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EFCC Moves To Re-arraign National Assembly Directors For Alleged N337m Fraud

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EFCC Arraigns Gidado Ibrahim

EFCC Moves To Re-arraign National Assembly Directors For Alleged N337m Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday June 8, 2026 sought to re-arraign the trio of Aishatu Bappa El-Nafaty, Mamud Alhaji Abubakar and Igba Ityoakura Joseph before Justice Muhammed Zubairu of the Federal Capital Territory, High Court, Jikwoyi, Abuja for fraud.

The first defendant, El-Nafaty is the Director, Public Affairs Department in the Directorate of Special Duties and Parliamentary Security, National Assembly, Abubakar, the second defendant is a former Permanent Secretary in the Services of the National Assembly, while the third defendant, Joseph is a Deputy Director of Procurement in the National Assembly.
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They were to be re-arraigned on amended 23-count charge, bordering on conspiracy, forgery, criminal breach of trust, official corruption and illegal conversion of funds belonging to the National Assembly to the tune of N337,062,350 (Three Hundred and Thirty-Seven Million, Sixty-two thousand, Three hundred and fifty Naira).

However, the re-arraignment could not hold, following a preliminary objection, filed by Muhammed Ndayako, SAN, counsel for the second defendant, praying the court to strike out counts three, four five, six, seven and 18 of the amended charge, dated October 8, 2025, for being “incompetent and an attempt to resuscitate already quashed counts, pursuant to a ruling delivered on May 12, 2025 by his lordship, Muhammed Zubairu.”

In his response, prosecution counsel, Francis Usani, regretted that he was served the preliminary objection at short notice, being on Friday, June 5, 2026, whereas the defendant had more than a month period from the last date of adjournment to file the objection, but waited until the eve of the re-arraignment date to file it and serve the prosecution. He added that while he intended to reply to the objection, he would straightaway urge the court to strike it out for being frivolous, incompetent and intended to frustrate the re-arraignment. And for the defendants to proceed and take their plea on the amended charge.

Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Aishatu Bappa El-Nafaty whilst being a Deputy Director and Head, Training and Welfare officer of the National Assembly and now a Director in the Public Affair Department in the Directorate of Special Duties and Parliamentary Security, Mamud Alhaji Abubakar, being a former Permanent Secretary in the services of the National Assembly, (NASS) and Igba Ityoakura Joseph, while being in the office of the Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly (NASS) sometime between year 2017 and 2019, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, did conspire amongst yourselves to do an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust by a public officer and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 97 of the Panel Code, Cap 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990.”

Count three reads: “That you, Aishatu Bappa El-Nafaty whilst being a Deputy Director and Head, Training and Welfare officer of the National Assembly and now Director in the Public Affairs department in the directorate of Special Duties and Parliamentary Security (NASS) sometime between year 2017 and 2019, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja while being entrusted with dominion over the sum of N89,871,225.00( Eighty Nine Million, Eight hundred and seventy one thousand, two hundred and twenty five Naira only) transferred from the National Assembly Management Overhead Account No.000098216 and National Assembly General Services account No.000098223, domiciled in SunTrust Bank Plc to account No. 0000998281, belonging to you, domiciled in SunTrust bank Plc dishonestly misappropriated and converted to your own use the said sum and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Panel Code, Cap 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 and Punishable Under section 312 of the same Law.”

EFCC Arraigns Gidado Ibrahim

EFCC

Count 10 reads: “That you Aishatu Bappa El-Nafaty whilst being a deputy Director and Head, Training and Welfare of staff of the National Assembly and now a Director in Public Affairs Department in the Directorate, Specials Duties and Parliamentary Security between 2017 and 2018, within the jurisdiction of the Federal Capital territory, Abuja, did with intent to defraud make false receipts: Fazh Integrated Services Ltd (FISL) showing evidence of payment received from you and with different amount/dates, purported to have been issued or emanated from Fazah Integrated Services Ltd, which you know to be false and with intent that it may be acted upon as genuine and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 362 of Panel Code, Cap 532(Laws of the federation of Nigeria) Abuja 1990 and punishable under Section 364 of the same.”

With the first defendant indicating interest to file a similar preliminary objection, the judge directed that she should do so within 48 hours.

The judge further held that the prosecution should take a date to respond appropriately to the preliminary objection in the interest of justice and adjourned the matter till September 23, 2026 for hearing on the preliminary objection.
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Anthony Joshua Dedicates Comeback Victory To Friends Killed In Ogun Crash

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Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua Dedicates Comeback Victory To Friends Killed In Ogun Crash

Nigerian-British heavyweight boxer, Anthony Joshua, has dedicated his victory over Kristian Prenga to his late friends and trainers, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, after overcoming two knockdowns to secure a second-round knockout win.
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The bout, watched online, marked Joshua’s first fight since a car crash in Ogun State, Nigeria, in December claimed the lives of Ghami, his strength and conditioning coach, and Ayodele, his personal trainer.

Joshua entered the ring wearing camouflage attire bearing the names of the deceased coaches in their honour.

Speaking after the fight, the former world heavyweight champion described the victory as a tribute to their memory.

“It’s what champions do. We rise, we get knocked down and we stand up and keep going. That’s life.

“It was more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina and their families. It still hurts to talk about it. It’s been tough,” he said.

Joshua, who started the contest as the overwhelming favourite, suffered a dramatic opening round after Prenga knocked him down twice within the first three minutes.

However, the British boxer recovered to dominate the contest, eventually stopping the Albanian in the second round to remain on course for a highly anticipated showdown with fellow Briton Tyson Fury.

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, praised the former champion’s resilience, describing his performance as remarkable given the personal tragedy he had endured.

“To even step into the ring was astonishing,” Hearn said.

He added that Joshua had used his training camp to remain focused while coping with grief, noting that the fighter had shown exceptional determination after being knocked down twice.

Hearn also confirmed that contracts had been been signed for the long-awaited heavyweight clash between Joshua and Fury, although the date and venue have yet to be announced.

Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua

Fury, who defeated 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday, did not attend Joshua’s fight as he returned to the Isle of Man after his bout.

“I respect everything he has achieved, but this is the fight we’ve been calling for and now we’re here.

“I hope the fans will enjoy it.

“I’ve learned that I can’t be stopped, I won’t be denied, and we’re coming.” Joshua added.
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Babachir Lawal: Obi-Kwankwaso Ticket Has 70% Chance Of Winning In 2027 election

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Peter Obi

Babachir Lawal: Obi-Kwankwaso Ticket Has 70% Chance Of Winning In 2027 election

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has said a joint presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso has a stronger chance of winning the 2027 presidential election than if both politicians had chosen to contest separately.
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Lawal made the remarks during an interview with Symfoni TV released on Saturday.

According to him, an Obi-Kwankwaso ticket would stand a 70 per cent chance of victory, while he predicted that President Bola Tinubu would have a 50 per cent chance and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar would lose.

“Peter Obi will try to be fair to everybody. Peter Obi will try to do that which is right. Peter Obi, Kwankwaso, take note, I’m pairing them. I’m pairing them. Individually will be disaster, but I’m pairing them.

“So I’ll give them, on my own scale, close to like 70 per cent. Again, Bola, 50. Atiku, zero,” Lawal said.

“Definitely, Atiku will lose. He will, and I pray he loses. I’m not the only one, and he will lose,” he said.

Lawal’s comments come after his fallout with Atiku following his resignation from the African Democratic Congress.

Peter Obi

Obi, Kwankwaso

The former SGF has repeatedly alleged that the ADC presidential primary that produced Atiku as the party’s candidate was marred by widespread irregularities, claims the party has not officially accepted.
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ICPC: Responsible Data Handling Is Inseparable From Our Anti-Corruption Mandate

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ICPC

ICPC: Responsible Data Handling Is Inseparable From Our Anti-Corruption Mandate

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has affirmed that responsible data handling is inseparable from the Commission’s anti-corruption mandate, stressing that public trust depends not only on the Commission’s ability to investigate and prosecute corruption-related offences, but also on its capacity to protect personal information entrusted to it.

The Chairman made this known while declaring open a One-Day Sensitization and Awareness Programme on Data Protection and Privacy for officers and staff of the Commission held at the ICPC Headquarters, Abuja.

The programme, themed “Responsible Data Handling: Strengthening Accountability and Preserving Public Trust through Data Protection,” was organised to deepen awareness of responsible data management and strengthen a culture of accountability across the Commission.

Dr. Aliyu, represented by the Director, Legal Services Department, Mr. Henry Emore, noted that the Commission receives, processes, analyses, stores, shares and retains enormous volumes of information in the discharge of its statutory responsibilities, much of which relates to petitioners, suspects, witnesses, complainants, employees, contractors, consultants and members of the public.

According to him, every personal record in the Commission’s custody represents an individual’s dignity, privacy and trust, making it imperative for officers to ensure that such information is handled lawfully, responsibly and securely.

He explained that while data has become one of the most valuable assets in modern governance, enhancing decision-making, service delivery and investigations, its mishandling could expose individuals to harm, compromise investigations, undermine public confidence and damage institutional reputation.

The ICPC Chairman further stated that data protection is no longer the exclusive responsibility of ICT professionals or legal practitioners but has become an essential element of good governance, transparency, accountability and institutional integrity.

Emphasising that responsible data handling is integral to the Commission’s anti-corruption mandate, Dr. Aliyu urged officers to demonstrate integrity in the collection, access, use, disclosure, storage and disposal of personal information, noting that the principles of accountability, fairness, confidentiality and respect for individual rights must guide every aspect of the Commission’s operations.

He disclosed that the Commission has continued to strengthen its internal data protection governance framework through the establishment of the Data Protection and Incident Response Team (DPIRT), comprising officers drawn from various departments and units to identify compliance gaps, promote awareness, improve internal processes, strengthen incident response mechanisms and embed privacy considerations into operational activities.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Commission’s Data Protection Officer, Barr. David Nwaze, described the sensitization programme as a strategic initiative designed to reinforce the understanding that data protection is not merely a legal obligation but a professional responsibility and a shared institutional value.

Barr. Nwaze expressed appreciation to the Chairman and the Management of the Commission for their unwavering support towards advancing ICPC’s data protection compliance journey.

ICPC

ICPC

He urged participants to actively engage in the programme, ask questions, share experiences, and apply the knowledge gained in their daily responsibilities, stressing that protecting personal data is fundamental to safeguarding institutional integrity, preserving public confidence, and strengthening accountability within the Commission.

The event featured two paper presentations titled “Responsible Data Handling: Strengthening Accountability and Preserving Public Trust through Data Protection,” delivered by Mr. Inelegwu Egahi, and “The ICPC–NDPC Collaboration: Leveraging ICPC’s Institutional Mandate to Strengthen Data Protection Compliance in the Public Sector,” presented by a Nigeria Data Protection Commission official, Barr. Babatunde Bamigboye.
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