General
Politicians Bringing in Stolen Funds for Elections—EFCC
By Dipo Olowookere
Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, has raised an alarm over a sudden rise in the repatriation of looted funds in Nigeria by some politicians ahead of the next month’s elections.
Mr Magu made this disclosure during the general meeting of the Association of Chief Compliance Officers of Banks In Nigeria (ACCOBIN), which held on Thursday, January 31, 2019 in Lagos.
The EFCC chief, who called on financial institutions in the country to desist from laundering illicit funds for corrupt politicians and criminals, said many of them who had stolen the nation’s commonwealth had begun to repatriate the funds to the country for the purpose of influencing the elections through vote buying and compromise of election officers.
He charged members of the group to join hands with the agency to ensure that the coming election was not compromised, adding that the impact could be grievous and devastating.
“We are all under a civic duty to comply with our various responsibilities and ensure that we do the needful to obey the laws and regulations governing the elections,” Mr Magu said
He added that political inducement had now taken other forms and tagged in different names such as “stomach Infrastructure”, “empowerment schemes”, “non-interest yielding loans” and “outright cash handouts”, among others.
Mr Magu, who described members of the group as stakeholders in the fight against corruption, said, “Your obligations are not different from your usual filing of suspicious transactions reports to the relevant authorities, and the prompt filing of currency transaction reports as well as foreign transaction reports.
“We have also observed the upsurge of illicit financial flows into the country through the borders and it is disheartening to see the role financial institutions play in facilitating the flows of these funds into the country.
“It is obvious now that financial institutions serve as intermediaries between law enforcement agencies and the criminals.
“At a simple push of the button, so much is moved to any jurisdiction of their choice.”
He added that no country could combat the flow of illicit funds without the cooperation of financial institutions, adding that “in most cases, it is the financial institutions that provide the means, logistics and strategy for the criminals to thread on.”
He said investigations revealed that foreign properties bought with proceeds of crime were sold, and the proceeds transferred to Nigeria through international banks as legitimate funds that could be used to finance several activities including elections.
He said, “Goods bought with proceeds of crime abroad are sent to Nigeria to support empowerment programmes during election periods.
“The goods are mostly cleared with deficient trade documents processed through the international banks.”
According to him, the condemnable practice also includes moving proceeds of crime that had been taken across the border to neighbouring countries back to Nigeria by depositing such funds in banks with corresponding banking relationship with local banks in Nigeria.
These funds, he said, could be used to finance elections in the country by physical distribution of the funds for political inducement or financing empowerment schemes to solicit votes from citizens.
Mr Magu also said that private bankers for international banks had been found to be facilitating the movement of proceeds of crime, that is physical movement of cash to the country, via charted airlines under the cover that it belonged to the banks.
He, however, said the activities of the criminals could be checkmated by increased transaction monitoring by bank officials, while also reporting suspicious transactions to the relevant agencies without delay.
He urged the group to cooperate with the Commission to ensure that criminals were not given the chance to take over the government and, by extension, the economy of the country.
He re-iterated the fact that the EFCC would prosecute anybody or institution found breaching the provisions of the law.
In his remarks, the Vice President, ACCOBIN, Mr Wumi Adeniyi, expressed his gratitude to Mr Magu for honouring the invitation to the event.
Mr Adeniyi, who is also the Chief Compliance Officer, CCO, Heritage Bank Plc, commended Magu for what he described as his “boldness to fight corruption and economic and financial crimes in the country”.
He also highlighted some of the challenges facing banks’ compliance officers in the country and sought the assistance of the EFCC to tackle them. He said, “We encounter a lot of legal burdens, particularly as it concerns the arrest and detention of compliance officers, among others.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that the latest United States airstrikes on Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) targets in northwest Nigeria were conducted at the request of the Nigerian government.
According to reports, the US struck at ISWAP targets in Jabo, Sokoto State, on Christmas night.
The ministry described the operation as a product of established counterterrorism cooperation between both countries.
In a press statement issued on Friday, the Ministry said the strikes were “undertaken following formal engagement and with the full knowledge and coordination of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
“The Government of Nigeria wishes to clarify that the airstrikes conducted by the United States against Islamic State elements in parts of northwest Nigeria were carried out at the request of Nigerian authorities and in line with existing bilateral security cooperation frameworks,” the statement said.
The Ministry stressed that Nigeria “remains firmly in control of all counterterrorism operations within its sovereign territory,” adding that international partners only provide support “where such assistance aligns with Nigeria’s national security objectives.”
According to the statement, the strikes form part of Nigeria’s broader strategy to “degrade terrorist capabilities, disrupt logistics networks, and protect civilian populations from violent extremist threats.”
The Foreign Ministry further emphasised that the federal government “will continue to work with trusted international partners to confront terrorism, banditry, and transnational criminal networks that threaten national and regional stability.”
Reacting to concerns around sovereignty, the Ministry said:
“At no time was Nigeria’s sovereignty compromised. All actions were conducted with due respect for Nigeria’s laws, institutions, and command structures.”
The statement also cautioned against mischaracterising Nigeria’s security challenges, noting that extremist violence “has affected communities across religious and ethnic lines and should not be framed in sectarian terms.”
Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to a multi-layered response combining military operations, intelligence sharing, community engagement, and socio-economic interventions, adding that counterterrorism efforts remain focused on protecting lives and restoring stability.
The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the strikes were carried out in Sokoto State and that multiple militants were killed.
US President Donald Trump described the strikes as “powerful and deadly,” saying they were directed at Islamic State militants responsible for violent attacks on Christians in Nigeria.
The Nigerian government has clearly denied that only Christians are affected by the killings, saying the terror spread across all faiths.
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that “more to come” as part of sustained efforts against extremist groups.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The United States government gave some terrorists in Nigeria a Christmas gift that sent many of them to the great beyond.
On Thursday, December 25, 2025, the United States President, Mr Donald Trump, directed his country’s military to launch air strikes on camps of members of the dreaded Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sokoto State.
According to Mr Trump, the military action, which he threatened to carry out a few weeks ago if the Nigerian government does not stop the killing of Christians in the country, occurred on Thursday night.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.
“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.
“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical islamic terrorism to prosper. May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
In a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Department of War of the United States posted the below video of the air strikes;
https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2004351717131903272
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The presidency has reacted to speculations that Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has been removed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
It was alleged that Mr Gbajabiamila has been replaced with the President’s Principal Private Secretary, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
Mr Muri-Okunola went to Abuja to take up this role after leaving as the Head of Service of the Lagos State Civil Service.
Reacting to the reports on social media on the purported removal of Mr Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presidency said no such change has been made.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, members of the public were advised to disregard the report as “there is absolutely no truth to this story.”
“The Chief of Staff remains in his position. The Principal Private Secretary likewise remains in his role. Hakeem Muri-Okunola has not replaced Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff.
“The viral claim is a fabrication by mischievous purveyors of fake news whose sole aim is to create disharmony within the government.
“We reiterate that news media should always verify their information before publishing or sharing on social media,” the statement said.
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