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NUJ Honours Gov. Yahaya Bello with Torchbearer of Security Award
NUJ Honours Gov. Yahaya Bello with Torchbearer of Security Award
The Nigerian Union of Journalists has recognised Yahaya Bello, the executive Governor of Kogi State with the Torchbearer of Security, Award.
Presenting the award on Saturday May 29, 2021, at the Kogi State Liaison House, Asokoro Abuja, the Chairman of the NUJ, FCT Council, Comrade Emmanuel Ogbeche, noted that it was important to reward diligence to duty as a means of encouraging good works, motivate and to spur the recipient into doing even more.
Ogbeche stated that Governor Bello was well deserving of the award bestowed upon him by his union.
He noted that Bello has been singled out in the past, by various bodies, for his good works in the area of security and by non the less the Nigerian Police Force.
In his address, he said:
“It will be recalled that on February 7, 2017, that the Nigerian Police Force, recognised your impressive performance and bestowed on you the best performing governor in security, 2016.
“Since then you have not looked back, you have remained consistent, forward looking, resilient and coherent in your security strategy.
“At a time like this when Police Stations, INEC offices are being set ablaze, when cultists, kidnappers, murderers, rapists are on the prowl, Kogi State and its borders have remained largely untouched.” Ogbeche pointed out.
Continuing, he stated that the award of Torchbearer of Security by the NUJ, FCT Council, “is to say loudly and with clarity that because you have performed and because we want you to do better, to continue to ensure Kogi State and its boundaries are safe not just for Kogi citizens, but for all of us that happen to pass through that way, to be confident that a state that was once ravaged by insecurity, is now secure.
“With this award, we are saying you have done better than what you met and to encourage you to improve on what you have been able to achieve.” He concluded.
Governor Yahaya Bello who was unavoidably absent was represented by his Chief of Staff, Abdulkareem Asuku Jamiu.
In his remark, Jamiu explained that the Governor Bello sent his best wishes but could not attend the very important event because one of his media aides had a very serious motor accident on his way back to Kogi after an official assignment in Abuja.
He disclosed that the aide,
Abdulkareem Haruna, who is an arrow head in the governor’s team had the unfortunate accident in Zuba on the outskirts of Abuja and Governor Bello who himself had fixed the appointment with the NUJ, had to immediately cancel all appointments on that day to attend to the urgent medical situation of his aide.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Governor, the CSO relayed the governor’s unreserved apology.
In his response after receiving the award, Jamiu, on behalf of Governor Bello, thanked the NUJ, Abuja Council for the gesture.
He said: “I sincerely appreciate this great recognition. It is one thing to achieve and another to be recognised, not just for anything else but for peace of the people of Nigeria.
“It is a great honour to be recognised by the Nigerian Union of Journalists because whatever anyone is doing, it is under your Umbrella that it can be projected for recognition.
“To deem it fit to recognise the achievement of His Excellency, is a big achievement, we want to encourage you to keep doing what you are doing to help secure our nation.
“Security of the nation is the responsibility of the leader but information is power because whatever information you are putting out there is what will shape the security of the nation”.
Jamiu stressed the fact that national security cannot be achieved without the media, stating that nobody is happy with the way things are now.
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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