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•Controversy over Gov Otti’s visit to IPOB leader

Tension is gradually building across Sokoto metropolis as residents struggle to cope with the presence of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu who is currently serving his sentence at the Sokoto Central Correctional Centre.

The development has unsettled many homes, businesses, transport operators and community dwellers, with fear spreading particularly across Yar Marina, the heart of Sokoto city where the correctional facility sits. The prison is only a short distance from the Sultan’s Palace and close to Sokoto Garka, the administrative seat of Sokoto North Local Government Area, a fact locals say sharply heightens public concern.

Many residents, including Kabiru Mohammed Gobirawa, a seasoned journalist, admitted that this is the second time they are experiencing such a situation involving a high-profile inmate attracting national attention, frequent high-level visitations and heavy security presence on a daily basis. He recalled that the Sokoto Central Prison once housed the former Director General of the National Youth Service Corps NYSC, Colonel Peter Obasa (retd.), who served his prison term there after his conviction by a military tribunal in the 1980s. However, Obasa did not receive visitors as frequently as Kanu whose presence has been a source of anxiety.

“It is our hope and prayers that the IPOB leader’s presence in the state will not trigger another wave of fear and tension in a state that has been grappling with security challenges for almost a decade,” Gobirawa said.

Nnamdi Kanu was transferred to Sokoto shortly after a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced him to life imprisonment. Justice James Omotosho, in his ruling, gave the Department of State Services DSS authority to hold him in any prison within the country, a decision many lawyers and observers have since questioned.

Following the sudden transfer, streets around Yar Marina changed overnight. Security checkpoints emerged, patrol teams became more visible, and movement near the facility was heavily restricted.

Yar Marina is also host to the headquarters of Police Zone 10 and the office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG. Neighbouring buildings still bear the scars of a 2016 bomb blast detonated by a yet-to-be-identified suicide bomber which killed a policeman while he was praying in a mosque opposite the AIG office.

The Boko Haram network under the once dreaded figure Kabiru Sokoto attempted in 2016 to establish a base in the state. Another bomb was detonated that year by a suicide bomber at a divisional police station in Unguwar Rogo, killing only the bomber.

Unease
Residents told Sunday Vanguard that while life appears normal, the atmosphere is far from the usual sense of calm. Markets open, traffic flows and schools operate, yet beneath the routine lies a growing wave of unease.

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Why I don’t want to stay in Sokoto prison, Kanu tells court
A trader, Alhaji Sani Alfa, captured the public mood. According to him, the tension does not stop people from working but it forces them to look over their shoulders constantly.

“We woke up to heavy deployment around the prison,” he recalled.

“At first we did not understand what was happening until we heard that Kanu had been brought here. Since then things have changed. We are doing business, yes, but with fear and caution.”

Another resident, Fatima Mai Masa, said the situation has forced many families to reduce unnecessary movement, especially at night.

“There are soldiers, police and vehicles moving at every hour. Even children know something is happening,” she said quietly. She added that the fear is not only about Kanu’s presence but also about what his detention in Sokoto could provoke from supporters or enemies elsewhere.

The prison has become a point of national attention, drawing lawyers, loyalists, sympathisers and even top political figures. Last week, in a move that startled many locals, the Governor of Abia State arrived at the facility to visit the IPOB leader. The visit sent a ripple of anxiety across the city.

Muchedi Dan Marina, a shop owner not far from the prison, said each visit ushers in fresh tension because the security around the area doubles instantly.

“You do not know who will come next or what could happen,” she said.

Visit
Last Sunday, Kanu received his lawyer, Dr Maxwell Opara, who visited alongside four associates. The group left the premises carrying several document folders believed to be connected to his appeal. The lawyer later described Kanu as mentally strong and actively preparing for a legal review of his conviction.

However, Opara questioned the logic behind transferring him to Sokoto, a distant city from his court of trial and legal base.

“Our concern is access,” the lawyer stressed.

“His legal team is in Abuja, the court process is there, yet he is here far from where he is needed most. It complicates everything.”

His colleague, Aloy Ejimakor, echoed the sentiment on social media, insisting that relocating Kanu had placed unnecessary barriers between him, his family and legal counsel.

“He has been moved far away from everyone who needs access to him,” Ejimakor wrote.

Correctional authorities have yet to provide an official explanation. However, a staff member quietly confirmed his detention under strict monitoring.

“Yes, he is with us but entry is tightly controlled,” he said, unwilling to say more.

Today, Sokoto walks with caution. Residents speak in whispers, businesses operate with an eye fixed on the prison walls and tension lurks beneath the quiet wind that drifts across Yar Marina. Security remains heavy. Anxiety remains real. And the entire city waits, unsure of what tomorrow brings or how long this unsettling atmosphere will last.

Controversy
All efforts to speak with officials of the Central Correctional Centre proved impossible, as journalists were not allowed access to the routes leading to the facility. Even passersby and residents living within the area were subjected to thorough searches and screening before being allowed passage.

Meanwhile, Sokoto State government has strongly dismissed reports claiming that Governor Ahmed Aliyu accompanied Abia State governor, Dr. Alex Otti, to visit Kanu at the Sokoto Custodial Centre.

In a statement released by the governor’s spokesperson, Abubakar Bawa, it described such claims as misleading and completely untrue, stressing that Governor Aliyu was nowhere near the country at the time.

According to the clarification, Governor Aliyu was in Saudi Arabia performing Lesser Hajj as of November 30, 2025 the same period when Dr. Otti made his private visit to Sokoto.

The statement further explained that upon arrival at the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport, Dr. Otti was officially received by selected Commissioners and Special Advisers, who took him to Government House for the standard protocol reception reserved for visiting governors.

It emphasized the longstanding tradition of hospitality in Sokoto, noting that visitors are treated with dignity and respect without discrimination based on ethnicity, region, or faith.

The statement reaffirmed that Governor Aliyu remains a committed leader who upholds peace, respects constituted authority, and prioritizes the unity and stability of Nigeria.

A U.S. court has sentenced Oluwaseun ‘Sanatana’ Adekoya to 20 years in prison for stealing and laundering $2million in bank and wire fraud.

Described as “Nigerian ringleader of nationwide bank fraud and money laundering conspiracies,” U.S. Department of Justice in a statement, said Mr Adekoya led fraud syndicate that stole and laundered over $2 million by impersonating people across the country.

The 40 years old “serial scammer” earlier this year was found “guilty of bank fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and nine counts of aggravated identity theft after a three-week trial.”

Mr Adekoya, who led a massive criminal network, according to Department of Justice, was sentenced on Tuesday by Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli.

Though Mr Adekoya previously obtained lawful permanent resident status in the United States of America in 2004, he would be deported after serving his jail sentence.

His sentence also included serving five years of supervised release and paying restitution of over $2.2 million and a mandatory special assessment of $1,100.

According to Departme of Justice, proof at trial established that from the comfort of his luxury apartment in New Jersey, Mr Adekoya obtained publicly available information regarding people’s home equity lines of credit (“HELOCs”) at localized credit unions throughout the United States of America, shifting his focus over time to different parts of the country to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.

Described as a notorious “career fraudster,” the Department of Justice said, “Adekoya then utilized encrypted messaging platforms, like Telegram, to obtain Social Security numbers, account numbers, mother’s maiden names, and other personal identifying information (“PII”) for individuals he had identified as having substantial amounts of equity available in their HELOCs.

It added, “Adekoya then gave this information to a vast web of managers he recruited from all over the country, along with fake driver’s licenses for lower-level workers to use to impersonate the HELOC customers and conduct withdrawal transactions on their accounts. To insulate himself from detection, Adekoya utilized a web of “burner” phones and encrypted messaging applications and laundered his substantial share of the proceeds through bank accounts in other people’s names.”

Acting U.S. Attorney Sarcone said, “For nearly two decades, Oluwaseun Adekoya abused the privilege of lawful permanent resident status to steal the identities of innocent Americans so he could live lavishly in our country, without an ounce of remorse.

He added, “Now he gets to spend two decades in prison, and he deserves every last day of his sentence. I look forward to his subsequent removal from the United States.”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has agreed to accept the Federal Government’s revised offer of a 40 per cent salary increase for its members, effectively ending months of deadlock in the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement.

Sources familiar with the talks disclosed that during the final negotiation session held in Abuja on November 24–25, 2025, the government committee chaired by former Head of Service Alhaji Yayale Ahmed informed ASUU leaders that 40 per cent represented the highest increment the administration could accommodate. The union had earlier rejected a 35 per cent proposal.

Although the ASUU National Executive Council (NEC) has endorsed the new offer, zonal and branch leaders are required to brief members before the union formally communicates its acceptance to the government and proceeds to sign the renegotiated agreement.

A progress report signed by ASUU President Professor Chris Piwuna and seen by journalists in Abuja outlines wide-ranging agreements reached across seven key areas: university funding, autonomy and governance, conditions of service, salary structure, earned academic allowances, implementation mechanisms, and administrative reforms.

Key Highlights of the Agreement

• University Autonomy and Governance: Full autonomy reaffirmed; vice-chancellors to be appointed strictly on merit without preference for host-community indigenes; governing council membership to comply with the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act; heads of department, deans, and provosts to be elected internally.
• Funding and Budgeting: Adoption of a needs-based budgeting model; commitment to protect university lands; exploration of new innovative revenue sources, including taxes, to ensure sustainable funding; strengthening of research funding through the National Research Council and private-sector partnerships.
• Academic Staff Structure: Abolition of the controversial pyramidal promotion system; future promotions to be based on research output and performance rather than vacancy availability.
• Import Incentives: Duty-free importation approved for books, laboratory equipment, journals, teaching aids, and sustainable energy materials.
• Earned Academic Allowances: Universities to receive annual funding equivalent to 12 per cent of their academic staff wage bill for the payment of earned allowances.
• Salary Review Mechanism: Automatic upward adjustment of university lecturers’ salaries whenever public-sector wages are reviewed; comprehensive review of the entire agreement every three years.
• Implementation Framework: Establishment of a monitoring unit within the National Universities Commission (NUC), a joint implementation committee, and amendment of relevant laws where necessary.

The agreement also includes a non-victimisation clause protecting all parties involved in the negotiations.

The development comes days after ASUU’s one-month ultimatum to the Federal Government expired on Saturday, November 22, 2025. The union had threatened an indefinite nationwide strike over alleged government inaction on the 2009 agreement, outstanding earned academic allowances, withheld salaries, and the delayed release of the university revitalisation fund.

Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, has repeatedly stated that the Federal Government has substantially met ASUU’s demands.

With the NEC’s acceptance of the 40 per cent salary offer and the resolution of most outstanding issues, the threat of an immediate strike by university lecturers has been averted, pending formal ratification by ASUU branches and the signing of the new agreement.

Punch Newspaper

The Federal Government has reportedly proposed a 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers under the Academic Staff Union of Universities, sources familiar with the development told our correspondent in Abuja.

The proposal comes as ASUU leadership prepares to return to the negotiation table with the Federal Government delegation headed by Yayale Ahmed.

The union’s decision follows a consensus reached at the National Executive Council  meeting held in Abuja on Sunday.

Branch leaders who attended the meeting are expected to communicate the development to their members nationwide.

Speaking at the end of the NEC meeting, a member who preferred anonymity due to restrictions on media engagement during negotiations, said the union would continue discussions with the government.

“They made a proposal of a 40% salary increment. Branch leaders will go back and update members on the situation. As it stands, negotiations continue with the government next week,” the source said.

ASUU’s one-month ultimatum to the Federal Government ended last Saturday, heightening tension within the academic community of Nigerian public universities.

In a last-minute move to avert a potential strike, the government had summoned ASUU leadership to a meeting in Abuja on Monday, which lasted until Tuesday.

Both parties declined to make the discussions public due to strict rules governing the negotiation process.

The union had threatened a full-scale strike, citing the government’s “nonchalant” attitude toward its demands.

Key issues include the review of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and earned allowances, and the disbursement of the university revitalisation fund.

The Minister of Edication, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who is currently out of the country, insisted that the government had met the union’s demands.

Speaking to State House correspondents two weeks ago, Alausa reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s directive that there should be no strike in public universities, emphasizing ongoing negotiations to keep students in school.

“As I told you, the President has mandated us that he doesn’t want ASUU to go on strike, and we’re doing everything humanly possible to ensure that our students stay in school. The last strike they went on for about six days was not really needed. We’ve met literally all their requirements and are back at the negotiation table. We will resolve this,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress, the umbrella body of labour unions in the country, has expressed support for ASUU and vowed to advocate for the academic community if the government fails to meet its demands.