I DIDN'T ATTEND PRIMARY, SECONDARY SCHOOLS; MY UNIVERSITY CERTIFICATES STOLEN BY UNKNOWN SOLDIERS, TINUBU TELLS INEC

    Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, has told the electoral commission INEC that he didn’t attend primary and secondary schools.

The former Lagos governor, however, claimed he had two degrees from two American universities, which he further stated had been stolen by unknown soldiers during the military junta of the 1990s.

The disclosures came in an affidavit submitted by Mr Tinubu to the electoral office as part of his eligibility filings for the 2023 presidential elections.

The documents released on Friday showed Mr Tinubu left the columns for his primary and secondary education unmarked. But he said he obtained a degree in business and administration in 1979, apparently referring to his previous claims of attending the Chicago State University.

“I went on self-exile from October 1994 to October 1998. When I returned I discovered that all my property, including all the documents relating to my qualifications and my certificates in respect of paragraph three above, were looted by unknown persons.

“My house was a target of series of searches by various security agents from the time the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was forced to adjourn following the military takeover of government of 17th November 1993.

 

“I was the chairman of the Senate committee on appropriation, banking and finance. I was also a plaintiff in one of the two suits against the interim national government in 1993.

“I went on exile when it became clear to me that my life was in danger,” Mr Tinubu said in his claim to ine

The electoral law mandates candidates to submit their personal credentials that will be published for public scrutiny ahead of elections.

Mr Tinubu’s latest claims appear to contradict his previous election submissions, especially in 1999 and 2003 when he ran for office as a governorship candidate in Lagos. He claimed both times that he attended primary and secondary schools.

He said he attended St Paul Children’s Home School, Ibadan, between 1958 to 1964; while his secondary education was at Government College, Ibadan, between 1965 to 1968.

From Ibadan, Mr Tinubu said he proceed to Richard Daley College, Chicago, from 1969 to 1971.

He stated finally to have attended both Chicago State University and the University of Chicago.

The Chicago State University confirmed Mr Tinubu as its student, graduating with a degree in business and administration on June 22, 1979.

All the submissions were, however, challenged as fraudulent by a prominent Nigerian lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi.

Mr Fawehinmi, 1938-2009, argued the matter up to the Supreme Court, which dismissed the case on technical grounds rather than on its merits.

Ikenga Ugochinyere, a political activist in Abuja, said he would challenge Mr Tinubu’s filings in court, accusing him of having committed perjury.

Mr Tinubu “commits perjury as he abandons his earlier claim of attending primary school, sworn in an affidavit to run for governor but now claims not to have attended primary school,” Mr Ugochinyere said in a statement. His “new forms contradict his 2007 affidavit that he has primary school and secondary.”

A spokesman for Mr Tinubu did not return a request seeking comments about the alleged discrepancies in his submissions to the electoral commission.

ZAMFARA GOVERNMENT DONATES SECURITY VEHICLES TO NIGER REPUBLIC TO FIGHT BANDITRY

The Zamfara State government has donated five new Hilux vehicles to the Government of the Niger Republic for special security border patrol.
This was contained in a statement issued in Gusau on Saturday and signed by the Press Secretary to Governor Bello Matawalle, Jamilu Birnin-Magaji.

Birnin-Magaji said the donation was in fulfilment of a pledge by Matawalle to support the country with patrol vehicles and other security logistics in the fight against banditry.
“The vehicles were presented by Governor Matawalle to the Governor of Maradi Region, Alhaji Abubakar Shu’aibou, at a ceremony held at Government House, Gusau.”

The governor said the vehicles were to provide special border patrol at Maradi and other parts of the Niger Republic which share borders with Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto.
Responding, the governor of Maradi Region, Shu’aibou, assured Matawalle that the vehicles will be used to fight bandits and “other heinous crimes, particularly along the Maradi border.”

In December 2021, Matawalle visited President Mohamed Bazoum of the Niger Republic in Niamey, where the two leaders resolved to explore more areas of cooperation.

HUSH PUPPI STEALS OVER $400,000 BY SCAMMING US GOVERNMENT, CITIZENS FROM INSIDE AMERICAN PRISON — JOURNALIST CLAIMS, CITING NEW COURT DOCUMENT

A few years ago, the internet was awash with news that popular Gucci millionaire and Instagram influencer Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, aka Hushpuppi, was arrested in the UAE for fraud and extradited to the US.

Well, he’s at it again. This time, right behind bars. US prosecutors presented documents before the United States District Court of California on Wednesday with fresh evidence indicting Hushpuppi of committing fraud and money laundering in a US federal correctional facility.

In court documents obtained from the US Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Central District of California, Hushpuppi, while in a US federal correctional facility, participated in the purchase and laundering of Economic Impact Payment (EIP) debit cards fraudulently obtained from compromised data of US citizens and residents.

EIPs are financial support offered by the US government to residents according to the CARES Act. It is also called stimulus package or stimulus check. One of the ways eligible US residents obtain their EIP is by debit cards. From the documents presented in court, it was found that hackers use data of US residents to file and obtain those debit cards. They sell off these EIP cards in underground marketplaces to other cybercriminals.

US prosecutors said Hushpuppi’s recent frequent internet usage triggered a red flag and they monitored and recorded his internet activity. The court document read:

Security alerts on Abbas’ activities

• Inmates in correctional facilities across the US are allowed certain activities which includes access to phone calls, video calls, the internet, and computers with limited and regulated usage
• Inmates have constitutional rights to their privacy. Phone calls from correctional facilities by inmates are not recorded except when necessary and a warrant is obtained for this purpose. Inmates’ internet activities are not logged or recorded except when necessary and a warrant is obtained for this purpose.
• Abbas was also allowed these privileges like every other inmate.
• Between 28th January 2022 and 4th March 2022, security officers at the US Federal correctional facility, Central District of California, observed more frequent usage of the internet by Abbas. With the knowledge that the crimes Abbas committed which he is being charged for are all internet related crimes, security officers were concerned and informed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
• On 7th March 2022, investigators obtained a federal search warrant, issued by Central District of California, to monitor and record Abbas’ internet activities.
• Security officers at the US Federal correctional facility, Central District of California, were instructed to setup a dedicated computer for Abbas. Any time Abbas requests for access to the internet, he should be given that dedicated computer. Only Abbas should be given that computer.
• From 7th March 2022 to 13th March 2022, investigators monitored and recorded Abbas’ internet activities. In this period, he requested internet access daily. He spent an average of 55 minutes for each session.
• During this period, we found out that Abbas was actively buying Economic Impact Payments debit cards from an underground cybercriminal marketplace where hackers sell EIP debit cards for Bitcoins.

The document went further to detail their shocking findings while recording Hushpuppi’s activities

EIP debit cards purchase and money laundering

• Investigators found out that Abbas uses an underground cybercriminal marketplace for hackers to sell EIP debit cards for Bitcoins.
• On the marketplace, hackers listed EIP debit cards with different balances. Investigators found EIP debit cards with $1,400 balance to as high as $8,000. These EIP cards were applied for by hackers using compromised and stolen data of US citizens and residents.
• Investigators found out that criminals can order a virtual option of EIP debit cards and receive it instantly. They use this for online purchases. Criminals can also order for the plastic version of EIP debit cards and they receive it to their mail address.
• Abbas bought between seven to 10 EIP debit cards daily for the period he was recorded. He purchased a total of 58 EIP debit cards in this period, with a total value of $429,800.
• Of the 58 EIP debit cards, Abbas chose the virtual card option for 36 EIP cards and he selected the plastic physical card option for 22 EIP cards.
• Abbas was in constant communication with one AJ. Abbas sent all the cards he bought from the marketplace to AJ. Abbas gave instructions to AJ on what to shop online. He gave instructions on what to do with the purchased items. Abbas also gave instructions on cash withdrawal from ATMs with the plastic cards.

In the document, the prosecutors mentioned Hushpuppi was constantly buying high-end gadgets such as iPhones, gaming consoles, MacBooks and iPads through his primary contact AJ. Investigators could not ascertain the total proceeds Hushpuppi has laundered from this fraud. Their recorded evidence was for a total of $429,800.

US prosecutors said they are on a mission to unmask the identity of Abbas’ accomplice AJ. They said they are also working with relevant authorities and bodies to take down the underground cybercriminal marketplace.

This story was written by journalist, Mathilde Salomé Bonnet