There was a mild drama at the Wuse, Zone 2 Magistrate Court Abuja this morning March 2, as a traditional spiritual leader dressed in full regalia accompanied human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore in solidarity for the commencement of his trial.

Sowore was arrested alongside four others on December 31st 2020, for organizing a candlelight procession and charged for alleged criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, and inciting public disturbance. The commencement of his trial was scheduled for today.

The native doctor was seen waving his horsewhip and gourd in the air while chanting some incantations ahead of the commencement of trial.

The Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned a Dutch couple identified as Peiter Borremans and Nkechi Borremans alongside Lagon Trade Limited before Justice E. A. Obile of the Federal High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State for suspected fraudulent dealings involving a marine Tanker Vessel to the tune of $330,000 (Three Hundred and Thirty Thousand United States Dollars).

One of the counts reads

“That you, Peiter Borremans, Nkechi Borremans, and Lagon Trade Limited, on or about the 31st day of July, 2014 at Port Harcourt within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud did obtain the sum of Three Hundred and Thirty Thousand Dollars ($330,000:00) only from Jackkyson Multi Services Limited and Alot General Services Limited, as advance payment meant for the purchase of Marine Tanker Vessel, a pretext you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and (2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act”.

They pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were read to them.  In view of their pleas, prosecuting counsel, N. A. Dodo prayed the court for a date for commencement of trial and for the defendants to be remanded in a Correctional Centre.

Defence counsel, C. A. Okowanya informed the court of oral applications for the bail of his clients and prayed that the defendants be remanded in EFCC custody due to the second wave of Covid-19.

Justice Obile adjourned the matter till March 31, 2021 for the commencement of trial and remanded the defendants in EFCC custody.

Trouble started for the couple when a petitioner alleged that his company: Jackkyson Multi Services Limited and Alot General services Limited, offered to purchase a Marine Tanker Vessel from  Lagon Trade Limited (belonging to Peiter Borremans and Nkechi Borremans) for One Million One Hundred Thousand United States Dollars(  $1,100,000) and made a part payment of Three Hundred and Thirty Thousand Dollars ($330,000:00).

The defendants allegedly vanished into thin air after collecting the money and all efforts to get a refund or delivery of the Vessel proved abortive.

Bala Fakandu, director of communications in NSA who appeared before the senate committee on communications on Thursday February 25, said they are concerned about the deliberate vulnerabilities and backdoors within the 5G network equipment, which according to him might expose Nigeria to “eavesdropping, tracking, cyber-attacks, military and industrial espionage and other malicious activities by foreign actors.”

Fakandu also asked the ministry of communications and digital economy to carry them along in the formulation of the policy that would guide the use of 5G in the country.

He said;

“We are concerned about the deliberate vulnerabilities and backdoors within the 5G network equipment.

“That is one of the key concerns we have and this will make the infrastructure highly susceptible to eavesdropping, tracking, cyber-attacks, military and industrial espionage and other malicious activities by foreign actors.

“We understand these are things that will be put in place particularly in the policy the minister has talked about.

“I need to emphasise it so that the stakeholders in the telecommunications industry will understand where we are coming from because the national security concerns is the concern of the office of the national security adviser and of the president as well.”