The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has identified corrupt contractors as a major factor contributing to the frequent collapses of Nigeria’s national power grid.

According to EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, the use of substandard electrical materials by contractors in the power sector is significantly undermining the country’s power infrastructure.

Olukoyede made these remarks on Tuesday during a visit by the House Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes to the EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja.

The EFCC’s investigation has uncovered that contractors awarded contracts to supply electricity equipment often opt for inferior materials, a practice that has led to frequent equipment failures and power outages.

Olukoyede explained that instead of using quality materials, such as 9.0 gauge cables, contractors frequently use cheaper 5.0 gauge cables, resulting in power system failures.

This, he said, is a key reason behind the recurring collapses of the national grid, which has plunged large parts of the country into darkness.

This year alone, Nigeria’s national grid has collapsed 10 times, affecting regions such as the northern states, where over 17 states were left without power for more than a week due to attacks on electricity infrastructure.

While the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has attributed the grid failures to outdated infrastructure, Olukoyede highlighted that corruption and substandard materials play a crucial role in exacerbating the issue.

The EFCC Chairman also expressed concern over the country’s poor record in implementing capital projects.

Olukoyede revealed that in the past 15 to 20 years, Nigeria has only successfully executed less than 20% of its capital projects.

He stressed that such inefficiency in project execution hampers the nation’s growth and infrastructural development.

To address this, Olukoyede called for greater collaboration with the National Assembly to improve capital project implementation, aiming for at least 50% completion in the coming year.

He emphasized that achieving even half of the planned capital projects would represent significant progress for the country.

The EFCC is focusing its efforts on tackling corruption in the power sector and improving the execution of capital projects as part of its mandate to support Nigeria’s development.

Olukoyede urged the National Assembly to assist the commission in overcoming these challenges, which he believes are crucial to the nation’s progress.

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has confirmed that police officers were involved in the protection of foreign hackers who were arrested for cybercrimes, asserting that their actions were illegal.

On November 4, the Nigeria Police Force announced the arrest of 130 individuals, including 113 foreign nationals, mostly from China and Malaysia, and 17 Nigerian collaborators, for their involvement in high-level cybercrimes that posed significant threats to national security.

Among the arrested were men and women who were reportedly under police protection prior to their arrest.

Reacting to this development at a workshop on criminal investigations in Abuja on Monday, Egbetokun acknowledged the presence of police officers escorting the arrested individuals.

He stated that these officers were acting outside the law, adding that they had been arrested and were now in detention.

“The fact that some policemen were protecting these foreigners is true. We have arrested those officers. We found that they were on illegal duty. No formal deployment was made for them,” Egbetokun said.

He further explained that the officers involved were not assigned to protect the foreign suspects by the police command and were not authorized to perform such duties.

“The unit commanders have disowned them, and they will be held accountable for their actions,” Egbetokun added.

He assured that the police would take appropriate disciplinary measures against those involved.

The IGP also clarified that while certain individuals, such as business leaders and employers of labor, may rightfully receive police protection, those officers guarding the foreign hackers were unauthorized.

“Certain individuals, especially prominent businessmen and employers who have a significant role in the economy, deserve police protection. Their safety is important to prevent disruptions in business and the wider economy. However, the officers protecting the hackers were not formally deployed,” Egbetokun explained.

He also addressed the issue of police officers being assigned to protect individuals who do not meet the criteria for protection, stressing that such officers would be held accountable.

“We’ve issued instructions to trace and hold responsible any officers attached to individuals who don’t require protection. These officers are sometimes picked from the streets and deployed without proper clearance,” he said.

The IGP emphasized the need to minimize the misuse of police escorts.

He stated that when individuals misused their protection, the police would withdraw the escorts immediately.

On the issue of the arrested minors, Egbetokun clarified that they were not detained for participating in the #EndBadGovernance protests but for crimes such as looting and destruction of property.

“The minors arrested were not protesters, but criminals who used the protest as a cover to loot and destroy public and private property. The police did not arrest any legitimate protesters. We only arrested individuals who engaged in criminal activities during the protests,” he said.

Egbetokun also refuted the claims that the minors were arrested simply for participating in the protests.

“It is wrong to claim that those arrested were protesting. They were involved in criminal actions, including arson and vandalism, and no society can tolerate such behavior,” he added.

He reiterated the force’s commitment to addressing the issue of police misconduct and misuse of power, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring and strict enforcement of regulations to ensure accountability.

Two months after a devastating flood in Borno State led to the collapse of a correctional facility, 278 inmates remain unaccounted for.

The incident, which took place on September 10, severely impacted the Maiduguri medium security custodial centre, allowing 281 prisoners to escape as floodwaters tore through the structure.

Abubakar Umar, the spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Service, confirmed that 278 of the escapees are still missing, noting the scale of the damage caused by the flood, which also destroyed essential infrastructure in the region, including roads, bridges, and staff quarters.

“The flood destroyed the walls of the custodial centre in Maiduguri, and during the evacuation of inmates, 281 were found to be missing,” Umar explained.

He added that security agencies had worked together to relocate the inmates to safer facilities.

Since the jailbreak, the Borno State Police Command has managed to re-arrest three of the escaped convicts.

Police Public Relations Officer, Nahum Daso, provided updates on their capture, identifying the individuals as Auwalu Aminu, Abubakar Mohammed, and Kyari Kur.

In a statement, Daso said that Kyari Kur was apprehended on October 10 after police received credible information about his whereabouts in Gubio town.

Another escapee, Abubakar Mohammed, was caught after a resident tipped off authorities on September 15 when he was spotted in Gubio.

Auwalu Aminu was arrested on October 16 following a tip-off in Banki town, where he was located by officers from the Bama Area Command.

Despite these successes, Daso confirmed that 278 inmates are still at large, and police are continuing their search operations to track down the remaining fugitives.

“We are still actively pursuing the other escapees. Our search efforts are ongoing, and we will continue to update the public on our progress.” Daso said in an interview.

The police spokesperson also assured that the re-arrested suspects were handed over to the correctional services.

“So far, four suspects have been re-arrested and transferred back to the correctional service,” he added.

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has strongly rejected claims circulating about the deaths of two judges from the Court of Appeal, who were members of the panel that upheld President Bola Tinubu’s election in September 2023.

The rumors falsely claimed that Justices Mistura Bolaji-Yusuf and Boloukuoromo Ugo died mysteriously on the same day.

The two justices were part of the five-member panel that, on September 6, 2023, delivered a unanimous ruling rejecting the petitions of Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party. The panel affirmed Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election.

According to the false reports, Justice Bolaji-Yusuf was allegedly found dead by her family, despite being in good health the previous night.

The same report claimed that Justice Ugo was found dead after a loud noise from his room, with family members discovering him bleeding and unresponsive.

However, the NJC has dismissed the reports as baseless, with its secretary, Mr. Ahmed Saleh, categorically stating, “This news is a lie. The justices are alive, well, and continuing their duties.”

A Court of Appeal staff also debunked the rumors, describing them as “totally false and mischievous.”

The staff expressed disbelief over the spread of such unfounded rumors, urging the public to ignore the fake news.