Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with The Foundation of Investigative Journalism (FIJ), has been reportedly detained by the police over an allegation bordering on “cybercrime”.

The management of FIJ said Ojukwu went missing on May 1 while his contact numbers were not reachable as family and friends struggled to reach him.

FIJ said a track of Ojukwu’s devices revealed his last active location to be in Isheri Olofin, Alimosho LGA, noting that the area was the place where the police arrested the journalist.

The foundation revealed that Ojukwu’s family discovered he is being held by the intelligence response team (IRT) of the inspector-general of police (IGP) at the state criminal investigation department (SCID), Panti area of Lagos.

The newspaper claimed that the journalist is being held for the alleged violation of the 2015 Cybercrime Act.

Fisayo Soyombo, the FIJ founder, said he suspects Ojukwu was arrested over a certain investigative story he reported in November 2023.

Ojukwu reported that the office of the senior special assistant to the president on sustainable development goals (OSSAP-SDGs) awarded a contract for the construction of one skill acquisition centre and one block of six classrooms at Ajeromi Primary School in Lagos at the cost of N147 million.

According to the report, the fund for the contract was paid into the “account of a restaurant,” while the project was not situated in its designated location.

The report revealed that the skill acquisition centre was constructed in Ladi-Lak Nursery and Primary School on 2, Randle Road, Apapa, and the block of six classrooms in Metropolitan Nursery and Primary School, Adekunle Deen Street, Off Mile 2-Ijora Expressway, Ijora.

Attempts to reach Benjamin Hundeyin, spokesperson of the Lagos police command, were unsuccessful as his phone line was not reachable, and messages were not replied to at the time of filing this report.

Suspected repentant Boko Haram terrorists have reportedly set ablaze the checkpoints of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Borno.

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, said the incident occurred on Wednesday.

The publication said the terrorists dressed in military uniforms invaded the Kasuwan Fara in Maiduguri and chased away the personnel of the agencies.

The publication said the terrorists burnt down all structures at the checkpoint, adding that the insurgents moved to the Kasuwan Fara divisional police office and attempted to release eight of their members in custody.

Makama said those in custody were arrested on April 24 during a raid carried out by the police on the notorious spot at the criminals-ridden Kasuwan Fara.

“Due to the rise and persistence of criminal activities and sinister operations by drug peddlers comprising dismissed military personnel, repentant insurgents and other hoodlums, who assemble there to conduct nefarious activities, the area had since been earmarked for closure by Borno state government,” Makama said.

“The April 24 raid, where the eight suspected repentant insurgents were arrested and 426 bottles of spirits such as dry gin confiscated, was conducted to sanitize the area, pending the final closure.

“The arrested persons were detained at the Kasuwan Fara police division since the day of their arrest.

“Subsequently, at about 7:40 am of Thursday, May 2, a dozen of the suspected repentant insurgents in military uniform, stormed the Kasuwan Fara police station in an attempt to rescue their arrested fellows.”

Makama said the police operatives engaged the insurgents in a gun battle, adding that the terrorists were overwhelmed and fled the location.

The publication said Kenneth Daso, Borno police spokesperson, confirmed the incident.

The police spokesperson said an investigation into the incident is ongoing, adding that the arrested eight suspects have been transferred to the anti-crack squad divisional headquarters for further action.

Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, has been sentenced to four months in prison for money laundering, unlicensed money transmitting and violations in Seattle, United States (US).

At a sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Richard Jones, the presiding judge, said Zhao put “Binance’s growth and profits over compliance with US laws and regulations”.

According to US officials, Zhao intentionally turned a blind eye to transactions that financed terrorism, the illegal drug trade, and child sex abuse.

“I failed here. I deeply regret my failure, and I am sorry,” Zhao told the court.

“I believe the first step of taking responsibility is to fully recognise the mistakes. Here I failed to implement an adequate anti-money-laundering programme. I realise now the seriousness of that mistake.”

The four-month sentence is lower than the three years prosecutors sought.

Prosecutors told the judge a tough sentence would send a clear signal to other would-be criminals.

“We are not suggesting that Mr. Zhao is Sam Bankman-Fried or that he is a monster,” Kevin Mosley, one of the prosecutors, said.

“But Zhao’s conduct wasn’t a mistake. This wasn’t a regulatory ‘oops.”

On November 21, 2023, Zhao pleaded guilty to money laundering.

Binance also agreed to pay more than $4 billion in fines and other penalties.

Meanwhile, Binance subsidiary in Nigeria is facing charges for illicit foreign exchange (FX) transactions.

Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s regional manager for Africa, and Tigran Gambaryan, its head of financial crime compliance, were charged with tax evasion and money laundering by the federal government.

The duo were arrested and detained on February 28.

However, Anjarwalla escaped custody in March.