News
PFIPC : Reps To Summon Budget Minister Over N1.3b Allocation
The House of Representatives on Wednesday resolved to invite the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation to explain how the N1.3 billion allocation of the ‘fictitious’ Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) found its way into the 2026 budget.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau), who described the scandal as a serious threat to the credibility of Nigeria’s appropriation process and public financial management.
This is coming after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the activities of the controversial council and submit a report within 30 days. ExecutiveBranch
The Senate had distanced itself from the PFIPC, its purported Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, and the council’s N1.3 billion allocation in the budget, maintaining that the scandal is an executive matter it would not dabble into, except it receives a petition to that effect. It further declined on Wednesday to investigate the matter.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, had issued a disclaimer, dismissing the existence of the PFIPC, but Adeyemi countered, describing it as “a cloud of public misrepresentation, institutional denial and a deliberate attempt to silence legitimate questions that concern matters of national interest.”
Consequently, the Presidency, in a July 1 statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, tagged Adeyemi a “con artist” and stated that the police had filed a criminal charge against him.
The statement was, however, silent on the inclusion of the disputed council in the budget and an alleged sum of N400 million Adeyemi claimed to have paid Gbajabiamila by proxy to facilitate his appointment. A further scrutiny of the statement raised more critical questions bordering on public accountability, transparency and institutional integrity.
Findings further revealed that Adeyemi got approvals for the employment of 300 staff members and an office space at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, and opened accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
But the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) insisted that the disputed council had no account with the apex bank, contradicting the Presidency’s statement that Adeyemi used fake documents and misled the OAGF to fraudulently open a CBN account.
After Adeyemi went into hiding, police raided his family residence in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, on Monday and arrested his father, who was later released after questioning.
Moving the motion for the probe of the controversial council at the plenary on Wednesday, Gagdi recalled that it operated from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja and engaged with several government institutions.
He told lawmakers that the organisation is already the subject of criminal proceedings before the Federal High Court in Abuja, stressing that the House inquiry would be limited to the budgetary implications and institutional failures that enabled the phony council to gain official recognition.
According to him, the organisation relied on a document claiming it was established under “Chapter N2117 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.”
He, however, said records of the National Assembly showed that no legislation establishing such a council had been enacted, adding that the closest existing law was the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) Act.
Gagdi expressed concerns that more than N1.3 billion was reflected in the 2026 budget for the council, saying the development raised fundamental questions about the integrity of the budget preparation and approval process.
“The ease with which a single unestablished entity was processed through official channels suggests a systemic vulnerability rather than an isolated administrative lapse,” he said.
Following the adoption of the motion, the House resolved to constitute an ad hoc committee to trace how the budgetary provision found its way into the budget, from the executive proposal through legislative consideration.
Lawmakers also directed that all ministries, departments, agencies and government bodies contained in the 2025 and 2026 Appropriation Frameworks be verified against their respective legal instruments of establishment.
The House further requested the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to confirm that no public funds had been released and that no payment warrants would be issued in favour of the PFIPC pending the conclusion of the investigation.
It also mandated the Budget Office of the Federation to, henceforth, submit alongside every appropriation bill a comprehensive and certified list of all agencies proposed for funding, indicating the enabling law establishing each of them to prevent the inclusion of fictitious entities.
In his contribution, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, disclosed that he had personally received representatives of the organisation after his office was sent a letterhead bearing the Presidency’s insignia.
According to him, the correspondence, dated May 2, 2025, came from a body identifying itself as both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
Kalu said the letter carried a federal secretariat address, an official-looking government logo and a “. gov.ng” website, prompting his office to verify the organisation’s location before granting the delegation an audience.
He said although officials confirmed that the organisation operated from the stated office, the visitors abandoned the policy issues contained in their letter during the meeting and appeared more interested in taking photographs.
“This shows that having the Presidency on a letterhead is no longer sufficient proof that an agency is genuine,” the Deputy Speaker said, adding that the House must establish how the organisation secured office accommodation within the federal secretariat and gained access to senior government officials.
News
Court Arraigns Journalist In Benue
A Benue State High Court, presided over by Justice Mary Abounu, has arraigned the Benue State correspondent of Aljazirah Newspaper, Henry Ibya, in Makurdi over alleged cyberstang.
The trial judge had sought the prosecution’s response to the defendant’s argument that the journalist was reliable and should be granted bail.
The absence of the prosecution counsel in court did not stop the proceedings, as the defendant’s counsel, Tom Uja, Esq., notified the court of his bail application for his client.
He stated that the prosecution had taken the journalist to two other courts in the state on the same charge and that his client had never failed to appear in court whenever required.
Although the prosecutor’s absence did not affect the judge’s decision to proceed and grant bail, which was also believed to be in the interest of justice, the matter was adjourned until November 5, 2026.
One Terna Abuul, said to be the Director of ICT at Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, reported Henry Ibya to the Nigeria Police Force, Benue State Command.
The director had accused the journalist of allegedly reporting mismanagement in the institution’s ICT department.
According to Abuul, Ibya’s report accused him of wrongdoing.
On the strength of the said report, the journalist was arraigned before the High Court in Makurdi.
News
64 Dead, 80 Injured As Two High-Speed Trains Collide
At least 64 people have been killed and dozens seriously injured after two high-speed trains collided near Urda, south of Madrid, in one of Spain’s deadliest rail disasters in more than a decade.
The Castilla-La Mancha regional government confirmed the death toll as emergency crews continued rescue operations at the crash site. More than 500 passengers were travelling on the two trains involved, according to a regional government spokesperson.
The BBC reports that the collision of the two trains involved a Renfe high-speed train and an Iryo service operating on the Madrid-to-Seville route. Aerial images analysed by the broadcaster showed parts of the Renfe train leaving the tracks, while carriages of the Iryo train also derailed.
The cause of the collision had not been officially confirmed. However, Spanish media cited preliminary accounts suggesting that the Renfe train struck the Iryo service, which may have been stationary following a problem on the tracks.
The scale of the disaster prompted a major emergency response involving ambulances, helicopters, rescue teams and police officers. At least 80 people were reported injured, with about 50 believed to be in serious condition and 15 in critical condition, according to regional officials.
Several victims were transported to hospitals in nearby areas, while others were taken to Madrid for treatment. Hospitals in Toledo, Ciudad Real and Alcázar de San Juan reportedly suspended planned surgeries to accommodate casualties from the crash.
Blood transfusion centres in Madrid and Toledo also appealed for urgent donations to meet a possible surge in demand.
Survivors described scenes of panic and severe destruction. One passenger, Sebastián Herrero, told Spanish newspaper El Mundo that he felt a powerful impact that threw him into the seats ahead. He said injured passengers had broken noses and arms, while smoke spread through the carriages.
Another passenger, Iñaki, told El País that the impact sent him rolling across the floor. After escaping, he saw injured people and bodies around the wreckage.
BBC Verify also examined images and videos appearing to show a section of railway track piercing through a Renfe carriage, with approximately 10 metres of rail protruding through its roof.
The disaster has revived concerns about railway safety in Spain, which suffered another deadly high-speed rail accident near Córdoba in which 46 people died. The country’s previous worst rail disaster occurred in July 2013, when 80 people were killed in a derailment near Santiago de Compostela.
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he was shocked by the crash and remained in contact with the transport minister. The Spanish royal family also expressed condolences to victims’ relatives and praised emergency workers.
Meanwhile, the Royal Spanish Football Federation postponed 24 Copa del Rey matches in solidarity with the victims, while most political parties suspended campaign activities.
Rescue and recovery operations continued as authorities worked to establish the full circumstances surrounding the collision.
News
Police Arrest Suspected Eiye Cultist, Recover Two Pistols, Cartridges In Ogun
Operatives of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Squad of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested a 26-year-old suspected cultist and recovered two locally made pistols, three live cartridges and a battle axe in the Atan area of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Council of the state.
The suspect, identified as Okiki Muhammed Adewusi, popularly known as “Baba Obo”, was arrested in the Ore area of Atan on October 26, 2026, following intelligence received by operatives of SWAT Base 7, Abule Iroko, Sango-Ota.
The Police Spokesperson, Oluseyi Babaseyi, confirmed the arrest in a statement in Abeokuta yesterday.
According to Babaseyi, a search of the suspect’s residence after his arrest led to the recovery of a locally made pistol and three live cartridges.
He added that preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect had allegedly admitted to being a member of the Eiye Confraternity.
Babaseyi said information obtained from the suspect led to a follow-up operation at about 6.30 a.m. on October 27, 2026 during which operatives recovered a second locally made pistol and a battle axe from a separate location.
The recovered items have been secured as exhibits, while efforts are ongoing to arrest other suspects believed to be involved in the activities and recover additional weapons.
The police spokesperson said investigations were ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the case.
The Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, commended the SWAT operatives for their vigilance, professionalism and effective use of intelligence.
Ojajuni reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to dismantling criminal networks, curbing cult-related activities and tackling the illegal possession of firearms across the state.
He urged residents to provide timely and credible information about suspected criminal activities, assuring them that the Command would act on actionable intelligence to protect lives and property and maintain public safety.
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