Edward Oluwasanmi, a Nigerian pastor, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for defrauding the US government of $4.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

Oluwasanmi was arrested alongside Joseph Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun state, in April 2024 over the crime.

The duo were charged in court on 13 counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions with criminally derived property.

According to the charge sheet, from April 2020 through February 28, 2022, Oloyede and Oluwasanmi submitted Paycheck Protection Programme (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) applications containing false information for companies under their control.

They also allegedly submitted falsified tax and wage documents to support these applications.

Oluwasanmi reportedly used his companies – Dayspring Transportation Limited, Dayspring Holding Incorporated, and Dayspring Property Incorporated – to obtain millions of dollars, which he later diverted for personal expenses in violation of US federal laws.

In February 2025, the duo pleaded guilty to some of the offences and submitted plea bargain agreements.

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On July 2, Christopher Boyko, the trial judge at the US district court of Ohio eastern division, sentenced Oluwasanmi to 27 months imprisonment on counts 1, 11, and 12 of the charges.

The sentences are to be served concurrently.

Boyko also ruled that the pastor should forfeit the sum of $1.3 million to the US government.

“Defendant sentenced to 27 months on Counts 1, 11 and 12 of the indictment, to be served concurrently,” the judge ruled.

The court is yet to deliver judgment in the case against Oloyede — the first defendant in the suit.

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A 45-year-old man, simply identified as Mallam Masa’udu, has been stabbed to death during an altercation over the use of a public washing line in Katsina State.

According to reports, the incident occurred on Thursday evening at the Ministerial Quarters, located near the Fatima Shema Estate in the state’s metropolitan area.

Masa’udu, who was in the laundry business, was stabbed by one Aminu, 35, who is also in the same line of business, with both men’s shops located beside each other.

Trouble began when Masa’udu attempted to hang some clothes on the washing line, but Aminu refused to allow him, ostensibly because he was also hoping to dry some clothes from his laundry too.

During the altercation, Aminu was said to have thrown some clothes Masa’udu had already hung on the washing line to the ground, and angrily trampled upon them.

Accordingly to one Mallam Hassan, who originally set up the wash line, Masa’udu “pleaded to hang his clothes for a short while on the wash line, but Aminu refused, threw the clothes on the ground and stomped on them.”

During the heated argument, the late Masa’udu was said to have quickly left and entered another neighbour’s shop to ask him to persuade Aminu to allow him to use the washing line.

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But Aminu, enraged by Masa’udu’s action, went and armed himself with a knife, stormed into the shop and stabbed Masa’udu severally.

Eyewitness accounts say Masa’udu initially tried to flee from Aminu after a few stabs, but Aminu followed after him and repeatedly stabbed him. According to a source, Masa’udu was stabbed at least seven times.

When alerted to the situation, security operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) rushed to the crime scene and rushed the victim to the K-Dara private hospital.

But doctors on duty pronounced Masa’udu dead on arrival, and his body was transferred to the Katsina General Hospital.

Aminu was immediately arrested and is currently in custody as investigations continue.

According to reports, both Masa’udu and Aminu have had a history of altercations, and last year, Aminu dragged Masa’udu to court, accusing him of defamation and homosexuality. However, the case was dismissed due to a lack of evidence.

Masa’udu, a native of Kaita Local Government Area, was said to be a long-standing resident of the Ministerial Quarters who had managed rented shops in the area, was in charge of electricity payments and general affairs of the community.

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Ironically, the deceased was the very person who allocated the shop which Aminu rented before the incident.

Masa’udu was said to have left behind a wife and six children. He has since been buried according to Islamic rites.

A security personnel who asked not to be named, confirmed the incident, adding that Aminu is currently being held by the Katsina State Police Command pending further investigation.

The Federal Government has negotiated the cost of the Iddo Bridge rehabilitation from an initial N27bn to N17bn.

The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, made this known to journalists during an inspection of the bridge on Friday in Lagos.

He said, “Julius Berger quoted, I think, N27 billion or thereabout, but after much negotiation and discussion, we now arrived at N17 billion.”

Umahi commended Julius Berger Nig. Plc. for demonstrating a sense of cooperation under its new leadership.

He described the company as a “born-again Berger”, attributing the breakthrough in negotiation to the understanding and openness of its new managing director.

The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to prudent spending, insisting that all contractors must align with the ministry’s standards and directives.

Umahi noted that the project had been reviewed from mere rehabilitation of the burnt section to a major work.

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He expressed concern over the poor condition of the bridge, blaming it on years of neglect and human abuse, including illegal occupation and collisions by heavy-duty trucks.

He said that three spans of the bridge were severely damaged by fire, which he attributed to activities of illegal occupants who had built makeshift homes under the bridge.

“They brought in chemicals, built block walls and set up homes. Then, they set up fire that burnt the bridge and damaged three spans. Now we are going to fix the bridge completely,” Umahi said.

The minister said the Iddo Bridge, now with a headroom of about 4.5 metres, had suffered significant structural damage due to continuous hits from trucks and illegal structures beneath it.

He announced that the ministry would be creating a headroom of at least 5.6 metres.

He said that the Federal Ministry of Works was committed to restoring the bridge for the safety of all Nigerians and ensuring such incidents would not occur again.

On the issue of displaced persons, the minister said that no one would be allowed to return under the bridge.

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“Nobody will stay under Iddo Bridge again as long as I remain the Minister of Works.

“The lives of the people are more important,” he said.

He warned that the government would no longer tolerate any abuse of national infrastructure.

NAN

A high court in Lafia, Nasarawa state, has sentenced Timileyin Ajayi, a gospel singer, to death by hanging for killing Salome Adaidu, a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Simon Aboki, the judge, pronounced Ajayi guilty of culpable homicide punishable by death, in line with Section 221 of the Penal Code of northern Nigeria.

In January, Ajayi had confessed to murdering Adaidu in a fit of anger after she allegedly cheated on him. He also showed no remorse.

“I didn’t plan to kill her. She is always cheating, she hides most things from me. I discovered she was cheating when I saw her phone, so I got angry seeing her chat with other guys, and that’s why I killed her,” he said.

The gospel singer was charged with culpable homicide punishable by death.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

In January, Ajayi was arrested after he was caught with the severed head of Adaidu in a polythene bag at the Agwan Sarki, Orozo, a border area between Nasarawa and the federal capital territory (FCT).

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During interrogation, Ajayi confessed to the crime and claimed that he dated the deceased for one year before her death.

However, the deceased’s family countered Ajayi, saying their daughter was never the girlfriend of the gospel singer.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says its operatives have rescued 19 girls suspected to have been impregnated by a man in Abuja.

Binta Bello, NAPTIP director-general, spoke on Friday at a meeting with Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Bello thanked Dabiri-Erewa for NiDCOM’s support, especially in the recent rescue of 231 young Nigerians from Ghana.

She said tackling human trafficking requires joint action from government and key stakeholders, stressing the need for more awareness across all levels.

“We rescued last week 19 girls, all pregnant for one man, in an estate in Abuja; received nine girls from Cote D’Ivoire; and other sordid stories to mention here,” she said.

She commended the commission’s role in engaging with Nigerians in the diaspora and expressed her commitment to strengthening the NiDCOM-NAPTIP relationship.

Bello assured that the agency would continue to protect the rights and dignity of Nigerians against trafficking in persons.

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Dabiri-Erewa called for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach against human trafficking in Nigeria.

While noting that progress has been made, she said more needs to be done, adding that traffickers should be named and shamed as a deterrent to other criminal actors.

She said NAPTIP cannot work alone and called for closer collaboration with NiDCOM, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), and other sister agencies.

“We will continue to do our best to save these young ones and encourage safe and regular pathways for migration,” she said.

A Nigerian makeup artist has been sentenced to six months in prison for publicly tossing local currency during his wedding celebration, in violation of a law aimed at protecting the dignity of the naira, as reported by Africanews.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced the sentence on Monday, saying the Federal High Court in Kano, northern Nigeria, convicted Abdullahi Musa Huseini, popularly known as “Amuscap” for what it described as the “abuse and defacement” of banknotes.

Huseini was seen throwing one hundred 1,000-naira notes (approximately $63 USD) during his December wedding, an act known locally as “spraying.” While the practice is a vibrant feature of Nigerian festivities, especially weddings and parties, it is technically illegal under a 2007 law that prohibits mishandling of the national currency.

In recent months, Nigerian authorities have cracked down on celebrities and influencers accused of violating the law. The EFCC’s campaign has reignited debate about whether the enforcement is selective and whether cultural traditions should be criminalized.

Last year, social media personality Bobrisky received a six-month sentence for a similar offense at a movie premiere, and actress Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin was jailed for six months after a video surfaced of her spraying and stepping on naira notes at a party.

Critics say the law is being applied inconsistently, often targeting high-profile figures, while supporters argue it’s necessary to maintain respect for the naira as Nigeria grapples with inflation and a weakening currency.

africanews

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