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Italy’s Eni signs $8b gas deal with Libya

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Italian energy company Eni (ENI.MI) and Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) have signed an $8 billion gas production deal, Eni’s chief executive Claudio Descalzi said last week.

The deal, which was signed against the backdrop of a trip by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to Tripoli, will also entail carbon capture projects and solar energy, Descalzi said at a news conference.

The deal will have a duration of 25 years and have production capacity of up to 800 million cubic feet of gas per day, NOC chairman Farhat Bengdara said.

DSS intercepts syndicates selling currency notes

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The Department of State Services (DSS) hereby informs the public that it has intercepted some members of organised syndicates involved in the sale of the new redesigned naira notes. In the course of its operations, in this regard in parts of the country, it was also established that some Commercial Bank officials are aiding the economic malfeasance.

Consequently, the Service warns the currency racketeers to desist from this ignoble act. Appropriate regulatory authorities are, in this same vein, urged to step up monitoring and supervisory activities to expeditiously address the emerging trends.

It should be noted that the Service has ordered its Commands and Formations to further ensure that all persons and groups engaged in the illegal sale of the notes are identified. Therefore, anyone with useful information relating to this is encouraged to pass the same to the relevant authorities.

Court dismisses Buhari election challenge

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A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday dismissed a suit by a former presidential candidate of Hope Democratic Party, HDP, Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru, against the election of President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2019 presidential election.

The suit seeking the outright sack of President Buhari was thrown out by Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo on three major grounds.

Parts of the grounds are that the suit constituted a gross abuse of court process, statute barred and was an affront to the supremacy of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Mr Ekwo held that the suit was baseless, frivolous, irritating and vexatious in its entirety.

Mr Owuru had, in the suit, asked the court to declare the presidential seat vacant and swear him in as the authentic winner of that election.

Police arrest TikTok star Murja Ibrahim

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The Police in Kano State have arrested a popular comedy TikTok skit maker, Murja Ibrahim Kunya, for allegedly corrupting the morals of the society.

Local media reports say that the police arrested Miss Murja while trying to book hotel rooms for her guests who came from far and near for her much-publicized birthday jamboree.

In September last year, a Sharia court had written to the Kano State Commissioner of Police to arrest and investigate Miss Murja Ibrahim Kunya, alongside other 9 Tik Tokers for corrupting the morals of the society.

The letter read in part, “Sequel to the complaint lodged by Muhd Ali Hamza Esq, Abba Mahmud, Esq, Sunusi I. Umar Esq, Abba, A.T Bebeji Esq, B.I Usman Esq, Muhd Nasir Esq, L.T Dayi Esq, G.A Badawi & Badamasi Suleiman Gandu Esq, I am directed by the presiding Upper Sharia Court Judge, Bichi Division Kano to write and kindly request you to conduct investigation against the above mentioned suspects for proper action”.

The 9 other Tik Tokers included in the letter are: Mr 442, Safara’u, Dan Maraya, Amude Booth, Kawu Dan Sarki, Ado Gwanja, Ummi Shakira, Samha Inuwa and Babiana.

Two young men: Mubarak Isa and Nazifi Bala were last year sentenced by a senior magistrate court to 20 strokes of cane, as well as 30 days community service after finding them guilty of defaming the character of Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje and fanning the embers of discord in the society through TikTok.

ICPC rearrests former JAMB chief Ojerinde

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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Thursday rearrested former Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Adedibu Ojerinde.

Mr Ojerinde was picked up by operatives on the anti-corruption agency at the premises of the court where he had been standing trial for alleged fraud.

The spokesperson for ICPC, Azuka Ogugua, in a statement said that Mr Ojerinde was rearrested following a warrant issued by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

He is expected to face a team of ICPC investigators over new evidence uncovered in relation to his ongoing trial for diversion of funds while he was a public officer.

Ms Ogugua said that the rearrest of Mr Ojerinde was due to his refusal to honour the commission’s invitation extended to him in December 2022.

“ICPC operatives uncovered two accounts opened in the names of Trillium Learning Centre Ltd and Sapati International Schools Ltd into which funds were diverted using fictitious names of students.

“The Commission had on Dec. 12, 2022, invited the former JAMB Registrar for questioning over the new evidence but he wrote through his solicitor requesting 14 days’ grace to enable him to honour the invitation.

“Ojerinde, however, refused to honour the invitation as undertaken by his counsel after the expiration of the 14 days grace on Dec. 27, 2022.

“In the course of its ongoing investigation, the Commission unearthed new evidence that suggests that Ojerinde is the sole signatory to various bank accounts operated in the name of Trillium Learning Centre Ltd and Sapati International School Ltd.

“Ojerinde reportedly operated those accounts using false identities and forged documents in the names of Joshua Olakulehin Olaniran and Akanbi Lamidi, respectively.

“He also reportedly used another false identity, Adeniyi Banji to operate a separate account in the name of Standout Institutes Ltd, ” she alleged.

Ms Ogugua further explained that the ICPC also recovered the cheque books of the companies’ accounts from Mr Ojerinde, who has been taken into custody at the headquarters of the commission.

According to her, the commission may likely prosecute Mr Ojerinde before a court of competent jurisdiction.

She added that he would be tried on offences bordering on forgery of documents, stolen identity, money laundering and concealment of gratification, if the new evidence is confirmed.

“Ojerinde is currently being prosecuted by the Commission at the Federal High Court Abuja and Federal High Court Minna on an 18-count charge bordering on abuse of office and fraud to the tune of about N10 billion.

“He committed the offences while serving as heads of two government agencies, the National Examination Council (NECO) and JAMB.

“He had allegedly conferred corrupt advantages upon himself at different times while being Head of JAMB and NECO, thereby violating Sections 19, 24, 25 (1) (a) and (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Section 1 (1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, 2006, ” she added.