By Adedapo Adesanya

An associate of a suspected internet fraudster, Mr Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha, Mr Sarumi Samusudeen Babafemi, has been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The agency brought the suspect before the court on Tuesday alongside his companies, 606 Autos Limited, 606 Music Limited, and Splash Off Entertainment Limited.

The defendants were arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, concealment, and transfer of proceeds of crime to the tune of N206.0 million, contrary to Section 332(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, and punishable under Section 332(3) of the same law.

One of the defendants pleaded “not guilty” to the charge preferred against him before Justice Rahman Oshodi.

In view of his “not guilty” plea, the prosecution counsel, Mr Ayanfe Ogunsina, asked the court to fix a date for the commencement of the trial and also urged that the defendant be remanded at a correctional centre.

However, the defence counsel, Mr Kunle Adegoke (SAN), informed the court that he had only received the charge the previous day and had worked overnight to prepare an application for bail, which was already in process.

He urged the judge to release the defendant to him, assuring the court that he would produce him on the next adjourned date.

Justice Oshodi granted the application and ordered that the defendant be released to his counsel upon the filing of an affidavit of undertaking to produce him in court on the next adjourned date.

The case has been adjourned till March 24, 2026, for the commencement of the trial.

One of the charges said, “That you, Sarumi Samusideen Babafemi, while being the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of 606 Autors Limited, 606 Music Limited, and Splash Off Entertainment Limited, conspired with Ismail Mustapha (a.k.a Mompha)now at large, Ridwan Momodu Allison (a.k.a Osama)now at large and Richard Ugbah sometime between 2013 and 2018 in Lagos, within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, used your companies to conceal the origin of funds and thereafter transferred the sum of N37,600,000.00 (Thirty Seven Million, Six Hundred Thousand Naira) to one Omojadesola Shittu Allison, which you knew or reasonably ought to have known that such fund forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act”.

Another said, “That you, SARUMI SAMUSIDEEN BABAFEMI, while being the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of 606 Autos Limited, 606 Music Limited and Splash Off Entertainment Limited, sometime between 2015 and 2018 in Lagos, within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, used your company’s accounts to conceal the origin of funds and thereafter transferred the sum of N93,000 000.00 (Ninety three Million Naira) to one Olanrewaju Ibrahim Oriyomi, which you knew or reasonably ought to have known that such fund forms part of an unlawful act”.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The federal government has tasked the newly inaugurated governing board of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) on transparency and efficiency to boost the nation’s maritime objectives.

Mr Bolaji Akinola, the special adviser to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, announced the inauguration in a statement on Monday.

According to the statement, the former governor of Katsina State, Mr Ibrahim Shema, was named chairman of the board.

Speaking at the inauguration, Mr Oyetola described the ceremony as a milestone in strengthening governance and accountability in Nigeria’s marine and blue economy sector, “in line with President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda”.

Before the inauguration of the current board, the NSC operated under an ad hoc management arrangement for nearly three years, following the dissolution of federal boards in mid-2023.

The minister said the board’s role would enhance institutional effectiveness and reposition the maritime sector to drive economic transformation.

He said the NSC, as the port economic regulator, plays a key role in promoting efficiency, fairness, and transparency in port operations.

Mr Oyetola said effective regulation is essential to reducing port costs, boosting trade, and improving Nigeria’s competitiveness.

The minister asked the new board members to provide strategic direction, offer oversight, and work closely with management to uphold professionalism.

Other members of the board include Mr Pius Akutah, executive secretary and chief executive officer of the council, and Mrs Emi Membere-Otaji, representing the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).

The board also includes Mr John Aluya, representing the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr Chiji Collins, Mrs Olufunmilayo Olaseinde, Mrs Funmilola Rashidat Adeoti, and Mrs Mele Kofo Gladem.

Additional members are Mrs Hafsatu Mohammed, representing Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited , Mrs Maharazu Adamu Dayi, and Mrs Uzoamaka Okereke, representing the ministry of marine and blue economy.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

For disrupting Nigeria’s democratic path and weakening its institutions, the military must tender an apology to the nation, foremost public commentator, Mr Ope Banwo, has submitted.

The legal practitioner, who called for a national reckoning, insisted that an apology would acknowledge the harm caused by repeated military interventions and reaffirm the supremacy of the constitution.

Speaking on the recently commemorated Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Mr Banwo argued that decades of political intervention by the military disrupted the country’s democratic growth.

According to him, repeated military takeovers did not rescue the country from early post-independence challenges but instead deepened instability and entrenched authoritarian governance.

‎‎While acknowledging that Nigeria’s early civilian leaders contributed to political chaos through electoral malpractice and ethnic tensions, he maintained that military coups worsened the situation, noting that the first coup in 1966 triggered a cycle of interventions that culminated in civil war, institutional breakdown, and long-term political trauma.

‎He emphasised that successive military regimes promised to fight corruption, restore discipline, and sanitise governance, but failed to deliver lasting reforms.

‎‎“Rather than ending corruption, they professionalised it,” he posited, adding that military rule created a powerful elite class that continues to wield influence in politics and business long after the return to civilian rule.

Mr ‎Banwo further argued that the military never fully relinquished power, but merely exchanged uniforms for civilian attire, leaving behind a culture where constitutional authority is often treated as optional, stressing that in democratic societies, the armed forces must remain subordinate to civilian leadership, warning against any renewed appetite for military intervention in governance.

‎‎“The military is not Nigeria’s emergency solution to political failure,” he disclosed, urging the armed forces to focus on their constitutional responsibility of securing the country amid rising insecurity.

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