General
NSCDC to Launch Response Squad in South West
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has disclosed that it is set to inaugurate a Zonal Rapid Response Squad in the South-Western states of Osun, Ekiti and Ondo to combat crimes.
The NSCDC Zone J comprises the three states, with the headquarters in Osogbo, the Osun capital.
Mr Fasiu Adeyinka, Assistant Commandant General (ACG) in charge of Zone J, during his routine tour to the Ondo State Command of the corps in Akure, said the squad will boost security in the region.
He explained that the squad, which had gone through requisite, thorough and rigorous training, would soon be deployed in the three states.
He called for the support of state governments and other critical stakeholders to collaborate with the NSCDC, as the “issue of security has now become a collective responsibility which must not be taken with levity”.
Mr Adeyinka re-affirmed the commitment of the NSCDC to the training and re-training of personnel for manpower development and improved performance as well as ensuring adequate staff welfare to enhance the discharge of her statutory mandate.
“The need for an improved, credible and proactive intelligence gathering in order to curtail the overwhelming rate of criminality in the country cannot be over-emphasised.
“We must safeguard all critical national assets and infrastructure; fight vandalism of oil pipelines, telecommunication equipment and power installations, monitor private guard companies, as well as monitor disasters, among others,” he said.
According to him, the only way to key into and support the efforts of the Commandant General, Mr Ahmed Audi, in his plan to rejig, revamp, rejuvenate and reposition the corps, is to strengthen its intelligence base.
While addressing the corps personnel, Mr Adeyinka lauded the Commandant General for his magnanimity and unprejudiced gesture of considering a good number of personnel in the South West for promotions after many years of waiting.
He commended the level of transparency in the promotion examinations conducted since the assumption of duty of the NSCDC Commandant General.
NSCDC Raises Alarm over Fraudulent Recruitment
In another development, the Commandant-General of NSCDC, Mr Audi, has warned of the activities of fraudsters offering non-existing jobs to unsuspecting members of the public.
Mr Audi said some individuals have been circulating a fake 2019/20121 recruitment list on social media, claiming that it is the list of those offered employment by the agency, adding that the list was meant to swindle the public.
“The purported list of successful applicants for NSCDC job going viral on social media came as a shocking news to the corps who has not released or published any recruitment list whatsoever, hence, the need to alert members of the public to this fake, mischievous, misleading and perfidious list capable of sending wrong signals to Nigerians especially applicants from different parts of the country,” he said.
He further stated that the corps wish to set the record straight and state unequivocally that the list did not emanate from the corps nor the civil defence, fire, immigration and correctional service board but the handiwork of some unscrupulous elements who are taking advantage of the economic situation in the country to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
He said, “Members of the public are therefore warned to disregard the fake recruitment list currently being circulated across the country as a ploy by nefarious individuals and mischief makers to defraud innocent job seekers, some of whom have been made to part with different amount of money in their desperation for NSCDC recruitment.
“The NSCDC recruitment list will be published in the mainstream media once it is ready, however, assured Nigerians that in due cause, the perpetrations of this callous act shall be nabbed and made to face the full wrath of the law.”
Meanwhile, a committee of inquiry has been set up to investigate the ongoing fake recruitment with the aim of exposing the individuals behind it.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained why it initiated a move to freeze the bank account of the Osun State government.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Governor of Osun State, Mr Ademola Adeleke, claimed that the anti-money laundering agency asked one of its bankers, First Bank, not to release funds to the state government.
According to the Governor, this was part of the strategies to frustrate his administration ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.
Reacting to the issue on Wednesday night, the EFCC, in a statement, said it has been investigating the state government since March 2026 over an alleged “fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account to the tune of N11.0 billion.
The organisation noted that some officials of the state government, especially the Accountant General of the State, have had interview sessions with investigators of the EFCC.
“These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.
“The commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved,” parts of the statement said.
In the disclosure, the agency noted that its preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources, stressing that it cannot “watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged.”
“While the commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state. It will be uncharitable for the commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms to perform its legally-assigned functions,” it pointed out.
The EFCC disclosed that it is “keeping watch over the finances of other states like Osun State. Many of these states are on the investigative radar of the commission to ensure accountability and probity. The commission has always pointed out that it is non-partisan and non-sectarian but always working in the overall interests of Nigerians. The Osun State government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.”
The organisation urged the public “to ignore false narratives and deliberate demonisation of the works of the EFCC. The interests of all Nigerians are greater and will always be protected by the commission.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has launched a mobile application designed to monitor fuel consumption patterns in real time across retail outlets nationwide.
The NMDPRA, established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, is responsible for the technical and commercial regulation of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum operations. The deployment of the mobile application aligns with the authority’s broader efforts to leverage technology to improve regulatory compliance and strengthen accountability.
The pilot phase of the project began on August 1 in Abuja and its six Area Councils, the authority said in a statement published on X.
As part of the rollout, the Executive Director for Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure (DSSRI), Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, led a team alongside officials from the Abuja Regional Office to assess the readiness and operational performance of the digital platform at participating retail outlets.
According to the NMDPRA, the application captures inventory and compliance data in real time, enabling regulators to monitor fuel distribution more effectively while improving operational efficiency across the sector.
The authority said the platform would generate reliable, data-driven insights to support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen national energy security planning and enhance transparency in the downstream petroleum industry.
It added that the initiative is expected to provide significant value to government, investors, operators and other stakeholders by improving access to accurate fuel consumption and compliance data.
Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector has undergone significant changes since the deregulation of the petrol market and the removal of fuel subsidies, with regulators placing greater emphasis on data-driven supervision to ensure product availability, prevent supply disruptions and discourage sharp regional disparities in distribution.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
No doubt, moving money among African markets remains a slow, fragmented process that relies on multiple intermediaries and prolonged settlement cycles.
To solve this issue and drive the development of stablecoin-enabled payment services for businesses across the continent, Onafriq has joined forces with a leading stablecoin infrastructure provider, Privy.
The collaboration will enable Onafriq to create and manage embedded digital asset solutions for its partners and, in time, institutional clients where regulation allows. The initial phase focuses on cross-chain stablecoin transfers and treasury and settlement workflows, creating the foundation for future cross-border payment and liquidity solutions.
Integrating Privy’s secure infrastructure enables Onafriq to build the capabilities required to support a new generation of efficient digital payment services for banks, fintechs, and mobile money operators.
This partnership is a key component of Onafriq’s broader strategy to modernise pan-African payment infrastructure, enabling secure multi-modal wallets and more efficient movement of value across the continent.
The outcome will support a range of future institutional use cases, including stablecoin-enabled settlement, treasury management and liquidity services, as it reflects Onafriq’s commitment to driving Africa’s digital transformation agenda by investing in technologies that make financial services more efficient, connected and accessible.
It was gathered that Onafriq selected Privy for its enterprise-grade infrastructure to enable the seamless integration of digital asset wallet capabilities into its products, subject to regulatory approval, and deliver a simple user experience while abstracting the complexity of blockchain technology.
“At Onafriq, we keep investing in technology that makes payments faster and more accessible. Privy gives us a building block for faster settlement and better liquidity management. As demand for digital asset services grows, our goal is to ensure Africa’s payment ecosystem benefits securely and in line with regulatory frameworks,” the Group Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Onafriq,” Mr Luke Kyohere, said.
The chief executive of Privy, Mr Henri Stern, said, “Stablecoins will play an increasingly important role in the future of global payments, but real-world adoption depends on infrastructure that is secure, scalable and simple to implement. Working with Onafriq allows us to help build that foundation across Africa and beyond.”
