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Minna NBA calls for independent panel to investigate killing of six protesters

The Minna branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has called for the establishment of an independent panel to investigate the alleged killings of six protesters in Suleja, Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State.

The association also lambasted security agencies for using force on protesters during the nationwide mass protest against hunger and hardship in parts of Niger State.

The chairman of the Minna branch of NBA, Isyaku Barau, stated this in a signed statement made available to journalists in Minna.

“We condemn in strong terms the chaotic violent protest leading to the killing of six protesters by security personnel in Suleja area of the states,” he said.

He also called for the establishment of an independent panel to investigate the alleged killings.

The NBA statement applauded the collective decision of the people of the state to refuse to participate in the ongoing nationwide protest against hardship and hunger.

Barau explained that before the commencement of the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests, the President of NBA, Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, had acknowledged that there was widespread hunger and suffering among Nigerians.

Barau, while “calling on the government to expedite actions to provide relief,” also appealed to the protest organisers and the Nigerian populace to shelve the protests and engage in frank discussions with the government.

According to him, the NBA president foresaw the potential negative danger of the protests based on the fact that previous peaceful protests in Nigeria had often been hijacked and turned violent by miscreants and hoodlums.

Against this backdrop, the NBA President had directed all branches of the association to form Situation Monitoring Committees to observe the protests as they proceeded.

“The Minna branch of the NBA has already constituted a ten-member committee chaired by the branch’s Vice Chairman, Mohammed Abugi, who is also the chairman of the Human Rights Committee of NBA, Minna Branch.

“The committee’s role is to collaborate with security agencies to protect peaceful protesters, monitor the protests for human rights abuses, compile and document evidence of such abuses, liaise with security authorities in emergencies, and provide pro bono legal services for peaceful protesters if needed,” Barau further disclosed.

He noted that the NBA Minna branch, while recognising the constitutional rights of Nigerians to protest, strongly condemned acts of violence, looting, and the wanton destruction of private and public properties under the guise of protest, particularly the alleged attack and destruction of the Local Government Secretariat in Tafa.

“The decision of many people in Niger State not to participate in the ongoing nationwide protests is linked to the positive impacts of the Niger State Government’s initiatives on urban renewal and food security, which are expected to address hunger in the state soon,” he added.

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EFCC seals Kaduna hotel for breaching money laundering act

The Special Control Unit against Money Laundering, SCUML, of the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has sealed up Hampton Hilton Hotel and Apartments, Kaduna, for non-compliance with the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022 and Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regulations of the Financial Action Task Force, FATF for Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions, DNFBPs.

The entity was found to have committed multiple infractions in the course of the first evaluation carried out on it, on June 4, 2024, leading to the issuance of administrative sanctions to it by SCUML.

It was also found to have committed further infractions following the compliance evaluation of June 13, 2025, for which it was slammed N2,300,000.00 (Two Million Three Hundred Thousand Naira) fine, payable within seven days and with instruction to ensure full compliance with the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022 and AML/CFT regulations or face further consequences.

While it refused to pay the fine, it, as well, dishonoured SCUML’s invite to show up for compliance evaluation, resulting in the sealing of the premises.

The Special Control Unit against Money Laundering, SCUML, ensures DNFBPs’ compliance with Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022 and AML/CFT regulations.

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Buhari could have long been dead if he had chosen to be treated in Nigeria -Fmr aide Adesina

Former spokesperson to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, has defended the decision of late President Buhari to always seek medical attention abroad before and after he left office.

In a chat with Channels TV this morning, Adesina who served as the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Buhari said;

‘’Buhari always had his medical in London, even when he was not in office. So, it’s not about the time he was president alone. He had always had it in London and then, you have to be alive first to get certain things corrected in your country. If he had said, ‘I will do my medical in Nigeria just as a show-off or something,’ he could have long been dead because there may not be the expertise needed in the country but he needed to be alive to lead the country to a point where we will have that expertise”

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Buhari’s body arrives in Daura from Katsina for final burial

The remains of Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has arrived in his hometown of Daura from Katsina ahead of his burial later today.

The body, which was flown into the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina from the United Kingdom earlier in the day, was received with full state protocol by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda, and members of the late president’s family.

From the airport, the late leader’s remains were transported by a specially prepared ambulance under tight security to Daura, a journey marked by solemnity and respect, with hundreds of residents lining parts of the route to pay their final respects.

Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s Head of State from 1983 to 1985 and returned as a democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023, died in London on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the age of 82 after a brief illness.

According to Islamic tradition, he will be buried later today at his private residence in Daura.

Dignitaries, traditional rulers, political leaders, and sympathizers from across Nigeria have already gathered in Daura for the Janazah prayers and final interment, with security operatives deployed across the ancient town to ensure a peaceful ceremony