Below The Headlines - 102
Fake cancer successfully 'treated' in Abuja and please return Trump's money to him
Welcome to another BTH newsletter. If you’re new to 1914 Reader, we send this out every Saturday morning at 10am, UK time. It covers a selection of news stories you may have missed about Nigerians in Nigeria and around the world.
This week on the main reader, I wrote a long piece about the 1979 fiscal pact that is quietly undoing Nigeria by decoupling revenue sharing from spending responsibilities.
We’ve got a new podcast out next Wednesday as usual but in the meantime you can catch the episode with Professor A.G. Hopkins before it goes behind a paywall shortly
Enjoy the usual selection below.
Nigerian Media
I laughed quite hard at this story. The implication is that being the supporter of a governor is a full time job that transcends governors or political parties:
However, when they got to Government House, they were denied access into the premises.
According to one of the supporters, who spoke off record, they were told that the governor gave an order that they should not be allowed in.
“We were were stunned on reaching the gate and were informed by security operatives that only Very Important Personalities (VIPs) would be allowed into the government house for refreshments,” he said.
A supporter who identified herself as Mrs. Ebosele Omogiate, lamented that unlike during the campaign period, the governor decided to build a wall around himself after winning.
“In the worst moments of ex-governor Godwin Obaseki, supporters and members were not shabbily treated like this.”
“I left house before 7am for the airport and stood under the sun for hours before the arrival of the governor,
“We engaged on a road show with the him to the Government House, only for us to be shut out. This treatment is unfair,” another supporter added.
Not really sure what to make of this:
Six newly recruited members of the Ogun State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, have been dismissed after they were discovered to be pregnant during a training camp.
Recall that the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, authorised the recruitment of an additional 500 officers for the corps in March.
The Corps Commander, Alade Adedigba, had disclosed that the move was aimed at bolstering the security framework of the state.
Adedigba said the governor’s directive comes about two months after the recent passing out parade of 690 newly trained corps operatives, reflecting the government’s unwavering commitment to enhancing security measures for all residents of Ogun State.
In a statement on Thursday, the Corps Commander noted that the pregnant recruits were dismissed due to professionalism and concerns for their health.
He disclosed that a routine pregnancy test conducted on them during a training that would last three weeks revealed that the recruits were pregnant before joining the corps.
Crazy story. It’s not hard to work out where they were going:
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has intercepted a container-load of 10,603 male donkey genitals.
The Comptroller-General, CG, of Customs, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, who disclosed this at a briefing in Abuja, represented by the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Mr. Abdullahi Maiwada, informed that the consignment was intercepted along the Kaduna–Abuja Expressway.
According to him: “On Friday, 5th June 2025, at approximately 2100 hours, operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a 1x40ft container loaded with donkey genitals along the Kaduna–Abuja Expressway.
“The interception was carried out under coordinated surveillance by officers of the Special Wildlife Office (SWO) and Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU), further confirming the persistence of illegal wildlife trafficking networks exploiting Nigeria’s corridors.”
After proper documentation and compliance with procedures, the seized items were officially handed over to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in line with NCS’s commitment to inter-agency collaboration and statutory mandates.
The CG emphasized that the seizure was not an isolated incident.
He said: “Over the past 12 months, the Special Wildlife Office has uncovered and disrupted multiple illicit wildlife trafficking operations across the country.
“Noteworthy among these is the recovery of six African Grey Parrots and the arrest of one suspect on 10th December 2024 in Kano.
“In another operation, two live pangolins, five Mona monkeys, two Tantalus monkeys, one baby baboon, and an African Grey Parrot were intercepted at Lagos Airport in May 2025.
“Also, in a separate operation, one suspect was arrested in the Ikom area of Cross River State in connection with seizures of 213 parrot heads, six eagle heads, 128 hornbill heads, and other exotic species.
This seems like an extreme commitment to cleanliness:
A Businessman, Uchenna Nnaji of Borno Plaza, Balogun Market, Trade Fair, has been arraigned before the Criminal Division of the Lagos State High Court, presided by Justice Muyideen Abdul-Rahmen Tejumade over alleged stealing and conspiracy. He is accused of stealing Crusader soap valued at N120m.
Meanwhile, the matter was adjourned to September 24, 2025 for trial. In a Suit No: LD/23999/24, Nnaji was arraigned on a two-count. The first count is conspiracy to commit felony contrary to Section 411 of the Criminal Law, Cap17, Vol 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2025.
The particulars of the offence read: “ Uchenna Nnaji (male) and another (still at large), sometime in 2023, around Trade Fair Complex, Lagos in the Lagos State judicial division did conspire among yourselves commit felony to wit: stealing.
There is nothing you can’t find a fake version of in Nigeria:
In continuation of its resolve to rid the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of street beggars, traders, scavengers, and one-chance syndicate, the Operation Sweep Abuja Clean team has said the team arrested a beggar with fake cancer.
Making this disclosure on Thursday, Acting Director, Social Welfare, Social Development Secretariat (SDS), Mrs. Gloria Onwuka, revealed that when the woman was caught, she said she had cancer of the breast but by the time they loosened the bandage, there was not a single wound on her breast.
“There is a woman we caught, she now said that she has cancer at the breast. So by the time they loosen the bandage, there was no single wound at her breast.”
Personally, I wouldn’t risk the anger of butchers with a crazy price increase like this:
Members of the Irepodun United Butchers Association of Nigeria, operating at the Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki Abattoir Market in Ilorin, Kwara State, staged a protest on Monday over increase in the daily levy imposed by the Ilorin East Local Government.
The aggrieved butchers condemned the rise in levy per slaughtered cow from N500 to N2,000, describing it as arbitrary and excessive.
According to the association’s chairman, Alhaji Moshood Abdulqodir, and two other executive members, the new rate was introduced without prior consultation or dialogue. They alleged that the increment was the result of a decision taken jointly by the local government chairman and an undisclosed private investor.
“This hike is completely unjustified and has placed a heavier financial load on our daily operations,” Abdulqodir said.
Incredible things are happening in Nigeria:
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Friday handed over 25 containers filled with unregistered pharmaceutical products to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The items included sexual enhancement drugs such as REDSUN and HYEGRA (sildenafil citrate products), codeine-containing cough syrups like CSC brands, antibiotic injections including oxytetracycline and artesunate, pain relief medications with diclofenac sodium and paracetamol, skin-lightening creams marketed as GBOGBONISE and SKIN CHEMIST, hip and breast enlargement products, as well as various tablets bearing fake NAFDAC registration numbers.
Non-Nigerian Media
Reports reaching us from Australia:
Chariot Corporation is acquiring a majority stake in a Nigerian hard-rock lithium portfolio, a move set to propel the company to the forefront in a new lithium hot spot.
Geologically, Nigeria’s lithium-bearing pegmatites are part of the same Late Proterozoic (Pan-African) LCT system as the Borborema Pegmatitic Province (BPP) in northeast Brazil, and of similar age to the renowned ‘Lithium Valley’.
And like Brazil, many of Nigeria’s pegmatite belts were historically and currently mined for tin and columbite-tantalite and semi-precious gemstones, indicating the potential for highly fractionated, lithium-rich LCT pegmatite systems.
Nigeria is emerging as one of the continent’s fastest-growing lithium regions, with this highly prospective hard-rock lithium portfolio, covering 254sqkm across the Oyo and Kwara states.
It consists of four projects, Fonlo, Gbugbu, Iganna and Saki, and includes eight Exploration Licences (ELs) and two Small-Scale Mining Leases (SSMLs).
Notably, lithium-bearing pegmatites have been identified across all projects including up to 6.59% Li2O from rock chip sampling. And the projects remain undrilled, presenting exploration upside.
The portfolio even has a recent history of ore being exported to Chinese and other customers (several thousand tonnes of concentrate from 2021–2024) validating the quality of mineralisation and existence of buyers for the ore.
What’s going on with the chimpanzees in Nigeria?
The discovery of the genetically unique Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees in the Ise Conservation Area is an amazing case of animals that survived extinction and made a comeback. However, this group's situation stems from a long, tragic history. With their natural habitat shrinking due to increased cannabis cultivation and high black-market prices, the chimps only had their home become a protected zone in 2020 after their near-extinction became a priority for conservationists to save any remaining habitats.
The rest of the chimpanzee population faces similar threats, with many seeking isolation to stay safe. Sadly, isolation also presents unique challenges, including an increased risk of diseases from outside sources and an inability to receive aid during potential catastrophes. These threats, which can determine the future of the chimpanzee, highlight the importance of protected areas in Nigeria and Cameroon. Fortunately, those who want to assist the chimpanzees of Ise and other vital conservation sites in the region can support initiatives like the SW/Niger Delta Forest Project.
MKO Abiola’s Hope 93 is alive and well in… London:
And why the name Hope 93?
It was important to me to build the gallery on an ethos… giving people an opportunity and a chance. Seeing the good in people.
My father ran to be president of Nigeria and ran a campaign called “Hope93”. It was all about making Nigeria a more fair place to be, especially trying to tackle the huge inequalities between the wealthiest and less wealthy.
In 1993 I was 10 years old and when he won the election it was amazing. But due to a military dictatorship at the time who did not want to relinquish power, they gave him two choices: to either say he was not president, or be president with consequences. The consequences were that they imprisoned him for five years, which was difficult for us as a family [they were living in London at the time]. Pretty much on the eve of him being released, it is safe to say he died under very suspicious circumstances.
I look at that time, and to my brothers and sisters, and we try to stay as positive as we can and to honour his legacy.
Today in romance scams:
A woman has told of being conned out of £200,000 by a romance scammer who bombarded her with gushing messages every day for two-and-a-half years.
Elizabeth, who is in her sixties and lives in rural England, handed over her life savings, took out a loan and remortgaged her home to meet the man's ever increasing demands for money.
Sharing her story in public for the first time, she bravely revealed how she fell victim to an elaborate catfishing plot orchestrated by a fraudster posing as an oil industry consultant from Texas.
In reality, the criminal was based in Nigeria and had stolen photos of a real man before concocting a string of crisis scenarios to trick the kindhearted mother of two. At one point, he even pretended he had a daughter who had lost her newborn baby.
During the whole period of the scam, he repeatedly promised to pay back the money and even delivered a fake cheque to her home for $1.832million dollars.
Elizabeth, who did not want to give her real name for privacy reasons, said she 'can't believe' she fell for his evil lies, but was vulnerable at the time after breaking up with a 'toxic' partner.
Hers is the latest account of the misery being caused by romance scammers, who conned British victims out of more than £88million last year.
While these have involved individuals from multiple countries, many cases are linked to Nigeria, which is known to host informal academies - known as 'hustle kingdoms' - which train individuals in the art of tricking vulnerable victims.
And another:
Ava Waller thought she had found companionship in her later years - what she got instead was a calculated con that robbed her of every penny she had.
Ava, a 76-year-old grandmother from Harlow, Essex, has spoken of her heartbreak and humiliation after being duped out of £67,000 by a romance fraudster who reeled her in with sweet words and fake photos - before bleeding her dry.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, divorcee Ava bravely recounted how she fell victim to an elaborate catfishing plot orchestrated by a scammer in Nigeria, who posed as a charming American oil-rig worker named 'David West'.
In reality, 'David' was using stolen photos of a real man whose image has often been used by scammers - Dr Mark Smith, a chiropractor in Indiana - while spinning tales of hardship, delayed flights and desperate emergencies that Ava felt compelled to help with.
'He told me he was in an oil rig in the middle of the sea somewhere,' she said. 'I've since learned that's a favourite job for these people to pretend they have.'
What began as a harmless online friendship in 2018 - sparked when he complimented her photos on Facebook - soon turned into a daily lifeline. Ava, a mother of two with three grandchildren, divorced and grieving the loss of her mother, admitted the attention became a comfort.
'I think we'd been talking maybe six months and then he was coming home,' she recalled. 'And he told me he got stopped at the airport – something to do with his drilling equipment - and needed money to sort himself out.'
Desperate to help the man she believed was flying back to start a new life with her, Ava sent her first payment of £250.
A piece about the widespread use of aphrodisiacs in Nigeria:
Long before Pfizer stumbled upon Viagra in 1998 — and before it crossed borders into pharmacies, bedroom nightstands and pop culture — a different kind of medicine was already making the rounds in Nigeria. Thick, bitter and brewed in battered aluminum pots by the roadside, it didn’t come in blister packs or pill jars but in small opaque nylon bags for those in a hurry, or in disposable plastic cups for those with time to spare. Whispered about in salons and on slang-laced street corners, these weren’t pills. They were potions; traditional medicinal brews designed to get you hard and keep you that way.
“I use dried plantain, the testicles of both a horse and a he-goat, and I blend them together,” says Funmilayo, an herb seller with 31 years under her belt, reaching into her hawking basin of bottled herbs and granular substances for three repurposed Coca-Cola bottles. Inside are pink, black and off-white powders — the raw ingredients of her so-called “Manpower” elixir. She pours the powders into a rubber cup, splashes in local gin and stirs until it forms a murky, brownish mix, not even half a beer pong cup in volume. This penile power-up, bitter and burning, promises fortified stamina and renewed energy to anyone bold enough to swallow it. A shot costs anywhere between 19 and 32 cents, depending on the location.
At a stall nearby, Kunle, 35, a “keke” or tricycle driver with the weariness of someone twice his age, lifts to his lips a plastic cup of Agbo Jedi — a traditional Yoruba herbal remedy used across Nigeria for everything from back pain to libido. He drinks slowly, hoping it soothes the daily pain of his work: hours hunched over, navigating the tight, dusty arteries of Ikorodu, a suburb on the edge of Lagos, where red earth clings to tires and time feels a step behind the city.
The YouTuber Drew Binsky went to the famous Igbo Ora to investigate why it has so many twins:
Really hope this Yahoo boy has not exposed Nigeria to the risk of bombing. The audacity to steal Trump’s money. If there’s one thing he doesnt joke with, it’s his money:
A Nigeria-based scammer posing as Steve Witkoff, a long-time ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and co-chair of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, stole approximately $250,000 in crypto from a would-be political donor, according to a recent press announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
According to court documents, the scammer created a spoofed email address that closely resembled Witkoff’s legitimate Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee email address, and was able to trick at least one donor into depositing $250,000 worth of USDT.ETH into the scammer’s wallet. Though the scammer then took steps to launder their ill-gotten gains, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was able to recover and freeze 40,300 USDT.ETH, half of which was found in a Binance account in the name of Ehiremen Aigbokhan, a Lagos-based fraudster or “yahoo boy.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has moved to return the recovered funds to the victim. Over $210,000 in crypto sent to the scammer has not yet been recovered.
Feature on one of my favourite Nigerian musicians (sound wise), BNXN:
Nigerian crooner Bnxn, formerly known as Buju, has become one of Afrobeats' most reliable feature killers, taking hits like Wizkid's "Mood," Pheelz's "Finesse," Ladipoe's "Feeling," and Timaya's "Cold Outside" above and beyond. Once signed to Burna Boy's Spaceship Records, Bnxn has also made big moves as a frontman, with his debut album, Sincerely Benson, in 2023 and the stellar EP Bad Since '97 the year prior. Still, he's perhaps best known as a collaborator and not a solo star.
Now, with his second album Captain, out today, Bnxn tells Rolling Stone, "The album itself represents growth. It shows that I'm skilled and I'm a crucial player in this field. In the ocean of the industry, I'm rocking a ship and I'm in total control of it. In good storms and bad storms, I'm still in charge." He's most proud of the titular track. "It was one of the songs I recorded last minute. Every time I listen back to the record, it makes me feel like I made a bop for me," he says. "Since I recorded it, I can tell you, I listened to it every blessed day."
The 16-track album includes the previously released singles “Phenomena,” (“Phenomena reminds me of summer, of sun, cocktails, happy times,” Bnxn says, describing it as the album’s most fun track), “Fi Kan We Kan” featuring Rema, “Very Soon” featuring FOLA, and “Cutesy.” A sexy drill track that earned Bronx innovator Cash Cobain’s blessing, “Cutesy” was produced by Jiggi, who also produced “Fisherrrr” for Cash.
Who is Charles Uchenna Nwadavid?
A Massachusetts woman believed she was in a committed relationship with “Williams Moore.” So did a New Jersey woman, who fell head over heels for her boyfriend, “Manuel Sykes.” A Florida woman met “Edward Nowak” online and believed him when he told her worked in Cyprus.
Turns out, they were all “dating” the same man—a married father of two young boys in Nigeria who worked in real estate and had a background in network marketing and sales.
His real name? Charles Uchenna Nwadavid. He pleaded guilty in Boston in June, admitting to charges of mail fraud, aiding and abetting money laundering, and money laundering.
According to court documents, Nwadavid was running a romance scam, in which criminals love-bomb lonely—often elderly—people on dating apps and social media to quickly gain their affections. The targets are often vulnerable women. Romance scams boomed during the pandemic and have since continued to haunt people over 60. According to the FBI, there were nearly 18,000 complaints about romance fraud in 2024, and some 7,600 victims were over age 60. The losses attributed to that age cohort totaled $389 million last year, with total losses among all age groups approximately $672 million.
We have previously covered Slawn here (BTH - 64):
At Silverstone, Racing Bulls has a bold new look after tapping Nigerian-British artist Slawn to reimagine its livery.
The graffiti-splashed design, which was created in partnership with fashion brand Hugo, isn't just about aesthetics, it's a statement on the kind of team Racing Bulls is becoming. Once Red Bull's little sister, the Faenza-based outfit is doing things differently – from its unique liveries to the behind-the-scenes content on its TikTok channel.
Olaolu ‘Slawn' Akeredolu-Ale is well-known for merging his Yoruba heritage with the gritty vibrancy of urban London, and has collaborated with the likes of Louis Vuitton, Rolex, Ferrari, and even recently designed the Emirates FA Cup. His latest canvas looks a little different, moving at 200 mph.
"First artist in the world to have his work on an F1 car that's going to race in the British GP. Painting the way one vehicle at a time,” Slawn wrote on Instagram ahead of the race.
In addition to the cars driven by Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, he also designed their race suits and the staff kits, adorned with the same graffiti-style artwork.
News from the South African Police Service:
A 39-year-old Nigerian national, Patrick Onjejeke, appeared before the Mokopane Magistrate’s Court today, Friday, 11 July 2025, on a charge of dealing in drugs following his arrest during a targeted operation conducted by members of the Provincial Organised Crime Unit.
The arrest stems from an intelligence-driven operation carried out on Thursday, 10 July 2025 at around 18:10. Police received credible information regarding a suspect allegedly transporting illicit drugs from Polokwane to Mokopane in a white Hyundai. The vehicle was located in Thabo Mbeki Street, near Evergreen Junior Campus, and was promptly intercepted.
A thorough search of the vehicle led to the discovery of seven plastic bags containing heroin, Cat and cocaine drugs, with an estimated combined street value of R100 000-00. The suspect, who is a foreign national, was immediately arrested on the scene.