Author: starconnect
BY SCM Judiciary Reporter At no time did I ask, take, or seek a bribe or bribes of any sort… and I did not abuse my office LONDON – A HIGH-FLYING former Nigerian oil minister who was accused of funding a multi-million-pound “life of luxury” in London through corrupt energy deals has been found not guilty of all charges by a British jury. Diezani Alison-Madueke, 65, smiled with relief at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday as a jury cleared her of five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. The dramatic verdicts bring…
By Emmanuel Thomas BEIJING — A former top executive at one of China’s largest state-owned energy giants has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve after being found guilty of accepting more than $22.5 million in bribes, state media reported. Yuan Guangyu, a prominent figure in the upper echelons of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), was convicted of leveraging his vast institutional power to manipulate corporate bidding processes, secure lucrative state contracts, and facilitate business deals for private associates in exchange for massive under-the-table payouts. The ruling, handed down by a local court and initially reported…
Admin I Wednesday, June 17, 2026 LAGOS, Nigeria – Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, has successfully concluded its 2026 Pre-Retirement Seminar series, reaching about 3,714 pre-retirees across Lagos, Akure, Port Harcourt, Abuja, and Kano. Spanning five of Nigeria’s most economically significant cities, the annual series has firmly established itself as one of the most impactful and far-reaching retirement education platforms in the country’s financial services industry. The programme was crafted to give attendees a thorough and practical understanding of what it truly means to retire well in today’s Nigeria. One of the most anticipated…
BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT The text message arrived on a battered mobile phone, cold and absolute. Two young girls, stolen from the heart of their community under the cover of a suffocating tropical dusk. The price for their beating hearts? A staggering ₦20 million—roughly ₦10 million (£5,000) for each life. To the wealthy elite in Nigeria’s bustling capital, it is a sum to be negotiated. To the rural, hard-working families of Ohaofia, it was an impossible fortune. An execution sentence disguised as a receipt. The kidnappers were identified as a ruthless cell of Kachalla terrorists—hardened, heavily armed bandits who…
By SCM Reporter A SCHOOLGIRL has miraculously cheated death by mere millimetres after a horror plunge from a garage roof left her impaled on a tree branch. The youngster was rushed to an emergency ward with a terrifying 14-centimeter (5.5-inch) wooden spike clean through her neck following the freak accident. Terrified onlookers feared the worst as emergency services scrambled to the scene in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. But in a twist that has stunned the medical world, the girl survived the gruesome ordeal virtually unscathed. Doctors operating on the youngster confirmed she was “incredibly lucky” to be…
A Department of Justice brief defending xAI’s data centers reveals the commercial chatbot has been absorbed into “mission-critical operations” as a matter of paramount national security By SCM National Security Correspondent WASHINGTON — In a startling disclosure that underscores how deeply artificial intelligence has been woven into modern lethal warfare, the United States government has admitted that a military-grade version of Elon Musk’s chatbot, Grok, was used to orchestrate thousands of missile strikes against targets in Iran. The revelation, hidden within a Department of Justice legal brief filed on June 15, marks the first official confirmation by…
Admin I Wednesday, June 17. 2026 LAGOS, Nigeria — As part of its ongoing commitment to youth empowerment, financial inclusion, and building a financially responsible generation, Polaris Bank Limited held an impactful Financial Literacy Day session at Community Day Secondary School, Tsaski Yan’albasa, in Charanchi Local Government Area of Katsina State. The event, which took place on June 9, 2026, formed part of the Bank’s activities to commemorate Global Money Week (GMW). The interactive session reached and impacted 90 students and 10 teachers, providing practical insights into savings, budgeting, responsible spending, banking essentials, financial goal-setting, peer influence, and informed decision-making…
Admin I Wednesday, June 17, 2026 LAGOS, Nigeria – Before digital payments became mainstream across Africa, access to convenient, secure, and reliable payment solutions remained a challenge for millions of consumers. Today, the landscape has changed dramatically, driven by innovation, increased connectivity, and a growing demand for financial services that are accessible to everyone. At the heart of this transformation is Verve, Africa’s leading domestic payment card and token brand, which has played a significant role in shaping the continent’s payments ecosystem while advancing financial inclusion for millions of individuals and businesses. Verve’s journey reflects the broader evolution of…
By SCM Correspondent ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria found itself navigating a turbulent landscape of political volatility and severe security challenges this week, as a crucial appellate court ruling reshaped the political calculus for the country’s opposition leaders just as the military claimed a major victory against northern bandit networks. The parallel developments underscore the fragile state of Africa’s most populous democracy, where institutions are simultaneously fighting to maintain electoral stability and curb a multi-front wave of kidnappings, terrorism, and civil unrest. In a dramatic legal turn, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal unanimously suspended a controversial lower…
Admin I Wednesday, June 17. 2026 TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi declared that the survival of a freshly brokered memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran depends entirely on a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territories in southern Lebanon, highlighting the fragile nature of the regional truce. Speaking to a gathering of foreign diplomats in Tehran, Mr. Araqchi staked out a hard line on the architecture of the agreement, which aims to officially conclude months of open conflict across the Middle East. He framed the understanding not as a bilateral pact, but as a matrix…