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NIN-SIM: Angry Subscribers Besiege Telcom Outlets

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Nigerians who have been affected by the partial Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) deactivation order of the Federal Government yesterday stormed the offices of the telecoms companies to find out why they haven’t been able to make calls on their phones despite having sufficient airtime.

After several extensions, the Federal Government had, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), ordered telecoms operators to bar subscribers on their networks that have not linked their SIMs to their National Identity Number (NIN) from originating calls ostensibly as a prelude to total deactivation.

At the MTN office located along Fatai Atere Way, Mushin, Lagos, subscribers besieged the office and formed a very long queue. Many of them had woken up only to discover they couldn’t originate calls from their phones. One of them who identified himself simply Chukwudi, a spare parts dealer, said he was shocked when he tried fruitlessly to make calls to his boys to give them instructions as usual.

At the MTN office located along Fatai Atere Way, Mushin, Lagos, subscribers besieged the office and formed a very long queue. Many of them had woken up only to discover they couldn’t originate calls from their phones. One of them who identified himself simply Chukwudi, a spare parts dealer, said he was shocked when he tried fruitlessly to make calls to his boys to give them instructions as usual.

He said: “I am a spare parts seller. Normally, when I wake up in the morning, I used to call my boys and give them instructions on what to do for the day. When I tried my MTN line, there was no response. Since I use a dual SIM phone, I switched to my 9mobile and was told: ‘Call not registered on network’. Since this place is closer to my shop, I decided to come and find out what has happened,” he said.

Asked why, for so long, he refused to link his SIMs with his NIN, he said he didn’t know how to do it.

In Ayobo and Abesan Estate on the outskirts of Lagos, frustrated subscribers also besieged the two enrolment centers adjacent to each other in Ayobo. The centers, which are shops, had between 15 and 20 would-be enrollees, mainly teenagers.

Some of them blamed the punitive cost of enrolment for NIN for their misfortune. Many of them said N2,000 was too high to enroll for something that should have come free.

Seventeen-year-oldTimi Akolade said he had told his parents to make the money available, but they refused because two of his brothers were in private universities and the weight was taking a toll on the family finance.

“My parents complained that NIN should be free. They accused the operators of the enrolment centers of taking undue advantage of the situation. But when I told my mom this morning that my number is on the verge of being blocked and I reminded her that I will need the NIN to do my Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination next year, she quickly raised the money for me to come and do it today. But see the crowd now. I have been here for about one hour,” he said.

The clerk at an enrolment center in Enibel Street, Abesan Estate, Bidemi Olajubu, said the center has seen unprecedented human traffic whose lines were affected by the Federal Government’s directive. “The pressure has been much on me since yesterday. Today, the pressure has continued. People are angry that they couldn’t make calls with their phones. Many of them are doing business and are unable to connect with their customers,” he said.

BIG STORY

“Twin Warrior”: Paul Okoye Accuses Peter Of Song Theft, Vows To Release ‘Original Version’

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Paul ‘Rudeboy’ Okoye, the Nigerian singer, has accused Peter ‘Mr P’ Okoye, his twin brother, of alleged intellectual property theft.

Mr P recently released the single ‘Winning’ — just a few months after the brothers confirmed that Psquare, their shared music group, was no longer active.

However, in a recent Instagram post, Rudeboy claimed that the song was his, stating that it was meant to feature on his upcoming album. He further alleged that the producer hijacked the track.

“Written and sang by Rudeboy. Produced by same producer. Now how come? Now am I supposed to release another version? Mr Producer, your case is for another day,” he wrote.

“Just a simple thing, bring 6 songs, let me bring 6 songs. I submitted 6 songs to the so-called management. Why re-singing my own song? word for word. Song that was supposed to be in my album next year June.”

In another post, the singer vowed to release “original versions of any copied songs,” adding that “the days of manipulation are over.”

“The days of manipulation are over. And to the management, make I hear any song wey na only me sing, I go release the original version. Oloriburuku! Music is not that hard,” he wrote.

Psquare split in 2017 following a feud between Peter Okoye and Paul. Though they reunited in November 2021, their reconciliation was short-lived.

Paul recently revealed another fallout, accusing Peter of orchestrating his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Peter, however, denied the allegations and accused Jude Okoye, their older brother, of diverting millions of dollars from their joint account into a secret company.

Paul also expressed frustration over his past role in the music group. He claimed to have done most of the work while others benefited.

Mr P has yet to respond to his brother’s recent allegations.

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US Court Sends British-Nigerian To Seven Years In Jail Over $5m Cyber Fraud

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Oludayo Adeagbo, a British-Nigerian, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar business email compromise (BEC) scheme.

According to the US Department of Justice, Adeagbo, who also goes by John Edwards and John Dayo, conspired with others to steal over $3 million from various entities in Texas, including local government bodies, construction companies, and a Houston-area college.

Adeagbo and his co-conspirators also defrauded a North Carolina university of more than $1.9 million.

The case began in August 2022 when Adeagbo and two other Nigerian citizens, Donald Echeazu, 42, and Olabanji Egbinola, 44, were extradited from the United Kingdom (UK), where they had been residing, to face charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering.

The US Department of Justice stated that the offences were committed in North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.

On April 8, Adeagbo pleaded guilty in two cases against him in North Carolina and Texas for participating in a business email compromise scheme, which is also referred to as a “cyber-enabled financial fraud” scheme.

A business email compromise scheme can be initiated by scammers creating fake accounts that mimic companies a business regularly deals with.

Court records revealed that Adeagbo and his co-conspirators gathered information about significant construction projects across the United States, including a multi-million-dollar project at a university in North Carolina.

“To execute the scheme, Adeagbo, Echeazu, and others registered a domain name similar to that of the legitimate construction company in charge of the university’s project and created an email address that closely resembled that of an employee of the construction company,” the Department of Justice said.

“Using the fake email address, the fraudsters deceived and directed the university to wire a payment of more than $1.9 million to a bank account controlled by an individual working under the direction of Adeagbo and his co-conspirators.”

Adeagbo and his co-conspirators employed the same tactics in Texas, targeting local government entities and universities by impersonating construction companies. They stole over $3 million from the scheme, bringing their total haul to $5 million.

Adeagbo has been ordered to pay $942,655.03 in restitution and will serve seven years in prison.

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BIG STORY

Nigerian-American Oye Owolewa Re-Elected To US Congress

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Oye Owolewa, a Nigerian-American Democrat, has been re-elected as the shadow representative for the District of Columbia (DC).

Owolewa, a PhD graduate from Northeastern University in Boston, made history in November 2020 when he became the first Nigerian-American elected to Congress.

He secured 164,026 votes, or 82.84 percent of the total votes cast in DC.

His role, while not officially recognized by the US government as a full member of Congress, is to advocate for the district’s interests, particularly its bid for statehood.

On Thursday, Owolewa expressed his gratitude to DC voters via a post on X, thanking them for their continued support.

“Thank you DC again for giving me chance to serve. I also want to thank the organizations that have supported, partnered with and endorsed me,” he wrote.

While shadow representatives like Owolewa do not have voting power in the US House of Representatives, they play a key role in pushing for recognition and state-level advocacy for DC residents, who are otherwise disenfranchised at the federal level.

Owolewa has consistently championed the cause of DC statehood, which has become a central focus of his work.

The re-election took place on November 5, the same day as the US presidential election.

In that election, former President Donald Trump defeated Vice-President Kamala Harris, securing over 270 electoral votes to win a second term.

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