The Labour Party (LP) vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has called for former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to be questioned over his claim that the Federal Government is paying bandits.

Baba-Ahmed, who spoke on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, faulted the response of the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, which dismissed El-Rufai’s allegation as baseless.

“If the so-called office of the National Security Adviser would take this statement with levity, then Nuhu Ribadu was never a policeman; he is not a qualified lawyer; he should not be in that office,” Baba-Ahmed said.

He insisted that El-Rufai’s claim was too serious to be brushed aside. “Nasir should be writing some statements to the police, to the courts,” he added.

On Sunday, El-Rufai had alleged that both the Federal Government and Kaduna State were paying monthly allowances to bandits and providing them with food under what he described as a “kiss-the-bandits” policy. He maintained that such an approach was only empowering criminals.

The NSA and Kaduna State Government have both denied the claim, but Baba-Ahmed argued that the denial was insufficient. “That is not a reaction. Are people understanding the gravity of this statement?” he asked.

The LP chieftain said any declaration of such magnitude amounted to a national policy, which, if true, would require open government communication. “A national policy is the official position of a government; an official declaration that this is what we shall be constitutionally doing,” he said. “Was such a thing held? Why did Nasir say it?”

El-Rufai, a founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has in recent weeks been vocal about insecurity in Nigeria, drawing strong reactions from both government officials and opposition figures.

Nigeria’s exchange rate has shown relative stability in recent weeks, with forex traders crediting the development to the country’s currency swap agreement with China and the rise of peer-to-peer (P2P) foreign currency trading.

The President of the Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Aminu Gwadebe, said Chinese traders are increasingly accepting naira for yuan rather than demanding U.S. dollars, reducing pressure on the Nigerian currency.

“The Chinese are now collecting naira for yuan, doing P2P. Go to any mining factory and you will see a Chinese man in Nigeria… these two factors are working right now. There is a lot of liquidity in the market,” Gwadebe told Nairametrics.

Nigeria and China first signed the swap deal in 2018, allowing both countries’ central banks to provide liquidity in their respective currencies to facilitate trade. The agreement, reportedly renewed in December 2024 at about $2 billion, was designed to cut dependence on the dollar for transactions between Africa’s largest economy and its biggest trading partner.

Gwadebe stressed that Nigerian importers from China no longer need to rely on the dollar, saying: “If a Nigerian is importing from China, all he needs is yuan to settle his affairs. You don’t even need dollars.”

However, another trader, Yusuf, cautioned that while the swap deal has helped reduce dollar demand, the U.S. dollar remains dominant because it is more widely accepted globally. He noted that many Chinese suppliers still insist on being paid in dollars, and yuan liquidity in the Nigerian street market remains limited.

Nigeria imported ₦14.14 trillion worth of goods from China and exported over ₦3 trillion in 2024, highlighting the scale of bilateral trade. Analysts say that while the swap agreement has helped stabilize the naira, its impact may remain modest given that imports from China account for just 20% of Nigeria’s annual total imports.

A Lagos State Magistrate Court in Ikorodu on Tuesday ordered the conduct of two separate DNA tests — one in Nigeria and another in an accredited hospital abroad — to establish the paternity of Liam Aloba, the only child of late Afrobeats singer Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.

Delivering the ruling, Magistrate Adefisoye Sonuga granted the application filed by Mohbad’s father, Mr Joseph Aloba, who asked the court to confirm whether Liam is indeed his late son’s biological child.

The magistrate directed that the tests be conducted in government-approved facilities, with both parties or their representatives present during the collection of samples. The order also allows for tissue or hair samples to be taken from Mohbad’s remains, which are preserved at the Military Hospital, Yaba.

Mr Aloba, through his counsel Augustine Adegbemi of Dr Wahab Shittu (SAN) & Co., argued that the DNA test was necessary to resolve uncertainty and public speculation surrounding Liam’s paternity, which directly affects issues of maintenance obligations and the child’s welfare.

The respondent, Omowunmi Cynthia Aloba, Mohbad’s widow, did not oppose the application. The court adjourned further proceedings to November 11, 2025.

Mohbad died in September 2023 under controversial circumstances that sparked nationwide protests, calls for investigation, and multiple legal disputes involving his estate, royalties, and now paternity. His only child, Liam, was born in April 2023, just months before the singer’s sudden death.