to combat sector decay and foster partnerships, such as with the World Bank through the AGILE programme and with UNICEF. Recently, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, in collaboration with UNICEF, formed a Technical Committee of agency heads and stakeholders to visit 14 Local Governments, identify out-of-school children, and facilitate their reintegration into schools.

“The school feeding program, which we are flagging off today, is part of the emergency response initiatives to promote enrollment and retention of pupils in schools while fighting hunger and malnutrition. This is in addition to our engagement efforts with two other NGOs, the International Center for Economic Development and FINPACT Development Foundation, which have agreed to support the state in implementing a pilot program to serve as a learning ground for program implementers and the State government.

“In more specific terms, FINPACT Development Foundation will sponsor the feeding of 1000 pupils in Gusau, Maru, Anka, and Talatar Mafara, while the International Center for Economic Development is sponsoring the feeding of 3300 across Gusau, Talatar Mafara, and Shinkafi.

“I charge all relevant stakeholders and other donor agencies to explore more ways of providing more activities and programmes. This will not only enhance our commitment to the provision of quality and inclusive education, but it will reduce to the barest minimum the menace of out-of-school children, so that together we can make our State a shining example.”

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Speaking at the flag-off, the Commissioners for Education and Humanitarian Affairs, Wadatau Madawaki and Salisu Musa, described the initiative as a game-changer in the fight against child hunger, illiteracy, and early school dropouts.

They also acknowledged the contributions of implementing partners, the International Centre for Economic Development (ICED) and Finpact Development (FINDEF), for extending support to selected schools under the pilot phase.

Zamfara State has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in Nigeria, a challenge that continues to hamper the state’s educational development and social stability. 

Many children, especially in rural areas, are unable to access or complete basic education due to poverty, insecurity, and lack of learning incentives.

The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed that two top aides of the embattled Sole Administrator of Ahoada East Local Government Area, Goodluck Iheanachor, who were earlier declared wanted in connection with his alleged assault, have turned themselves in.

In a press statement signed by the Rivers Police Command Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, the Command disclosed that Hector Ekakita, Chief Security Officer of the LGA, and Aloni Olodi, Chief of Staff, voluntarily presented themselves at the Police Headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10, 2025.

The men were declared wanted on July 6 over allegations of criminal conspiracy, assault occasioning harm, and theft, following a violent incident at the Ahoada East Council Secretariat on June 20, where the LG Administrator was reportedly attacked by a group of about 30 individuals.

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According to the statement, the suspects were received and interviewed by the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, and his management team. Following the initial questioning, they were handed over to the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) for further investigation.

The Police Command is calling on members of the public with useful information to support the ongoing investigation to come forward. The Commissioner of Police reassured that the investigation will be thorough, transparent, and in line with due process.