Category: PM News

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has condemned alleged rape, assault, and forced administration of unknown substances on Nigerian girls held in deportation camps in New Delhi, India.

Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) said this in a statement issued on her behalf on Tuesday by the Director Media, Public Relations and Protocols of the Commission, Abdur-Rahman Balogun,

The NIDCOM boss in the statement said disturbing accounts and videos shared by some of the victims showed that the Nigerian girls were subjected to inhumane treatment and grave violations of their dignity and fundamental human rights.

‘The alleged acts of sexual violence, physical abuse, and intimidation are both heartbreaking and unacceptable,’ Dabiri-Erewa said in the statement while condemning the reported abuses in the strongest possible terms.

She added that Nigerian citizens, wherever they are in the world, must not be treated as less than human, nor should their vulnerability be exploited under the guise of immigration procedures.

‘We are further alarmed by claims that corrupt practices involving middlemen and certain groups are worsening the plight of our citizens through exploitation and extortion. If verified, such actions not only endanger lives but also undermine justice and due process.

‘NiDCOM reassures the victims and their families that these disturbing reports will not be ignored. We are already engaging with the Nigerian High Commission in India, relevant Indian authorities, and international human rights organizations to ascertain the veracity of these claims and ensure that immediate and urgent steps are taken to protect the victims, provide them with medical and psychological support, and bring perpetrators to justice.

‘We call on the Government of India to urgently investigate these allegations, close down any channels of exploitation, and ensure the safety and dignity of Nigerians within its borders.

‘Our hearts go out to the young women and men enduring such traumatic experiences. We stand in solidarity with them and affirm that Nigeria will never abandon its citizens in their time of need.

‘NiDCOM will continue to follow up on this matter until justice is served, and the dignity of every Nigerian is safeguarded,’ the Commission said in the statement

Colleagues of late ARISE News correspondent, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, have broken their silence, accusing a hospital of negligence that cost the 29-year-old her life after she narrowly escaped a robbery attack.

During Tuesday’s edition of The Morning Show, anchors Ojy Okpe and Dr Reuben Abati recounted how Maduagwu’s life could have been saved but was instead cut short by a system they described as ‘callous and unethical.’

Okpe, narrating the tragic sequence, said the journalist had jumped from her Abuja apartment when she realised 14 armed robbers had stormed the building. Though badly injured from the fall, she survived and was rushed to the Maitama District General Hospital.

‘She did not die on the spot,’ Okpe stressed. ‘She was taken to the hospital, but she was rejected. This really is a tragic incident. Sommie’s life could have been saved, but the hospital refused to treat her.’

Reports said Maduagwu and an aged security guard, who was also injured, were both turned away because hospital staff allegedly demanded identification before treatment. They later died.

Abati condemned the hospital’s actions, calling it a betrayal of medical ethics and a violation of the law.

‘Anybody who is a victim of an accident should be treated immediately,’ he said. ‘But those who were taken to the hospital were refused treatment because staff were looking for identification. It is the duty of doctors and nurses to save lives. Lives could have been saved.’

The anchors described the incident as a national disgrace, adding that it reflects the risks journalists face in Nigeria.

‘This job that we do is very dangerous,’ Abati said. ‘It is unfortunate that a young woman has fallen.’

Maduagwu’s final post on X from August – ‘I pray from the depth of my heart that Nigeria never happens to me or anyone I care about’ – has since resurfaced online, sparking an outpour of grief and anger.

The FCT Police Command confirmed that investigations are ongoing into the robbery and circumstances of her death.

Maduagwu, a lawyer and former beauty queen, joined ARISE in 2024 and was celebrated for her advocacy for out-of-school children and her fight against gender-based violence.

The Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML), on Monday, September 29, 2025, sealed the business premises of two Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) in Sokoto.

The SCUML is a unit of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that supervises Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) to ensure compliance with anti-money laundering, counter-financing of terrorism, and related regulations.

The companies, Iman Multi Structures Ltd and Daraja Motors, were sealed by the EFCC unit for non-compliance with the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and the EFCC AML/CFT/CPF Regulations, 2024.

Both entities had previously been sanctioned and fined for regulatory breaches; Iman Multi Structures Ltd on June 18, 2025, and Daraja Motors on August 13, 2025. However, they failed to comply with the payment directives issued by the government.

An investigation conducted by SCUML’s Zonal Coordinator, Ahmadu Bello, revealed that the deadline for payment expired more than a month ago, with no remedial action taken by the affected organisations.

Accordingly, their premises have been sealed and will remain so until full compliance with all applicable regulations is achieved.

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has officially closed its application portal for the 2024/2025 academic year as of Tuesday, September 30, 2025.

According to the Fund, this marks the end of the second full cycle of the loan scheme.

The closure will allow NELFUND to finish processing pending applications and continue payments to approved students.

In a statement signed by Mrs. Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, the Director of Strategic Communications,

NELFUND announced that the portal will reopen in the second week of October 2025 for the 2025/2026 academic session.

The new application window will remain open until January 2026.

The Fund directed schools to update their students’ records on the Student Verification System (SVS) so that eligible students can apply.

Schools that are yet to begin a new session within the given period were advised to notify NELFUND for special consideration.

NELFUND warned that any 2024/2025 applications left unverified by institutions after October 8, 2025, will be cancelled. Affected students will need to reapply for the 2025/2026 academic year.

The Fund added that some applications remain unpaid because certain schools have not completed the required verification.

NELFUND said it is working with such institutions but stressed that schools which fail to comply will have their names published.

On upkeep allowances, the Fund clarified that payments for the 2024/2025 session will continue until November 2025.

However, all students must reapply for the 2025/2026 session to remain eligible.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has disowned former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, over his claim that former President Goodluck Jonathan would emerge as the party’s presidential candidate in 2027.

The party leadership stated that Gana lacked the authority to speak on behalf of the PDP regarding its presidential ticket, insisting that the party has competent governors and other qualified members who could contest the election.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, clarified:

‘Professor Jerry Gana doesn’t speak for the PDP.

People are free to express opinions, but the party has eminently qualified Nigerians, particularly at the governors’ level, who have demonstrated capacity and performance.

When the time comes, our convention will decide.’

Ologunagba stressed that Jonathan remains a member of the party but has not declared any intention to contest.

On the purported state congress held in Calabar, Cross River State, over the weekend, Ologunagba dismissed it as unauthorised.

He explained that the National Working Committee (NWC) had not constituted any electoral panel to conduct such an exercise.

‘There was no state congress in Cross River for the PDP. What happened, if anything at all, could best be described as a carnival gathering, not a congress.

For emphasis, the congress in Cross River has been postponed, along with those of Plateau and Kebbi States,’ he said.

Ologunagba added that disciplinary measures would be taken against those behind the exercise, warning that the party would maintain internal order and due process

Big Brother Naija season 10 housemate, Jason Jae, has been crowned as the Head of House for the final week of the show.

The housemate was crowned on Monday evening, after winning the final HoH challenge.

Jason Jae also chose to spend the HoH lounge with Sultana.

Although the privilege of being immune to eviction as the head of house no longer applies in the final week of the reality TV show, Jason Jae made history as the first and last HoH of this season.

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, struck out two separate suits filed by former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to seek court protection against the plan by EFCC to probe him.

Justice Mohammed Umar struck out the two cases following a notice of discontinuance of the suits sighted in the court record and after no lawyer appeared for parties at the resumed hearing.

The former Senate president had filed the suits following the EFCC’s decision in 2019 to probe his earnings between 2003 and 2011 when he was governor of Kwara.

The anti-graft commission was reported to have seized some of his houses in the Ikoyi area of Lagos then.

However, Saraki, on May 10, 2019, filed the two separate suits, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/507/2019 and FHC/ABJ/CS/508/2019, before retired Justice Taiwo Taiwo to challenge the action of the EFCC.

The ex-Senate president named the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Inspector-General (I-G) of Police and State Security Service (SSS) are 1st to 3rd defendants.

Others are EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) as 4th to 6th respondents respectively.

Justice Taiwo, who was the presiding judge then, had ruled on an ex-parte application filed along with the substantive suits.

The judge ordered the EFCC and the other five respondents to the suits to stay action on their investigations.

He directed the parties to maintain the status quo by suspending the probe, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by the applicant.

The order was granted after Saraki’s lawyer moved the application on May 14, 2019.

But the EFCC later applied that the judge should recuse himself and the matter be transferred to another court.

Justice Taiwo sent back the case file to the chief judge and the matter was reassigned to Justice Anwuli Chikere (rtd.) for adjudication.

When the matter came up on July 14, 2021 before Justice Chikere, EFCC Counsel, Chile Okoronkwo, complained that Taiwo’s order had hindered the agency ‘from performing its duty for about two years.’

The lawyer, who stated that Saraki continued to hinge on the order of the court any time he was invited, urged the court to vacate the order.

But the suits were reassigned to Justice Inyang Ekwo following the retirement of Chikere.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Ekwo had, on Jan. 25, 2023, struck out the two suits for lack of diligent prosecution.

After the suits were struck out, the ex-Senate president, through his lawyer, approached the court for a relisting of the cases to the cause list of the court.

And on Oct. 28, 2024, Justice Ekwo granted Saraki’s prayer to amend the suits against the respondents.

The judge granted the application after it was moved by Saraki’s counsel, Tunde Afe-Babalola, SAN, and was not opposed by the defence lawyers.

The cases were recently reassigned to Justice Umar.

Six suspected members of a land fraud syndicate have been arrested in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State for allegedly defrauding one Aniekan Etukudo Koffi of the sum of ?6 million. The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The suspects identified as Enobong Clement Etim (aka Edet Nsem Udo), Iniakop Okot, Emmanuel Edet, Essien Edet Aniedi, Christopher Anthony and Edwin Etim were arrested at different locations in Akwa Ibom State.

Their arrest followed a petition from their victims alleged that the prime suspect, Enobong Clement Etim, used a pseudo name, and along with his accomplices, defrauded him of the said sum in a bogus transaction involving a parcel of land located at Ifa Ikot Ubo, Ifa Ikot Okpon-Etoi in Uyo Local Government Area of the State.

The petitioner alleged that he was introduced to the prime suspect and his gang in July 2025 through a member of the syndicate who claimed access to a prime parcel of land which, according to them, was up for sale.

The petitioner said he was taken to the said piece of land for inspection, and was eventually shown some forged documents by the arrested suspects.

Relying on their offer which he eventually found to be fraudulent, the petitioner allegedly paid ?6,000,000.00 to the alleged fraudsters, with an initial transfer of ?4,000,000.00 into a UBA Account Number: 1027675758 belonging to the prime suspect.

Preliminary investigations have shown that the said piece of land does not belong to Enobong Clements Etim or any member of the syndicate, and that the petitioner was defrauded of the sum of ?6,000,000.00.

Efforts are still ongoing to apprehend other accomplices and recover the petitioner’s funds.

Nollywood actor and producer, Afeez Owo, has spoken glowingly about his wife and colleague, Mide Martins, as the couple continues to celebrate their enduring 22-year marriage.

In a recent interview on Oyinmomo TV, Afeez debunked misconceptions about his wife’s personality, describing her as a wonderful partner who is neither strict nor ‘wicked,’ both at home and in public.

He revealed that their marriage thrives on balance and mutual understanding rather than stereotypes of dominance or calmness.

‘Our marriage isn’t the kind where the husband has to be overly strict or the wife has to remain overly calm. We’ve built it on balance, and God has been faithful to us,’ he said.

Speaking further, Afeez shared details about their unique bond, disclosing the unconventional pet names they call each other.

‘I call her Iya Alekuleja, and she calls me Baba Elere. Those aren’t the usual pet names like dear or honey, but it works for us because of the closeness we share,’ he added with a smile.

Reflecting on their journey together since tying the knot in 2003, Afeez expressed gratitude to Mide, publicly thanking her for her patience and love.

’22 years of marriage is no small thing. Ajoke, thank you for putting up with me. I swear to God, my wife is not a wicked woman, whether at home or in public,’ he said.

Barcelona’s director of football, Deco, has dismissed claims that the club would be forced to buy Marcus Rashford permanently after his loan spell from Manchester United.

Speaking to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Deco explained that the deal is a simple loan with an option to buy, and there are no penalties if Barça decide not to trigger the clause.

‘We signed Marcus on a simple loan with an option to buy. It’s not a high fee. There are no penalties if we do not sign him permanently. He’s doing great, we are very happy. the final decisions come later,’ Deco said.

Rashford, 27, joined Barcelona in July on a season-long loan after falling out of favour at Old Trafford. Reports in Spain suggest the buy option is set at around pound 30-35 million, though Barça have so far declined to confirm the figure.

The England forward has quickly adapted to life at Camp Nou, registering two goals and four assists in eight games, including a Champions League brace against Newcastle United.

Despite his bright start, Deco insisted it was too early to discuss whether the club would sign him permanently, stressing that the decision will be taken at the end of the season.