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HURIWA seeks establishment of missing genital organs squad in Abuja

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called for the setting up of a special missing genital organs and anti-one chance police squad in Abuja.

The rights group hinged its call following the growing concerns over the activities of some criminal elements who are reportedly on the prowl in Abuja and other states of the federation allegedly stealing male genital organs.

HURIWA, in a statement made available to PlatinumPost by its national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, on Tuesday, urged the minister of the Federal Capital Territory to liaise with the security agencies especially the Nigeria Police Force to set the squad.

The group also asked insurance companies to introduce policies on MISSING GENITAL ORGANS to help mitigate the consequences of such an outrageous criminality if it is established to be factually and empirically proven.

HURIWA said government should act swiftly to educate the citizens to separate facts from rumours even ad it lamented that in recent times, there has been an increase in reported cases of disappearance of genital organs in some states in the North Central, particularly in Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna and the nation’s capital.

“But regrettably, the police authority in FCT are very dismissive of this serious danger to the wellbeing of the citizens of the FCT and often deny that such exists when in fact and in reality, stealing of male genital organs are spreading like wild fire in recent times.

“It is rather absurd that rather than study and gain fuller apprehensions of the methodology whether orthodox or unorthodox applied by the criminals, police have unfortunately chosen to feign ignorance and maintain that it is yet unclear how the miscreants carry out such acts, but worried residents of the FCT have, for over a month now, been living in fear following reported cases of ‘stealing’ of manhoods, ” the statement said.

HURIWA expressed contetnation whilst the police authority has yet to concretely set modalities in place to counter the operations of these daredevil miscreants who steal make organs, the ugly trend has led to the murder of some persons by irate youths who descended on suspects for allegedly causing the mysterious disappearance of manhoods.

“HURIWA affirmed that it is factually correct to say that there are different accounts of how the heinous crime is being perpetrated in the city. While some said a mere conversation with the alleged manhood thief can cause disappearance of the victim’s penis, others said it happens after a physical contact, including handshake.

“HURIWA recalled vividly that on August 23, the Nasarawa State Police Command, while cautioning residents against jungle justice being meted out to the alleged organ thieves in the state, revealed that some persons were attacked over same allegations in Nasarawa Eggon, Obi, Lafia and Keffi Local Government Areas of the state. The State’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, however, said a medical examination conducted on the alleged victims, “gave all of them a clean bill of health”, saying there was no basis for the allegations. On September 20, some irate youths in phase 2, Gwagwalada area of the FCT, lynched a yet-to-be-identified young man for allegedly stealing a resident’s manhood. Three days after the incident, another resident, Lucky Josiah was accused of causing the disappearance of one Rokeeb Saheed’s manhood. The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, while confirming the ugly development, said that officers of the command quickly responded to a distress call that a victim was being lynched.

“Although the FCT PPRO revealed that after medical examinations were conducted on Saheed, his male organ was “confirmed to be fine, and Lucky’s injuries were treated”, residents of the city have continued to record similar incidents almost on a daily basis in both the city centre and satellite towns. On Friday last week a disturbing motion picture which captured an alleged manhood thief being subjected to torture and dehumanization by mob, including some security operatives surfaced online.

“In the Update, the alleged thief who was accused of stealing two manhoods, was heard saying he is innocent of the allegations.

” HURIWA however faulted the cynicism of the police and urged the FCT administration led by Mr. Nyesom Wike to work with the FCT command of the police and all other security forces to set up a special ‘MISSING PENISES AND ANTI-ONE CHANCE ROBBERS’ SQUAD to confront the twin social crimes of missing male organs and the operations of obe chance robbers.

“Only yesterday, an Abuja-based lawyer, Opeyemi Adewale, had recounted her ordeal in the hands of suspected kidnappers who abducted her in the Federal Capital Territory on September 26, 2023.

” Adewale disclosed that her husband and colleagues parted with N1m before she was released. She said her ordeal started when she boarded a 14-seater bus on the evening of September 26 at a park in Lugbe not knowing that it was a “one-chance” bus. The lawyer said she realised that she was in trouble when, six minutes into the trip, the man who sat beside her started attacking her. She said it was at that point that she realised that out of all the occupants of the bus, only she and two other women were real passengers while others were members of the gang, ” it said.

HURIWA stated that the victim of one chance robbery in the FCT explained thus: “They started beating me and the other two ladies in the vehicle. When they were done, they asked what I do for a living, I lied that I was a teacher that just resigned. They asked how much I earned, I said it was less than N30,000. Then they asked about my husband, I said he too is a poor trader.

“They checked my bag, saw my ATM card, and requested my PIN. They emptied my account, collected all the cash on me and asked me to call my family that they were taking us to Kaduna and that one Alhaji was going to use us for a ritual but if we could call someone to pay a ransom of N1m they would release us.

“She said as she was making attempts to speak with her family members to raise funds for her release, her abductors kept driving around the city. According to her, around midnight, her husband and colleagues were able to raise funds that were sent to the robbers before she was released. Adewale added that the money that was sent for her release was paid into her account while the robbers withdrew the money from a POS operator.”

 

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FAKE NEWS ALERT: Herbert Wigwe’s Father Did Not Slump

Sources have confirmed that Herbert Wigwe’s father, Pastor Shyngle Wigwe, did not slump during the funeral of his late son.

Some sections of the media, not Lifestyle Nigeria had published that the father of the late Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, collapsed during his son’s funeral service at Isiokpo in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers state.

The sections of the media reported that Pastor Shyngle Wigwe, who is in his 80s, was slumped following the shock of his billionaire son, Wigwe; daughter-in-law, Chizoba, and grandson, Chizzy. They died in a helicopter crash in the US on Saturday, March 9.

However, a credible police source who spoke to VANGUARD dismissed the wild news outrightly, saying that Wigwe’s father was “Hale and hearty”.

The source added, “Even the Senate President (Godswill Akpabio) met and prayed for him.

“The story of Pa Wigwe’s collapse is totally false. We should allow the family to mourn its dead and not add to the pain by writing false stories.”

The remains of the deceased have been interred at a private cemetery within the Wigwe University premises in Isiokpo.

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Group Launches Fact-Checking Platform To Counter Fake News 

Lifestyle Nigeria gathered that a group concerned with socioeconomic development in Africa has launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered fact-checking platform to counter the spread of misinformation and disinformation on the continent.

Speaking at the unveiling of the AI-powered platform, named, ‘MyAIFactChecker’ on Monday in Ilorin, the Global Director of a Nigeria-based non-profit organization, Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), Abideen Olasupo, said that FactCheck Africa, an initiative of the BBYDI, was launched in 2022 as an independent, non-partisan and non-profit fact-checking platform for Africans.

“MyAIFactChecker was a product of months of dedicated effort and research, with support from BECERA and the US State Department, noting that the initiative would revolutionise how Africans verify news and other online information.

“MyAIFactChecker is a demonstration of our organization’s unwavering commitment to combating the scourge of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news, thereby safeguarding the integrity of information. This platform leverages cutting-edge AI technology, is user-friendly, and allows you to verify the authenticity of news, social media posts, and other online content quickly and conveniently.”

Olasupo also said that the innovative platform would provide users with a range of functionalities, including a chatbot interface, feedback mechanism, and voice search capability that is available in English, Swahili, French, Arabic, and several popular local languages in Nigeria.

According to him, the launch of MyAIFactChecker comes at a critical time, as the proliferation of disinformation and harmful content continues to pose significant threats to the integrity of elections, democracy, public health, and stability in African nations.

The BBDYI global director, who said the impact of fake news and disinformation on elections could not be waved, expressed optimism that his organisation’s newly introduced AI fact-checking would help combat the spread of disinformation in African nations preparing to hold elections this year.

“It is worthy to note that 2024 is a year of elections in Africa as about 24 countries on the continent will hold elections this year.

During electioneering periods, there is always a proliferation of fake news, and its attendant consequences could negatively impact the electoral process.

With the launch of MyAIFactChecker, we are poised to curb the spread of misinformation and disinformation before, during, and after elections in these affected countries.

“We believe that access to accurate information is a fundamental right, and we are dedicated to empowering individuals with the tools to discern truth from falsehood in this digital age. We will continue to promote media literacy and critical thinking across Africa,” he said.

Olasupo, who said that he attended the 2024 United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum held in New York last week, added that he spoke on ‘The ethical use of AI and its implications for education in Africa’, saying that his organisation would continue to push for policies around the ethical use of AI in Nigeria and Africa as a whole to maximise its benefits and mitigate its risks.

He lauded Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, for spearheading the initiative to deliver a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence Strategy for the country, stressing that such endeavour was crucial in positioning Nigeria to effectively leverage AI for national development.

“In recognition of the immense potential of AI in addressing societal challenges, BBYDI will continue to advocate for policies and ethical frameworks to guide the deployment of AI technologies across Africa. It is imperative that we harness the power of AI for the collective good of our society,” he noted.

Earlier in his address, the Head of Programmes at FactCheck Africa, Habeeb Adisa, said the introduction of the innovative AI solution “represents a significant advancement in our stride to fight the dissemination of fake news that continues to undermine societal trust and cause discord among people.

“Our platform is designed to cater for a diverse linguistic landscape across the continent. Users can simply enter a new query, and our platform will provide them with an assessment of the article’s authenticity. It will also let them know if it’s credible, partially credible, or unreliable.”

He also disclosed that FactCheck Africa had launched a 3-month AI Journalism Fellowship for journalists in West Africa. According to him, the fellowship is a comprehensive training programme that will equip selected journalists with the knowledge, skills, and ethical considerations needed to navigate AI in journalism.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of BBYDI, Nura Jimoh, stated that the unveiling of MyAIFactChecker reinforced the commitment of their organisation to leverage tech solutions and digital tools to address societal challenges.

She recalled that BBYDI last year, in collaboration with Christian Aid, organised the first CivicTech Hackathon in Nigeria to address voter apathy and encourage increased citizens’ participation in the electoral process.

“We also launched evit.ng to track and report violence pre and post-election. We also unveiled conflictreport.org to curb the farmer-herders crisis in the northern part of the country.

“Additionally, we introduced KnowCovid19NG with support from the US Embassy to flatten the curve and provide psychosocial support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years before the 2023 general elections, we launched Yvotenaija.org to promote civic education across grassroots communities and on various social media platforms,” Jimoh remarked.

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How 17-Year-Old Hacker Stuns EFCC Chairman With Impressive IT Skills 

 

Lifestyle Nigeria gathered that the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, narrated an incident where a 17-year-old successfully hacked into his personal computer and bank account while being interrogated at his office in Lagos.

The anti-graft agency chairman made this known in a chat with editors at the EFCC Headquarters, Jabi, Abuja, last Tuesday.

Olukoyede recounted inviting the 17-year-old for questioning at his own office, only to witness the young hacker effortlessly bypass the security measures of his locked computer right before his eyes.

He said, “I brought into my Lagos office a seventeen-year-old boy who is studying History and Anthropology. He is in the 200 level. He is not doing anything science-related. The guy sat in my office in Lagos and demonstrated some things to me on my laptop.

“He asked for my number, I gave him my number and through my number, he got my BVN. He then mentioned the name of my account number to me at the bank. I didn’t tell him anything.”

According to him, the country must take all necessary measures to discourage these young individuals, as their actions could lead to imprisonment or even fatal consequences.

“The problem is, I see crime in that, and I also see opportunities in it. So, if you leave these guys, we don’t make them know that what they are doing is wrong, if you leave them, they will continue to see it as a way of life to make money.”

He mentioned that due to their young ages, the EFCC would administer light sentences to punish youths for the cybercrimes they committed, while also focusing on helping them change their orientation.

“We plead for light sentences so that we can reorientate them and that’s part of what we’re doing. What joy will I derive from sending a 17-year-old boy to jail? You have destroyed his future. You have destroyed his career.

“Sometimes they give them options of fines and all of that conviction, so we bring them in, lecture them and talk to them.”

In a bold demonstration of his skills, the boy confidently informed Olukoyede that he could transfer up to 10 million naira from any account in a single transaction.

He said the 17-year-old boy, when he was done, said, “Look, oga, I can make 10 million now. I will demonstrate it to you. I will move money from your account to mine.

“I said no, don’t do that in my office and he was ready to do that. When he opened my laptop, I didn’t give him the key to my laptop and he had access.

When questioned about his involvement in cybercrime, the boy explained that his parents, who are both farmers, were unable to work on their farm due to security concerns.

“He has two younger ones. One is in JSS2 and the other is in SSS2. He is the one feeding his parents and responsible for the payment of tuition for his younger ones.

“I saw a Bill Gates in that guy.”

Olukoyede, however, assured the boy that he would take responsibility for his schooling if he was able to stop the criminal act.

“I told my family, we are going to do that.

“I spoke to one of my friends who is also ready to help take up the schooling of the SSS 2 guy. So I’m still looking for someone who will take up the one for the JSS 2 sibling.”

This is not the first time the EFCC chairman has revealed the anti-graft agency’s plan to rehabilitate convicted internet fraudsters with reduced sentences.

Addressing a delegation of the National Association of University Students in March 2024, he said “when you think deeply, that tag ‘ex-convict’ is not a good thing. You can never tell where you will find yourself tomorrow, and they will want to profile you and discover that you are an ex-convict.”

“So, it is even in the interest of the youth that the EFCC is doing what it is doing to prevent them from indulging in the heinous act of cybercrime.”

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