TheNewsGuru

Tag: EFCC

  • Magu using EFCC to blackmail state governors‎ – Fayose

    Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, on Wednesday said the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu was using the Paris Club refund to “blackmail” state governors.

    Fayose made the claim while lamenting the incessant harassment of serving governors in the country, especially the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Zamfara State, Abudulazeez Yari

    In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka , Fayose said “The EFCC is obviously blackmailing State Governors on the Paris Club refunds.”

    Fayose, who said that Governor Yari, as the leader of all the State Governors in Nigeria deserved some level of respect from “Magu and his gangs in the EFCC,” added that “Rushing to court to seek forfeiture of properties on which no one had been convicted and maligning the NGF chairman is to say the least, irresponsible.”

    The governor described the “onslaught on Governor Yari as a direct attack on all the governors of the 36 States” of Nigeria, adding that all the “governors to rise and protect the NGF.”

    He pointed out that the Paris Club refunds was occasioned by the Federal Government’s illegal conversion of funds belonging to the States and Local Governments, adding that it was absurd that the Federal Government, which illegally used money belonging to the States and Local Governments for its own purpose was the one giving conditions as to how the refund must be spent.

    “It is like a man stealing your money and now coming back to give you conditions to refund the money he stole and also telling you how to spend the money,” he said.

    The governor said it was the height of rascality for the EFCC to keep feeding the public with falsehood and maligning the hard-earned integrity of Nigerians, especially former and serving governors.

  • $3m Lagos Hotel: Magu, EFCC planning to nail Yari as scapegoat – Governors

    $3m Lagos Hotel: Magu, EFCC planning to nail Yari as scapegoat – Governors

    The Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, has advised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and its chairman, Ibrahim Magu, to desist from unnecessary “shadow-boxing” and do the needful by leaving Abdulaziz Yari, Governor of Zamfara State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, to face his job.

    The NGF stated this Wednesday in a statement by its spokesperson, Abdulrazak Barkindo.

    The statement reads: “This is because our chairman and governor of Zamfara State Dr Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar had for the umpteenth time told the commission that he neither owns a plot of land in Lagos nor owns or intends to build a hotel in Lagos.

    “Yari had denied any links with a $3 million hotel in Lagos which some online media attributed to him and in fact sued the publications responsible for that insidious report for libel. But for want of scapegoats in its battle against the National Assembly, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission continues to drag the governor’s name in the mud in a veiled effort to divert attention from the matters of the moment,” the NGF said.

    The NGF also urged Nigerians to note that the EFCC action on the issue is not about any missing funds anymore, saying, “the NGF would like to categorically emphasise that it did not, at any material time, receive any funds from the Paris London refunds on behalf of any states”.

    It said the Ministry of Finance remitted all states funds to them directly from the federation accounts.

    “What the NGF received, it must be repeated here, was monies due to the consortium of consultants who verified the amounts due to all the states that were owed.

    “Furthermore, the NGF would like to state that its involvement with the Paris-London Club refunds had saved the states colossal amounts of money individually and collectively because instead of the high percentages agreed upon by the individual states to their separate consultants, the NGF drew the percentages down to 2% which was paid to the consortium,” it said.

    The NGF also said before then, states had agreed to pay consultants between 10 and 30 per cent as commission for recovering the over-deductions.

    “It is however understandable that in the absence of a fall guy, the EFCC has consistently maligned the person of the Zamfara State governor and Chairman of the NGF, Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar, even when the need to so do was untenable, ridiculous and absent.

    “The NGF is asking the commanding heights of the EFCC to instead look elsewhere for its real or imagined enemies and allow Yari Abubakar to face enormous task of governing his state and leading the governors of Nigeria,” the statement said.

     

  • EFCC arrests former Jigawa Governor, Turaki at event attended by Obasanjo, Gowon, others

    EFCC arrests former Jigawa Governor, Turaki at event attended by Obasanjo, Gowon, others

    Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday arrested former governor of Jigawa State, Saminu Turaki.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Turaki is being prosecuted by the EFCC for allegedly mismanaging Jigawa state’s funds while he in office as governor.

    According to a report by The Punch, the former governor was arrested at the launch of a book titled, ‘The First Regular Combatant: Brigadier General Zakariya Maimalari’, which was written by Haruna Paloma, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

    The event was well attended by eminent Nigerians including former President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Moguno; the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen Tukur Buratai; and several others.

    An EFCC source, who confirmed the arrest to newsmen said Turaki has been evading court appearance for his prosecution following which the court issued an arrest warrant.

    He won’t be released until the date of the next court sitting when he’ll be taken to court, the source said.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Turaki was governor of Jigawa State from 29 May 1999 – 29 May 2007. He was also a member of the Senate from 2007 to 2011.

    Details later…

  • $20m fraud: Court orders Patience Jonathan to pay EFCC N50,000

    $20m fraud: Court orders Patience Jonathan to pay EFCC N50,000

    A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Monday ordered Former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, to pay N50, 000 to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, after she withdrew her suit against the Commission.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Patience had in February sued the EFCC for the alleged breach of her fundamental human rights.

    She asked Justice Saliu Saidu to declare that the freezing of her $20m bank accounts and those of her relatives by the anti-graft agency as a gross violation of her rights to fair hearing and to own property.

    Mrs. Jonathan asked the court to rule that the ransacking of her family property by the officials of the EFCC was illegal and also demanded the payment of N2bn in damages.

    The plaintiff through her counsel, I. A. Adedipe (SAN), had prayed the court to restrain the EFCC from infringing on her right.

    Counsel for the EFCC, Kayode Oni, faulted Mrs. Jonathan on her prayers before the court, arguing that her suit was “an abuse of court process.”

    At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday, Sammie Somiari who represented Mrs. Jonathan addressed the court on a notice of discontinuance of the suit, saying that he had “an instruction of his client to discontinue the matter.”

    He said that an application had been filed before the court to that effect.

    In response, Oni submitted that Patience had a right of discontinue the case, but pressed for a charge of N500,000 as the cost of filing processes in response to the suit.

    The judge refused to grant the EFCC’s N500,000 request.

    Justice Seidu struck out the suit and awarded N50,000 cost against the plaintiff.

  • Why I sent money to Nigerian judges, senior lawyer accused of corruption reveals

    Why I sent money to Nigerian judges, senior lawyer accused of corruption reveals

    A senior advocate, Joseph Nwobike, who is standing trial on charges of offering gratification to some judges, on Monday told an Ikeja High Court why he gave money to the judges.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Mr. Nwobike is being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on an 11-count charge bordering on perverting the course of justice and offering gratification to public officials.

    The anti-graft agency alleged that Mr. Nwobike offered gratifications to some judges of the Federal High Court and the National Industrial Court to influence them to act contrary to their official capacities.

    The EFCC also claimed that Mr. Nwobike engaged in sending illegal text messages with four registrars of the Federal High Court in a bid to unduly influence his cases being tried by the judges.

    Mr. Nwobike, however, denied all the charges.

    While being led in evidence by his lawyer, Olawale Akoni, the accused denied giving gratification to Justice Samson Uwaifo, a retired justice of the Supreme Court.

    “I don’t know retired Justice Samson Uwaifo of the Supreme Court personally, long after Justice Uwaifo retired, we had a client who had a dispute with the National Examinations Council (NECO).

    “The parties went to court and the court appointed Hon. Justice Uwaifo as the sole arbitrator to the dispute.

    “As it is customary in arbitration, we and the other party were asked to provide money for the preliminary stages of the arbitration.

    “We sent some money to him and one Mr Seun Ibitoye, a registrar, to kick-off the preliminary stages of the arbitration.

    “My Lord, Justice Uwaifo had retired about eight or nine years before he was contracted to do the arbitration.

    “We initially purchased a bank draft for N1.5 million in the name of Justice Uwaifo as the arbitrator, but we were later advised to purchase it in the name of the registrar,” Mr. Nwobike said.

    He denied giving false information to the anti-graft agency by saying that the only judicial officer he had ever helped was Justice Mohammed Yinusa.

    “I did not give false information to the EFCC and there was no intention on my part to give false information to the EFCC or their officials.

    “In my statement to the EFCC, I stated that I gave Justice H.A Ngajiwa money for the purchase of books for his library.

    “I wrote in my statement that I gave N300,000 to Justice Ngajiwa and N750,000 to Justice Yinusa and I stated their purposes.”

    On the alleged gratification he gave to Justice James Agbadu-Fishim, the SAN said the money was given as a form of `assistance’ to a friend.

    He said: “Justice Fishim and I became friends when we were post-graduate students of the University of Lagos, he left for the University of Abuja.

    “I did not see him until after a while and it took a long time before I got to know that he had been appointed a judge of the National Industrial Court.

    “Justice Fishim told me that his guardian who trained him died and as it is customary among friends, I made my contributions toward the burial.

    “He told me some time later that his father died and I contributed some money for him as it is customary among friends.

    “Some time later, he told me that he had eye problems and he needed to go for eye surgery and that I should pray for him.

    “I gave him some money as it is customary among friend to help each other.”

    Mr. Nwobike told the court that he was innocent of the allegations of the EFCC.

    “I have contributed to the law, I have no other job but litigation and practice. I have a lot of respect for the law and I have
    been very generous to people.

    “I am an employer of lawyers and I don’t pervert the course of justice and I will never pervert the course of justice,” he said.

    Under cross-examination, Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to the EFCC, confronted Nwobike with a text message he allegedly sent to a registrar of the Federal High Court to unduly influence one of the cases he was handling.

    “You sent this text to one Mr. Jide of the Federal High Court, the text reads: ours should go to Justice Yinusa or Justice Aneke.

    “The `ours’ in the text message was it a case that you filed?” Mr. Nwobike said: “I can’t say.”

    Mr. Oyedepo alleged that the suit Mr. Nwobike allegedly tried to unduly influence was between AMCON V Delta Steel Company Ltd with suit no FHC/L/CS/127/2015.

    “I put it to you then what you were seeking Jide to do was in not in exercise of his judicial function,” Mr. Oyedepo said.

    Replying, Mr. Nwobike said: “Jide has no judicial function and the text was conversational as Jide has no power to assign cases.

    “Mr Felix Deckon is our Senior Litigation Clerk, upon filing of the AMCON case, he sent the particulars of the case to me to
    confirm which of the judges did the earlier one.

    “Felix being my subordinate, speaks to me before sending texts and he called me on another line after sending that particular text.”

    Mr. Oyedepo, however, disputed Nwobike’s claims about the timing of the text messages and asked: “Are you aware that your phones record your phone logs? Will you be surprised that Felix did not call you before sending the text?

    “You received a text from Felix at 12.53 p.m. on February 12, 2015; at 12.56 p.m. you forwarded the particulars of the case to Mr. Jide of the Federal High Court.

    “By 1.07 p.m. you sent a text message to Mr. Jide which reads: “The one Aribisala filed is before Justice Idris.’’

    “You immediately forwarded the text message to him saying, “ours should go before Justice Yinusa or Justice Aneke, we need to do so today please,” Oyedepo said.

    Justice Raliatu Adebiyi adjourned the case until July 4 for continuation of trial.

    NAN

     

  • EFCC records 113 convictions in 6 months – Magu

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recorded 113 convictions nationwide between January and June, its Acting Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu, said on Friday.

    Magu, according to a statement by the commission’s spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, told stakeholders at an interactive meeting that the convictions were made possible by their contributions and support.

    The EFCC boss reportedly vowed not to spare the corrupt despite the prevailing obstacles in the anti-graft war.

    “We will not fail to bring to book those who have corruptly stolen our commonwealth and thereafter organise to destabilise the anti-corruption initiatives.

    “I will not relent, I will fight for the interest of our citizens and our children’s future,” he said.

    Magu reiterated his position that corruption is at the root of recent separatist agitations in parts of the country, and urged all patriotic Nigerians to join forces against those tendencies.

    Civil society leaders, who spoke at the forum, called on the commission to step up its awareness creation activities on the prevention of corruption.

    They urged the EFCC to create communication strategies that would motivate the masses to join the anti-corruption crusade.

    Malachy Ugwumadu, President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), described the anti-corruption fight as a class struggle and war that must be won by the people.

    “This is a class struggle between the political elites and those of us fighting to rescue the soul of our society.

    “The battle may be lost if we don’t reorganise and focus on the people who seem confused due to manipulation by the corrupt few,” Ugwumadu reportedly said.

    Jiti Ogunye, a lawyer and human rights activist, acknowledged the challenges confronting the anti-corruption agencies, especially the dangerous environment in which their personnel operate.

    He sued for encouragement and public support for all anti-corruption agencies to reduce the pressure on EFCC.

    On his part, Dr Joe Odumakin of Women Arise, called for committment and synergy among civil society groups.

    “This is not a day to agonise but to organise and put our strategies in focus. Enough of the diversionary tactics employed by those who hate the commission.

    “We must put our house in order, and create more awareness in the communities on the dangers of corruption and how we can mobilise the common people for support,” he said.(NAN)

  • EFCC discovers N603m in civil servant’s wife’s account

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Wednesday traced a staggering sum of N603m to Mrs Esther Habu, the wife of Mr Josiah Habu, who is the Director of the Bioresources Development Centre in Bayelsa State.

    Established in 2003 by the National Biotechnology Development Agency under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, BIODEC is an intervention programme of the Federal Government aimed at developing the natural resources of Nigeria for use in agriculture, health, environment and industry.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that BIODEC has about 25 centres across the country.

    According to the EFCC, investigations showed that Esther, whose husband is a director at the BIODEC branch in Bayelsa State, was given suspicious contracts even as a total sum of N603,000,000 was traced to her in different deals involving over 20 directors of BIODEC across the country.

    The anti-graft agency said in a statement by its spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, that about N70m was traced to her husband.

    The EFCC also arrested the Director-General of NABDA, Prof Lucy Ogbadu, who oversees all BIODEC branches across the country.

    Ogbadu allegedly received N23m from the slush fund.

    The statement read in part, “Operatives of the EFCC have arrested the serving Director-General of NABDA, Prof Lucy Ogbadu, for her alleged involvement in criminal conspiracy and diversion of public funds to the tune of N23m.

    “Ogbadu was arrested on Wednesday June 28 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, following her alleged link with the Bayelsa State Director of BIODEC, Mr Josiah Habu, who is being investigated by the EFCC in a case of fraudulent diversion of the sum of N75m.

    “Investigations by the EFCC showed that Ogbadu allegedly received the sum of N23m through a bank account belonging to the wife of Habu, Mrs Esther Habu, and admitted same in a voluntary statement made to the EFCC.

    “Further investigations have also shown that Mrs Habu is one of the contractors with BIODEC, Odi, Bayelsa State, and a total sum of N603m has been traced to her in different deals involving over 20 directors of BIODEC across the country.”

    The commission said Ogbadu’s link with all the alleged scams was being investigated, adding that she had been duly served with bail conditions while investigations continued.

     

  • Panic as gunmen shoot EFCC official investigating judges

    Unknown gunmen have shot an official of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Austin Okwor last Saturday (June 24) while leaving his office in Port Harcourt.

    Okwor is presently receiving treatments after sustaining injuries from the gunshot.

    According to a statement by the spokesperson of the antigraft agency, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, Okwor was one of the operatives investigating some sensitive cases including a case pertaining to alleged corrupt judicial officials.

    The commission said Okwor, who is attached to the Property Fraud Section of the EFCC zonal office in Port Harcourt, was shot on June 24 while leaving his office.

    The statement partly read, “Mr. Austin Okwor, an operative in the Property Fraud Section of the EFCC zonal office in Port Harcourt, had closed late for the day and as he left office, he was suddenly accosted by a gang of daredevil hoodlums who opened fire on him.

    “Luckily for him, he was able to shake off his assailants but not without sustaining some bullet wounds as they kept firing at him. He was rushed to a private hospital in Port Harcourt where he is receiving treatment.

    “According to Ishaq Salihu, Head of the zonal office, the incident has already been reported to the police in Port Harcourt. Okwor is one of the operatives investigating some sensitive cases including that pertaining to corrupt judicial officials.”

    The anti-graft agency said the victim had been receiving threat messages before the incident. One of such messages which he received last month was reported to the police.

    The commission said the incident underlined the hazards which operatives were daily exposed to in the discharge of their duties.

    It noted that on September 14, 2010, the head of the commission’s Forensic Unit, Abdullahi Muazu, was shot and killed by unknown gunmen in Kaduna.

    Six months earlier, a team of prosecutors returning to Enugu after a court appearance in Owerri, Imo State, was attacked by gunmen who opened fire on them. Sergeant Eze Edoga, the police escort, was killed while a senior counsel with the commission, Joseph Uzor, was wounded but survived.

  • GEJ’s cousin allegedly misappropriates $40m communication kits money

    Cousin of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) has been alleged to have misappropriated a whooping sum of $40 million meant for communication kits.

    Azibaola Robert and his wife, Stella were accused of diverting the $40m ostensibly meant for the supply of tactical communication kits for Special Forces at a Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja on Friday in the lingering case.

    Investigation reveals that the money was transferred from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the domiciliary account of their company, One Plus Holdings.

    Tenth prosecution witness, David Nkpe told the court that analysis of documents relating to One Plus Holdings Nigeria Ltd showed that the company actually received the $40m from the account of Office of the National Security Adviser with the CBN.

    According Nkpe, the investigation was extended to the National Security Adviser Office to ascertain the purpose for which the payment was made.

    “EFCC wrote to ONSA to avail them with documents regarding the payment mandate and the reply came”, said Nkpe.

    “We investigated the utilisation of the funds and discovered that the funds were transferred to other companies including Bureau de Change and some of the funds transferred offshore to countries like London and United Arab Emirates,” he further stated.

    When Nkpe was asked if he could recall some of the beneficiaries of the communication kits money, “there were several of them,” he said, adding: “but I remember that $6.6 million was transferred to a company called ‘Karahyna’ between October 2014 and April 2015, which was specifically done in eight tranches”.

    “I also recall that the sum of $1.5 million was transferred to ‘Reya Telecommunication’ which is a company under One Plus Holdings group.

    “Another sum of $1.493million was transferred to ‘Kakatar El Ltd’ which is also a company under One Plus Holdings; a sum of $2 million was transferred to ‘Capitafield Investment Ltd’ and another $330,000 transferred to a company called ‘Teledom’,” Nkpe further witnessed.

    “Most of the companies that received the money did not supply any goods,” he added.

    Nkpe said the analysis carried out on One Plus Holdings account on September 9, 2014 showed that the $40m communication kits money received was the only major inflow into the account, and that from the time of that receipt, all the transactions in the account were outflows, which is the distribution of the said $40m.

    He said the credit balance in the account before the transaction was $17,277.50.

    Thereafter, documents were presented and admitted as exhibits including: petition from the ONSA to EFCC as exhibit ASO 16 (1&2), Search warrant dated March 23, 2016; two power of attorney as exhibit ASO 18a &18b; Deed of Assignment as exhibit ASO 19a, 19b, 19c; transfer mandate from One Plus Holdings to Zenith Bank as ASO 20 (1-39); the two statement of the first defendant dated March 23 & 24, 2016 marked as exhibit ASO 21a & ASO 21b.

    Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court then adjourned the case to July 7, 2017.

     

    Source

     

  • Jonathan’s former FCT-Minister, Akinjide, arraigned, remanded over N650 million fraud

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday arraigned a former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Jumoke Akinjide, before Justice J.O Abdul-Malik of the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State.

    The former minister was arraigned alongside a man, Olanrewaju Otiti, on an amended 12-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N650 million.

    While the duo are facing trial on counts one to 12 of the amended charge, the third accused person, Ayo Adeseun, a former senator, who failed to appear in court Thursday, is facing trial on counts one to 24.

    The accused allegedly received the money from a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in the build- up to the 2015 general election.

    The money was part of the $115 million allegedly disbursed by Mrs. Alison-Madueke to influence the outcome of the 2015 presidential election.

    During Thursday’s proceedings, Bolaji Ayorinde, counsel to Mrs. Akinjide; Michael F. Lana, counsel to the second defendant, as well as Adeniyi Ishola, counsel to the third defendant, filed four applications asking the court to strike out of the charges against the first defendant, while also challenging the validity of the amended charge brought by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo.

    Counsels to the first and second defendants told the court that there was no charge before the court, arguing that there was no application by the prosecution counsel.

    Mr. Ayorinde told the court that the amended charge brought by the prosecution did not have a “seal” of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.

    He therefore prayed the court not to take the pleas of the defendants.

    However, Mr. Oyedepo objected to the applications, saying the amended charge before the court was duly filed and served on the defendants.

    In a short ruling, Justice Abdul- Malik held that the original charge be substituted with the amended charge and ordered the first and third defendants to take their pleas.

    Not satisfied, the two defence counsels withdrew their appearances for the defendants and angrily walked out of the court.

    One of the charges reads: “That you, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke (still at large), Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, Senator Ayo Ademola Adeseun and Chief Olarenwaju Otiti on or about the 26th day of March, 2015, in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to directly take possession of the N650, 000, 000.00 (Six Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act”.

    Another charge reads: “That you, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, Senator Ayo Ademola Adeseun and Chief Olanrewaju Otiti on or about the 26th day of March, 2015 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did conspire amongst yourselves to commit an offence, to wit: making cash payment of the sum of N650, 000, 000. 00 (Six Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) which sum exceeded the amount authorized by Law without going through financial institution and you thereby committed an offence.”

    However, when the charges were read to them, they pleaded not guilty.

    However, the prosecution counsel informed the court that the first and third defendants had initiated a plea bargain discussion with the prosecution and asked for a short adjournment to enable the parties to perfect the negotiation.

    He also pleaded with the court to remand the first and third defendants in the EFCC custody.

    Counsel to the third defendant, Mr. Otiti, filed and served an application for bail and urged the court to grant his client bail on self-re cognizance.

    Justice Abdul-Malik adjourned the matter to September 12, for hearing on the substantive matter and to July 6, for ruling on the bail application.

    The defendants were ordered to be remanded in the custody of the EFCC.