Chukwu Keynote, Other Speakers For SUPERNEWS AI Confab ’25

The Managing Director/CEO, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr Johnson Chukwu is the keynote speaker at the Forthcoming SUPERNEWS Nigeria Artificial Intelligence (AI) Confab 2025, holding on Thursday, June 19th 2025 at Oriental Hotel, 3 Lekki Road Victoria Island Lagos at 10am.

Chukwu will be speaking on the theme, Power of AI: Enhancing Efficiency And Customer Satisfaction For Better Financial Services Experience.

Other renowned experts lined up for the event include the Founder/CEO, ZER Consultating Africa, Mrs Adeolu Adewumi-Zer, the Fmr. Managing Director, Hilal Takaful Insurance Limited, Mrs Thaibat Adeniran, the National President, Bank Customers Association of Nigeria (BCAN) Dr Uju Ogubunka and the Head Financial Institutions Ratings, Augusto & Co, Mr Ayokunle Olubunmi.

According to the Convener of the conference, the Publisher of SUPERNEWS Nigeria, Ngozi Onyeakusi, the choice of Johnson Chukwu as the keynote speaker is a reflection of his extensive professional background, diverse expertise and profound knowledge of the financial services sector and economy.

Mr. Johnson Chukwu is the chairman and founder, Cowry Assets Management Ltd, prior to the establishment of Cowry Asset Management Limited, he has been actively involved in the Nigerian capital market and was instrumental to the establishment of one of the most vibrant capital market operator, as the pioneer General Manager/Chief Executive Officer of Guardian Express Trust Limited (now Spring Capital) – a subsidiary of Guardian Express Bank Plc (now Spring Bank Plc).

Before joining Cowry Asset Management Limited on a full-time basis in October 2007, Mr. Chukwu was between February 2006 and September 2007 a Deputy General Manager and Group Executive, Operations of Spring Bank Plc.

Mr. Chukwu is a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) second class upper degree holder in Accounting and a University of Lagos Scholar. He also holds an MBA from Lagos Business School (Pan African University).

His banking career also includes a 3-year stint as the Deputy Financial Controller of Diamond Bank Plc (1997 – 2000) and 5 years experience with Intercontinental Bank Plc (1992 – 1997) where he worked in Credit and Marketing (Trade Finance), Financial Control, Treasury Operations, and Branch Operations.

Among his professional qualifications are Fellowship of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and Chartered Institute of Taxation.

He has attended several courses both locally and internationally including IESE Business School (University of Navarra) Barcelona, Spain; Wharton Business School (University of Pennsylvania) Philadelphia, USA among others.

The epoch making event, which will be bringing together regulators, key stakeholders in the financial services, ICT sector, informal sector and small business owners will be chaired by the Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Alhaji (Dr) Umaru Kwairanga.

The confab will focus on how AI is redefining the financial services sector, accelerating
automation, customer engagement, risk management and fraud prevention.
It is a learning opportunity designed to enhance awareness, deepen understanding of
participants on the imperative and use of AI in rendering banking, capital market, pension
and insurance services cheaper, faster and conveniently.

Kwara Court Jails Tailor for Impersonating, Defrauding EFCC Investigator

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced a 27-year-old fashion designer, Haruna Musa Tolani, to 12 months imprisonment for impersonating and defrauding Callitus Egwuonwu, an investigating officer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Directorate.

Tolani, an indigene of Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, was initially arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on impersonation and cybercrime on January 28, 2025 and pleaded not guilty, but later changed his plea to guilty after overwhelming evidence was presented by counsel to the EFCC, Sesan Ola.

Count one of the charge reads:

“That you Haruna Musa Tolani in August,2024 at Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, misrepresented yourself via electronic message sent through unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) to Access Bank Plc. With respect to account number 0022643389, property of Mr Callistus Egwuonwu, with which you purchased N20000.00( Twenty Thousand naira) worth of MTN data which resulted into loss to the owner of the account and you thereby commit an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 14(2) of the cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2015”

Similarly, count two reads:

“That you Haruna Musa Tolani sometime in August,2024 at Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently impersonated one Callistus Egwuonwu via electronic message sent through unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) to Access Bank Plc with respect to account number 0022643389, property of Callistus Egwuonwu with intention to purchase MTN data worth Twenty Thousand Naira (20,000.00) which you did purchase and thereby committed offence contrary to Section 22(2)(b)(ii) of the cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act,2015 and punishable under Section 22(2)(b)(iv) of the same Act”

In his judgment, Justice Awogboro imposed a 12-month custodial sentence on Tolani with an option of a fine of N200,00( Two Hundred Thousand Naira). The court also ordered the forfeiture of a First Bank manager’s cheque of N200,000 in favour of the victim and directed the convict to restitute the sum of N20,000, the amount he fraudulently obtained.

Tolani bagged his imprisonment when he was arrested for internet fraud. He was charged to court, pleaded guilty and convicted.

Two Truck Drivers Jailed for Illegal Possession of Minerals in Ilorin

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Thursday, May 15, 2025 convicted and sentenced two truck drivers, Abdulkareem Hussaini and Aliyu Ladan to one-year imprisonment each for unlawful possession of solid minerals.

They were arraigned on one-count separate charges by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The charge against Hussaini reads:

“That you, Abdulkareem Hussaini on or about the 11th day of June 2024, at Ballah Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without lawful authority, comes into possession of minerals to wit: Thirty-Five Tonnes of mineral, conveyed in a Layland DAF Truck, with registration number KTG 54 XB and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1 (8) (b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1984”

Similarly, Ladan’s charge reads:

“That you, ALIYU LADAN, on or about the 13th day of September, 2024 at Ballah, Asa Local Government Area, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without lawful authority, comes into possession of minerals to wit: 30 tons of mineral, conveyed in a SINO truck, with registration number: FTA 981 XB and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(8) (b) of the Miscellaneous Offices Act, 1984”

The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges when they were read to them.

Following their pleas, counsel to the EFCC, Sesan Ola, reviewed the facts of the case, tendered evidence and thereafter prayed the court to convict the defendants accordingly.

In his judgment, Justice Awogboro sentenced Hussaini and Ladan to 12 months in prison with an option of fine of N1 million each. The judge also ordered that the solid minerals recovered from the convicts at the time of arrest be forfeited to the Federal Government.

The convicts started their journey to the Correctional Centre when they were found in possession of large quantities of minerals without valid authorization, an act that violates Section 1(8)(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1984.

They were charged to court, pleaded guilty to their charges and convicted.