Category: PM News

A 29-year-old loan officer, Ayomide Lamidi on Thursday appeared before an Ogudu Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for allegedly stealing N11.6 million belonging to his employer of one of the Microfinance Banks.

The prosecutor, Insp Sunday Bassey told the court that the defendant committed the offence between January and July, 2025 at the bank’s branch located along Ikorodu Road, Ketu. Bassey said an internal audit revealed that the defendant diverted customers’ loan repayments and deposits for personal use without remitting them into the bank’s account.

He said the bank’s auditor, Mr Adesola Adebowale and branch manager, Yetunde Ogundare, reported the matter to the police after discovering the fraud. The prosecutor added that during interrogation, the defendant admitted to the act.

He said the offence contravened Section 287(7) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The Magistrate, Mrs O.A. Daodu, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N700,000 with two sureties in like sum.

The case was adjourned until Oct. 7, 2025, for further hearing.

Tragedy struck in the United States after a seven-year-old boy, identified as Mazi Simmons died in horrific circumstances when his head got trapped in the backseat window of a car while his mother allegedly slept off under the influence of narcotics.

The incident occurred on April 6 in southwest Atlanta but has now resulted in his mother, 32-year-old Kandice Grace, being charged with second-degree murder and cruelty to children.

According to an arrest warrant obtained by 11Alive, police officers arrived at the scene to find Mazi unresponsive in the backseat of the car, his head caught in a closing window. His mother, Grace, was discovered unconscious in the front passenger seat, reportedly under the influence of opioids and THC.

Two of her other children were also in the vehicle but were unharmed.

Investigators said Grace had left the children unattended after passing out from drug use. Disturbingly, a witness told police that Grace had visited her home the night before the tragedy and left her children in the car. By the next morning, the witness found her still unconscious and the young boy hanging out of the window.

Police officers reported that during an on-scene interview, the mother repeatedly lost consciousness while attempting to hold her lifeless child. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation later confirmed that Grace tested positive for opioids and THC.

In the wake of the boy’s death, his godmother, Karion Bickham, launched a GoFundMe campaign, revealing that Mazi was not Grace’s first child to die. ‘Mazi was her second child, and heartbreakingly, not her first loss. She also lost her daughter Jordice, and now she is enduring the unthinkable pain of saying goodbye to another piece of her heart,’ the fundraiser reads.

Tributes poured in for the boy described as ‘full of life, joy, and love.’ The GoFundMe page noted: ‘Whether he was dancing, striking his signature peace sign, or just being his silly, playful self, he always found a way to make everyone around him feel joy. He loved life and he loved deeply.’

On social media, his mother identifies as an amateur rapper under the stage name KKokaine Kandi and also runs a cosmetics service company. One of her music videos on YouTube has nearly 7,000 views.

Grace was formally charged on September 29 and is being held while investigations continue.

The tragic death of Mazi, believed to be of Nigerian-American heritage, has sparked outrage online, with many calling for justice and questioning how such a preventable tragedy could occur.

The Nasarawa State Government has disbursed N592 million as bursary to 16,756 students studying at various tertiary institutions in the country.

The state Gov. Abdullahi Sule disclosed this during official disbursement of the bursary on Thursday at Akwanga Local Government Area. He said that the gesture was part of his commitment to investing in the future and transforming the education sector.

Sule explained that education is the topmost priority of his administration, saying it was why education had 36 per cent allocation in the 2025 budget of the state.

The governor stressed that his administration had restored international scholarship in the state and is currently sponsoring 155 students studying different courses in various countries of the world.

He further disclosed that the state government is sponsoring nursing students as well as others in different universities across the country to build future manpower for the state. ‘We paid 2025 National Examination Council (NECO) registration fees for more than 24, 000 secondary students in public schools to ease the burden on their parents,’ he added.

Sule further directed the board handling the bursary to commence the process for the disbursement of the allowances for the 2025/2026 academic session. Earlier, Hajia Sa’Adatu Yahaya, the Executive Secretary, Nasarawa State Scholarship Board, expressed gratitude to the governor for the gesture.

The Executive Secretary explained that 25,000 students had applied for the bursary on the portal, but the board shortlisted 17,762 applicants after an online screening exercise.

She further said that the board had decided to conduct physical verification of the beneficiaries after the state government approved the payment for the number of beneficiaries screened through the online process.

‘After the physical verification, the board discovered that 2006 applicants were no longer students and we delisted them from the list of beneficiaries, bringing the number to 16,756. We, therefore, refunded the money meant for these ineligible students to the state government,’ she added.

The board secretary further explained that the candidates benefited from N30,000 to N90,000 as bursary allowances, depending on the course of study. She, therefore, promised that the board under her leadership would continue to maintain transparency and accountability in the discharge of their responsibility in line with the mandate given to them by the governor.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Ovey Abimiku, National President, Nasarawa State Students Association (NASSA), appreciated the governor for the gesture and promised that the beneficiaries would use the money to pursue their educational careers.

The family of late AriseTV correspondent, Somtochukwu ‘Sommie’ Maduagwu, say her death has robbed Nigeria of a young woman who abandoned the comfort of the United Kingdom to help build a better society at home.

Sommie, 29, tragically died after jumping from a three-storey building in Abuja on Monday, September 29, while trying to escape armed robbers. She had already planned to wed before Easter 2026.

Speaking in Port Harcourt, her uncle, Engineer Obi Maduagwu, said the young journalist always believed Nigeria could work if good people returned home to contribute.

‘She told her father she was leaving the UK, where she earned more, because she wanted Nigeria to work. She believed in a better society,’ he recalled.

The family pieced together the events of her death from calls and photographs. Convincing her father, who was offshore with Shell, to return home required urgent arrangements, including a helicopter evacuation to Port Harcourt. Her uncle described Sommie as independent, strong-willed and passionate about politics, especially women’s empowerment. She once called for more Senate seats for women and believed journalism was the best platform for her voice.

Just days before her death, she posted a haunting message: ‘Let Nigeria not happen to you.’

Engineer Maduagwu blamed insecurity and poor emergency response for her death. ‘If police had arrived on time, this tragedy could have been prevented. In the UK, distress calls are answered in minutes,’ he lamented, adding that hospitals must stop demanding ID cards or police reports before saving lives.

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, also mourned Sommie, calling her ‘one of the shining stars Rivers State gave to Nigeria and the world.’ He described her death as ‘an unwholesome tragedy’ and assured that security agencies had been directed to ensure justice is served.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has made it clear that it will not remove Israel from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, despite pressure from some football leaders and fans, PM News has learnt.

The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, said on Thursday that the world football body cannot fix political or geographical conflicts. Instead, FIFA’s main role is to encourage peace, unity, and the growth of football worldwide. Infantino explained this after a meeting of FIFA’s ruling council, where the situation with Israel was not on the official agenda.

This comes as calls have grown stronger in recent months for Israeli teams to be suspended, following the two-year conflict in Gaza.

However, those demands slowed down earlier this week after U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a peace proposal at the White House. ‘FIFA cannot solve geopolitical problems,’ Infantino said. ‘But it can and must promote football around the world by harnessing its unifying, educational, cultural, and humanitarian values.’

Israel is preparing to play its next World Cup qualifying matches in Europe. They will face Norway in Oslo on October 11 and then play against Italy in Udine on October 14.

This decision has drawn mixed reactions from football fans and officials.

Some argue that sports should remain separate from politics, while others believe FIFA should take stronger action against countries involved in conflicts.

For now, FIFA is standing firm on its position that football should continue as a tool for bringing people together, even in times of international crisis.

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Thursday flagged off the nationwide distribution of 370,000 sanitary pads worth ?2,550,297,150 for schoolgirls in rural communities across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The official launch, held at the State House, Alausa, Lagos, was part of her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) project tagged ‘Flow with Confidence.’

The programme, which aims to promote menstrual health and empower adolescent girls, was launched simultaneously in Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kebbi, and Lagos States, with other states expected to follow as supplies arrive.

Mrs. Tinubu, represented at the Lagos event by the State First Lady, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, said the intervention was designed to address a critical barrier to girl-child education.

‘In today’s modern world, no girl should have to miss school because of her inability to afford sanitary products,’ she said.

‘It is unacceptable that our girls still continue to face significant challenges during their menstrual cycle, especially those in rural communities, who miss school days every month because they cannot afford sanitary pads,’ she added.

She lamented that many girls resort to unsafe and unhygienic alternatives, while others withdraw from school altogether. ‘This trend must end, and this intervention, under the Education framework of the Renewed Hope Initiative, is aimed at doing just that,’ she stated.

According to her, each of the 36 states and the FCT will receive 10,000 packs of disposable pads, distributed through State First Ladies and RHI Coordinators. ‘We will be distributing a one-year supply of disposable sanitary pads to 370,000 schoolgirls in rural communities across the nation at the end of this programme,’ she announced.

Mrs. Tinubu stressed that the pads, procured from Uniglory Nigeria Limited in Ikorodu, Lagos, at a cost of ?2.55bn, must be given freely.

‘The pads are not to be sold under any circumstance,’ she warned, urging local government chairmen to take ownership of the initiative and ensure the products reach deserving girls.

She called on corporate organisations, agencies, and well-meaning Nigerians to support the initiative, while urging traditional, religious, and community leaders to help monitor the distribution.

The 2025 Crest Africa Awards have recognized Fredrick Oladipupo, a senior software engineer and tech entrepreneur, with the Tech Innovation for Social Impact Award.

Announcing the award, the organisers noted that it highlights Fredick’s groundbreaking work in creating technology that bridges everyday challenges with practical, people-focused solutions. The organisers noted that Fredrick is the founder of BabySteps, a parenting support app that enables families to track their children’s developmental milestones through personalized guidance, expert insights, and engaging activities.

The statements by organizers of 2025 Crest Africa Awards reads: ‘Already gaining traction in Africa and the United Kingdom, BabySteps is transforming how parents approach child development, fostering healthier parent-child relationships in the process.

‘Complementing this work, he also launched PlatformAdvisor, a research-driven software review and comparison platform. By simplifying the process of selecting digital tools, PlatformAdvisor empowers African entrepreneurs and organizations to adopt the right technologies and drive business growth with confidence.

‘Fredrick’s contributions go beyond product innovation. As a volunteer and mentor with CodeYourFuture (CYF UK), a nonprofit dedicated to training refugees and disadvantaged individuals in software development, he equips aspiring developers with the skills, resilience, and confidence to build meaningful careers in tech. His mentorship underscores a deep commitment to using technology as a force for inclusion and empowerment.

‘For Fredrick, the purpose of technology is clear: ‘Technology is most powerful when it solves everyday problems and makes life better for people,’ he emphasizes. This philosophy fuels both his entrepreneurial ventures and his advocacy for accessible, socially impactful innovation.

‘As he accepts the Crest Africa Award, Fredrick remains focused on expanding BabySteps to reach more families globally, mentoring the next generation of developers, and advancing inclusive solutions that address pressing challenges across Africa and beyond.

‘The recognition of Fredrick Oladipupo at the 2025 Crest Africa Awards is not just a celebration of individual achievement-it is a testament to how innovation, when grounded in empathy and social responsibility, can reshape communities and improve lives across continents.’

President Bola Tinubu congratulates the management and staff of Kresta Laurel Limited on the 35th anniversary of the leading indigenous elevator company.

Kresta Laurel Limited is a major player in elevators and escalators, with headquarters in Lagos, branches in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Uyo, and a zonal office in Ibadan.

The company is a recipient of the African Order of Merit in Cranes, Escalators, and Elevator Technology.

President Tinubu commends Kresta Laurel for its enterprise discipline, noting that its longevity could only have come from resilience, effective management, and sound business practices. The President recalls the space support provided by the company to him and his transition team in 1999, when he put together his technocratic cabinet, which took charge of Lagos affairs from May 1999.

President Tinubu thanks Kresta Laurel for its support and unwavering belief in the Nigerian market.

The President congratulates Senator Gbenga Daniel, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kresta Laurel Limited, and wishes the business more success and many remarkable anniversaries.

The Kaduna and Edo Police Commands have announced that their operatives will begin the enforcement of vehicle tinted glass permit regulations on Thursday.

In Kaduna, the spokesperson for the police command, DSP Mansir Hassan, Hassan said: ‘The command wishes to notify the public, particularly motorists, of the commencement of the enforcement of Vehicle Tinted Glass Permit Regulations, in line with extant laws and directives.

‘This enforcement exercise will take effect from Thursday.’

According to him, all vehicle owners and drivers whose vehicles are fitted with either factory-fitted or non-factory-fitted tinted glasses are advised to ensure compliance by registering and obtaining the requisite permit to avoid inconvenience with law enforcement officers.

He said the registration process included an online registration, urging the public to visit https://possap.gov.ng.

He said for the physical verification, they should proceed to the Kaduna command headquarters with the following documents; vehicle particulars, proof of ownership and tinted glass specifications

He urged the public to cooperate fully with the directive as the exercise was aimed at enhancing public safety and security across the state.

‘Non-compliance will attract necessary sanctions as provided by law,’Hassan warned.

The spokesperson said Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Muhammad, has assured all law-abiding citizens of the command’s commitment to ensuring a safe and secure environment while soliciting continuous support and cooperation from all the stakeholders.

In Edo, the police also said they will begin strict enforcement of tinted glass permits across the state from Thursday in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police.

Mr Monday Agbonika, the Commissioner of Police in the Edo disclosed this via a statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Moses Yamu.

Agbonika said the move was part of measures to enhance public safety and curb crimes perpetrated with unregistered or unauthorised vehicles.

‘From Thursday, our officers will stop and impound vehicles with factory-fitted and non-factory fitted tinted glasses without a valid permit issued by the Nigeria Police Force,’ the commissioner said.

The police chief stressed that motorists must obtain the required permits through the official online portal.

He gave the address as (https://www.possap.gov.ng) or by visiting the State Intelligence Department (SID) office at the command headquarters in Benin.

Reiterating the ban on SPY number plates, the commissioner warned that vehicles without registered number plates, those with covered plates, or with fake/unapproved numbers would be seized and their owners prosecuted.

‘This measure is to improve safety and security across Edo State, as unregistered and unauthorised vehicles are often used by criminals to perpetrate evil,’ he said.

He, however, urged the motoring public to comply with the directive and avoid unnecessary embarrassment.

Agbonika assured that the enforcement would be conducted in the interest of the public.

‘We appeal for maximum cooperation from members of the public. This exercise is for the overall safety of everyone,’ he added.

He also advised citizens to report suspicious activities and professional misconduct by officers.

Lagos State Government has begun the demolition of illegal buildings in Ebute Metta to solve problems associated with poor drainage.

The exercise which commenced on Thursday, was announced by the Lagos state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab.

Wahab on his X handle, revealed that the illegal structures that were demolished were one of the major reasons behind flooding in the area. ‘Our enforcement team has removed illegal structures erected along the Jebba/Kano collector, Ebute Metta. These encroachments hinder the free passage of stormwater and are a major factor behind flooding in this area,’ Wahab stated.

Wahab also urged residents not to block drainages with waste or extensions that could affect the drainage system.