Articles by "MONEY LAUNDERING"
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The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Chief Olu Falae, on Sunday, refuted news reports that said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission asked him to return the N100m he collected from a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Tony Anenih.

Falae, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, said no one had asked him to return the money, which was alleged to have come from the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki.



He said, “(The) PDP gave me money and I gave the money to the SDP, which has confirmed receipt of the money. No one has asked me to return any money.”

The SDP chairman, who noted that several papers reported that the EFCC asked him to return the money, said, “I did not tell anyone that I was asked to return money. The reports showed great bias towards me.”

At a news conference recently held in Abuja, SDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Abdul Ahmed Isaiq, said the money was paid to the party by the PDP following an electoral alliance between the two parties.

Isaiq said the money was paid to his party to assist in selling former President Goodluck Jonathan second-term bid, adding that the money did not come from Dasuki or the Office of the NSA.

He, therefore, said that the party had not done anything wrong and would “not refund any money to anybody”.
January 17, 2016
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Ex-MEND leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo has denied involvement in the alleged N34 billion NIMASA fraud.

The denial was contained in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, which Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo) personally signed on Sunday.


He said, “The truth of the matter is that I do not know anything about the 34 billion naira EFCC is talking about. First, it was 13 billion naira (N13bn) issue, now it is 34 billion naira (N34bn).

“I am not a signatory to any of the companies mentioned in the said N34bn case, so I do not know where this one is coming from.”
January 17, 2016
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National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh was this morning arraigned before Justice Abang Okon of a Federal High Court in Abuja. Olisa Metuh was arraigned on a 7-count charge of corruption and money laundering. He pleaded not guilty to the charge when read to him. The judge deferred his bail hearing till January 19th and ordered that he be remanded in Kuje prison. Metuh was arrested in connection with the $2.1 billion arms deal on January 5th.
January 15, 2016
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The Federal High Court in Lagos Thursday ordered the arrest of a former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Oweize Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo).

Justice Ibrahim Buba issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to report in court to face criminal charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The judge had, on Wednesday, summoned Tompolo, ordering him to appear Thursday, but the accused did not turn up.


EFCC’s lawyer Festus Keyamo informed the court that the summons and charge were duly affixed on a conspicuous part of Tompolo’s home at 1, Chief Agbanu DDPA Extension, Warri, Delta State as ordered by the court.

He said Tompolo ignored previous invitations by EFCC during investigation and failed to report to make a statement.

“We were able to go to Warri Wednesday and pasted the processes on his wall. We took photographs of them as ordered by this court,” Keyamo said.

An affidavit, including picture evidence confirming the substituted service, was tendered before the court.

“In view of the absence of the first accused (Tompolo) despite being served, may we come under Section 141 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 to apply for a warrant of arrest.

“Even at the the point of investigation, the accused person spurned all invitations to him. Now he has also disobeyed the court. We, therefore, apply under Section 141 so that we can compel his attendance,” Keyamo said.

Other accused in the matter include a former Director-General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Patrick Akpobolokemi; Global West Vessel Specialist Limited, Odimiri Electricals Limited, Kemi Engozu, Boloboere Property and Estate Limited, Rex Elem, Destre Consult Limited, Gregory Mbonu and Captain Warredi Enisuoh.

They were all in court and represented by counsel, except Tompolo.

Akpolokemi’s lawyer, Dr Joseph Nwobike (SAN), said though he was not representing Tompolo, it would be in the interest of justice if the former militant leader was given more time to attend to court having only been served with the summons a day earlier.
January 15, 2016
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Under-fire PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, is currently under pressure for allegedly tearing a confessional statement.

A reliable source informed NE that the PDP spokesman tore the statement he had earlier made to shreds and attempted to put the pieces in his mouth when operatives stopped him.

Metuh was arrested by the EFCC last week for allegedly receiving N1.4bn meant for the purchase of arms from a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).



The source said the interrogators believed that the PDP spokesman destroyed the statement after realising the gravity of the evidence against him.

The top operative added that the commission was considering filing additional charges against Metuh for allegedly destroying a major evidence in the case against him.

Lawyers said yesterday that the fact that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman Olisa Metuh tore his statement at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commisssion (EFCC) does not in any way stop him from prosecution.

They said that the EFCC could still proceed with his prosecution for alleged involvement in the $2.1 billion arms scam.

They include Professor of Law, Itsay Sagay(SAN), Professor Kanyisola Ajayi(SAN), Felix Fagbohungbe (SAN), Wahab Shittu, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, Yinka Farounbi, member, Ogun State Judicial Service Commission, Abayomi Omoyinmi and National President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) Malachy Ugwummadu.

Sagay said what Metuh did amounted to a criminal act and that the EFCC could prosecute him for criminal conduct.

“It is a bad example by somebody of his status,” he said.

Metuh is a lawyer.

Sagay said the torn statement could still be tendered in court if the pieces could be put together, adding that “it would be as valid as it was not torn”.

Prof. Ajayi said the EFCC’s prosecution has not been jeopardised by the alleged tearing of Metuh’s confessional statement.

He said: “The alleged tearing up of the confessional statement shouldn’t affect the EFCC’s prosecution. The EFCC as an organisation will most likely have other evidence to support its case before it proceeds to court. It should have other things in store that’ll prove that the crime it alleged was committed was indeed committed by the defendant.”

To Fagbohungbe, Metuh’s conduct does not show him as being of good character, having regard to his position in the PDP. Tearing the statement has no justification, he said, adding that Metuh may have torn the statement after discovering that he wrote incriminating things against himself.

“His action will raise a lot of suspicion in the mind of security agents. It is a suspicious conduct,” Fagbohungbe said.

Shittu, who teaches law at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) said Metuh’s action cannot stop his trial.

“What is important is for the case against him to be water-tight and for the prosecution to be able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt,” he said.

Omoyinmi said the implication of what Metuh did is that he could be charged with wilful destruction of property belonging to the government because the matter at hand is a criminal offence.

He said Metuh’s act does not in any way jeopardise his arraignment as long as there is enough evidence related to the offence for which he was arrested.

He maintained that once a prima facie case had been established against him, the EFCC could go ahead with his prosecution “even with or without a torn statement”.

Farounbi described the development as unfortunate. “If the statement is not badly torn, it could be used; otherwise it will constitute a separate offence and the torn paper constitutes an exhibit against him,” he said.

Ugwummadu said if indeed the attempted destruction of the confessional statement took place, it exposes Metuh’s level of civility.

He said: “The idea of tearing up a confessional statement, if indeed it happened, exposes the thuggish nature of the person in question. It exposes his level of civility. If you have made a statement and you intend to challenge the voluntariness of the statement, what you do is not to tear up that statement.”

Ugwummadu suggested that the statement can be subjected to a trial within trial in court.

“In addition, under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, for an accused person to volunteer information to a law enforcement agency, such as the EFCC, such a person should have in his company his own lawyer.

“Secondly, there would be, like has been adopted under the Lagos State Criminal Law, a video coverage of that procedure. So, if Olisa Metuh feels threatened or witch-hunted, what he should do is to insist that all of these things are available before he makes his statement,” he said

As for the EFCC’s chances of securing a conviction, Ugwummadu added: ”Convictions are not only secured through confessional statements. Whereas it would have been easier, faster and less complex for the prosecution to establish its case with a confessional statement, it is not the only way by which a conviction can be secured.”
January 13, 2016
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The Oyo State traditional rulers have denied benefitting from the $2.1 billion arms fund, which the Traditional Council of Nigeria was believed to have benefited from.

The monarchs spoke through the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, in Oyo town, yesterday.



According to Oba Adeyemi, he had never hidden his disapproval for the setting up of the council in the first instance and that he never supported it.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had alleged that TCN was one of the beneficiaries of the slush fund.

While exonerating himself and other members of the council in the 33 local government councils in the state, the Alaafin, who spoke with members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Oyo Council led by Mr. Gbenga Opadotun to commemorate his 45th coronation anniversary, said he stood firmly against the illegality of TCN and possible crisis it could engender among the traditional rulers in the country.

Alaafin said, “When you talk of the arms deal fund, to the best of my knowledge, none of the traditional rulers in all the 33 local government councils in the state collected from such money. We are not part of it.”

The monarch threw his weight behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war, commending efforts he had made since his assumption of office.

However, he warned that caution should not be thrown to the winds in the course of fighting the hydra-headed vice called corruption.

The traditional ruler said, “People in authority should know their limitations too and do everything in accordance with the dictates of the constitution in order not to be seen as vindictive.”

He noted that since his ascension to the throne 45 years ago, he had initiated a number of developmental projects in the Yoruba nation and the country at large both nationally and internationally.
January 13, 2016
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Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday announced that members of the red chamber will begin a three-day debate on the 2016 Appropriation Bill from Tuesday next week.

Saraki, who stated this at the resumption of plenary on Wednesday, explained that copies of the document will be distributed to members as from Thursday.

He urged members of the senate to indicate the day they would wish to make contributions on the fiscal document at the Senate President’ office before the end of the week.

The development had therefore laid to rest, speculations that the Senate’s copy of the 2016 budget estimates submitted to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari, on December 22, 2015, was missing.

There was confusion in the National Assembly on Tuesday when the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, reportedly told his colleagues at a closed session in the upper chamber that both the soft and hard copies of the 2016 Federal Budget was missing from federal parliament.

Ndume, according to some senators who spoke with our correspondent strictly on conditions of anonymity, lamented that the development will not allow the senate to go ahead with the necessary legislative process on the fiscal document at its plenary on Tuesday.

Members of the federal parliament who went on Christmas and New Year break afterwards were expected to begin work on it this week.

Our correspondent learnt that the senators expressed shock when the news of the missing document was broken by Ndume and the information instantly led to a sharp disagreement between the members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, and the Peoples Democratic Party members in the chamber.
January 13, 2016
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The Ohanaeze Youth Council, on Tuesday, asked a former governor of the old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, to explain how he shared the N500m he allegedly received from ex-National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) for former President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign in the South-East.


Nwobodo, also a former information, and sports minister, recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressive Congress, a move some have described as an attempt to avoid prosecution for his alleged role in the arms deal scandal.

Reacting to the development, the Ohanaeze Youth Council, through its National President, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and the National Secretary, Okwu Nnabuike, gave Nwobodo 21 days to tell Nigerians the beneficiaries of the said sum.

They noted that PDP chieftains from other geo-political zones, who were said to have received similar funds from Dasuki, had disclosed how the sums they collected were disbursed.

The group said if Nwobodo failed to disclose the beneficiaries within the next 21 days, it would take appropriate action to ensure that the full weight of the law descended on him.

The OYC urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to arrest the elder statesmen.

“We charge Nwobodo to let Nigerians know how he disbursed the N500m which he received from Dasuki.

“He should take a clue from Dasuki as well as Chief Tony Anenih, who have since disclosed how they shared money made available to them.

“Since Nwobodo said the money was meant for Jonathan’s mobilisation campaign in the South-East, he should let the world know how he disbursed the money – he should disclose the identities of all the South-East leaders and politicians who received money from him and how much he gave to each of them.

“If he pocketed the money, he should also let the world know,” the Ohanaeze youth wing said.

The group stressed that that the defection of politicians, including Nwobodo, to the APC should not shield them from the law.

It added, “We also wish to remind him that President Muhammdu Buhari jailed him as a military head of state and so history is about to be made as the same President may jail him again – this time, he may bag a bigger sentence.

“The EFCC should not hesitate to arrest all the people who had in one way or the other contributed to running this country’s economy down.

“All we ask the Commission is that it should be total and thorough in its arrest and prosecution. No looter should go unpunished.”
January 13, 2016
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by: Ugochukwu UGOJI-EKE, Umuahia 
THE Catholic Bishop of Umuahia, Abia State, Rev Lucius Ugorji, has urged security agencies handling the investigation into the death of the late John Ndubuka, Personal Assistant to the son of Abia State governor, Engr. Chinedum Orji, to ensure that those behind the killing are brought to book. The Bishop said that the death of Ndubuka should be swept under the carpet, and that making public the findings of the things that led to the shooting and killing of the young man will make his soul to rest in peace. It will be recalled that the police, in statement, had said that three police men who were at the immediate vicinity of the shooting on the day of the incident have been arrested and are currently undergoing interrogation, with the aim of finding out what happened, promising that their findings will be made public. Speaking while delivering his homily at the funeral service for the late Ndubuka, Bishop Ugorji said that death of the late Ndubuka was painful because of the tragic way he was killed on the 15th of February this year. Bishop Ugorji lamented that people often attribute bad incidents to the act of God, adding that, “this kind of senseless killing of a young man like Ndubuka cannot be said to be an act of God, and it is condemnable.” Speaking further, the Bishop said: “Since the death of Ndubuka, there have been many sides to the story, with some saying that it was a stray bullet, while some are saying that it was accidental discharge. But whatever it is, the people are waiting for the police to conclude their investigations and make same public. “This is senseless killing can never be the destiny of the young man to be so killed in the full glare of the crowd. What we are saying is that the shooting and killing of Ndubuka, who was an ardent Catholic, should not be allowed to go the way of other such shootings.” The Catholic cleric noted that the irony of death is that it does not hear the cries of the loved ones, and that no one takes the turn of another in dying, adding that, “Death is a part every mortal must take, and a debt, which everyone must pay.” In his speech the state governor, Chief Theodore Orji said that the death of Ndubuka was as a result of an accidental discharge and was not killed by anybody from his family since they will never kill or destroy a house they had built. Orji described the late Ndubuka as a close relation of his, and wondered why anyone would say that either he or a member of his family would want to kill the young man. According to the governor, “It is one death that has pained me so much since I became an adult, as my family has been in disarray since that death, to the level that I have lost appetite and finds it difficult to eat.”
February 28, 2014
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Abductors of Inengite Nitabai, the septuagenarian cousin of President Goodluck Jonathan, have requested a whooping N500m ransom to set him free.
The outrageous demand, it was learnt, had unsettled members of Nitabai’s family who were said to be running from pillar to post to find a solution to the matter.
A security source told The Nation that the abductors threatened to kill their victim if the family failed to produce the money.
The source, who pleaded anonymity, said the family had constituted a committee to evaluate the wicked demand, establish negotiations with the abductors and facilitate his release.
He said the kidnappers as usual warned against the involvement of security operatives in the matter.
“The kidnappers contacted the family four days after and demanded a whooping sum of N500m. It is believed that the family of the victim has begun negotiations with the hoodlums,” he said.
Distraught family members and sympathisers had shortly after the incident weighed the motives behind the dastardly act.
The atmosphere became gloomier following refusal of the assailants to establish contact with the family of their victim three days after the abduction.
The kidnappers’ incommunicado, it was observed, created panic and heightened apprehension among members of the family.
February 28, 2014
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WARRI—IJAW communities at Agge, along River Ramos, between Ekeremo in Bayelsa State and Bururtu in Delta State,  have issued a seven –day ultimatum to a Delta State-based oil servicing firm, within which to send relief materials, medications and pay adequate compensation to victims of oil spill that occurred last December.

The spill occurred when a barge allegedly carrying about 4,000 litres of crude oil sank in the river, polluting the environment, damaging fishing gears and causing death of aquatic lives and posing health hazard to the communities.

The barge is said to belong to Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production based at Okpai in Ndokwa axis of Delta State.

A Joint Investigation Visit, JIV, by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, led by  the Warri Zonal Office Director, Mr. Akindele, met with representatives of the communities to assess the damage and recommended adequate compensation.
A community representative, Mr. Mitchell Suwa, applauded NOSDRA for its prompt action, saying “now we know that they are working.”
February 27, 2014
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An Ikeja High Court on Thursday fixed March 3 for its ruling on an application filed by Fred Ajudua.
Ajudua, in the application, is asking the court to quash the N1 billion fraud charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye fixed the date after hearing arguments from both the EFCC and Ajudua’s counsel on whether the charge should be dismissed.
Ajudua is being prosecuted for defrauding a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, of about $5.9 million (about N1 billion).
Moving the preliminary notice of objection, Ajudua’s counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo, said the 14-count charge against his client was made under a repealed law.
Ojo said the defendant was charged under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 1995 as amended by Act No.62 of 1999.
“It is my submission that a charge made under a repealed law is fundamentally defective and liable to be quashed.
“There is no legally convincing charge before Your Lordship that will allow the court to exercise any form of jurisdiction on this matter,’’ he said.
Ojo said that Bamaiyi, in his petition to the EFCC, had disclosed self-confession to various crimes including conspiracy, aiding and abetting, money laundering and corrupting of public officers.
“As a court with zero tolerance for illegality and corruption, Your Lordship has the inherent power to refer this admitted violation of the money laundering legislation to the appropriate authorities for investigation and possible prosecution,’’ he said.
Responding, the EFCC’s counsel, Mr Seidu Atteh, urged the court to dismiss the application and ask Ajudua to take his plea.
Atteh argued that Section 6 of the Interpretation Act conferred validity on the charge against the defendant.
He said: “Substantive Law is governed by the law in force as at the time the offence was committed.
“The repeal of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 1995 as amended by Act No.62 of 1999 does not affect the offence that was committed then.’’
In the charge, the EFCC accused Ajudua of conspiring with others (now at large) to perpetrate the fraud between November 2004 and June 2005.
According to the EFCC, the defendant defrauded Bamaiyi while they were remanded at the Kirikiri Prison in Lagos.
The commission said Ajudua obtained the money from Bamaiyi, claiming that it represented the professional fees charged by Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), to handle his case.
Ajudua was also alleged to have claimed that the money would help to facilitate Bamaiyi’s release from prison. (NAN)
February 27, 2014
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From EMMANUEL UZOR, Onitsha
Uneasy calm reigns in  Onitsha, Anambra State as child theft has assumed a dangerous dimension in the commercial city with the emergence of a syndicate that allegedly steals  children from Calabar, Cross River State and uses  Onitsha as its sales point.
However, luck ran out on two suspected female members of the syndicate yesterday when they were apprehended at separate spots  by policemen attached to the Okpoko Police Division at  Akwa Ibom Park axis  along Onitsha-Owerri Road after an unidentified  woman was arrested for allegedly stealing two babies from Calabar and selling  them in Onitsha.
Another woman suspected to be a member of the child trafficking syndicate was also arrested by operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) attached to Okpoko Police Division at the Calabar Motor Park on Onitsha-Owerri Road.
Daily Sun gathered that the suspects, who were undergoing interrogation at the office of Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr. Emeka Ugwu, were arrested following a tip off by some staff of the Akwa Ibom Motor Park and passersby, who suspected their movements.
According to one of the witnesses simply identified as Obinna, one of the suspects was a regular visitor to the park, and  had always come on a weekly basis with different children after which she would return to Calabar, leaving the children behind.
Obinna said nemesis caught up with the women when one of them came into the park in a vehicle belonging to the Transport Company of Anambra State (TRACAS) with a newly born baby with  blood stains.
“The lady comes to the park almost every week; at times at two weeks interval and we discovered that each time she appeared, she had two or three children mostly day old and one-week old children. There was a day she carried a baby with stain of blood showing that the child had  just been delivered. So, today (yesterday) she came  from Calabar and because we have been monitoring her, we noticed that she had two children with her. But when she resurfaced  to board a bus back to Calabar without those kids, that was when we confirmed our suspicion and invited the police,” he said.
February 27, 2014
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 by Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

Three days after the kidnapping of Inengite Nitabai, President Goodluck Jonathan’s adopted father, Otuoke, the President’s country home, has literally been turned into a military zone.
It was learnt that there had been massive deployment of crack team of soldiers and riot policemen in the community from Abuja.
On Wednesday, security forces were said to have taken over every part of the community and its sister communities, combing the creeks frantically to fish out the abductors.
An eyewitness, who craved anonymity, said residents were intimidated by the large troops, saying it was “like medicine after death.”
The eyewitness said, “It is high time the relevant authorities did what was needed to check kidnapping and other vicious crimes in the area. For instance, in Otuoke, for more than seven months now, there is no electricity supply in the area.
“From 7pm, every household resorts to generators. The cacophony of noise arising from those generators can be deafening. Probably if the whole area was quiet, the gunmen could not have successfully carried out their dastardly act without being noticed.
“Apart from the issue of electricity, unemployment is another issue of serious concern. In a situation where some people live in opulence and others live from hand to mouth, you can appreciate the consequences.”
As of Wednesday, the family of the victims were still apprehensive about the abduction of the 70-year-old compound chief of the Jonathan’s family.
Their fear was born out of the fact that more than 72 hours after the abduction, the kidnappers had yet to call any member of the family.
February 26, 2014
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Speaking on the mess that is oozing out of President Goodluck Jonathan's government, Sanusi Lamido told the AFP that Jonathan lacks the will to appoint truthful men and women, as he is surrounded by crooks. In the words of Sanusi: “His [Jonathan] greatest failing obviously is that he is surrounded by people who are extremely incompetent, who are extremely fraudulent and whom he trusts.”

Regarding the allegations against him, the suspended CBN chief said when he heard of a report condemning his performance, he wrote to Jonathan asking if an explanation is needed, but he received no reply.

He said, unfortunately, the first time he was formally notified of the allegations against him was the day he was suspended, that is Thursday last week. But Reuben Abati had lied to the media that Sanusi was queried for the alleged offences and he replied the Presidency.

    According to Sanusi, the so-called kerosene subsidy money spent by the Federal Government in fact pays for “private jets, yachts and expensive mansion (of top public office holders) in Beverly Hills (United States) and Switzerland.

”He added that, “Since 2009, I have been annoying the government… There are people who think I have the wrong friends; people who think maybe I have not distanced myself enough from people who are seen to be opposition figures.”

Sanusi argued that the extent of graft in the NNPC might have reached an historic high. “I think everybody has known that NNPC is rotten. I don’t think it has ever been as bad as this,” he said.

Reacting to plans to arrest and keep him out of circulation, Sanusi said: “If I am sacrificed in whatever way, my freedom or my life… if it does lead to better accountability, it will be well worth it.”
February 24, 2014
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Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State yesterday described as unfortunate, the claim by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that it lost the chance to produce the governor of the state in 2011 by mistake.

Addressing reporters last night in Government House, Owerri, the governor said the PDP has not really won any election in Imo since the time of the former governor Chief Achike Udenwa.

According to Okorocha, “I beat them in 2011 even though they controlled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the police and other security agencies”.

Imo PDP staged a sensitization/grand rally on Saturday to welcome defectors from other political parties to the party. The event was attended by President Goodluck Jonathan.

But in reaction to the defection of some members of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in the state state back to the PDP fold, Okorocha described the defectors as “expired politicians”, adding that “it is painful that the president spent over N5 million to buy a product that is not worth N1 million. They must have lied to the President. They didn’t want the president to travel by road, they would have seen what we have done. I am happy they didn’t say this government is not performing”.

He said, “If Achike had 15,000 followers as he claimed, he would have won the senatorial seat of Orlu. Udenwa is not even a registered member of the APC. The crowd that came there today was because of the presence of the President; none of the people joining them can attract any people to listen to them”.

The governor said it was sad that despite the 1.3 million votes that the state gave to Jonathan in 2011, the president has not taken time to thank the people of the state for their support. “Instead of thanking them, they have come to ask for more votes in 2015. What have we got to show for the votes we gave him? They have not thanked us and now they are asking for support in 2015. Three years after, they are telling us that what we are good at is voting. The projects that they are claiming that they did are our projects”, he fumed.
February 23, 2014
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Four gunmen on Thursday, February 20, 2014 abducted an alleged serial fraudster and suspect in two cases being handled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The suspect, Princewill Arinze Nwobodo (alias Aboki J. Brown) was abducted by the gunmen within the precincts of the Lagos High Court, Igbosere where he was to be arraigned before Justice Aishat Opesanwo on a 4-count charge bordering on obtaining $ 92,000(Ninety-Two Thousand United States Dollar) under false pretence. The arraignment was deferred to March 27, 2014 as the court did not sit.

Nwobodo had previously been arraigned in two separate courts in Lagos on fraud related charges. He was docked on October 25, 2013 before Justice Saliu Seidu of the Federal High Court, Lagos on a 15- count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining under false pretence. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail. His inability to meet the bail conditions consigned him to prison custody till Thursday, February 20.
In the second court, he was arraigned on November 20, 2013 before Justice Aishat Opesanwo alongside Katchy Okoye and Matthew Usong on a 12-count charge that borders on conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence. They were granted bail but could not meet the bail terms.  

 Nwobodo was brought to court on Thursday from Ikoyi Prison, Lagos. He was snatched by the gunmen from the Prison Warders who brought him to court.
February 21, 2014
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Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman, has said that President Goodluck Jonathan has not shown enough commitment to steel development in the country.
According to a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Michael Jegede, the Senator made the observation, while condemning the zero allocation for capital projects in Ajaokuta Steel Company in the 2014 budget proposal, during the budget defence of the Ministry of Mines and Steel, conducted by the Senate Committee on Power and Steel.
Abatemi-Usman, a member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, where the Ajaokuta Steel firm is located, noted that steel development is the bedrock of any industrial revolution, wondering how the federal government wants to achieve the vision 20:2020 without the full operation of the largest steel complex in the Sub-Saharan Africa.
Questioning the Minister of Mines and Steel, Architect Musa Mohammed Sada at the budget defence, Senator Abatemi-Usman said: “We spent billions for staff salaries every year, yet we are where we were as far as the revitalization of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex and National Iron Ore Mining Ore Company are concerned. Where is the place of Ajaokuta steel in our bid for industrial revolution? Do we seem to understand the importance of steel and the significant role it can play in enhancing our economy? If you ask me, I will say Mr. President is just paying lip-service to the issue of Ajaokuta steel and steel development in general. When he (Jonathan) came to Lokoja, Kogi State during the electioneering period in 2011, the thrust of his campaign promises for which our people voted for him was his pledge to revive the Ajaokuta steel complex. Over three years down the line, we’ve not seen much from him in that regard.”
Responding, the Mines and Steel Minister, insisted that despite the fact that fund was yet to be allocated for the completion of Ajaokuta steel, the Federal Government remains fully committed to the revival of the steel outfit.  He explained that government was working hard to clear some of the issues serving as impediment on the way of the steel project.   
SIGNED: MICHAEL JEGEDE
MEDIA AIDE TO SENATOR NURUDEEN ABATEMI-USMAN
VICE CHAIRMAN, SENATE COMMITTEE ON NIGER DELTA AFFAIRS
February 21, 2014
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General Overseer of the Tower of God Ministries, Imo State, Pastor Cletus Nzekwesiri and some executive members of the church including three co-pastors, last Sunday, engaged in a free-for-all fight over a cow offering brought for thanksgiving by a member of the church.
A witness who disclosed this to LEADERSHIP said the show of shame between the self-acclaimed men of God which occurred at the church premises located at No 1, New Orlu road, Egbeada/Akwakuma in Owerri North area of the state immediately after the church service left the wife of pastor Nzekwesiri (Helen) who tried to separate the fight bedridden.
According to the witness, two members of the church had brought a goat and a cow to the church for thanksgiving and when pastor Nzekwesri attempted to untie the cow from where it was tied, three of his co-pastors, Elvis Nwachukwu, Ikechukwu Nwogu and Victor Joseph were said to have descended on him, beaten and tore his cloth.
The general overseer was said to have been almost strangled to death before his wife raised an alarm but that was not before he was said to have received a broken head and his wife was also alleged to have been hit with a broken tile on her leg by one of the pastors.
When LEADERSHIP visited the church on Tuesday which is supposed to be the church’s counselling day, the place was under lock and key with no members in sight.
When LEADERSHIP later met pastor Nzekwesiri who was still nursing wounds he sustained on the head, he corroborated the witness’ account but only added that the cow was not the genesis of the fight.
According to him, the pastors involved in the fight wanted to relieve him of his position as general overseer, adding that for the cow, he only inquired from the co-pastors in whose custody the cow would be before they descended on him.
Meanwhile, one of the pastors, Nwachukwu, when contacted, claimed that pastor Nzekwesiri had been suspended from the church seven months ago for his alleged immoral ways of preaching especially not condemning abortion.
February 20, 2014
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Like any other minister of God, the job of Pastor Isaiah Willie of Happy People Bible Church in the Ayobo area of Lagos State was to preach spiritual redemption to members of his congregation. However, police investigations have revealed that the 40-year-old preacher was not only into bank fraud but was also part of an armed robbery gang. The father of two, who is cooling his heels in the custody of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, told PUNCH Metro that he had been into crime for many years, adding that he had been arrested a few years ago but was later released. Narrating how he and others usually perpetrated bank fraud, he said, “I used to work with a group of guys who are retired bankers. One of them was even a bank manager. Most times, we would get a virgin cheque of a bank customer and the owner’s signature. “If the money is a large sum, the teller would contact the owner of the account on the telephone but we would have already hacked the telephone number of the customer such that when the bank calls the owner of the account for confirmation, it would be one of my members that would answer the call and give approval for withdrawal. “We were able to perpetrate the fraud in Fortune Bank and African Express Bank which are both defunct now. Sometimes we, through the connivance of bank employees, used to clean out dead people’s accounts and use the money to do business. Most times, families of dead people don’t get to access their relative’s account until months or years after the person’s death.” Willie said he was arrested by the police for his fraudulent activities but regained his freedom when his gang members secured his release. PUNCH Metro learnt that about a year later after Willie had decided never to commit crimes, the pastor was lured back by a gang of robbers that specialised in breaking and stealing from Automated Teller Machines. He said, “I met a man who is from my hometown, Confidence Saviour. He was wanted by the police so I told him he could live with me. A few weeks later, he told me to drop some equipment at a nearby bush and later that night, he gave me N10, 000. “He eventually told me that he and his gang were breaking into ATMs and making a lot of money so I decided to join them. I never followed them for any operation but I usually left their operation tools -such as sledge hammer, generator and iron cutters- near the bank where they wanted to attack and I would leave. “However, on one occasion, they went to rob at the Ayobo branch of Access Bank. Instead of dropping the equipment and collecting the usual N10, 000, I wanted more money this time around so I hid in a bush nearby. Unfortunately, the robbery did not go as planned as three policemen were killed at the scene. I was later arrested by SARS men when other gang members mentioned my name.” The cleric, who was close to tears, said he had disappointed God and urged the police to give him one last chance. While quoting Romans Chapter 6 verse 1, he said, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. I know I have disappointed my congregation and I urge them not to backslide. I have been a preacher for over 10 years and I have led many people to God. My flesh was weak. I know that God will forgive me for my crime because I am genuinely sorry.”
BY Eniola Akinkuotu
February 17, 2014

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