Imo Communities Suffer as ₦273m Irete–Ndegwu Road Project Stalls Despite Two Years of Funding – MonITNG

Accountability group MonITNG has accused the Federal Ministry of Works of repeatedly allocating funds for the 1.5km Irete–Ndegwu Road in Owerri West, Imo State, despite no evidence of work on the ground. The project, budgeted in 2023 and again in 2024, reportedly received ₦273.3 million paid to Pinnatech Engineering Ltd, yet Tracka’s inspections found the road untouched—muddy, flooded, and dangerous. The group says pregnant women, schoolchildren, and traders remain at risk as the abandoned project worsens daily hardship. MonITNG demands full transparency, release of contract details, and a probe by ICPC and EFCC, insisting that public funds must be traced, recovered, and the road constructed without further delay.

Abia PHC Abandoned Despite ₦34.9m Funding, Pregnant Women Forced to Deliver on Bare Floors

A new report by MonITNG reveals that a Primary Health Centre in Oloko, Abia State remains abandoned six years after completion, despite ₦34.9 million paid in 2024 for furnishing and medical equipment. The facility is overgrown with weeds and unusable, forcing pregnant women to deliver on bare floors in a cramped makeshift room. The group accuses FMC Umuahia and the contractor, Raymond Blacks Ltd, of neglect and demands EFCC and ICPC investigations to recover funds and complete the project before 2025 ends.

15,000 Candidates Forged Admission Letters to Participate in NYSC Scheme – JAMB.

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, has revealed that the agency identified 15,000 candidates who forged admission letters to qualify for participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Speaking on Monday at the 2025 Batch C pre-mobilisation workshop in Abuja, Oloyede confirmed that those involved are being prosecuted for alleged forgery.

He further disclosed that 17 Deputy Vice-Chancellors, several Deputy Registrars, and four JAMB staff are currently in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over similar allegations.

Clemency: You’ve brought shame, scrap NDLEA, EFCC, ICPC – APC chieftain to Tinubu.

A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has called for the scrapping of some federal government agencies.

The agencies include the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.

According Eze, these agencies have Iost their flavours to political Interferences, stressing that President Bola Tinubu’s presidential pardon of drug barons have further erodes public confidence in statutory Institutions.

The APC chieftain said as long as he remains a member of the ruling party it must be said categorically that Tinubu, by his action, has brought shame and reproach to the party.

Eze believes that no reasonable person would vote for the APC again as the President has made it unelectable in any election in this country.

Eze said that APC’s return to power in 2027 would mean that Nigerians approve of a regime that legitimizes illegality as a political strategy to sustain its odious reign beyond 2027.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Information and Strategy last week, said in a statement that out of the 175 beneficiaries of the Presidential pardon, 41 illegal miners, 28 drug traffickers and 22 murderers topped the list.

Notable among the 175 beneficiaries are Herbert Macaulay, one of Nigeria’s foremost nationalists; Farouk Lawan, a former member of the house of representatives; Mamman Vatsa, a major general and poet executed in 1986 over alleged treason; and Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for killing her husband in 2017.

Nigerian Institute Budgets just ₦1.3 Billion For Fence Construction In Abia Schools As Group Demands ICPC, EFCC Probe.

Civic accountability group MonITng has raised alarm over a ₦1.3 billion Zonal Intervention Project in Abia State, accusing officials of misplaced priorities and possible fund diversion.

In a petition to the ICPC, EFCC, and FMARD, the group questioned Project Code: ZIP20250570, titled “Construction of Perimeter Fence in Selected Schools in Bende Federal Constituency”, being executed by the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike.

MonITng faulted assigning an agricultural research institute to handle school construction, saying it lacks the technical capacity, which “undermines transparency and quality delivery.”

It decried the absence of project details, noting that “selected schools” were unnamed, calling it “a breeding ground for corruption, inflated contracts, and ghost projects.”

The group criticised the project’s priority, stressing that schools in Bende lack classrooms, furniture, and roofs, adding, “What is the value of a fence when pupils sit on bare floors?”

MonITng urged @icpcnigeria and @officialEFCC to investigate the project and ensure accountability for every kobo spent, while demanding the Ministry of Agriculture publish the list of schools involved.

It concluded that ₦1.3 billion could have been used to improve classrooms, water, and learning facilities instead of fences, describing the project as “a distortion of purpose.”

Ex-FCTA Director Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison for ₦318m Fraud.

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Mr. Garuba Duku, a retired Director of Finance and Administration with the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), to 24 years in prison for diverting ₦318 million in public funds.

The conviction was announced in a statement by the Director of Public Enlightenment and Education at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr. Demola Bakare, on Thursday.

According to the ICPC, Duku was arraigned on a six-count charge of corruption and money laundering in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/608/2022. Justice James Omotosho, who presided over the case, found him guilty on all counts after the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Investigations revealed that between 2012 and 2013, Duku fraudulently diverted ₦318,250,000 belonging to AMMC into his personal Fidelity Bank account. The court heard that the stolen funds were received in several tranches — ₦56.25 million, ₦71 million, ₦53 million, ₦54 million, ₦46 million, and ₦36.3 million and subsequently laundered through Bureau de Change operators.

The ICPC stated that Duku’s actions violated public financial regulations and constituted a gross abuse of office. During trial, the defendant claimed he transferred the funds to his superiors, but the court dismissed the defence as unsubstantiated.

In his judgment, Justice Omotosho ruled that the prosecution’s evidence was “credible, consistent, and sufficient to establish the offences charged.” He sentenced Duku to four years’ imprisonment on each of the six counts, to run concurrently, or an option of fine amounting to about ₦1.6 billion — five times the total amount involved.

Reacting to the verdict, ICPC spokesperson Bakare hailed the judgment as a significant victory in the agency’s ongoing war against corruption and financial misconduct in the public sector.

Account for N14trn fuel subsidy savings or face legal action’, SERAP tells 36 governors, Wike.

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Nigeria’s 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike to “urgently disclose the spending details of the estimated N14trn fuel subsidy savings they collected from FAAC allocations, including details and locations of projects executed with the money, and the implementation status and completion reports, if any, on the projects.”

SERAP urged them to “provide details of the plans on how subsequent fuel subsidy savings they expect to collect from FAAC allocations, including details of any planned projects on which the money would be spent.”

SERAP also urged them to “publicly invite the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to track and monitor the spending of the fuel subsidy savings collected by you, to ensure that the money is not diverted into private pockets.”

The 36 governors and the FCT minister have reportedly collected trillions of naira from FAAC allocations as fuel subsidy savings since mid-2023. But the increased allocations have not translated into improved access to basic public services, such as quality healthcare and education for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

In the Freedom of Information requests dated 4 October 2025 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “There is a legitimate public interest for governors and the FCT minister to urgently explain how they have spent the money they have so far collected from the subsidy savings.”

SERAP said, “The savings from the removal of fuel subsidy ought to be spent solely for the benefit of the poor and vulnerable Nigerians who are bearing the brunt of the removal. Transparency in the spending of the money would help to avoid a morally repugnant result of double jeopardy on these Nigerians.”

The FoI requests, read in part: “There is a significant risk of mismanagement or diversion of funds linked to the increased FAAC allocations collected by the states and FCT.”

“The spending details of the money collected by several states and the FCT from fuel subsidy savings have been mostly shrouded in secrecy.”

Court strikes out Saraki’s suit for protection against EFCC, ICPC, others.

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, struck out two separate suits filed by former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to seek court protection against the plan by EFCC to probe him.

Justice Mohammed Umar struck out the two cases following a notice of discontinuance of the suits sighted in the court record and after no lawyer appeared for parties at the resumed hearing.

The former Senate president had filed the suits following the EFCC’s decision in 2019 to probe Saraki’s earnings between 2003 and 2011 when he was governor of Kwara.

The anti-graft commission was reported to have seized some of his houses in the Ikoyi area of Lagos then.

However, Saraki, on May 10, 2019, filed the two separate suits, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/507/2019 and FHC/ABJ/CS/508/2019, before retired Justice Taiwo Taiwo to challenge the action of the EFCC.

The ex-Senate president named the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Inspector-General (I-G) of Police and State Security Service (SSS) are 1st to 3rd defendants.

Others are EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) as 4th to 6th respondents respectively.

Justice Taiwo, who was the presiding judge then, had ruled on an ex-parte application filed along with the substantive suits.

Nigerian Soldiers Fighting Boko Haram Lament About Allegedly Getting Paid N20,000 Out of N100,000 Monthly Allowance.

Fresh findings by SaharaReporters have revealed that Nigerian soldiers deployed to the North-East for counter-insurgency operations against Boko Haram receive only N20,000 monthly from the N100,000 Scarce Skills Allowance (SSA) approved by the Federal Government.

Several soldiers who spoke on the matter expressed frustration that, despite official approvals dating back to 2017, they are still being denied their full entitlements.

“Yes, the Federal Government approved N100,000 per soldier, but we only receive N20,000,” one soldier said. “The Air Force recently raised theirs to N50,000, but the Army has refused. This underpayment started under former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.).”

The SSA was one of several welfare packages introduced in November 2017 by former President Muhammadu Buhari under the Manual of Financial Administration for the Armed Forces of Nigeria (MAFA). The document explicitly provides for N100,000 monthly payment to all military personnel, regardless of rank.

However, soldiers told SaharaReporters they are still being paid between N20,000 and N30,000, in clear vi%lation of the guidelines.

This revelation echoes similar allegations published in 2021, when troops accused the Army leadership under Buratai of diverting allowances. At the time, soldiers complained that their Uniform and Boot Allowance, along with the SSA approved since 2017, had either been unpaid or grossly reduced.

One soldier explained: “The Scarce Skills Allowance approved by the President in 2017 was N100,000, but the Army only began paying in 2020 and even then, Privates to Corporals got N20,000, Sergeants and Staff Sergeants N25,000, while Warrant Officers received N30,000. Uniform and boot allowances have not been paid at all.”

The aggrieved soldiers are calling on President Bola Tinubu to direct anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC and ICPC to investigate the non-payment and diversion of their welfare funds.

Deji Adeyanju Petitions ICPC Over N283.3Billion Received During 6-Month Tenure Of Ex-Rivers Sole Administrator Ibas

Plateau Lawmaker Adamu Aliyu Surrenders to ICPC Over Alleged N850 Million Fraud

Adamu Aliyu, a serving member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, has surrendered to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and is currently being questioned over allegations of fraud.

The lawmaker turned himself in at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja on Monday, September 15, following a Federal High Court order declaring him wanted. Justice Emeka Nwite issued the order after the commission informed the court that Aliyu had ignored multiple invitations to respond to fraud allegations.

The allegations stem from a petition by businessman Mohammed Jidda, who accused Aliyu of defrauding him under the pretext of facilitating a Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) contract at the University of Jos valued at N850 million.

According to the petition, Aliyu, representing Jos North-North constituency, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jidda, requiring the businessman to pay N73.6 million for the contract. The amount included N52 million to a company, Imanal Concept Ltd, described as a facilitation fee.

Investigators allege that Aliyu later presented Jidda with a forged contract award letter for the construction of an indoor sports hall worth N500 million at the University of Jos. Acting on the letter, Jidda transferred the agreed funds into two bank accounts allegedly provided by Aliyu.

However, when Jidda approached the university to finalize contract documentation, the institution denied issuing such a contract. Subsequent verification confirmed that the award letter was fraudulent.

Bank records obtained by the ICPC reportedly show:

N47.8 million deposited into Aliyu’s personal account

N22.4 million into Imanal Concept Ltd’s Zenith Bank account

N3.2 million transferred directly to Aliyu


Despite repeated summonses—including messages through the Clerk of the Plateau Assembly and Aliyu’s WhatsApp—he did not respond, prompting the ICPC to seek the court order. The commission also indicated it had credible intelligence that Aliyu might attempt to flee Nigeria to avoid prosecution.

APC Lawmaker Declared Wanted Over Alleged Fraud.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has declared Adamu Aliyu, a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly representing Jos North-North constituency, wanted over allegations of fraud involving N73.6 million.

Aliyu, who serves on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared wanted by Justice Emeka Nwite on Friday after the court granted an application filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The court authorised the anti-graft agency to publish a “wanted person” notice for the lawmaker in national newspapers, across social media platforms, and through other public channels. The ruling further empowered law enforcement agencies, including the police and even private citizens, to arrest Aliyu and hand him over to the ICPC.

According to court documents, the case originated from a petition filed by businessman Mohammed Jidda, who accused the legislator of using a fake Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) contract to defraud him. Jidda alleged that Aliyu promised to help him secure an N850 million TETFund contract at the University of Jos. As part of the deal, the two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), under which Jidda agreed to pay N73.6 million once a contract award letter was issued. The MoU also stipulated that an additional N52 million facilitation fee would be paid to Imanal Concept Ltd, a company owned by Saad Abubakar, whom Aliyu presented as the facilitator of the contract.

Investigators said Aliyu later gave Jidda a document purporting to be a contract award letter from the University of Jos for the construction of an indoor sports hall valued at N500 million. Convinced by the document, Jidda transferred N73.6 million into two accounts provided by Aliyu — his personal Guaranty Trust Bank account and Imanal Concept Ltd’s Zenith Bank account. However, when Jidda approached the university to begin contract documentation, he discovered that no such project existed. The University of Jos later confirmed in writing to the ICPC that the purported award letter was forged.

The ICPC told the court that financial records confirmed the flow of funds: N47.8 million went into Aliyu’s personal GTBank account, N22.4 million into Imanal Concept Ltd’s Zenith Bank account, and N3.2 million directly to Aliyu. Despite repeated invitations — delivered through the Clerk of the Plateau Assembly and acknowledged on his WhatsApp line — the lawmaker allegedly failed to appear before investigators. The commission also said it received intelligence suggesting that Aliyu was planning to flee the country to avoid questioning.

Citing his refusal to honour lawful summons, the ICPC applied to the court for permission to declare Aliyu wanted, noting that the agency lacks constitutional authority to do so without judicial backing. The commission further requested an arrest warrant to enable law enforcement agencies, including INTERPOL, to intervene if Aliyu attempted to abscond abroad. Justice Nwite granted the application in full.

When contacted on Friday evening, Aliyu denied the allegations. He claimed he was unaware of the ICPC’s invitations until the Clerk of the Plateau Assembly informed him while he was in Saudi Arabia. He also denied forging the documents, insisting that they were obtained by Saad Abubakar and that his role was limited to delivering them to Jidda.

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EFCC, ICPC Asked To Probe Nigerian Agricultural Land Development Authority Over ₦2billion Budget For Bush Clearing.
Civic accountability group MonITng has raised alarm over a ₦2billion allocation in the 2025 federal budget for land and bush clearing under the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA).

The organisation described the project—listed under the Presidency—as a waste of public funds, citing its vague description and lack of specified locations. MonITng argued that such ambiguity opens the door for corruption and mismanagement, stressing that the funds could be better invested in mechanisation, irrigation, storage facilities, or rural roads.

Calling the allocation a “padded project,” the group urged anti-graft agencies including the EFCC and ICPC, as well as the National Assembly, to investigate and ensure accountability.

#Accountability #EFCC #ICPC

News Brief: ₦86bn Disbursed for 449,000 Beneficiaries — NELFUND

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has disbursed ₦86 billion to 449,000 students under its student loan scheme, out of 735,000 completed applications.
Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr said ₦47 billion went to 218 tertiary institutions for school fees, while ₦38 billion was paid as stipends. Applications are increasing by 3,000–3,500 daily.

Sawyerr explained that loan processing takes 30–45 days, involving verification by applicants’ institutions before payment.
He also addressed ongoing ICPC and House of Representatives investigations into alleged discrepancies, stressing accountability and denying mismanagement.

#NELFUND #StudentLoans #NigeriaEducation #ICPC

Many injured, trapped as three storey building collapse in Lagos.

A three-storey building has collapsed along Adeniji Adele Road in Lagos Island.

Naija News learnt that the tragic incident, which happened on Thursday, left many with injuries, and others are still trapped in the rubble.

According to Cable, at least four occupants of the building have been rescued and taken to the hospital shortly after the incident.

Emergency responders from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), among others, have since gotten to the incident scene.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area, Muibi Alade Folawiyo, has debunked reports circulating in the media that he was arrested by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations of fund misappropriation.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Olushoga Olushola, on Wednesday, Folawiyo clarified that he only honoured an invitation by the Commission for questioning over a petition allegedly submitted by political detractors.

Describing the petition as politically motivated, Folawiyo said the move was aimed at discrediting his name and causing a distraction ahead of the forthcoming local government elections in Lagos State.

“I was not arrested. I was invited, and I honoured the invitation in good faith,” the council boss stated.

“This is clearly the handiwork of detractors bent on tarnishing my image. But I remain focused on my mandate to serve the people of Lagos Island East,” Folawiyo said while reacting to the petition against him.

Killings: SERAP tells governors to account for security votes.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged state governors to account for the spending of public funds in the name of security votes since May 29, 2023, to guarantee and ensure the security of life and property of Nigerians resident in the states.

SERAP also urged the governors to urgently invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to jointly investigate, track and monitor the spending of security votes by the states.

In a Freedom of Information request at the weekend, signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said that in the wake of the Benue massacre and well-documented ongoing cases of insecurity in several states, there had been a legitimate public call for governors to account for how they spend security votes.

SERAP said the escalating insecurity in several states was taking a toll on socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians, driving up extreme poverty, intensifying hunger, and leading to other grave human rights violations.

According to the body, the framers of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) never contemplated opaque spending of public funds as security votes.

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EFCC and ICPC Recover Billions in Looted Funds, Says Attorney General

In a significant boost to Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) have recovered a staggering $967.5 billion and ₦277 billion in looted public funds. The announcement, made by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Olasunkami Fagbemi, SAN, highlights the scope of financial recovery efforts over recent years.

According to Fagbemi, between 2017 and 2024 alone, $659 million and £6.4 million of recovered assets were channeled into critical national programs. These include Nigeria’s Conditional Cash Transfer scheme, aimed at supporting vulnerable households, and the funding of key infrastructure projects across the country.

The Attorney General emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability in utilizing recovered assets, noting that these funds are being reinvested to promote economic growth and improve public welfare.

The announcement reflects the Nigerian government’s ongoing resolve to combat corruption and ensure that stolen public wealth is returned and used to benefit citizens. It also renews calls from civil society for sustained oversight and stronger institutional reforms to prevent future misappropriation.