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Tinubu, Obi, Elumelu, Others Lose Twitter Verification Badges

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Twitter verification badges

By Adedapo Adesanya

Many influential figures, among them businessmen, athletes, music stars, actors, and even religious leaders, have lost their blue tick on the popular social media platform, Twitter.

The legacy blue checks, which Twitter imprints on official accounts for free to help curb impersonations and spam, were supposed to end on April 1 but Mr Elon Musk, its owner, shifted the end date to April 20.

With the legacy checks gone, Twitter will have verification marks only for paid users and businesses, as well as government entities and officials.

Many Nigerians are not exempted, with the likes of President-elect, Mr Bola Tinubu, and his opponents, Mr Peter Obi and Mr Atiku Abubakar, all losing their Twitter verification badges.

Nigerian businessman and chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr Tony Elumelu, also saw his badge removed and took to the app to react.

“[I] woke up to see that my verification tick has disappeared. Wahala!” he wrote.

Now, if a user sees a blue check mark and clicks on it, the label reads: “This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.”

Largely followed accounts like Pope Francis, Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, Bill Gates, former US president Donald Trump and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, have all lost the marks.

Reports show that the initial rollout of the change appeared to be glitchy, as blue checks disappeared and reappeared on some accounts. Some other high-profile legacy verified accounts also didn’t seem to lose their checks, at least at first.

Mr Musk, however, responded to a tweet that cited an article by The Verge reporting that basketball player Lebron James didn’t pay for a Twitter checkmark — but still received one.

Mr Musk said that he is “paying for a few” Twitter Blue subscriptions “personally.”

Author Stephen King and actor William Shatner were also reported to be enjoying this privilege from the Twitter CEO.

This move by Twitter could see the rise of impersonation of high-profile users and confusion over the veracity of the information on the platform.

The move could also discourage some high-profile users at risk of being imitated on the site from using the platform. Immediately following the disappearance of legacy blue checks, some users began tweeting that they planned to leave the site.

Paying for Twitter Blue may be a huge fence to scale for many Nigerians as foreign exchange accessibility, following a downward review of benchmarks, may make it hard to pay the stipulated $8/month or $84 per year subscription fee.

Twitter Blue is an opt-in, paid subscription that adds a blue checkmark to a user’s account and offers early access to select features, like Edit Tweet, among others.

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

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Lagos Police Investigates Ammunition Package Delivery to First Bank MD

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Oluwasegun Alebiosu First Bank MD

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Lagos State Police Command is investigating the delivery of a parcel containing live ammunition delivered to the managing director of First Bank Nigeria, Mr Oluwasegun Alebiosu.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State command, Mr Tijani Fatai, confirmed the incident on Tuesday during a press briefing at the command headquarters.

He said Mr Alebiosu reported the case on May 7, noting that two rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition were sent to him through a parcel.

“The managing director reported the matter to the police after a package containing two rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition was delivered on his behalf by his security guard at his residence. The case is still under investigation, and we are treating it with the seriousness it deserves,” he said.

According to him, the parcel was first received by the bank chief’s security guard, who then handed it over to him.

The police commissioner said that operatives have launched an investigation, including forensic analysis and intelligence work, to identify the perpetrators and the circumstances of the incident.

He added that no suspect linked to the crime has been brought into custody.

“Presently, no suspect is in custody. Even though the MD has mentioned some people whom he suspected of being the brains behind it, that is his suspicion, anyway. We are still working on it,” he said.

Mr Fatai noted that detectives are reviewing information provided by the complainant, including details of individuals who may have relevant knowledge of the incident.

He assured the public that the command would keep them informed as the investigations go on, adding that the public should allow the police to carry out their duties.

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Makinde Imposes 16-Hour Curfew in 10 Oyo Local Councils Over Insecurity

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The Governor of Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde, has approved the declaration of a 16-hour curfew in 10 local government areas of the state, as part of measures targeted at tackling insecurity.

According to a memo issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Musibau Babatunde, the curfew takes effect from Wednesday, June 24, 2026.

The movement restriction, between 4 pm and 8 am, lasts for 48 hours in the first instance and affects local government areas bordering the Old Oyo National Park.

The affected local councils are Oriire local government (Headquarters: Ikoyi-Ile), Orelope (Headquarters: Igboho), Irepo (Headquarters: Kisi), Saki West (Headquarters: Saki), Saki East (Hq Ago-Amodu), Atisbo (Headquarters: Tede / Ago-Are), Itesiwaju (Headquarters: Otu), Iseyin (Headquarters: Iseyin), Olorunsogo (Headquarters: Igbeti), and Atiba (Headquarters: Offa-Meta, Oyo).

The development followed a series of protests that rocked the state over the abduction of children and teachers in the Orire Local Government Area in May.

The National Coordinator of the movement, Mr Juwon Sanyaolu, who spoke during the latest protest held on Monday, said the demonstration was part of ongoing efforts by the group to push for the freedom of the victims.

According to him, the protest “is a continuation of actions the organisation has embarked upon since the abduction of children and teachers” in the Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State in May.”

“We will continue to protest for the release of all abducted victims until they are free. We believe that government officials are in the comfort of their rooms and offices while innocent 46 students and their teachers are languishing in the kidnappers’ den.

“We are demanding freedom for all captives in the North, South, West, and East of Nigeria,” Mr Sanyaolu said.

He also criticised political leaders for focusing on preparations for the 2027 elections while insecurity continues to threaten the lives of Nigerians.

“We will not be sitting until 2027. By that time, we won’t even know how many will be alive.

“So that is why we are at the heart of Ibadan in Oyo State, where the abduction took place. The state and federal governments must act, or they will continue to witness mass action,” he added.

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Alleged Wiretapping: El-Rufai to File No-Case Submission as DSS Closes Case

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The Department of State Services (DSS) has closed its case against former Kaduna State Governor, Mr Nasir El-Rufai, in the ongoing alleged wiretapping trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

At the resumed sitting on Tuesday, prosecuting counsel, Mr Oluwole Aladedoye, informed the court that the prosecution would not be calling further witnesses in the matter, prompting the formal closure of the DSS case.

Following the development, defence counsel, Mr Paul Erokoro, told the court that the defence intends to file a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution has failed to establish sufficient evidence against the former governor.

The defence subsequently sought two weeks to file the application, while the prosecution requested two weeks to respond.

The defence also applied for a variation of some of the bail conditions earlier granted to El-Rufai, describing them as stringent and difficult to meet.

They argued that the bail terms were too stringent, particularly the requirements for level 17 civil servants with properties in Maitama or Asokoro, as well as verification and attestation letters from the Kaduna state traditional council.

However, the prosecution opposed the request, insisting that qualified public officers who meet the conditions exist and urging the court to refuse the application.

Delivering the ruling, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik declined the request to vary the bail conditions, ruling that there are civil servants who own properties at the said location.

The court, however, adjourned to September 22 for the filing of the no-case submission and continuation of the trial.

In February, the federal government filed a three-count charge against the former governor of Kaduna State over an alleged interception of communications belonging to Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr Nuhu Ribadu.

In a television interview, he confessed that he and other unnamed individuals listened to conversations from Mr Ribadu’s phone after it was tapped by a third party. While acknowledging that such interception is technically unlawful, he argued that illegal surveillance was not unusual.

However, the FG, through the secret police, filed charges against Mr El-Rufai at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

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