Hello and welcome! In today’s trending news stories;
1. The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) informed the Court of Appeal in Abuja that it has not yet taken possession of the case file regarding former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Samuel Walter Nkanu Onnoghen, who is appealing his 2019 removal from office. Onnoghen was prosecuted for false asset declaration, convicted, had his assets forfeited, and was barred from holding public office. The trial has been stalled since 2019, and during the recent hearing, the federal government’s counsel requested an adjournment to retrieve necessary documents from the chambers of the late private lawyer who previously handled the case. The court granted an accelerated hearing, scheduling it for September 19. Onnoghen is seeking to overturn the Code of Conduct Tribunal’s decision that led to his removal.
2. The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ordered former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to present himself for arraignment and restrained him from taking any further action in his case until he complies. The court also overturned a previous judgment by the Kogi State High Court. Bello is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged criminal diversion and money laundering involving over N80 billion during his tenure as governor. Despite attempts by the EFCC to arrest him, reports suggest Bello has been hiding in the Kogi State Government House. The charges against him include the illegal conversion of state funds and laundering money through associates.
3. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned that it may commence a nationwide strike starting at midnight on Tuesday if its President, Joe Ajaero, is harmed following his police summons. Ajaero was called in for questioning on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, over allegations of terrorism financing and other charges. This follows a police raid on the NLC’s national secretariat in Abuja on July 7, 2024, during which the police claimed they were searching for seditious materials. The NLC views the investigation as politically motivated and has instructed its members to prepare for industrial action. While the NLC agreed to honor the police invitation, it requested a postponement to August 29, 2024, and condemned the government’s actions as efforts to intimidate and destabilize the labor movement.
4. A Nigerian man, Yomi Jones Olayeye, also known as “Sabbie,” was arrested for allegedly conspiring to fraudulently obtain over $10 million in COVID-19 unemployment benefits from the U.S. government. Olayeye, from Lagos, Nigeria, was apprehended on August 13 at JFK International Airport in New York. He is accused of orchestrating a scheme between March and July 2020, using stolen personal information to apply for pandemic-related benefits in multiple states. The scheme involved opening fraudulent bank accounts to receive the funds, which were then used to purchase Bitcoin. Olayeye and his co-conspirators allegedly received more than $1.5 million from the scam. He faces charges of wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft, carrying potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
5. Phil Foden of Manchester City won the 2023-24 PFA Player of the Year award, beating teammate Erling Haaland. Foden scored 27 goals and provided 12 assists, helping City secure their fourth consecutive Premier League title and the FIFA Club World Cup. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer was named the PFA Young Player of the Year after a standout debut season, scoring 27 goals and contributing 15 assists. In the women’s category, Khadija “Bunny” Shaw won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award for her 21-goal season with Manchester City, while Grace Clinton was named the women’s Young Player of the Year after her successful loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur.
6. Pastor William Kumuyi, founder of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, has explained his decision to invite Muslim clerics to speak at a church conference, which has sparked widespread discussion on social media. Speaking at the Change Makers International (CMI) conference in Port Harcourt, Kumuyi clarified that the event was held in a stadium, not within the church, which influenced his decision to allow the clerics to speak while wearing their caps. He emphasized that since the conference was outside the church’s traditional setting, there was no need to challenge the clerics’ attire.
