Police: Uncovering €14.7 million fraud will improve Nigeria-German relations

The Nigerian police on Monday said that the arrest of two Nigerians involved in an alleged attempt to defraud a German company, will help to improve its relations with Europe’s richest country.

“This will actually help in strengthening our relationship with Germany,” police spokesman, Frank Mba, said.

“Rather than having a negative impact, it will have a very positive impact. The German people, the German government and the German business community must have been encouraged by the timeliness of our action, the fact that detectives from Nigeria and Interpol’s National Central Bureau (NCB) based here in Abuja, have got the capacity to actually wade into this kind of case and uncover the crime and try to bring the criminals to book. It shows that even if Germans are making investments in Nigeria, they can be assured that their investments are protected and we’ve got the capacity to tackle any unforeseen circumstances that may arise”, he added.

Mba however emphasised that “there are criminals all over the world. Remember that even in this case, there are also accomplices who are not Nigerians, who are Dutch citizens, working with their Nigerian counterparts.”

The police had on Sunday announced the arrest of Babatunde Adesanya and Akinpelu Hassan Abass who are alleged to be members of a sophisticated transnational criminal network.

The men were allegedly part of a COVID-19 procurement operation that tried to defraud the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia of about €14.7 million.

Source: Today.ng

EFCC arraigns banker for ‘N80 million fraud’

The Kano Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has arraigned one Kolapo Oduwole before Justice Musa Danladi of the Katsina State High Court on a six-count charge of forgery and fraud in the sum of N80,000,000( Eighty Million Naira only).

Oduwole, a staff of a bank (name withheld), allegedly forged signatures of Relationship Manager of the Bank on three fixed deposits certificates and presented same to some customers and subsequently got the customers to fix their money in fixed deposit accounts controlled only by him.

It was further alleged that, after the money was fixed, the defendant transferred it into various accounts to conduct his personal businesses.

One of the charges read that “You Kolapo Oduwole on the 3rd March, 2020 at Katsina, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court forged a certain document to wit: Re: Investment of (N80,000,000) Eighty Million Naira Only with intent to cause damage to one Abubakar Mohammed by making him to believe that you had placed the money in a fixed deposit with the bank and you thereby committed an offense contrary to section 340 and punishable under section 341 of the Penal Code Law of Katsina State 2019. The accused person pleaded not guilty to the six- count charge.

In view of his plea, prosecution counsel, Aisha Tahar Habib requested the court for a trial date and that the defendant be remanded in the Commission’s custody as he is still under investigation.

Defence counsel, M.M Rimaye, did not object to the prosecution’s application.

Justice Danladi adjourned the matter till October 12, 2020 for commencement of trial and remanded the accused person in EFCC’s custody.

Source: Today.ng

Instagram Big Boy, B-Lord and 13 Others Arrested By EFCC

Instagram big boy, B-Lord and 13 other suspected fraudsters have been arrested from different parts of Awka, Anambra State by operatives of the Enugu zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).

They were arrested on Monday, August 31, 2020, based on intelligence available to the Commission.

The suspects, whose age range between 21 and 28 were arrested at Okpuno Awka, Agu Awka and Ngozika estate, all in Anambra State.

Items recovered from them are: different exotic vehicles which include three Mercedes Benz 4matic, three Mercedes Benz AMG, two Lexus Rx salon cars.

Interim analyses of some of the suspects’ phones indicated they were involved in some suspected internet fraud which include online Bitcoin scam, love scam and identity theft.

Senate uncovers alleged multi-billion naira fraud in NTA

The Senate said it has uncovered an alleged multi-billion naira fraud in the joint venture operations between the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and a Chinese Satellite Pay TV, StarTimes.

The allegation was made through the Senate Joint Committee on Finance and National Planning, which is currently considering the details of the 2021-2023 MTEF & FSP documents, scrutinised the spending and expenditure of the Nigerian Television Authority for 2021.

The Senate Panel was amazed to discover that the multi-billion naira deal with StarTimes was not captured anywhere in the documents submitted to it as presented by the Director-General, Mallam Mohammed Yakubu.

Trouble started for NTA after the Chairman of the Senate Panel, Solomon Olamilekan asked why NTA was blocking StarTimes from being registered with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). Responding, Yakubu denied the allegation; stressing that NTA couldn’t have blocked StarTimes as it was currently in a Joint Venture Agreement with the company.

The DG’s statement prompted further questions from the Senate Panel as they asked to know how much NTA had earned from the Joint Venture with StarTimes over the years. The Senate Panel suspicious at that point demanded to see records of what NTA generates from production, adverts and documentaries.

It also asked that NTA should return on Monday with its debt profile containing the names of its debtors, the date, and the amount incurred as well as the name of the official who authorised it for publication.  The NTA entered the Joint Venture with StarTimes in 2010 with a sharing ratio of 70-30 in favour of the Beijing based company.

Irked by NTA’s outing, the panel ordered that henceforth all revenue-generating agencies of government should remit all their earnings into the Consolidated Revenue Funds out of which their cost of the collection will be given to them. This, the panel said will shore up revenue for the government as well as block wastages in the system.

EFCC re-arrests Mompha over fresh fraud charge

Internet celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha aka Mompha, who is facing money laundering charges before the Federal High Court, has been re-arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC.

Mompha was re-arrested last Friday, August 14 when he went to the EFCC office in Ikoyi, Lagos to reclaim his five wristwatches, one Apple Air pod, one iPhone 8 mobile phone and one pair of sunglasses, seized from him by the anti-graft agency last October.

However, following an application by his lawyer, Gboyega Oyewole (SAN), Justice Mohammed Liman had on July 24 ordered the EFCC to release the items to Mompha.

The judge ruled that since the items were not listed as exhibits in the money laundering charges filed against Mompha, the EFCC had no justification to continue to hold onto them. Justice Liman dismissed the submission by the EFCC that Mompha was still under investigation for another offense, saying there was nothing before the court to back the submission.

“Failure to release the property is illegal. As of today, no charge has been file regarding the items. It is too long to withhold the applicant properties,” the judge had held.

Mompha had barely left the premises of the EFCC office in Ikoyi after collecting the items on Friday when operatives of the anti-graft agency waylaid him and took him into custody.

Confirming his re-arrest, his lawyer, Oyewole said

“I am filing processes tomorrow (Tuesday). They didn’t tell us why they are detaining him. They have not told us the basis for this re-arrest. As far as we are concerned, the EFCC is seeking to overreach the court because this is coming after we filed our no-case submission to the charges. When they had the opportunity to amend their charges they didn’t and they are claiming that there is a new charge.”

The spokesman for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, who also confirmed his re-arrest, said

“The fresh arrest is unconnected to the existing charges in court. It is related to Internet fraud.”

Makinde vows to retrieve N96bn stolen during Ajimobi’s tenure

Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, said on Wednesday, that his administration was ready to retrieve the billions of the state’s funds looted by officials of the previous administration. Abiola Ajimobi was the governor of the state from 2011 till 2019.

The governor, who made the vow while kickstarting the construction of the 21km Ajia-Airport-New Ife Expressway road, in Ajia town, said that his administration was ready to put measures in place to retrieve all looted funds to develop the state’s infrastructure.

The 21-kilometre Airport-Ajia-New Ife Express Road, with spur to Amuloko, was awarded to Messrs Peculiar Ultimate Concerns Ltd, at a total cost of Eight Billion, Five Hundred and Twenty Million, Nine Hundred and Nineteen Thousand, Seven Hundred and Seventy-Six Naira, Forty-One Kobo (N8,520,919,776.41).

According to the governor, unlike the previous government, which, he said, preoccupied itself with how to corner state’s funds on a daily basis, his administration would drastically reduce the infrastructure deficit in the state within the shortest possible time.

He added that it’s only in doing so that the state can be positioned on the path of economic growth.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the governor as saying that the 21-kilometre road construction being launched was a product of the administration’s strategic way of reducing the state’s infrastructure deficit, which is known as the Alternative Project Funding Approach (APFA).

He said: “Our administration means business. We will drastically reduce the infrastructure deficit in Oyo State in the shortest possible time. And this is how economies work: investors will only go where they can be assured of profits.

“If we do not develop basic infrastructure like roads, it will affect the cost of production which, in turn, means less profit for investors. So, we cannot be seriously discussing attracting investments into Oyo State when a majority of roads and other infrastructure are in a state of disrepair.

“In order to achieve this, we must strategize on how to increase our spending on infrastructure, because what we collect from Abuja every month from federal allocation is not even enough to pay the salaries. So, the new strategies on how to increase our spending on infrastructure is what we are doing here in Oyo State.”

While explaining the reason the Airport-Ajia road costs more per kilometre than the 65 kilometre Moniya-Iseyin road, the governor said there are more hydraulic structures on the Airport-Ajia road than the Moniya-Iseyin road, and that a lot of expansion and rehabilitation will be done on those bridges.

The governor also used the opportunity to explain the APFA approach through which he said many projects will be executed in the state, stating that it is the administration’s way of funding some infrastructural projects in the state, by having the contractors fund the projects with their own money while the state repays them over a period of time.

“What this entails is that the contractor carries the projects’ risk. At the same time, we get quality delivery and quick completion of projects. They will be bearing the risk of getting this project done in a timely manner, while we pay them over the next twenty-nine months. That comes down to roughly N300 million a month. So, while they will complete the project in one year, we have the option to repay in over twice the time.

“We will continue to actualise capital projects through budgetary allocations and have the additional option of carrying out other infrastructural projects outside of the budget, using the Alternative Project Funding Approach. So, you can look forward to other projects under this approach.

“Let me state that even when we are forced to look outside Oyo State for persons to execute the projects under APFA, we still put the interests of our people first. For example, Peculiar Ultimate Concerns Ltd has agreed that the construction labour will come from Oyo State, and we are holding them to that agreement.”

He added: “So, for projects under the APFA, because of the nature of spending on the projects, we decided that it would be best to open up the bidding process a little more so that contractors outside of Oyo State can bid as well.

“We reached this decision because we are looking for private entities who have the wherewithal to complete the projects on schedule, while at the same time, passing the tests of quality assurance.

“When we approved this project at EXCO, social media became agog with all sorts of insinuations. Those ones that you rejected during the last general elections were saying Seyi Makinde promised that he would give contracts to those within Oyo state. Indeed, I made that promise that Oyo state money must remain in Oyo state.

“Some have said the company we awarded the contract to is from Asaba in Niger Delta and that we want to take Oyo State’s money to my wife’s state. First, let me put it on record that my wife is not from Delta but from Rivers State.

“Second, the representative of the company we awarded the project to, Engr Abel Adeleke, has spoken here today. He is from Osun State and they are using their money to start this project.

“We also opened the opportunity for all. Even if they had approached us and brought the money they stole while in government to fund this project, we will allow them. We all know there are certain construction works that their expertise may not be with a local contractor. If we want to construct a bridge and it is awarded to Julius Berger, they will also say Julius Berger is not from Oyo State. So, that is to tell you they have nothing to do.

“One thing I know is, if we build this road the way we are supposed to, on time and on budget, what concerns the people going to the airport, whether Julius Berger constructed the road or whether the contractor is from Osun or Oyo? Our major concern is that the road is constructed.”

Addressing the criticisms trailing the announcement of N100 billion bond issuance by the state, the governor stated: “I heard somebody criticizing us on radio concerning the N100 billion bond and was of the opinion that this administration wants to put the state in debt.

“I think our people need to start telling them that Governor Makinde is not like that.

“For the period of eight years they spent in office, they were only preoccupied with how to corner N1 Billion monthly into their private pockets everyday they went to the office.

“They spent 96 months in office, that means they have Oyo States N96 billion with them. We will retrieve every fund that belongs to Oyo people for the purpose of infrastructure development.

“So, tell them that the EFCC of Oyo State is coming for them. I want to assure you that we will retrieve the stolen money of the state from them and use the funds to build infrastructure like this.”

The special adviser on media to the former governor, Bolaji Tunji said he won’t join issue with governor Seyi Makinde because Thursday makes it 40 days the former governor was laid to rest.

He said: “I would not react to this statement because I would not like to display insensitivity. Tomorrow  makes it exactly 40th day that my boss, HE, Senator Abiola Ajimobi was laid to rest. For us and the Family, it is still a period of mourning. Suffice to say that such attack is expected having laid bare the fallacy behind the N100billion bond.”

Magu Counters Presidential Panel, Says Recovered Funds Don’t Generate Interest

The suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has refuted allegations that he re-looted interests on recovered funds, saying such claims are false.

Magu also dispelled the allegation that he placed N550 billion recovered loot in a deposit account, stressing that the alleged transaction never featured in the proceedings before the panel headed by former president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami.

The presidential committee on audit of recovered assets (PCARA) allegedly indicted the EFCC under Magu of re-looting recovered loot.

The panel had probed the federal government assets recovered by the EFCC from May 2015 to May 2020.

The presidential panel had accused Magu of re-looting the interest on the N550 billion recovered by the EFCC.

But Magu’s counsel, Wahab Shittu in a statement described the claim as blatant falsehood, stressing that the recovered funds are lodged in the treasury single account (TSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He further stressed that the funds in the TSA do not generate interests.

The statement said, “It is falsehood that Magu placed N550 billion recovered loot into a deposit account.

“The alleged transaction never featured in the proceedings before the Salami panel. Magu was never confronted with any such allegation by the panel and the news is blatant falsehood.

“To the best of Magu’s knowledge, no such amount is in any such account and he remains aghast at such outrageous figures. No one has confronted Magu with such allegations.

“All recovered funds are lodged in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Such recovered funds do not generate interest. This is elementary and can be verified from the CBN and the federal ministry of finance.

“This can also be confirmed from other government revenue generating agencies. Funds kept in TSA account do not generate interest,” the statement added.

Magu who was arrested on July 6 by a combined team of officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) and 10 force criminal investigation department (FCID), Abuja, is currently being interrogated by the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel.

Meanwhile, the EFCC secretary, Olanipekun Olukoyede, and directors of the commission, were invited for another round of interrogation by the panel just as the investigation over alleged mismanagement of recovered loot and selling of seized assets to associates under Magu’s tenure entered it’s sixth day.

The EFCC secretary and the directors were last week invited by the panel to provide information on the handling of the recovered loot.

However, Olanipekun and the directors, who were said to have worked closely with Magu, were grilled for hours by the presidential panel yesterday.

Magu who was suspended by President Buhari last week, was also quizzed by the panel sitting in the villa.

Allegations against Magu included alleged discrepancies in the reconciliation records of the EFCC and the Federal Ministry of Finance on recovered funds, declaration of N504b as recovered funds instead of N543b found in the CBN recovery account.

 

He was also accused of insubordination to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, (AGF).

Magu was accused of not providing enough evidences for the extradition of Diezani Alison-Madueke and alleged late action on the investigation of P&ID leading to legal dispute.

These are some of the allegations listed in the memo sent to President Muhammadu Buhari by the attorney-general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN.

Meanwhile, the general overseer of Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministries International, Abuja, Prophet Emmanuel Omale has sued the News

Omale, in a letter written by his lawyer, Chief Gordy Uche (SAN), and obtained by LEADERSHIP, is demanding for one billion naira as compensation, a retraction and apology.

Part of the letter read, “Our client’s attention has been drawn to the extremely malicious, derogatory and libellous publication with the caption – “How Magu Used ‘pastor’ To Launder Re-looted Funds Abroad – Report” by your Reporter, one Isamaila Chafe, posted on your website – www.nannews.ng on the 11th day of July 2020.

“We, however, wish to make the following clarifications to put the public records straight: That our client is the General Overseer of an Inter-denominational/Multi-religious Prayer Ministry, which Mr Ibrahim Magu attends; Our client, only visited Mr. Ibrahim Magu in a Hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirate, sometime in March 2020; Our client

never laundered any funds whatsoever for Mr. Ibrahim Magu, nor for anybody whatsoever; Our client does not own any foreign bank account anywhere in the world.

“There are no funds whatsoever traceable from Mr. Ibrahim Magu to our client’s Bank accounts whatsoever neither has our client received any funds whatsoever from Mr. Ibrahim Magu. Our client has never received any funds whatsoever from anybody on behalf of Mr. Ibrahim Magu; Our client does not own any property in Dubai.

“His name was never used to purchase any property whatsoever in Dubai, United Arab Emirate or anywhere else in any part of the world, neither has he purchased any property or properties for Mr. Ibrahim Magu in any part of the world whatsoever.”

The letter also added “we wish to state that by reason of the said libellous publication which was read by millions of persons all over the world, our client has been severely injured in his reputation,

character and calling. Our client has thereby been brought into ridicule, public scandal, hatred, denigration, odium and contempt, and lowered in the estimation of right-thinking members of the society.

“We, therefore, demand the immediate retraction of the libellous publication by way of an unequivocal apology to our client prominently published in at least three National Newspapers not later than seven days from the date of your receipt of this letter and that you restrain from further defamation of our client forthwith otherwise, a libel suit against NAN will commence you, your Organization, claiming the sum of N1, 000,0000,000.00 as exemplary, aggravated, general damages for defamation, and for an injunction if you fail to comply.

“Further take notice that this letter constitutes our formal notice of intention to sue.”

Saraki reacts to alleged link with Hushpuppi

Former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has responded to the alleged link with a suspected internet fraudster, Ramon Igbalode Abbas (a.k.a Hushpuppi), describing it as ‘irresponsible and cheap politics.’

Ramon Abbas the Internet fraudster was recently arrested in the United Arab Emirates and extradited to the United States to face criminal charges bordering on cybercrime and fraud.

In a statement, on Saturday, titled: “Cyber Criminals: APC ‘s Statement Irresponsible”, Dr Bukola Saraki denied a statement credited to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and signed on its behalf by Yekini Nabena in which it tried to link him with a cyber-crime suspect, stressing that he had no form of association with the said suspect.

The statement reads: “The statement credited to the APC, the ruling party in our country, is one of the ways by which our anti-graft agencies are weakened and why the fight against corruption in the country is often viewed with suspicion by the international community.

“This is because when these cyber-crime suspects were operating freely and openly displaying wealth, the APC saw nothing bad in their activities.

“Also, the party at that time did not deem it necessary to call on the anti-graft agencies to investigate their activities.

“Also, since the arrest of those cybercrime suspects and the subsequent damage to the image and the economy of Nigeria as well as the crisis it created for Nigerians engaged in lawful businesses across the world, the ruling party had been muted.

“The only time the APC deemed it necessary to make a statement was when it thought it should play dirty, cheap and irresponsible politics.”

The APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, in a statement on Saturday, claimed that the PDP’s leadership turned Dubai into their “strategic” meeting place ahead of the 2019 general elections in Nigeria and “Hushpuppi’s” affinity with the party leadership was not mere coincidence.

Nabena said, at different times, “Hushpuppi” was being photographed in Dubai meeting with the PDP’s 2019 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Senator Dino Melaye among other PDP stalwarts.

He said: “Reports of the criminal conspiracy linking the top echelon of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with Ramon Olorunwa Abbas also known as “Ray Hushpuppi”, who was recently arrested along with associate(s) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and extradited to the United States of America to face trial over cyber-enabled fraud and Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes, should be a matter of serious interest to relevant authorities in Nigeria.

“We note that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has already declared the arraigned Instagram celebrity wanted over fraud allegations.

“However, the EFCC, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and other sister agencies must investigate money laundering reports linking some PDP leaders and financiers to the Dubai-based international criminal ring.

“While relevant authorities investigate the nature of their relationship and business partnership, we also challenge the PDP leadership to do same by opening up on the nature of the relationship, particularly the kind of services the arrested “Hushpuppi” provided them.

The fact you need to understand on BVN and fraud

Right from the time BVN came into existence, we've been hearing anyone with your BVN number can cart all your money away and I've tried educating people and it's actually frustrating.

To reconfirm my position, I just got off the phone from a very dear friend who is a banker.

The worse that could happen when people have access to your BVN is to know your details (name, DOB, phone number, etc), listen, they can not transfer your money with it. The best they could do is to call you and ask you for your ATM details and if you fall for that, that's when your money would be gone. That scam is no longer a new tale. We should all know by now that no staff of your bank would call asking for debit card details.

BVN number is just for identification and a source for your information in the national database. Developed Nations have such database as well.

Forget about the broadcasts causing panic about BVN. If you are still not convinced, go to your bank and reconfirm.

FRAUD ALART: FG TO SPEND 679M DAILY TO FEED SCHOOL CHILDREN DESPITE LOCK DOWN

Following the announcement that the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, will commence the Homegrown School Feeding Programme today, Thursday, May 14, 2020, in Abuja and subsequently, in Lagos and Ogun states, before the other states of the federation, in spite of the lockdown of schools to curtail the spread of coronavirus, an educationist, Chief Bolajoko Doherty (MFR), has joined other stakeholders to condemn the project as fraudulent and non-feasible.

Chief Doherty, the founder and proprietress of Bola Immaculate Group of Schools and President of Dynamic Women International Association, who had been in the business of school administration for over 35 years, said the insistence of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, to continue with the project is not only an embarrassment but fraudulent and impossible as the children that are meant to be the beneficiaries of the project are all in their parents’ homes.

Though the ministry claimed to have requested states to carry out mapping exercises in order to trace the households of the children using all available data sources including the School-Based Management Boards, community focal persons, cooks on the programme and most importantly existing school registers in the LGAs where the schools are domiciled, she said no principal can claim to know the houses of every pupil in his school.

“I kept quiet when the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs said she was giving food to schools before the lockdown; I made my enquiries in the South-West and I didn’t see any school, not even one school or one parent that confirmed that their children were given food. But this time around when I heard that she said they will continue with the Home Grown School Feeding project in schools during the lockdown, I was triggered. How can she say she will be giving school children food during this lockdown?

“I am calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the minister to order because as a school administrator, I find it strange that someone will say she wants to go and give food to children who are under lock and key in their parent’s house. I regard this as not only fraud or an embarrassment but also a disgrace to Nigerians and the nation as a whole as well as a slight on the intelligence of Nigerians and the international community. If she is doing it in her own state, it is pardonable but this is a national issue which will extend into an international affair, that is why we will not close our eyes or keep quiet about this,” she said.

She said the president needs to call the minister to order “so she can stop this game of fraud and international embarrassment to Nigeria as a whole. If you want to give the children food, you tell each school to get the name of parents and their wards with phone numbers, can she identify the homes of these children? Can any principal tell you categorically that she knows the homes and addresses of students in his school, these are little kids; do they have their identity? Which data is she working with?”

According to her, if the process is done the right way, they don’t have to distribute food because the money that will be spent on caterers and everyone involved in the process can be used for something else adding that, “if you want to help these children, let the school supply the data of the students and their parents; name, age, class, addresses of parents and bank accounts, send money to the parents to cater for their children as necessary.

“If they want to distribute food, there should be a food point. But at this period, no child can walk anywhere to take the food because they are home and schools are not open. So they should stop this idea that they are going to distribute food to pupils during lockdown because it is a disgrace and an embarrassment even to the president himself. In a country with highly educated people that is competing in the comity of nations, how can one woman just stand up and say you want to distribute food at this time, to which pupils? The one she said she did even when school was on was a fraud not to talk of when the children are still under lock and key, you cannot open schools, teachers have even been stopped from going to peoples’ homes for home lessons. Something must be done about this woman that wants to distribute food to pupils who are under lock and key

“Then how do you identify them? Can you even tell them to be brought to a place, how do you ensure they maintain social distancing? Enough is enough. President Buhari should do something with immediate effect to save the nation from this disgrace and fraud,” she said.

Speaking further on the almajirai scattered across the country, Chief Doherty said the government should adopt all children on the street as government children, adding that to put an end to this menace, parents of children found on the street must be penalised and made to face the law and such children taken away from them or given up for adoption.

“There must be a department for little children to oversee the welfare of children; governmen tot must see all children as the children of the government so that no parent will mess up with them. The president should take interest in the kids because they are the foundation of tomorrow,” she said.