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BOSS TURNS IN DRIVER WHO KNOCKED DOWN LASTMA OFFICIAL
…Suspect Charged To Court, Remanded In Prison
In a rare show of patriotism and exemplary behaviour, the General Manager of King Solomon Chariots Transportation, Johnson Ogbonnaya has voluntarily handed over a driver of the company, Abuchi Okpara who absconded to Ghana after knocking down an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Ogunmeru Obafemi in Igando area of the State, to law enforcement officers.
Okpara had knocked down Obafemi on August 7, 2018 in Igando area of Alimosho while attempting to evade arrest after violating the State Traffic Law.
The offender was driving a Ghana-bound Nigeria commercial vehicle with registration number KJA 633 XT where he dropped passengers at undesignated spot at Igando. The unwholesome action of drivers around the axis, according to traffic officials, usually results in traffic obstruction and gridlock on the ever busy Igando-Ikotun road, a development which made LASTMA officials to step up enforcement to ensure free flow of traffic in the area.
Okpara’s action was said to be in gross violation of the relevant sections of the Lagos State Traffic Laws, and effort of the traffic official to make him move the vehicle to the nearest lay-bye proved abortive.
The driver’s failure to obey Ogunmeru’s directive and desperate maneuvering to evade apprehension led to Okpara running his Toyota Sienna vehicle over the traffic official.
Not even the quick intervention of nearby policemen could prevent the culprit from driving ferociously in a bid to escape from the scene of the incident after which he fled to Ghana.
The victim was rushed to lgando General Hospital for initial treatment, before being transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for comprehensive medical care.
However, the commitment of police officers of the Igando Police Station and subsequent support of Ogbonnaya eventually led to the driver’s arrest.
Ogbonnaya personally travelled to Ghana to apprehend the suspect, brought him to Nigeria and handed him over to LASTMA and police to face the full wrath of the law.
Meanwhile, the driver was on Monday, August 13, charged before an Igando Magistrate Court where he was ordered to be remanded in Kirikiri Prison.
Speaking on the development, LASTMA’s General Manager, Mr Olawale Musa condemned the unwarranted attack on Ogunmeru in strong terms, saying the trend of vicious attacks on the State traffic officials by unscrupulous people was of great concern to government, and warned any aggrieved individual to take advantage of the various complaint channels set up by the Agency to channel their grievances for immediate action instead of taking laws into their hands.
He said LASTMA officials remained committed to discharging their duty and responsibility to the good people of the State, just as he urged vehicle owners to take a cue from the action of Ogbonnaya by cooperating with the Agency and ensuring that violators of laws on their pay roll were not allowed to go scot free.
“We like to commend Mr Ogbonnaya for this rare display of patriotism and exemplary behaviour and urge others to take a cue from him because this can only encourage traffic officials to continue discharging their duty effectively.
“We also like to commend the Igando Station Police Officers. What we have noticed is that LASTMA officials are increasingly becoming hesitant in responding to accident victims due to the fear of being attacked and our message to the public is that attack on our personnel can be counterproductive to the victims of such accidents since they usually serve as first responders at most scenes of accidents.
“So, it is in our collective interest to stop the menace of offenders attacking traffic officials, while government will also not relent in intensifying efforts to continually address same,” the LASTMA boss said.
Besides, Musa cautioned traders against displaying their wares on the road especially as the festive period approaches to prevent traffic gridlock, while also assuring motorists that the Agency would continue to work with relevant government agencies to ensure that roads are protected and free of traffic during and after the Muslims festival.
More than ₦3 billion was targeted, but about ₦677 million reached the culprits, with recovery and prosecutions underway, reflecting how banks are responding to more sophisticated fraud risks.
Nigeria’s expanding digital banking sector is facing increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts, as financial institutions adapt to faster transactions and broader online services.
A recent case involving First City Monument Bank (FCMB), linked to fraudulent activity detected in December 2025, has drawn attention to how banks are responding to such incidents, with a focus on limiting exposure, recovering funds and working with law enforcement.
According to findings referenced in proceedings before the Lagos State Special Offences Court, the incident involved unauthorised transactions tied to a digital product. Early reports erroneously suggested more than ₦3 billion was lost. Subsequent clarification shows that over ₦3 billion was targeted, ₦2.4 billion was blocked and recovered, while ₦677 million got into the possession of the culprits. This outcome reflects the bank’s cyber security and monitoring capabilities, as well as improved collaboration among regulated financial institutions and with law enforcement agencies. Several suspects and beneficiaries have been apprehended, while recovery and prosecution efforts are ongoing, led by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Proceedings at the Lagos State Special Offences Court have resulted in convictions, including that of a repeat offender, with restitution orders issued. Related matters are also being handled at the Federal High Court in Lagos, where additional suspects are being tried in connection with the scheme. This process is aimed at ensuring that bad actors are identified and permanently blacklisted from the financial system.
Authorities say recovery efforts are continuing as additional funds are traced.
Analysts note that the pace of legal action reflects closer coordination between financial institutions and enforcement agencies in addressing cyber-related financial crime.
The case comes as banks contend with more complex fraud methods, including social engineering and automated exploitation of system processes.
As digital products and platforms expand, so too does the risk associated with cyber-crime and related fraud.
“The scale of digital banking means risks are evolving alongside the systems,” said a Lagos-based financial analyst. “Institutions are now judged by how they manage these events.”
Observers say the sector is moving toward a stronger focus on response and recovery, rather than prevention alone.
This includes improving monitoring capabilities, strengthening transaction controls and enhancing collaboration with regulators and law enforcement. The FCMB case, with limited exposure relative to the amount targeted and ongoing recovery, reflects that shift.
For customers, the primary concern is the safety of their funds. In this case, there has been no indication of losses affecting customer deposits. Maintaining that level of protection remains central to sustaining trust in the financial system.
Nigeria’s financial sector continues to grow, supported by digital innovation and expanding access to banking services.
However, analysts say fraud attempts are likely to persist as systems become more complex and interconnected.
They say institutions will increasingly be judged not only on their ability to prevent incidents, but on how effectively they respond and recover when they occur.
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Ex-APC Deputy Guber flag bearer, Joshua MacIver backs Tinubu, express fears over implosion in Bayelsa APC
….congratulates new State Party Chairman, Warman Ogoriba
APC Deputy Governorship Candidate in the 2023 general elections in Bayelsa State, Great Joshua MacIver has declared his total commitment to the re-election of President Bola Tinubu come 2027, declaring that the Tinubu re-election project is non-negotiable.
Great Joshua MacIver, in his statement titled ” BAYELSA APC CONGRESSES: GOING FORWARD, A CALL TO LOOK INWARDS” and made available to newsmen in Yenagoa, warned APC leaders in the state to look Inward and take note of certain factors which may hinder or cut short our victory.
According to Great Joshua MacIver, such noticeable pitfalls include the imbalance in the united front being put up by the State Governor,Senator Douye Diri among various political blocs in the state.
In the statement issued at the weekend. Great Joshua MacIver stated that “First, before His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, joined the APC in the state, there were clearly two political blocs that made up the party, with the approximate population ratios of the blocs standing at 95% to 5%.”
“After the entrance of His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, ONLY THE SMALLER BLOC IS BEING CARRIED ALONG IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE PARTY, leaving the greater percentage to their fate, and this situation has the potential to build anger and dissatisfaction in our dear party.”
” The consequence of this has been the high level defection we have witnessed in the party recently and we believe more may likely follow, if we do not put our house in order.”
” If we do not pull together as a party, we may witness a situation where we will lose key stakeholders, especially after the State and National Assembly Primaries as well the Gubernatorial Primaries.”
“Finally, while it is very clear that we are the party to beat in the 2027 elections and that our loyalty to Mr. President IS NON-NEGOTIABLE, we must make haste to say that we cannot afford to create situations or loopholes in our unity which will be exploited by other political interests in the state. We cannot afford to under-rate anyone.”
“Our core interest remains the re-election of Mr. President, a project to which we have committed our all. We also pledge our total loyalty to the party as we have no alternative to the APC. However, our concern is that we must, as a party, look inwards and ensure that we do not create loopholes that can impede our common goal.”
Great Joshua MacIver, however congratulated the newly elected State Executives of the APC in Bayelsà State led by Hon. Warman Ogoriba, saying their emergence is welcomed at this critical time in our national history.
At least 23 people were killed in a series of suspected suicide bombings, police in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri said on Tuesday.
https://www.stanbicibtcbank.com/nigeriabank/personal/products-and-services/all-loans/stanbic-ibtc-mreif-home-loans
More than 100 other people were injured in the blasts that took place on Monday evening in the capital of Nigeria’s restive Borno state.
No group has claimed responsibility for the suspected attacks.
The deadly blasts come after a military post was attacked overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected Islamist militants.
This sad incident is coming barely two weeks after Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church specifically warned against attacks in some states. He mentioned these states while calling on security operatives to pay close attention to them.
These were his words:
“Another attack is coming up in these following states where the military must watch carefully and intelligently; Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Kwara and Kogi state. They want to do a deadly attack, it’s preventable but it depends on how they will handle it. I have told you about the danger coming up.”
@primateayodele
Unfortunately, some of our military agencies don’t believe spiritual intelligence can save the country from so much danger hence, their neglect of this prophetic warning but now, it has been fulfilled with the miliary losing credibility by the day while Primate Ayodele continues to gain momentum.
Likewise, At least 26 passengers and crew sustained varying degrees of injuries on Monday following an accident involving the Kaduna–Abuja train, according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Opeifa explained that the train departed Rigasa in Kaduna at 7:15 a.m. and was approaching Asham station around 9:16 a.m. when a loud bang was heard after the power car and trailing locomotive collided with one of the passenger coaches.
In July 2025, Primate Ayodele asked nigerians to pray not to see train mishap on the Kaduna-Abuja route.
@primateayodele #nigeriantiktok🇳🇬 #fulfillment #train #abuja #primateayodele
“Let’s pray not to see train mishap in Abuja-Kaduna, Kaduna-Abuja route.”
This has also been fulfilled.
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