NEWS
FG Awards Multi-Million Naira Security Contract To Alleged Terrorism Financier
By Paul Eso
Reports have shown that owner of one of the two security companies awarded Multi-million Naira contract to secure Abuja rail tracks and stations, has alleged links to terrorism financing.
The Federal Government, FG, through the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mohammed Bello, on Wednesday announced the award of the N718 million contract to Messers Al-Ahali Security Guards Limited and Messers Seaguard Security and Protective Company Limited.
The contract was in response to the terrorist attack on the rail line between Abuja and Kaduna, which forced the government to suspend the service.
Terrorists had used explosives placed along the tracks to derail a Kaduna-bound train with hundreds of passengers on March 28, 2022.
According to the Minister, the contract was awarded to two security service providers namely Messrs Al-Ahli Security Guards Ltd, at the cost of N407, 214, 000 million, covering a distance of 27.245 kilometers and comprising of eight rail stations and Messrs Segad Security Protective Company Ltd, at the cost of N310, 979, 250 million, covering a distance of 18 kilometers, comprising of four stations.
The scope of the contract, which will last for a period of two years, includes protection of the rail tracks, Communication and Control Centre infrastructure as well as electrical and signaling equipment.
However, Al-Ahli Security Guards Ltd is owned by the National Chairman, Jama’atu Izalatul Bidi’ah wa Ikamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS), Abbdullahi Bala-Lau.
Jama’atu Izalatul Bidi’ah wa Ikamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS), the Islamic group headed by Bala-Lau has at different times been linked to terrorism financing in the country.
An investigation done by Nigerian investigative journalist, David Hundeyin, revealed that Messers Al-Ahli Security Guards Limited is owned by the leader of the radical Izala movement.
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A check on the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) showed that Al-Ahali which has its head office in Yola, capital city of Adamawa is owned by Alhaji Bala-Lau.
In 2021, an investigative report by Hundeyin revealed how the late NASCO Group’s multimillionaire founder, Ahmed Idris Nasreddin and Yakubu Musa Kafanchan, also known as Sheikh Yakubu Musa Katsina, an ally of Nigeria’s terror-linked Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, funded Islamic terror cells in 2002.
Yakubu Musa Katsina also known as Yakubu Musa Hassan is a renowned Islamic scholar and a member of the founding leaders of one of the largest Islamic organizations in West Africa JIBWIS, where he still serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
According to the report published on West Africa Weekly, Hassan is a founding member of the Izala Movement (JIBWIS) and the Chairman of the Katsina State JIBWIS chapter.
They were alleged to have funded the activities of people like Kabiru Sokoto, the mastermind of the Christmas Day bombing of the St. Theresa Roman Catholic Church on December 25, 2011 in Madalla, Niger State which killed 37 Christians.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has named Tony Elumelu, Founder and Group Chairman of Heirs Holdings, to its newly formed Advisory Council on Entrepreneurship and Growth.
The council, convened by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, is tasked with addressing regulatory barriers to entrepreneurship and shaping policies that foster innovation, resource allocation, and private sector-led economic expansion.
A statement confirming Elumelu’s appointment was released on Friday, highlighting his influence as a strong advocate for entrepreneurship in Africa.
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Through the Tony Elumelu Foundation, he has provided funding, mentorship, and training to over 25,000 African entrepreneurs since 2015, championing the belief that private sector investments can drive the continent’s economic transformation.
“Elumelu will be instrumental in ensuring that Africa’s entrepreneurial potential is central to global economic policymaking,” the statement noted.
The IMF Advisory Council comprises global leaders from business, finance, and academia, including: Marc Benioff, CEO and Co-Founder of Salesforce, Ana Botín, Executive Chair of Banco Santander, Margherita Della Valle, CEO of Vodafone Group, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Group, Robert Smith, Founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, HRH Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Ambassador to the U.S., Federico Sturzenegger, Argentine Minister of Deregulation and Professor Ufuk Akcigit, Economist, University of Chicago.
At the council’s inaugural meeting on March 26, 2025, Georgieva emphasized the significance of entrepreneurship in economic growth.
“The Council brings together a group of leading thinkers and practitioners in business, finance, academia, and policymaking to share their views and experiences on how macroeconomic and financial policies can provide a supportive environment for innovation, entrepreneurship, and productivity—key ingredients for a thriving private sector and strong economic growth,” she stated.
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday, shaking the region and sending tremors as far as Thailand and China.
The quake’s epicenter was located in the Sagaing region, near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, home to around one million people and renowned for its historic temple complexes.
Panic erupted as buildings swayed and dust filled the air.
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In Mandalay, videos shared online showed terrified residents rushing out of residential towers while traffic came to a sudden halt.
Reports indicate that a major bridge spanning the Irrawaddy River collapsed into the water in a cloud of dust and debris.
The quake was felt as far as Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, where video footage showed a partially constructed building in Chatuchak Park crumbling to the ground.
Thai authorities reported that 43 people were trapped in the wreckage, while seven others sustained injuries.
In Chiang Mai, a resident described feeling the tremors for about ten seconds before fleeing into the streets.
In Myanmar’s commercial hub, Yangon—about 380 miles from the epicenter—residents also experienced the powerful shaking.
One resident recalled, “We felt the quake for about a minute, then ran out of the building.
It was very sudden and very strong.” Another noted that phone networks in the city, home to around 8 million people, briefly went down but were later restored.
Myanmar, one of Asia’s poorest nations, is already grappling with the effects of a brutal civil war sparked by a military coup over four years ago.
The conflict has devastated the economy, and the country remains ill-equipped to handle a major natural disaster of this scale.
The Sagaing region, where the earthquake struck, is a war zone with multiple factions—including the ruling junta, pro-military militias, and rebel groups—fighting for control.
The ongoing violence has made travel by road or river extremely dangerous, posing significant challenges to delivering emergency aid and assessing the full extent of the damage.
Tremors were also felt in China’s southwestern Yunnan province, underscoring the quake’s intensity.
Authorities across the region are now assessing the situation, with emergency teams mobilizing in both Myanmar and Thailand.
A fire outbreak in the early hours of Friday morning has gutted buildings on Ifejika Street, by Sokoto Road, Onitsha, prompting swift intervention from the Anambra State Fire Service.
The inferno, which reportedly started in one of the buildings at about 6:20 a.m., quickly spread to an adjacent structure, causing panic among residents and business owners in the area.
The exact cause of the fire remains unknown at the time of this report.
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Eyewitnesses say residents and passersby joined forces with the firefighters in an attempt to salvage goods and properties from the affected buildings.
The head of the Media and Publicity Unit of the Anambra State Fire Service, Chukwudi Chiketa, confirmed the incident in a brief statement.
“Anambra State Fire Service is currently on intervention at the scene of the fire outbreak at Ifejika Street, by Sokoto Road, Onitsha. The distress call came at 6:20 a.m. today, and our firefighters deployed immediately. The public is advised to remain calm as the situation is under control,” Chiketa said.
As of the time of filing this report, efforts to completely extinguish the fire were still ongoing.
Authorities are yet to determine the extent of the damage and the possible cause of the outbreak.
More details to follow………
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