Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Thursday, July, 24, 2025, convicted the duo of Dr. Olufemi Martins Thomas, a former Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, and one Kabiru Sidi, a Bureau De Change Operator, for $2,198,900.00 ( Two million, One Hundred and Ninety Eight Thousand, Nine Hundred United States Dollars) fraud.
Thomas was arraigned alongside Sidi on an amended seven-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of $2,198,900.00 brought against them by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Six of the counts against Thomas bordered on money laundering and transferring, in cash, proceeds of unlawful activities, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended.
The second defendant, however, was prosecuted only on count six bordering on making false statements to an official of the EFCC.
The charge against Thomas reads: “That you, Dr. Martins Oluwafemi Thomas (a.k.a Dr. Ike), the former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, on or about the 3rd of July, 2015 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, procured Mrs. Femi Thomas to disguise the unlawful origin of the sum of $2, 198, 900 (Two million, One Hundred and Ninety-eight Thousand, Nine Hundred United States Dollars) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 and punishable under Section 15(2) (a) and (3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012).”
The charge against Kabiru reads: That you, Kabiru Sidi on or about the 15th of July, 2015 at the office of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, 15 A Awolowo Road, Ikoyi Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court made a false statement to Afeez Mustapha, an investigating officer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissionto the effect that you gave over Two Million United States dollars to Bamidele Ibiteye and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 39(2) (b) and punishable under Section 39(2) (c) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004.”
They pleaded “not guilty” to the charge, thereby leading to their full trial.
At the last adjourned sitting on Thursday, May 29, 2025, the prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho SAN, in his final written addresses, dated May 5 and 9, 2025, submitted that “In line with the charge, the prosecution called six witnesses, and the defendant made a no-case submission, which was overruled and overruled by the Appellate Court on the grounds that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against the defendant.
“The defendant entered his defence because the law required him to show how he acquired the funds legitimately. Part of his evidence was that he made the funds heavily from his farming businesses. The evidence of his farming was contained in his financial statement.
While closing his argument, he had also submitted that “This is a case of money laundering, where the issue of concealment of transaction is paramount and that is why the law requires such transactions to go through financial institutions so that there will be a trial. Any application that suggests otherwise will defeat the basis of Section 1 of the Money Laundering Act”.
He had, therefore, urged the court to discountenance the submissions of the first and second defendants and convict them as charged.
Delivering judgment today, Justice Ayokunle Faji ruled that the anti-graft agency failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the allegations of conspiracy, unlawful enrichment, and making false statements contained in counts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 of the amended charge.
However, Dr Thomas was convicted on count five, relating to a cash transaction exceeding the N5 million threshold allowed by law for individual cash dealings.
Justice Faji held that the EFCC did not adequately investigate claims made by the defendant during the trial and failed to establish that the funds in question were proceeds of unlawful enrichment.
“The transaction in count five is only above the N5 million threshold. There is no proof it was from the proceeds of crime,” the judge ruled.
Consequently, the court ordered the EFCC to return within 14 days all funds previously seized from Dr Thomas, stating that the agency had no legal basis to continue holding the money.
However, the release is contingent upon Thomas paying a N10 million fine imposed as a penalty for the single count on which he was convicted. He was also barred from travelling outside the country until the fine was fully paid.
The second defendant, Sidi, was found guilty of making a false statement to an investigating officer with the EFCC and sentenced to a fine of N100,000.00
Justice Faji, however, discharged Thomas on counts one, two, three, four and seven of the charge.
Benin Republic’s military says around a dozen soldiers have been arrested following an attempted coup, including the ringleaders of the foiled operation.
Thirteen people were said to have been detained.
While all but one of the suspects are serving soldiers, the remaining detainee is said to be a former member of the armed forces.
It was reports that arrests come after a group of military officers appeared on Benin’s national television on Sunday morning, announcing the removal of President Patrice Talon and the dissolution of all state institutions.
The officers, who identified themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation, claimed to have seized power.
However, the presidency said that President Talon is safe and that loyalist forces are restoring order. It described the incident as the work of a small group with limited influence.
“This is a small group of people who only control the television. The regular army is regaining control. The city and the country are completely secure,” the presidency said.
The Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized more than 7.6 million tramadol pills and 76,273.4 kilograms of various cannabis strains—including Colorado, Loud, and Skunk—with several members of drug trafficking networks arrested in connection with the seizures.
The Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
Out of the total opioids seized during the raids, not less than 3,874,000 pills of tramadol 225mg and 100mg, and others as well as 252.2litres of codeine syrup were recovered from a warehouse at Oko market, Asaba, Delta state on Saturday 6th December 2025, while no fewer than 1.2 million tablets of tramadol 225mg were seized from a suspect Kelechi Nwakocha, 35, on Wednesday 3rd December.
In Adamawa state, NDLEA officers on Monday, 1st December 2025, intercepted a Toyota Hiace bus marked MGU 554 XB along Maraba-Mubi, coming from Jos, Plateau state, and heading to Mubi, with a total of 1,577,112 capsules of tramadol and Exol-5 tablets, all concealed inside jumbo bags mixed with new rubber sandals and slippers. Two suspects: Kabiru Buba, 25, and Hamza Abubakar, 32, were arrested in connection with the seizure. Similarly, another suspect, Mudansir Rabiu, 27, was nabbed along Zaria-Kano road, Kano state, with 197,000 pills of Exol-5.
Operatives of a special operations unit of NDLEA stormed forests in Omuo-Ekiti, Ekiti state, where they destroyed 14,654 kilograms of skunk and arrested two suspects: Yusuf Iliyasu, 50, and Okumu Chinedu, 26. In another operation, the operatives on Tuesday, 2nd December, stormed the forests in Asin-Ekiti, Ikole LGA, Ekiti state, where they destroyed 54,300kg of skunk in two large warehouses that were razed, while 28.3kg of the same psychoactive substance was recovered for prosecution.
Following actionable intelligence, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, 2nd December, raided Igoba forest in Akure North LGA, Ondo state, where a total of 2,483 compressed blocks of skunk and 247 bags of the same substance, all weighing 5,442 kilograms, were recovered, and five suspects were arrested. Those nabbed include: Jacob Omodowo, 66; Joy Oluatobi Peace, 24;
While 500kg of the same substance was recovered from a Mercedes-Benz van marked MGU 614 XB by NDLEA officers on patrol along Mokwa-Jebba road in Niger state on 4th December, with the driver Amos Yakubu, 46, arrested, operatives in the FCT Abuja on Wednesday, 3rd December, intercepted a consignment of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, weighing 22kg at Abaji expressway.
A follow-up operation at the Jabi park in Abuja led to the arrest of a female receiver, Ali Blessing, 33. Also in the FCT, a suspect, Aliyu Usman, 39, was arrested by operatives on Friday, 5th December, with 24kg of skunk and 573,500 pills of Exol-5 along the Kwali-Gwagwalada expressway.
In Lagos operatives recovered 217 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 113kg from a suspect Ezenwa Udoka at Ladipo market, Mushin, while Izuchukwu Usulor was nabbed with 351kg skunk at Onipanu area of the state on 5th December and Susan Okoro arrested with 104.1kg of same psychoactive substance at Trade Fair complex, Ojo, on Tuesday 2nd December.
A total of 447.5 kilograms of skunk was recovered from two Honda Accord cars marked ABC-678 KK and GGE-772 FB at Agho forest, Akoko Edo LGA, Edo State. A suspect Dada Adedara Babawibi, 56, was apprehended in connection with the seizure. A raid operation at a warehouse in the Isiefve community, Ohuwunde LGA, led to the seizure of 315.8kg of skunk and the arrest of a suspect, Stanley Obasuwa.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities, among others, in the past week.
These include: WADA sensitisation lectures for students and staff of St. Michael’s Academy, Sabon Gari, Kano; Harry Pass Secondary School, Masaje, Gboko LGA, Benue; and Community Junior Secondary School, Okuru-Ama, Obio/Akpor LGA, Rivers State, among others.
While commending the officers and men of SOU, Delta, Adamawa, Imo, Ondo, Lagos, Kano, FCT, Niger and Edo Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country, especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts, are well appreciated.
A mob in Rappolemba, Indonesia, took law into its own hands by beating a man to de@th, hacking off his genitals, and dragging his body through the streets as punishment after accusing him of r@ping a disabled woman.
According to Mail Online, Ali, 47, was hunted by furious locals for allegedly r@ping and ass@ulting the woman in Gowa, Indonesia, on November 30.
The victim, identified only as T, was found battered and in a state of shock, sparking anger within the community.
Ali fled to a relative’s house before slipping into a nearby forest to escape the villagers’ wrath, according to local media. But he was caught on December 3, when he emerged from the woods to look for food.
Passersby immediately recognised the suspect and lynched him. The attack was caught on camera.
The vigilantes were said to have ‘chopped up’ his genitals before parading his limp body in the community.
Senior Adjunct Commissioner Muhammad Aldy Sulaeman, Gowa Police Chief, said police rushed to Rappolemba Village to control the mob.
He said: ‘We can confirm that several videos have circulated regarding an alleged assault against an individual.
Regarding this matter, we have coordinated with the Tompobulu Police. Based on the reports we received, the situation at the location is now under control.
‘We don’t want to underestimate the situation, and we are making checks and increasing security measures to keep the situation under control.
‘The initial information we received indicates that the person concerned was suspected of rape. However, we will continue to investigate this matter to determine the exact chronology of events.
‘The personnel involved include the Gowa Police’s medical team for the post-mortem examination, the Samapta Unit, the Criminal Investigation Unit, the Intelligence Unit, and the Community Policing Unit, accompanied by the local police chief. We have also coordinated with the South Sulawesi Regional Police Department.’
Locals claimed Ali had long been a menace, accusing him of being a repeat thief who had previously served prison time and was just recently released.