Mr Monday Ubani (SAN), former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), on Wednesday, called for urgent regulation of Point of Sale (POS) transactions.

Ubani made the call in a statement to newsmen, in reaction to the spate of POS operations within the country.

He urged the government to adopt measures to ensure that the financial activities of these operators were regulated.

“The POS system has, without question, revolutionised financial transactions across Nigeria, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

“However, this innovation is now being misused in ways that threaten our national security, financial system, and judicial integrity.

“Recently, I was approached by a respected Judge, who expressed grave concern about the alarming rate at which POS machines were being exploited by criminals, particularly kidnappers and fraud syndicates.

“According to his lordship, several cases involving untraceable financial transactions running into tens of millions of naira had come before his court,” he said.

Ubani noted that in most of these cases, the inability to trace the flow of funds or the identities of the operators and beneficiaries has frustrated litigants, prosecutors, and even the court itself.

“The convenience of POS transactions is now being weaponized; In one harrowing incident, the family of a kidnapped victim was forced to pay over ₦90 million in ransom via POS, yet, the criminal trail vanished into thin air,” he said.

According to him, these machines have become unregulated financial conduits, operating outside the reach of law enforcement or traceability frameworks.

“To safeguard our justice system and national financial integrity, decisive and urgent regulatory actions are needed.

Among others, Ubani harped on the need for proper regulation of POS operations.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria must urgently issue and enforce strict regulations mandating registration, licensing, and operational procedures for all POS operators.

“This should include mandatory transaction limits, geo-tagging of POS devices, real-time monitoring, and compliance checks.

“Every POS terminal and the bank accounts linked to them, must be associated with the operator’s BVN and NIN.

“This will provide a direct line of accountability and aid law enforcement in tracing suspicious activity,” he said.

Besides, he called for a critical regulatory provision to mandate any individual seeking to withdraw or transfer funds through a POS terminal, to present verifiable means of identification.(NAN)

 One Rihanat Kuranga of Egbejila Area, Ilorin, on Wednesday filled for divorce from her husband, Shuaib AbdulRahman at the Area Court, sitting at Centre-Igboro, Ilorin, over domestic violence.

Kuranga told the court that her husband started beating her after she gave birth to their second born, saying that it has become unbearable.

According to her, whenever my husband decides to beat me, he will beat me and the children until we start bleeding from our bodies.

”I had to pack out of his house when I gave birth to my fifth born and he didn’t stop beating me and the children mercilessly.”

The woman told the court that she was no longer interested in the marriage and wanted divorce, child custody and maintenance.

”I want their father to pay N50,000 monthly for feeding of our five children and be responsible for their education,” she said.

The Presiding Judge, Toyin Aluko ordered that a fresh hearing be served on the defendant, to enable him have knowledge of the court case.

The case was adjourned until June 30, for Defence or hearing. (NAN)

 A 26 – year-old man, Damilola Emmanuel, was arraigned in an Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly cyberstalking his girlfriend.

The police charged Emmanuel who lives in Ajila Royal Quarters, Elebu , Ibadan with defamation , criminal threats and causing breach of peace .

The Prosecution Counsel, W/PC Olapeju Durodola alleged that on May 24, Emmanuel posted nude videos of his 24-year-old girlfriend on Snapchat and other social media platforms.

Durodola alleged that the defendant posted the video with intention to injure her reputation and expose her to hatred, contempt and ridicule her.

She alleged that the defendant threatened the life of Balogun by sending her text messages that he was a silent killer.

Durodola said the defendant allegedly conducted himself in a manner likely to cause breach of peace by sending the complainant’s nude sexual  video on social media.

She said the offence contravened the provisions of sections 86, 249 (d) and 373 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State, 2000.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Olabisi Ogunkanmi, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N1 million  with two sureties in like sum.

Ogunkanmi said one of the sureties must be a landed property owner.

She adjourned the matter until Sept. 10, for hearing.(NAN)