Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri, on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 convicted and sentenced one Bukar Ahmed Shuwa to ten years imprisonment.

The convict was arraigned on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one -count amended charge for the offence of cheating to the tune of N2,950,000.00 (Two Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira).

The charge reads: “That you, Bukar Ahmed Shuwa sometimes in the year 2024 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court fraudulently induced one Mahmud Ali to deliver to you the aggregate sum of N2, 950,000.00 under the guise of Crypto Bitget Wallet Coin Investment and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 309 and punishable under Section 310 of the Penal Code Law and Other Matters Connected therewith Law, 2023.”

The defendant pleaded ‘guilty’ to the charge when it was read to him.

Following his plea, prosecution counsel, A.D Abdulmalik prayed the court to convict him accordingly. While in the same vein, counsel to the defendant, H. Basharu pleaded for leniency and urged the court to temper justice with mercy upon him.

Basharu further stated that the convict had fully restituted the money to the petitioner and urged the court to sentence him with an option of fine.

Thereafter, Justice Kumaliya convicted and sentenced the convict to ten years imprisonment with an option of N200, 000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) fine.

The convict’s journey to the Correctional facility started when he fraudulently induced the petitioner  to deliver to him the sum of N2.9m under the guise of Crypto Bitget Wallet Coin Investment and diverted the money to his personal use.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has called on media practitioners in Osun State to support efforts to curb the spread of fake news ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

The appeal was made on Tuesday in Osogbo by the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, during a programme titled “The Journalists-INEC Voter Education and Publicity Dialogue on the 2026 Osun State Governorship Election.”

The event was organised by the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria programme in collaboration with the INEC headquarters as part of preparations for the forthcoming poll.

Addressing journalists and media stakeholders, Babalola stressed the importance of the media in safeguarding the credibility of the electoral process through accurate and responsible reporting.

She said the media remained a critical partner in voter education, information dissemination and public enlightenment, particularly as the election date draws nearer.

Babalola warned that misinformation and disinformation posed significant threats to credible elections in the digital era, noting that false narratives and manipulated content could erode public confidence in the democratic process.

“As we move closer to this important date, the role of the media as a partner in voter education, information dissemination, and public enlightenment cannot be over-emphasised,” she said.

She added, “One of the greatest threats to credible elections in this digital age is the spread of disinformation and misinformation. False narratives, fake results, doctored videos, and malicious propaganda have the capacity to undermine public confidence in the electoral process, incite violence, and delegitimise outcomes.”

The REC urged journalists to verify information before publication and actively challenge false reports with factual and balanced coverage.

“We must therefore work together to build a robust defence against these threats. The media must serve as gatekeepers of truth, verifying information before dissemination and countering falsehoods with factual reporting,” Babalola stated.

She also reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to providing timely, accurate and verifiable information through its official communication channels, urging journalists to rely on those platforms and collaborate with the commission in addressing misleading reports.

According to her, “the dialogue provided an opportunity for INEC and media organisations to develop creative, culturally sensitive and accessible voter education strategies capable of reaching residents in languages and formats they easily understand.”

Earlier, the Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society, Dr Akin Akingbulu, called on journalists to uphold their responsibility of educating citizens about their roles before, during and after the election while also scrutinising campaign promises and monitoring the commission’s readiness for the poll.

Akingbulu said media practitioners should not remain passive observers, adding that they must “reflect, interrogate, and rank. And your perspectives will reach further than you may expect.”

Governor Charles Soludo has said that Anambra State and the All Progressives Grand Alliance would support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Soludo made the declaration while addressing members of the City Boy Movement, Anambra State Chapter.

The governor said his political decisions are guided by the interests of Anambra people and the Igbo nation, stressing that he believes in what he described as the “politics of evidence.”

He cited the Federal Government’s approval of the state’s proposed aerotropolis as a Free Economic Trade Zone as an example of the benefits of cooperation with the current administration.

According to him, the approval was granted in what he described as the fastest response he had witnessed from the Federal Government.

Soludo also said that although APGA remains a separate political party, it shares progressive ideals with the ruling party and should work with the Federal Government for the benefit of the South-East region.

The governor maintained that progressive political forces must collaborate to advance the interests of the Igbo people and accelerate development in Anambra State.

Soludo said: “You don’t take second position in politics. I don’t play that kind of politics. The Politics I want to play is for the interest of Ndi Anambra, and the Igbo.

“I only play politics of evidence.

“The President in a fastest approval I have ever seen, he designated our aero metropolis as a free economic trade zone. That’s politics.

“Despite the fact that we are in APGA, we understand it that progressives have to work together for the good of Igbo.”

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Kaduna State branch, on Tuesday staged a nationwide solidarity rally over the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers, calling on the Nigerian government to urgently treat attacks on schools and the abduction of students and teachers as a national emergecy.

Addressing newsmen in Kaduna, Comrade Sunday Garba, the state treasurer of the union, said the protest was driven by the pain of repeated attacks on schools across the country. He said they gathered not by choice but because their children, who are supposed to be the future of Nigeria, are in captivity.

He lamented: “Teachers who are saddled with the responsibility of shaping the future of this country have been silenced.”

Garba explained that the rally was triggered by the recent abduction in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, stressing that it was also a response to a pattern of school kidnappings that remains unabated.

The union observed that in April 2014, 276 female students were kidnapped from Chibok in Borno State and that more than 90 are still missing. It added that in February 2018, 110 schoolgirls were abducted in Dapchi, Yobe State, while five were killed.

The union stated that in December 2020, more than 300 boys were abducted in Kankara, Katsina State, and were later released. It added that in February 2021, 27 students were abducted in Kagara, Niger State, while one student was killed.

The union further stated that in February 2021, 317 girls were abducted in Jangebe, Zamfara State, and later released. It also pointed out that between March and April 2021, 39 students were kidnapped from Afaka in Kaduna State, while about 20 students of Greenfield University were abducted, with five of them later killed by bandits.

“In July 2021, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, over 100 students of Bethel Baptist High School were kidnapped and later released in batches. In March 2024, 287 students were abducted in Kuriga, Kaduna State,” he said.

He further recalled that in November 2025, 25 girls were abducted in Maga, Kebbi State, while the vice principal was killed. He also noted that in November 2025, more than 300 students and teachers were abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State. In May 2026, 26 children were taken from an orphanage/school in Kogi State, while other abductions occurred in three schools in Oriire, Oyo State.

Garba said that when a child is abducted, every schoolchild loses a piece of their freedom.

“When one teacher falls, every teacher stands afraid. Schools have become targets,” he added.

The union therefore called for the immediate release of all students and teachers in captivity, insisting that the issue should be treated as a national emergency.

Activist and public affairs analyst, Dr. Lemmy Ughegbe, has said the recent arrest of five suspected terrorists, including two foreign nationals, by the Department of State Services (DSS) demonstrates that Nigeria’s security agencies are capable of delivering significant results when adequately equipped and supported.
Ughegbe stated this during an interview on Wednesday on Arise News while discussing the country’s security challenges and the role of citizens in addressing them.

According to him, Nigeria must acknowledge the seriousness of its security situation, noting that even President Bola Tinubu has publicly expressed concern about insecurity.

“We are in trouble as a country; we must admit that,” Ughegbe said.

Despite the challenges, he argued that the DSS operation should inspire confidence in the country’s security institutions.

“This very remarkable feat by the DSS shows that the agency, when allowed to do its job, properly equipped and properly motivated, has the capacity, not just the potential, to generate credible and actionable intelligence,” he said.

Ughegbe said the operation demonstrated the ability of security agencies to infiltrate terrorist networks, intercept intelligence and disrupt the movement of weapons among criminal groups.

“Being able to capture these five terrorists, including two foreign nationals, speaks volumes to the fact that we can be hopeful, even though there is still a lot of work to be done,” he added.

He stressed that intelligence gathering depends heavily on cooperation from members of the public, urging Nigerians to report suspicious activities within their communities.

“DSS officials are not spirits, they will not get information unless citizens provide it. If you have people living within your community whom nobody knows, there should be a way of quietly passing information to the authorities,” he said.

Ughegbe also blamed part of the security challenge on public complacency, saying many residents pay little attention to unfamiliar individuals living around them.

“Many of us live in areas where we do not know our neighbours. Yet terrorists and criminals can live within those same communities,” he said.

The analyst further urged political leaders and opposition figures to avoid politicising security issues, arguing that national security should take precedence over partisan interests.

“If we are all concerned about the state of affairs in Nigeria, then we must put the country first, there cannot be elections without citizens being safe,” he said.

Drawing comparisons with responses to major security incidents in other countries, Ughegbe called for greater unity in tackling insecurity.

“We need to get to a stage where we drop politics and focus on securing our country. Before politics, our citizenship and our safety must come first,” he added.