For truce in the ongoing criminal defamation matter, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN) might have given conditions to Dele Farotimi, it was learnt yesterday.

The police are prosecuting Farotimi, a Lagos lawyer in Ado-Ekiti, following a petition by Chief Babalola, who alleged criminal defamation of his character in the book: Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System, written and published by Farotimi.

Farotimi is before a Magistrate’s court and the Federal High Court both in Ado Ekiti for criminal defamation and cybercrime respectively.

He has been remanded in Ado-Ekiti Correctional Center since last week.

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election Peter Obi, accompanied by the Southwest Coordinator of his campaign in that election, Mr. Sola Ebiseni, visited Chief Babalola in Ado-Ekiti on Monday over Farotimi’s ordeal. The duo also visited Farotimi where he is kept in Ado-Ekiti prison.

Sources said yesterday that during the two-hour meeting between Obi and Chief Babalola, the legal giant reportedly gave the conditions.

The conditions are for Farotimi to retract his not guilty plea and thereafter publish the rebuttal in major newspapers.

It was gathered that before Obi’s visit, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese Matthew Hassan Kukah had reached out to Chief Babalola on the issue.

Farotimi was one of the spokesmen of the Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation in 2023.

Farotimi, was arrested in Lagos last week and taken before Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun in Ado-Ekiti for criminal defamation.

He was remanded till December 10.

But on Monday, he was arraigned before the Federal High Court on cybercrime and subsequently granted bail for N50 million.

Yesterday, when he returned to the Magistrate’s court, the remand order was extended till December 20.

Babalola was said to have told Obi to ask Farotimi to plead guilty to the criminal defamatory charge, failing which he must prove his allegation against him.

“Baba Afe told Obi that he (Babalola) has nothing to gain by Farotimi’s incarceration. If he says the allegations are false and offers apology in some newspapers, then, the case can be withdrawn,” a source said.

The source added that, Farotimi, who reportedly told Obi that he did not invite anybody to plead on his behalf, demanded that the case against him be withdrawn first as pre-condition for his apology.

Another source confirmed that the Monday’s visit of Obi and Ebiseni to Babalola was not at Farotimi’s behest but an Obi initiative.

The source said Obi took the step to identify with a member of his presidential campaign team who is in trouble.

It was learnt that Obi requested Ebiseni to accompany him to see Babalola.

The source, who also confirmed the interest already shown by Obasanjo and Kukah in the matter, said he believed it would be resolved.

Farotimi will remain in prison custody till December 20 when Magistrate Adeosun will rule on his bail application.

Babalola had petitioned the Police over aspects of the 104-page book he considered as defaming him.

Farotimi, however, pleaded not guilty to the 16-count charge preferred against him by the Police.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, Police prosecuting counsel, Samson Osobu, opposed the appearance of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, for the defendant.

Osobu told the court that the SAN, Olumide-Fusika, under the law, cannot appear before a magistrate’s court.

He cited a July 16, 2024 judgment of a Court of Appeal in Ibadan, Oyo State, to buttress his position.

But in his submission, Olumide-Fusika explained that the Ekiti State magistrate court law allows lawyers, irrespective of status and title, to appear in magistrate’s court, especially in criminal matters.

The senior advocate urged the court to reject the argument by the prosecuting lawyer, noting that the verdict he cited might not have put into considerations all magistrate court laws across the country.

The magistrate said he would step down his ruling in order to read the judgment cited by the prosecutor.

He, however, asked Olumide-Fusika to step down and allow the most senior lawyer in the defendant’s team to continue the case.

A member of the defence team, Taiwo Adedeji, continued the case on behalf of Farotimi.

The court then adjourned the case till December 20.

The court room and the premises were filled to capacity with crowds, many of them taking sides.

There was even a clash outside the court by supporters of the lawyer standing trial and those against him.

The Nation/OperaNews

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday dismissed a circular authorising sales of foreign exchange (FX) to Bureau De Change (BDC) operators in the country.

The controversial circular, dated 10 December, suggested that the CBN would sell $20,000 to each BDC to meet the demand for invisible transactions, at a rate of N1.301/$.

It also claimed that BDCs could sell the foreign currency to end-users at a margin not higher than 1per cent above the purchase rate.

“Following the on-going reforms in the foreign exchange market, aimed at achieving an appropriate market determined exchange rate for the Naira, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has observed the continued price distortions at the retail end of the market, which is feeding into the parallel market and further widening the exchange rate premium,” the fake circular reads.

“To this end, the CBN has approved the sale of foreign exchange to eligible Bureau De Change (BDCs) to meet the demand for invisible transactions. The sum of $20,000 is to be sold to each BDC at the rate of N1.301/S-(representing the lower band rate of executed spot transactions at NAFEM for the previous trading day, as at today, December 10, 2024.

“All BDCs are allowed to sell to end-users at a margin NOT MORE THAN one percent (1%) above the purchase rate from CBN.

“All eligible BDCs are directed to make the Naira payment to the designated CBN Foreign Currency Deposit Naira Accounts and submit confirmation of payment, with other necessary documentations for disbursement at the appropriate CBN Branches ABUJA, AWKA, LAGOS and KANO).”

In a statement posted on X, the CBN refuted the claims, describing the circular as misleading and unauthorised.

“This information is misleading and not affiliated with the Central Bank of Nigeria,” the post read, urging the public to disregard the document.

The bank had earlier disclosed that it sold a total of $543.5 million to authorised dealer banks between 6 and 30 September.

Vice President Kashim Shettima has tackled Kemi Badenoch, the newly elected leader of the UK Conservative Party, for making disparaging remarks about Nigeria.

Shettima spoke on Monday at the 10th Annual Migration Dialogue held at the State House in Abuja.

The Vice President expressed both pride in Badenoch’s achievements and disappointment in her comments about her country of origin.

He stated, “Kemi Badenoch, leader of the British Conservative Party — we are proud of her despite her efforts to denigrate her nation of origin.

“She is entitled to her opinions, even her right to remove ‘Kemi’ from her name, but that does not negate the fact that Nigeria is the greatest Black nation on earth. One in every three or four Black people is a Nigerian, and by 2050, Nigeria will be the third most populous nation on earth, alongside the United States.”

The Vice President also underscored the vital contributions of migrants to society and economic growth.

He reaffirmed the Nigerian government’s commitment to safeguarding migrants’ rights while honouring their legacies and contributions to national development.

Prior to being elected leader of the UK Conservative Party, the 44-year-old British Nigerian, criticized Nigeria, saying she doesn’t want Britain to become like the place she ran away from

Badenoch was born in Wimbledon, but spent her childhood in Nigeria before returning to the UK as a teenager.

“I will always be grateful for being lucky enough to be born here.

“It was very much fate, and I would do anything for this country – I would go to war for this country, I would fight for this country. I would die for this country.

“This is my country. I love it the way it is. I don’t want it to become like the place I ran away from. I want it to get better and better, not just for me, but for the next generation,” she said in an interview with Mail Online.

Earlier, she had also claimed that her childhood in Nigeria was filled with tales of horror, with screams of neighbors every night being attacked, leading to fears whether their apartment could be the next.

The Federal Capital Territory High Court has remanded a former governor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending his bail application.

It also adjourned the case to January 29, February 25, and February 27, 2025, for the continuation of the hearing.

Justice Maryann Anenih had refused to grant a bail application filed by Bello, saying it was filed prematurely.

The former governor is standing trial, along with two others, in an alleged N110bn money laundering charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In the arguments before the court on the bail application, the judge had said, “Before the court is a motion on notice, dated and filed on 22nd November. The 1st defendant seeks an order of this honourable court admitting him to bail pending the hearing and determination of the charge.

“That he became aware of the instant charge through the public summons. That he is a two-term governor of Kogi State. That if released on bail, he would not interfere with the witnesses and not jump bail.”

She said the defendant’s counsel JB Daudu (SAN) had told the court that he had submitted sufficient facts to grant the bail.

He urged the court to exercise its discretion judicially and judiciously to grant the bail.

In opposing, the prosecution counsel Kemi Pinheiro had argued that the instant application was grossly incompetent, having been filed before arraignment.

He said it ought to be filed after arraignment but the 1st defendant’s counsel disagreed, saying there was no authority.

While delivering her ruling, Justice Maryann Anenih said, “The instant application for bail showed that it was filed on the 22nd of November. This shows that it was filed several days after the 1st defendant was taken into custody.”

Reading from the ACJa section, the judge said the provision provided that a bail application could be made when a defendant had been arrested, detained, arraigned, or brought before the court.

Bello had filed an application for his bail on 22nd November but was taken into custody on 26th November and arraigned on 27th November.

The second defendant Umar Oricha was granted bail in the sum of N300m with two sureties.

The sureties must be a holder of a property in Maitama valued at not less than the bond sum, they must also deposit their original title document before the court.

The sureties must depose to an affidavit of means and copies of passport of sureties be deposited.

The court also ruled that Oricha shall deposit travel documents and be remanded in prison custody pending fulfillment of the bail conditions.

Nigerians pursuing opportunities outside Africa have identified a method for obtaining United States citizenship through military naturalization.

Nigeria has ranked fourth among countries whose citizens were granted U.S. citizenship through military naturalization between 2020 and 2024.

During the period under review, the United States naturalised over 52,000 military service members across different countries.

According to data obtained from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Monday, 3,270 Nigerian-born service members were granted U.S. citizenship, trailing only the Philippines (5,630), Jamaica (5,420), and Mexico with 3,670.

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“Service members born in the Philippines, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, and Ghana — the top five countries of birth among those naturalised — comprised over 38% of the naturalizations since FY 2020.

“The next five countries of birth — Haiti, China, Cameroon, Vietnam, and South Korea — comprised an additional 16% of military naturalisations from FY 2020 to FY 2024,” the analysis of the data partly read.

The data revealed that the number of Nigerian service members gaining U.S. citizenship has steadily increased over the past five years.

From 340 in 2020, the figure rose to 630 the following year, 680 in 2022, 690 in 2023 and 930 in 2024.

The Army accounted for 60% of all military naturalisations during this period, followed by the Navy (20.4%), Air Force (10.6%), and Marine Corps (6.6%). Less than 1% of naturalised service members served in the Coast Guard.

“Service members from the Army (including National Guard and Reserves) comprised almost two-thirds (60%) of all military naturalisations from FY 2020 to FY 2024. Service members from the Coast Guard comprised less than 1%. The Navy accounted for 20.4%, the Air Force for 10.6%, and the Marine Corps for 6.6%,” the report stated.

Age-wise, half of the service members were between 22 and 30 years old when they naturalised.

“Half of all service members were between 22 and 30 years old when they naturalised. The median age of all service members who naturalised between FY 2020 and FY 2024 was 27. More than 17% were 21 and under, while almost 5% were older than 40,” the analysis revealed.

Regarding gender distribution, 73% of the naturalised service members were men.

“Men comprised 73% of all service members naturalized between FY 2020 and FY 2024. The proportion of female service members slightly increased across the years,” the report added.

Punch

The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) is enhancing border security through advanced technology to tackle security breaches. The Federal Government highlighted the implementation of a robust electronic border security system as a critical step in protecting the nation.

However, challenges such as porous borders, illegal migration, and the proliferation of arms persist. Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola emphasized the importance of regional cooperation to address these issues effectively.

It has announced a temporary suspension of services at its Sauka, Abuja headquarters on Tuesday, December 10, 2024.

This measure is due to the Presidential Commissioning of the newly established Technology Complex within the facility.

The announcement, signed by DCI KT Udo, the Service Public Relations Officer, informed the public about the impact of the event on key services.

Services affected
According to the statement, the following services will be unavailable at the NIS headquarters on the specified date:

Passport issuance and renewals (biometric capturing): Applicants scheduled for capturing on this date are advised to reschedule their appointments.
Other related immigration and banking services within the headquarters: Essential on-site operations will be temporarily halted.
Despite the shutdown, the NIS assured the public that its online portal remains operational for accessing certain services.

Advisory to the public
The agency encouraged applicants and the general public to make necessary arrangements to visit the headquarters after December 10, 2024. For inquiries, the following contact details were provided:

Phone: +234 802 181 9988 or +234 708 060 7900
Website: www.immigration.gov.ng

The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) is enhancing border security through advanced technology to tackle security breaches. The Federal Government highlighted the implementation of a robust electronic border security system as a critical step in protecting the nation.

However, challenges such as porous borders, illegal migration, and the proliferation of arms persist. Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola emphasized the importance of regional cooperation to address these issues effectively.

Despite technological advancements, the NIS faces scrutiny from the Nigerian Senate over delays in passport issuance and renewal. The Senate has mandated its Committee on Interior to investigate these delays, following complaints from citizens about prolonged processing times.

The federal government had also awarded the contract for the installation of an electronic border surveillance system to monitor the nation’s land borders to checkmate illegal migration.

Aregbesola had said the electronic digital technology would be deployed by the federal government across the nation’s border to ensure 24/7 surveillance of 5,000 kilometers of border lines from the eastern part to the western part of the country.

He also explained that the electronic surveillance posts were meant to strengthen existing immigration checks, enhance effective migration management as well as boost the security of the country.