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Four Red Flags Nigerians Ignored until CBEX Crashed- DUBAWA

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It has not been a pleasant week for thousands of Nigerians who have again fallen for another money scam.

Four Red Flags Nigerians Ignored until CBEX Crashed-  DUBAWA

According to DUBAWA, a West African independent verification and fact-checking project, several persons on various social media platforms have begun to count their losses as CBEX, a popular digital asset trading platform, reportedly wiped out over N1.3 trillion from Nigerian investors’ accounts.

The platform collapsed after funds disappeared from users’ wallets, withdrawals were postponed, and communication channels were locked.

Taiwo Owolabi, a security analyst, recently released an analysis showing how investors’ funds were diverted through funnel wallets and finally into a central wallet, which now holds a total of $857 million in USDT.

The security expert concluded that CBEX was just another Ponzi scheme.

When CBEX promised a mouth-watering 100 per cent return on crypto investments in 30 days, many Nigerians rushed to invest just like they did with the defunct MMM.

However, despite the crash, CBEX has asked some investors to pay $100 and $200 verification fees to access partial withdrawals.

Now that the chips are down, it’s time to ask: “How did we not see this coming?”

Below are four red flags about CBEX that investors ignored.

  1. No regulatory approval

CBEX operated without registration or approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Still, many Nigerians invested, assuming legitimacy because the platform looked flashy. This has become a pattern, as in previous cases where Nigerians got duped, the platforms were unregistered.

SEC has since warned Nigerians against investing in unregistered online forex and digital asset platforms, saying that operating such businesses without registration is now illegal under the new Investment and Securities Act (ISA).

Lesson: Always verify a platform’s regulatory status before putting your money in. 

  1. Anonymous founders

CBEX’s website and Application did not list identifiable owners or executives. To gain credibility, CBEX masqueraded as a crypto platform, talking about “blockchain,” “trading bots,” and “AI-powered systems.” However, it had no verifiable trades or links to legitimate crypto exchanges. It used tech jargon to mislead its users.

Lesson: Transparency is a minimum requirement. If you don’t know who runs it, don’t trust it.

  1. Unrealistic returns on investment, withdrawal issues

While there is no ideal return on investments (ROI), excessively high ROIs or ones that appear too good to be true are usually a call for caution.

CBEX promised investors returns of up to 100 per cent in 30 days. That looks like a classic Ponzi red flag.

As seen in the past, these kinds of returns are unsustainable, but they remain effective bait that can appeal to anyone’s greed.

At first, CBEX worked. Users were getting paid even though Owolabi claimed the platform initially used one investor’s money to pay another until it could not.

Just before the crash, many users reported delays in withdrawing their funds. CBEX blamed this on “system upgrades” and “network issues,” which is a tactic common with failing schemes.

Lesson: High, guaranteed returns are a red flag, and consistent withdrawal delays indicate that the system is drying up. That’s usually when the exit strategy begins.

  1. Influencer endorsements and peer pressure

The Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) does not respect age, especially when influencers, friends, and families are involved. However, the misuse of trust through misinformation is common in fraud schemes.

CBEX’s biggest marketing weapon was social media hype and word-of-mouth pressure. The platform relied heavily on trust networks.

From WhatsApp statuses to Facebook pages and TikTok videos, CBEX grew viral through a coordinated network of testimonials. People shared real and fake proof of payment screenshots and emotional success stories.

When friends and family members innocently vouched for it, people ignored other red flags and pumped money into the scheme.

Lesson: Social proof is not due diligence. Always investigate platforms independently, even if people you trust are involved.

Conclusion

CBEX’s collapse is not new; unfortunately, it may not be the last. DUBAWA urges investors to adopt a fact-checking mindset when approached with financial opportunities. Scams thrive on ignorance and trust. Our best defence is verification, not hope.

DUBAWA is a West African independent verification and fact-checking project, initiated by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) and supported by the most influential newsrooms and civic organisations in West Africa to help amplify the culture of truth in public discourse, public policy, and journalistic practice.

It has a presence in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and The Gambia.

 

 


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E-Financial

NAICOM Signs MoU with BPP to Deepen Insurance Compliance in Public Procurement

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The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) for collaboration and strengthening of the insurance industry, in the area of public procurement processes.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, welcoming the Director-General of BPP, Adebowale Adedokun, and his delegation to NAICOM for a working visit, during which the agreement was signed, highlighted the role of NAICOM as the statutory regulator charged with supervising, regulating and promoting the growth of Nigeria’s insurance industry.

He further stated that NAICOM’s current reform priorities include policyholder protection, regulatory capacity building, legal modernisation, recapitalisation, and increasing insurance penetration.

He emphasised that the collaboration would reinforce the principles of public procurement and insurance practice in Nigeria. He noted that achieving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of transforming Nigeria’s economy into a one-trillion-dollar economy required strong inter-agency cooperation.

He stressed that the commission’s reform objectives could not be fully realised without strategic collaboration with agencies such as BPP. The Commissioner further disclosed plans to establish a platform to monitor and verify insurance coverage for public procurement items and assured that insurance operators would strictly adhere to established rules and standards.

In his remarks, the Director-General of BPP, Adedokun, commended the ongoing transformation in the insurance industry, describing the Commission’s environment as serene and reflective of its readiness to support the Federal Government’s economic growth agenda.

Adedokun, welcomed the partnership and highlighted implementation as the critical next phase: “Signing MoU is only the beginning — what matters is delivery. BPP has moved to a fully digital submission model to speed approvals and reduce opportunities for corruption”, he stated.


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Nigeria’s VAT Jumps 34%, CIT Soars 48% to ₦14trn in 9M’25 – NBS

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Nigeria’s non-oil tax collections posted robust growth in the first nine months of 2025, with Value Added Tax (VAT) rising 34 per cent to ₦6.4 trillion and Company Income Tax (CIT) jumping 48 per cent to ₦7.72 trillion, bolstering federal revenue amid oil price volatility.

Nigeria's VAT Jumps 34%, CIT Soars 48% to ₦14trn in 9M'25 – NBS

NBS

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed VAT climbing from ₦4.77 trillion in 9M’24, reflecting stronger domestic consumption and imports. Quarterly trends indicated a slight 1.4 per cent dip to ₦2.03 trillion in Q2’25 from ₦2.06 trillion in Q1’25, followed by a 10.66 per cent rebound to ₦2.28 trillion in Q3’25—a 28.1 per cent year-on-year gain.

In Q3’25, local VAT hit ₦1.12 trillion, foreign VAT ₦680.23 billion, and import VAT ₦479.79 billion. Sectorally, Administrative and Support Services led with 89.28 per cent quarter-on-quarter growth, trailed by Arts, Entertainment and Recreation (82.49 per cent) and Human Health (32.4 per cent). Real Estate contracted sharply by 51.33 per cent. Manufacturing dominated contributions at 25.89 per cent, followed by Information and Communication (18.77 per cent) and Mining/Quarrying (14.85 per cent).

CIT followed suit, surging from ₦5.22 trillion in 9M’24. It stood at ₦1.98 trillion in Q1’25, leaped 40 per cent to ₦2.78 trillion in Q2’25, and grew 5.7 per cent to ₦2.96 trillion in Q3’25—a 67.19 per cent year-on-year rise. Domestic CIT reached ₦1.21 trillion in Q3, while foreign CIT hit ₦1.75 trillion, underscoring multinational firms’ role.

Economists attribute the uptick to improved tax administration, digital tracking, and post-reform consumption, though sectoral disparities signal real estate headwinds. The gains support President Tinubu’s revenue diversification drive, reducing oil dependency as global crude fluctuates.

NBS data highlights non-oil taxes’ potential to fund infrastructure and social programmes, with analysts eyeing sustained momentum into 2026.


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SEC Revokes Registration of Kensington Agro Trading Limited

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Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has revoked the registration of Kensington Agro Trading Limited as a capital market operator with immediate effect.

SEC Revokes Registration of Kensington Agro Trading Limited

In a public notice issued by the Commission, the regulator announced that Kensington Agro Trading Limited’s registration as a Commodity Broker/Dealer and Collateral Manager has been withdrawn, effectively stripping the company of its authority to operate within Nigeria’s capital market.

According to the notice, the revocation was carried out pursuant to the powers vested in the Commission under Section 61(6) of the Investments and Securities Act, 2025, as well as Rule 34(1) of the SEC Rules and Regulations 2013, as amended.

The SEC stated that the decision takes immediate effect and urged all stakeholders to take note of the development.

“Accordingly, commodity exchanges, the investing public, commodity traders, and all capital market stakeholders are advised to discontinue capital market-related dealings with the company,” the Commission said.

The directive means that Kensington Agro Trading Limited is no longer authorised to engage in any capital market activities under the regulatory oversight of the SEC. Market participants have been cautioned to avoid entering into transactions or maintaining business relationships with the firm in its former capacity as a registered operator.

While the notice did not specify the reasons for the revocation, such regulatory actions are typically taken in line with the Commission’s mandate to ensure compliance with extant laws, protect investors, and maintain market integrity.

The SEC, headquartered in Abuja, reiterated its commitment to upholding transparency, investor protection, and strict adherence to regulatory standards in Nigeria’s capital market.

The Commission’s action underscores its continued enforcement drive aimed at sanitizing the market and ensuring that only duly registered and compliant operators are permitted to function within the ecosystem.

Stakeholders and members of the public are encouraged to verify the registration status of capital market operators through official SEC channels before engaging in investment-related transactions.


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