The advent and adoption of debit or ATM cards have made it easy for us to do certain banking transactions - from making payments to merchants online to fund transfer and making cash withdrawal without stepping a foot into the banking hall; the benefits of debit/ATM cards are obviously there for all to see. However, as these cards are valuable in the hands of an individual who has a legal possession of one or more (of them), so are they useful to unscrupulous individuals who are out to rob an unsuspecting carrier.

The common factor, of course, is money, and since this legal tender [which makes obvious needs elude you] is involved, it behooves that anyone who has a possession of a debit/ATM card will, no doubt, treasure it to a great extent. It is for this reason one has to be careful about guarding his/her card from getting into the hands of a person - a third party - with malicious intentions.

Notwithstanding, in case you eventually lose your card or peradventure, it gets stolen, you have to act very fast so that you do not end up losing it all - your hard-earned money. Plus, do not let the fact that you have never revealed your password to a third party give you a ‘false sense of security‘ that the cash in your account will be intact as fraudsters might use your card to make online payments on merchant sites that do not require your password or OTP to complete a particular transaction.

Hence, I have elected to share how you can go about blocking your debit card - with respect to the bank that may be involved - in this article. So, read on to see the code or number that will address your need in case your card gets missing.

• Access Bank: CALL: +2341-2712005-7; +2342802500; 07002255222377.

• Ecobank: Send STOP [SPACE] [Account number linked to the card] to 08063262265 OR CALL: +2347005000000.

• Fidelity Bank: Dial *770*911# OR CALL: +23414485252; +234800344335489.

• First Bank of Nigeria Plc: SMS BLOCK to 30012 from your registered phone number OR CALL: 0700347782668228.

• First City Monument Bank (FCMB): Dial *329# OR CALL: +234(01)2798800.

• Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB): Dial *737*51*10# OR CALL: +2348039003900; +2348029002900.

• Heritage Bank: CALL: +234-1-236-9000.

• Keystone Bank: CALL: +234-1-448-5742; +2347080605000.

• Polaris Bank: CALL: +2348069880000; 070075932265; +23414482100; +23412705850.

• Stanbic IBTC: Dial *909# OR CALL: 014222222; 070022557826242. Optionally, you SMS BLOCKCARD [SPACE] NUBAN[linked to the card] to 30909.

• Sterling Bank: Dial *822# OR CALL: 070078375464.

• Union Bank of Nigeria: Send BLOCKCARD [SPACE] NUBAN[linked to the card] to 20123.

• United Bank for Africa (UBA): Dial *919*10# OR CALL: +2347002255822.

• Unity Bank: CALL: +2347080666030.

• Wema Bank: CALL: +2348039003700.

• Zenith Bank: Dial 96660# OR CALL: 0700286936484.

Alternatively, you can also block your missing/stolen ATM card through your bank’s mobile banking app or internet banking platform. However, it has to be emphasized here that your move towards securing your account after losing your debit card should not end with the blockage of the card through the phone alone. You should follow this up by visiting the nearest branch of your bank to request for a new (debit/ATM) card and also confirm that the stolen/lost card has been rendered ‘inactive’.

Rachael Dickson, wife of Bayelsa State Governor says she remains grateful to God for the gift of quadruplet after 15 years of marriage.

Rachael said she waited for 15 years to have a child after her wedding before God rewarded her with one boy and three girls.
She spoke on Sunday during a thanksgiving service at the King of Glory Chapel, Government House, Yenagoa.

The Governor’s wife said God showed up after 15 years of waiting for fruits of the womb and described the moment she was delivered of her quadruplets in the United States of America three years ago as visitation by God.

The thanksgiving service was part of activities marking the third anniversary of the quadruplets, The Nation reported.

She described her children as bundles of joy and prayed God to bless, prosper and equally use them to bring him glory.

“First I want to thank this Great God of Heaven because today we are marking the third anniversary of these special gifts from God.

“After fifteen years, he turned away our captivity. When men thought it was over, he, God, said it was not over”.

“I stand before this great God to say there is no other God like him. Today I stand before him to say our joy is full. Today I stand to say this great God of heaven can never fail”.

The governor’s wife also expressed appreciation to family members, friends, associates and the clergy for attending the service as well as for making the day memorable for the children.

A reception for guests was also held at the Governor’s Lodge with over 200 children in attendance amidst fanfare.

Some dignitaries in attendance include the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Douye Diri and his wife; his running mate Senator Lawrence Erhuwjakpo, top government functionaries and the clergy.

A few bad apples stole 50,000 good ones from an orchard in LaPorte County, Indiana.

Jon and Robyn Drummond, owners of Williams Orchard, reported to the La Porte County Sheriff's Office last Saturday that thieves had stolen the apples from an acre of trees.

"I was floored," Jon Drummond told CNN. "When someone comes in and commercially steals from you, it's like, whoa. That's a little disheartening."

"Almost every single apple from every single tree was completely wiped out," he said. "It was cleanly picked. I was like, oh my God, someone came in and stole these apples."

The Drummonds recently purchased the orchard, which was established in the 1860s, and even hosted a grand reopening on Labor Day weekend.

They estimate the missing apples are worth $27,000.

"Sadly, I don't have any insurance on it," said Jon Drummond. "I don't have theft insurance, and so I wasn't able to recoup any money. It was purely stolen out of our pockets."

The theft occurred in a secluded valley at the back of the orchard, he said.

The couple had just invested in building new gates, but had not yet installed locks, so the thieves were able to simply unchain the gates and drive through the orchard, he said.

"It probably was an insider job," said Jon Drummond. "Someone knew this orchard really well. They knew where to go, the portion of the orchard where they couldn't be seen."

He believes the missing apples might be used to make cider, or possibly sold through wholesalers or other distributors.

While Drummond filed a police report with La Porte County Sheriff's Office, there have been no leads.

"We're looking for a pickup truck or some kind of trailer that could pull this large of product," Capt. Derek Allen of La Porte County Sheriff's Office told CNN affiliate WSBT.

Despite the loss, Jon Drummond says he's trying to stay positive.

"We're going to laugh about it because the only other option is to cry."

Nigerian authorities on Saturday scrambled to find the families of hundreds of men and boys freed from a school where some had been kept in chains, sexually abused and tortured.

Police freed as many as 400 captives, aged from six to 50, from the house in Kaduna in northern Nigeria in a raid on Thursday. Some were chained to radiators, tires or hub caps and others bore visible signs of scars from whippings and beatings.

More than a dozen, including 10 children, were hospitalized on Saturday. All the adults were in critical condition, with one vomiting blood.

Police set up a makeshift camp for the others at the edge of the city and were trying to register the freed captives. In one of the buildings at the camp, children queued to register their names against a list, later laughing and playing before being served a plate of noodles.

Outside, dozens of parents, faces contorted with worry, gathered to collect their children. Some had paid tuition fees to the men running the house believing it to be an Islamic school, while others viewed it as a correctional facility with no expectation of instruction.

Kaduna state police spokesman Yakubu Sabo said the "dehumanized treatment" they discovered made it impossible to consider the house an Islamic school.

Local media said some of the children had been tortured, staved and even sexually abused. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the reports.

Hafsat Mohammed Baba, the state's commissioner of human services and social development, told Reuters a headcount had accounted for just 190 people, including 113 adults and 77 children. The reason for the discrepancy in numbers was not immediately clear, but authorities said some freed from the home fled immediately.

FREED CAPTIVES

Police raided the school after a relative was denied access to the captives. Seven people who said they were teachers at the school were arrested in the raid.

Police called on families from across the region, from the suburbs of Kaduna to the nearby countries of Ghana, Mali and Burkina Faso, to collect the freed captives. Despite the reports of abuse, some were reluctant to return home with their family members.

Mohammed Sani Abu Sha'aban, a father of 13 from the Kaduna suburb of Nasarawa, sent two of his sons - 16-year-old Salim and 25-year-old Jamilu - to the school for more than three years.

He paid 34,000 naira (£90) per term and said it had helped his sons, particularly Salim. "Now that they are set free, he may relapse into his past negative attitude of absconding from school and other vices," Sha'aban said.

Islamic schools, known as Almajiris, are common across the mostly Muslim north of Nigeria. Widespread poverty prompts many parents to leave their children at the institutions, yet they have been dogged by reports of abuse and accusations that some children are forced to beg on the streets rather than get an education.

Some activists have called on the government to outlaw the schools.

But Sha'aban, who said he visited regularly and never saw signs of poor treatment, called on the state to keep the Kaduna school open. "The closure of the school is really a source of concern and very disturbing to us who have unruly children and wards," he said.

Junior Duru, Nigerian football star, has been reportedly killed during a shootout between rival cult groups at Auchi Polytechnic in Edo state.

The 17-year-old younger brother of Lobi Stars defender Ebube Duru was said to have met his untimely death while visiting his friend on campus.

According to report, the teenager was among the invited players for the Golden Eaglets campaign, but did not make the final squad for the ongoing UEFA/CAF U-17 tournament in Turkey.

Meanwhile, his elder brother and Lobi Stars player Ebube Duru has reacted to his death, saying it was painful learning about his brother's demise.

He further revealed that the deceased planned to become a professional footballer but now death has taken him away at a very young age.

"It’s very painful I have to just move on, I think it’s another thing now to make me double my effort,” the defender told footballlive.ng.

"He told me before I travelled that he wants to play football to the highest level, he couldn’t achieve and I think that’s one thing I owe him so I’ll try my best and make sure I play this game to the highest level and make him proud."

Ebube Duru is currently with the Super Eagles home based players in Senegal as they campaign for the WAFU Africa Cup of Nations title.

Also the Nigerian Football Federation have announced the shocking demise of former Super Falcons forward Ifeanyi Chiejine who died after a brief illness.

According to the statement by the Nigeria's Football governing body, the former Confluence Queens of Lokoja striker died on Wednesday, August 21.

But the details of her untimely death was not revealed by the Nigeria's Football body.

An 11-month-old boy died after he and his twin sister were found in a hot car at an Alabama car dealership on Friday.

Emergency responders arrived at Sunny King Honda in Oxford, Alabama, around noon after receiving a 911 call about the children, Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge told CNN.

Upon arrival, police learned that the boy and girl — who were still in their car seats — were inside the vehicle for three hours and 26 minutes, according to Alabama Local.

The Oxford Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Both children were transported to the Regional Medical Center emergency room, where the boy was pronounced dead, Calhoun County Coroner Pat Brown told CBS 42.

The twin sister is doing well, Partridge confirmed.

The father, who is an employee at the dealership, forgot about the children in his minivan until the mother called to ask about the twins, Alabama Local reported. The father took the children out of the vehicle before emergency responders came to the scene.

According to the outlet, by the time the twins were located, the temperature was already in the mid-90s.

“All indications seem that this is a tragic accident,” Brown told CBS 42. “No one can fathom the way this family feels and I especially want to make sure that people are sympathetic to this family and that they get all the facts before they pass judgment.”

In a statement to WBRC on Friday, the dealership said the “Sunny King Automotive Group is hurting,” adding, “We request your thoughts and prayers for our employee and his family and the Sunny King Automotive Group family.”

Partridge confirmed to Alabama Local that the case is still under investigation.

“It’s a scene you don’t want to respond to,” he said. “It’s one of those things that will stay with you for the rest of your life.”

Culled from Yahoo

As our world keeps evolving with the explosion of technology and immense internet usage, so has the wittiness of certain individuals to perpetrate faceless crimes behind the screen of their personal computer. Cybercrimes - which ranges from internet scams to phishing, cyberstalking, hacking, identity theft, cyberterrorism and so on - have been resorted to as a revenue-generating avenue that assuage the luxury life of individuals that they have not broken a sweat to earn.

The multiplicity of Yahoo boys is something that has not escaped the consciousness of the average Nigerian, and while the act of cyber criminality has often been directed at foreigners - a situation has deeply tarnished the image of the nation on the international scene - Nigerians at home have also not exempted from feeling the scourge of cybercrimes.

According to a report prepared by two cybersecurity firms, Serianu Limited and Demadiur Systems Limited, it was estimated that Nigeria lost funds in the tune of N198.6 billion between 2016 and 2017 alone. It is not out of place to those who have been victimized failing to act immediately by reporting the crime to the appropriate agencies; this, on its own, has been one of the reasons cybercrime appears to have been thriving in the land. Viewing it from a different angle, it is possible that most of those who have fallen victim do not even who to report the case to.

It is these circumstances that necessitated the writing of this particular article wherein I shall now [without further ado], discuss how you can report cybercrime.

You can do this by filing a report to any of the following agencies:

• Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC): You can reach EFCC via [email protected] or call any of the following phone numbers: +234-9-9044751; +234-9-9044752; +234-9-9044753; 08093322644.

• Nigeria Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU): You can call the Nigeria Police Special Fraud Unit via 08038506135 OR 08066827830. Optionally, you can visit www.specialfraudunit.org.ng/en/?page_id=202 or send an email to [email protected] to log your complaints.

• By way of extension; you can also report cybercrime [especially as it relates to e-tax payment/transaction] to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) by visiting http://www.firs.gov.ng/aboutus/pages/fraud-Alert.aspx OR send an email to [email protected]

Furthermore, you can report cybercrime incidences bordering on financial matters to the officials at your bank, and from there, the issue can be relayed to relevant authorities.

BONUS
The laxity of the law in handling cybercrime cases prior to the enactment of the Cybercrime Act 2015 could be said to be one of the major reasons this kind of crime has proliferated in the country - though one cannot be oblivious of the fact that the architecture of the internet makes it easy to perpetrate such crimes; plus gross unemployment yet contribute in the spread of these crimes.
The enactment of the Cybercrime Act 2015 is however a step in the right direction in the fight against cybercrime. You can have a look at the Cybercrime Act 2015 at www.cert.gov.ng/resources/article/cybercrime-prohibition-prevention-etc-act-2015-document

PARTING SHOT
It is very fine that you are not into cybercrime - or crime of any sort - but it is even better if you do not keep silent or fold hands when you become aware of incidences of cybercrime. Evil only thrives when good people fail to do what is needful…so, make a commitment towards reporting cybercrime today.

Disasters are rather better imagined than being a reality as we hope to spend our days in wholeness/soundness of mind and body with loved ones. But as mush as we would like to abandon disastrous events in the recesses of our mind, we cannot outrightly deny the fact that disasters do happen. And this is why we have to seek ways of managing - or probably preventing - such occurrences. This is what shall form the fulcrum of this discourse as we look at the agencies that are in charge of disaster management in Nigeria, and also shed some light on the problems facing disaster management in the country.

First and foremost, the major agency in charge of disaster or emergency management in Nigeria is the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), with its efforts being complemented in all states - except five - of the Federation by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). Besides this, NEMA has zonal offices in Kaduna, Plateau, Borno, Rivers, Lagoos and Enugu.

The National Emergency Management Agency was established in 1999 under Act 12 as amended by Act 50 of 1999, and is saddled with the overarching objective of managing disasters in Nigeria. Broadly speaking however, NEMA’s statutory functions also include [but not limited to]:

• Formulation of policies that are related to the management of disasters in Nigeria; this is central to the fulfilment of the agency’s overall mandate.

• Monitoring/evaluating the state of the nation’s preparedness against the occurrence of disasters, and making moves towards reducing and/or curtailing risks associated with disaster.

• Leading sensitization/awareness campaign against sudden disaster in the country; with the aim of educating the populace on steps to take in the event(s) of sudden disasters.

• Provision of relief materials for persons victimized by disasters. Also, NEMA is to develop joint humanitarian programs/plans [with other stakeholders] to mitigate disaster-related risks.

• Coordinating training and human capacity development programs in order to equip staff members for disaster management tasks.

Other stakeholders involved in the management of disaster in Nigeria include the Nigeria Fire Service, Nigeria Armed Forces, Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and the Red Cross amongst others.

Challenges of disaster management in Nigeria

Disasters in themselves do portend huge challenges that are not always easy to curtail, and these could eventually throw those in charge of managing the situation in a tight and/or helpless state in some instances. In the case of Nigeria however, there are a number of issues that could yet add to the problems arising from catastrophic situations or make recovery efforts grossly ineffective on the whole, and some of these are discussed as follows:

• Lack of coordination among stakeholders: Stakeholders involved in the management of disasters apparently lag in the area of forging good coordination as their mandates do not appear to properly laid out when it comes to managing emergencies.

• Lack of proper evaluation/assessment: Another challenge encountered in the management of disasters in Nigeria is that which hovers around the inability to accurately evaluate disaster situations. This may be due, in part, to the inadequate supply of evaluation tools/equipments. Owing to this, there is a need to invest hugely in equipments that will be valuable in forewarning (about) and managing the situations.

• Misrepresentation of data: More often than not, we have seen authorities and eye-witnesses giving contrasting accounts [especially in the aspect of casualty figures] after disaster struck. This is one major challenge that could hamstring efforts to get adequate relief materials to those affected by disasters.

• Slow response time: Most of the times when disaster breaks out in developed nations, one of the reasons - aside from the deployment of advanced technological equipments - damages are usually limited is due to the proactive nature as well as minimum response time of the agencies overseeing disaster management efforts. However, in the case of Nigeria, it could reach up to hours or even days before aids get to the victims.

• Diversion of relief materials/aids: It is not out of place to see relief materials from humanitarian organizations diverted and sold in the markets, and as such, being use for monetary gains. So, invariably, corruption yet rear its ugly head in this very regard.

NEMA’s Regional Offices

• North-Central Office: Direct labour compound, Vom Road, Jos, Plateau State. Phone number: +234092905903

• North-East Office: Medical store premises, Baga Road off Auno street, Maiduguri, Borno State. Phone number: +2348039149667

• North-West Office: 15, Wurno Road, Unguwan Sarki, Kadunai, Kaduna State. Phone number: +234092905896

• South-East Office: 55a, Ezillo Avenue, Independence Layout, Enugu State. Phone number: +234092905781; 08037020447; 08077634188; 08062960563.

• South-South Office: 51, Ikwerre Road, Diobu, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

• South-West Office: Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way opposite Ikeja Plaza, Lagos State. Phone number: +234092905789

Headquarters: 8, Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Maitama, Abuja.
Phone number: 080022556362

One stipulation that is presently drawing the irk of many Nigerians amidst bouts of murmurings and condemnation is the charges that the Central Bank of Nigeria is imposing on deposit and withdrawal of funds exceeding N500,000. There is certainly a purpose for every action - at least for a revered organization as the CBN. But then, does the reason [as stated by the CBN] in this case justifiable? Well, let’s review the matter more closely and maybe a bit more analytically. Should the need to encourage the embrace of a cashless society bring about burdening individuals with charges rather than making moves to cut down on the already effected deductions - like the maintenance of accounts, debit cards and suchlike?

Just about the other day, I read in the news that four commercial banks were able to make N24.3 billion from account maintenance charges in within a period of six months. People have been disgruntling over the excessive charges that get deducted from their account and as though all these (deductions) were not enough, we are being hit by another hammer from the “power that be“. Does the CBN think it to be a wise choice to have business people take their cash to the bank; saving it there to pay either 2% or 3% [as the case may be] for even patronizing a financial institution in the first instance?

Legalizing extortion?
The charges on deposit and withdrawal on funds above N500,000 is nothing but another form of extortion and I do not really see much difference between what is being done here and what Lagosians usually witness from the ordeals of touts (commonly called ‘agbero‘) and commercial vehicle operators who are trying to make ends meet - Oh! The difference as you may point out is that one is literally and legally informed than the other but by the way of imposition, their M.O appears to be similar.

The economy is not so good - or bad without mincing words - but placing the burden on a man or woman who is still trying to find his/her footing in a particular business venture is nothing but an ignoble idea. This will never be welcome palliative measure to stabilize or raise the economy to a good standard; I believe there are other holistic measures that can be taken to correct things.

I have heard and seen certain individuals feeling less concerned since they are not used to having an amount as ‘huge‘ as N500,000 or more in their account. This is quite baffling and I wonder if this group of individuals know that ‘injustice to one is injustice to all‘. More so, if the government - through the CBN - could allow a levy to be imposed on a selected few with a ‘bulky‘ account [as we have in this case], how sure is one that it would not someday trample on the rights of the less privileged - well, I speak as a novice; isn’t this happening already?

Looking at it broadly; at the end of the day if these charges are continually deducted, who do you think will eventually bear the brunt? - The consumers, of course. And, in a nation where price regulation is left in the theoretical corridor, business owners affected by these charges will not even think it twice to raise the prices of commodities as they aim to make good profits from their businesses.

So, rather than looking for ways of alleviating the hardship of the masses, those in authority have found another means of heaping up the loads of uneasiness on the people. And, it is in view of the fore goings that I put this [to anyone with unimpaired conscience]: how can this thing be?

Emuidzhi Oghiabekhva scored a brace in Minsk’s 3-1 stunning victory over Zurich in Thursday's Uefa Women's Champions League Round of 32, second leg encounter.

The 29-year-old forward has continued to impress in the competition after inspiring Minsk's 1-0 first-leg win against Ivan Dal Santo's side, she scored in each half to help her side advance.

With a first-half advantage, It took just 10 minutes into the match for Oghiabekhva to fire the visitors in front at Letzigrund Stadium.

However, Fabienne Humm scored in additional time to bring the hosts back on level terms before half time in Zurich.

After the restart, the Nigeria forward finally got her second goal of the match in the 76th minute to recover the visitors lead before Yuliya Duben struck two minutes later to wrap up their advancement.

The 3-1 win means the Belarusian champions have progressed to the Round of 16 stage of the competition, and also signified the elimination of Zurich.

With her brace, Oghiabekhva has scored 10 goals in seven outings in this year's Champions League to maintain her topscorer chase.

Minsk will find out their Champions League Round of 16 opponents when the draw will be held on September 30.