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Tag: Bribe

  • Rivers: Wike ‘bribed’ AAC deputy governorship candidate N200m to withdraw from race – APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has alleged that the deputy governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the state, Akpo Yeeh, was bribed with N200 million by Governor Nyesom Wike to defect from the AAC.

    Recall that Yeeh stunned the public on Monday when he resigned his membership of the AAC, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and pledged political support to Wike who has been battling to survive a tough election battle with the AAC.

    Yeeh’s action came as a surprise to many because his party, backed by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the APC, has become the major opposition against PDP in the state.

    The court had barred the APC from being on the ballot because of the internal power struggle in the party.

    More so, the governorship and the House of Assembly elections are yet to be concluded in the state.

    “Honestly, I think we are not surprised at the news that the deputy governorship candidate of the African Action Congress, Mr Akpo Yeeh, has resigned the membership of his party to join Wike after collecting N200 million from the government,” the APC spokesperson in Rivers, Chris Finebone, said in a reaction to the development on Tuesday afternoon.

    “We are only reacting to his decision because we adopted in principles, the AAC governorship candidate, Biokpomabo Awara, and the fact that Mr Akpo, for want of justification for his actions, is struggling to lie about the Hon. Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

    “Even the retarded of the earth know that Mr Akpo simply responded to what many people called ‘stomach infrastructure’.

    “Depending on Mr Akpo’s station in life, N200 million definitely is a once in a lifetime opportunity he had to grab. His ilk totally jettisons their conscience in time like that.

    “We wish him well. We only want to inform Mr Akpo that even as he struggles to reap from a script written by others, that in a few days he came close, he had no opportunity to know or to associate with the minister as to be in a position to say what he is claiming,” Mr Finebone said.

    The Rivers State government has denied that it bribed Yeeh to abandon the AAC.

    “They are talking rubbish,” the Commissioner for Information in the state, Emma Okah, said of the bribery allegation.

    “They are a people who have no shame, trying to distract people’s attention from the calamity which they have inflicted upon the people of Rivers State during the elections.

    “Why do we need to bribe a deputy governorship candidate? Does it change the fact that we won the elections? Are we under any threat by AAC?” Okah said.

    The commissioner said the PDP has won the governorship and the House of Assembly elections in the state.

    “What we can say is to thank the man (Mr Yeeh) for realising that there comes a time in a man’s life when you must tell yourself the truth,” he said.

     

  • Otedola reveals source of $500,000 bribe he gave Farouk in 2012

    Billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, on Monday told a court that he received the $500,000 used to bribe a former House of Representatives member, Farouk Lawan, from the Department of Security Service (DSS).

    Otedola said this during his cross-examination by a defence lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, at the Apo Division of the FCT High Court.

    He appeared as the prosecution witness in Lawan’s trial after the latter was arraigned for allegedly attempting to receive $3 million from the witness, while he chaired a committee of the House of Representatives in 2012.

    Lawan was then chairing the committee that investigated billions spent fraudulently on petrol subsidy and the beneficiary companies. Mr Otedola, one of Nigeria’s richest persons, is in the oil and gas business.

    Otedola had accused Lawan of blackmailing him with a request of $3 million to clear his company from the investigation.

    The businessman added that he was given money after he reported Lawan to the DSS in a petition.

    He said the money was given to him at his residence after seven SSS officials visited him, following a petition he wrote to complain about the alleged blackmail.

    Responding to a question from Mr Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, about the source of the money allegedly given to Lawan, Otedola said: “It was handed over to me by the DSS.”

    Otedola added that he gave the $500,000 to Lawan in two tranches of $250,000. He said the DSS had informed him that they recovered the call logs between him and other parties in the matter.

    Otedola, however, said his only written communication with the SSS is the petition written to the agency.

    According to Otedola, he was interrogated verbally by the SSS and did not make a written statement, besides his petition. Otedola further said that the camera used in capturing the disbursement of the bribe to Lawan was removed shortly after the defendant left with the money.

    He, however, responded in the negative when asked whether his companies, Zemon Oil and gas and Forte Oil, were in the list of companies investigated by Lawan’s committee.

    Ozekhome questioned Otedola’s account of the said bribery. He said the alleged collection of a bribe in a sting operation like that described by Otedola should have included the arrest of Lawan after receiving the money.

    Responding to Ozekhome’s submission, Otedola said he had noted the need to arrest Lawan but was told to wait till the matter is concluded at the committee.

    Ozekhome also questioned the failure of the SSS to submit evidence of alleged calls between Otedola and the other parties to the court.

    Lawan was first arraigned in February 2013 along with another accused, Boniface Emenalo, for allegedly receiving $620,000 of the alleged bribe from Otedola and his company.

    The case was then handled by Adebukola Banjoko also of the same FCT High Court.

    Banjoko, however, stepped down from the matter in 2014, following allegations of bias brought against her by the defence.

    The charge was later amended to include only Lawan who was accused of receiving $500,000 of the total bribe sum.

  • JUST IN: Court finds two INEC staff guilty of receiving N264m bribe from Alison-Madueke

    Two employees of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have been found guilty of the court.

    On Thursday morning, a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos declared the former INEC Administrative Secretary in Kwara State, Mr Christian Nwosu, another staff of the commission, Mr Tijani Bashir, guilty of money laundering.

    Justice Mohammed Idris said the two persons were guilty of the 9-count charge levelled against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which arraigned them.

    They were accused of taking bribe to the tune of N264 million from former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, in 2015.

    “I find that the prosecution has proved the case beyond reasonable doubt in the manner required by law.

    “I, therefore, find the first and second defendants guilty as charged,” Justice Idris held. However, the court adjourned till noon of Friday, January 25, 2019, for sentencing of Mr Nwosu and Mr Bashir.

  • Subsidy fraud: Otedola appears in court, insists Lawan demanded $3m bribe

    The main prosecution witness in the trial of a former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, Wednesday testified before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

    Femi Otedola, the founder of Zenon Oil, was allegedly pressured by Lawan to part with a $3 million bribe while the latter was chairing a subcommittee investigating a multi-billion dollar fraud associated with government fuel subsidy during the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan.

    Lawan was re-arraigned in December 2016 by the Nigerian government for the alleged offence.

    On Wednesday, Otedola entered the witness box after he was introduced by the prosecution counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo.

    Shortly after, the prosecution played a video where Lawan was seen receiving $500 000 from Otedola.

    The witness then addressed the court on the events narrated in the video, following questions from Awomolo.

    According to Otedola, the accused had indicted his company in the alleged fraud and demanded $3 million to exonerate him.

    The witness added that after the initial deposit of $500,000 was paid into his account, Lawan declared Zenon Oil and Gas free of the initial indictment.

    “After the early hours of 24th April 2012: (the time the money was paid) he left and removed the name of Zenon from the list of indicted companies,” Otedola said while explaining the events that prompted his alleged payment of $500,000 to Lawan in April 2012.

    When asked by the prosecution counsel about the claim by Lawan that the witness forced him to take the money, Otedola denied it.

    “I could not have put pressure on him because Zenon Oil was not involved in the theft of the subsidy fund.

    “He did demand. And if he did not demand, why will he collect and expect a balance of $2.5 million? He mentioned to me that the $3 million will be shared by himself and some other members of the House,” Otedola said.

    “Moreover, the company in question was not involved in the importation of petroleum motor spirit (PMS) and as such never applied to withdraw from the petroleum fund.”

    The witness also denied an allegation by Lawan that he (Otedola) offered to pay the money so that his name would be removed from the list of indicted companies.

    “I did not offer any $3 million, because I was one of the biggest players in the business. And I reported the matter initially when I found out about the scam. And he mentioned to me that several companies that were involved in the scam were paying. And I reported to the SSS.”

    Otedola also denied a claim by Lawan that Zenon Oil and Gas was exonerated on the basis of documents later provided by the company.

    “It was the money because during the course of the sitting of the subcommittee we had submitted all the documents.”

    Otedola said his report to security operatives on the matter prompted investigations into the allegations by the police who invited him for questioning after which his statement was taken.

    The defence was unable to cross-examine the witness after a lawyer from Mike Ozekhome’s chambers requested for an adjournment to enable his principal to attend the next trial and conduct the cross-examination.

    The lawyer said he was sick and could not proceed with the cross-examination at the day’s sitting.

    The judge, Angela Otaluka, adjourned the matter to January 28 for cross-examination.

    The judge added that the defence should prepare itself to start and finish the cross-examination on the next adjourned date.

    Recall that Lawan was first arraigned in February 2013 along with another accused, Boniface Emenalo, for allegedly receiving $620,000 of the alleged bribe from Otedola and his company.

    The case was then handled by Adebukola Banjoko also of the same FCT High Court.

    Banjoko, however, stepped down from the matter in 2014, following allegations of bias brought against her by the defence.

    The charge was later amended to include only Lawan who was accused of receiving $500,000 of the total sum intended to be paid as bribe.

  • Report bribe demanding officials to appropriate authorities — FAAN tells passengers

    Report bribe demanding officials to appropriate authorities — FAAN tells passengers

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has advised passengers and airport users to report any of its security officers demanding bribe to the appropriate authorities.

    Herietta Yakubu, general manager, corporate affairs, FAAN, gave the advice in a statement on Friday, in Lagos.

    Yakubu said the advice was necessitated by the allegations that some FAAN aviation security personnel were demanding bribe before allowing airport users into the terminal.

    She said that the airport was a public facility and no charge was required from any genuine user to access the facility. According to her, access might, however, be restricted or controlled some times in order to safeguard civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference at the airports.

    Operations at Nigerian airports, particularly the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, have been marred with allegations of bribery and extortion in recent weeks.

    Recall that a Nigerian actor, Aremu Afolayan, had earlier in the week lamented that he was extorted by airport officials in a viral video.

    But FAAN, in its reaction on Friday, urged airport users not to give out bribes to rapacious airport officials.

    “All passengers and airport users who might want to transact some business at the airports are advised not to give money to anyone to gain access into the airport and report related cases to appropriate authorities,” the statement said.

    “FAAN remains committed to her core values of safety, security and comfort,” she added.

  • Report any officer demanding bribe – FAAN

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has advised passengers and airport users to report any of its security officers demanding bribe to the appropriate authorities.

    Mrs Herientta Yakubu, General Manager, Corporate Affairs, FAAN, gave the advice in a statement on Friday, in Lagos.

    Yakubu said the advice was necessitated by the allegations that some FAAN aviation security personnel were demanding to be bribed before allowing airport users into the terminal.

    She said that the airport was a public facility and no charge was required from any genuine user to access the facility.

    According to her, access might, however, be restricted or controlled sometimes in order to safeguard civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference at the airports.

    “All passengers and airport users who might want to transact some business at the airports are advised not to give money to anyone to gain access into the airport and report related cases to appropriate authorities.

    “FAAN remains committed to her core values of safety, security and comfort,” she added.

    NAN

  • Bribery video: Ganduje denies collecting bribery from any contractor

    Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on Friday, has denied collecting bribe from any contractor.

    Testifying before the house, Ganduje said the allegation labeled against him are injurious.

    Ganduje said the video clips released by the publisher of Daily Nigerian was aimed at tarnishing his image politically.

    Speaking on behalf of the Governor, the Commissioner of Information, Mr Muhammad Garba, said he was at the assembly Complex to represent the governor due to the options provided by the committee in its letter.

    The Governor, in document presented before the committee had denied collecting the bribe from the contractor as alleged by the publisher of the online Newspaper.

    According to the document, the Governor stated that such had never happened with him and will never happened even in the future time.

    The Governor in the letter called on the public to discard such allegations as it did not happened, and also called on such publishers to avoid such publications that can tarnish the image of leaders.

    “Such untruth publications was done to the Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi the II and also to the former Governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau”, Ganduje said in the document.

    Also commenting on the issue, the Commissioner of Justice Barrister Ibrahim Mukhtar and also the State’s Attorney General commended the way and manner the committee is handling the issue by given fair hearing to the both parties.

    According to him, the Governor has options as stated in the letter presented to him on the invitation, as the committee given an option for him to send a representative or send a written document as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Alhaji Baffa Danagundi commended the the represantative of the Governor for honouring the committee’s request.

    Danagundi said the committee will throughly watch the video on Tuesday in the presence of the representatives of both parties but not publicly.

    Recall that the state House of Assembly, under the leadership of Alhaji Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, constituted a committee on October 15 to establish the authenticity of the videos.

    An online newspaper, DAILY NIGERIAN had on October 14 and 15 exclusively published two videos of showing Mr Ganduje allegedly receiving bribe in dollars.

    Consequently, the publisher/editor-in-chief of DAILY NIGERIAN, Jaafar Jaafar testified before the committee on October 15 where he insisted that the videos were genuine, and expressed readiness to swore by the Quran to convinced doubting Thomases.

    The three paragraphs letter sent to the governor titled “invitation to respond to an allegation of bribery against H.E Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, requested the governor to appear on Friday.

  • Gandujegate: 'Video showing Kano Gov. receiving bribe is original' Publisher, Jaafar tells investigative panel

    The Publisher of the online Daily Nigerian newspaper, Jaafar Jaafar, has appeared before lawmakers at the Kano State House of Assembly investigating the bribery allegation against Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
    Recall that the media space was recently awash with published stories from the videos, sourced from Daily Nigerian, which showed the Kano governor receiving bribe in dollars at different instances. The total bribe is said to be about $5 million from persons believed to be contractors to the state.
    Although the state government has claimed the video was ‘cloned’ our experts confirmed the authenticity.
    Mr Jafaar also stood by the content of the videos when he appeared before the lawmakers at a public hearing on Thursday.
    During his cross-examination, he refused to disclose the source that provided him with the video-recording of Mr Ganduje while collecting the bribe.
    Earlier, Amnesty International had requested that the Nigerian government ensures the security of Mr Jafaar.
    Below is the statement Mr Jafaar made before he was cross-examined by the lawmakers. He also presented material evidence, a hard disk, and other stuff.

    STATEMENT BY PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF DAILY NIGERIAN AT THE INVESTIGATIVE HEARING OF KANO STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY ON GOV. ABDULLAHI GANDUJE’S BRIBE-TAKING VIDEOS PUBLISHED BY THE ONLINE NEWSPAPER
    I, Jaafar Jaafar, am a member of the Board of Directors of Penlight Media Limited, the publishers of DAILY NIGERIAN do hereby submit this statement in answer to the invitation extended to me by the Investigation Panel of the Kano State House of Assembly.
    Introduction
    1. The DAILY NIGERIAN made a series of publications pertaining to the receipt of several videos of His Excellency the Executive Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje collecting of bribe/kickbacks from some contractors in Kano State.
    2. Consequent upon the publications, we received an invitation dated October 18, 2018 with reference number KNHA/ADM/VOL .I/04 from the Kano State House of Assembly requesting us to appear before it in the conduct of its constitutional functions as contained in Section 129 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
    3. The invitation letter also requested that we submit a written statement containing the incidents pertaining to the investigation.
    4. Below is the narration of our understanding of the events as it relates to the videos.
    The videos
    5. More than two years ago, a contractor friend of mine complained to me that the governor had been receiving kickbacks, ranging from 15 to 25 percent, for every project executed in the state from contractors.
    6. We then agreed to plant spy cameras on his kaftan lapel so that he can capture the brazen act in hard evidence. He captured at least 15 clips, nine of which fully showed the governor’s face, body and hands collecting bundles of dollars.
    7. Before DAILY NIGERIAN publishes stories, pictures or videos on its website (www.dailynigerian.com), the editors subject them to rigors of verification to establish their authenticity or otherwise.
    8. In the case the video clips in question, our in-house technical expert, the editor-in-chief and editorial adviser certified that the videos were original and not doctored contents.
    9. Experts from Amnesty International Nigeria, BBC and PREMIUM TIMES also watched the clips and certified their authenticity before we went to press.
    10. The first video was published on October 14, 2018 comprising two clips that occurred on two different dates as shown on the videos themselves. The video showed the governor receiving bribe from a contractor in foreign currency specifically the monies were United States Dollar denominated. The video also showed his Excellency tucking these monies under his flowing gown and putting them inside an envelope.
    11. We are willing to share the content of the video without any form of editing to assist the committee in its investigation and to share the full clips of the others that were published to the Committee in the cause of the performance of their legislative function
    12. We thank the Committee for deeming it appropriate to invite us to make representations before it in respect of this matter
    13. Thank you.
    Jaafar Jaafar
    Editor-in-Chief
    Daily Nigerian

  • Ganduje speaks on video showing him receiving $5 million bribe from contractors [Watch Video]

    Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has threatened to sue an online news medium, Daily Nigerian, that released a video allegedly showing him collecting money suspected to be bribe from contractors on different occasions.
    Ganduje, in a statement by the state Commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba, said the video was not only cloned, but also that the allegation contained no iota of truth.
    He said: “We wish to state that there is no iota of truth to these allegations and if there is any such alleged video, it is at best cloned.
    “The government of Kano State is taking this matter seriously and will exploit every appropriate and legal avenue to ensure that it gets to the root of the matter and the perpetrators brought to book.”
    Publisher reacts
    However, Publisher of Daily Nigerian, Jaafar Jaafar, who had gone underground due to alleged threat to his life, said the sting operation to capture the governor on camera began two years ago when one of the contractors agreed to a request by the media outfit to plant spy camera on him, while offering the bribes.
    The publisher said: “During a 10-month effort to capture the bribe giving/taking scenes, the governor’s face and body were clearly captured in nine clips, while six others did not clearly reveal the governor’s face.
    “About $5 million dollars were delivered to the governor during the sting operation. One of the contractors, who preferred not to be named, said the reason he collaborated with Daily Nigerian was to expose corruption and bring sanity to the country.
    “The contractor stated that if his aim was to blackmail or extort the governor, he would have used the videos to get over a billion settlement or force the governor to pay the hundreds of millions of naira the state was owing to his company or force him to pay back all the money he paid as kickbacks.
    “We believe if public office holders are exposed, there will be sanity in the system.”

  • Kaduna APC primaries: Why I rejected Sani's N10m bribe – Electoral Committee chair

    The Chairman of the Electoral Panel set up by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to preside over the party’s recent primaries in Kaduna State, Mr. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, has alleged that Senator Shehu Sani offered him a bribe to get an affirmation for his controversial automatic ticket.
    Mr. Iduoriyekemwen dropped the bombshell while responding to questions over allegations that the committee was bribed to skew the primary election results in favour of some aspirants of the APC in the state.
    Iduoriyekemwen said: “The only person in Kaduna State who offered me money was Senator Shehu Sani through one of my comittee members, to inform me that N10m gift was set aside for the committee chairman, and I said we didn’t need the money, asking them what the money was for.
    “Even after the primaries, before the announcement of results, Senator Shehu and his men put pressure on us to come and take the money. He called me several times but we made it clear to him that we didn’t need cash inducement at all.”
    The electoral panel chairman also disclosed that the incumbent Kaduna Central Senator made last-minute efforts to get him to accept the offer to no avail.
    Iduoriyekemwen, who is also a former Majority Leader of Edo State House of Assembly and one-time board member of the Niger-Delta Development Commission(NDDC) also expressed readiness to forward the telephone number of his committee member through whom the pledge of N10m offer was announced to the leadership of the panel.
    The Electoral Panel Chairman also expressed satisfaction with the manner in which the election was conducted, describing it as “peaceful, orderly and rancour-free”.
    Contacted on the telephone by our correspondent, a member of the APC Electoral Committee, Mr. Akeem Okedara, also denied the allegation that the committee was bribed to skew the primary election results in favour of some aspirants of the APC in the state.
    “There was nothing like that. It was Shehu Sani who wanted to give us something but we turned it down,” he said.
    However, in a swift reaction, Senator Sani described the allegation against him as “frivolous and mischievous.”
    Speaking through his media aide, Abdulsamad Chima Amadi, Senator Sani said: “Our attention has been drawn to a mischievous and frivolous news making the rounds that the chairman of the Kaduna APC electoral panel purportedly claimed he was offered financial inducements by Senator Shehu Sani.
    “The committee chairman probably had a dream to that effect. It is laughable for him to claim an aspirant who was the sole candidate cleared in Kaduna central offered him financial inducements.
    “First of all, Senator Shehu Sani virtually had no rival in the primaries. He was the only person cleared. So what does he need to bribe the committee for?
    “Secondly, when the committee and the state government connived to stage a fake senatorial primaries in Kaduna State, Senator Shehu Sani made it cristal clear that he was not going to participate in the so called primaries because it was an illegality.
    So when you look at it from all angles, Senator Shehu Sani had no reasons whatsoever to bribe the committee.
    “Senator Shehu Sani is a distinguished and law abiding citizen who has over the years earned a good name for himself through his uncompromising stance against corruption.
    “It is obvious that some desperate politicians who have become synonymous with failure are behind these baseless and frivolous accusations.
    “Just like all their attempts to malign, frame up, intimidate and harm Senator Shehu in the past failed, this one too has failed on arrival.
    “No amount of blackmail will deter or destract Senator Shehu Sani. We stand by the mandate given to him by the APC and good people of Kaduna Central and, as usual, that mandate shall be put to good use for the betterment of our people.”