Nigeria police targeting whistleblower who exposed payroll fraud

The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) has called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to provide immediate protection for Katsina-based entrepreneur and whistleblower, Mubarak Bello, who was recently arrested by the state police command.

Mr Bello, who until recently ran a business centre inside the Katsina police headquarters, was arrested on 13 September after a night patrol intercepted his Toyota Corolla.

Police in Katsina State alleged that they found a locally made rifle, live cartridges and a fake police identity card in his possession.

He is currently facing accusations of impersonation, unlawful possession of firearms and holding a forged police ID.

However, CWPPF, a coalition of more than 30 media and civil society organisations, insists Mr Bello’s arrest is linked to his role in exposing a ghost workers’ scheme within the Katsina police command.

According to the coalition, Mr Bello had raised alarms about a payroll racket dating back to 2017, when he alleged that officers attempted to co-opt him and an associate into the scheme.

In 2021, Mr Bello reportedly petitioned several anti-corruption bodies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and the Police Service Commission (PSC), providing documents he claimed revealed widespread fraud.

The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) recently reported that Mr Bello’s arrest came in retaliation for his whistleblowing activities.

CWPPF echoed this concern in its petition dated 18 September, warning that Mr Bello’s life and that of his family are under “serious and imminent threat.”

“The Nigerian Police Force should conduct a prompt, thorough and diligent investigation into the alleged payroll fraud scheme, as well as the allegations against him,” the coalition wrote in a petition submitted to IGP Egbetokun, Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi, and his counterpart in Katsina State.

The petition, signed by the Deputy Director, Journalism Programme at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Busola Ajibola, on behalf of the coalition, was also submitted to the National Human Rights Commission and ICPC.

The acknowledgement copies were received, the coalition told PREMIUM TIMES, explaining that “the copy meant for the Committee on Public Petitions is pending because the National Assembly is on recess.”

The coalition further demanded protection for Mr Bello and his family until the matter is resolved.

By Yakubu Mohammed, Premium Times

Nigeria cuts lending rate for first time in five years

Nigeria’s central bank cut its main lending rate for the first time in five years, following the easing of inflation that had driven repeated hikes from early 2024.

The bank cut the benchmark rate by 50 basis points to 27% this week, citing “sustained disinflation, improved output growth, stable exchange rate and robust external reserves.” Nigeria’s inflation rate fell to 20.12% in August, the fifth consecutive decline this year. The bank also based the rate cut on its expectation that inflation will continue to slow for the rest of 2025, though it said it was monitoring “the risk posed by excess liquidity” from government spending.

Nigeria’s economy grew by 4.23% year-on-year in the second quarter, according to government data also released this week. Its rate cut comes as part of a wider easing of monetary policy across many of Africa’s biggest economies: central banks in Ghana, Egypt, and South Africa have taken similar steps, with cooling inflation cited in each case.

By Alexander Onukwue, SEMAFOR

Bulker crew stranded in Nigeria without pay for three months

The crew of the 2008-built bulker Eleen Armonia has been stranded in Nigeria for more than three months without receiving salaries.

According to an email sent to Splash from a crew representative, many crew contracts have already expired, but the owner of the Liberian-flagged vessel has refused to arrange repatriation or crew change. He also noted that the crew’s mental health is at a critical level.

Despite repeated complaints filed with the Liberian Registry, the Nigerian Maritime Union, and the vessel’s P&I insurer, no action has been taken.

“The crew remains onboard in increasingly difficult conditions, without income and with uncertainty about when they will be paid or allowed to return home,” the email said.

The Equasis database states that the 55,522 dwt Eleen Armonia is owned and managed by Bulgaria-based Eleen Marine.

“We have been abandoned without wages since June 2025. Our families are suffering, and we have no clear information about when this situation will end. We urgently call on the Liberian flag, the Nigerian authorities, and international organisations to intervene,” the crew representative said.

The crew requests urgent international attention and calls on the Liberian Registry, ITF, and the Nigerian Port State Control to ensure payment of outstanding wages and safe repatriation.

The email stated that this situation may constitute a violation of the Maritime Labour Convention, which guarantees the timely payment of wages and repatriation of seafarers.

By Bojan Lepic, Splash247

Nigerian women protest for reserved seats in parliament

Several African countries, from Senegal to Rwanda, have increased the number of women legislators by using quota systems.

Nigeria, which has no such system, only counts four women senators out of 109 and 16 women in the 360-member House of Representatives, according to the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), a local NGO.

Dubbed the "Special Seats Bill", the legislation would add one woman-only seat for both the House and the Senate in each of Nigeria's 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory, though implementing the changes would require a constitutional amendment.

"We want the legislature to work for women," said Dorothy Njemanze, one of the organisers, who said she had counted more than 1,000 demonstrators in attendance.

Women's groups from across the country converged in Abuja, organising a caravan of buses, vans and a truck blasting up-tempo Afrobeats music that snaked through the wide boulevards of the planned city.

Advocates say that reserved seats would serve as a corrective to the financial barriers, entrenched gender roles and a domination of politics by male power brokers that keep women out of power in Africa's most populous nation.

The caravan ended with the delivery of signatures in support of the legislation to a House committee holding a hearing on constitutional reform.

President Bola Tinubu's minister for women's affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has signalled support for the legislation.

However, the PLAC, in its legislative analysis, warned that constitutional amendments are "no walk in the park", with two-thirds of the National Assembly and 24 state legislatures required to approve any changes.

Several similar attempts at creating reserved seats for women have failed in recent years.

"I want that seat, because tomorrow, I may be the one contesting" for it, Onu Ihunania, a 50-year-old civil servant and member of the caravan, told AFP.

A National Assembly with more women might better focus on women's health and economic inclusion, said Nyiyam Ikyereve, 40, who travelled several hours from Benue state to join the protest.

The lack of women's representation came to a head earlier this year when Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the chamber after she complained about sexual harassment.

The Senate president maintained that Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for a separate incident related to an argument that erupted in the chamber over her seating arrangement.

AFP

Video - Nigerian beekeepers seek government support to boost earnings

Beekeeping in Nigeria offers significant economic and environmental benefits but faces numerous challenges, including limited commercialization, weak marketing, and inadequate processing infrastructure. While traditional methods remain prevalent, experts emphasize the urgent need for modern training and support to boost production and increase incomes for beekeepers.

CGTN Africa