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MTN will shut down if tariff doesn’t increase –  CEO

Ehime ALEX
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MTN will shut down if tariff doesn’t increase –  CEO

THE chief executive officer (CEO) of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, said the company is likely to shut down its operation if the tariff does not increase, lamenting the unhealthy financial position of the telecom giant.

Toriola raised the concern during a tour of MTN’s facilities by fellows of the media innovation programme in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos on Monday, October 21, the Punch reported.

“There should be no delusion; if the tariff doesn’t go up, we will shut down,” he was quoted to have said.

He noted that MTN’s corporate tax contributions to the Nigerian government have declined due to the financial challenges faced by the company following the recent macroeconomic reality.

In the first quarter of the year, MTN continued to perform poorly, posting a loss after tax of N392.694 billion due to the concentration of funds outside its core operations.

The negative performance resulted from foreign exchange losses stemming from the naira’s devaluation and high inflation rates, The ICIR reported.

The MTN boss said the company might suspend the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) banking services due to the N250 billion debt owed by Nigerian banks.

Mobile network operators have raised concerns over this indebtedness by the banks, seeking regulatory approval to halt the support services until the debt is paid.

The operators have also sought for upward adjustment of tariffs to reflect the economic realities.

Toriola hinted that MTN Nigeria is surviving on the profits it accumulated in the past years. He stressed, “We must return the industry to profitability.”

He hinted further that the company is currently operating on its reserves, describing it as unsustainable in the long run.

Toriola added that the telecoms sector faces critical pressures from rising operational costs, including escalating diesel prices required to power base transceiver stations.

The ICIR can report that telecom operators had earlier in the year renewed calls for a tariff hike to address rising operational costs and improve service quality, without which financial viability and quality services will continue to decline.

 

Did US court acquit Air Peace boss of fraud allegations as reported by media?

Nurudeen AKEWUSHOLA
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Did US court acquit Air Peace boss of fraud allegations as reported by media?

THREE Nigerian newspapers, Business Day, Leadership and The Nation, published a story (archived here, here and here) suggesting that the embattled chief executive of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, was exonerated of fraud allegations by the District Court in Atlanta. 

These reports follow new charges filed by the US Attorney’s Office against Onyema this month, adding to previous allegations of fraud and money laundering dating back to 2019.

The reports by the media houses are titled “US court acquits Air Peace boss, slams Mayfield $4000 fine”, “US Court Clears Air Peace CEO Onyema, Slams $4,000 Fine On Springfield Aviation Ex-Staff” and “US court acquits Air Peace boss, fines Mayfield $4000” respectively.

The opening paragraphs of the reports read “The District Court in Atlanta, Georgia has exonerated Allen Onyema, the Chief Executive of Air Peace, of any business fraud. This is after three years of investigation involving about five agencies of the American government and the subsequent legal fireworks.”

The headlines of the reports suggest the airline boss has been acquitted from the allegations.

Interestingly, the reports did not provide evidence to back the claim.

Reactions and reposts of the stories from the media houses show that the report has been largely misconstrued to mean the businessman has been vindicated.

For instance, an X user, @Mindset_post posted the story with a caption : “The District Court in Atlanta, Georgia has exonerated Allen Onyema, the Chief Executive of Air Peace, of any business fraud.”

The post has generated over 500 reposts as of 10:54 am, October 22 when it was archived.

THE CLAIM

US court acquits Air Peace boss of fraud allegations.

THE FINDINGS 

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the story is FALSE and misleading.

The US government on 11 October charged Allen Onyema, CEO of Nigerian carrier Air Peace, with obstruction of justice, stacking up further criminal charges against the Nigerian businessman.

The US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia, accused Onyema of submitting false documents to the government to end an investigation into him on charges of bank fraud and money laundering.

In addition, the U.S. government had accused Ebony Mayfield, an American woman, of signing and submitting fabricated documents between 2016 and 2018 to help Onyema move $20 million from Nigeria to the U.S. in an alleged money laundering scheme.

The FactCheckHub ran a keyword search using the story’s headline and found that it was copied verbatim from a news report published in October 2022 by the Guardian Newspaper.

According to the report, the U.S. court acquitted the Air Peace chief of the allegations. This report which they copied is also a false and a misleading presentation of the event.  

A correct version of the event was reported by Premium Times within the same period in 2022 showed that while Mayfield’s case was closed, Onyema remains wanted in the U.S.

According to Premium Times, Onyema and Air Peace Limited’s Head of Administration and Finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, still had 36 charges of fraud and money laundering pending against them since 2019 at the same court.

This year, it was reported that in addition to the earlier $20 million bank fraud case against Onyema, the United States government has piled more charges. This showed that the previous case was still ongoing.

In addition, the US Attorney’s Office in a press statement issued October 11 noted that they are bringing a superseding indictment against the airline boss.

“On October 8, 2024, they were both charged in a superseding indictment alleging an additional count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. The case is criminal action number 1:19-CR-464.” the statement reads in part.

READ ALSO:

A superseding indictment “is a criminal complaint brought by a grand jury that changes, adds to, or replaces an original indictment in the wake of new evidence” according to an explainer by Business Insider.

A major red flag is the fact that three media platforms reported the same story verbatim which signals the possibility of an Influence Operation which is an organised attempt to skew how people see an issue or in this case, a personality. 

A look at the three stories showed that the story originated from a statement from the legal firm of the organisation and was not obtained from any court judgment.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the U.S. court has acquitted Air Peace boss Allen Onyema of fraud allegations is FALSE. Findings show that this is a misleading rehash of an old false story, and Onyema still faces multiple charges, with no evidence of exoneration.

Update: The report has been removed from Business Day website. 

This report is republished from the FactCheckHub. 

Court sacks Kano electoral commission’s chairman, members, few days to local government poll

Bankole ABE
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Court sacks Kano electoral commission’s chairman, members, few days to local government poll

A Federal High Court in Kano State has sacked the chairman and members of the (Kano) State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), a few days to the state’s local government election.

The court, in its ruling, delivered by Simon Amobede, stated that the KANSIEC chairman, Sani Lawan Malumfashi, a professor, and other members of the commission were card-carrying members of the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the state.

The sack of Malumfashi and other members of KANSIEC came barely four days to the state’s local government election, scheduled for Saturday, October 26.

The court gave the ruling on Tuesday, October 22, while delivering judgment in a suit filed by Aminu Aliyu Tiga of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against KANSIEC, the state attorney general and commissioner for justice, Haruna Isa Dederi, and 14 others.

“The defendants, being card-carrying members of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) and in partisan politics contrary to Section 197 (1) (b) and Section 200 (1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 4 of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2001, are not qualified to be the chairman and members of the of (KANSIEC),” the court ruled.

The judge also declared that Kabir Zakirai, the commission’s secretary, was not eligible to be appointed in accordance with Section 14 of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2001 since he was not below the rank of director before his appointment as the commission’s secretary.

The judge added that the 1st defendant (KANSIEC), whose composition of members was made in contravention of constitutional provisions of Section 197 (1)(b) and Section 200 (1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 4 of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2001, could not validly and competently conduct local government election in respect of 44 local governments in the state until and unless qualified persons are duly and legally appointed as chairman and members of the commission, in line with relevant extent law.

The judge also decided that all of the commission’s efforts to prepare for the local government election, including the distribution of election guidelines, circulars, candidate screening, and the sale of nomination and expression interest forms, were null and void.

“The defendants are forthwith disqualified and removed from their positions as chairman and members of the commission,” the judge added.

The judge directed the police and other security agencies to ensure strict compliance with the ruling.

The sacked KANSIEC chairman had said in August 2024 that in accordance with the July Supreme Court judgement granting full autonomy to local government areas (LGAs) in Nigeria, the commission had no choice but to move the local government elections to October 26, following the mutual agreement between states and the federal government regarding the expiration of the October deadline on local government financial autonomy.

The ICIR reported that the Supreme Court granted the nation’s 774 LGAs financial autonomy in a judgment passed on Thursday, July 11.

The judgement, read by a justice of the Supreme Court, Emmanuel Agim, held that funds meant for LGAs be paid directly into their accounts.

The court also ruled that it was unconstitutional for the state government to hold on to or manage such allocations and directed the 774 LGAs to commence managing their funds.

The judgment was passed in a suit filed by the Federal Government through the attorney general of the federation, Lateef Fagbemi, against the 36 state governors in the country, seeking full autonomy for the local governments.

CAF vows stricter regulations after Super Eagles ordeal in Libya

Mustapha USMAN
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CAF vows stricter regulations after Super Eagles ordeal in Libya

THE Confederation of African Football (CAF) is reviewing its regulations and enforcing stricter measures to address concerns about the treatment of visiting teams in African football. 

This move followed recent controversy surrounding Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Libya, where the Nigerian national team was mistreated during its trip to Libya.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe, speaking during a press conference after the 46th Ordinary General Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, acknowledged the situation but refrained from commenting directly.

He did, however, stated that the the incident has been investigated and appropriate action would be taken.

 “I will not comment on that, because there’s a proper investigation. But I want to emphasise a principle that we will not tolerate, because this is something that has been going on for quite some time,” he said.

Motsepe maintained that such incidents had been recurring in African football, where visiting teams, both national and club sides, had often faced challenges, including long delays at airports and other forms of poor treatment.

“Too many stories have been told of national teams or football clubs going to a country, and they spend hours at the airport, being asked about documents that don’t exist,” he noted.

He further emphasised the need for better sportsmanship and fair treatment across the continent.

He stressed that CAF would not tolerate any lack of sportsmanship, which he described as a long-standing issue in African football.

“I just want to repeat, we are proud of those nations that treat visiting national teams and football clubs with the respect and dignity they deserve,” Motsepe said.

The CAF President further noted that the confederation was reviewing its regulations to prevent similar incidents in the future, adding that “If there are violations of those regulations and rules, we will take action.”

He submitted that fairness and respect must be upheld in all competitions.

The ICIR reported that the Nigerian senior men’s football team, Super Eagles, boycotted its Africa Cup of Nations second-leg match with Libya.

The Super Eagles defeated the Libyan Mediterranean Knights 1:0 at the Uyo Stadium on Friday, October 11, and hoped to be victorious again in the oil-rich North African nation the following Tuesday.

However, the team’s ordeal began on Sunday, October 13, when its flight was unexpectedly diverted to a different airport, away from Benghazi, where it was supposed to play a reverse match, causing the Super Eagles to be stranded for hours. 

Images of the team circulated by the team’s captain Williams Troos-Ekong, showed players lying on airport benches, visibly fatigued, as they waited for the crisis to be resolved. 

Moving from the Al Abraq Airport would make the team travel by road for three hours before reaching Benghazi.

The team eventually returned home after abandoning the match.

The ICIR reported 20 key issues the team, its officials, supporters, and top government functionaries that accompanied the team on the flight faced while the impasse lasted.

Ex-lawmaker Lawan regains freedom after serving jail term

Mustapha USMAN
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Ex-lawmaker Lawan regains freedom after serving jail term

FORMER member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, has been released from prison after serving his five-year sentence for soliciting and accepting a $500,000 bribe from Nigerian businessman, Femi Otedola. 

Lawan, who once chaired the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating fuel subsidy fraud, was initially convicted in 2021.

The bribe was allegedly aimed at removing Otedola’s company from the list of firms implicated in the fuel subsidy fraud scandal of 2012.

The presiding judge, Angela Otaluka, in her ruling, noted that the evidence submitted before the court by the prosecution counsel were valid during cross-examination.

The judge also noted that the conduct, responses and submissions of the defendant and witnesses in the case established the charge in count one, which stated that Lawan demanded $3 million bribe.

Count two stated that Lawan collected $500,000 as bribe to remove Otedola and his company from the list of persons and organisations indicted for the fuel subsidy scam.

The judge held that evidence presented before the court showed that Lawan demanded the balance after receiving the first and second tranches of payment.

After being sentenced to seven years in prison by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in June 2021, Lawan appealed the ruling. 

The Court of Appeal reduced his sentence to five years in 2022, acquitting him on two of the three corruption charges. 

However, his final appeal to the Supreme Court, which was heard in January 2024, was dismissed, with the court affirming the five-year sentence.

In the lead judgment prepared by one of the Supreme Court justices, John Okoro, and delivered by another judge, Tijjani Abubakar, the court ruled that Lawan’s appeal lacked merit and subsequently dismissed it.

The five-member panel unanimously upheld the 2022 Court of Appeal ruling, which confirmed Lawan’s five-year sentence for the third count of the three-count charge brought against him in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.

In a statement upon his release from the Kuje Custodial Centre, Lawan expressed gratitude for the support he received throughout his ordeal. 

“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life as I step out of Kuje Custodial Centre, with a heart full of gratitude to Allah SWT for seeing me through this trial,” he said in a statement he signed.

The former lawmaker also appreciated friends and family for their support while he was in custody.

“My gratitude is deep, I’m alive and in good health and high spirits to be with my family, friends, and associates. I don’t take that for granted,” he said.

Power outage hits northern Nigerian as 330Kv circuit trips

Mustapha USMAN
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Power outage hits northern Nigerian as 330Kv circuit trips

A SIGNIFICANT power outage has affected communities across Northern Nigeria following the tripping of two critical 330kV transmission lines, worsening the ongoing energy crisis caused by multiple national grid collapses. 

The affected communities are mainly in the North-East, North-West, and parts of North-Central.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) disclosed this in a statement released by its General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, on Tuesday, October 22.

The outage, which began around 4:53 am, was triggered by the tripping of the Ugwuaji–Makurdi 330kV Line 2, which resulted in the loss of 243 MW of power. 

Minutes later, at 4:58 am, Line 1 also tripped, leading to a further loss of 468 MW, with attempts to restore power to both lines at 5:15 am and 5:17 am unsuccessful as the lines tripped again.

“Following the tripping incidents yesterday, two teams of linesmen were dispatched. One from the Apir Transmission Sub-region and another from the Enugu transmission to expedite fault tracing along the 215 km route, which includes 245 transmission towers.

“Throughout yesterday, the Apir team patrolled the line, navigating challenging terrains in search of the fault, reaching as far as the River Benue. They were unable to locate the cause of the tripping and have continued in the fault tracing early this morning,” the statement said.

In a related development, TCN highlighted that efforts to restore power in the Enugu region were slowed down due to a sit-at-home directive in the South-East region on October 21 and 22.

“This hindered not only the patrol team but also made it difficult to refuel patrol vehicles for the long-distance line trace. Arrangements were, however, made for security operatives to guide the team, who have commenced fault tracing this morning,” Mbah said.

The agency also noted that it had restored supply to the 132kV transmission line between New Haven and Apir, but the 330kV lines remained down.

Mbah explained that the Shiroro-Mando transmission line, another key power source, was also out of service due to security concerns, adding to the challenges faced by the Northern region.

“TCN is making every effort to trace the cause of the outage to enable our engineers to effect repairs and restore bulk power supply through both lines,” the statement added.

The incident comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s ongoing struggle with national grid collapses, which have led to repeated blackouts across the country. 

In recent weeks, the national grid has suffered multiple breakdowns, prompting concerns over the stability of the country’s electricity supply. 

On October 19, The ICIR reported how Nigerians were plunged into darkness as the national power grid collapsed for the third time in just one week.

The outages heightened frustrations nationwide, with businesses, households, and essential services struggling under the country’s unreliable electricity supply.

The third grid failure occurred early Saturday, October 19, causing widespread blackouts across several states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)

THE ICIR reports that this collapse marks the eighth disruption to the grid in 2024.

 

No fresh case filed against NNPCL, Dangote clarifies

Ehime ALEX
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No fresh case filed against NNPCL, Dangote clarifies

THE Dangote Refinery says it has no fresh court case against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and others.

The chief branding and communications officer at Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, clarified this in a statement on Monday, October 21.

Chiejina’s statement came following multiple reports in the media on Monday that the Dangote refinery had dragged NNPCL and others before the Federal High Court in Abuja in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024.

According to the news that made the rounds, the Dangote refinery had prayed the court to void import licenses issued to the NNPCL, Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, and four other companies to import refined petroleum products.

It also sought N100 billion in damages against the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for continued issuance of import licenses to NNPCL, Matrix, and other companies to import petroleum products importation, despite the refinery’s capacity.

Said to be joined as defendants in the case were NMDPRA, NNPCL, Aym Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited (1st to 7th defendants).

However, in a statement on Monday, Dangote refinery said the case was an old issue that started in June and culminated in a matter being filed on September 2024.

“Currently, the parties are in discussion since President Bola Tinubu’s directive on crude oil and refined products sales in naira initiative, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

“We have made tremendous progress in that regard and events have overtaken this development,” Chiejina explained.

According to him, no party have been served with court processes and there is no intention of doing so.

“We have agreed to put a halt to the proceedings,” he said.

Chiejina said further that it was important to stress that no orders had been made and there were no adverse effects on any party.

“We understand that once the matter comes up in January 2025, we would be in a position to formally withdraw the matter in court,” he added.

The Nigerian Government had on October 1 commenced crude oil sales in naira to the Dangote and other local refineries and on October 11 officially announced the full deregulation of all petroleum products.

A recent analysis by The ICIR explained what should be expected in a liberalised market.

Ex-CBN deputy governor, Moghalu to head African School of Governance

Ehime ALEX
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Ex-CBN deputy governor, Moghalu to head African School of Governance

A FORMER deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu, has been appointed as the president of the African School of Governance (ASG).

Moghalu, a professor and political economist, was appointed to the inaugural position by African leaders.

He expressed his acceptance of the appointment on his LinkedIn page on Monday, October 21.

He said, “Honored to accept an invitation from African President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, former Ethiopian Prime Minister, Desalegn, and others, to serve as President (Vice-Chancellor) of the newly established African School of Governance (ASG), located in Kigali, Rwanda.”

According to Moghalu, establishing ASG is a powerful expression of a clear vision on the part of the founding leaders.

“I share this vision of a transformed Africa driven by competent leadership and governance, and I am honoured to have been tasked with leading ASG’s critical contribution to making that vision a reality,” he said.

The ASG is a new independent, pan-African professional graduate-school university of public policy and governance headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda.

It is aimed to address the continent’s pressing governance challenges by offering world-class education in public policy and governance, equipping emerging leaders with the mindsets, skills and knowledge required for effective leadership of Africa’s future.

The initiative was founded by Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda; and Hailemariam Desalegn, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia (both co-founders of the ASG Foundation) in consultation with other African leaders, academicians and philanthropists dedicated to improving governance across the continent.

Moghalu’s appointment took effect on October 1, 2024, after a global competitive search, as the inaugural president to steer the institution towards its ambitious goals.

“We are excited to welcome Kingsley Moghalu as President of the African School of Governance. His sterling track record of leadership in international and national policymaking institutions, and academia, and his thought leadership influence, will help make ASG a transformative graduate school and develop a new generation of purpose-driven leaders with the skills and mindsets to help Africa address the challenges of the 21st,” said the managing director of International Finance Corporation and chairman of ASG’s board, Makhtar Diop.

The former CBN deputy governor forayed into Nigerian politics when he campaigned for the 2019 presidential race.

Bobrisky spends night in custody as police transfers case to FCID

Bankole ABE
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Bobrisky spends night in custody as police transfers case to FCID

NIGERIAN crossdresser, Okuneye Idris, also known as Bobrisky, has been transferred to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex in Alagbon, Lagos State, where he spent Monday night in a cell.

According to Punch, the police are waiting for more instructions on his case.

They said he was brought to the FCID after being apprehended by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) personnel while attempting to flee the country through the Seme border.

“He is in detention at the FCID, Alagbon. He was arrested on Sunday, detained overnight, and taken to the FCID, Alagbon, around 10 pm on Monday. He is still at the FCID,” a source told the newspaper.

The ICIR reported that the NIS confirmed Bobrisky’s arrest on Monday, October 21.

This development followed his increasing public scrutiny over recent controversies surrounding his six-month jail term at the Nigerian Correctional Service.

In a statement released on Monday, the NIS revealed that Bobrisky was arrested while attempting to flee Nigeria and was undergoing interrogation. 

The statement emphasised that the social media influencer would be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further investigation.

Allegations by an activist, Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, had surfaced online alleging that while serving his sentence for abusing the naira, Bobrisky had bribed some prison officials and others to enable him to stay outside the prison.

He was said to have bribed senior prison officers to give him undeserved privileges as a convict. 

The allegations prompted the minister of interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to set up an investigative panel chaired by the ministry’s permanent secretary, Magdalena Ajani.

The panel stated that Bobrisky had access to special privileges during his incarceration, including a private cell, frequent visits, and access to electronic devices.

Reading the panel’s phase one report on Monday, the executive director and founder of Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), Uju Agomoh, a member of the panel, said the panel found no evidence that Bobrisky slept outside the prison walls.

Agomoh stated that Okuneye enjoyed special privileges such as a single cell, frequent visits, access to a humidifier, fridge, television, a phone and many visits from his family members and friends.

However, she pointed out that moving Bobrisky from a medium facility to a maximum security facility as a first offender violated Section 164A and Section 164B of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act of 2019.

Lagos teacher arrested for sexually abusing student for 5 years

Itoro ETUKUDO
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Lagos teacher arrested for sexually abusing student for 5 years

THE Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 42-year-old school teacher, Gbolahan Osinusi, for allegedly abusing a female student sexually.

Osinusi was said to have been having sexual intercourse with the student for five years, from when she was 12 years old, and forcing her to carry out a series of abortions after impregnating her.

Also, the nurse who allegedly carried out the abortion, identified as Mariam Fatolu, is now on the run. Meanwhile, the police have started a manhunt for her.

Confirming the teacher’s arrest, the Lagos State Police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, noted that the defilement case was transferred from the FESTAC police station to the gender unit of the command in Ikeja on September 30, 2024.
He said the complainant accused the teacher, who is also the girl’s guardian at a school in Ketu-Epe area of the state, of sexually abusing her since she was 12.

According to the complaint, the teacher continued with the act until December 2023 when the girl turned 17.

“The complainant further claimed that Gbolahan forced the girl to swear an oath not to tell anyone, or else she would die.

“He also took the girl to a nurse by the name Mariam Fatolu for abortion drugs to be administered to her whenever she got pregnant,” Hundeyin stated.

Hundeyin added that the suspect had already been charged in court.

A report by The ICIR shows that in Nigeria, six out of every 10 children suffer from one or more forms of physical, sexual or emotional violence before clocking 18.

More than 70 per cent of children experience this violence repeatedly, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The ICIR reports that in 2019, the Nigerian government launched its first National Sex Offenders Register to name and shame rapists and other forms of violence against persons offenders across the country.

Some other states, including Delta, Ogun, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Adamawa, Abia, and Kaduna, also keep a register of sex offenders.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has been publishing the names and pictures of sex offenders who have been convicted for their offences.

Ekiti State also keeps the register.

Although Lagos began publishing names of offenders in 2022, its register had been open since 2014.

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