News
Wedding suspended as Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye and Niger state speaker partner to empower 100 girls
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Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, minister of women affairs, says the planned marriage of 100 girls in Niger state has been suspended.
Kennedy-Ohanenye spoke in Abuja on Friday after meeting with Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, speaker of the Niger state house of assembly.
The meeting was also attended by Mohammed Mu’azu, Emir of Kotangora.
BACKGROUND
Sarkindaji had last week said he would sponsor the wedding ceremony of the girls on May 24 as part of his constituency obligations.
The development sparked controversy on social media, with many saying the speaker should have channelled the money into giving the girls an education or skills.
On Monday, Kennedy-Ohanenye stepped into the matter and asked the speaker to halt his plans or face legal action.
The minister said she had petitioned the inspector-general of police (IGP) and sought a court injunction to stop the planned wedding.
Sarkindaji subsequently cancelled his participation in the event and asked the minister to take over.
The speaker said the parents and guardians of the girls, most of whom are orphans, could do whatever they wished with the resources he had provided.
‘WE’VE MADE PEACE’
Addressing journalists after the meeting, the minister said she and Sarkindaji have reconciled their differences and are now partnering to seek better alternatives for the girls.
Kennedy-Ohanenye said she secured an injunction from the Minna high court to restrain the organisers from proceeding with the wedding.
She added that “the court injunction still subsists till we resolve all grey areas”.
“I want to let you know that as I speak to you now, I’m at peace with my royal father, Emir of Kontagora, Mohammed Bara’u Mu’azu, and I am in good terms with my brother, the Speaker. We have made peace,” Kennedy-Ohanenye said.
The emir also said he has suspended the proposed wedding and pledged his emirate’s willingness to partner with the ministry to provide a new lease of life for the girls.
‘EDUCATION, PHONES, HUGE MACHINES’ — MINISTER LISTS PLANS FOR MARIGA GIRLS
Kennedy-Ohanenye said, for a start, there will be a meeting with the girls to discuss their individual needs and preferences.
She said her ministry has taken “the entire village as a job,” promising to extend the opportunities for education and skill acquisition beyond the 100 girls to other orphans.
The minister described herself as a “protective mother hen” who is committed to defending the rights and safety of the vulnerable girls under her care.
“So, I have no problem with anybody. I have no problem with any religion, all I want to say is please don’t tamper with my children, don’t tamper with my women,” she said.
“My brother, the Speaker came to my office, and we have partnered (ministry of women affairs and the Speaker) to empower these women.
“The ones that want to go to school, we will send them to school. This ministry has taken up this village now as a job, and I am promising Nigerians. I am going to empower them with sustainable economic empowerment.
“By talking to them, I will know the kind of things they like to farm, and I will give them huge machines. If it is rice, beans, or corn, I will put one for a whole village to manage themselves and onboard them in the system on our portal.
“And whatever the federal government is doing for every other person, all of them will get it.
“I will go to the extent of giving them small phones—at least one in each family—to enable them to communicate and get involved in the portal so that they will be like every other woman.
“Because the speaker told me a lot of things concerning the village, like how they are always tormented by the bandits, everybody ends up there. If bandits want to hide, they end up there.
“But I am going to send them to this particular community, and these children will be able to go to school. We will empower them, teach them skills, and give them what to start off their skills with.
“I will equally help them on marketing whatever they will make out of their skills. We shall not, we will not abandon them.
“We are now working together to make sure we better the lives of these girls, not just the 100 girls but all the orphans, all the people that have been affected by this banditry and the insecurity we used to have before.”
The minister said her position on the matter reflects the wishes of President Bola Tinubu and thanked Nigerians for supporting her initiatives.
News
EFCC warns casino operators, real estate agents against money laundering
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The Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has warned designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs) money laundering.
Businesses referred to as DNFBPs include casinos, real estate agents, dealers in precious metals, dealers in precious stones, lawyers, notaries and other independent legal professionals.
Speaking during a one-day sensitisation programme organised by the special control unit against money laundering, (SCUML) for DNFBPs, Michael Wetkaz, director of EFCC in Lagos, said businesses should not create room for criminally-minded people to thrive.
“The financial institutions, to a large extent, have been regulated; and the issues of terrorism have been of great concern, globally,” he said.
”As a result, nations have tightened measures to ensure that the bad people have very limited space or even no space to operate, thereby helping to improve safety and security.
“But if you allow these criminal activities to pass through your businesses, it will worsen the insecurity situation in the country.”
He said the business operators should do their part and report financial activities that may threaten the security of the country.
“Please, do your part and report activities that you are obligated to report. We are doing our part to sensitize you,” he said.
“We are doing our part to sensitize you. We do this, so you know what we are supposed to do and you are not caught on the wrong side of the law. We should all work together to make it difficult for the bad actors.”
News
FRSC to clamp down on vehicles without speed limit devices
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The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Anambra State Command, says it will start arresting drivers and impounding vehicles without speed limit devices in the state.
The FRSC Sector Commander, Mrs Joyce Alexander, said this at a news conference on Friday, in Awka.
Alexander said that records had shown that the majority of road crashes were caused by speed violations resulting in tyre bursts and loss of control.
She said the enforcement became necessary as drivers speed recklessly, overload their vehicles and transport people, animals and goods, regardless of the consequences.
“The policy thrust of the new Corps Marshall is to rejig operations, reassess and reevaluate them for better performance in Anambra.
“I want to put FRSC on a central map in Anambra, create impact and reduce road crashes and disobedience to traffic rules.
“We will commence minimal enforcement to achieve this. Motorists have been mandated to fix speed limit devices but some have not complied.
“We will start arresting defaulters and make them pay fines. We will insist they install the device before we release their vehicles,” she said.
The Sector Commander said a joint task force would be constituted in collaboration with other sister agencies to decongest and ensure sanity on the roads during the ‘Ember’ months.
She said the Corps would also work with the media to amplify public sensitisation and enlightenment on traffic regulations.
“We will be working with the state government to ensure the roads are motorable, obstructions removed and road signs installed in appropriate areas.
“The endgame is to have a situation where road users arrive at their destinations alive and safe,” Alexander said.
Deputy Corps Commander Jude Nnamani urged the public to cooperate with FRSC to reduce crashes in the state.
News
EFCC hands over 53 recovered vehicles, $180,300 to Canadian police
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over $180,300 recovered funds to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The commission also said 53 vehicles stolen from Canada and brought into Nigeria were recovered nationwide have been handed over to the Canadian police.
At the handover ceremony on Friday, Ola Olukoyode, EFCC chairman, said the recovered assets—which were stolen by wire fraud and romance scam—would be returned to the victims.
Out of the total sum, $164,000 was reportedly stolen from Elena Bogomas, a Canadian national, in a romance scam, while $16,300 was from one Sandra Butler.
“It is common knowledge that financial crimes have taken a new turn all across the globe. It has become a global problem,” Olukoyode said.
“What affects one country in a matter of time, will affect other countries. The people who perpetrate these crimes, they do it in such a way that we discover that their activities are quite borderless and boundless.
“They employ all kinds of means to ensure that they move across various jurisdictions. That’s why it has become very necessary and imperative for us to collaborate with our friends across the world. People share the same objective and mandate with us.
“The Canadian royal mounted police has been collaborating with us and the demonstration of that collaboration has resulted in a lot of recoveries.
“As an agency and as a country, we are always ready to fight financial crime. Nigeria shouldn’t be seen as a hub. It is also to demonstrate that the government of Nigeria will never tolerate acts of financial crimes.
“We have recovered money, financial assets, and also we have recovered vehicles on behalf of the victims in Canada. As a matter of fact, a total of 53 vehicles were recovered on behalf of the victims. Also, in one instance, we had $164,000 U.S. dollars given to a Canadian victim known as Eleanor Bogomas. And also, we have here, another sum of $16,000 U.S. dollars stolen from another victim known as Sandra Butler.”
Nasser Sadiou, liaison officer, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Robert Aboumitri, first secretary of the Deputy High Commission of Canada, were present at the event.
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