![JUST IN: Atiku receives second dose of COVID-19 Vaccine in Dubai [Photos]](https://thenewsguru.ng/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Atiku-2nd-vaccine-i.jpg)
Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has received second dose of the Pfizer-BioTech COVID-19 Vaccine in Dubai on Wednesday.
TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the former Vice President received the first dose on 6th January this year.
More details soon…
![BREAKING: Atiku receives COVID-19 Vaccine in Dubai [Photos]](https://thenewsguru.ng/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Atiku.png)
Reports reaching TheNewsGuru.com, TNG from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) indicates that Nigeria’s former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has received the Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine.
According to reports, Atiku arrived Dubai on Wednesday morning and was later spotted in the afternoon same day receiving the vaccine alongside top Dubai’s business men.
With this development, the ex-VP becomes the first Nigerian Citizen to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kano/Jigawa Command arrested a Dubai-bound passenger in possession of 5,342 ATM cards at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
The Customs Area Comptroller, Mr Nasir Ahmed, stated this while handing over the suspect to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday in Kano.
Ahmed said the suspect was arrested while about to board a Dubai-bound Ethopian Airlines with the ATM cards concealed in two sacks of beans by the personnel of the command at the airport.
“It can be assumed that the suspect can withdraw up to one million dollars in a day, at the detriment of the national economy.
“We handed over the suspect, his passport and other travelling documents to the EFCC for further investigations,” Ahmed said.
Commenting on other activities of the service, Ahmed said the command generated over N2.3 billion revenues in the September.
While reiterating commitment to check smuggling in the country, the comptroller sought for the support of the media to enhance awareness creation on the ills of smuggling to the nation’s economy.
Also speaking, Mr Sanusi Aliyu, the Head of the EFCC Zonal Office comprising Kano, Katsina and Jigawa, commended the service for effective surveillance to check crimes and financial crime in the airports and other point of entry in the country.
Aliyu said the commission would conduct thorough investigation.
“Investigation is necessary to establish the reasons behind the acts and other persons involved in the acts.
“The Nigeria Customs Service has been a very good partner of the EFCC in the fight against economic and financial crimes in the country,” he said.
Aliyu pledged continued partnership with the service to check graft practices in the country.
Recall that in September the Nigeria Customs arrested a Dubai-bound Nigerian, Abubakar Ishaq at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, with 2,886 ATM cards, concealed in noodles.
Ishaq also had on him four Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards. The suspect was arrested on 22 August. He was billed to board an Emirates evacuation flight to Dubai.
He was handed to the Lagos Zone of the EFCC today by the Deputy Comptroller, Enforcement, Abudulmumuni Bako.
![[Photos] Dubai-bound passenger arrested at Lagos airport with 2,886 ATM cards concealed in Noodles](https://thenewsguru.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Man-arrested-at-Murtala-Muhammed-Airport-with-close-to-3000-ATM-cards-e1599757556864.jpg)
The Nigeria Customs has arrested a Dubai-bound Nigerian, Abubakar Ishaq at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, with 2,886 ATM cards, concealed in noodles.
Ishaq also had on him four Subscriber Identification Module( SIM) cards.
The suspect was arrested on 22 August. He was billed to board an Emirates evacuation flight to Dubai.
He was handed to the Lagos Zone of the EFCC today by the Deputy Comptroller, Enforcement, Abudulmumuni Bako.
Some of the ATM cards handed over to EFCC by Customs
Bako told the EFCC, how the suspected was interdicted:
“Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service at the Departure Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, on August 22, 2020, intercepted the suspect with 2, 886 ATM cards and four SIM cards, which he carefully concealed in parks of Noodles.”
Bako, who represented the Customs Area Comptroller, A. Ma’aji, added that “The suspect, who claimed to have come from Kano to travel to Dubai aboard the Emirate Evacuation flight , was seen with someone who was assigned to facilitate his movement through the airport checks.
“This raised the suspicion of the officers who insisted he should be physically and thoroughly checked after the scan machine had revealed he was carrying parks of noodles”, he said.
The Lagos zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, said it has commenced investigations.
The Lagos zonal head, AbdulRasheed Bawa, who received the suspect on behalf of the Commission, assured the Customs Service that the Commission would duly investigate the suspect and any other party that might be involved in the alleged criminal offence.
“On behalf of the Commission and the acting Chairman, Mr. Muhammed Umar, we have taken over Ishaq. I can assure you that we are going to investigate the matter thoroughly and unveil everybody involved in the syndicate.
“There are a number of possibilities. There is an element of conspiracy, foreign exchange (FOREX) malpractices and money laundering.
“Indeed, banks and bankers are definitely involved. “
Bawa also emphasized the possibility of the suspect being a member of a network.
“In recent months, we have observed a trend in which unsuspecting Nigerians are lured into opening accounts to be bought at a fee.
“Most bankers are not carrying out their duties with due diligence, particularly the Know Your Customers, KYC, procedural check”, he said.
A video is trending about how international business email compromise scammer Ramon Abbas, a.k.a Hushpuppi led the FBI to himself via his outlandish posts on Instagram.
He was arrested in Dubai on 5 June, along with another Nigerian Olalekan Ponle and 10 other suspects.
In Dubai, Hushpuppi lived at the exclusive Palazzo Versace, while he a global network that used computer intrusions, business email compromise schemes and money laundering to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from companies. He even targeted an English Premier League club.
Investigators seized nearly $41 million, 13 luxury cars worth $6.8 million, and phone and computer evidence, Dubai Police said in a statement.
They also uncovered email addresses of nearly 2 million possible victims on phones, computers and hard drives, Dubai authorities said.
On 2 July, he was extradited to the United States.
He is now being held in Los Angeles, California, where he will be tried for scams worth $1.5 billion.
"@HoodStarzMusic: The FBI Explains how they caught Billionaire Nigerian Scammer Hushpuppi thru Instagram 🤧🤧 He was this Generation Pablo Escobar 💯 https://t.co/I41As71APe
— GIDI (@Gidi_Traffic) August 21, 2020
Emerging reports indicate that the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, has been flown to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates for treatment of severe neck pain.
A source close to the presidency reveals on Friday.
Earlier Sahara Reporters had published a similar report that Mrs. Buhari was flown out of the country during the Sallah holiday last week after complaining of neck pain for about two weeks before that time.
The neck pain was said to have started shortly after she returned to Abuja from a trip to Lagos in July where she had visited Florence, widow of former Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi, who died of COVID-19 complications on June 25, 2020.
In a recent chat with TheNewsGuru (TNG) on the development, a source in Aso Villa who spoke under condition of anonymity confirmed that the First Lady had been flown abroad (Dubai in UAE) for treatment of neck pain.
“It is nothing serious, the First Lady started having severe neck pain during the 2019 Presidential electioneering. And she sought treatment abroad afterward.
An official from the Dubai Tourism has debunked the viral fake news that Nigerians have been banned from visiting the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Stella Fubara-Obinwa, its Director Africa, International Operations, made the clarification during a webinar organised by the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), themed “Tourism Business Opportunities in Face of New Normal.”
Fubara-Obinwa said there was never a time, nor was there any publication, which reported that Nigerians had been banned from visiting the UAE.
“I challenge people to show me any publication from the United Arab Emirates which states that Nigerians had been banned from the country.
“This is fake news and am not happy with the development of the Nigerian travel agents.
“Nigeria is very important to Dubai; Nigeria has the highest number of travellers to Dubai, out of the 41 sub-Sahara countries.
“As a matter of fact, Dubai is ready to accommodate visitors, likewise every hospitality business, while we adhere to the new COVID-19 restrictions,” she said.
Fubara-Obinwa said Dubai had been opened to tourists from July 7, adding that safety measures had been put in place across all hospitality and tourism outfits.
She noted that Dubai was recently recognised as a safe destination by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
According to her, in Dubai now, a tourist is expected to have a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test at any accredited laboratory in their countries, 96 hours before embarking on a trip to Dubai.
She explained that this would make travellers ascertain their COVID-19 status prior to their journey to Dubai to guide against spreading the virus.
In search of greener pastures, Nigerians in significant numbers have been landing in Dubai, one of the most populous cities in the United Arab Emirates over a decade only to find dashed hopes forcing them into a new reality of economic hardship.
Most of these victims are now either undocumented or have overstayed their Visa, they invariably have had only the most basic education and are left with poor employment opportunities and as such have no economic power to sponsor their trips back home.
Apart from the seeming hardship Covid-19 brought to these set of Nigerians abroad, their situation took another terrible turn after the United Arab Emirates on July 21, 2020, issued Nigerians whose visas have expired to leave the country before August 17, 2020, or face the wrath of the law.
Speaking with TheNewsGuru(TNG), some of the affected Nigerians disclosed that they couldn’t afford the evacuation fee.
Videos:
Hammed Sherifdeen who works at a Filipino restaurant as a waiter, said his salary is AED 1300 (About N161,000) but he lost the job.
He furthered, “I only get two months salary out of four months I used to work for them, and I realized they my Visa was not done last year December, the shop went bankrupt they closed the place since last year December, and since then I have been squatting around, sleeping at bus station sometimes and there’s no help from anybody. I can’t even feed well I just need help to go back to my country”
Another contract staff who identifies himself simply as James said, “Things are now very difficult for us here, we hardly get our salaries paid on time, for me, I can’t afford the evacuation fee, I can only appeal to the Nigerian government to come to our aid.
“For four months now that Covid-19 pressure started, I have not received any salary from my employer, myself and several other Nigerians are now living in fear, we have contacted the embassy for evacuation but the amount required is too expensive.”
TNG gathered that prospective evacuees in the UAE are expected to purchase their one-way tickets back to Nigeria at a cost of $672 for economy class and $1,370 for business class (In AED Economy is 2450AED and Business is 5000 AED).
Reacting to the ultimatum in a statement, the Nigerian Embassy in the Emirates urged affected citizens to immediately submit their papers for emigration processing.
The embassy advised concerned nationals to join the evacuation flights arranged from the country before the expiration of the grace period.
“The Embassy wishes to inform that the government of the United Arab Emirates has granted waivers on fines/penalties on visas that expired before 1st March 2020 to leave the country on or before 17th of August 2020,” the statement reads.
“Consequently, the Embassy is urging fellow Nigerians living in the UAE to avail themselves of this opportunity to return home with the impending Air Peace evacuation flight scheduled for 1st August 2020, and or subsequent Emirates evacuation flights before the expiration of the grace period,” it adds.
Some have alleged that the UAE harsh directive is connected to the fraudulent activities perpetrated by a few Nigerians based in Dubai including alleged international internet fraudster Abass Ramon aka Hushpuppi who was arrested by the Dubai Police in June and is being prosecuted in the US.
Amongst other moves, the UAE authorities recently excluded Nigeria from a list of countries permitted to fly into the Emirates.
A cleric has denied allegations that he bought a property in Dubai worth N573m on behalf of the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu.
Prophet Emmanuel Omale, who is also the General Overseer of Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministries International, Abuja, said this in a pre-litigation letter addressed to the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday.
In the letter which was signed by his lawyer, Chief Gordy Uche (SAN), the cleric said he indeed met Magu in Dubai earlier in the year but it was not for the purpose of purchasing a property.
He said the suspended EFCC boss had travelled to Dubai for medical reasons and he only prayed with him.
The cleric said the NAN report reeks of calumny, denigration, actuated by malice, and is calculated to ridicule and disparage him and cast a stain on his reputation; expose him to public hatred and contempt and injure him in his religious calling, as the General Overseer of Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministries International.
The letter read in part, “We, however, wish to make the following clarifications to put the public records straight: That our client is the General Overseer of an Inter-denominational/Multi-religious Prayer Ministry.
“That our client, only visited Mr. Ibrahim Magu in a hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, sometime in March 2020.
“That our client never laundered any funds whatsoever for Mr. Ibrahim Magu or for anybody whatsoever. Our client does not own any foreign bank account anywhere in the world.
“That there are no funds whatsoever traceable from Mr. Ibrahim Magu to our client’s bank accounts whatsoever neither has our client received any funds whatsoever from Mr. Ibrahim Magu. Our client has never received any funds whatsoever from anybody on behalf of Mr. Ibrahim Magu.
“That our client does not own any property in Dubai. His name was never used to purchase any property whatsoever in Dubai, United Arab Emirates or anywhere else in any part of the world, neither has he purchased any property nor properties for Mr. Ibrahim Magu in any part of the world whatsoever.”
Popular Nigerian Instagram celebrity, Hushpuppi arrested 10 June in Dubai is being held by Dubai Police and not America’s FBI or Interpol as widely reported.
UAE’s online newspaper, The National reported Wednesday that he was arrested on multiple fraud charges, along with 12 other accomplices.
The paper also revealed his real name as Raymond Abbas and his real age as 38 years.
His case has been referred to the Dubai public prosecution and is currently being questioned by prosecutors at the Bur Dubai section, the paper reported.
“The prosecutors have charged him for “obtaining money from others through fraudulent means.”
According to UAE National, security officers in the emirate arrested Mr Abbas and 12 others for online fraud that targets companies and individuals.
“They would send out letters from email addresses almost identical to those of legitimate companies, targeting customers of these companies, with the purpose of diverting payments to themselves,” said a senior prosecutor, quoted by the paper.
“Initial information includes that he was part of this gang which fraudulently obtained cash and cars from people.
“His statement was taken by prosecution but this is just the beginning of prosecution investigations.”
The paper also reported that Raymond Abbas is wanted for fraud crimes in Europe, the United States and Nigeria.
Mr Abbas has over two million followers on Instagram. He is known for his display of wealth on social media.
He often posts pictures with his luxury cars like Ferrari and Rolls Royce and a private jet.