Nigerian Journalist Wins BBC World News Komla Dumor Award

Didi Akinyelure has won the BBC World
Service News Komla Dumor Award.
A Nigerian journalist has won the second BBC World
News Komla Dumor Award. Didi Akinyelure is a prime-
time news anchor in Nigeria and presents business
news for CNBC, which broadcasts across the continent.

She will start a three-month placement at the BBC in
London in September. The award was established to
honour Komla Dumor, a presenter for BBC World News,
who died suddenly aged 41 in 2014.
Ms Akinyelure said Mr Dumor was someone she
admired. “He told the African story with so much
passion for the continent, giving a balanced view and
inspiring so many.” One of the judges who selected Ms
Akinyelure, BBC Africa’s Josephine Hazeley, said Ms
Akinyelure particularly excelled in telling business
stories, “which was an area Komla was also passionate
about”.
The first Komla Dumor Award was won by Ugandan
news anchor Nancy Kacungira.
She is a prime-time news anchor in Nigeria and
presents business news for CNBC, which broadcasts
across the continent.
She tells the BBC, where she will start a three-month
placement in September, about her career and what
winning the award means to her.
Story First Appeared on BBC World News

EFCC Release More Pictures Of Female ATM Thief Who Disguised Herself And Stole N3m (picture)

The anti-graft agency said, “The Ibadan zonal office of
the EFCC is on the trail of a suspected ATM fraudster,
who goes by the name Akinade Tofunmi. Her trade in
stock is identity theft. Her duty post is any ATM point
and Point of Sales (POS) machines across the
country.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has

launched a nationwide manhunt for a woman believed

to be in her 20s, Tofunmi Akinade, who is alleged to

be a serial Automated Teller Machine fraudster and

identity thief.

The EFCC said on its official Facebook page that the

suspect recently stole the ATM card of a woman and

stole over N1m from the account.

The commission said Akinade’s modus operandi was

to stand near ATMs under the guise of helping old or

physically-challenged people to withdraw money only

for her to swap their ATM cards and convert them to

her own use.

The anti-graft agency said the suspect “does not work

during the official hours of the week”, adding that she

operated late in the night when all bank transactions

had closed and preferably at weekends when her

prospective victims might not be able to alert the

banks to their missing ATM cards.

 “In her last operation, within 24 hours, this fraudster

who operates with the identity of her victims

succeeded in racking in about N3m.

“On Friday, June 3, 2016, at about the close of work, a

woman, identified simply as Alhaja and her husband,

who was waiting in the car, wanted to use an ATM

somewhere in Ibadan, Oyo State, when Tofunmi

noticed that the woman limped.

“Pretending to be polite and cultured, she offered to

assist her with the transaction on the ATM. Unaware

of the intention behind the pious approach, she gave

the fraudster her ATM card and divulged her PIN.

“Smartly, the fraudster quickly checked the balance in

the account which had N1, 749, 026.07. After the

intended withdrawal of N20,000, the fraudster

swapped the card and gave Alhaja a fake ATM card.

Oblivious of the swap, she left with her husband.”

The EFCC said before midnight, the fraudster started

withdrawing money from her victim’s account.

It alleged that she withdrew N130,000 and having

exceeded the daily withdrawal limit for that day, she

waited for a few minutes into the following day which

was a Saturday and withdrew another N150,000.

It added that in a desperate attempt to empty the

balance in the account, the suspect went to a night

club where she met a motorcycle rider, popularly

called okada rider, whom she approached for help.

The EFCC added, “She told the okada rider that she

had enough money in her account, but could not

access it having exceeded her daily withdrawal limit.

She showed the okada man her balance and pleaded

with him to give her his ATM card, account details

and PIN for a quick teller transfer from her (Alhaja’s)

account to the okada man’s account.

“With that, she was able to transfer some of Alhaja’s

money in the okada man’s account, thereby stealing

the identity of the unsuspecting okada man.”

The commission said in the early hours of that

Saturday, she asked the okada man to take her to a

hotel with an intention to further steal the identity of

the hotel for another movement of the money.

It added, “At the hotel reception while paying for her

accommodation which was N10,000 for one night,

she deliberately credited the hotel’s account with

N101,000 feigning a mistake and demanded a refund

of N91,000 balance of an overpayment. This was also

done with Alhaja’s ATM card through the POS

machine at the hotel.

“To further conceal her identity, she provided fake

personal details in the hotel and gave the hotel the

okada man’s account detail when the hotel

management requested an account to deposit the

refund.”

The EFCC said the suspect left the hotel and fled to

Ilorin, Kwara State, with Alhaja’s ATM cards.

It said the okada rider had since been arrested and

was helping detectives with investigation.

Allah Destinied Me To Be A Robber

A Fulani Herdsman Amidu Umoru who allegedly robbed
and killed with his accomplice Umoru Sanda were
arrested and paraded by the Oyo State Police command
on Friday.
Umoru, 20, who was arrested by the Oyo State Police
Command, along Igangan/Iganna road via Iwere Ile in
Oke-Ogun area of the state, said despite being a
herdsman, he was destined to rob.
The state Commissioner of Police, CP, eye Oyebade,
while parading the suspects before newsmen, said
Umoru and Sanda were accused of attacking one
Kehinde Rafiu, beating him with a shepherd club and
machete before robbing him of his motorcycle.
According to Umoru, his accomplice first attacked the
deceased with machete before he (Umoru) used the
club to beat him to a state of coma because he put up a
fight with them.
The victim later died in a hospital because of the
fatality of the injury.
He said, “Sanda cut the motorcycle owner with his
cutlass and I used the club to beat him. He was
seriously injured but not dead. I normally used the club
to shepherd cattle. After leaving him for dead, we took
his motorcycle away to sell. We were later arrested by
members of the Odua Peoples’ Congress who handed
us over to the police.
“I don’t know why I did it. I had no motive. I cannot
even ride a motorcycle. I am a herdsman and this is my
first time of being arrested or robbing people. Whatever
Allah desires must come to past. I think it is my
destiny to rob,” Umoru added.
Source: Daily Post

Millions Of Naira Lost In Kano GSM Market Fire

The fire incident which is the 2nd in the last 8 months destroyed properties worth millions of Naira.

Confirming the incident, the Director of the state Fire
Service, Alhaji Mustapha Rulwan said: “We received
distress call around 5: 20 pm and we immediately
mobilised our personnel to the area.
An Eyewitness account disclosed that the incident
occurred around 5:15 pm when most of traders had
closed for business.
According to the witness, the fire which destroyed
phones and other valuables worth millions of Naira,
was said to have been caused by a spark from a
converter supplying power to some of the shops, but
however, said, no fatality was recorded

Alhaji Mustapha Rulwan said: “We were able to put out the fire within 45 minutes”
He added that it was an inverter that was being used by
some of the traders that caused the inferno as most of
the affected shops were made of wood and zinc.”
This is the second time the market was gutted by fire in
the last eight months.
NAN

Reverse Increase In Electrical Tarriff Court Orders NERC

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered a

reversal of the increase in Electricity Tariff recently

announced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory

commission, NERC.

Justice Mohammed Idris gave the order while delivering

judgement in a suit by a Human Rights Lawyer, Mr.

Toluwani Adebiyi, challenging the increase in Tariff.

The Judge described NERC's action as being ultra vires

irrational, irregular and illegal.

The court was also of the view that NERC had not shown

that it acted in due obedience to prescribed procedures,

adding that there was no evidence that it complied with the

Electricity Power Sector Reform Act.

The Court awarded a cost of fifty thousand against NERC.