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Sadiya, Edu barred from traveling over N37b, N585m probe

Dr. Beta Edu, the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and her predecessor Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouq have been barred from traveling out of Nigeria.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which is investigating allegations of fraud and diversion of funds respectively by the two women seized their international passports yesterday, January 9, 2024.
The anti-graft agency also impounded the international passport of the suspended National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) Halima Shehu who is also under investigation.
The passport seizure was part of the conditions for granting them administrative bail.
The travel papers are to be with the commission pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Edu, Umar-Farouq and Shehu were grilled by the anti-graft agency over their activities in the ministry, particularly the disbursement of the Humanitarian Fund to beneficiaries.
Also, EFCC quizzed the managing directors of three banks over alleged suspicious payments by the top officials of the ministry under Umar-Farouq and Edu.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who is linked to a company believed to have benefited from the award of a contract in the ministry, was at Aso Villa, Abuja yesterday.
Sources said he was there on a scheduled appointment in respect of the automation of international passport issuance. But he did not meet with the President.
An EFCC source was quoted by journalists to have said- “We have asked all those under interrogation to submit their travelling documents. We have seized the passports of Betta, Sadiya, Halima and others.
“For Betta, who was grilled from 11 am till 6 pm, she was the last to be granted bail yesterday.
“We demanded their passports to restrict their movement, to enable them to be available for interrogation. They are all cooperating with us.”
Sources said the three managing directors of banks were quizzed over their suspected conspiracy.
The banks were accused of refusal to raise “red flags” and gross involvement in suspicious transactions.
The banks were alleged to have violated the Anti-Money Laundering Act (Amendment) 2023, especially Sections 5, 10, and 16(b).
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I bombed Iran nuclear facilities for the peace of tomorrow -Female IDF navigator

A female navigator in the Israeli Defence Force, IDF, simply identified as Maj. Shin, has said she undertook a recent attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities to safeguard her country and people today and for the future.
According to her, though the mission was an emotional one, she was convinced that Iranian regime was an existential threat that must dealt with.
“I felt the responsibility in the cockpit to remove a real and existential threat to the State of Israel,” says Maj. Shin, identified only by the first Hebrew initial of her name, in rare public remarks for a female member of an IAF air crew.
“We’re doing this for the peace of tomorrow. For our home. That is our mission,” she adds.
Maj. Shin flew over 1,500 kilometers (about 1,000 miles) from Israel in what she describes as a “complex and powerful aerial operation designed to ensure that our children will have a better and safer future.”
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Tinubu goes to Benue over killings

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will tomorrow visit Benue State over recent killings that have to death of hundreds of people including children who were reportedly burnt alive by murderous brigands.
Whole in Benue, the President will galvanise security and rally the people against the marauders to end their dastardly actions.
In the last round of attacks, which drew out youths in protest at the weekend, no fewer than 147 people were killed, according to Governor Hyacinth Alia.
President Tinubu put off his original plan to visit Kaduna State to enable him to move to Benue, where he will have a town hall meeting with traditional rulers, political leaders, religious figures, youth groups, and civil society representatives.
The meeting is designed to generate home-grown solutions to the prolonged violence.
In a statement, Bayo Onanuga, Senior Special Adviser to the President on Communication and Strategy, said Tinubu has already dispatched the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume, also a former governor of the state; the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector General of Police (IG) Kayode Egbtokun; heads of intelligence agencies, and chairmen of the Defence Committees in the Senate and House of Representatives to assess the situation before hand.
Yesterday, the President, who spoke on the killings during the Abuja water project, said: “While I sympathise with the Benue people, I have spoken to the governor, the leadership and the people of Benue, to accept our condolences and try very consciously to maintain peace and harmony among themselves.
“I have always said that we are one single huge family living in the same house, staying in different rooms, but living together in harmony will be the result of our diversity for prosperity. We should be able to manage our anger and frustration.
“I sympathise with those who have lost their lives. I will adjust my programme and go see Benue people on Wednesday.”
Governor Hyacinth Alia, who hailed the proposed presidential visit, said it would be a soothing balm to victims and reassure the people that they are not abandoned in this trying period.
The governor, who confirmed that 147 were killed, also explained that 127 bodies had been buried.
He said eight were awaiting burial, with two in the mortuary, after the latest round of attacks.
Alia insisted that foreign militants were behind the killings.
News
Oshiomhole lied, didn’t check-in online- Air Peace

Air Peace has made another shocking revelation on its dispute with former Edo State governor and senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, this time, refuting his claim of checking in online for the flight.
Recall that Oshiomhole had arrived late for a scheduled flight and when told of his late arrival, he allegedly jumped the crossing belt, blocked checking in and exit entrance in attempt to force himself on the flight. He later made a video claiming he checked in online and alleged Sir Peace wanted to extort him.
But the airline has said the lawmaker failed to check in online and arrived late for his scheduled 6:30 am flight.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Air Peace’s Operations Manager, Ayodeji Adeyemi, dismissed the claims as “false allegations”.
“Oshiomhole has made several allegations, and we stand by the fact that they are false. He came late for his flight — that’s already been established, and he didn’t deny it. He came to the airport requesting to board when the flight had closed,” Adeyemi said.
Addressing Oshiomhole’s claim of checking in online, Adeyemi stated the airline’s backend systems showed no such record.
“He never checked in online. He only tried to sway public opinion by showing his phone on TV. If he truly checked in online, he should produce the boarding pass issued to him. Till now, he has not done that,” he said.
“If you check in online, your name appears on our manifest and system. He wasn’t there. We couldn’t find him on our checked-in list,” he added.
Adeyemi further clarified the timeline of events, stating that Oshiomhole arrived after 6:00 am, well past the check-in cutoff time.
“Our check-in closes 45 minutes before departure — that’s standard. The flight was for 6:30 am, and at the time he arrived, the door of the aircraft was already shut,” he said.
Addressing a viral video showing an Air Peace staff speaking to the senator in a secluded section of the terminal, Adeyemi said: “Nobody cornered him. Given his status, the official only tried to explain that since he had missed the flight, the next one was at 8:30 am, and to board that, he would need to change his ticket and pay the appropriate fees.”
On the issue of alleged extortion, Adeyemi insisted that what Oshiomhole described was standard airline policy when you arrive late and had to reschedule.
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