The Federal Ministry of Interior has dismissed a widely circulated notice claiming that the ongoing recruitment exercise by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board, CDCFIB, has been postponed until after the 2027 general election.

The ministry described the document with the title: “CDCFIB Recruitment Update”, dated August 11, 2026, as fake and fraudulently attributed to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

In a statement issued on Thursday, it said, “The Ministry wishes to state unequivocally that this press release is fake, unauthorised, and fraudulent. The Minister did not sign or issue this statement”.

The ministry also rejected claims that funding challenges had forced the government to suspend the exercise, insisting that no such decision had been taken.

“No decision has been made to defer the recruitment exercise until after the 2027 general election. The exercise is ongoing,” the statement added.

The clarification comes amid concerns among applicants following the circulation of the alleged postponement notice on social media.

The ministry urged the public to rely only on official communication channels for recruitment updates.

“Members of the public and applicants are strongly advised to disregard this document in its entirety and to rely solely on information published through the Ministry’s and CDCFIB’s verified platforms,” it stated.

The statement was electronically signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, who also warned applicants to be cautious of misleading recruitment information circulating online.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, and other state governors have arrived in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, for a mega rally of the All Progressives Congress, APC, ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.

Other APC members at the rally include Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and a member of the House of Representatives representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, James Faleke.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has said that the Osun state governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026, is a do-or-die affair for the All Progressives Congress, APC.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi made this allegation on Wednesday while fielding questions in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’.

The Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, CP Michael Falade and the Ekiti Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Corps Commander, Sanya Adeoye have pledged support for the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, in its quest to curb quackery and impersonation in the profession.

Speaking at a courtesy call in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, the Commissioner of Police promised to provide the NUJ Anti-Quackery Task Force the necessary support required to clamp down on non-journalists who impersonate the men of the pen profession and engage in practices capable of undermining the integrity and credibility of the profession.

Falade who noted that the Police and Journalists have been partners in progress, assured of the Command’s readiness to collaborate with the Union within the ambit of the law.

While reiterating the commitment of the Command to maintaining an open-door policy and constructive engagement with the media, the Commissioner expressed gratitude to journalists in the state for their cooperation, professionalism and support in disseminating credible information and promoting public awareness on security and crime prevention.

Also speaking in his office, the FRSC Corp Commander, Sanya Adeoye hailed Ekiti journalists for helping the Corps command in disseminating information and sensitising the public on proper road usage.

Adeoye who stated that the Media has demonstrated that road safety is everybody’s business pledged the readiness of his Command to assist the NUJ in its quest to clamp down on indiscriminate use of the NUJ Stickers on vehicles.

He said while the FRSC accords the Union certain privileges, the partnership would help fish out non-journalists who use the press stickers to perpetrate heinous activities.

Earlier, the NUJ delegation led by the Union’s Vice Chairman, Olayinka Ilori and the Chairman of the Anti-Quackery committee, Abiodun Olofe solicited the support of the Police and the FRSC in enforcing a clamp down on people who impersonate journalists in the state.

A 41-year-old Nigerian, Babajide Adesayo, has been convicted by a federal jury in the United States for laundering more than $2.7 million allegedly obtained from victims of romance fraud and other online scams.

The United States Department of Justice disclosed this in a statement published on its website on Wednesday, saying Adesayo was found guilty on August 6, 2026, after an eight-day trial.

Adesayo, who resides in Douglasville, Georgia, was convicted on two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 16 counts of transactional money laundering.

According to the US Department of Justice, the offences were committed between April 2020 and September 2021 as fraudsters allegedly targeted elderly victims through online relationships.

The victims were reportedly deceived by individuals posing as friends, business associates or romantic partners before being asked to provide money for fabricated reasons, including business equipment, medical expenses, injuries and alleged imprisonment.

Court evidence showed that victims were directed to send substantial amounts of money, including retirement savings and other personal income, to business accounts linked to Adesayo’s co-defendant, Efemena Igbe, also a Nigerian national.

The Department of Justice said Igbe allegedly transferred most of the funds to back the payments as money for the purchase of vehicles from Adesayo’s automobile business.

Investigators said Adesayo subsequently transferred much of the money to overseas accounts in China, Hong Kong, Nigeria and other countries.

Over a period of 17 months, he allegedly received and moved more than $2.7 million belonging to victims of the fraud scheme.

The prosecution further alleged that Adesayo continued laundering money after his arrest in June 2024 while awaiting trial.

According to the US authorities, some victims sent money directly to accounts associated with Adesayo’s businesses, while others transferred funds to third-party accounts before the money was eventually routed to him.

The Department of Justice said Adesayo typically withdrew or transferred the funds shortly after receiving them.

His bond was subsequently revoked after authorities uncovered the alleged post-arrest activities, and he has remained in federal custody since March 2, 2026.

Adesayo is scheduled to be sentenced on November 20, 2026, before United States District Judge Mark H. Cohen.

The US Department of Justice said he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for each of the two conspiracy convictions and up to 10 years for each transactional money-laundering conviction.

He could also receive an additional consecutive sentence of up to 10 years for allegedly committing offences while on release.

The department noted, however, that the final sentence would be determined by the court after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges but are not binding on the judge.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday revealed that it has recovered over N115 billion in statutory levies owed to the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, by defaulting oil companies between 2021 and 2023.

The amount, presented to the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, is made up of N76.883 billion and $81.076 million.

EFCC representative, Mr. Francis Oka-Phillips Usani, disclosed this during the committee’s probe of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, 2021–2023 Oil and Gas Sector Audit findings.

Usani said 43 oil companies were investigated, out of which 24 operating within the Niger Delta were found to have outstanding liabilities.

“At the commencement of investigation, EFCC invited 43 oil companies out of which 24 operating within the Niger Delta, were found to have outstanding liabilities in the sums of N76,883,705,907.17 and $81,076,655.00 while the remaining 19 oil companies were given a clean bill of health,” he said.

He added that under pressure from the EFCC, some of the 24 companies paid directly to NDDC, totalling N6.709 billion and $16.994 million.

According to him, out of the total recovered, N73.373 billion and $67.070 million have been released to NDDC. The balance of N3.510 billion and $14.005 million remains in the EFCC recovery account.

Usani explained that the investigation focused on the 3% statutory levy due to NDDC as identified in the NEITI report, but noted that other unpaid statutory obligations and taxes to the Federal Government were not ignored.

After the EFCC presentation, the Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo-led committee rejected an attempt by TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited to defend queries raised against it due to under-representation.

The committee resolved that the Managing Director of TotalEnergies must appear in person next week. It also gave the Managing Directors of South Atlantic Petroleum Limited, Oando Oil Limited, Famfa Oil and Green Energy International Limited a “last chance” to appear physically.

Senator Dankwambo said the investigative session will continue on Thursday.

The spokesman of the City Boys Movement, Bashir Ahmad, has again mocked Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, ahead of the governorship election in Osun State.

In a post on his verified X handle, Ahmad asked the singer to wait for US President Donald Trump to deploy troops to help his uncle win the election.

Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has expressed concern over the alleged planned use of outdated Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, devices during Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State.

In a statement issued by his media office, Atiku said the challenges recorded during the August 1, 2026, mock accreditation exercise in Osun, coupled with comments made by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Director of ICT, Dr Lawrence Bayode, had exposed what he described as shortcomings in the election technology.