The Federal Civil Service Commission has ordered 3,598 civil servants who missed the 2021 verification exercise to appear for a re-verification, warning that failure to do so will be taken as evidence of holding fake appointment letters.

The exercise will run from Monday, August 18 to Thursday, August 28, 2025, across various ministries and government agencies, including the Federal Ministries of Agriculture, Defence, Education, Justice, Works, Information, Science and Technology, Aviation, Finance, Interior, and the State House.

A document dated August 4, sighted by our correspondent on Monday, directed all affected officers to check their names on the commission’s website, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation’s website, and on the notice boards of their ministries.

Officers are required to present originals and photocopies of their appointment and promotion letters, gazette of appointment and confirmation, staff change letter, and July 2025 IPPIS payslip.

The document read, “The Federal Civil Service Commission has concluded arrangements to conduct a re-verification exercise for all those who failed to appear during the 2021 verification exercise for officers recruited by the Commission from 2013 to 2020.

“Consequently, all concerned officers are to check for their names on the Commission’s website (www.fedcivilservice.gov.ng), Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation’s website (www.ohcsf.gov.ng) and the notice boards of your ministry.

“In addition, all affected officers are to take note of the following important details: Each officer is to come along with the original and photocopy of the documents specified in the attached list; adhere strictly to the dates on the attached schedule; check the attached list sent to the Ministries for their names; officers who have been posted out of the Ministry, are on Secondment/Transfer out of the Ministry, or on Study leave, are to equally check the websites provided above; no further extension will be granted any officer who fails to turn up for the exercise; any officer who fails to turn up for the exercise will be adjudged to be holding fake letter of appointment and is, therefore, deliberately staying away to avoid detection; those who have been to the Commission recently for the exercise, need not appear.”

The FCSC said the highest numbers of affected officers are in the Ministries of Information (592), Education (506), and Labour (440).

Others include Works (134), Industry and Trade (196), Health (158), Environment (237), Interior (24), Defence (28), and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (36), among others.

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Felix Ukpo, father of the Nigerian man at the centre of the UK organ trafficking case involving former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, has died.

His son, Boniface, confirmed the death on Monday, August 11, in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.

Mr Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta, were convicted in March 2023 by the Old Bailey Court in London for trafficking 21-year-old David Nwamini to the UK with the intention of harvesting his kidney for the ailing daughter of the former senator. The case attracted global attention.

Boniface told reporters that his father had been in poor health and heartbroken since the case began in 2022, adding that the family had not spoken to David since the incident.

“My father died yesterday (Sunday) afternoon at 12 p.m. It’s so sad that since the incident happened in 2022, we have not spoken with my brother, David Nwamini. So, my father has been sick over the saga, and yesterday he finally died,” he said.

Following their conviction, Mr Ekweremadu was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison, his wife to four years and six months, and Dr Obeta to 10 years. Beatrice returned to Nigeria in January 2025, months before the completion of her sentence. It remains unclear if she was granted a pardon in the UK.

The whereabouts of David have remained unknown since the trial ended, and his family has stayed silent until now.

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Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, has ordered the arrest and sanctioning of airport officials who released video containing the indecent exposure of Ibom air unruly passenger, Comfort Emmanson.

Earlier today, a video of Emmanson being dragged out of the aircraft made the rounds on social media. The trending video showed the moment her top was ripped off, exposing her boobs.

In a statement released this evening, Keyamo said while her actions stand condemned, the release of the video containing indecent exposure of Ms Emmanson is unacceptable. He mentioned that he has directed that whoever released the distasteful video amongst the staff should be singled out and adequately sanctioned.

His statement reads

”ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: READING THE RIOT ACT ON AVIATION SAFETY AND SECURITY IN REFERENCE TO THE CASE OF UNRULY MS. COMFORT BOB ON IBOM AIRLINE AND RELATED INCIDENTS

Earlier today, we again woke up to viral videos of a female passenger on Ibom Airline (now identified as Ms. Comfort Emmanson or Comfort Bob) who went berserk and physically assaulted both the flight crew and the ground staff. The incident took place yesterday, August 10, 2025 on Ibom Airline Flight No. Q153 from Uyo to Lagos at about 14:54 hours. Ibom Airline has since issued a statement to provide some context to the effect that the whole unfortunate incident arose because of the refusal of the passenger to switch off her phone during take off as required by extant International Civil Aviation Regulations.

Consequently, in the last few hours, I have been speaking with the Commissioner of Police of the Airport Police Command, the DG of the NCAA and his team, the MD of FAAN and her team, the COO of Ibom Air and his team about the incident.

Apart from the indefinite flight ban imposed on the said unruly passenger (both local and international)

by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) the Police has promptly arraigned her this morning at the Ikeja Magistrates Court for criminal offences and remanded her at Kirikiri Prisons as she could not provide adequate sureties in court. I have attached the Charge Sheet and Remand Order for clarity.

We also note the scuffle that took place between the unruly passenger and ground personnel before she was eventually subdued. This was because of her uncooperative attitude. Whilst we support the filming of her recalcitrant behaviour as evidence to prosecute her, what is DEPLORABLE is to release such evidence containing indecent exposure to the public to ridicule her. That is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE to us. We will not fold our arms and tolerate the debasing of womanhood. I have therefore directed that whoever RELEASED that part of the video containing the indecent exposure amongst the staff should be singled out and adequately sanctioned.

I have also directed that the airlines must continue to train and retrain their staff in public relations and how to deal with potentially explosive situations in order to diffuse them promptly or nip them in the bud, except when it becomes inevitable. I have also directed a joint security meeting between relevant agencies next week for better coordination of security measures in situations like this or similar ones we witnessed recently.

For genuinely aggrieved passengers, there are clearly laid-down remedies to address grievances. The Consumer Protection Directorate of the NCAA has consistently advertised these remedies and there is no point trying to take the laws into one’s hands that may lead to dire consequences.

We will continue to apply equal sanctions available to us in Aviation on any such erring passengers, that is lengthy flight bans and report the matters to other law-enforcement agencies to do their bit within their powers.”

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