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A Delta State High Court sitting in Asaba has remanded four suspected members of a gun-running syndicate over alleged unlawful possession of firearms and involvement in cult activities.

The suspects — Emmanuel Chukwuemeka, Clifford Boleyelefa, Amadi Princewill, and Amadi Felix Chibuike — were arraigned on a five-count charge following investigations by the Delta State Police Command.

They were alleged to be linked to the recovery of a Beretta pistol at a transport park in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of the state.

The defendants were charged with offences including unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition under the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act and the Firearms Act. They were also accused of conspiracy to belong to an unlawful society and membership of the proscribed Black Axe Confraternity under Delta State laws.

According to court filings, the offences include possession of a fabricated Beretta pistol, possession of four rounds of 9mm live ammunition, conspiracy to belong to an unlawful society, and membership of a proscribed group.

The suspects were reportedly arrested during separate intelligence-led operations carried out in Bayelsa and Imo States.

After their arraignment, the court ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison custody pending further hearing of the case.

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No fewer than 258 Nigerians yesterday touched down at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, from South Africa.

The returnees, comprising males, females and minors, were brought back to the country aboard Air Peace’s chartered flight.
The aircraft, a Boeing 777, touched down at the airport around 10:30 a.m.

The returnees were welcomed into the country by the Director General of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and other officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The returnees left South Africa following the spate of violence, which had engulfed the country in the last few months.

Some South Africans launched violent attacks against foreigners, accusing them of taking over their jobs.

On arrival in Nigeria, the returnees underwent some card registration, immigration processes and other checks.

Each returnee will receive free N50,000 airtime from MTN and N100,000 from the Federal Government, alongside other offers from state governments and other non-governmental organisations.

MEANWHILE, ‎South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, in a statement issued yesterday, disclosed that the first repatriation flight departed on June 11 with 268 Nigerians, while a second flight transporting the remaining individuals had been scheduled for June 15.
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‎According to the department, all those processed for repatriation were issued Emergency Travel Documents by the Nigerian High Commission, which facilitated their departure from South Africa and return to Nigeria.
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‎The department said the repatriations were carried out in accordance with South Africa’s Immigration Act, adding that all affected individuals had been declared undesirable persons and would be barred from re-entering the country for a period of five years.
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It also acknowledged the cooperation of the Nigerian High Commission throughout the documentation and repatriation exercise.
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Commenting on the operation, South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, said the government remained committed to enforcing immigration laws and strengthening border management.
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The minister also linked the government’s immigration enforcement efforts to ongoing reforms aimed at modernising identity and border management systems. He cited the expansion of the Electronic Travel Authorisation programme, the replacement of the Green ID Book with Smart ID cards, and the planned introduction of a Digital Identity system as measures designed to improve the country’s ability to monitor and enforce immigration regulations.

Schreiber urged members of the public to refrain from taking the law into their hands, stressing that immigration enforcement should be conducted through lawful processes and established institutions.

BUT ‎Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to South Africa, Ambassador Temitope Ajayi, challenged claims that the 258 Nigerians repatriated from South Africa were undocumented migrants, insisting that many of them became caught in administrative delays within the South African immigration system.
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‎Speaking during the formal handover of the returnees to Nigerian authorities yesterday at the airport, Ajayi described reports portraying all the evacuees as undocumented as “false and misleading,” arguing that several of the returnees had long-standing applications for permit renewals that remained unprocessed by South African authorities.

NIGERIANS in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) welcomed returnees, stating that the return was on the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who approved and fully funded the Air Peace evacuation flight.

Speaking at the reception, the Chairman/CEO of NIDCOM commended President Tinubu’s swift intervention and the collaborative efforts of all agencies.

The NIDCOM chairman further announced that Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State had approved N1,000,000 for each Imo State indigene among the returnees; MTN Nigeria donated N100,000 per returnee, to be transferred to their accounts, while NIMC would fast-track the issuance of National Identity Numbers (NIN) to all evacuees.
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Senate on Thursday approved a fresh three-month extension of the implementation period for the capital component of the 2025 Appropriation Act. It shifted the deadline from June 30, 2026, to September 30, 2026, in a move aimed at salvaging ongoing projects and enabling ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to fully utilise funds already released by the federal government.

The decision, which followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Munguno, marked the third extension granted to the capital component of the 2025 budget.

The National Assembly had initially extended the implementation period from December 31, 2025, to March 31, 2026, and later from March 31 to June 30, 2026, before Thursday’s latest shift to September 30.

With the extension, MDAs will have an additional three months to complete ongoing capital projects, process outstanding payments, and meet contractual obligations tied to projects captured in the 2025 fiscal plan.

Leading debate on the motion, Munguno said the extension became imperative because a substantial portion of funds released for approved projects and programmes had yet to be utilised owing to procurement timelines, project execution challenges, and other administrative bottlenecks.

According to him, several strategic projects across key sectors of the economy are already at advanced stages of implementation and require additional time for completion, certification and payment.

He warned that allowing the implementation window to lapse at the end of June could result in the abandonment of critical projects, waste public resources already committed to them, and disrupt ongoing government interventions.

Munguno also expressed concern that some projects contained in the 2025 budget might not be reintroduced in future appropriation cycles, thereby creating funding gaps and undermining national development objectives.

He stated that extending the validity of the capital component would promote efficient utilisation of public funds, improve budget performance and support economic growth.

“The Senate is convinced that granting a further extension of the implementation period is in the national interest and will ensure value for money in public expenditure,” he said.

Chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, who seconded the motion, said although payment for some capital projects had commenced, numerous obligations remained outstanding.

Adeola recalled that President Bola Tinubu had earlier informed the National Assembly that only about 30 per cent of the funds required for the outstanding 2025 capital commitments would be accommodated through the rollover arrangement, while the balance would be reflected in the 2026 budget framework.

“Payment has commenced, but we still have a lot of outstanding obligations to settle,” he said, urging lawmakers to support the extension.

In his remarks, President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, said the decision was consistent with the constitutional responsibility of the National Assembly to ensure effective implementation of the budget and prudent management of public resources.

Akpabio recalled that when Tinubu presented the budget, it was envisaged that only a portion of the capital expenditure would be fully implemented within the approved timeframe, while the balance would be accommodated through subsequent budgetary provisions.

He stated that implementation challenges had earlier necessitated the extension of the capital component to June 30, 2026, but said outstanding obligations still remained significant.

Akpabio stated, “Although payments have commenced, a considerable number of obligations remain outstanding. It has therefore become necessary, in the interest of effective budget execution and accountability, to further extend the implementation period beyond June 30, 2026, to September 30, 2026.”

The senate president expressed confidence that the additional three-month window would enable the government to settle all outstanding commitments under the affected component of the budget, while ensuring that implementation of projects under the subsequent fiscal cycle proceeded without disruption.

The latest extension underscores the persistent implementation challenges confronting federal capital budgets and highlights the government’s efforts to avoid project abandonment amid ongoing fiscal and administrative constraints.