Crime
FG Approves New Whistle-blower Bill
The Federal Government, on Wednesday, approved a new Whistle Blower draft bill.
It also lamented that the existing Whistle-blowing policy launched on December 21, 2016, is “losing momentum.”
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Zainab Ahmed, disclosed this to State House Correspondents after this week’s Council meeting, chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Launched in December 2016 by the Buhari-led Government, the Whistleblower Protection Act, facilitated through the Federal Ministry of Finance, provides legal cover for individuals who voluntarily expose acts of fraud, bribery, looted government funds and assets, financial misconduct and other forms of corruption.
The policy also rewards a whistleblower who provides information about any financial mismanagement or tipoff about stolen funds to the ministry’s portal with 2.5 – 5 per cent of the funds recovered by the Nigerian government.
Speaking after this week’s FEC meeting, Ahmed said the Council approved the draft bill to strengthen the fight against corruption and protect whistleblowers that provide helpful information to the FG.
She said: “The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning presented several memos today. The first is the draft whistleblower bill for 2022. This memo has been reviewed by the Council and approved with a provision to ensure alignment with the Evidence Act.
“The purpose of operationalising and putting in place a whistleblower bill is to strengthen the fight against corruption and to enable protection for whistleblowers that provide information for use by the government.
“As you know, since 2016, the Council has approved the setting up the Presidential Initiative of Continuous Audit. PICA has been working in partnership with EFCC, ICPC, DSS, and NFIU and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
“We noticed that the whistleblower policy response has lost momentum. We embarked on engagement in the six geo-political zones, and one of the main outcomes we found is that people are concerned about their safety due to providing information. So, this bill is critical to ensure the effectiveness of the retention of the whistle policy.”
Ahmed also revealed that the Council approved N9.24bn for 2022/2023 Group Life Insurance Cover for civil servants.
This includes government officials in all ministries departments and agencies, paramilitary and intelligence agencies.
According to her, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan, presented the memo to the Council.
She said, “The Head of Service of the Federation presented a memo to Council on Group Life Insurance Cover for 2022 to 2023. This insurance coverage covers all government officials in all government agencies, paramilitary and intelligence agencies.
“Council approved the total sum of N9.24bn naira for the insurance cover for 2022 to 2023.
“As you know, the insurance will take effect from the date of payment and in Nigeria, by our laws, the insurance cover is 30 per cent of the annual emolument of any staff of government that is deceased and the insurance company pays this cover to the beneficiaries of the deceased staff”, she said.
The Council also approved the 2022 Finance Bill designed to support the implementation of the 2023 appropriation bill.
Ahmed said: “If you recall, at the public presentation of the budget to the National The minister said the bill has five focus areas: tax equity reforms, climate change and green growth provisions, job creation and economic growth reforms, reforming tax incentives as well as generating revenue-enhancing tax administration.
She explained, “The purpose of the tax equity reforms is to combat tax evasion and aggressive tax planning practices that some companies operating in Nigeria are involved in but also enabling the utilisation of ICT tools and using international best practice to assess taxpayers tax on a fair, reasonable basis.
“The climate change green growth focus will complement non-fiscal reforms designed to reduce greenhouse emissions and facilitate domestic and international investment in climate adaptation, mitigation, and enhance green growth and create jobs.
“The third focus area, job creation and economic growth, is also designed to complement the ease of doing business and other reforms to support capital formation by the private sector as well as to foster enabling business environment for micro, small and medium enterprises for youth as well as women in businesses. It will also help to enhance the performance of businesses in the FinTech, the ICT, entertainment, fashion, sports and the art space.”
Ahmed explained that the fourth tax incentive is to phase out an antiquated pioneer and other tax incentives for mature industries and move a revised set of incentives to real infant industries through economic governance reforms.
She said the FG has also made proposals to reduce tax expenditure equivalent to foregone revenue to support the fiscal space and based on statistics, to gradually transition away from expensive and redundant tax incentives to incentives that reward performance.
The fifth Focus Area of revenue generation and tax administration is to complement the ease of doing business and other reforms that enhance tax administration.
She added that the Finance Bill is amending several fiscal laws, including the capital gains tax, company income tax, customs excise tariff act, Federal Inland Revenue Service act, personal income tax, stamp duties act, tertiary education tax, VAT act, Insurance Act, Nigerian police Trust Fund Act, as well as the National Agency for Engineering Act.
“So with this approval from Council, His Excellency Mr President will convey to the National Assembly a request for the consideration of this bill,” Ahmed said.
According to her, the Council also approved the memo for the design, construction and supply of nine Ballistic Riverine assault boats, as well as nine patrol boats with all associated accessories in favour of Messrs Sewa West African limited in the sum of N689,722,681.30 inclusive of 7.5 per cent VAT for the Nigerian customs service.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, said the Council also approved the revised National Social Protection Policy (2021 – 2025) presented by the Minister of Finance and Budget and National Planning.
He said: “This revised national social protection policy is an offshoot of a previous policy that was implemented from 2017 to 2020. The review was carried out in collaboration with all relevant ministries, departments and agencies at the federal and state levels and other key stakeholders, including development partners.
“Recall that when the first policy was in place, there was no ministry like humanitarian affairs, and now we have that ministry. And since it’s part of the review process to do this every four years, the review had to be done.
Agba said the National Social Protection Council would be set up and chaired by the Vice President, with the Secretariat domiciled in the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.
Its membership will include the ministers of Labour And Employment and Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, who will serve as Vice Chair of that Council. The ministers will also co-chair a technical working group.
On his part, the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, said Council approved the contract for procurement of 20 transformer turns ratio analysers awarded to Segulu Stembek Global Services Ltd, at the sum of N564,231,854.08 with 7.5 per cent VAT with a completion period of four months.
He said, “So, this new technology is more reliable. So, it will be used by the TCN in testing the transformers across the country to know their reliability and detect any faults.”
Crime
Ikire Killings: Adeleke Establishes Commission for Coroner Inquiry by Executive Order
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, has issued an Executive Order establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the killings, shootings, injuries and violence reported at Naira and Kobo Junction, Motor Park/Garage Area, Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, on August 24, 2026.
The Executive Order, which takes effect on August 31st, 2026, empowers the panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, determine the identities and number of victims, establish the immediate and remote causes of the violence, and examine whether criminal responsibility is connected to the deaths.
This was detailed in a government house statement on Saturday in Osogbo, which set it out that Magistrate Ayokunle Shiyanbola has been appointed Chairman of the Coroner Inquest/Panel, with Mr. Abiodun Badiora as Secretary.
Other members include AIG (Dr)) Aderanti C Kayode, mni (Rtd), Mr. Dele Akintayo, a representative of the Nigerian Bar Association, Comrade Wale Balogun representing Civil Society Organisations, a community representative from Ikire, and Dr Babatunde Afolabi as Medical/Forensic Representative.
READ ALSO: Tinubu Mourns Eagle Online Publisher, Dotun Oladipo
The panel is mandated to determine the circumstances leading to the shootings and killings, examine the role of security operatives, establish whether live ammunition or other weapons were used and whether their use complied with the law, rules of engagement and human rights standards.
It is also empowered to identify any individual, group, security personnel, political actor, transport union member, public official or other person whose action or omission may have contributed to the incident.
The panel may recommend prosecution, disciplinary measures, compensation for victims and institutional reforms to prevent recurrence.
The inquiry will have powers to summon witnesses, demand relevant police and medical records, inspect the scene of the incident and other relevant locations, receive oral and documentary evidence, and recommend protective measures for witnesses and persons at risk of intimidation or retaliation.
Gov Adeleke also directed the preservation of firearms, ammunition records, station diaries, communication logs, incident reports, duty rosters, medical records, autopsy reports, photographs, videos and other materials relevant to the inquiry.
The Executive Order further calls for appropriate measures to protect witnesses and victims’ families, obtain medical and forensic documentation, and maintain peace in Ikire pending the conclusion of the inquiry.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Osun State Commissioner of Police were by the Executive Order formally requested to take appropriate interim administrative steps concerning any police officer whose continued operational command may prejudice the inquiry or affect public confidence.
The panel is expected to commence sitting within seven days of its inauguration and submit its final report to the Osun State Government within 30 days from the date of its first sitting, subject to any necessary extension approved by the Governor.
The government has invited victims’ families, eyewitnesses, journalists, transport workers, police officers, medical personnel, civil society organisations, political parties, community leaders, human rights activists and other concerned persons to submit memoranda and evidence to the panel.
The Governor assured the people of Ikire, families of the deceased, the injured and the general public that the incident would be investigated thoroughly, fairly and transparently.
The Executive Order states that no person found culpable shall be shielded from justice, irrespective of status, office, political connection or institutional affiliation, while stressing that all allegations remain allegations until established by credible evidence before the Coroner Inquest/Panel.
Crime
N59m Withdrawn After Father’s Death as Ondo Commission Arrests Son, Mother
The Ondo State Public Complaints, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption Commission (SPFACC) has arrested a middle-aged man identified as Tunde and his mother over the alleged withdrawal and diversion of N59 million from the bank account of his late father.
The development followed a petition by the only surviving child of the deceased, who lives abroad and returned to Nigeria after his father, stepmother and two half-siblings died within one week in August 2024.
SEE MORE: Ondo Shock: 23-Year-Old Son Allegedly Hacks 60-Year-Old Mother to Death
According to a family source, the deceased died on August 11, 2024, while his first wife died three days later, on August 14.
One of their children reportedly died on August 16, while the other, who lived in Ore, died on August 18.
The cause of the four deaths has not been officially established.
Confirming the investigation, SPFACC Secretary, Prof. Adewole Adeyeye, said the commission swung into action after the surviving child discovered that N59 million belonging to his late father had been withdrawn after his death.
Adeyeye said the suspect, who is the son of the deceased’s second wife, was arrested alongside his mother.
He added that the suspect admitted withdrawing the money but denied any involvement in the deaths of his father, stepmother and half-siblings.
“The man died on the 11th, the first wife died on the 14th, the first child died on the 16th, while the last child, who lived in Ore, died on the 18th.
“The only child who survived was the one living abroad. He returned and went to the bank, where he discovered that his late father had N59 million which was withdrawn after his death.
“We swung into action and the culprit and his mother have been arrested,” Adeyeye said.
The commission also disclosed that the deceased left behind several properties, including about four buildings, lock-up shops, a resort centre and plots of land.
The suspect was also accused of selling some of the properties.
According to Adeyeye, the commission has so far recovered N10 million from the proceeds of the alleged transactions.
He said the matter was being treated as a family dispute involving the alleged misappropriation of jointly inherited assets.
“It is a collective family property which was misappropriated by one person.
“We are paying great attention to the family and are trying to settle the matter amicably, since it is a family matter,” he said.
However, the commission stressed that it had not established any connection between the alleged withdrawal or diversion of the deceased’s assets and the deaths of the four family members.
Adeyeye said the commission, under its Chairman, Justice Williams Akin Akintoroye, would continue to investigate petitions involving alleged corruption and financial crimes in the state.
Crime
Ondo Shock: 23-Year-Old Son Allegedly Hacks 60-Year-Old Mother to Death
A 23-year-old man, identified as Samuel Akoade, has been arrested by the Ondo State Police Command for allegedly hacking his 60-year-old mother, Olufunke Amoo, to death in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at the deceased’s residence in the Powerline area along the Ore–Okitipupa Road.
The incident reportedly caused panic in the community after the woman was discovered dead with deep machete wounds.
SEE MORE: Davido Set to Headline London’s Crystal Palace Bowl Concert
According to a police source, preliminary investigations indicated that the deceased had been attacked with a cutlass, allegedly by her son. The motive for the alleged killing remains unknown.
Following a report of the incident, operatives of the Ore Division were deployed to the scene, where they secured the area and recovered a machete suspected to have been used in the attack.
The suspect reportedly fled the scene before the arrival of the police but was later arrested after a manhunt was launched.
The remains of the deceased were subsequently deposited at the morgue of the General Hospital, Ore.
The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Akure, for further investigation.
Confirming the incident, the Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, said the Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, had ordered a thorough and professional investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and ensure that justice is served.
The police also urged residents to remain vigilant and provide timely information about suspicious activities in their communities.





