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N80.2b Fraud: Why we didn’t interrogate Bello when he came to our office – EFCC

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed that the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello indeed showed up at its office but was not interrogated.

Bello is being wanted by the EFCC over alleged N80.2 billion fraud.

After five months of running, he finally showed up at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters, ready for questioning.

The EFCC, however, rejected the method by which he reported to the commission because he was with accompanied by his successor, Usman Ododo and other dignitaries.

According to the anti-graft agency, this method violated its invitation protocol.

Despite Bello’s presence, EFCC did not attend to him.

A source told The Nation: “Upon realising that Bello came with the governor and some dignitaries, the Executive Chairman directed that no official should attend to him.

“His manner of coming to EFCC was a breach of our protocol. No Nigerian, no matter how highly placed, is expected to come for an invitation in a convoy of vehicles and with a sitting governor.

“To the EFCC, he came with grandeur which is contrary to our procedures.

“There are stages of documentation which Bello skipped because he was with the governor who has immunity.

“The EFCC also did not invite the governor. So, what was the basis for accompanying Bello to our headquarters in Abuja?

“We have not been comfortable with the roles of the governor in this case.

“After fulfilling all procedures of documentation, Bello was expected to come with his lawyer(s) and not a governor or Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs).

“We cannot be intimidated or subject our system to political pollution.

“This made the Executive Chairman of EFCC to direct that no official should attend to Bello. He must undergo due process like every invitee.

“The commission was unhappy with the pre-emptive propaganda in the media by Bello’s team which had created false impressions.

“There was a narration that the ex-governor was already in EFCC’s custody but he’s not here. He’s still being wanted.

“As long as Bello does not conform with our protocol, our operatives will arrest him. We are still looking for him.”

On Wednesday night, EFCC operatives reportedly laid siege to the Kogi Government Lodge, Asokoro in an attempt to arrest Bello, while shooting sporadically.

“We want to place it on record that the EFCC should be held accountable if anything untoward happens to him,” Bello’s media office said.

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Actor Haley Joel Osment arrested for public intoxication at California ski resort

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Haley Joel Osment may soon be facing criminal charges following an arrest earlier this month at Mammoth Mountain ski resort in California. The actor was taken into custody on April 8 after authorities received a call just before 2 p.m. reporting an allegedly intoxicated individual on the resort grounds.

According to official documents obtained by TMZ, ski patrol officers were already attending to Osment when law enforcement arrived. He was subsequently arrested for public intoxication and possession of a controlled substance. Authorities have sent the substance to a lab  for analysis to determine its specific nature.

Osment was booked and later released, pending a decision from the Mono County District Attorney on whether to pursue charges.

Sources close to the actor suggest he has been under significant stress in recent months. Osment reportedly lost his home and belongings in the Altadena wildfire and has faced ongoing difficulties with his insurance provider, including a recent claim denial for a replacement residence.

This is not the actor’s first brush with alcohol-related legal issues. In 2006, Osment was involved in a serious crash after driving under the influence, sustaining shoulder and rib injuries when his vehicle struck a brick pillar. He later pleaded no contest to charges of DUI and marijuana possession and received a sentence that included three years’ probation, alcohol rehabilitation, mandatory AA meetings, and a $1,500 fine.

The Mono County District Attorney’s Office has not yet made a formal announcement regarding prosecution.

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SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND NATIONAL ORIENTATION, MOHAMMED IDRIS, fnipr, AT THE SIXTH EDITION OF THE 2025 MINISTERIAL PRESS BRIEFING SERIES, AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CENTER, RADIO HOUSE, ABUJA, ON THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2025.

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SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND NATIONAL ORIENTATION, MOHAMMED IDRIS, fnipr, AT THE SIXTH EDITION OF THE 2025 MINISTERIAL PRESS BRIEFING SERIES, AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CENTER, RADIO HOUSE, ABUJA, ON THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2025.

Protocol.

I welcome you to this sixth edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing Series, featuring the Honourable Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu.

Since we kicked off the 2025 series in February, we have hosted Ministers representing a total of seven Ministries, providing first-hand facts and figures to Nigerians at home and abroad, on the policies programmes of the Renewed Hope administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Today will not be any different – I have no doubt that you will hear a lot about the impressive efforts of the administration in advancing electricity access and affordability across the country. For President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, electricity is pivotal to the administration’s major goal of industrialising Nigeria for jobs, skills, exports and prosperity.

As is our tradition here, this briefing is being broadcast live across digital and traditional platforms, and you will have the opportunity to out forward your questions to the Honourable Minister.

My request to all the representatives of the media present here, and those joining virtually, remains the same: I urge you to report accurately and without recourse to sensationalism. We owe it to Nigerians to present the news to them with every sense of professionalism and responsibility, with the intention of informing and educating.

The media will always be powerful stakeholders in nation-building and democratic evolution, and for us as a government, we will continue to accord you all the necessary respect and support.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Before I close, let me use this opportunity to reiterate to our friends and colleagues in the fourth estate of the realm, our commitment to a modern and thriving media industry in Nigeria. I have recently returned from a trip that took me first to the American National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Conference and Workshop, in Las Vegas, under the theme “The Technology, The Trend, The Future.”

I was accompanied on that trip by the heads of agencies under the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, and we were able to hold several successful meetings and forge valuable partnerships aimed at strengthening the technical and technological capacity of Nigeria’s broadcasting sector – partnerships that the media industry will undoubtedly benefit from.

Following that, I was in Paris, France for the Nigerian Business Forum hosted by the French government’s Business France enterprise. On the sidelines of that Forum, I met with executives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), to further finetune the imminent take-off of a first-of-its-kind Media and Information Literacy Institute that Nigeria will be hosting, here in Abuja. That Institute will go a long way towards strengthening Nigeria’s media environment, and supporting journalists to carry out their functions even more effectively.

I have shared these to reaffirm the commitment of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration towards the lasting transformation of Nigeria’s media landscape. It is that unwavering commitment that is equally fuelling interventions like this Ministerial Press Briefing Series, as well as our Town Hall Meetings, which we will take to every part of the country in due course.

On that note, let me invite my brother, the Honourable Minister of Power, to take the floor and make his presentation for the next twenty minutes, after which we will take the Q&A session.

I thank you for listening, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Mohammed Idris, fnipr
Minister of Information and National Orientation
Abuja, Nigeria
17 April 2025

 

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Trump reportedly blocked Israeli plan to strike Iran’s nuclear sites

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U.S. President, Donald Trump blocked an Israeli plan to launch a strike on Iranian nuclear sites, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, as efforts intensify to revive negotiations aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

The United States and Iran, which have not maintained diplomatic relations for over four decades, are currently engaged in talks to establish a new nuclear agreement, following Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 landmark deal during his first term in office.

According to the report, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are scheduled to meet in Rome on Saturday, marking the highest-level nuclear negotiations between both nations since the collapse of the original accord.

In March, Trump reportedly sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, proposing direct talks but warning of potential military action if diplomatic efforts failed to yield results.

Senior Trump administration officials told The New York Times that Israel had approached Washington for support in carrying out an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, with the plan under review for several months.

However, during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to the White House, Trump informed Israeli officials that he would not endorse the strike. Instead, he publicly announced the resumption of direct negotiations with Tehran.

Iran has repeatedly denied pursuing nuclear weapons, though it has ramped up its nuclear activities following the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 deal.

 

The latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expressed “serious concern” over Iran’s nuclear stockpile, revealing that the country possesses approximately 274.8 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60% purity — a level approaching weapons-grade.

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