General
Jumia Food MD in Police Net Over Fraud
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Managing Director of Jumia Food, Mr Guy Futi, has found himself making efforts to explain to the Nigeria Police Force how his company did not defraud one of its vendors, Castle Logistics Services Limited.
Castle Logistics Services Limited, a logistics services providing company, had written a petition to the police alleging that Jumia Food fraudulently diverted and converted funds it was meant to pay for services rendered to the subsidiary of Africa’s leading e-commerce company.
In order to get a clearer picture of the allegations, the police questioned Mr Futi on what he knows about the issue at hand.
According to reports, a member of the anti-fraud unit, Mr Adewumi Adegoke, who confirmed the arrest of the Jumia Food chief, said a case of diversion of funds running into millions of naira was lodged against Jumia Food and Guy Futi by Castle Logistics.
“I can confirm that the Managing Director of Jumia Food was arrested and is in our custody. Investigations are ongoing on the allegations levelled against him and the company,” Mr Adekoge was quoted as saying.
But spokesman of Jumia, Mr Olukayode Kolawole, denied that Mr Futi was arrested. He stressed that Mr Futi only honoured an invitation sent to him by the police.
He also said, “Jumia Food MD neither misappropriated the company’s funds nor converted them for personal use.
“If this had happened, Jumia would have taken a legal action against him and probably involved the press. I say, unequivocally, that Jumia Food MD was never involved in any fraudulent act.
“If truly this happened, why would Jumia cover up for him? Is an outside source more credible to tell an alleged story of fraud within Jumia than the company management? Again, there’s no basis for hiding an employee’s fraudulent act if truly the employee committed such act.
“Jumia has an outstanding court case against a vendor (3PL) partner, who owes the company and has refused to pay. It is on the basis of the court case filed against the vendor that Jumia Food MD, Guy Futi, was invited by the police for questioning.
“Guy Futi was never detained by the police. He was invited for questioning and left the station after the interrogation same day. The police should provide a physical evidence of him in detention or else the information you were supplied with was completely false and has a malicious intent.
“A visit to the supposed station where he’s alleged to be waiting for bail will add so much credibility to your story.
“Guy Futi had not joined Jumia as an employee at the time the vendor’s debts started accumulating. He’s barely new at Jumia Food. The allegations are completely untrue and appear to be a cheap effort by a third party to distract the public from the main issue and malign Jumia’s image.”
Castle Logistics, in a petition dated December 24, 2018 by one Mrs Catherine Azubuike, to Nigerian Police, Zone II, Lagos, had alleged false presence, fraudulent conversion and diversion of N214.695 milion by Jumia Food.
The petitioner alleged that they entered into a Service Level Agreement in August 2016, wherein they were to provide personnel services and equipment to Jumia Food for delivery of food supply requests made online by its customers, adding that it also involves the collection of monies and consequent remittance of same to Jumia.
It was alleged that on May 2018, Jumia was said to have been able to pay for only August 2016 to March 2018, and fell short of the payment of N214,695,445.49, and upon a thorough investigation into the payment collection system, they found out that Jumia, without Castle’s consent and permission, gave to some of the riders Jumia Food’s personal POS for collection of payments from customers, and effectively those payments were rendered directly into Jumia Food designated accounts, adding that Jumia stole and converted the said sum for own use.
According to the petition, Castle demanded Jumia Food to provide it with complete bank reports of the transactions on those POS machines, but Jumia refused.
It read: “Jumia Food refused, but rather chose to randomly estimate a percentage of the total funds received from those POS machines as funds related to orders handled by Castle. This resulted in huge monthly shortfalls on orders handled by Castle and Jumia Food kept demanding Castle to remit funds for those shortfalls without providing the POS reports.”
Castle also alleged that further findings showed diversion of funds and Jumia deceived them into remitting funds to its bank account with clear intention to permanently deprive them of its use.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Young bloggers, online content creators and digital influencers have been charged to embrace ethical journalism, responsible storytelling and fact-based reporting as they shape public opinion in the digital age.
This task was given by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Mohammed Idris, during the Niger State Bloggers, Online Publishers and Content Developers Forum on Monday in Abuja.
In a statement on Tuesday by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Rabiu Ibrahim, the Minister said digital platforms offer enormous opportunities for innovation and civic engagement but must be used responsibly to promote truth, national unity and constructive public discourse.
He urged bloggers and content creators to verify information before publication, reject misinformation and disinformation, avoid sensationalism, and use their platforms to educate, inspire and promote national development.
Mr Idris also encouraged young Nigerians to see digital content creation not only as a source of income but also as a tool for civic engagement and nation-building, stressing that ethical communication is essential to strengthening democracy and public trust.
He further encouraged aspiring bloggers and digital entrepreneurs to continue developing their skills and uphold professional standards that will strengthen the credibility of Nigeria’s online media ecosystem.
“There is no democracy that can thrive without a responsible media. You cannot carry freedom and abandon responsibility,” he stated, adding that the government remains committed to protecting press freedom while encouraging ethical journalism.
The Minister also highlighted the establishment of the International Media and Information Literacy Institute (IMILI), the world’s first UNESCO Category 2 Institute dedicated exclusively to Media and Information Literacy, describing it as a major step in promoting digital literacy and responsible online engagement.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Rabiu Kwankwaso, disclosed that Mr Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate, signed agreements committing himself to serving only one four-year term if elected in 2027.
Mr Kwankwaso explained that the documents comprised a formal agreement involving the political party and a separate personal accord between himself and Mr Obi.
According to Mr Kwankwaso, the deal stipulates that the presidency will return to Northern Nigeria in 2031 upon the completion of an Obi-led administration’s four-year tenure, if elected next year.
“We have agreed to formalise it in writing,” Mr Kwankwaso stated. “We have executed one document for the party and another between the two of us,” he revealed during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today late on Monday.
He reiterated that Mr Obi would honour his pledge and resist pressure to seek a second term, expressing confidence in the former Anambra State governor, noting that his interactions had convinced him that he would respect the agreement.
“I personally believe him, and, based on what I now know about him, I do not believe he will change his mind when the time comes,” he said. “We are all gentlemen.”
Mr Kwankwaso added that he and Mr Obi would continue to collaborate after the proposed administration completes its term.
“The agreement is that after four years, we will continue to work together as a group, as a party, and as friends and brothers,” he said. “After our four-year term, from 2027 to 2031, power returns to the North. That is the consensus.”
The former defence minister did not state that he would be the NDC presidential candidate in 2031; his comments referred broadly to the presidency returning to the North, rather than to his personal political ambitions.
Mr Obi has repeatedly pledged to serve only one term if elected; however, he has yet to publicly confirm the specific details of the documents described by Mr Kwankwaso.
In the 2023 Presidential polls, Mr Obi was the Labour Party presidential candidate while Mr Kwankwaso contested on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Over 1.14 million hectares of degraded land have been restored by the Nigerian government, with more than 1.5 million trees planted across the country in the past year.
This information was revealed by the Minister of Environment, Mr Balarabe Abbas Lawal, at the 2026 Top Management Retreat and National Tree Planting Campaign in Maiduguri, Borno State.
He said these achievements were made through initiatives of the federal government like the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project and the National Agency for the Great Green Wall.
According to him, the restoration of the land and the planting of trees demonstrate a clear national commitment to securing environmental sustainability while advancing economic growth.
The Minister reemphasised that the environment is not an abstract concept, pointing out that “it is the air we breathe, the land that feeds us, the rivers that sustain communities, and the climate that shapes the future.”
He praised Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State for his giant strides in the environment sector in the state, urging other state governors to emulate him by providing sponsorship for their students to the various Federal Colleges of Forestry Resources Management institutions located across the six geo-political zones of the country to encourage and boost Forest education in the country.
He described the decision of Mr Zulum to sponsor 540 indigenes of the state to a forestry college in Maiduguri as commendable.
Mr Lawal also informed the participants of the programme that the Presidential Executive Order on the Prohibition of Exportation of Wood and Allied Products, 2025, is a key policy instrument under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying it protects Nigeria’s forest resources, curbs illegal logging, and encourages tree planting as a national duty.
He pledged the Federal Ministry of Environment’s continued partnership with state governments on afforestation, ecosystem restoration, and other interventions tailored to their needs.
“Nigeria’s environmental future can be secured by protecting natural heritage, strengthening climate resilience, and advancing inclusive and sustainable development for present and future generations,” he declared.
