A convicted Nigerian fugitive, Florence Enwerim Onyegbu, was on Thursday, extradited to the United States of America, where she is wanted to answer to criminal charges bordering on the violation of the U.S. law involving the offer and payment of illegal remuneration in a health care matter.

Onyegbu‘s extradition was coordinated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, following a request by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI,  seeking assistance for her apprehension.

The EFCC said its investigations revealed that she had changed her name from Florence E. Onyegbu to Janet Boi in an attempt to remain hidden.

But that she however ran out of luck when operatives of the EFCC swooped on her at her residence in the Ojodu area of Lagos on February 21, 2022.

The anti-graft agency said that upon her arrest, a national identity card with the name Janet Boi as well as a Texas driver’s license with the name Florence Enwerim Onyegbu were found on her.

The Commission, on March 22, 2023, handed over Onyegbu to the FBI, following an extradition order granted by Justice Z.B. Abubakar of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on December 2, 2022.

It will be recalled that Onyegbu’s travails began after she was arrested on February 12, 2011 in the U.S. and subsequently sentenced to 46 months imprisonment, following a guilty plea , over the violation of the U.S. law bordering on the offer and payment of illegal remuneration in a health care matter.

Although she was ordered to report for service of her sentence on April 4, 2011, she failed to surrender on that date.

Consequently, she was further charged with failure to surrender for service of sentence in violation of U.S. Law on March 4, 2013.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has reportedly returned to Nigeria after seeking medical attention in London, the United Kingdom.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and an ally of the Supreme Court head, Ahmed Raji, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Raji disclosed that Justice Ariwoola went to London on Saturday for his routine medical check-up and returned to the country on Thursday morning.

He also described the reports that the CJN was sighted in London in a wheelchair, purportedly planning to meet with the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as false and aimed at tarnishing the image of the apex court and the chief justice.

Raji, therefore, urged Nigerians to resist the attempts by politicians to paint the judiciary as bad so as to achieve their selfish interests.

He said: “It is in the news since Tuesday evening that Tinubu was traveling to Europe for medical reasons as well as for lesser hajj, further reports indicated that he is in France to meet with his medical doctor, why would somebody now link that to the CJN that has left Nigeria for the UK since Saturday to observe his own medical session and just came back today (Thursday) as a meeting?

“Our politicians need to allow due process to take control, election matters are in the law courts, but that does not mean that the law Lords will not live their normal lives as human beings, Tinubu is in France and the CJN was in London, where is the contact?“

The federal government says the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Lake Chad Basin has become a “major security concern”.

Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), said countries in the region should establish a network and synergy to curb the proliferation.

The SGF spoke on Thursday at a multilateral meeting with stakeholders in Abuja.

Mustapha said small arms are inching toward the categorization of “weapons of mass destruction”.

“The proliferation of small arms in the Lake Chad Basin is a major security concern that has far-reaching consequences for the region,” he said.

“It has contributed to the escalation of conflict and violence and has impeded the economic and social development of the countries in the region.

“Small arms are slowly becoming weapons of mass destruction. Their widespread availability has caused tremendous harm to communities and individuals, especially women and children.

“It is, therefore, imperative that we work together to curb the proliferation of small arms in the Lake Chad Basin region.

“If we must put an end to the senseless and mindless violence of Boko Haram and other violence mongers that are widespread in the region.”

The SGF called on the affected countries to expeditiously implement the existing international and regional agreements on small arms control.

“We also need to engage in dialogue and cooperation to increase public awareness and to mobilize resources for small arms control initiatives,” he said.

Babagana Mongonu, the national security adviser, said one country alone cannot stop the circulation of illicit arms.

He called for collaboration and “decisive action to address this menace” and protect citizens of countries in the Lake Chad Basin.

“However, we recognize that this is not a problem that any one country can solve alone,” he said.

“We must work together as a region to address the root causes of this problem including poverty, underdevelopment, and poor governance.

“We must also strengthen our border control measures to prevent the illicit flow of small arms and light weapons across our borders.

“Let us use this opportunity to build strong partnerships and develop practical solutions that will make a real difference in the lives of our citizens.”

Monguno added that Nigeria is committed to playing its part in the efforts to tackle SALW proliferation in the region.

In 2021, the federal government established the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).

AM Dikko, a major general, was appointed as the pioneer coordinator of the center.