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The Kwankwasiyya movement has dismissed rumours circulating on social media suggesting that its leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is planning to leave the party.
Speaking on the issue to DAILY POST, the movement’s spokesperson, Habeeb Saleh Mohammed, described the claims as false and unfounded.

He explained that the group had followed due process in conducting its recent primaries, in line with the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“According to the law and the INEC timetable, we conducted our primaries on the 29th of last month across the nation. Before that date, there were processes that led to consensus, and candidates emerged for each position. There were no complaints from any segment of party members or contestants,” he stated.

He maintained that the exercise was successful and that the outcome had already been submitted to the party leadership for further action.

According to the spokesman, they have already forwarded the results to the party, which will now take the necessary next steps.

The spokesperson also stressed that at no time was there any discussion about the party leader leaving the platform.

“There was never a time it was discussed that our party leader is leaving the party. That is our position,” Mohammed said.

He urged the public to disregard the rumours, insisting that the movement remains united and focused.

The reaction comes on the heels of reports suggesting that Kwankwaso was threatening to pull his structure out of the NDC.

The tension reportedly started from allegations that the national leadership of the party had replaced several Kano candidates submitted by the Kwankwasiyya camp to enforce a pre-agreed 60/40 power-sharing formula meant to favor Kwankwaso’s bloc.

Recall that reports of Kwankwaso dumping the ADC went viral on social media on Monday. It claimed that the NDC Vice Presidential candidate had resolved to dump the party in protest over its refusal to accept the list of consensus candidates from Kano State.

Kwankwaso not leaving NDC – Spokesman makes clarifications on alleged disagreement over candidates list

 

A U.S. federal judge on Monday blocked President Donald Trump from imposing a $100,000 fee on employers filing visa applications for foreign highly-skilled workers.

The United States awards 85,000 H-1B visas per year on a lottery system. India accounts for around three-quarters of the recipients. H-1B visa fees previously cost up to $5,000.

District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled in a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic-ruled states that the move usurped taxation powers held by Congress and the fee for the H-1B visas constituted an unlawful tax.

“The substance and application of the $100,000 payment reveal that it is a tax, regardless of what the payment is called,” Sorokin wrote in his 42-page ruling.

 

The Federal Government on Monday declared that it is displeased with the South African government’s failure to respond firmly enough to the renewed wave of xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerian nationals, warning that retaliatory diplomatic gestures, including a review of bilateral privileges, were being actively considered and were not off the table.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who briefed State House correspondents after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, also rejected outright claims by some South African authorities that the Nigerians under attack were illegal migrants.

She argued that Nigerian passport holders were being harassed, having their shops looted and set ablaze, and that their children were being intimidated in schools, all while South African police looked on.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu said, “Our citizens are being harassed. Our citizens’ properties are being looted. Criminal actions are being perpetrated, and the police refuse to do anything. The South African government has not come out strongly and firmly enough to condemn these incidents.

“To say that Nigerians who are in South Africa doing legitimate business are illegal migrants is absolutely untrue. People who are doing legitimate business have their shops looted, their shops set on fire. Children cannot go to school because they are intimidated in their schools.”

The minister cited Nigeria’s historical sacrifice for South Africa’s freedom, a sacrifice she argued makes the current treatment of Nigerians especially painful and unacceptable.

“Nigeria is not happy with South Africa. Nigeria sacrificed much for the South African struggle for independence. Nigeria committed funds, committed resources. In schools, seats were reserved for South African students.

“My own generation, we carried placards, we demonstrated in front of South African assets. Sometimes we even got arrested for doing this. Nigeria is a serious frontline state, and Nigerians are not happy about how they have been treated,” she said.

On the nature of the attacks, she said, “They are not asking other migrants to leave. They are only asking black migrants to leave.”

When asked whether Nigeria was considering retaliatory measures, including the suspension or review of privileges currently enjoyed by South African businesses and nationals in Nigeria, the minister said, “That is a situation that we are considering. This is a decision that has to be taken at the highest level of government. But it is not off the table.”

The House of Representatives had earlier recommended a temporary suspension of business permits for South African companies operating in Nigeria, and the Senate resolved to send a high-level delegation led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio to South Africa to formally express Nigeria’s displeasure.

On the evacuation exercise, Ojukwu confirmed that President Tinubu had approved five Air Peace evacuation flights and directed a crisis response unit to be immediately established within Nigeria’s consulate in Johannesburg and the mission in Pretoria.

As of Monday, June 8, 1,092 Nigerians had voluntarily registered for repatriation, with the screening exercise now extended to June 10 to accommodate all applicants.

Over 500 Nigerians have so far been screened and cleared for evacuation.

The first flight, which was to airlift approximately 270 passengers out of Johannesburg on Monday, was rescheduled to Wednesday due to logistical considerations, with the foreign ministry saying the delay was not caused by diplomatic setbacks but by operational issues requiring additional coordination.

The minister explained that the evacuation, being undertaken in coordination with the National Emergency Management Agency and other federal agencies, would be followed by rehabilitation support.

She stated, “This evacuation is being undertaken with NEMA. We are doing that with various government agencies and parastatals to ensure that once Nigerians come in, they can be rehabilitated.”

The current crisis was triggered by anti-immigration protests organised by groups including Operation Dudula and March for March in late April 2026, which generated widespread anxiety among foreign nationals across multiple South African provinces.

South Africa’s government has publicly objected to Nigeria’s evacuation plans, with South Africa’s foreign minister expressing concern and misgivings about the exercise during a call with Ojukwu on May 7.

Ojukwu said she held her ground, explaining to her South African counterpart, “I maintained that our government cannot stand by and watch the systematic harassment and humiliation of our nationals resident in South Africa as well as the extrajudicial killings of our people, and that the evacuation of our citizens who want to return home remains our government’s priority at this time.”

The Federal Government on May 4 summoned South Africa’s Acting High Commissioner, Lesoli Machele, for urgent talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.

Waves of xenophobic violence erupted in 2008, 2015 and 2019, each time displacing and killing foreign nationals, many of whom are Nigerians, and straining the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

Amid severe attacks in 2019, Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema had offered free evacuation flights for Nigerians wishing to leave.

Nigeria had recalled its High Commissioner from Pretoria as several South African businesses in Nigeria faced retaliatory attacks.

Stakeholders from Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State have called for the release of 42 abducted schoolchildren, who have been in captivity for about three weeks.

The appeal was led by the Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Askira, during a meeting in Maiduguri on Monday.

Askira said the victims, abducted on May 16 from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School, were innocent children and should be released unconditionally.

He added that the continued detention of the children had caused distress to their families and communities, describing the situation as painful given the age of the victims.

He urged the abductors to release the pupils, stressing that they were innocent children.

“These are children, not soldiers or politicians. They are the future of Borno and Nigeria. We appeal for their unconditional release,” he said.

He further stated that community leaders had remained patient, trusting that security agencies were working to secure their release, but said concern had increased due to the prolonged captivity.

He also called for improved security in Askira/Uba, noting its proximity to the Sambisa Forest and the need for stronger protection of schools and communities.

The 42 pupils were abducted on May 16 when suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba LGA.

The abduction has heightened concerns over renewed attacks on schools in parts of Borno State despite ongoing counter-insurgency operations.

 Borno stakeholders appeal for release of 42 abducted schoolchildren

The European Union has announced restrictive measures against two Iranians and one entity for disrupting maritime operations in the Strait of Hormuz.

The sanctions were approved on Monday under the extended legal framework targeting those involved in Iran’s actions impeding the freedom of movement in the Middle East.

They affect the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy’s Hormozgan Provincial Command, which screens vessels and determines which ones are allowed to sail through Hormuz.

Also listed is Mohammad Akbarzadeh, IRGC Navy’s Deputy Commander for Political Affairs. The spokesperson is accused of threatening to use missiles or drones against vessels.

The second individual is Hamid Hosseini, a member of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce and a representative of its Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union.

Hosseini is designated for aiding Tehran’s “actions impeding lawful transit passage and freedom of navigation,” by promoting the policy of paying fees to Iranian authorities for safe crossing.

The EU said the obstruction of naval traffic contravenes international law and infringes upon established rights of both transit and innocent passage through international straits.

In May, the EU widened the scope of sanctions over Iran’s military support of regional armed groups and Russia’s war against Ukraine to include activities threatening Middle East navigation.

The latest restrictive measures increase the number of those affected by the amended framework to 26 natural/legal persons and 27 entities from different countries.

They are subject to an asset freeze and prohibited from receiving funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly. A travel ban to the EU applies to all natural persons listed.

EU sanctions Iranians over maritime disruptions in Hormuz

 

Bandits have abducted 50 elderly residents of Magamin Diddi village in Magami/Faru ward of Maradun Local Government Area, Zamfara State.

The victims were reportedly kidnapped while on a reconciliation mission to meet a notorious bandit kingpin identified as Jammo, who operates from Muntsira Forest in Maradun LGA.

According to reports, the elders had gone to negotiate with the bandits after repeated restrictions on residents’ access to markets and rising insecurity in the area.

The councillor representing Magami/Faru ward, Bello Husseini, said the community sent a 50-man committee to meet the bandit leader, but the mission turned tragic when the group was held hostage.

He said the bandit kingpin later released 11 persons, while others remained in captivity.

Husseini also claimed that Jammo is demanding ₦24 million over three rifles allegedly seized during earlier clashes involving local security operatives.

Chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, Bello Dosara, confirmed the incident, saying the reconciliation move was carried out without the approval of the local or state government.

Dosara said Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration remains opposed to reconciliation with bandits, stressing that such groups cannot be trusted.

Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigeria’s ambition to build a one-trillion-dollar economy depends on enterprise, investment and coordinated reforms across all levels of government.

Shettima stated this while representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the opening session of the Invest Lagos 3.0 Summit held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Delivering the keynote address, the Vice President said Nigeria’s economic future depends on creating the right conditions for capital, innovation and productive enterprise to thrive.

He described Lagos State as the clearest example of how strong subnational leadership can accelerate national economic transformation.

According to him, Lagos has continued to demonstrate the power of long-term planning, infrastructure development, private sector participation and policy consistency.

Shettima said the Tinubu administration remains committed to reforms that will unlock investment, deepen productivity and position Nigeria as a major economic force in Africa.

The summit brought together government officials, investors, business leaders and development partners to explore opportunities for growth, partnerships and sustainable investment.

…Wire Fraud Tops List With 27 Cases

…Texas Leads Arrest Locations

At least 30 Nigerians listed on the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s “Worst of the Worst” deportation portal have been linked to more than N86.8bn ($62m) in fraud losses, restitution orders and intended losses.

This is according to the U.S. Department of Justice publications analysed by THE WHISTLER.

The 30 are among 124 Nigerians currently listed on the DHS portal at wow.dhs.gov, a public database of foreign nationals flagged for deportation.

Financial crimes accounted for 77 of the 124 entries (62% of the total). But THE WHISTLER could not retrieve court records for 47 of the convicts/suspects.

The largest single case involved one Richard Ugbah, sentenced to 12 years in November 2017 for a romance fraud and business email compromise scheme. The presiding judge found intended losses of $12.9m and noted the figure was likely understated. Ugbah was arrested at Joint Base MDL in New Jersey.

In 2023, he applied to the ECOWAS Court of Justice to serve the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria. The court dismissed the application for lack of jurisdiction.

Obinwanne Okeke, sentenced to 10 years for an $11m business email compromise (BEC) scheme, is being held at Oakdale FCI in Louisiana.

Alex Ogunshakin, extradited from Nigeria and sentenced in October 2024, had spent more than 3 years on the FBI Cyber Most Wanted list before his arrest. Federal prosecutors documented $6m in confirmed losses and more than $30m in attempted fraud in his case.

The three cases account for nearly $30m of the confirmed $62m Fraud total.

Wire fraud was the most common single offence on the list, with 27 charge entries. Other fraud categories recorded 33 entries, with money laundering 18, identity theft 13, forgery or counterfeiting 8, and mail fraud 7.

Wire fraud and money laundering appeared together across multiple case entries, consistent with organised financial crime where proceeds from fraudulent transfers are moved through layered transactions to obscure their origin.

Uche Diuno, convicted in May 2024 for $5.7m in losses, described himself as the “chairman” of an advance fee fraud ring that defrauded victims in more than 20 countries over 4 years. He was sentenced to 60 months.

Oludayo Adeagbo was jailed 7 years for a business email compromise scheme causing more than $5m in losses.

Another Nigerian, Olaniyi Ojikutu opened approximately 25 bank accounts through which $3.4m in romance scam proceeds were laundered. He fled to Canada after indictment and was apprehended 7 months later, and extradited. He is serving 88 months.

Chibundu Anuebunwa was sentenced to 66 months for a $2.5m BEC scheme. Benjamin Ifebajo received 10 years for $2.1m in email fraud. Sakiru Ambali received 42 months after $2.4m passed through his accounts.

Yusuf Bakare and Quazeem Adeyinka were convicted in COVID-19 unemployment insurance fraud conspiracy after obtaining $2.27m. Bakare was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months; Adeyinka received 26 months.

Oluwole Odunowo was sentenced to 54 months as part of an IRS fraud scheme that caused $11.6m in total losses. His individual restitution order was $402,846.

Toluwani Adebakin was a collegiate track and field athlete at William Carey University in Mississippi when he and a teammate were convicted of laundering proceeds from romance, military, and money scams. More than 100 victims sent over $820,000 to the athletes, who transferred the funds to fraudsters in Nigeria. He was sentenced to 36 months in April 2024.

Bameyi Omale is serving 135 months for his role in a romance and investment fraud laundering ring in the Western District of Texas, the longest confirmed sentence among the money laundering entries on the list.

Okechukwu Amadi, serving 11 years and 3 months, was convicted in connection with the Black Axe criminal organisation. He was ordered to forfeit $833,625 in laundered proceeds and pay $1.35m in restitution. Isaiah Okere, also linked to Black Axe, faces a BEC and romance fraud conviction involving more than $1m in losses and is awaiting sentencing in the Southern District of New York.

Oriyomi Aloba was serving 145 months after hacking into the Los Angeles Superior Court computer system and using it to send approximately 2 million malicious phishing emails. His restitution order was $47,479.

The “Worst of the Worst” DHS portal was launched on December 8, 2025. Nigeria initially had 79 entries in early February 2026. The count rose to 97 by February 10, then to 113, before reaching the current 124.

THE WHISTLER findings show that as of the first week of June 2026, a separate DHS West Africa Operations Watch sweep had added 110 more Nigerians to the removal queue as part of a 355-person enforcement action. Nigeria topped the West Africa breakdown, ahead of Liberia with 94, Ghana with 30, and Senegal with 19.

The 124 Nigerians were arrested across at least 26 states and Washington, D.C. Texas recorded the most arrests at 29, followed by Maryland with 14, Pennsylvania and California with 8 each, Georgia with 8, Louisiana with 7, Illinois with 6, and Florida with 5.

Several of the 124 were arrested at federal Bureau of Prisons facilities, meaning they were already serving federal sentences when ICE processed them for removal. Oakdale FCI in Louisiana appeared 8 times as an arrest location despite the state’s relatively small Nigerian diaspora. Yazoo City FCI accounted for the majority of Mississippi’s entries.

Texas’s high number may be driven by the large Nigerian and West African diaspora in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, and by the ICE Dallas Field Office, one of the agency’s largest operational centres.

OTHER OFFENCES

Twenty-eight Nigerians on the list were charged for violent offences, including aggravated assault, robbery, and kidnapping. Olayinka A. Jones, arrested in Fairfax, South Carolina, was the only individual with a manslaughter-level charge.

Three individuals, Donald Ehie of Clayton, Missouri; Adeyinka Ademokunla of Chicago, Illinois; and Ifeanyi Okoro of Oakland, California, faced kidnapping charges. Okoro’s entry also included sexual assault and robbery charges.

Ibrahim Ijaoba, detained at Florence Federal Correctional Complex in Colorado, was listed for escape from custody, gun-related robbery, and assault, with a Bloods gang affiliation recorded.

The records also show that fifteen individuals were charged with sexual offences, with 5 involving alleged crimes against minors. Abayomi Daramola, arrested in Portland, Oregon, was listed for enticement of a minor via telecommunications. The charge attracts a mandatory minimum of 10 years upon conviction.

Cletus Onyali, arrested in Jessup, Maryland, had 5 separate charge entries, including assault, rape, sex offence against a child, cruelty toward a child, and a general sex offence.

Nine individuals were arrested for drug-related crimes. Suraj Tairu in Washington, D.C. faced both heroin sale and heroin smuggling charges. Adewale Aladekoba in Baltimore faced heroin distribution charges. Aderemi Akefe, arrested in Detroit, faced cocaine smuggling and customs evasion charge.

In February 2026, CNN reported that DHS acknowledged a glitch that affected about 5% of entries across the portal. Some individuals were listed for violent criminals despite having only minor offences on record.

Two Nigerians, Adetunji Olofinlade, arrested in Belcamp, Maryland, was listed solely for driving under the influence, and Olamide Jolayemi, arrested in Oklahoma City, was listed for computer crimes and a DUI.

NIGERIA’S RESPONSE

The former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, had in a BBC interview, said the Nigerian government welcomed the return of nationals who had violated U.S. law but insisted such returns must be conducted with dignity. He noted that deportation processes had begun before the current U.S. administration took office.

In a separate Channels TV interview, Tuggar said Nigeria, with a population exceeding 230m, already faces huge domestic challenges and would not accept nationals of other countries under a proposed regional deportation arrangement.

The U.S. concluded a third-country deportation agreement with Sierra Leone in May 2026. It paid Sierra Leone $1.5m to accept up to 300 West Africans annually whose home countries are slow to process returns. Some Nigerians were removed under that arrangement.

30 Nigerians Linked To N87bn Fraud In U.S. is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

 

Sadiya Umar Farouq, former minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, has asked a federal high court in Abuja to set aside the bench warrant issued for her arrest in an alleged fraud case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In April, a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court in Apo, Abuja, issued an arrest warrant against the former minister.

Jude Onwuegbuzie, the presiding judge, also granted an order of arrest against Bashir Nura Alkali, a permanent secretary in the ministry.

Rachael Alamu, the abducted principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle in Oriire LGA, says the gunmen who kidnapped schoolchildren and teachers are neither demanding money nor calling for implementation of Sharia law as a condition for their release.

In a new video released on Monday, Alamu said their abductors are only demanding the release of some of their gang members who are in custody.

The abducted principal said those spreading claims that the abductors are demanding N1 billion and implementation of Sharia law are creating problems for the victims.

She added that since they have been in captivity, the abductors have not forced them to practice Islam or worhsip in any particular way.