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Endbad governance: AGF intervenes, seeks case file from police

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The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN has directed the Nigeria Police to transfer the case file of the #Endbadgovernance protesters to his office and hand over same to the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) on Saturday 2nd November, 2024.

The AGF, who gave the directive Friday evening in a press statement said, he was aware that the police have arraigned those arrested in connection with the Endbadgovernance violent protest in court for various offences including treason.

He however said, there are some issues the office of the AGF will need to look into regarding the matter to enable him take an informed decision.

The AGF further directed the DPPF to immediately put machinery in motion for consideration of the court to bring the adjournment date forward (an earlier date).

The statement reads in part, “I am aware that the court has remanded the defendants in detention centres and adjourned the case to January.

“It is not within my power to vary the order of the court remanding the defendants in detention centres and adjourning the case to January”, he added.

Meanwhile, the Amnesty International has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately and unconditionally order the release of all #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.

Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said in a statement late Friday that the protesters are unlawfully detained nationwide solely for exercising their right to peaceful protest.

According to AI, “Detaining protesters since August and charging them with bizarre offences, including ‘treasonable felony’ and ‘terrorism-related offences,’ shows the Nigerian government’s utter disregard for the right to freedom of assembly.

“The 114 protesters arraigned today at the Federal High Court, Abuja, have done nothing unlawful and do not deserve the horrifying treatment they have endured since their arrest.

“Among the 76 protesters arraigned in the first group today, the majority are minors, and the collapse of four in the courtroom underscores the poor state of their mental and physical health.

“Subjecting minors to such horrifying detention for demanding good governance reveals the government’s clear determination to crush dissent.

“In Katsina, 12 children under 16 years old are also facing an unfair trial. Many of these children ended up in detention simply for being on the streets during the protests.

“Children with their whole lives ahead of them are now at risk of being tried on trumped-up charges”.

The organization said, the action of the Federal Government is unacceptable adding that, in the aftermath of the protests in August, over 1,000 people were detained nationwide, and some lost their lives in Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Niger State, and Maiduguri due to violent crackdowns on peaceful protests by security personnel.

“Detaining minors unlawfully and subjecting them to sham trials marks a new dimension in the Nigerian government’s persistent attacks on human rights.

“With millions of people on the brink of starvation, widespread malnutrition, and deepening poverty, President Bola Tinubu’s government should urgently address widespread hunger and the rapidly failing standard of living, instead of prioritizing the punishment of protesters”, the Amnesty International statement added.

Crime

FBI: Lagos Yahoo Boy Defrauds U.S. President Donald Trump

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation has filed a civil forfeiture complaint to seize property belonging to Lagos-based fraudster, Ehiremen Aigbokhan for allegedly stealing more than N460 million in funds meant for U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration.

The FBI is also actively pursuing an arrest warrant for Mr Aigbokhan in connection with an alleged cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering scheme that targeted a donor intending to contribute to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee.

According to legal filings seen by Peoples Gazette, Mr Aigbokhan and his co-conspirators allegedly carried out a sophisticated fraudulent operation using the notorious Business Email Compromise scheme to trick their victims into sending money to cryptocurrency accounts belonging to them.

In the weeks leading up to the inauguration on January 20, 2025, the FBI reported that fraudsters created several fake email addresses to mimic the legitimate ones used for the ceremony, which they sent to dozens of people, requesting donations for Mr Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.

On December 26, 2024, one of these fake emails, with the address @t47lnaugural.com, was sent to a victim to mimic @t47inaugural.com, the official email of the co-chair of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, Steve Wiktoff.

The victim subsequently sent 250,300 USDT.ETH to the criminals. The 250,300 USDT.ETH is estimated to be worth over ₦400 million at the current black market rate.

Within days of receiving the money, the perpetrators immediately disbursed 215,000 USDT.ETH to several crypto wallets before the FBI caught wind of the scam and requested crypto operator Tether to freeze the accounts, which the company voluntarily adhered to on December 31, court documents showed.

Following the scam, the FBI immediately launched an investigation into the matter, and records of the crypto address associated with the scheme were traced back to Mr Aigbokhan in Lagos.

Investigations by the FBI revealed that part of the stolen funds were transferred to a Binance.com account registered to Mr Aigbokhan, who created the account in October 2024.

The Binance account had no prior deposits before receiving transfers from the scam wallet.

Further digital forensics linked the fraudulent email accounts and cryptocurrency transactions to Nigeria, with IP address data consistently tracing logins and email activity to Lagos, corroborating the connection to Mr Aigbokhan.

The agency said 20,017 USDT.ETH was seized from Mr Aigbokhan’s wallet, and another 20,336 USDT.ETH from 0xC7bdBA7ffB126F68E8454C, totalling over N60 million in black market rate, which Rick Blaylock Jr, the Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, is asking the court to declare its forfeiture.

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Plateau: Military Operation Neutralizes Bandits

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Troops of the 3 Division of the Nigerian Army in conjunction with the Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) under Operation Lafiyan Jama’a have neutralized several bandits during joint operations in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.

A statement issued on Friday by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) stated that the clearance operation which took place on Thursday, July 3, led to the killing of scores of bandits.

The statement reads: “In continuation of ongoing efforts to rid the Joint Operations Area (JOA) of criminal elements, troops of 3 Division/Operation SAFE HAVEN under Operation LAFIYAN JAMA’A have sustained aggressive kinetic operations in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, yielding commendable outcomes.

“On 3 July, 2025, troops carried out a clearance operation in the rugged terrains of Tulus and Hokk Communities, located along the Plateau–Nasarawa State border.

“During the mission, contact was made with armed militias in Hokk, leading to a brief but decisive firefight. Several bandits were neutralised, while others fled into surrounding forests.

“Troops conducted a thorough exploitation of the area and, though no further contact was established, have maintained control through mobile and static patrols to disrupt any regrouping attempts.

“These successful actions reaffirm the resolve of security forces to dismantle criminal syndicates and prevent the proliferation of illicit weapons threatening peace and security within the Joint Operations Area.”

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Crime

JUST IN: Kidnapped Bayelsa Judge, Umukoro, regains freedom

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After 13 days in captivity, Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro, a Bayelsa State High Court Judge, who was kidnapped by gunmen, has been released.

The judge was abducted on June 21, 2025, around 7pm by gunmen dressed in combat fatigue in front of a popular eatery at the Ekeki suburb of Yenagoa.

It was gathered that Justice Omukoro was released on Thursday evening and is still with security operatives.

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