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Abba Kyari: “14 Assets” Untrue, NDLEA Orchestrated It To Further Tarnish His Image, Says Lawyer As He Releases Account Details

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Suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, on Monday, said the allegation by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, linking him to the ownership of 14 assets, including a shopping mall, residential estate, polo playground, lands, and farmland, was untrue.

Kyari, a former Commander of, the Intelligence Response Team, in a statement by his lawyer, Hamza Dan Tani, said the reports were orchestrated by the NDLEA to further tarnish his image.

According to him, the agency resorted to cheap blackmail because “NDLEA’s case in court against Abba Kyari and four others is not going well for them”.

He challenged the NDLEA to immediately release all his account statements to the public if what they are saying were true.

Sharing the details, Tani said there were N2.8 million in his UBA account, the only account he has been using for the past eight years; 7,000 pounds in GTB kept over eight years ago and N350,000 in GTB kept many years ago.

Others were N200,000 in Sterling Bank and Access Bank Account not in use for over eight years.

Kyari’s lawyer said, “They expected the court case to go smoothly in their favour the way their sponsored media trials went viral between February to April 2022. They failed to understand that unlike media trials, courts need real evidence and facts which NDLEA don’t have in this case.

“By all means, out of desperation, again, NDLEA wanted to spoil Abba Kyari’s name at all cost because they know that all their initial efforts have failed as overwhelming majority of good Nigerians who want peace and security for the Nation are still behind Abba Kyari despite the set up by NDLEA against Abba Kyari in January 2022, which was followed by massive sponsored media trial earlier this year.

“Again, NDLEA is sponsoring fabricated lies, untrue stories, and flimsy allegations, trumped-up and false charges in court without justification against Abba Kyari.”

He recalled that on August 29, 2022, Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a suit filed by the Attorney-General of Federation to extradite DCP Abba Kyari to America.

“On August 30, the NDLEA filed another 24 count charges against DCP Abba Kyari just to mislead the general public and tarnish his image despite the same matter being before Federal High Court in Maiduguri and without any evidence linking Abba Kyari to any of those properties or any link to any drug money, stealing government money or any proceed of any crime,” Tani said.

The lawyer insisted that all the allegations on monies and properties by NDLEA belonging to Abba Kyari were false, untrue, and lies, just to mislead the public into wrongly believing that it belongs to Abba Kyari.

The statement read, “The businessmen who own those properties and gave their documents have already filed their cases against NDLEA in Federal High Court Maiduguri. The NDLEA without any evidence went and marked innocent people’s properties in Maiduguri and Abuja in April 2022 and released the news to the media which went viral.

“This is just a malicious media trial without any evidence to show in the court. If NDLEA has any evidence linking Abba Kyari to any of those properties apart from his farmland and one house, they should release it to the public immediately.

“These whole properties matter is before Federal High Court in Maiduguri but NDLEA is still desperate by trying to link Abba Kyari without any evidence to financial crimes and properties that do not belong to him, neither is there one kobo of drug money or any crime money that is linked to Abba Kyari in any way.

“We challenge NDLEA to release the evidence to the public immediately if any. The whole thing is only aimed at media trials as they have no evidence to show to the court. If they have the evidence, let them release it to the media. This is how all their cases will crumble in the courts since their aim is only a media trial.

“For the records, the total money in Abba Kyari’s account is N2.8 million in his UBA account, the only account he has been using for the past eight years, 7,000 pounds in GTB kept over eight years ago and N350,000 in GTB kept many years ago.

“Less than N200,000 in Sterling Bank and Access Bank Account not in use for over eight years. These are all the money that DCP Abba Kyari has in his accounts, which he has declared and the NDLEA should immediately release all Abba Kyari’s account statements to the public if what they are saying is true.”

BIG STORY

Inflation: Real Reason Indomie Reduced Prices Of Popular Staple Food Item Revealed

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In the face of mounting inflationary pressures in Nigeria, Indomie Instant Noodles, a major brand under Dufil Prima Foods Limited, has announced a substantial price cut to ensure affordability for consumers.

The move was made to preserve availability to this well-liked essential food item in response to the growing economic difficulties that Nigerians were facing.

And this is supported by a recent survey that was carried out at a number of Lagos-based stores and found that the costs of Indomie goods had significantly dropped. When compared to the previous month, the price of the 70g pack of Indomie Regular Chicken noodles dropped to N250.

Additionally, the price of a 40-pack carton of Indomie dropped from N12,000 to N10,000 within the same timeframe. Prior to this adjustment, Indomie’s prices had surpassed those of competing brands such as Mimee (N200) and Honeywell noodles (N250).

Temitope Ashiwaju, the group corporate communications & event manager at Dufil Prima Foods Limited, attributed the price reduction to favourable changes in operational costs.

He emphasized the company’s commitment to passing on benefits to consumers, stressing their dedication to fairness and affordability.

“We are never going to be taking advantage of the populace. We want to make profit, but in a fair way,” the spokesman added. “That is why we are determined to keep our products affordable to Nigerians.”

Contrary to speculations suggesting low patronage as the driving factor behind the price adjustment, Ashiwaju reaffirmed that the decision was rooted in the company’s ethos of customer-centricity and fairness.

Industry experts have hailed Dufil Prima’s move as influential, predicting a ripple effect that could prompt other brands to follow suit because Indomie’s dominant position in the market has positioned it as a price setter, prompting expectations for broader shifts in pricing strategies across the industry.

The price reduction by Indomie comes amidst a backdrop of economic challenges in Nigeria, characterized by soaring inflation rates.

Over the past nine months, Nigeria has witnessed a steady rise in headline inflation, driven primarily by government reforms such as the removal of petrol subsidy and naira devaluation.

As a result, food inflation has surged, exacerbating the financial strain on households and leading to an increase in poverty levels.

Despite these economic headwinds, a recent report by Euromonitor International indicates robust growth in the sales value of noodles within Nigeria’s formal market.

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Lagos State Government Disburses N4.48bn In Pension Benefits To Retirees

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  • Governor Sanwo-Olu Upholds Commitment to Pensioners’ Welfare with Timely pay

 

The Lagos state government on Thursday, March 28, paid a total of N4.48 billion in pensions to 1,455 retirees for the month of March.

The payment was given at the Lagos State Pension Commission’s (LASPEC) 104th retirement bonds certificate presentation.

When LASPEC paid N3.2 billion in accrued pensions to 1,013 retirees during the 103rd retirement bonds certificate ceremony in February, the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had promised to pay at least N4 billion in March.

To settle all pending accrued pensions by the middle of the year, the governor guaranteed that the state government would pay an additional N3 billion in April.

While he acknowledged the backlog in the payment of accrued rights, Sanwo-Olu noted: “Our attention is focused on systematically eliminating the backlog.”

He also expressed optimism about the actualisation of the government’s dream of a “Pay-As-You-Go” model before his term ended.

At the presentation, LASPEC Director-General, Babalola Obilana, said that the monies were released for civil personnel who retired before the start of the Contributory Pension Scheme in 2007.

Obilana expressed gratitude to Sanwo-Olu for his steadfast dedication to the well-being of the state’s residents.

The governor, he pointed out, had consistently placed pensioners’ interests first and supported measures to lessen their financial difficulties.

He assured that by mid-2024, retirees from the state would receive their benefits as they departed from government employment, emphasising that the governor had kept his word to clear all pension arrears.

Obilana said: “On behalf of Gov. Sanwo-Olu and the entire Lagos State Government, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all of you present at this memorable event.

“Lagos State is thankful for your accomplishments and the enduring contributions you have made throughout your distinguished careers.

“You have exemplified the values that define Lagos State – integrity, commitment, and excellence.

“Your dedication and hard work have contributed to the dream of a `Greater Lagos’.

You are a source of inspiration for us all. Your legacy will undoubtedly continue to resonate within the public service.”

LASPEC DG further urged retirees to be cautious of fraudsters and choose suitable pension investments. He highlighted the transition from professional life to leisure and hoped their future would be full of happiness and fulfillment from a rewarding professional life.

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Federal Government To Grant Mining Licenses To Only Companies That Process Locally

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Nigeria will only grant new mining licences to companies that present a plan on how minerals would be processed locally, under new guidelines being developed, a government spokesperson confirmed on Thursday.

This is a departure from Nigeria’s long-standing practice of exporting raw commodities, as governments around Africa work to increase the value derived from their substantial mineral reserves.

To spur investment, Nigeria will offer investors incentives including tax waivers for importing mining equipment, make it easier to secure electricity generation licences, allow full repatriation of profits and boost security, Segun Tomori, a spokesperson for Nigeria’s minister of solid minerals development said.

“In exchange, we have to review their plans for setting up a plant and how they would add value to the Nigerian economy,” Tomori said. He did not say when the guidelines would be finalised or come into effect.

However, last week the minister of solid minerals development, Dele Alake, said it was now government policy to make value addition a condition for obtaining licences so as to create jobs and help local communities.

Alake, who also chairs an African mining strategy group comprising mining ministers from Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia, is pushing for a continent-wide effort to get maximum local benefit from mineral exploration.

Nigeria, Africa’s top energy producer, has struggled to extract value from its vast mineral resources due to poor incentives and neglect. The underdeveloped mining sector contributes less than 1% of the country’s gross domestic product.

Last year Nigeria exported mostly tin ore and concentrates worth about 137.59 billion naira ($108.34 million), mainly to China and Malaysia, according to the country’s statistics bureau.

The government aims to drive more investment into the sector by issuing more licenses. It has set up a state-owned solid minerals corporation offering investors a 75% stake and established a special security unit tasked with fighting illegal miners.

The government is also trying to regulate artisanal miners, who dominate the sector, by grouping them into cooperatives.

Foreign mining companies operating in Nigeria include Canada-based Thor Explorations which is involved in gold exploration, Chinese-owned Xiang Hui International Mining which partnered with a local company to process gold, and Indian-owned African Natural Resources and Mines, which is building a $600m iron ore processing plant in northern Nigeria.

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