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Tag: Babangida Aliyu

  • 2019: No intention to defect to APC – Former Niger Governor, Babangida Aliyu

    The former Governor of Niger, Dr Babangida Aliyu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says that he has no intention of defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Aliyu made the remark on Monday in Minna following the defection of 34, 826 politicians from other political parties including Alhaji Aminu Yusuf, deputy chairman of PDP in the state.

    Recall that many of the politicians who abandoned their various political parties to defect to the APC were mainly Aliyu’s close allies in the state.

    “I have no intention of defecting to the APC because I believe in the PDP. I had the opportunity of decamping to the APC when I led the G-7 Governors but did not do so because of my belief in the PDP.

    “What we protested then was to correct some of the abnormality in PDP but not to defect to the APC.

    “If I were a selfish politician then I will have defected to the APC then. May be I would have become a minister now,’’ he said.

    He noted that the PDP made him a governor, saying that it was a strong political party if not for internal wrangling that made it to lose the 2015 election.

    The former governor said that the party had started working toward correcting the wrongs at the various levels.

    On the herders/farmers clashes across the country, he said that the Federal Government must tag it a security concern and plan how to stop it.

    He advised the government to establish cattle ranches where necessary and carry the stakeholders along in order to avoid misunderstanding that would result in more clashes.

  • PDP won’t need much campaign to defeat Buhari come 2019 – Babangida

    Babangida Aliyu, former Governor of Niger State, has said the People Democratic Party, PDP, “won’t need much campaign to take back Aso Rock in 2019.”

    The former governor predicated his claim on the abysmal performance of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He also noted that Nigerians had realised that the PDP churned out people oriented program, stressing that the former ruling party would not need much campaigning to take back Aso Rock in 2019.

    The former Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) said this at his Abuja residence while hosting some executives of the PDP campaign team.

    This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen by the Publicity Secretary, PDP @Your Door Campaign Forum, Jacob Onjewu Dickson.

    He said that Nigerians had seen the difference and can’t wait till 2019 to liberate themselves from the chains of APC.

    Babangida decried the spate of insecurity that has bedeviled the country as a result of lack of ideas from the APC.

    “APC government said they are doing N-Power for Nigerian youth but out of several millions of youth who constitute about 60 per cent of the population, only I think about 100,000 are captured by the programme,” he added.

  • EFCC re-arraigns Ex-Niger gov, Babangida Aliyu, gets N200m bail

    EFCC re-arraigns Ex-Niger gov, Babangida Aliyu, gets N200m bail

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday arraigned former governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, in a Federal High Court, Abuja, on eight counts of money laundering.

    Aliyu was arraigned alongside his former Chief of Staff, Umar Nasko, while both were admitted to bail in the sum of N200m each, with two sureties each in like sum.

    The judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, ordered that the two sureties could be business men or public servants; and where in the public service, must not be below a director.

    The sureties must also own landed property in Abuja excluding the satellite towns.

    Aliyu and Nasko are to also deposit their international passports with the court and must not travel without the permission of the court.

    The judge, however, ruled that where the defendants could not perfect their bail conditions within 48 hours, they would be remanded in Kuje Prison until bail was perfected.

    He adjourned the matter until July 6 and 7 to hear the preliminary objection and for trial.

    The two defendants were accused of conspiring to launder ecological funds amounting to over N1bn, released by the Federal Government to Niger government in 2014.

    The offence according to the EFCC, contravened Section 18 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 and is punishable under Section 15 of the same Act.

    Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the offence.

    Mr Mamman Osuman (SAN), counsel to Aliyu filed a preliminary objection, challenging the hearing of the suit in Abuja, on the ground that there is a Federal High Court in Minna.

    Osuman maintained that the defendants were already on trial on a six-count charge of breach of trust in Minna, and since the “ingredients” of both cases were the same, it was in the interest of justice to conduct both cases in Minna.

    Counsel to the EFCC, Mr Ben Ikani, however, said that the case in Minna was different from the one in Abuja.

     

    (NAN)

  • BREAKING: Court grants former Niger Gov Babangida Aliyu N150m bail

    BREAKING: Court grants former Niger Gov Babangida Aliyu N150m bail

    Minna High Court on Wednesday granted bail in the sum of N150m to former Gov. Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, charged with N4.568bn misappropriation.

    Aliyu was arraigned last Tuesday on a six-count charge alongside Umar Nasko, the Chief of Staff under his administration.

    The former officials were accused of conspiring and dishonestly converting for personal use, the sum belonging to Niger State Government.

    According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which is prosecuting the former officials, the misappropriated funds are ecological projects funds as well as money realised from the sale of 16 per cent shares of the state in the North-South Power Company.

    The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty.

    Ruling on the bail applications of the accused, Justice Aliyu Mayaki said: “The first applicant is admitted to bail in the sum of N150m with two sureties in like sum, who must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court.

    “The sureties must also deposit Certificate of Occupancy (C of O)of landed property worth not less than N200 million, situated within the jurisdiction of the court.

    “The second applicant is granted bail in the sum of N100 million and two sureties in like sum.

    “The sureties must deposit C of O of landed property worth not less than N150 million.”

    The judge held that the EFCC had not adduced concrete evidence to show that the defendants would interfere with justice, if granted bail.

    He said that the defendants had no criminal antecedents, adding that they provided sufficient materials in support of their applications.

    The judge adjourned the case until June 12 commencement of hearing.

     

     

    NAN

     

  • Just in: Court detains ex-Niger gov, Aliyu in prison

    A Minna High Court on Tuesday ordered that former Governor of Niger state, Babangida Aliyu, alongside the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the 2015 election, Umar Mohammed Nasko, be remanded in Minna medium Prisons pending a ruling on bail application on May 3rd, 2017.

    According to the presiding Judge, Justice Aliyu Mayaki, the case is to be opened on June 12, 2017 and to be held day by day till June 16.

    The ruling on their bail application is to be delivered on 3rd May, 2017. They are to be remanded in Medium Security prisons in Minna.

    Lead Counsel for the EFCC, Gbolahan Latona, had levelled six charges against Aliyu.

    When the charges were read to them (Aliyu and Nasko) by Justice Mayaki, they pleaded not guilty.

  • EFCC arrests, detains ex-Niger Gov, Babangida Aliyu, over alleged N5bn scam

    EFCC arrests, detains ex-Niger Gov, Babangida Aliyu, over alleged N5bn scam

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday arrested the immediate past Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, over an alleged scam involving N5bn.

    TheNewsGuru.com gathers that Aliyu, who served as governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, between 2007 and 2015, was arrested by the anti-graft agency after honouring an invitation by the commission.

    Aliyu was, however, detained after interrogation, pending further investigation.

    An anonymous source at the commission confirmed to newsmen: “We invited former Governor Aliyu to our office on Tuesday and he has been in our custody since then.

    “He was invited following an investigation into a scam involving about N5bn.”

    The EFCC spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, when contacted by The Punch on telephone confirmed that Aliyu was in the custody of the commission but failed to give more details.

    “The former governor was invited by the commission and he is still in our custody,” Uwujaren said.

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that the incumbent Governor of the state, Alhaji Abubakar Bello, as well as the members of the Niger State House of Assembly, had called for a probe of Aliyu’s administration which they described as fraudulent.

    Bello said there were several questionable transactions the former administration must account for.

    The discrepancies, according to him, were discovered by the financial management committee set up by his administration, lamenting that one of such discrepancies was discovered in the state and local government joint account where a massive fraud was allegedly perpetrated.

    According to Bello: “We instituted a financial management committee to look at all major financial transactions of the state and local governments from May 2007 to May 2015. The committee has made substantial progress and the findings are quite revealing.

    “A review of the operations of some of the major bank accounts of the state and the Local Government Joint Accounts Allocation Committee over the last eight years revealed some despicable patterns such as huge cash withdrawals by government officials, private individuals and PDP officials and members.

    “For example, an examination of only two bank accounts of Government House shows more than N70bn cash withdrawals by a few officials who must explain the purpose for which the withdrawals were made. The operation of the joint account was characterised by diversions and a misapplication of huge funds especially those paid for Ward Development Projects and 10km roads projects”.