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Zamfara Governor – I can end banditry in two months

Published

2 months ago

September 4, 2025

Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has declared that he has the capacity to wipe out banditry in the state within two months if given direct control of security agencies.

The governor, who broke down in tears while recounting recent attacks in a video which went viral on Wednesday, said the major obstacle to ending the crisis is that security operatives in Zamfara still take instructions from Abuja rather than the state government.

Lawal insisted that with his knowledge of the terrain and the locations of criminal leaders, he could swiftly end the menace if he had the necessary powers.

“I can tell you the whereabouts of every bandit kingpin in Zamfara, even with my phone. I can point to you where they are right now. But I do not control security agencies, and that is the problem,” he lamented.

He cited a recent incident in Shinkafi Local Government where dozens were killed, saying security forces on the ground refused to move because they lacked authorisation from Abuja.

“People were under attack, and I kept calling the security agencies. They told me they were waiting for orders from Abuja. How do I save my people in such a situation?” the governor added in frustration.

Despite the restrictions, Lawal noted that his administration has continued to support security operatives with logistics and funding.

He also stressed the need to address the root causes of rural violence.

“We are working to provide water, schools and other amenities because we know that when people live well, peace is easier to achieve,” he explained.

The governor accused political opponents of exploiting the crisis for selfish gain, warning that their actions were damaging the welfare of Zamfara people.

“The politicisation of insecurity is not hurting me as a person; it is destroying Zamfara. Some people do not want us to succeed, but I will not stop trying,” he stated.

Lawal further pointed to the heavy security deployment during a recent by-election in the state as proof that resources exist but are being prioritised for politics rather than the protection of lives.

While Boko Haram and its splinter group, ISWAP, have terrorised the North-East for over a decade, claiming more than 35,000 lives and displacing over two million people, the North-West has faced a different but equally devastating wave of violence.

In Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto, armed groups rooted in cattle-rustling have grown into heavily armed networks carrying out mass abductions and rural raids.

Zamfara has been one of the hardest-hit states by banditry in the North-West, with armed groups carrying out mass abductions, killings and attacks on farming communities. Many residents have been displaced from their villages, while farmers have abandoned their fields for fear of attacks.

In February 2021, about 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped from Jangebe in Zamfara; in December 2020, over 300 schoolboys were abducted in neighbouring Katsina. Both incidents drew global attention to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

Lawal’s outcry comes as President Bola Tinubu and the National Economic Council are considering the establishment of state police, a reform long demanded by governors in violence-plagued states.

His remarks underscore the frustration of state leaders who face mounting pressure from citizens but lack authority over the security apparatus.

For residents of Zamfara, where villages are being emptied by gunmen and farming is grinding to a halt, the governor’s claim that he could end banditry in two months if empowered is both a promise of hope and a reminder of the limitations of Nigeria’s centralised security system.

Since assuming office in May 2023, Governor Lawal has repeatedly called for the establishment of state police, echoing President Bola Tinubu’s recent endorsement of the idea.

Proponents argue that local police would enable state governments to take direct responsibility for their security challenges, while critics fear misuse by politicians.

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UK Charity Commission freezes over 100 bank accounts linked to MFM

Published

17 hours ago

October 22, 2025

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

On Tuesday, the UK’s Charity Commission announced it had frozen the assets of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries International (MFM), a Nigerian-founded church.

On its website, the UK government concluded that its trustees failed to manage the organisation’s finances properly across its UK branches.

The UK Charity Commission is a non-ministerial department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales, to ensure that the public can confidently support charities.

MFM, founded by Nigerian cleric Daniel Olukoya, is one of Nigeria’s most influential Pentecostal churches. It has a strong global presence, particularly in the United Kingdom, where many Nigerian diaspora communities worship.

MFM is not the first Nigerian-founded church to face scrutiny in the UK. In recent years, other Nigerian-origin churches, including SPAC Nation in December 2024 and Christ Embassy in November 2019, have been investigated regarding governance and financial accountability concerns.

The incident raises broader questions about how rapidly expanding churches adapt their internal systems when moving into regulated environments like the UK, where religious organisations registered as charities must meet strict financial reporting standards.

The case has, therefore, sparked wider conversations about financial transparency and governance among fast-growing African churches operating overseas.

How the investigation began

On 27 March 2018, the Charity Commission opened a statutory inquiry into MFM under Section 46 of the UK’s Charities Act 2011. Concerns have been raised regarding the possible misappropriation of charity funds and weak internal financial controls.

The Commission discovered that the church had expanded rapidly in the UK, growing from a few branches to more than 90 locations nationwide, without developing a solid financial governance structure to match its growth.

According to the final report, the Commission found that trustees did not properly oversee more than 100 separate bank accounts operated by different church branches. These accounts were opened and managed autonomously, often without informing central leadership or providing timely income reports.

Commission’s report

The commission reported that the church’s branches operated independently without central approval and that Major financial decisions, such as property purchases and lease agreements, were made without trustee authorisation.

Additionally, some branches used properties without securing planning permissions, leading to costly legal actions. It highlighted that Poor employment contract management resulted in financial settlements for employment disputes, and the lack of a unified monetary system created serious risks to charitable funds.

As a result, the regulator concluded that donor money was at risk due to weak financial oversight and poor governance.

Interim Manager Appointed to Restore Control

On 1 August 2019, following serious concerns about the trustees’ ability to manage the charity effectively, the Commission appointed an interim manager under Section 76(3)(g) of the Charities Act. The interim manager worked alongside the trustees to implement critical financial controls.

This oversight continued until 13 September 2024, when the interim manager was discharged after making progress.

Following the conclusion of the investigation, the Charity Commission announced that it had frozen the charity’s assets to prevent further financial risk while strengthening accountability structures.

Amy Spiller, Head of Investigations at the Charity Commission, said:

“The rapid growth of a charity comes with correspondingly larger potential risks, as our inquiry clearly shows. In this case, the trustees’ fundamental failure to maintain financial controls meant donor funds were at serious risk across their entire network.”

She added that the trustees are better positioned to ensure financial responsibility and compliance following regulatory intervention.

Regulatory Action

Upon completing its review, the Commission issued a regulatory action plan that required MFM to strengthen its governance policies and improve financial transparency. The Commission has confirmed that trustees have complied with the action plan, and the charity is now expected to operate under stricter financial controls going forward.

When this report was filed, neither MFM International nor its founder, Daniel Olukoya, had issued a public statement in response to the Charity Commission’s findings.

Collins Edomaruse, the media aide to Mr Olukoya, did not respond to calls or text messages.

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News

MDAs under fire as FG probes TSA violations

Published

20 hours ago

October 22, 2025

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Federal Government, through the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, has ordered all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to submit their statements of accounts in commercial banks.

The government said the move was part of its plans to maintain financial discipline.

This was disclosed in a memo signed by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, which was obtained by our correspondent on Tuesday.

Ogunjimi in the memo expressed grievance over the continuous usage of commercial banks by MDAs despite an earlier directive ordering MDAs to close such accounts and focus on the use of the Treasury Single Account domiciled in the Central Bank.

Recall that the government in February mandated MDAs to stop the use of commercial banks, as it opposes the framework of the TSA.

While reiterating the Federal Government’s commitment to the Treasury Single Account policy, the Accountant-General of the Federation urged the Federal Pay Officers to monitor and ensure that Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in the States do not operate any account with the commercial banks or circumvent any provision of the TSA policy,” the statement by the OSGF said in February.

Reacting to the new memo, Ogunniyi said, “It has been observed with dismay that funds belonging to the Federal Government are still domiciled in several accounts held with commercial banks, contrary to Federal Government Circulars and the operational framework of the Treasury Single Account, which mandates the consolidation of all Federal Government revenues and receipts into the TSA domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“In view of the above and following the Honourable Minister of Finance directive, all Directors/Heads of Finance and Accounts in Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies and Federal Government-owned Enterprises are immediately required to submit Statements of all Bank Accounts (active, dormant and closed) maintained in all commercial banks over the last six (6) months, clearly indicating account names, account numbers, bank branches and current balances.”

“This directive takes immediate effect and must be treated with the utmost urgency, as it is part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen fiscal discipline and uphold the integrity of the Treasury Single Account Framework.”

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News

Kanu to defend self, lists Danjuma, Wike, Sanwo-Olu as witnesses

Published

20 hours ago

October 22, 2025

Newsbreak365_Admin

The detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, made a dramatic turn on Tuesday by informing the Federal High Court in Abuja that he was ready to open his defence.

This came just hours after Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, led protests in parts of Abuja demanding Kanu’s release.

Kanu had, last Thursday, filed a preliminary objection challenging the court’s jurisdiction to continue his trial.

The objection came on the same day a team of medical experts appointed by the court declared him medically fit to stand trial, Channels reports.

In a fresh motion personally filed on Tuesday, October 21, Kanu told the court that he was prepared to begin his defence “pursuant to the order of this honourable court made on the 16th day of October 2015, directing the defendant to commence his defence on the 24th day of October 2025.”

He disclosed plans to call 23 witnesses divided into two categories, “ordinary but material witnesses” and “vital and compellable witnesses”, the latter to be summoned under Section 232 of the Evidence Act, 2011.

The motion, which Kanu personally signed, suggested that he may have disengaged his legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Kanu Agabi.

He also requested 90 days to conclude his defence due to the number of witnesses he intends to call.

Kanu stated that he would testify on his own behalf, “providing a sworn account of the facts, denying the allegations, and explaining the political context of his statements and actions.”

Among those listed as “compellable witnesses” were former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd); former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd); Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma.

Others include the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; and former Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu.

Kanu also listed former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN); former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; and Director-General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Magaji Bichi, among others whose identities he withheld.

Kanu pledged to submit sworn statements from all voluntary witnesses and to notify the prosecution within a reasonable time.

He assured the court that “no precious time of the honourable court would be delayed,” adding that “justice must not only be done but be manifestly seen to have been done.”

Meanwhile, on the same day Kanu filed his motion, a magistrate court in Abuja ordered the remand of his special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, and 12 others arrested during protests demanding his release.

The police charged the 13 defendants with criminal conspiracy, disobedience of a lawful order, inciting disturbance, and disturbance of public peace — offences contrary to sections 152, 114, and 113 of the Penal Code Law.

Those named in the first two information reports include Ejimakor, Kanu’s brother Emmanuel, Joshua Emmanuel, Wilson Anyalewechi, Okere Kingdom Nnamdi, Clinton Chimeneze, Gabriel Joshua, Isiaka Husseini, Onyekachi Ferdinand, Amadi Prince, Edison Ojisom, Godwill Obioma, and Chima Onuchukwu.

The magistrate, after briefly standing down the case, ordered their remand at Kuje Correctional Centre and adjourned the matter till October 24 for arraignment.

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