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LEKKI robbery: Slain fish seller wanted to study Law, says aunt

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Fifteen-year-old Sarah Ibikunle, a fried fish hawker, who was killed by a stray bullet around the Lekki area of Lagos State on Thursday during a bank robbery, had an ambition to become a lawyer.

The deceased’s aunt, who identified herself as Mrs. Omolafe, told SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday that Ibikunle was eager to study Law after her secondary education, adding that she was abandoned by her mother when she was two years old.

Ibikunle, who lived with her aunt on Babalola Close in the area, was brutally killed on Thursday by a gang of robbers, who stormed a branch of FCMB on Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, on the fateful day.

The victim was hawking fried fish after she returned from school before a bullet hit her.

On Friday, about 13 armed robbers in military uniform, came through a waterway in the area and laid siege to the bank, shooting sporadically for about 30 minutes.

Three policemen, whose names were yet to be ascertained, and Ibikunle were shot dead during the shooting. The cops were said to be part of a police team, which stumbled on the rampaging bandits while they were escorting a bus belonging to an oil company.

When our correspondent visited the deceased’s family on Saturday, the atmosphere was still solemn. Sympathizers were seen trooping in to their residence to offer condolences.

 

Our correspondent was shown a drawing given as homework to the deceased by one of her teachers. Therein, she drew an image with a caption “I want to be a lawyer.”

Amidst tears, Omolafe said the family’s grief was compounded by the bill charged by the Yaba Mortuary, where the victim’s remains were deposited.

Omolafe said, “Ibikunle was very friendly. She was living in Ondo State with my grandmother till she (the grandmother) died. I brought her to Lagos four years ago to start school. Her mother left her and her siblings when she was two years old and she had never looked after them since then. His father (my brother) died in 2009.”

“On Wednesday, she showed me the drawing, which she wanted to submit on Friday. She said her class was told to draw what they wished to become in future. I prayed for her and warned her not to keep bad company if she wants to accomplish her goal. She was always eager to learn English. She watched English movies a lot because of that. She and my son help me to hawk when they come back from school.

“As if the loss is not enough, we were told to bring almost N100, 000 to embalm and bury her. They should have allowed me to carry her corpse that day. I don’t know where to get the money.”

The Lagos State Police spokesperson, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said the state Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, had ordered all the area commanders to intensify efforts at tracking down the bandits.

Copyright PUNCH.

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Citigroup’s $81 Trillion Blunder: The Banking Error of the Century! 

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Citigroup's $81 Trillion Blunder: The Banking Error of the Century! 

Citigroup’s $81 Trillion Blunder: The Banking Error of the Century! 

 

In a jaw-dropping financial mishap, Citigroup mistakenly credited a mind-blowing $81 trillion—yes, TRILLION—to a customer’s account instead of the intended $280, in what could be one of the largest transaction errors in banking history.

According to a report by the Financial Times, the stunning blunder occurred in April 2024 and shockingly slipped past two separate employees before getting the green light for processing. It wasn’t until an hour and a half after the transaction was approved that a third worker caught the error—setting off a frantic reversal operation that took several hours to complete.

 A Near-Miss of Epic Proportions 

Though no actual funds left Citigroup’s vaults, the error was serious enough to be flagged to U.S. financial regulators, including the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

“Despite the fact that a payment of this size could not actually have been executed, our detective controls promptly identified the inputting error between two Citi ledger accounts, and we reversed the entry,” a Citi spokesperson explained in an emailed statement.

The blunder did not financially impact the customer or the bank, but it sheds light on Citi’s ongoing struggles with internal controls. The FT report revealed that the bank recorded 10 ‘near-miss’ transactions of $1 billion or more in 2024 alone, a slight improvement from 13 major errors in 2023.

 A Costly Pattern? 

Citigroup is no stranger to high-profile transaction errors. In 2020, the bank infamously wired $900 million by mistake to creditors of Revlon, sparking a lengthy legal battle. While the $81 trillion error was caught before any funds could be moved, it underscores the potentially catastrophic risks lurking in the world of high-speed digital banking.

With regulators closely watching, the pressure is on for Citi to tighten its financial controls—before the next error turns into an irreversible disaster.

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Wema Bank to Train and Empower 800,000 Nigerian Businesses

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Signs MOU with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN)

Reinforcing its reputation as an institution committed to empowering SMEs, Wema Bank, Nigeria’s foremost innovative bank and pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, has undertaken an initiative to empower 800,000 Nigerian Businesses; following its MOU Signing with Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) on February 25th, 2025 in Lagos, Nigeria.

SMEDAN is a national agency established in 2003 with the goal of promoting the development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector of the Nigerian Economy. The partnership with Wema Bank is focused on training MSMEs on soft skills, technical skills, and business skills, empowering them to build profitable businesses, gain more visibility and scale sustainably. To execute this grand initiative, Wema Bank will provide the training and resources for the 800,000 businesses who will be curated by SMEDAN. This initiative will take course over the next 12 to 18 months.

Commenting on the partnership, Wema Bank’s MD/CEO, Moruf Oseni, reiterated the Bank’s lifelong commitment to empowering Nigerians to thrive. According to him, “At Wema Bank, we don’t pay lip service to SME matters.

From inception in 1945, Wema Bank was built with a purpose to provide financing for the indigenous people of Nigeria. It wasn’t because banks didn’t exist during those years, it was because we identified the gaps in access to finance for our people.

This is why Wema Bank came to life; to provide tailored financial services and empower Nigerians to thrive on both individual and business levels”.

“Over the past 8 decades, Wema Bank has been driving this lifelong mission of empowering Nigerians with access to finance, constantly reinventing to develop more efficient ways of delivering value to the people. One cardinal thing that we haven’t deviated from is that we are fully committed to empowering entrepreneurs and small businesses in Nigeria.

The petty traders we provided for in the 1900s are the entrepreneurs and MSMEs that we continue to empower in the 2000s, and we will never relent in fulfilling this promise. So, MSME empowerment for us is not just a buzzword.

It is what we have always done, what we are doing through this partnership with SMEDAN and what we will continue to do beyond 80 years”.
Commending Wema Bank’s evident commitment and key role in empowering business and stimulating growth in the MSME Sector, Charles Odili, the Director General of SMEDAN expressed confidence in the success of this partnership with Wema Bank towards building a sustainably successful future for Nigerian MSMEs.

Closing out, he added, “I want to again, thank Wema Bank. This is a prime example of how collaboration and determination to create impact can make a positive difference. I thank you for their constant support to MSMEs and for not paying lip service to MSME Empowerment in Nigeria”.

Wema Bank has earned an admirable reputation as Nigeria’s SME Bank, going above and beyond in empowering businesses with access to finance, visibility, market access, tailored trainings, mentorship and various other forms of support.

Through this partnership with SMEDAN, Wema Bank is set to advance Nigeria’s MSME industry, building formidable Nigerian businesses and reinforcing Wema Bank’s position as the Bank that is committed to empowering MSMEs.

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Aare Adetola Emmanuelking Hosts Grand Reception for CP Ogunlowo, Pledges Support for Safer Ogun

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Aare Adetola Emmanuelking Hosts Grand Reception for CP Ogunlowo, Pledges Support for Safer Ogun

 

In a prestigious gathering of law enforcement officials, royal fathers, and community leaders, Aare Adetola Emmanuelking, the Golden Grand Patron of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) National, hosted a warm reception in honor of the newly appointed Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Olanrewaju Ogunlowo, PhD.

 

Held at his residence, the event underscored the importance of community policing and strong collaboration between security agencies and the public.

 

“Security is a collective responsibility. We must work together to tackle crime, especially emerging threats to our communities,” Aare Emmanuelking emphasized, pledging full support for CP Ogunlowo’s mission to ensure a safer Ogun State.

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of prestigious awards to distinguished individuals for their outstanding contributions to community security and development. Honorees included top PCRC officials, royal fathers, and CP Ogunlowo himself.

In his remarks, CP Ogunlowo expressed gratitude for the warm reception and reaffirmed his commitment to community-driven policing. “Engaging with the people is key to effective policing. We will strengthen partnerships to ensure the safety and security of all residents,” he assured.

The event stood as a testament to the unwavering partnership between law enforcement and community leaders in building a peaceful and secure Ogun State.

Aare Adetola Emmanuelking Hosts Grand Reception for CP Ogunlowo, Pledges Support for Safer Ogun

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