Suspected fraudsters disguised as assassins to defraud journalist, demand N20 million as saving grace - ITREALMS

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Suspected fraudsters disguising as assassins have threatened to eliminate the Founder of Penpushing Media, Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji, with an option to spare him if he could cough out N20million as saving grace.

The gang led by a member who identified himself as Femi Poly, at about 7.30am put a phone call across to the journalist that they had been assigned to eliminate him, but had a rethink on carrying out the operation.

‘We have your photograph, we are assigned by somebody close to you to kill you, but we observed that you are an elderly man, and decided not to carry out the assignment, but to reach out to you if you can offer us N20million’, the suspects said.

The gang operating with mobile phone numbers +2349036869898, +2348080858130 when asked who was their sponsor and what was the reason given to them to warrant the assignment to finish the journalist, said he would be provided the information after paying them the N20million demanded.

‘The person is your close associate, who told us he had issues with you, but can you keep it to yourself if we reveal the identity, which we shall do that after payment of the N20 million’, the suspects said.

When the journalist told them he has no such amount, the gang said they would reduce the amount to N500, 000, and after telling them he could also not afford such an amount, the suspects further reduced it to N150, 000.

The journalist again told them that he could not also raise the N150,000 immediately, and that he had N10,000 as at the time of the conversation, the gang said he should send the N10, 000, as part-payment, and immediately they provided an access bank account with number 0002884692 with the name *Aminu Adamu*.

Meanwhile, the journalist, however, said he has informed the police of the development adding that as at the time of filing this report police authorities have commenced investigation into the matter.

Olatunji orders investigation into Optasia, suspected data violation - ITREALMS

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The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), National Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr. Vincent Olatunji, has ordered a full-scale investigation into the data processing activities of Optasia which operates in Nigeria as Nairtime Nigeria Ltd, reports ITREALMS.

This investigation was triggered by a pattern of suspected non-compliant data processing which was discovered during routine regulatory oversight of data controllers and data processors of major importance.

Suspected terror attacks: US authorizes departure of employees in Abuja - ITREALMS

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The United States Mission to Nigeria has approved departure status for some employees due to suspected heightened risk of terrorist attacks in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, reports ITREALMS.

The embassy, ITREALMS gathered in a security notice entitled ‘Authorised departure status’ made available to citizens on Wednesday from Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria, noted that on October 25, 2022, the U.S. Department of State granted authorized departure status to Embassy Abuja.

Computers, documents carted away, publisher arrested by DSS

ITRealms: 

Some personal computers and documents belonging to Chief Jones Abiri, the publisher of the Weekly Source, who was also arrested over undisclosed offences at the weekend  by security operatives suspected to be members of the Department of the State Services (DSS), were carted away, ITRealms reports.

ITRealms gathered that the armed security operatives, arrived the publishing house in the early hours of Thursday in three cars with registration numbers SAG 391AA, PBT 480 AA and Lagos 193 DN, disregarded questions from Journalists and members of the Nigeria Union of Journlaists (NUJ) and bundled the publisher to an unknown destination.

Also, correspondent learnt that after much pressure from the Journalists present at the scene, one of the security operative simply uttered that Chief Abiri was arrested on national security issues.

An eye witness informed that the security men made away with several documents from Abiri’s office and left with the publisher, “while the search lasted, the security personnel didn’t allow anyone into the office.”

Attempts by some colleagues from the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) to confirm the whereabout of Abiri was not successful as the State headquarters of the DSS and other relevant security agencies denied knowledge of the arrest.

“We have searched and could not trace his whereabouts. But a source at the DSS said no security agent can come to the state and effect any arrest without prior information to them,”  the source was quoted.

Uboshe Uboshe with additional reports from 247UReport/GEE

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Pix: Acting IGP Ibrahim Kpotun Idris