The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dismissed widespread rumours that it abducted or coerced the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, into resigning.

It was reports that a top EFCC official, who spoke to Sunday Punch on condition of anonymity, confirmed that while the commission received a petition seeking an investigation into Ojulari, no arrest or forced resignation occurred.

The official said, “Those are fake news. It is not true that the EFCC abducted him. On Thursday, protesters came to our office with a petition asking us to investigate the NNPCL chairman. These people have the right to submit petitions, and we told them we would look into it. So, where is the abduction? People should be careful about spreading rumours.”

Similarly, a top official of the Department of State Services (DSS) denied claims that its Director-General, Adeola Ajayi, was involved in pressuring Ojulari to resign.

“The DSS is not involved in the allegation. In fact, our boss mentioned in the allegation has no hand in it,” the official stated, describing the reports as “unfounded and misleading.”

Meanwhile, sources within the NNPCL hinted that certain influential figures in the Presidency are uneasy with Ojulari’s leadership style.

Appointed by President Bola Tinubu in April to replace Mele Kyari, Ojulari has reportedly been steering the NNPCL strictly as a commercial enterprise, resisting political interference.

His recent dismissal of several top NNPCL officials is said to have unsettled some prominent political figures and government officials linked to those affected.

Additionally, Ojulari is reportedly under suspicion for allegedly maintaining ties with a prominent opposition politician, further fueling tension within government circles.

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Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has revealed why he never commissioned any project during his tenure as governor of Anambra State, saying it was “irrelevant” to do so.

In a viral video addressing the recent renaming of the popular Charly Boy Bus Stop in Lagos to Olamide Baddo Bus Stop, Obi disclosed that no street or public facility was named or renamed after him during his tenure in office.

He further emphasised that governance should not be about self-glorification. The Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos recently announced the renaming of several streets, including Charly Boy Bus Stop, which was changed to Olamide Baddo Bus Stop.

Obi said, “To me it is totally irrelevant when you have millions of people who don’t know where their next meal will come from.

“Whether they change it to A or B…. As governor, I refused to let streets, buildings or anything be named after me. I built a facility in the hospital, the proprietor said it should be named after me or my mother but I said no.

“That’s why people are saying that I didn’t do much publicity when I was governor, that I would have put my name on all the streets and every facility that I built.

“I didn’t even commission anything. That’s why people are saying that I didn’t do this, I didn’t do that.

“For me, whatever I did was with public money, so I didn’t see the relevance of putting my name on them.

“Even when I become President, my name is not going to be in any of the facilities. All I want is for the facility to function.”

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Authorities are searching for a mother who abandoned her 2-year-old for bride price negotiation with her new boyfriend in South Africa.

Reaction Unit South Africa in a statement on Saturday, August 2, 2025, said the woman identified simply as Sne left the child with two street vendors in Verulam CBD, KwaZulu-Natal on Friday, August 1.

According to the statement, she told the vendors she was on her way to Hluhluwe in Northern KZN with her new boyfriend to negotiate a lobola (bride price) and would be back late to fetch her child.

The woman has since switched off her phone and all efforts to contact her proved abortive.

“Two street vendors arrived at the Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) Headquarters this evening (Saturday) with the 2-year-old girl reporting that the mother had met them while they were at work,” the statement read.

“The mother known as Sne (surname unknown) had often spoken to them when she was shopping in the Central Business District. Sne was in the company of an unknown man and requested that the vendors keep the child at the stall for a short period.

“When the stall was been closed for business, the woman became concerned and called Sne on her mobile phone. She informed them that she was on her way to Hluhluwe in Northern Kwazulu Natal with her new boyfriend to negotiate a lobola and would be back late to fetch her child.

“Last night (Friday) the woman once again contacted the mother on her mobile phone and she informed them that she was in a town called Mhlabayalingana in KZN and would return shortly.

“She has since switch off her phone and all contact has been lost. The women have little information on the mother & are refusing to care for the baby any longer.

“According to the vendors, the mother had left an apple, banana and a packet of chips for the child.”

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