General News
Boko Haram Embarks on Forced Recruitment Exercise
The Boko Haram sect on Saturday killed over 60 people at Gaidamgari village in Bama local government area of Borno State, following refusal by residents to allow their young males to be recruited as members of the terrorist group.
The sect, National Mirror learnt, had embarked on a conscription drive to shore up their ranks dwindled in a series of battles with government troops, but villagers resisted the move.
Sources said the attack on the village, which took place about 10pm, was masterminded by the terrorists as punishment following the refusal by parents and elders to heed the demands of the sect to recruit young men from the village into their fold.
“The refusal of the community to allow their children particularly young boys between the ages of 15 and 20 to be recruited into the Boko Haram group, led to the carnage that befall them as the terrorists mobilised and launched a deadly attack on Gaidamgari village,” a security source said.
He noted that during the attack, over 60 residents were killed, while several others sustained gunshot wounds.
The source said the gunmen invaded the village in a convoy of Toyota Hilux vehicles and launched attacks with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), on defenseless civilians.
Another security personnel, who did not want his name mentioned, confirmed the attack on Gaidamgari, but said that 29 people were killed. In another development, about five motorists, including passengers, were at the weekend ambushed along Bama- Maiduguri road by a group of terrorists.
A source at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital told our correspondent that five dead bodies were brought into the hospital. Preliminary investigation revealed that they were victims of Boko Haram ambush.
National Mirror correspondent gathered that a large number of troops were yesterday deployed to the surrounding villages and towns of Damboa to confront the terrorists.
This is even as the Federal Government has vowed not to cede an inch of the nation’s territory to the sect, pledging the commitment of its armed forces and other security agencies to the fight against terror.
Government’s reaction came on the heels of reports that the sect had at the weekend effectively sacked Damboa village and consequently hoisted its flag in the area.
Media reports had detailed how Boko Haram militants killed more than 100 people in the area and hoisted their black and white flag in Damboa, about 85 kilometres from the state capital, Maiduguri.
At a security briefing in Abuja, Maj.- Gen. Chris Olukolade, director of Defence Information, said no portion of Nigerian territory would be conceded to any terrorist group, insisting that security in Damboa would be restored.
“We are not conceding any portion of the country to terrorist groups; we are sure that Nigeria security agencies have firmed up deployment in that area; patrols are active and we are going to reverse any form of security threat around the area,” he said. Olukolade, however, dismissed reports that terrorists had overrun the town.
He said: “I will not be stampeded to endorse what you read on social media. Nobody, I repeat, nobody will be allowed to hoist any flag in any portion of land belonging to this country.”
Chinonso Akujobi, former staff of Access Bank in Lagos, has been remanded in Ikoyi prison after she was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on stealing to the tune of N294.5m.
Akujobi who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was arraigned before Justice I.O. Ijelu of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
EFCC alleged that Akujobi stole the money between January and December 2025 while under the employment of Access Bank Plc.
As stated in one the charges, the defendant stole the money through unauthorized payments from the general ledger of Access Bank to her account number 0036668871 with the name Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A., thereby committing an offence of stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendant pleaded “not guilty“ to the charges when they were read to her.
In view of this, S.M.Yabo, prosecution counsel, asked the court for a trial date and also prayed for the remand of the defendant in a Correctional centre.
Justice Ijelu, thereafter, adjourned the case till October 8, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and the commencement of trial.
The Judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Ikoyi correctional Centre.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says the flight captain of the VMO Aero aircraft that landed on a roadway near Asaba Airport in Delta State told investigators that the observer pilot mistakenly identified the paved road as the runway before touchdown.
The bureau disclosed this in a preliminary report released on Thursday on the June 10 incident, which prompted the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ground the private jet.
The aircraft had seven people on board, including the pilot-in-command (PIC), second-in-command (SIC), an observer pilot, a cabin crew member and three passengers.
According to the report, the aircraft was cleared by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to approach Runway 11 at Asaba Airport after the crew requested a right orbit.
The crew initially discontinued the approach, executed a missed approach and repositioned for a second landing attempt.
NSIB said the crew reported that the aircraft’s navigation systems indicated it was correctly established on the published RNAV Runway 11 approach.
“The PIC and SIC reported that the observer pilot identified the paved surface ahead as the runway,” the report stated.
However, the observer pilot gave investigators a different version of events.
According to NSIB, he said the aircraft remained inside cloud until late in the approach and that the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) repeatedly issued “TERRAIN, TERRAIN, PULL UP” alerts.
He also said he observed a telecommunications mast directly ahead and instructed the flight captain to abandon the approach and climb immediately.
The bureau further disclosed that a cabin crew member reported that one of the passengers became concerned after overhearing discussions among the pilots and asked whether one of them was undergoing training. The passenger was reportedly reassured that all three pilots on board were experienced captains.
NSIB said no abnormal events were reported in the cabin before touchdown.
The aircraft eventually landed at about 8:57 a.m. on an under-construction paved roadway near Asaba Airport instead of the designated runway.
The bureau said its investigation into the incident is ongoing, while the preliminary report highlights conflicting accounts among the cockpit crew over the circumstances that led to the erroneous landing.
Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the Federal Government’s alleged tax evasion case against Binance Holdings Ltd. cryptocurrency exchange, until September 24, 2026, to allow both parties more time to pursue an out-of-court settlement.
Justice Emeka Nwite fixed the new date on Thursday after Moses Ideho, counsel to the Federal Government, informed the court that discussions aimed at resolving the dispute amicably were still ongoing.
Ideho, a deputy director of Legal and Prosecution at the Nigeria Revenue Service (formerly the Federal Inland Revenue Service), told the court that the matter, which had been scheduled for a report on settlement or continuation of trial, could not proceed.
According to him, one reason for the delay was the reported elevation of Justice Nwite to the Court of Appeal, while the second was the continued reconciliation efforts between the parties.
“The parties are still exploring settlement in the charge that led to this case,” Ideho told the court.
Sunday Agaji, counsel to Binance, did not oppose the application for adjournment, following which Justice Nwite postponed proceedings until September 24 for either a report on the settlement discussions or continuation of trial.
The case was previously adjourned on May 12 after both the Federal Government and Binance informed the court that negotiations were underway to settle the matter outside the courtroom.
Binance had first indicated its willingness to pursue an amicable resolution on March 24.
The cryptocurrency company was re-arraigned on July 12, 2024, on a four-count charge bordering on alleged tax evasion.
Ayodele Omotilewa, Nigerian representative, pleaded not guilty on behalf of the company.
The re-arraignment followed the removal of Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan and his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, from the charge after the Federal Government amended the case to make Binance Holdings Ltd the sole defendant.
Justice Nwite had, on June 14, 2024, discharged and struck out the names of Gambaryan and Anjarwalla after the prosecution filed the amended charge.
Binance is also facing a separate criminal prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which accuses the company of laundering about $35.4m.
In addition, the Nigeria Revenue Service is pursuing a separate civil suit against Binance before another judge of the Federal High Court, seeking approximately $79.5bn in alleged economic losses linked to the company’s operations in Nigeria.
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