Daily News Roundup

A 24-year-old female skit maker, Annastasia Olamma, has said her family is against her decision to donate one of her kidneys to Sonia Ekweremadu, daughter of a former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu. 

Olamma had on Tuesday made the offer after Sonia announced that she needed a kidney donor.

-. Despite the unresolved issues in the party, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, has handed over to the Deputy Chairman (North) of the party, Umar Iliya Damagun. Ayu’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Simon Imobo-Tswam, on Tuesday evening, said the Chairman will be out of the country till the end of the month.

-. The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on Basic Education and Services on Tuesday warned governors in the country to prioritize basic education or be ready to face the consequences. The chairman of the committee, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, who spoke in Ilorin, said bulletproof cars won’t save the governors.

-. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has vowed to lead Nigeria out of darkness if elected in 2023. Atiku said this while presenting his economic blueprint for Nigeria in Lagos yesterday.

-. A Federal High Court in Abuja has given the Department of State Services (DSS) the go-ahead to detain Tukur Mamu, the Kaduna train attack negotiator, for 60 more days. Nkeonye Maha, the presiding judge, issued the ruling on Tuesday in response to an ex-parte motion moved by Ahmed Magaji, counsel for the DSS.

-. Aviation unions Monday paralysed activities at the nation’s airports following simultaneous protests over an alleged move to proscribe trade union activities as contained in the newly passed Civil Aviation Act.

-. Nigerian-born American Professor, Uju Anya, has said her life has been under threat since her Thursday tweet on the late Queen Elizabeth II. Anya had on Thursday, at the news of the Queen’s ill health wrote, “I heard the chief monarch of a thieving raping genocidal empire is finally dying. May her pain be excruciating.”

-. Nigeria’s oil production plunged to 972,000 barrels per day in August 2022, as Angola and Libya overtook Nigeria by producing higher volumes of crude during the review month, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries has said.

-. An Ikeja Special Offences Court has sentenced a domestic worker, Genesis Ezebong, his brother, Micheal and one Ikade Moses, to life imprisonment for armed robbery in the Palm Groove area of Lagos State. Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, who gave the verdict, found the trio guilty of the offence of conspiracy and armed robbery preferred against them by the Lagos State Government.

-. Suspected armed robbers, Monday night, invaded the parsonage of Saint Barnabas Cathedral, Anglican Communion at Sabo Oke in Ilorin, Kwara State and carted away items worth millions of naira. The victim of the attack, Reverend Isaiah Afolayan, confirmed this to journalists yesterday.

-Justice Muhammed Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin has convicted and sentenced a Lokoja- born musician, Onojah Emmanuel Samuel, and two others to twenty years imprisonment for offences bordering on cybercrime.

Samuel was convicted on Monday, September 12, 2022, alongside Victor Atsumbe Kadiyamo and Jejelowo Segun, after pleading guilty to separate count charges, bordering on internet fraud.

-The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has charged two Nigerians for $6.2million wire fraud after attempts to scam Americans of $25.2million.

The defendants are accused of defrauding nearly two dozen public and private entities around the United States, including at least one in Oregon.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) indictment unsealed in federal court charged Efeturi Ariawhorai a.k.a Efeturi Simeon, 35, a citizen of Nigeria and Vanuatu.

The other is Ikenna Nwajiaku, 41, believed to be residing in or near Lagos. The FBI declared them fugitives.

Ariawhorai and Nwajiaku face 11-count bordering on conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Quinn Harrington said federal law enforcement is determined to pursue cyber criminals and retrieve money mistakenly sent to unknown bank accounts.

The Cyber and National Security Unit Head at U.S. Attorney’s Office for Oregon said when in doubt, anyone who thinks they are the victim of a cyber crime should report to the FBI.

Special Agent in Charge Kieran L. Ramsey said the level of greed it takes to steal from schools and hospitals, especially during the pandemic, “is beyond disturbing”.

“We were able to recover the total loss of nearly $3million for a victim in Oregon and keep that money out of the hands of criminals”, Ramsey disclosed.

The indictment said from June 2019 until January 2021, Ariawhorai and Nwajiaku conspired with others to defraud school districts, universities, colleges, and hospitals.

The duo contacted organizations by email, impersonated employees of the targeted companies or professionals and convinced them to send payments to bank accounts controlled by third parties.

Ariawhorai and Nwajiaku attempted to defraud 20 victim organizations out of more than $25million;15 lost a combined $6.2 million as a result of the scheme.

The alleged crimes are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and three years supervised release. The case, investigated by the FBI is being prosecuted by AUSA Harrington.

from daily post.