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A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ehiozuwa J. Agbonayinma, has taken legal steps against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, demanding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) reopen and prosecute an alleged financial crimes case involving the former Vice President.

Agbonayinma, through his solicitors, is asking the anti-graft agency to revisit its investigation into Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The demand is contained in a letter addressed to the EFCC and signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Hannibal Egbe Uwaifo, on behalf of Agbonayinma.

The lawyers gave the commission 14 days to act or face further legal action.

In the letter, the solicitors recalled that the EFCC investigated allegations of corruption involving Atiku between 2005 and 2006, when he was Vice President.

They said the investigation culminated in a report titled, “The EFCC Report on Vice-President Abubakar Atiku (Full Report),” dated September 2006.

According to the lawyers, the report contained allegations of corruption, money laundering and other financial crimes involving the former Vice President.

They further claimed that the EFCC had indicated that Atiku would be prosecuted after leaving office, but that no such prosecution had taken place.

The solicitors described the alleged failure to act as a “deliberate dereliction of duty” and urged the commission to revive the matter.

They also cited an alleged investigation by the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

According to the lawyers, the US Senate investigation produced a report dated February 4, 2010, which they claimed contained allegations of money laundering and other financial crimes involving Atiku.

Agbonayinma’s lawyers are therefore demanding that both the 2006 EFCC report and the 2010 US Senate report be reactivated and considered as the basis for fresh prosecution.

They argued that reopening the case would send a strong message that no Nigerian, regardless of political status or influence, is above the law.

The lawyers also praised the current leadership of the EFCC, saying it has the opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to fighting corruption by revisiting the allegations against the former Vice President.

The letter stated that their client believes prosecution of the case could become a major milestone in the commission’s anti-corruption campaign.

“TAKE NOTICE that if, after 14 days of this letter, your Commission, the EFCC, refuses or neglects to act, our further instruction is to take legal action against your Commission,” the lawyers warned.

The latest development comes as Atiku prepares for the 2027 presidential contest under the ADC, adding a fresh legal and political dimension to the longstanding allegations surrounding his time in government.

However, the allegations contained in the letter are claims by Agbonayinma and his legal representatives and have not, by themselves, established criminal liability against Atiku. Any prosecution would be subject to investigation, due process and determination by a competent court.

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US President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to hit Iran “hard” after the two foes traded fire for the first time in weeks, as his Treasury secretary vowed to keep up a pressure campaign aimed at hobbling Tehran’s economy.

After six months of war, the foes remain at an impasse, with Iran keeping the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed and the US persisting with a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
On Sunday, the United States carried out strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran quickly retaliating by attacking US military targets in the Middle East.

The exchange raised fears of a return to major hostilities, with the US president vowing to respond.

“We’re going to hit them hard,” Trump said, according to a Fox News reporter who spoke to him briefly. “There will be a response.”

The United States said it attacked Iranian rocket launchers on the island of Larak to prevent Tehran from planting mines in the key shipping lane.

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks aimed at Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, saying they targeted US forces there, but President Masoud Pezeshkian later on Monday called for dialogue.

“We continue to strive for a path of agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is neither in our interest, nor in the interest of the region,” he said at a summit in Kyrgyzstan, adding “the solution to the existing problems is dialogue and cooperation.”

State media reported that three people were killed in the US attack Sunday on Larak, with several others wounded.

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards said the ballistic missile attack targeting two US air bases in Jordan caused “heavy damage”.

But Trump told Fox that all the missiles fired at US forces had been shot down, except for one that was determined not to pose a threat. Jordan’s army said it had intercepted eight missiles, without stating their origin.

Iran also said it targeted US personnel at an air base in the UAE, and shot down an American drone over Hormuz.

Abu Dhabi said it intercepted a drone over the country’s waters, but dismissed claims that Al Minhad Air Base had been targeted as “baseless.”

The Guards reported knocking out a second US drone over Hormuz on Monday evening, and Iran’s armed forces central command reiterated a warning to its regional neighbours not to allow the US to use their territory to carry out attacks.
A tanker leaving the strait reported being hit by three “unknown projectiles” just off the northeastern edge of Oman, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said late Monday, noting that there were no known environmental impacts or casualties.

‘Continue Exerting Pressure’
The exchange of fire came after weeks of relative calm, with the Trump administration recently pivoting to “economic warfare”.
Earlier on Monday, Trump had called Iran “a Failed Nation”, saying on social media that its military was decimated, its finances were crumbling, “and their leadership is in total disarray”.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent vowed to keep up the economic pain.

“We are going to continue exerting pressure, and we’ve had very good discussions here already,” Bessent told reporters at a G20 meeting in North Carolina.
He said a turning point in the pressure campaign could come “within weeks or months”.

Iran is exerting economic pressure of its own through its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which has roiled global markets and driven up prices for American voters in a closely fought midterm election year.

One-fifth of the world’s oil passed through the strait before the war.

Despite traffic remaining throttled six months on, Trump has claimed the US Navy has “total control” of the strait, with Washington last week announcing it had completed clearing explosives from the waterway.
Iran, however, insists it is in charge of the sea lane.

The Revolutionary Guards said Monday that a “rogue” oil tanker caught fire near the strait after it hit two mines while attempting to transit an “illegal route.”
The US military called the claim “disinformation,” saying: “No ships have hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz.”

Mediators have tried for months to broker an end to the war, but an earlier truce and memorandum of understanding fell apart.

Iran recently has been trying to push the US to return to the previous deal, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi telling state TV on Monday that “the solution is completely clear and straightforward: the United States must return to its commitments”.
“In that case, everything can be put back on the right track,” he said.

AFP

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Four members of the same family have been confirmed dead after a three-storey building collapsed at Popo Giwa, Ilorin, Kwara State, on Tuesday morning.

The PUNCH gathered that the incident occurred around 5am at No. 41 Popo Giwa Street, beside Gogoro Mosque, with eight members of the family initially trapped beneath the rubble.

Speaking with our correspondent during the rescue operation, an eyewitness, Abdulganiy Musa, said the father of the family was a serving soldier, while the mother worked as a casual staff member at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, Ilorin.

Musa said rescue workers were engaged in efforts to evacuate the victims trapped under the collapsed structure.

A child identified as Firdaus, the second-to-last born of the family, was among those rescued alive from the rubble as emergency responders intensified the operation.

An excavator was later deployed to the scene to assist rescuers in removing the debris and gaining access to the remaining trapped victims.

Findings by The PUNCH showed that several emergency and security agencies were involved in the rescue operation, with ambulances deployed to evacuate survivors for medical attention.

Representing Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq at the scene, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Lawal Olohungbebe, described the incident as unfortunate and condoled with the victims’ families.

“The rescue mission began immediately after the collapse and to the Grace of God, some were rescued but unfortunately, we have to take it as this,” he said.

Olohungbebe stressed the importance of accessible roads in residential areas, saying the access route to the building contributed to the ease with which emergency responders were able to reach the scene.

“One of the things that made it very easy for us to rescue the few people we were able to rescue is the access route,” he said.

He urged residents and developers to respect building and town-planning regulations, particularly the need to maintain access roads to residential areas.

The commissioner commended the Ministries of Health and Environment, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, SEMA, the National Emergency Management Agency, Fire Service, Civil Defence, the Red Cross and other responders for their swift intervention.

The Kwara State Fire Service subsequently confirmed that four people died while four others were rescued alive.

The Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, disclosed this while speaking with The PUNCH at the scene of the incident.

“We have recovered four people dead and rescued four people alive,” he said.

Adekunle said the agency received a distress call at about 5am reporting that a building had collapsed and people were trapped underneath.

“We immediately mobilised to the scene and commenced rescue operation. This kind of situation is not something the fire service can handle alone,” he said.

He added that officials of the Hospitals Management Board, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other emergency agencies joined the rescue operation.

The fire service spokesman said the cause of the collapse would be determined after a proper assessment of the structure.

“We are only here to ascertain the actual cause of this collapse and rescue the trapped victims. As at when due, we will communicate to the media about our findings,” he said.

Adekunle said if the assessment warranted demolition, the relevant authorities would take appropriate action, while occupants would be advised accordingly if the structures were found to be safe.

He commiserated with the families of the victims and urged residents to report unusual signs in their buildings or evacuate immediately when they noticed anything that could indicate danger.

The Kwara State Emergency Management Agency also confirmed the death of four people and the rescue of four others.

The SEMA Secretary, Magaji Saadudeen, said eight people were trapped in the building, adding that the rescued victims and bodies of the deceased had been taken to hospital.

“The rescued persons are receiving treatment presently,” Saadudeen said.

Speaking on the structure, the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, said it was a three-storey building and that the portion that collapsed was the boys’ quarters.

“It was a three-storey building that collapsed. Our findings showed that the boys’ quarter of the building that collapsed. Information gathered revealed that eight people were trapped in the building,” he said.

Adekimi said the rescued victims had been taken to hospital while the bodies of those who died were also evacuated.

“For now, the situation is under control. We will examine the remaining building and see how people can be secured. But for now, we have evacuated everybody from the main building,” he said.

The police commissioner said residents should pay attention to warning signs such as leakages and other structural defects in buildings.

The Chairman of Ilorin West Local Government Area, AbdulRahman Babatunde Ladan, who monitored the rescue operation, also commended the emergency agencies and residents for their prompt response.

Ladan said about six to seven ambulances were deployed to the scene to support the evacuation of victims for medical attention.

He urged residents to report structural defects promptly and evacuate buildings whenever they noticed signs of possible collapse.

“Whenever you discover something like this, please escalate it. Get to the point of evacuating yourself and your family members from that building. Life is the priority,” he said.

The council chairman also advised prospective developers to use quality materials and engage qualified professionals to supervise construction, stressing that adherence to building standards was essential to preventing structural failures. (PUNCH)