News
Minister Hails Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, minister of Information and Culture, has hailed the role being played by the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, led by renowned Professor of Law and civil rights Activist Itse Sagay, in the country’s anti-corruption battle.
”Bodies like yours, the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, are critical to the success of the fight,” the minister said while receiving members of the Committee at his office in Abuja on Tuesday. ”We have no doubt that you will continue to advise the administration on the prosecution of the war against corruption and the implementation of required reforms in Nigeria’s criminal justice system.”
Alhaji Mohammed said the visit by members of the Committee could not have come at a better time, ”considering that we are presently running a National Sensitization Campaign against Corruption”.
He acknowledged the huge support that the ministry had received – and has continued to receive – from the committee since the launch of the campaign, saying it had gone a long way in contributing to the modest achievement we have made since the launch.
”I can say, without equivocating, that since the launch of the sensitization campaign against corruption, we have succeeded in getting more and more Nigerians talking about corruption. Not everyone has joined the campaign, but we see the increased national debate on corruption as a positive development, because the more people are aware of the evils of corruption, the more the likelihood for them to support the government’s battle against corruption,” the minister said
He said a recent poll by the Governance Accountability Initiative for Nigeria (GAIN) has shown that the support among Nigerians for the anti-corruption war is very high, with 76% of respondents expressing support for the initiative, while also showing that in terms of areas of concern among Nigerians, the anti-corruption fight is next only to insecurity.
”These results tally with what we have found out in our various engagements since we launched the National Sensitization Campaign,” Alhaji Mohammed said, while commending the media for the major role they have played in disseminating necessary information about the campaign to the people, and also for providing feedback to the government.
He said while some of those who have picked issues with the strategy adopted by the government to sensitize Nigerians may have done so genuinely, perhaps because they have not taken the time to understand the strategy, others are only criticising the anti-graft campaign just to shoot it down.
”A key strategy we have adopted in our campaign is to strip corruption of its previous abstract status by putting a face to it. In other words, we are emphasizing and highlighting the cost of corruption to the lives of Nigerians.
”When we revealed that 55 people allegedly stole a total of 1.34 trillion Naira between 2006 and 2013 – a figure that has been independently confirmed by a Civil Society Organization, Media Rights Agenda (even though with an extended timeline), our intention was not to villify anyone but to show to Nigerians how funds that could have been used to provide infrastructure and upgrade educational and health facilities, for example, have been looted,” the Minister explained.
He assured that the government would continue to vigorously pursue the anti-corruption fight in accordance with the rule of law, adding: ”We will not relent, not now that the fight has gained momentum among Nigerians and attracted global support.”
Earlier, Prof. Sagay said the visit was to give the Committee the opportunity to dialogue with the Minister, whom he described as proactive, courageous, intelligent and knowledgeable, and his team, especially because the parastatals under the Ministry of Information and Culture have a vital role to play in the fight against corruption.
”Parastatals like the NTA, FRCN, NOA and VON are critical in educating the public and increasing the level of consciousness (about the evils of corruption),” he said.
The Committee head urged Nigerians to buy into the anti-corruption struggle, saying by doing so, they are laying the groundwork for their children to live in an atmosphere of stability and to have the opportunity to achieve their God-given potentials.
Southeast Asia cybercrime networks are expanding operations into Africa as crackdowns intensify in the subregion, according to a recent report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The massive, unintended geographic shift triggered by intense pressure from international task forces in Myanmar and Cambodia,have seen highly sophisticated criminal networks now establishing footholds in major tech hubs across Kenya and Nigeria, transforming local technical talent into accomplices for industrial-scale digital theft as reported by https://streamlinefeed.co.ke/
This strategic migration represents a critical evolution in the $17 billion crypto scam economy.
Transnational scam syndicates are organized criminal networks that run industrial-scale online fraud using trapped or trafficked labor.
The UNODC has documented this diversification, noting that African nations are increasingly targeted as operational bases due to robust internet infrastructure and a surplus of unemployed tech workers.
In response, local authorities are engaged in a frantic game of catch-up against well-funded foreign cartels.
Recall that in 2025, UNODC, described the shift as part of a broader trend in which crime “spreads like a cancer,” into regions with weaker enforcement and limited digital safeguards.
The report pointed to the rapid proliferation of online fraud operations, including cryptocurrency scams and phishing schemes, moving from countries like Myanmar and Cambodia into new footholds in Africa—particularly Nigeria.
A recent case publicized June 12, 2025 by the WeChat public account West Africa Chinese Voice illustrates the trend: Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested 177 Chinese nationals in Lagos and Abuja between December 2024 and January 2025.
The suspects were allegedly running scam centers under the guise of corporate offices, where local Nigerians were trained to carry out online investment frauds—many following the “pig-butchering” model, which builds trust with victims before luring them into fraudulent crypto investments.
Authorities seized hundreds of SIM cards, high-performance computers, and prewritten scam scripts during the raids
Ugochukwu Eze, a 47 year-old man, was on Thursday arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly hacking into the server of SunTrust Bank to steal a total of N800m.
Ugochukwu also known as Amazon, was arraigned before the court by the operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS).
DSS accused Ugochukwu of fraudulently hacking into the server of SunTrust Bank to remove and divert the sum of N800 million into several accounts in other financial institutions.
M. Bajela,prosecuting counsel, DSS, in the charges filed before the court alleged that the defendant and others now at large, between 2023 and 2026, conspired among themselves and unlawfully and seriously hindered the function of Suntrust Bank Plc’s computer system server and in the process fraudulently diverted over N800 million belonging to the bank.
Ugochukwu was also accused of concealing and transferring various sums of money traced to the unlawful cyber-attacks to some account in some financial institutions.
The offences alleged to have been committed by the defendant according to the prosecutor contravened sections 5; 6(1) and 8 of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2024. And Sections 10, 20 and 18(2)(D) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
Based on his plea of not guilty, the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date, and prayed the court to remand the defendant in the facility of the correctional services pending the time trial will commence.
However, E. Afrogha, defendant’s lawyer, told the court that she has filed her client’s bail application. adding that her client has been in the DSS custody for over a month.
But the prosecution counsel told the court that he has not been served with the bail application, not withstanding that his witnesses are available.
Based on the counsels’ submissions, Justice Friday Ogazi, presiding judge, adjourned the matter to August 24,2026 for hearing of the bail application.
The judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS) pending the hearing of the bail application.
One of the counts against the defendant reads: “That you UGOCHUKWU EZE (AKA AMAZON) (M) (47 YEARS) sometime between 2023 and 2026 in Lagos, and other places within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, unlawfully seriously hindered the function of SunTrust Bank Plc’s computer system, and in the process fraudulently diverted over N800, 000,000.00 (Eight Hundred Million Naira) belonging to the said SunTrust Bank thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 8 of the cybercrime (prohibition, prevention etc.) Act, 2024.”
Liquid Intelligent Technologies is using light-beam technology developed by Google spinout Taara to supply data centres and large enterprise networks in Lagos, addressing the high costs and delays of laying underground fibre in dense urban corridors.
The deployment includes nearly 12 live optical links serving banks, hotels, and utilities across commercial districts, proving optical technology can supplement traditional physical infrastructure where trenching cables is impractical.
High-capacity bandwidth is being distributed directly from points of presence at Africa Data Centres and other Lagos facilities to enterprises beyond the reach of fibre cables.
This reduces network downtime in areas where physical cable cuts take days to repair. The rollout follows a two-year deployment by Liquid to strengthen network resilience for local internet service providers.
Nigeria remains one of the largest economies on the continent, with Lagos acting as its primary commercial hub. Expanding network infrastructure across dense urban environments requires operators to blend multiple technologies.
Using focused beams of light transmitted through the air, the technology allows operators to establish links within days rather than weeks, complementing existing physical networks.
Liquid is now assessing expansion into Abuja, Ibadan, and Kano.
“For Liquid, deployment speed has been one of the most significant advantages,” said Eugene Uka, acting chief executive officer of Liquid Intelligent Technologies Nigeria.
He added: “Traditional fibre deployments are not always a possibility, especially across difficult terrains. Taara links can often be installed and activated within hours, allowing Liquid to fulfil its mission to create a digitally connected future that leaves no African behind.”
Bhavesh Mistry, regional lead for Taara in Africa, commented: “As demand for connectivity continues to grow, operators need more flexibility in how they expand and reinforce their networks.
“Fibre remains an essential part of modern communications infrastructure, and will for some time, but there are many situations where deploying fibre quickly or cost-effectively can be difficult. Wireless optical communication gives operators another tool to extend capacity, reach customers faster, and build more resilient networks without compromising performance.”
The Taara Lightbridge system delivers up to 20 gigabits per second of capacity across distances up to 20 kilometres using invisible light beams.
The platform avoids trenching, spectrum licensing, or extensive civil engineering work. Taara claims its system is active in more than 20 countries with telecommunications operators, including T-Mobile, Airtel, Digicel, Liquid, and SoftBank.
Fleeing Southeast Asia Scam Syndicates Find New Homes in Nigeria, Kenya- Report
DSS Arraigns Eze for Allegedly Hacking, Stealing N800m from SunTrust Bank
SEC Unveils Probate/Unclaimed Monies Clinic to Help Families Recover Inherited Investments
We have Multiple Layers of Protection for 281m Accounts in Nigeria – NDIC
NCC Asks Telcos to Make Budgetary Provisions for Cybersecurity
From Scarcity to Scale: What Africa Can Learn from India’s Agricultural Transformation
EFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
BON Establishes Six Ad Hoc Committees to Modernize Broadcasting
How EFCC Turned Recovered Loot Into School Supplies for Thousands of Nigerian Students
BVN Enrollments Hit 69.55m- NIBSS
E-Business2 days agoKaspersky Reveals a New Malicious Framework Targeting Cryptocurrency Users with the Use of OkoSpyware
E-Business2 days agoCMS T&M Launches TMO Rides to Enable a Faster & Cashless Transport Experience for CMS – Ajah Passengers
E-Business2 days agoFirm to recruit over 100 professionals to boost NRS e-Invoicing compliance
E-Business2 days agoNigeria Tightens Data Privacy Compliance as FG Issues Directive to MDAs
Telecom2 days agoFG Commences 90,000km Fibre Optic Rollout within Weeks
Telecom2 days agoTreepz Partners with CMS T&M to Digitize Public Transportation for Millions of Lagos Commuters
Telecom2 days agoDimension Data to Channel Funds to Support Nigerian Fibre Expansion
E-Financial1 day agoAccess Holdings Deepens Sustainable Finance Impact, Expanding Green Assets to ₦92.14 Billion