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Tag: Arrest

  • EFCC, ONSA arrest Boroh, recover $9m cash from Abuja home

    Operatives of EFCC and ONSA, have discovered $9 million cash at the residence of the sacked Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, retired Brig.-Gen. Paul Tarelah Boroh.

    Boroh, who was Special Adviser on Niger Delta to President Muhammadu Buhari has also been arrested.

    The discovery of the cash was made a few hours after his arrest by a combined team of EFCC and operatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

    The Head, Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujiaren, confirmed the arrest and cash recovery in response to THISDAY’s enquiries.

    A senior security agent said Boroh was picked up from his home in Gwarinpa, Abuja, on Monday.

    He was reported to have been taken back to his residence at about 3 a.m. Tuesday by the security operatives who raided his house for hours and made the cash discovery of $9 million at his home.

    He remains in the custody of the EFCC.

    “The former adviser was driven to his home in an unmarked car after his arrest. His home was searched for several hours and about $9 million cash was discovered in several safe boxes in several parts of the house,” the senior security agent stated.

    “The combined team of EFCC and the National Security Adviser operatives were very thorough with the search. Indeed, at a point, the operatives broke all the locks in the home including his wife’s closet. The recovered cash has been deposited at the Office of the NSA.”

    Buhari sacked Boroh last week and announced Prof. Charles Dokubo as his replacement.

    In the statement announcing Boroh’s dismissal, it said the NSA, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), had been directed to probe the activities of the Amnesty Office from 2015, when Boroh was appointed, especially allegations of financial impropriety and other acts that were allegedly detrimental to the objectives of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

    According to investigations by THISDAY, Boroh’s sack, investigation and arrest by the EFCC may not be unconnected to a petition, among others, that was sent to the president last August.

    The petition to Buhari dated August 21, 2017 was signed by one Timi Angalabiri, on behalf of the Niger Deltans for Accountability and Good Governance (NDAGG).

    The group requested the president to suspend the ex-Amnesty Programme boss “for a credible investigative inquiry to commence into the non-payment of tuition fees and living expenses of recently graduated Niger Delta students in universities across the United States, the United Kingdom and Nigeria.

    The petitioner further pleaded with Buhari to use his good office to prosecute Boroh and others for allegedly diverting the sum of N70 billion.

    Shortly after the petition was written, rumours swirled about Boroh’s sack by the president, but they were dismissed by the former Amnesty Programme boss.

    “This story about my suspension and even sack has been off and on in the media, but the truth is that I have not been sacked and no one should disrupt the relative prevailing peace in the Niger Delta region with such fake news,” he had said.

    “What is happening is the handiwork of political enemies and those who do not want the region to be peaceful. The rumours they are peddling are just rubbish and unfounded. Under my watch, the programme, candidly speaking, has helped greatly to stabilise the region.”

    The Reformed Niger Delta Avengers and 10 other militant groups Tuesday threatened to attack oil installations in the Niger Delta if the sacked coordinator of the Amnesty Programme was not reinstated in four weeks.

    According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Johnmark Ezonbi, leader of the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, said the federal government would “hear from them” if Boroh was not reinstated.

    He said the sacked coordinator of the Amnesty Programme played a significant role in prevailing on the militants to end the attacks on oil installations, warning that it was obvious that the government was toying with the destiny of the Niger Delta.

    The statement by Ezonbi read: “The federal government will hear from us at the expiration of the four weeks ultimatum as no single stone will be left unturned as the administration prefers to go back to the recession period when Boroh played a major role by visiting the creeks with other stakeholders to prevail on the boys to drop their arms and embrace peace.

    “We will embark on a well coordinated destruction of all major delivery oil pipelines after the expiration of the four weeks ultimatum without looking back.

    “I want to warn that any intruder into our planned action in four weeks time, if the federal government fails to reinstate General Paul Boroh, will be severely dealt with without mercy because our attacks will make the security agencies in the creeks very small.

    “We are fully ready to take on anybody as we have the instruments of warfare that will make the biggest military might marvel at our coordinated attacks.

    “We are ready to dirty our rivers and creeks with our oil, it is better we spill it than allow government use it to develop other parts of the country.”

  • Constituency projects: EFCC secures order to arrest House Minority Leader, Leo Ogor

    Constituency projects: EFCC secures order to arrest House Minority Leader, Leo Ogor

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured a warrant from a court to arrest the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, Leo Ogor, over alleged 20 constituency projects, which were tagged as “suspiciously unexecuted”.

    According to a report by The Nation, the anti-graft agency may effect the arrest of the Minority Leader any moment from now, following alleged failure to appear for interrogation.

    The projects, said to be worth over N500 million, were allegedly awarded to companies linked to Ogor.

    But the EFCC was yet to lift the freezing order on the N116 million in the accounts of five out of six companies owned by Ogor being allegedly used to secure contracts from some agencies as constituency projects.

    The issues against Ogor include over N318 million to two of the companies by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC); 20 suspected but unexecuted projects in the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons; and implication in a petition against House leadership by the suspended Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, on alleged padding of 2016 budget and insertion of bogus constituency projects.

    According to findings, EFCC has obtained a warrant of arrest against Ogor after his alleged refusal to honour invitations for interrogation.

    A source said: “We will execute the court order any moment from now because we have given him enough time to respond to our invitations.

    “Instead of appearing before our team, Ogor has been given excuses. He has also written the EFCC that he will only be available in December this year. With this development, we may effect his arrest anytime from now. Our operatives will soon be on his trail.

    “We have conducted preliminary investigation but we need Ogor to respond to our findings. Our detectives discovered most of the constituency projects facilitated by Ogor were awarded to six companies in which he has been the sole signatory to their accounts.

    “The companies are Laurelton Global Services Limited; Zanny Concern Limited; Racen Integrated Global Nigeria Limited; Simplified Concept Limited; Fergio Ventures Nigeria Limited and Peanard Nigeria Limited.

    “Out of the six companies, EFCC confirmed that Ogor is still a serving director in Simplified Concept Limited and Laurelton.

    “We have not lifted the freezing order on the N116 million in some accounts traced to him. We obtained the order in May 2017 and he has not been forthcoming.

    “The cash has been in the accounts of these companies: Laurelton Global Services Limited (N101, 149, 293.96); Racen Integrated Global Nigeria Limited (N5,088,293.50); Peanard (N2,370,901.44); Zanny Concern Limited (N8,374,173.28) and Simplified Concept Limited (N7, 000).”

    Asked to respond to alleged ill-health of Ogor, the source said: “No medical report is at our disposal from him. In fact, intelligence report confirmed that he is well.”

    The projects in refugees’ commission include supply of three buses; another three Toyota 18-seater buses; 68 tricycles, 220 generators; 220 motorcycles and others.

    The projects in UBEC and the companies are: Zanny (19/11/2014) – one block of three classrooms at Eru Primary School, Igbide at N9,180,835.45; Laurelton (19/11/2014) one block of three classrooms at Ivori Primary School, Isoko at N9,887,778; Racen (19/11/2014) construction of three classrooms at Egburie Primary School, Ozoro; and construction of six classrooms on January 21, 2016 at Olordo Primary School, Ozoro at N9,300,000.

    The others are Laurelton (23/11/ 2015): supply of customised library equipment to selected schools in Isoko North LGA at N16,050,000; supply of instructional materials in Isoko North /South Federal Constituency (N14, 650,000); supply of customised equipment to selected schools in Isoko Federal Constituency (N15,950,000); award of N9,200,928,90 to Simplified Concept in January 2016 for the rehabilitation of six classrooms at Egware Primary School, Orozo and Racen: Construction of 6 classrooms, toilets and furniture at Itebighe Primary School(21/1/ 2016) at N12, 988.099.23.

     

     

     

  • Boko Haram leader, Shekau escapes arrest

    The leader of insurgent group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has again escaped from being captured by men of the Nigerian Army.

    According to the BBC, Shekau escaped from his hideout inside the Sambisa Forest, leaving behind some of his clothing, chewing stick and a pistol.

    A source from the vigilante force working with the Army said the troops were very close to the Boko Haram leader’s hideout in Sambisa when an order to retreat forced them to halt operation.

    The Nigerian Army placed a bounty of N3million on Shekau’s head.

    Before then, the Army repeatedly claimed they have caught, killed or injured Shekau.

    President Muhammadu Buhari also claimed a year ago that Boko Haram had been technically defeated.

  • EFCC arrests fake U.S. army officer

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested two men for “impersonating” its operatives to obtain $10,000 by false presence.

    The Spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

    Uwujaren identified the suspects as one Mike Nkwocha and Richardson Obasogie, a “self-confessed Colonel in the United States Army.”

    He said their victim had petitioned the Commission, alleging that one Ladan Mustapha, who claimed to be an EFCC operative, called to inform him that there was a petition against him.

    Mustapha allegedly told the victim that the petition bordered on illegal acquisition of assets in different parts of the country for which he was currently under investigation.

    Uwujaren said: “Together with his partner, Nkwocha, a meeting was arranged, in which $200,000 was demanded as gratification in order to ‘kill’ the case, but $15,000 was later agreed upon as payment.

    “An initial payment of $5,000 cash was made to Nkwocha, while he continued to put pressure on him for the balance of $10,000.

    “However, suspecting foul play, after a retired personnel of the DSS (Department of State Services) told the petitioner that EFCC operatives don’t demand money to carry out official duties, the EFCC was petitioned.”

    According to him, Nkwocha was arrested, and during interrogation, confessed that Obasogie was the “brain” behind the fraud.

    He said a search warrant was executed on the suspects’ houses resulting in the recovery of incriminating items.

  • Police arrest 130 in connection with Benue massacre

    The Benue State Police Command said it has arrested no fewer than 130 suspects over the recent massacre and subsequent threat to peace in the state.

    The detainees include those being held for killings in parts of the state and attacks on residents of Makurdi, the state capital.

    “The number of those arrested is high. The number is not necessarily restricted to a certain category,” Police Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Habila Joshak said.

    Joshak is assisting Inspector General Ibrahim Idris to co-ordinate police operations to contain the recent mayhem in the state.

    He had been contacted to assess the security situation in the state, two weeks after the burial of 73 victims of Fulani herdsmen attacks.

    President Muhammadu Buhari subsequently directed Idris to move to the state to stop the security challenge.

    Joshak said: “There were attempts to cause security challenges in the city of Makurdi, around the Wadata area.

    “Some houses were attacked and cars vandalised, so, those involved were also rounded up. About 130 have been arrested altogether over the disturbances in the city.

    “In the areas earlier affected by the violent crisis, some arrests have been made.”

    He said relative peace has now returned to the state and more police personnel deployed to keep trouble makers away.

    Continuing, the DIG said: “Assessing the performance of security officers or the situation on ground is based largely on the perception of the citizens themselves.

    “You may be thinking that you are succeeding or doing something significant in the security template and people may be thinking otherwise.

    “On the other hand, you may assume that you have not done so much because of limited time and number of activities while what you have done may be of extremely significant impact to the people.

    “However, we have been able to stop some of the nefarious activities that were going on in some local governments, particularly in Guma and Logo as well as Agatu area of Benue state.

    “Beyond that, our coming has assisted in coordinating activities by analyzing and assessing threats from one location to another. The IGP is coordinating and making a lot of inputs. He has convened several stakeholders meetings in both Benue and Nassarawa states.”

    Joshak said the massive deployment of more personnel has also assisted the police in bringing the situation under control.

    His words: “We have done massive deployment of personnel. Outside the normal presence on ground, the reinforcement at the Nassarawa state end is eight units; each unit comprises 63 policemen.

    “In Benue state, there are 10 additional units. Outside the ten units, we have a highly specialized unit that was trained in Belarus, with the military who formed the initial action plan and those who actually started the conduct of the action against Boko Haram in the Northeast.

    “They can be said to be a counter-terrorism unit but they are more than that, having done some highly specialized training with the military in Belarus. They can be airlifted and dropped to repel anywhere. Their duty is to go in, fight and come back.”

  • BREAKING: EFCC arrests, detains ex-SGF, Babachir Lawal

    Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday evening arrested former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr. Babachir Lawal who was suspended last year along with the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayo Oke by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Details of the arrest by the anti-graft agency is sketchy as at the time of filing this report.

     

    More details shortly…

  • Why we attacked, arrested 52 protesting Shiites – Police

    Why we attacked, arrested 52 protesting Shiites – Police

    The Nigerian Police on Wednesday explained why it attacked and arrested some members of the Shiite group protesting the illegal detention of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife by the Nigerian Government.

    In a statement by its Abuja spokesperson, Anjuguri Manzah, the police confirmed that 52 IMN members were arrested.

    The police said the protesters were violent and that they “recovered some bottles of improvised petrol-bomb, stones and catapult used by members of the sect to attack police operatives and damage police operational vehicles.”

    Read the full police statement below.

    “Following the violent protest by members of the El-Zakzaky Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) group who went on rampage and were attacking innocent citizens including Police operatives on Wednesday 10th January, 2018, the FCT Police Command has arrested some members of the sect and recovered some bottles of improvised petrol-bomb, stones and catapult used by members of the sect to attack police operatives and damage police operational vehicles.

    It is pertinent to state that the unlawful action of members of the sect which started on Monday 8th January, 2018 is constituting a serious security threat to the peace of the Federal Capital Territory and at the same time disrupting innocent citizens from going about their lawful businesses.

    In view of the current security situation in the Country, the Command wishes to unequivocally state that while it will continue to be professional in the discharge of its constitutional and statutory roles of the protection of lives and property of the good people of FCT; and equally recognise the rights of citizens to express their lawful grievances, the Command will not fold its arms and watch some persons hold the capital city to ransom by disrupting government and legitimate business activities.

    In view of the foregoing, the Command wants to state that any person or group of persons arrested for violating the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution while registering their protest will be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the appropriate section(s) of the law,” the statement said.

  • JUST IN: EFCC arrests Innoson Motors’ boss, says ‘he hired thugs to attack us’

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of the founder and Chairman of Innoson Motors, Chief Innocent Chukwuma.

    The Commission also alleged that he (Innoson) hired six truckloads of thugs to attacks its operatives when they went to arrest him at his Enugu residence.

    The Spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement that Mr. Chukwuma was arrested after failing to honour a series of invitations in breach of the conditions of his administrative bail.

    The statement read in part, “A well-known industrialist, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, popularly known by his company’s name, INNOSON, has been arrested by the EFCC. He was picked up at about 11am at his Savage Crescent, GRA Enugu residence on Tuesday, December 19, 2017.

    “His arrest followed his refusal to honour invitation by the commission having earlier jumped an administrative bail granted him in a case being investigated by the Capital Market and Insurance Fraud Unit of the commission’s Lagos office.

    “Chukwuma, rather than honour the invitation by the EFCC, mobilised six truckloads of thugs pretending to be staff of his company to his residence, where they manhandled EFCC operatives.

    “It took reinforcement from the Enugu office of the EFCC to arrest the industrialist who is currently being grilled by a team of investigators.”

  • AGF seeks arrest, prosecution of Maina, others for pension fraud

    The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami (SAN) has asked a Federal High Court in Kaduna to declined jurisdiction over a suit by embattled former chairman of the Presidential Pension Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, challenging the arrest warrant issued against him by an Abuja court.

    Malami urged the court to dismiss the suit and allow the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the government agency that got the arrest warrant, to proceed with Maina’s arrest and prosecution.

    The AGF told the court that granting any of the reliefs sought in the suit by Maina will do incalculable and permanent damages to the nation’s fight against corruption as well as reverse all gains made so far.

    Malami spoke in court processes he filed in response to the suit filed by Maina. The suit has the EFCC, AGF, Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives as respondents.

    It basically challenges the legitimacy of the arrest warrant got against him by the EFCC and the commission’s decision to declare him wanted based on the said order issued by a Magistrate’s Court in Abuja.

    It is Maina’s contention that the EFCC was an illegal body, on the grounds that law setting it up – the EFCC Establishment Act 2004 – was an illegal legislation, the amendment of its principal Act having not been allegedly effected by the National Assembly.

    He claimed that the principal Act – the EFCC Act 2002 – was amended as EFCC Act 2004 unilaterally by then President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    He argued that since the President lacked the constitutional powers to unilaterally alter any law made by the legislature, the EFCC Act 2004, allegedly altered by President Obasanjo, becomes illegal and void and on which the EFCC cannot rely to act, including declaring him wanted.

    Maina, among others, urged the court, in his originating summons, “to hold that the plaintiff (he) cannot be declared wanted or arrested by any government agency invoking the powers of the EFCC Act 2004 for the same (the law) being an illegal enactment”.

    However, the AGF, in his counter affidavit, argued that “since a court of law cannot shield any person from arrest, investigation and possible prosecution, the plaintiff (Maina) cannot claim to have any legal right in an effort to stop any subsequent arrest, investigation and prosecution”.

    Malami faulted Maina’s claim about the enactment of the EFCC Act 2004, insisting that it was validly passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly.

    He challenged the competence of the suit in an objection he filed.

    He urged the court to decline jurisdiction because the suit was wrongly commenced.

    The AGF also described the suit as an abuse of court process on the grounds that Maina had filed a similar suit before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Further proceedings will resume in the case on January 15, 2018.

     

  • Osun Assembly orders arrest of Bola Ige’s son

    …says ‘I didn’t notice of any invitation’

    The Osun State House of Assembly on Wednesday issued a warrant for the arrest of former Commissioner for Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Muyiwa Ige.

    He is to explain what happened in a land matter on Ilobu Road in Osogbo, the detail of which is not yet clear.

    Muyiwa, son of respected former Chief Justice of Nigeria and the Second Republic governor of old Oyo State, the late Chief Bola Ige, however, said he did not receive any invitation.

    Majority Leader Timothy Owoeye signed the warrant of arrest, it was learnt.

    The ex-commissioner said last night: “Nobody invited me. I don’t even know what it is about. How far is Lagos from Osogbo? I was in Osogbo till 7.00pm yesterday (Tuesday).