The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has suggested that former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has a spiritual problem.

Wike made the remark while rubbishing Amaechi’s claim that he has no houses because he’s not corrupt.

He pointed out that if Amaechi could be a Speaker, Governor, and Minister without owning a house, then he has a spiritual problem.

Wike disclosed this while featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday night.

Dismissing Amaechi’s claim, the Minister stated that Amaechi has a house in Abuja that a poor man can’t afford.

According to Wike: “He said I have houses. Amaechi was Speaker for eight years, Governor for eight years, and Minister for eight years, and he does not have houses? Then he has a spiritual problem.

“Nigerians should know the kind of characters deceiving them every day, pretending.

“I will tell you about his house in Guzape here where I live. You need a bunker to destroy that house.

“I’m trying to show the quality, I’m not saying I would destroy the house. You can’t be a poor man and have such a house.”

He said he does not have this and that, where is his house? It’s in old GRA. Who built it? I heard him say NPA and NIMASA have not paid contractors, yes, because they have not paid his wife, who is a contractor.”

The Niger State Police Command has apprehended two notorious kidnappers who had been wreaking havoc in communities in Bosso Local Government for culpable homicide, alongside an armed robber in the state.

They include Sani Mohammed, aka Shawo, 22; Abubakar Dahiru, aka Sirin-baye, 20, of Gidan-Mangoro, Minna; and Idris Mohammed, aka Y.B, 30, of Opposite Kure Market area, Minna. They were arrested on June 16, 2025, by operatives of the Crack Squad and STS.

The State Police, through the Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, in a statement said Sani and Abubakar were linked to several high-profile kidnappings, including the abduction of a widow in Maikunkele, for which they demanded and received a ransom of N8 million.

He also disclosed that the same gang was involved in the kidnap of two brothers in Beji, for which they demanded a N5 million ransom.

Abiodun stated that after receiving the sum of N2.2 million, they released one before killing the other brother.

“The two suspects later fled to Kaba, Kogi and Zamfara States, until recently planning to regroup, with the intention to invite Yeli from Zamfara and Smally from Kogi State.”

“The suspects were further identified by another victim who paid a ransom of one million naira for his release,” Abiodun revealed.

Both of them are still under investigation, with a view to arresting other gang members.

The PRO further disclosed that Idris Mohammed was also involved in a gang that attacked and robbed victims in a mosque during morning prayers in Darulsalam, opposite Kure Market area, Minna.

“He (Idris) confessed to the crime, revealing that he and other gang members, including Yusuf, Usama, Hamza, Captain, Xsquad, and one other, were responsible for the act, while Xsquad was previously arrested and prosecuted,” he stated.

He is also under investigation with the team.

Nigeria’s Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday affirmed the authority of the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System, NIBSS, to manage the Bank Verification Number, BVN, database across the country, in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Act and other relevant banking laws.

This is according to a judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho on Friday.

NIBSS’s counsel, Wolemi Esan, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and Kofo Abdulsalam-Alada, lead counsel for the CBN, among others, had sought a restraining order to prevent any institution in Nigeria from challenging the agency’s statutory authority to maintain and manage the BVN database.

This comes as NIBSS had alleged that Digital Rights Lawyers Initiative filed multiple suits, either directly or through proxies, challenging its authority to manage the BVN database and claiming that such management violates constitutional privacy rights.

However, Justice Omotosho, delivering his judgment, said the BVN does not infringe on the constitutional right to privacy.

“The initiative does not infringe on the constitutional right to privacy but rather serves as a necessary tool for safeguarding public interest and enhancing financial security.

“NIBSS has the power to manage the BVN,” the judge said, citing relevant CBN laws.

“The court grants the reliefs of NIBSS as prayed,” he stated.