The Federal High Court in Lagos has discharged former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose of money laundering and theft charges totaling ₦6.9 billion.

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, who presided over the case, upheld a no-case submission filed by Fayose’s legal team, ruling that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) failed to establish a prima facie case or link him directly to the alleged offences.

Originally arraigned in 2018 before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, the case was later reassigned to Justice Aneke at the EFCC’s request.

The anti-graft agency had accused Fayose of receiving ₦1.2 billion for his 2014 governorship campaign and accepting $5 million in cash from then Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, without passing through a financial institution. He was also alleged to have laundered over ₦1.6 billion through companies such as De Privateer Ltd and Still Earth Ltd to acquire properties.

Fayose and his company, Spotless Investment Ltd, were re-arraigned on 11 counts of money laundering and theft, with the alleged crimes said to have been committed during his time in office, involving funds reportedly traced to the Office of the National Security Adviser.

Defending the former governor, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Chief Kanu Agabi argued that the EFCC failed to substantiate its claims and noted that key figures allegedly involved, including Abiodun Agbele, were not charged.

“The predicate offences on which these charges are based do not hold water. Criminal breach of trust and conspiracy are distinct, and no co-conspirator was charged alongside the defendant,” Agabi stated.

Agreeing with the argument, Justice Aneke ruled in favour of the no-case submission and discharged Fayose.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reaffirmed his administration’s zero tolerance for assaults on officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), warning that anyone found guilty will face the full weight of the law.

Represented by Deputy Governor Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Sanwo-Olu gave the warning on Tuesday at the Second Lagos Traffic Conference, held in celebration of LASTMA’s 25th anniversary.

The event, themed “Enhancing Traffic Efficiency and Safety on Lagos Roads: Challenges, Opportunities, and Innovations,” marked a key milestone for the agency responsible for managing traffic across the state.

The governor praised the dedication of LASTMA officers who, he said, often operate under dangerous and demanding conditions to maintain road order.

“I want to specially commend the men and women of LASTMA whose unwavering commitment ensures that Lagos keeps moving. Your uniform stands as the thin yellow line between road order and chaos,” he said.

He paid tribute to officers who had lost their lives in the line of duty, calling them heroes whose sacrifices would never be forgotten.

Looking ahead, Sanwo-Olu shared his vision of transforming LASTMA into a technology-driven agency. He revealed plans to invest in AI-powered systems, automated number plate recognition, and drone surveillance to improve traffic flow and incident response across Lagos.

“These innovations will enhance our ability to monitor real-time traffic, ease congestion, and strengthen enforcement,” he said.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has intensified its crackdown on inauthentic activity, announcing the removal of over 10 million fake profiles and 500,000 spam accounts in the first half of 2025.

The move is part of a broader push to combat impersonation, copycat content, and fake engagement on the platform. According to a blog post released Monday, Meta said the effort aims to boost original content and ensure genuine creators get more visibility and credit for their work.

“We’re making progress,” the company said. “In the first half of 2025, we took action on around 500,000 accounts engaged in spammy behaviour or fake engagement. We also removed about 10 million profiles impersonating large content producers.”

As part of the update, Meta will penalise accounts that repost content without permission or meaningful edits. These penalties include reduced reach in Facebook feeds and loss of access to monetisation tools.

To further support originality, Meta is rolling out tools that will trace duplicated content back to its source. It is also warning users against posting watermarked content from other platforms, saying such behaviour may result in reduced visibility or demonetisation.

New post-level insights are also being added to Facebook’s Professional Dashboard, allowing creators to track post performance and monitor for potential restrictions.

Meanwhile, Google’s YouTube has introduced similar measures, announcing it will no longer allow mass-produced or highly repetitive content to earn ad revenue. While the change caused some initial confusion, YouTube clarified that AI-enhanced storytelling remains monetisable under the new policy.

Both Meta and YouTube say these initiatives are part of broader efforts to maintain content quality and protect creators in an increasingly competitive digital ecosystem.