By Michael Lim

The trial of the former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye, continued on Thursday, June 18, 2026 before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja with the Sixth Prosecution Witness, PW6, Iliya John Iyakwari, denying under cross-examination by defence counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, that there is an extract of the Federal Executive Council meeting of May 21, 2003, different from the  one, marked Exhibit EFCC 3K which he certified and was tendered in evidence by the prosecution.

Agunloye is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on amended seven-count charge, bordering on official corruption and fraudulent award of Mambilla Power Project contract to the tune of $6billion (Six Billion United States Dollars) to Sunrise Power Transmission Company Limited.

Further in the cross-examination, the defence counsel applied that Exhibit EFCC 3D be shown to the witness which met an objection from the prosecution counsel, Abba Mohammed, SAN on the ground that the witness cannot be cross-examined on a document that he is not the maker.

“My lord, our objection is anchored on the Supreme Court authority in Buhari Vs INEC and others. I object to this application because this witness is not the maker, neither was it tendered through him .We further rely on Palladium Mining Ltd & Gekpan Nigeria Limited 2003,” he said.

The Thursday’s proceedings brought the cross-examination of the witness, a former assistant director, Legal in the Federal Ministry of Justice, now serving in the Federal Ministry of Power as an assistant legal adviser to conclusion.

Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the matter till July 2, 2026 for further hearing.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,  Uyo Zonal Directorate,  has called its first witness,  Deputy Superintendent of EFCC,   DSE Unyime P. Moses  in the trial of an alleged romance scammer,  Edidiong Nsidore James.

Moses told Justice Maurine Oyetenu of the Federal High Court  sitting in Uyo,  Akwa Ibom State,  that the evidence of James’ alleged involvement in the $41,000 love scam was discovered in his mobile phone.  Explaining further,  the witness  stated that the communication between  the defendant and his victim,  Elizabeth,  whom he often called ‘My Everything’, had details of the alleged monetary exchange between them.

According to Moses,  the chat evidence printed from the defendant’s phone revealed that when the victim demanded that her money be refunded to her, the defendant failed to comply. Instead, he demanded for more money under various guises, insisting that the additional money must be sent to him, to enable him release her $41,000 to her. “Send me $900 if you want your money back, because if you don’t send me the $900, I won’t give you your money back”,  James said in their chat.

Moses also told the court that, when the victim threatened to report him to the EFCC,  the defendant boasted to her that the EFCC cannot arrest him: “Did you really think the EFCC could arrest me?  I remember I once told you that all this won’t help us, that you sent me $900, but you refused. So,  tell me, how long will it take you to stop thinking you can arrest me.”

While giving her evidence-in-chief, the PW1 told the court that the defendant used pseudo names to defraud his victims, and also identified himself as ‘Jessy James’ when he was arrested.  She said a BVN check was immediately conducted and it was confirmed that Jessy was a fake name.

The witness also told the court that all pleas from the victim to the defendant to refund her money fell on deaf ears as James kept demanding for more money.  Elisabeth once pleaded in one of her chats with  James: “at the end of August, the bailiff will take my apartment and because of you, I will be on the street with my child. I will never forgive you for this. If you do this to me, to whom you said you love, then what will you do to the one you don’t love? I don’t need your pity and I don’t need any feelings at all from you. I need my $41,000”

The PW1 also narrated how she went ahead to put a call across to the victim who responded, but got angry the instant she mentioned the name of the defendant.  Moses said the victim rained curses on her and called the entire country ‘corrupt’. “Don’t ever call me again, your entire country is as corrupt as Jessy and I do not wish to speak with any of you again, except through my country’s Embassy”

After  the cross-examination, the court adjourned to September 22 and 23, 2026, for further hearing.

James  was arrested at his residence located at Ring Road 3, off Camp Gee, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, in an intelligence- driven sting operation on October 8, 2025. Items recovered from the defendant include an iPhone 15 Pro Max, a Redmi 13 mobile phone, and a Lexus ES350, which were all tendered as exhibits by the prosecution counsel,  Joshua Abolarin and were all admitted in evidence.

During a forensic examination of the said gadgets, incriminating communications between the defendant and his victim were discovered in the devices revealing how he had allegedly been defrauding Elizabeth for over three years through a romance scam and extorting money from her. Further probe revealed that he had received a total sum of $41,000 from his victim and was still demanding more.

While interrogated,  James stated that he owned a BetNaija shop which he said he established in 2021. He further claimed that he engaged in boosting social media accounts, by increasing followers. According to him, he charged between ₦30,000 and ₦40,000 per account and has boosted about 20 accounts for his online clients. However,  no evidence was found to substantiate his claim of operating a social media account boosting business, and no proof that any client had sent login details to him for account boosting services.

Further investigation revealed that the suspect was actively involved in internet fraud, specializing in romance scams and identity theft. Findings showed that he used fictitious Facebook and WhatsApp accounts to communicate with his  victims,  including Elizabeth.  Investigations also established that his victims were foreign nationals and not Nigerians as he had earlier claimed.

Although the suspect claimed that he only benefited $4,000 from Elizabeth,  a Hungarian, conversations retrieved from his devices revealed that he received way more than the amount he claimed.

James was first arraigned on January 30, 2026, and pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the three-count charges preferred against him by the Commission.

One of the charges reads:

“That you, Edidiong Isidore James ( a.k.a Jessy Isidore James), on or sometime in February 2025 in Akwa Ibom State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the total sum of Forty-One Thousand United States Dollars ($41,000 USD), property of Elizabeth (‘My Everything’) and other unsuspecting victims, under the pretence of trading in Bitcoin/Forex Trading, which pretence you knew to be false, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(c) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

By Ben Atonko

In a time when public service is often measured by noise, Dr. Terver Tule is measured by impact.

He is not a man of loud promises. He is a man of quiet, consistent sacrifice.

A grassroots man to the core, Tule’s life story reads like a vow kept to his people, the Jechira.

As a child, his dream was simple and rare: to study medicine so he could save lives that others had written off.

While many boys chased status, young Terver chased purpose. His inspiration was not wealth or title but the face of the less privileged patient who could not afford a single dose of drugs.

That childhood aspiration became a life’s work. He took the Socratic Oath not as a ceremony but as a covenant. Today, decades later, he still lives by it.

The owner of Pewaren Hospital, Tule has been offering free medical care to his kinsmen for years. Not for one election cycle. Not for photo ops. For decades.

In rural Benue State where a clinic visit can mean choosing between treatment and food, Pewaren Hospital has been a lifeline.

Mothers bring in sick children with empty pockets and leave with prescriptions filled. Farmers walk in with injuries from the farm and walk out without a bill.

That is the Terver Tule model: treat first, ask questions later and never let poverty decide who lives.

But his compassion does not end at the hospital gate. Tule also built a school. He understood early that healing a community means more than treating malaria and broken bones.

It means breaking the cycle of ignorance and consequently poverty. Through his school and other philanthropic services, he has paid fees, fed students and created opportunities for children who, like him years ago only needed one person to believe in them.

This is a very humble, humane, generous and vivacious man. Meet him and you see it immediately. No airs, no arrogance.

Just a man who listens more than he talks, who gives more than he takes. His generosity is not seasonal. It is structural. It is who he is.

Even when nominated once for the office of commissioner in Benue State, he did not turn it into a campaign of entitlement. He let it pass by.

That is why this moment matters. If Terver Tule could achieve so much with his personal resources, imagine what he could do with the backing of the people he has served.

A man who runs a hospital for free, funds a school and still finds time to stand with the widow and the orphan is not a man to be ignored when leadership positions are being discussed.

He is trustworthy because he took an oath and keeps it. He is reliable because Jechira has tested him for decades and he has not failed. He is dependable because when the system forgets the poor, Tule remembers them.

The Jechira people are known for honouring their own. Now is the time to honour Dr. Terver Tule, not with mere words but with recognition, support and a place at the table where decisions are made.

We have watched him heal our bodies and educate our children with his own hands. Let us now give him the support to heal and build on a larger scale.

Terver Tule did not wait for government to show him the way. He showed government what service looks like.

As a physician, public health leader and strategic advisor, he is committed to strengthening institutions, improving healthcare systems and advancing good governance in Benue State and Nigeria.

Drawing from years of clinical practice, health system leadership and entrepreneurial experience, he helps organizations and leaders turn complex challenges into practical solutions that deliver measurable impact.

His work sits at the intersection of medicine, leadership, policy and social transformation.

For all this, Jechira owes him more than gratitude. We owe him honour. We owe him the chance to do for all of Benue State what he has done for us.

Now is the time to consider Dr. Tule as our representative for Vandeikya/Konshisha Federal Constituency in the 2027 general elections.

The healer is among us. The time to honour him is now.

Atonko writes from Adamgbe, Mbayongo, Vandeikya LGA.