General
Buhari Never Authorised $6.2m for Election Observers—Boss Mustapha

By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The immediate past Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, has informed Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, that former President Muhammadu Buhari did not approve the withdrawal of $6.2 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to pay foreign election observers.
It was alleged that Mr Buhari, who left office in May 2023, signed a memo directing the CBN to pay in cash the sum of $6.2 million to international election observers in the last 2023 general election.
This revelation was made in the ongoing trial of the former Governor of the apex bank, Mr Godwin Emefiele, in court. He was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
While appearing as a prosecution witness on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, Mr Mustapha stressed that neither Mr Buhari nor himself raised the controversial memo.
“My Lord, all through my years in service at my capacity, I never came across such a document. Having served for five years, seven months, I can say this document did not emanate from the office of the President,” he said.
He faulted the correspondence Mr Emefiele claimed came from the President’s office with a reference number, revealing that “once a correspondence has the President’s seal, there is no need for a reference number, because the seal is the authority.”
“I have looked at it, read it, and the Federal Executive Council’s decisions are not transmitted by letters but through extracts, after conclusions were adopted.
“My Lord, I am a custodian of all records, therefore, the President cannot give me the records, and in all my years in service, I have never heard the term Special Appropriation Provision that is referred to here.
“In all the correspondence I have received from my principal, it has never ended with please accept the assurance of my highest regard. I am his subordinate, so nothing of such would emanate.
“Lastly, my Lord, the Nigerian government has nothing to do with financing foreign observers. I know for a fact because I managed two elections, so the responsibility of such lies with INEC,” the former SGF added.
Asked by the prosecution counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), in respect of exhibit PD7 which states that it was 187 FEC meeting that held on January 18, 2023, Mr Mustapha affirmed that a FEC meeting held, but it was not 187 session, but rather first meeting of the year because it was January.
“My Lord, there was a meeting and it was the first meeting not 187. It was the first meeting of the year. My Lord, all FEC meetings are normally Presided over by the President or Vice president.
“In the case of January 18, it was the Vice president that presided over the meeting because the President was not around.
“My role was to prepare the agenda of the meeting and on that day, there was a16-point agenda, and there was no agenda that had to do with foreign observers, so it did not appear on the FEC of 18 January, there was no such approval or anything else from the FEC,” he said.
Asked whether the letter for the approval of the money emanated from his office, Mr Mustapha denied any knowledge regarding it.
“My Lord, to the best of my knowledge, that letter did not emanate from my office, not to talk of signing it.
“I am saying it was not from me for the following reasons; I was not privy to the operations of CBN, so I cannot write to the governor or the director.
“Secondly, the heading is defective because it reads ref. for election observers. It presupposed that there were previous correspondences when you say ref.
“So, my Lord, it is not true because it does not carry any FEC approval. And finally, there was a reference at the end of the letter.”
“I wish to state my Lord that I am not aware of any Special Taskforce and I do not know one Jibril Abubakar, Principal Officer One, who was alleged as the coordinator of this Taskforce, so I did not introduce any Abubakar to the CBN governor,” he said.
While on cross-examination, Mr Mathiew Bukka (SAN) asked whether Mr Mustapha received any amount from the money, he said he did not receive a single dollar when he was serving and when he left office.
He denied knowledge of Knowing Abubakar, stressing that he had never met him, nor did he ever work for him, saying he knew about the scandal on social media when it was stated that the defendant and himself connived to steal the huge amount of money, and for him to protect and redeem his image and integrity before the world, he then made a Press Release exonerating himself and at the same time encouraged further investigation on getting to the root of the matter.
After his testimony, Justice Muazu adjourned the matter till March 7, 11 and 25 for the continuation of trial.
General
Obasa Makes First Appearance at Lagos Assembly After Impeachment

By Adedapo Adesanya
Mr Mudashiru Obasa made his first appearance at the Lagos State House of Assembly complex on Thursday, February 27, 2025, after he was impeached as the Speaker on January 13, 2025.
The former speaker entered the chamber flanked by armed and uniformed security operatives, who ushered him into the premises.
Business Post reports that Mr Obasa was welcomed with an ovation by his supporters and well-wishers
The politician was welcomed at the entrance gate of the Assembly Complex.
The 40-member House removed the Agege I representative as Speaker by more than two-thirds of the house over alleged misconduct and corruption offences.
Mr Obasa’s then deputy, Mrs Mojisola Meranda, was immediately elected the new Speaker, becoming the first female to take charge of the legislative body in the South-West state.
With her emergence, Mrs Meranda, who represents Apapa Constituency I, ended the 10-year reign of Mr Obasa on the seat.
Mr Obasa was first elected into the House in 2007. He has been in the chamber since then. He emerged as a speaker in June 2015 before his removal in January 2025. He is believed to have the strong support of President Bola Tinubu, who reportedly asked for his return and the resignation of Mrs Meranda.
It is not immediately clear what the next development will be with his return to the chamber, but Mrs Meranda has about 36 members of the state parliament as loyalists. They have all supported and passed a vote of confidence on her, insisting that Mr Obasa has no room to return to the position despite claiming he was not lawfully removed from office.
Last week, some agents of the Department of Security Services (DSS) and legislative workers clashed in the chambers.
The incident led to 36 lawmakers passing a vote of confidence in Mrs Meranda, who was teary-eyed.
Meanwhile, the police had earlier allegedly withdrawn all the escorts attached to the speaker.
General
EFCC Laments Crypto Funding of Fraud Syndicates’ Cells

By Adedapo Adesanya
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ola Olukoyede, says organised foreign fraud syndicates are establishing cells in Nigerian cities and recruiting youths into serious organised cybercrimes, made easy by cryptocurrencies.
This was disclosed by the anti-graft agency in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Mr Dele Oyewale, on Thursday in Abuja.
Mr Olukoyede said this while receiving participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 18 of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the team was led by the institute’s Director of Studies, Mr Hyginus Ngele, to the commission.
Mr Olukoyede expressed surprise at how bandits and insurgents were able to sustain their activities in the country over the years.
He noted with concern, the rate of flow of small arms and light weapons across the borders and the involvement of non-state actors in the illegal exploitation of minerals in parts of the country.
The EFCC boss said all these activities compounded the threats in the security landscape.
“Another dimension that is not given attention is the discovery, recently, that organised foreign fraud syndicates are establishing cells in Nigerian cities.
”They are recruiting young Nigerians into serious organised cybercrimes, including cryptocurrency fraud.
“By the virtue of EFCC’s recent discovery, we are beginning to see the likelihood, the propensity that a lot of these people are into illegal importation of arms into the country using cryptocurrency as means of payment.”
According to him, this is an area that must interest all and sundry.
“In the special operations we carried out in Lagos recently, we arrested 194 foreigners in the heart of Victoria Island.
”They comprised Chinese, Filipinos, Eastern Europeans, Tunisians and among others in one building at a time. You can imagine what these guys are doing, 194 of them.
“Some of them don’t even have valid visas and most of the financial activities they carried out were through cryptocurrency,” he said.
He said the commission also discovered that some of the foreigners arrested were already ex-convicts in their countries.
“Some of them have been convicted and escaped from their countries and found safe haven in Africa, not only Nigeria.
“We discovered that they are also developing cells in some other African countries by virtue of the investigation we are carrying out,” he said.
The EFCC boss called for spirited efforts at both national and continental levels to combat the menace of internet fraud.
He stressed that the money laundering and national security dimension of the presence of foreign organised crime groups demanded close scrutiny.
“All security, intelligence and law enforcement organisations in Nigeria and indeed Africa, must close ranks in dealing with this challenge,” he said.
On his part, the NISS commandant, Mr Joseph Odama, who spoke through Mr Ngele, praised Mr Olukoyede’s leadership of the EFCC for the commission’s “remarkable achievements in combating corruption, money laundering, and other financial crimes.”
He noted that the achievements had not only strengthened Nigeria’s integrity but also served as a model for other nations in Africa and beyond.
He said the EFCC, under Mr Olukoyede, had been at the forefront of investigating and prosecuting financial crimes, including those involving non-state actors.
“Your commission’s exploratory activities have uncovered the intricate networks through which some NGOs and other entities channel funds to support hostile non-state actors, thereby, fueling instability in various parts of the country and the African continent.
“We recognise the critical role the EFCC plays in disrupting these networks and ensuring accountability.
“In light of this, we are particularly interested in hearing your insights on how your commission navigates the complexities of investigating and prosecuting cases involving non-state actors.
“We also seek your contributions on how Nigeria and other African nations can strengthen legal and institutional frameworks to address the challenges posed by these actors while promoting transparency and accountability in their operations.”
General
NSCDC Intercepts 1,571 Litres of Petroleum Products in Zamfara

By Adedapo Adesanya
The Zamfara State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has intercepted 1,571 litres of petroleum products in the Northern state.
According to the security outfit, the products were illegally transported in jerry cans to banditry-prone areas.
The State Commandant, Mr Sani Mustapha, in a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Umar Muhammad, revealed that four suspects were arrested in connection with the crime at two separate locations.
Among them were two filling station pump attendants and two buyers apprehended in the Birnin Magaji and Tsafe Local Government Areas of the state.
Mr Muhammad disclosed that aside from transporting fuel from unauthorised locations, the suspects also violated the Executive Order prohibiting the sale of petroleum products in jerricans within Zamfara State.
He stated that two of the suspects were caught in Birnin Magaji with 1,296 litres of fuel, while the other two were arrested in Tsafe with 275 litres of the product.
“Today, we bring before you four suspects apprehended for illegal dealings of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in large quantities, violating the National and State Executive Order of petroleum products sales to retailers in jerry cans,” he stated.
The NSCDC assured citizens that investigations are ongoing and reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing the law to curb illegal fuel diversion and activities that could aid insecurity in the state.
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