Crime News February 04, 2026 CJ re-asssigns money laundering, forfeiture cases against Malami to another judge

 

The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court (FHC), Justice John Tsoho, has reassigned the money laundering case and the civil suit for forfeiture of 57 properties filed against Abubakar Malami to Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that hearing dates for the two cases, which will now be decided by Justice Egwuatu, had been fixed.

While the civil suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/20/2026, is scheduled for Feb. 12, the criminal case involving alleged money laundering preferred against Malami, the former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF); his wife Hajia Asabe Bashir and his son, Abdulaziz, is fixed for Feb. 16.

The ex-AGF, his wife and son are expected to be re-arraigned in the 16-count criminal charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, before the new trial judge, following the re-assignment of the case.

According to the practice, an existing case reassigned to another judge is expected to begin de novo (afresh) and issues are decided without reference to any legal conclusion or assumption made by the previous court, except that parties agree.

NAN reports that Malami, Asabe and Abdulaziz were, on Dec. 30, 2025, arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Emeka Nwite of a sister court, who sat as a vacation judge during the Christmas break.

They were arraigned on allegations bordering on money laundering offences to the tune of N8, 713,923, 759.49(Eight billion, seven hundred and thirteen million, nine hundred and twenty three thousand, seven hundred and fifty nine naira, forty nine kobo).

They, however, pleaded not guilty to the 16 counts.

While Malami and son were remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre, Asabe was remanded at Suleja Correctional Centre before they were admitted to N500 million bail each, on Jan. 7, with two sureties each in the like sum.

Also, Justice Nwite had, on Jan. 6, ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities linked to Malami, to the Federal Government.

The judge made the order following an ex parte motion moved by the EFCC’s lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, to the effect.

The judge directed the commission to publish the order in a national daily for interested persons to show cause, within 14 days, why all the property should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

The multi-billion naira landed properties are located in Abuja, Kebbi, Kano and Kaduna States.

But Malami had since challenged the anti-graft agency’s civil suit, praying the court to dismiss same.

In a motion on notice filed on Jan. 27 on Malami’s behalf by a team of lawyers led by Joseph Daudu, SAN, the ex-AGF alleged that the anti-corruption agency got the interim order by suppression of material facts and misrepresentation.

Malami, who urged the court to dismiss the suit to prevent “conflicting outcomes, duplicative litigation,” argued that the proceeding was an assault on his fundamental right to own property, his presumption of innocence and his right to live in peace with his family.

The former AGF and his son, Abdulaziz, are also being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a five-count charge bordering on alleged terrorism before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.(NAN)

News Security February 04, 2026 Insecurity: ‘230,000 soldiers not enough’ — Kebbi senator seeks expanded military capacity, funding to tackle insecurity

 

Garba Maidoki, senator representing Kebbi south, has called for an increase in troop strength and funding for the military to effectively tackle insecurity across the country.

Maidoki spoke during plenary on Wednesday while making a personal explanation under order 42 of the senate rules.

The senator said security should take precedence over infrastructure development if citizens are forced to flee their communities.

“Last time, we agreed that the funding for the military… this is the budget period. I told you if you give me school today and I run away from that school, it’s of no use to me,” Maidoki said.

“If you give me a road and I run away from that place, the road is not useful to me. What I want is I want to be secured. I want my people to be secured.”

He commended the military for its efforts but said it is overstretched.

Maidoki also disclosed that he recently lost his brother to the insecurity crisis.

“The army is doing very well, sir. But they are understaffed,” he said.

“Three days ago, I lost my own brother, who is a warrant officer in this insurgency; he died fighting this banditry. And I’m proud of him.”

The lawmaker said Nigeria’s current troop strength is inadequate to confront banditry nationwide.

“But if we are not able to increase the boots of soldiers that will man this country, 230,000 soldiers as at 2025 will not do anything in this banditry issue,” Maidoki said.

He questioned the prolonged nature of the fight against banditry.

“There is no way we will be fighting banditry for 20 years. How long do we want to continue with this problem?” Maidoki asked.

The lawmaker urged the senate to prioritise military funding in the upcoming budget.

“Let’s put enough resources; the budget is coming here, let’s put money for the army,” he said.

”Let’s take money from whatever source possible, and fund the military and fund them well so that this thing can finish within this year. We don’t want this thing to exceed this year.”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio expressed support for the senator’s position.

“I want to thank you for your very strong stance and to say that we in the senate are with you. We share the same opinion. We have an opinion that this banditry should end,” Akpabio said.

“In fact, on the 1st of January, my prayer to God, which I spread to the nation, was that the banditry and insurgency should end this year.”

“By the grace of God, in 2026, we will not see our end, but rather we shall see the end of 2026 and the end of banditry. That’s our prayer.”

He acknowledged public frustration over insecurity and explained the operational challenges facing security forces.

“I understand the anger. There are a lot of things involved. We cannot have military barracks in every village in Nigeria. The country is very vast,” Akpabio said.

“So, they go for soft targets. And when they go, they cause massive damage. And by the time we move there, it will have become reactionary.”

(TheCable)

News Security February 04, 2026 Nursing student, brother among victims of Kwara bandit attack

 

A Midwifery student at the Kwara State College of Nursing Sciences (KWASCONS), Salihu Bio Khalid, has been identified as one of the victims of Tuesday night’s banditry attack in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State. His brother was also reportedly killed in the same attack, which left scores of residents dead.

Khalid, a former President of the Student Union Government (SUG) at KWASCONS, was described by the student body as a committed and courageous leader whose dedication to student welfare and service left a lasting impact.

In a statement, the National Association of Nigeria Comrades (NANC) Kwara Axis expressed shock and mourning over the tragedy. The association called for urgent action to protect students and residents, urging the Kwara State Government and security agencies to strengthen security around student-populated areas, major transit routes, and to conduct thorough investigations to bring perpetrators to justice.

“Senator Salihu Bio Khalid’s contributions to the student movement will remain indelible in our collective memory,” the statement read. “We pray Almighty God grants the departed eternal rest and gives the bereaved family and the entire student community the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”

The Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, condemned the attack and called for intensified military action along the axis bordering Niger State to flush out criminal elements. He urged local communities to cooperate fully with security agencies to curb the insecurity.

Senator Saliu Mustapha, representing Kwara Central at the National Assembly, also called for additional troops to the affected communities. In a press release, he described the attack as a “senseless act” and emphasized the need for unity, vigilance, and stronger community cooperation to combat banditry.

The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemned the attack as “despicable, inhuman and callous,” urging the state government to provide humanitarian aid, relief materials, and medical support to the victims while ensuring security agencies track down and prosecute the perpetrators.

The incident has plunged KWASCONS and the wider student community across Kwara State into grief, highlighting ongoing concerns over insecurity in the region.

News February 04, 2026 INEC Finalises 2027 Election timetable, sets key dates for polls

 

Despite the seeming delay in the passage of the amended Electoral Act currently before the National Assembly, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, has assured of its readiness for the 2027 general election.

Accordingly, the Commission said it has finalised work on the election timetable and schedule of activities.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at a meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs.

While he noted that INEC has made its submissions to the National Assembly, Amupitan conceded that some items in the schedule of activities could be impacted by the time the lawmakers pass the electoral act.

He, however, said for now, the commission has no choice than to rely on the subsisting Act for its activities.

Details later…

News Politics February 04, 2026 Ex-Benue governor Suswam resigns from PDP

 

A former Governor of Benue State and ex-Senator, Gabriel Suswam, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party, citing persistent internal crises and a lack of cohesion within the opposition party.

Suswam’s resignation was contained in a letter dated Wednesday, February 4, 2026, and addressed to the Chairman of the PDP in Mbagber Council Ward, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.

The letter was shared on Facebook by his Chief of Staff, Moses Ukeyima.

In the letter, the former governor said his decision was informed by what he described as the party’s failure to resolve longstanding internal conflicts affecting its leadership, structure, discipline and ideological direction.

He said, “I write to formally resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with effect from the date of this letter.

“This decision has not been taken lightly. For decades, the PDP provided me with a platform to serve the Nigerian people in various capacities; as a Member of the House of Representatives, as Governor of Benue State, and as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. For these opportunities and the trust reposed in me at different times, I remain sincerely grateful.

“However, the party that once stood as a symbol of cohesion, internal democracy, and progressive opposition has, regrettably, become plagued by persistent and unresolved internal conflicts. These disputes, spanning leadership, structure, discipline, and ideology, have been allowed to fester without any clear or credible pathway to resolution.”

According to him, despite repeated interventions and reconciliation efforts, the party has remained locked in what he called a cycle of crisis, with no clear pathway to stability.

He said he could no longer reconcile his continued membership in the party with his personal convictions and desire to contribute meaningfully to nation-building within a stable political platform.

“I believe that political parties must serve as platforms for ideas, discipline, and constructive engagement, not arenas of endless internal warfare.

“Regrettably, the current state of affairs within the PDP no longer aligns with these ideals,” he added.

He said he had chosen to step aside, while expressing hope that the PDP would one day find the courage and consensus to resolve its internal contradictions.

As of the time of filing this report, the PDP leadership had yet to react to Suswam’s resignation.

News February 04, 2026 Man dies while rescuing goat from deep well

 

The Oyo State Fire Service has recovered the corpses of a 30-year-old man, Shina Adedeji, and another 45-year-old man, whose name was withheld, from two separate locations in the state.

One of the victims was trying to rescue a goat when he was trapped in the well.

The Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reforms and Chairman of the state Fire Service, Moroof Akinwande, disclosed this in a statement issued in Ibadan, the state capital, on Tuesday.

He explained that while Adedeji fell into a well at the Aaje Ikose area of Ogbomoso in Ogbomoso North Local Government Area on Tuesday, the second corpse was recovered from a deep well at the Mokola area of Saki in Saki West Local Government Area on Monday.

The man in the Saki incident was trying to rescue a goat when he met his death.

Akinwande said, “The agency received a distress call on Monday at exactly 10:23 pm through a running caller and Yusuf Ismail that someone had fallen into a well at the Mokola area of Saki.

“Fire officers, led by PFS II Kolade Taiwo, promptly mobilised and responded to the scene. Upon arrival, it was discovered that a man of about 45 years was trapped inside a deep well.

“Our officers quickly swung into action, secured the area with the necessary equipment, and successfully recovered the man from the well.

“The incident occurred when the man willingly entered the well in an attempt to rescue a goat, during which he became trapped.”

On the Ogbomoso incident, Akinwande said, “On February 3, at exactly 9:45 am, we were summoned to a rescue operation by a running caller and CFM Adeleke at Aaje Ikose area of Ogbomoso.

“The firemen, led by CFM Oladejo, promptly moved to the scene. On arrival, it was discovered that a man of about 30 years old, named Shina Adedeji, had fallen into a well and was recovered by officers of the agency.

“The casualty was trapped in the well, which contained ammonia gas, while attempting to retrieve a fetcher,” he said.

The chairman, therefore, warned members of the public to always prioritise their safety in their daily activities, noting that life has no duplicate.

In a similar occurrence on January 25, 2026, PUNCH Online reported that the Oyo State Fire Service Agency recovered the body of a 33-year-old man from a deep well at a Rain Oil Filling Station in the Alakia–Adegbayi area of Ibadan, Egbeda Local Government Area of the state.

Investigations revealed that the incident occurred at about 10:30 a.m. when the victim, whose name was withheld, reportedly entered an abandoned well to clean debris and became trapped.

News Politics February 04, 2026 PDP Crisis deepens as Makinde, Wike fight dirty for party control

 

In a veiled response to the tirade of Mr Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on Monday, Governor SeyiMakinde of Oyo State, yesterday, declared that expelled elements he described as “vagabonds” no longer have control over the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Both Wike and Makinde were members of the G5 governors in the lead-up to the 2023 general elections, but later fell apart shortly after the election.

Speaking at the commissioning of Oyo PDP Secretariat at Oke Ado, Ibadan, yesterday, Makinde said the “vagabonds” in the PDP were expelled in November 2025, and attributed the party’s challenges to a leadership vacuum that emerged after 2015, which he said allowed indiscipline to thrive.

The governor said: “In Yoruba land, we always say that if you see a house or a compound that is peaceful, the vagabond in that house has not grown up.

“The vagabonds in PDP; they grew up in 2015. They had their time and 10 years — a decade — they practised their ‘vagabondcy’ in the PDP. But they were expelled in November 2025, so no more vagabonds in PDP.

“So whatever it is that they are doing, you should be able to trace it back to their origin.

In 2015, PDP lost power at the federal level; there was a gap in the leadership; otherwise, those vagabonds will never have been able to take hold of PDP.”

The governor said he was previously aligned with the group but had since distanced himself.

“Let me confess, I came into government in 2019, and towards 2023, I was yoked with them, but now I’ve repented, I’m now born again,” he added.

Makinde, who said allowing the group to dominate the party again would be unacceptable, also accused unnamed actors of spreading falsehoods against the party.

“But for them to hold PDP down for another party to be in power, it is a no-no. The leaders who were here to give us the goodwill messages kept hammering on something.

“They kept talking about the truth, the truth and the truth. And what I will say is lies. They can continue peddling their lies for 20 years. But the day truth comes out, that is the end of the lies,’’ Makinde said.

While expressing confidence in the judiciary to resolve ongoing legal disputes involving the party, he said the various court cases involving the PDP would eventually be resolved.

He said further: “I have absolute trust in Nigeria’s judiciary. I know they will do the needful. So, all these court cases — they will all come together at some point. And the judiciary, being the last hope of the common man, will give justice to PDP.’’

The governor also acknowledged past political alignments he described as regrettable, stating that he had since resolved not to repeat them.

He announced that the newly commissioned secretariat would be named Mustapha House in honour of Alhaji Omokunmi Mustapha, the former state chairman under whose leadership the PDP returned to power in Oyo State in 2019.

He said: “After the PDP was out of power at the federal level from 2015, it was in 2019 that a chairman led the party back to power in Oyo State. That chairman is Alhaji Mustapha. In recognition of this legacy, this building will be named Mustapha House.”

Makinde added that he will formally hand over the title deeds of the property to the PDP National Chairman, who will transmit it to the party’s Board of Trustees.

“This document before me is the title deeds to this property. I will be formally handing it over to the national chairman who will, in turn, transmit it to the Board of Trustees, the body that holds the assets of the PDP in trust for the party.”

Makinde, who, however, reaffirmed his commitment to the party beyond Oyo State, noted: “My interest is not limited to Oyo State alone. I am deeply committed to the growth, stability, and unity of the PDP, not just at the state level, but nationally.”

Earlier in his address, the PDP South-West Chairman, Kamorudeen Ajisafe, described the event as a demonstration of unity within the party in the region.

Ajisafe said: “Today’s (yesterday’s) event stands as a clear demonstration that the South-West is united and firmly positioned within our great party.”

Also speaking, Oyo PDP Chairman, Mr Dayo Ogungbenro, said completion of the secretariat underscored the leadership capacity and vision within the party, admitting that he was initially sceptical about the project.

“When the idea of establishing this secretariat was first conceived, I was sceptical. At the time, I had just experienced an accident, and I questioned whether such an ambitious project was truly achievable, given the challenges the party had faced. I even wondered if we could only afford something as modest as providing lunch for members”, Ogungbenro said.

You’re a repentant vagabond – Wike

In a swift reaction, the camp of the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, launched a scathing verbal assault on Governor Makinde, describing his recent pledge of loyalty to the PDP as the late “repentance of a vagabond.”

Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Mr Lere Olayinka, who was reacting to the governor’s vow not to suppress the PDP for the benefit of another party in 2027, dismissed the declaration as a face-saving measure borne out of political fear.

Olayinka characterised Makinde’s sudden shift in rhetoric as an admission of his past role in undermining the party’s interests.

He said: “He (Makinde) admitted that he was a vagabond. He said he has now repented. So, he is first a vagabond who claimed to have repented; happy repentance to him from being a vagabond.”

The minister’s aide further questioned the governor’s political consistency, warning that the “repentance” may only be temporary.

Invoking a traditional proverb to illustrate his point, Olayinka suggested that Makinde remained prone to the same “treachery” that defined his previous political manoeuvres.

“In my place, it is said that even when a madman is cured of his madness, there will still remain some traces of madness. Therefore, like he has been inconsistent politically, don’t be surprised tomorrow when he returns to being the same vagabond he claimed to have repented from,” he added.

Olayinka contended that the governor was currently unsettled by the shifting political landscape and attempting to seek refuge within the party structure to avoid impending fallout.

He said: “Truth is, we understand his fears and worries. We understand that he knows what is coming. But too bad, we can’t help him from being consumed by the fire of political treachery he ignited.”

Recall that Wike had earlier on Monday declared interest in all activities of the PDP in Oyo State.

Speaking at the 105th National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of his faction in Abuja, Wike had vowed to protect the national party from those he described as internal “vampires.”