INTERNET FRAUD : EFCC nabs 16 ‘Yahoo boys’ in Delta, seizes cars, others

Operatives of the Benin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, at the weekend, arrested 16 suspected internet fraudsters aka ‘Yahoo boys’ at their hideout in Ughoton and Udu communities, Warri, Delta State.

The suspects, who are between the ages of 20 to 30, were arrested sequel to intelligence report, a statement by EFCC spokesman, Tony Orilade said.

Items recovered from them at the point of arrest include laptop computers, iPhones, Android phones, ATM cards, and four exotic vehicles.

The cars are Luxus ES330, GLK 4 Matic, Luxus RX 330 and Luxus ES350.

EFCC said the arrest of the suspected fraudsters “is one in the series by operatives of the Commission in line with the directive of the acting Executive Chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Magu to rid the entire country of internet fraud and cyber crime”.

“The suspects have made useful statements and will soon be charged to court”, it added.

- DAILY POST

Bank mergers in view as CBN considers recapitalisation

Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, says there are plans to carry out a recapitalisation exercise for deposit money banks in the country.

Emefiele made this known on Monday while unveiling the five-year plan of the bank.

Bank recapitalization is the act of changing the capital structure of a bank to provide more equity funds to meet the bank’s long-term financing needs to ensure the security of shareholders fund.

In July 2004, the CBN announced the recapitalization of the banking sector from N2 billion to N25 billion with effect from December 31, 2005.

This led to the reduction in the number of banks to 24 from 89.

“We will continue to improve our on-site and off-site supervision of all financial institutions while leveraging on data analytics and our in-house experts across different sectors to improve our ability to identify potential risks to the financial system as well as risks to individual banks,” he said.

“In the next five years, we intend to pursue a programme of recapitalising the Nigerian banking industry so as to position Nigerian banks among the top 500 in the world.

“Banks will, therefore, be required to maintain a high level of capital as well as liquid assets in order to reduce the impact of an economic crisis on the financial system. With a rise in digital payment and cybersecurity threats.”

According to Emefiele, the apex bank will continue to defend the naira within the next five years as there are no plans to float the naira.

He said this would “reduce the impact that exchange rate volatility could have on our economy”.

- THECABLE

Why you must avoid cowhides processed with flames – Health expert

A Health expert has warned Nigerians against consuming cowhides popularly called ‘Ponmo’ processed with flames from burning tyres and fuel, saying that it could lead to some health complications.

Mr Amos Chinenye, the Deputy Director of Environmental Health, Enugu State Ministry of Health, disclosed in Enugu on Monday that tyres are rubber products mixed with organic compounds are dangerous to man.

“Burning cowhides or any other animal skin and meat to be consumed by human beings with tyres or fuel is dangerous and it causes cancer.

“It is also a source of pollution to the environment. It, therefore, affects man through the inhalation of the pollution from the burning, as well through consumption of the animal skin or meat,’’ he said.

“The Ministry of Health has been going to abattoirs in the state to monitor and stop people who are still in the practice of using tyres and fuel to burn or roast their animal skins.

“The ministry is also planning to present a bill to the State House of Assembly to enact a law that would stop the usage of tyres, fuel and other dangerous materials in processing consumable items.’’

Chinenye urged the public to avoid the usage of rubber materials, fuel and other harmful materials in burning their meat and cowhides.

He said cowhides and the substances contained in them usually go into the animal skin while burning, and this is dangerous to man and can as well cause cancer.

“Due to the penetration of the poisonous chemical substances from the tyres and fuel into the skin of the animal while burning, it is not healthy for human consumption as it is cancerous,” he said.

- PM NEWS

Residents say more than 100 killed in pipeline explosion

Residents of Kom Kom in Oyigbo local Government Area of Rivers State where an oil pipeline belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) exploded on Saturday say over 100 people were burnt in the fire.

Some of the bodies, they claimed, were burnt beyond recognition while scores of corpses were still in the bush where the explosion occurred.

Residents also raised an alarm over the humanitarian disaster due to the fast decomposing bodies, stench and pollution of the swamp and the environment.

A visit to the area on Sunday showed that the number of human casualties grew because many of the villagers were in the swamp scooping petrol gushing out of the ruptured NNPC pipeline. Also affected were a number of palm wine tappers and local brewers of Ethanol who were in the swamp.

Villagers said over 100 people were trapped in the huge fire because there was a free-for-all scramble for leaking petrol by the villagers before the explosion.

A villager who gave his as Ogechi Nnamdi said: “Nobody at the scene of the explosion survived. People were rushing to the leakage site to scoop free fuel, suddenly we heard an explosion. At least, I saw about 20 dead bodies. 11 had been carried away. And more are in the swamp yet to be recovered. And it is difficult getting inside the swamp now because we are in the rainy season”.

He called for the decontermination of the area by the government to avoid the spread of diseases.

Some of the villagers were observed recovering the charred bodies from the swamp and burying them in mass graves.

Most of volunteers were not putting on medical gears to prevent infections from the fast decomposing bodies. There were no presence of emergency officials from the Oyigbo local government, state or the Federal government at the time of the visit.

Our correspondent was assaulted by the pungent smell of decomposing corpses oozing out from the environment.

Hon. Promise Chibuzo Nwankwo, the House Of Assembly member representing Oyigbo Local Government Area expressed his condolences to the families of victims of the disaster. He also condemned the activities of oil thieves who caused the disaster.

According to the lawmaker, “In the early hours of Saturday, 22nd June 2019, around 8:25 am there was an incident of fire outbreak in Oyigbo Local Government Area.

“The fire outbreak which occurred in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) facility somewhere around Canaan Land Hospital, Izuoma Axis of Oyigbo local government area is as a result of oil bunkering.

“Until now the number of people injured are unconfirmed, but it is confirmed that scores of person’s were recorded dead.”

- PM NEWS 

Sacrilege: Young Nigerian orders Soyinka out of his seat

Oil Mogul Tonye Patrick Cole has narrated a story that will shock the tribe of usually cultured Nigerians: how a young man ordered Professor Wole Soyinka, Nigeria’s only Nobel laureate, literary giant, gadfly, octogenarian, globally and nationally respected figure out of his seat, on a flight.

Tonye Cole did not indicate whether it was a local or international flight, but the story posted on Sunday has elicited outrage and condemnation of the young man, for committing sacrilege. Some others have sided the young man for insisting on his right.

Here is Tonye Cole’s story posted on Instagram

I met one of the greatest Nigerians walking the earth today and as with other times, he was genteel, witty, forthright and humble. My smile gives me away as he permitted the picture whereas he would have preferred to get back to his newspapers.

Then we boarded the flight and after assisting him with his bags, he took the window seat and promptly started reading again.

A few minutes later this young man, baseball cap, t-shirt to show his muscled chest and tattooed biceps boards the plane and tells Prof he is on his seat (which he was). Those of us including the cabin crew tried to reason with Bobo Fine to let the old man be but the chap refused. He insisted Prof should vacate his window seat, which the old man quietly did for his original aisle seat next to him. 

I couldn’t understand how we got to this point where we no longer have respect for elders, even if are so ignorant of the great global personalities in our midst. Is it too much to ask that an elderly man be allowed to remain in a seat allotted to you in the same business class cabin and the same row?
Na wa o!

Comedian and MC, Gbenga Adeyinka, One of those who reacted to the post said: It’s a sad reflection of who we have become. Let’s even forget who Prof Wole Soyinka is (although thats hard to do). Consider his age. If that is where he feels comfortable, it behoves the young man to allow him sit there considering his age. It’s like me telling my father to stand up from where I sit normally when he comes to visit. We were brought up to stand up for the elderly, women (pregnant or otherwise) but I guess that is no longer the NORM. ITS A PRIVILEGE… (A VERY RARE ONE AT THAT ) TO BE SEATED CLOSE TO PROF. My opinion is the YOUNG CHAP SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF HIMSELF. IT’S LIKE MEETING WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE AND TELLING HIM TO VACATE A SEAT COS YOU WERE ALLOCATED THE SEAT”

There are some Nigerians who felt the young man committed no wrong:

Uzosfoodlab wrote: Culture versus what is right. The manner of the asking was probably off. However, you should sit where you are assigned. Prof should have sat on his assigned seat and when the young man or whoever was in the seat he preferred came, said – would you mind swapping seats as I prefer the window seat? That’s the right thing to do. I am a huge fan of the Prof and I believe in respecting our elders. However, I wonder, do elders use their status to subliminally bully people too? Same question for known faces that’s take advantage of their celebrity and infamy to make people uncomfortable..

- PM NEWS

INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu a ‘very weak man, lacks initiative’ – Sagay

Prof. Itse Sagay, SAN, Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC, has described the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mahmood Yakubu as a “very weak man” who lacks initiative.

Sagay said this while lambasting the INEC Chairman over plans to register more political parties, ahead of the 2023 general election.

He accused Yakubu of not being proactive and collapses easily under problems.

Speaking with Independent, the PACAC Chairman insisted that the INEC chairman only articulates problems without any solutions while waiting for somebody else to do it for him.

According to Sagay: “Well, I think INEC is to blame for all these. A body like INEC should be proactive. When they found that the whole thing was getting out of hand with 91 parties, they should have done something about it.

“I myself with my level of education find it very difficult to identify my party logo out of the 73 political parties that contested in the presidential election. Now, INEC is talking of 200 and they are just saying it without thinking of what to do about it so that we don’t get to that level.

“Shouldn’t INEC now through the government propose an amendment to the provisions of the constitution for registration of political parties?

“That is what INEC should be talking of. They should get their lawyers to draft a document and send it to the Ministry of Justice so that the conditions for registration can be made more drastic and at the end, we won’t have more than 10 political parties.

“For me, it’s all a sign of INEC’s weakness which has been a serious problem particularly in these 2019 elections as against the one in 2015 when we had a chairman of INEC who knew what he was doing.

“The current INEC chairman is a very weak man and doesn’t have any initiative. He is not proactive and collapses easily under problems and just articulates the problems without any solutions while waiting for somebody else to do it for him.”

- DAILY POST

JAMB kicks against establishment of new universities

Professor Is-haq Oloyede, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has called on the Federal Government to place an embargo on the establishment of new universities.

Oloyede stated this during the 4th convocation lecture of Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa state this weekend.

The Registrar, in the board’s Weekly Bulletin released by JAMB’s Head of Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said efforts should rather be geared towards developing existing universities in the country.

He said: “A situation where universities are only established to massage the ego of rich individuals and politicians is not healthy for educational development of the country as tertiary education is too crucial to be reduced to a commercial outfit for an ego-tripping venture.

“Since education is everybody’s business, all Nigerians should support the effort towards educational development.”

- DAILY POST