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Court strikes out case against man who threatened to publish nude videos of governor

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday struck out the case filed against one Sanusi Dankaka, who allegedly threatened to publish nude videos and photographs of Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State via his Facebook page.

Justice Salim Ibrahim struck out the case after the prosecution lawyer, A.Y. Afegbua, applied to withdraw the charge against Dankaka, the sole defendant.

The defendant’s counsel, Kauna Penzin, did not raise objection to Afegbua’s application for withdrawal of the case, and the judge, in a short ruling, struck it out.

Although Justice Ibrahim had adjourned the matter until Dec. 7 for commencement of trial after the defendant pleaded not guilty, the case was relisted on number 28, the last case on today’s cause list.

Dankaka was arraigned on a two-count charge, which bordered on cybercrime offences.

The Department of State Services (DSS), in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/699/2026 and filed on Oct. 22 by Afegbua, accused the defendant of committing the offence in October 2026.

In count one, Dankaka and some others still at large, in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau, were alleged to have attempted, via his Facebook page: ‘Sanusi Dankaka Yahaya’, to send out the malicious publication.

He was alleged to have said that he possessed nude videos and photographs of Gov. Yusuf, ‘and threatened to release them to the public’, an offence contrary to Section 27 (1)(6) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015, as amended and punishable under Section 24 (1) of the same Act.

In count two, he and some others at large, were alleged to have, via his Facebook page: ‘Sanusi Dankaka Yahaya’, sent out a malicious publication alleging that he possessed the said videos and photographs of the governor.

The DSS said the content of the said publication, Dankaka knew was false, but was sent out for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, insult and injury on the person and reputation of the governor.

The offence, the DSS said, is contrary to and punishable under Section 24(1) of Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015, as amended.

Bonoan: Estrada has over P7 billion ‘initiatives’ in 2025 budget

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada has over P7 billion in ‘congressional initiatives’ in the 2025 budget, former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan said in written testimony submitted to the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division Tuesday.

The anti-graft court is currently conducting a hearing on Estrada’s bail petition where Bonoan stands as a witness.

Estrada’s lawyer Lawrence Arroyo objected to the inclusion of this amount in his written testimony, citing relevance.

However, special prosecutor Reza Derayunan said: ‘It is not irrelevant since it is part of the congressional initiatives allocated to Senator Estrada for fiscal year 2025.’

But Arroyo said: ‘While they are part of the 2025 GAA [General Appropriations Act], they are not part of the allegation in the amended Information.’

Arroyo noted that the subject amount in Estrada’s case is only around P2 billion.

‘There is an excess of P5 billion in the testimony,’ Arroyo said.

Ultimately, Associate Justice Zaldy Trespeses said the court would still allow the inclusion of the amount in Bonoan’s testimony.

Govt draws up 5-yr RCOA roadmap

RCOA allows qualified high-demand consumers to choose their own energy suppliers-the Electric Power Industry Reform Act’s (Epira) ultimate vision of allowing all end-users to choose their own electricity supplier is nearing realization, the ERC said.

‘The Epira envisioned a power sector in which every end-user could, in time, choose its electricity supplier. Twenty-five years later, that vision is within reach.’

Under the RCOA framework, eligibility was expanded last June 26 to include any customer with an average monthly peak demand of 100 kilowatt (kW) or more, adding an estimated 12,000 new end-users to the 2,300 who had already transitioned.

To achieve full retail competition by 2031, the ERC has established a five-year roadmap guided by domestic and international insights. This strategy dictates that annual threshold reductions will only proceed through formal readiness gates after ensuring the necessary metering, data management, and consumer-protection infrastructures are fully operational.

‘The Commission recognizes that this timetable is ambitious but necessary. The competitive retail electricity market in the country began in 2013; 13 years later, it is still only at 100kW.

The Commission, look to other jurisdictions like Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Australia where each took a decade or more to reach full residential choice, and each had to introduce safety nets after liberalization.

The roadmap is designed to move quickly where readiness permits and to pause where it does not,’ the ERC said.

Fertility rate in Cyprus at 1.39 in 2024, according to Eurostat

The total fertility rate in Cyprus stood at 1.39 births per woman in 2024, above the EU average of 1.34, according to data published by Eurostat on Tuesday.

However, the rate in Cyprus remained below the population replacement level, which is estimated at 2.10 births per woman.

At EU level, the total fertility rate fell to 1.34 births per woman in 2024, reaching its lowest level since the relevant time series began in 2001, according to Eurostat.

Over the past 20 years, the fertility rate in the EU has remained consistently below the replacement level, ranging between 1.34 and 1.57 births per woman.

Police deploy tactical teams after killing of Islamic scholar in Katsina

The Katsina State Police Command has confirmed the killing of prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Yahaya Masussuka, and his friend, Adamu Abubakar, by suspected gunmen in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area of the state.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Sadiq-Aliyu, confirmed the incident in a statement issued in Katsina on Monday.

He said the attack occurred at about 7.30 p.m. in front of the scholar’s residence in Dutsin-Ma when two armed men on a motorcycle opened fire on the victims.

Both men sustained fatal gunshot injuries and were rushed to the nearest hospital, where a doctor pronounced them dead.

According to the police spokesperson, the Divisional Police Officer in Dutsin-Ma led a team of operatives to the scene after receiving a report of the incident.

‘Investigations have commenced, and efforts are being intensified to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice,’ he said.

Sadiq-Aliyu added that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Ali Umar-Fage, had ordered the deployment of tactical and operational teams to track down the fleeing suspects.

The commissioner commiserated with the families, friends and followers of the deceased, as well as residents of Dutsin-Ma, over the killings.

He assured the public that the command would continue its efforts until those responsible were arrested.

‘Further developments will be communicated to the public in due course,’ he said.

Minister Ogwang, retired soldier clash over Shs20m loan linked to Gen Muhoozi visit

Sports State Minister Peter Ogwang and a retired Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officer are embroiled in a dispute over an alleged Shs20 million debt dating back about five years, with the minister threatening legal action over claims that he has failed to repay the money.

Mr Simon Julius Engeku, a retired lieutenant and former candidate for Kapir County in Ngora District, accuses Mr Ogwang of borrowing the money during an event in Soroti at which Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba was hosted.

Mr Engeku claims the minister approached him for the money to settle bills for some people invited to the event, promising to repay it later.

‘I gave the minister the money in presence of some reasonable persons as witnesses, but paying back the money has become a problem, my repeated reminders to my brother have not yielded any positive result,’ Mr Engeku said.

However, Mr Ogwang, the MP for Ngariam County in Katakwi District, has denied ever borrowing money from the retired officer and threatened to sue him for defamation.

The minister said attempts to portray him as indebted to Mr Engeku would not go unchallenged, giving the retired officer an opportunity to withdraw his statements or face him in court.

On Monday, October 27, 2026, Mr Ogwang, through his lawyers, Wamimbi Advocates and Solicitors, issued a notice of intention to sue Mr Engeku over a video posted on his TikTok account in which he alleges that the minister has refused to repay the Shs20 million.

‘Our client has become aware of a video published on your TikTok account in which you falsely allege that, approximately five years ago, during Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s visit to Teso, you advanced Shs20m to our client through certain intermediaries. Our client categorically denies the allegations and states that he has no knowledge of any transaction,’ the lawyers’ letter reads.

The lawyers described the statements as malicious and defamatory, arguing that they portray the minister as dishonest and as someone who fails to honour his financial obligations.

They demanded that Mr Engeku immediately remove the video from TikTok, issue a clear and factual clarification with equal prominence, and do so by Friday this week.

The lawyers warned that failure to comply would result in legal proceedings against him.

The dispute centres on sharply conflicting accounts of the alleged transaction. While Mr Engeku maintains that he lent the minister the money in the presence of witnesses, Mr Ogwang denies any knowledge of the transaction.

The minister’s threatened legal action now places the dispute over the alleged debt before a potential court process, although no court proceedings have been confirmed in the information available.

South Korea recalls eight diplomats from Ukraine amid political controversy

South Korea has recalled eight diplomats from Ukraine amid a political controversy sparked by Kyiv’s public disclosure of information about the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said the decision had been made while the main diplomatic staff would remain in Ukraine.

He noted that the core team continues to operate in the country and is taking all possible measures to ensure the safety of South Korean citizens amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In September, Seoul demanded an official explanation from Kyiv and assurances that similar incidents would not be repeated after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly stated during his address to the United Nations General Assembly that two North Korean soldiers had been transferred to South Korea.

The disclosure triggered diplomatic tensions between Seoul and Kyiv over the handling of the North Korean prisoners and the circumstances surrounding their transfer.

No More Policy Changes Without Impact Assessment – FG

The minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Taiwo Oyedele says the federal government is proposing mandatory impact assessments before major economic policy changes to reduce uncertainty for businesses and investors.

He made the disclosure on Monday at the ongoing 32nd Nigerian economic summit (NES) in Abuja, while presenting the proposed Nigeria economic policy framework for public consultation.

He said the framework would require policymakers to explain the problems a proposed intervention seeks to solve, the evidence supporting it, who would benefit, who would bear the cost, and the conditions under which the policy would end.

The framework, which he said is still a consultation draft, is intended to establish enduring principles for economic policymaking across successive administrations rather than serve as a development plan or the manifesto of a particular government.

‘Our challenge has never been a shortage of ambition or good ideas. It has been the absence of an enduring economic philosophy, consistent policy making, and disciplined implementation,’ Oyedele said.

He said frequent policy reversals, inadequate impact assessments and limited consultation with businesses had undermined investment and economic growth.

‘Policy uncertainty is an invisible tax on enterprise, and unlike most taxes, it generates no revenue for the government. It only destroys value and discourages investment,’ he said.

According to Oyedele, the proposed framework would organise Nigeria’s economic priorities around seven interconnected areas: stability, productivity, enterprise, capital, people, markets and institutions.

He said the framework would also introduce an annual national economic scorecard, to be published on or before October 1, to track indicators such as real wages, productive employment, and poverty.

‘GDP growth matters, but per capita income matters even more,’ he said, adding that economic progress should be measured by improvements in household incomes, employment, and business productivity rather than aggregate figures alone.

Oyedele said the framework would be guided by three principles: enterprise as the engine of growth, open but fair markets, and coordination across government institutions.

He said the government would support private enterprise by providing public goods, maintaining the rule of law, addressing market failures and protecting vulnerable groups.

On trade policy, he said tariffs should support the development of local industries rather than shield inefficient businesses from competition indefinitely.

‘A tariff must serve as a runway for local industry to take off, never a permanent shelter from competition,’ he said.

Oyedele said the framework will be open for public consultation from November 27, 2026, with Nigerians invited to respond to 17 questions through the federal ministry of finance’s website.

He said the draft would proceed to the federal executive council for approval and the national economic council for endorsement after the consultation and validation process.

Also speaking, the Chairman of NESG, Niyi Yusuf noted that transformation cannot be delivered by any single institution, as it requires collaborative effort.

‘Government must sustain stability, and deepen reforms that lower production costs, strengthen infrastructure, secure lives and improve shared prosperity. State Governments must improve their investment climates and develop their productive advantages.

‘Governments should do more to privatise public assets that can benefit from private sector management, expertise, know-how and capital to unlock investments. Businesses must invest, innovate, develop skills and create decent jobs.

‘Development partners, civil society and the media must support evidence and accountability. Our priority is to strengthen the transmission from stability to investment, from investment to productivity, from productivity to jobs, and from jobs to rising incomes and shared prosperity,’ he explained.

Azerbaijan’s non-bank credit institutions report 2.55-fold increase in net profit

Azerbaijan’s non-bank credit institutions (NBCIs) recorded a combined net profit of 153.4 million manats in January-September this year, marking a 2.55-fold increase compared with the same period last year.

According to the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, the sector’s operating revenues reached 538.2 million manats during the first nine months of the year, up 62.9% year-on-year.

Operating expenses rose by 40.35% to 230.3 million manats, while allocations to special reserves increased by 38.8% to 135.3 million manats. Unexpected expenses amounted to 200,000 manats, compared with unexpected income in the same period a year earlier. NBCIs paid 19 million manats in profit tax, 2.2 times more than in January-September last year.

As of October 1, the sector’s total assets stood at 1.5587 billion manats, representing a 49.3% increase from a year earlier. Net loans extended to customers accounted for 1.1746 billion manats of total assets.

The sector’s loan portfolio expanded by 57.1% over the 12-month period, highlighting the continued growth of lending by non-bank financial institutions.

Meanwhile, NBCIs’ total liabilities increased by 56.9% year-on-year to 852.8 million manats. Their balance-sheet capital rose by 41% to 705.9 million manats.

The figures point to substantial growth in the sector’s lending activity, revenues and profitability over the first nine months of the year.

Detained Niger Miners Died From Dehydration – Probe Panel

The panel constituted to investigate the death of alleged illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Niger State Command, has said the miners died from dehydration.

Presenting its report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja on Tuesday, the chairman of the committee, Jonathan Kure, said the miners suffered acute respiratory failure.

He also corrected the earlier reports that 37 miners died in custódy, saying 33 miners were confirmed dead.

He said the miners collapsed after calling for water and were ignored by the personnel of the NSCDC.

He said the detention room was overcrowded and poorly ventilated.

He said there were no approvals for the arrests and detention of the miners, adding that they were all detained beyond the legally allowed period.

The panel called for a total reform of the NSCDC and compensation for the victims.