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Tag: EFCC

  • EFCC holds nationwide anti-corruption walk Tuesday

    EFCC holds nationwide anti-corruption walk Tuesday

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will on Tuesday stage an anti-corruption walk intended to further stimulate Nigerians to embrace and support the fight against corruption.

    According to spokesman of the EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, the Acting Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Mr Ibrahim Magu, is expected to lead the walk in Abuja.

    Uwujaren in a statement on Sunday quoted Magu as saying that the exercise was planned to coincide with the second anniversary of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    Magu said the government’s focus on anti-corruption had galvanised the ant-graft establishment and raised hope that corruption can be fought with the right political will.

    “The EFCC walk against corruption is expected to feature stakeholders from different sectors including the organised labour, youth organisations, women groups and civil society organisations among others.

    “The exercise is expected to hold simultaneously in all the cities where the EFCC currently have offices.

    “These include Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Gombe, Ibadan, Benin, Maiduguri, Kano and Kaduna,” Uwujaren said.

    According to him, the walk will begin at the EFCC head office in Wuse 2, with a brief stop at the Unity Fountain where invited groups are to join the procession.

     

     

     

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  • Breaking: Court orders final forfeiture of N449m found in Lagos shop to FG

    Breaking: Court orders final forfeiture of N449m found in Lagos shop to FG

    The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of the sum of N449,750,000 found in an abandoned Bureau de Change shop in Victoria Island by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

    Recall that an investigator with the EFCC, Moses Awolusi, said in the affidavit filed before the judge that the shop numbered LS64, located on at Legico Shopping Plaza, at Victoria island, Lagos had not been opened for two years.

    Awolusi said the money was found on April 7, 2017 in several “Ghana Must Go” sacks, adding that the EFCC recovered the money after investigating intelligence information received on one Mohammed Tauheed.

    According to the investigator, Tauheed allegedly conspired with the owner of the abandoned shop to launder the money.

    Awolusi said Tauheed had earlier been brought to the EFCC office by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Legico shopping Plaza, Mr Sulaiman Daba and Alhaji Ishaq Ayandiran, respectively.

    He said during the visit, Tauheed told the anti-graft agency that he received the money in cash from a serving government official, whose name was not disclosed for security reasons.

    He said Tauheed, in the presence of his lawyer, later agreed to return the money to the Federal Government, which is which is the rightful owner of the funds strongly suspected to the proceeds of criminal activities of the unnamed serving government official.

     

    Full details soon…

  • Two Whistle-blowers land in EFCC net over false information

    Two Whistle-blowers land in EFCC net over false information

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, arraigned the duo of Buhari Fannami and Ba-Kura Abdullahi on two separate one count charge before Justice M. T Salihu of the Federal High Court Maiduguri, for allegedly giving false information to the agency under the whistle blowing policy.

    Fannamit had misled the EFCC with the information about illegally acquired monies purportedly buried at the residence of one Ba’a Lawan but the information turned out to be false after the execution of a search warrant.

    The charge reads, “That you, Buhari Fannami on or about the 8th day of May, 2017 at Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did make statement to Officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission under the Whistle Blowing policy to the effect that large sums of money being the proceeds of crime were buried in the residence Ba’a Lawan at Pompomari Layout along Pompomari Bypass, Maiduguri which information/statement you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under sections 39 (2) (a) and 39 (2) (b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004 respectively”.

    The accused person pleaded not guilty to the charge. Counsel to the prosecution Alkassim Ja’afar asked for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the accused person in the prison custody pending trial.

    Justice Salihu adjourned the matter to June 7 and 8, 2017 for hearing and ordered the accused to be remanded in the prison custody.

    On his part, Ba-Kura Abdullahi also gave false information to the effect that large sum of money in naira and foreign currencies were buried in the residence of Ba’a Lawan.

    Justice Salihu adjourned his case to June 7 and 8, 2017 for commencement of trial and ordered the accused to be remanded in the prison custody

  • Money laundering: EFCC re-arraigns Fani-Kayode, Nenadi Usman

    Money laundering: EFCC re-arraigns Fani-Kayode, Nenadi Usman

    Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode was on Monday re-arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos, over charges bordering on laundering N4.6 billion.

    Fani-Kayode was re-arraigned alongside former Minister of State for Finance, Sen. Nenadi Usman and Yusuf Danjuma, former National Chairman, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON).

    Also charged is a company, Jointrust Dimentions Nigeria Ltd.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) re-arraigned the accused on 17-counts charge of money laundering.

    Their re-arraignment was sequel to the transfer of the case file to a new trial judge, Justice Mohammed Aikawa.

    The charge, which was previously before Justice Sure Hassan, was re-assigned to Justice Aikawa following an application by counsel to Fani-Kayode, Mr Norrisson Quakers.

    Quakers had urged Hassan to withdraw from the suit alleging that he (judge) would be biased as he previously worked for the EFCC.

    Meanwhile, before the re-arraignment of the accused, defence counsels, Mr Wale Balogun (SAN) and Mr Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN) had informed the court of their application seeking transfer of the case from Lagos division.

    The application was however, opposed by the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, who argued that the pleas of the accused ought to be taken first.

    The trial judge then ordered that the pleas of the accused be taken.

    The accused persons however, pleaded not guilty of the charges.

    Justice Aikawa then adjourned the case till June 7 and June 9 for trial and decision on the application to transfer the case.

    In the charge, the accused were alleged to have committed the offences between January and March 2015.

    In counts one to seven, they were alleged to have unlawfully retained over N3.8 billion which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act of stealing and corruption.

    In counts eight to 14, the accused were alleged to have unlawfully used over N970 million which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of an unlawful act of corruption.

    In counts 15 to17, Fani-Kayode and one Olubode Oke, who was said to be at large, were alleged to have made cash payments of about N30 million in excess of the amount allowed by law and without going through financial institution.

    Besides, Fani-Kayode was alleged to have made payments to one Paste Poster Co (PPC) of No 125 Lewis St., Lagos, in excess of the amount allowed by law.

    All the offences were said to contravene the provisions of sections 15 (3) (4), 16 (2) (b), and 16 (5) of the Money laundering (prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.

     

     

     

    NAN

  • I have no plot of land, Hotel in Lagos, EFCC sponsoring malicious publications against me – Yari

    Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State has debunked allegations that he is building a $3m hotel in Lagos from Paris-London Club refunds.

    In a statement signed by Head of Public Affairs, Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat, Abulrazque Barkindo, Yari said he does not have a plot of land, let alone a hotel.

    He further said the allegations were “harmful, damaging and libelous insinuations which remain largely unsubstantiated.”

    “Reports on Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar of Zamfara state, and chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum making the rounds that the ‘governor is building a $3m hotel from monies stolen from the Paris-London Club refunds to states’ give cause for worry,” the statement read.

    “The reports contain harmful, damaging and libelous insinuations which remain largely unsubstantiated despite the fact that it attributes the leaks to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), officials in Lagos.

    “Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar has said emphatically that he does not even own a plot of land in Lagos not to talk of a hotel.

    “But the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission officials in Lagos claimed as follows: that “they have found a hotel being constructed by Governor Yari of Zamfara state with $3m he stole from London-Paris Club loan refund to Nigerian states.

    “That “apart from the $3million, Governor Yari also diverted N500 million from the Paris Club refund to pay off a loan”, an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) source revealed to an online medium.

    “The medium also added that EFCC officials in Lagos revealed that “overall the governor embezzled the sum of N2.2 billion from the N19billion set aside illegally to pay ‘consultants’, all of which are wrong, harmful, libellous and misleading disclosures.

    “Governor Abdulaziz Yari is not building any hotel in Lagos nor were any monies stolen or embezzled from the Paris-London Club refunds to states or from any other source.

    “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was quoted extensively as source of that report and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum is alarmed that the EFCC continues to feed the media fibs at the expense of its hard-earned reputation as the anti- graft agency that Nigerians used to respect,” the statement read.

    “This is perhaps why the EFCC has lost most of the high-profile corruption cases at the law courts after it had unfairly stage-managed media trials and caused their victims personal pain and public umbrage.

    “This report, typical of most of the exclusive leaks that are becoming characteristic of the sources that court some sections of the media, lacks detail and compelling evidence to be fit to print.

    “The sources were courageous enough to mention a hotel in Lekki area of Lagos but gave neither a street name nor any specific information on the property to give credibility to the allegations. This does no service to any investigation nor does it help the development of our country Nigeria.

    “The media, we all know, is entitled to perform its duties as watchdog of society, which is enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “It is not, however, entitled to make unfair attacks, based on unfounded, false and unsubstantiated allegations against responsible public office holders.

    “The media should support the EFCC in ensuring that convicting people on the pages of newspapers shouldn’t be the focus of the EFCC in its war against corruption.

    “Instead, EFCC should channel its energies to a comprehensive, thorough and credible investigation that can stand the scrutiny of legal examination in court.”

     

  • Patience Jonathan vs EFCC: Court adjourns case to May 22

    A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Monday adjourned to May 22, a suit seeking final forfeiture to the Federal Government of the sum of $5.8m belonging to former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.

    Justice Mojisola Olatoregun granted the adjournment following an argument by counsel to Jonathan, Mr Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), that the respondent was not given sufficient notice to file a response.

    The court had on April 26 issued an interim order for forfeiture of the sum of $5.8m belonging to Jonathan to the Federal Government.

    The order followed an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission seeking a forfeiture of the sum to government, pending the determination of the motion on notice.

    The court had granted the interim order and had further directed that same be advertised in a national daily, to enable any interested party to appear and show cause why the interim order should not be made final.

    When the case was called on Monday, counsel to the respondent, Adedipe informed the court of a notice of Appeal he had filed against the court’s ruling as well as a motion for stay of further proceedings.

    He argued that the EFCC ought to have waited to abide by the decision of the court of appeal in respect of the matter.

    Adedipe also noted that the publication of the court’s order in the national daily was only done on May 11, adding that such notice was too short to allow for the filing of any response.

    Responding, lawyer to the EFCC, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, stressed that the business of the day was for any interested party to appear and show cause.

    He noted that the argument of the respondent’s counsel fell outside the purview of the court’s business with respect to the matter at hand, and urged that progress be made.

    In her observation, however, justice Olatoregun noted that the suit will only be adjourned on the ground that the time frame of the said publication was short.

    She, therefore, adjourned the case to May 22, for the respondent or any interested party to appear and show cause why the interim forfeiture order should not be made absolute.

    Justice Olatoregun had sometimes in November 2016, granted a forfeiture order of the said sum following an application by the Commission.

    The court, had however in March this year vacated the earlier order, following an application by Jonathan’s counsel, Adedipe, who had challenged the propriety of the EFCC’s action.

    The EFCC had then filed a new motion seeking an order for interim forfeiture of the said $5.8m lodged in the respondent’s Skye Bank account.

    The Commission also sought an order directing the interim forfeiture of N2.4bn discovered in an EcoBank account in the name of La Wari Furniture and Bath Ltd, suspected to be proceeds of crime.

    It further sought for the publication in any national newspaper, of the said order, to enable any interested party to appear and show why the interim order should not be made final.

    The commission averred in an affidavit that it received an intelligence report that funds suspected to be proceeds of crime were warehoused in a Skye Bank account belonging to Jonathan.

    It said that the report was analysed and found worthy of investigation, adding that the ex- First Lady opened the account on Feb. 7, 2013.

    According to the Commission, several cash deposits were made by the ex- First Lady in the United States Dollars, through Waripamo Dudafa, a former aide to ex- President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The commission averred that another frequent depositor of funds into the said account was one Festus Iyoha, a steward in the State House, Abuja.

    The EFCC said that between Feb. 8, 2013 and Jan. 30, 2015, about $6.7m suspected to be proceeds of crime were deposited into the account.

    According to the Commission, Jonathan had dissipated the funds, leaving a balance of about $5.7m.

    The Commission further averred that if the fund was not forfeited in the interim, it may be fully dissipated by Jonathan.

    It added that N2.03b, suspected proceeds of crime, was currently on fixed deposit in the account of La Wari Furniture, in addition to a credit balance of about N389m.

    The Commission, therefore, urged the court to grant the application in the interest of justice.

    Granting the order, Justice Olatoregun adjourned the case till May 15, to enable any interested party to appear and show reason why the interim order should not be made final.

     

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  • EFCC reportedly uncovers $3million Lagos hotel Governor Yari built with Paris Club funds

    EFCC reportedly uncovers $3million Lagos hotel Governor Yari built with Paris Club funds

    Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), have reportedly told Sahara Reporters, that they have discovered a hotel being contructed by Governor Yari of Zamfara State, with $3million from the London-Paris Club loan refund.

    Yari according to a report published by Sahara reporters, who is the chairman of the Governor’s Forum, allegedly diverted the N19billion reportedly meant for “consultants” from the Paris club loan refund.

    The money had been illegally paid into the account of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) by Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    It is understood that the hotel is a 100-room property situated in Lekki area of Lagos.

    EFCC officials say they plan to take over the hotel, as soon as they obtain a court order.
    Apart from the $3million, Governor Yari is said to have allegedly diverted another N500million from the Paris Club refund, to pay off a loan. Overall, the Governor is said to have allegedly embezzled the sum of N2.2billion from the N19billion set aside illegally to pay “consultants.”

     

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  • UTME 2017: JAMB partners EFCC, ICPC, Police to monitor exam centres

    UTME 2017: JAMB partners EFCC, ICPC, Police to monitor exam centres

    Sequel to reports of various challenges that marred previous conduct of its examination, the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has said that operatives of the Nigeria Police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related offences Commission, ICPC, will monitor the examination centres in the forthcoming Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UMTE.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the exams will commence from Saturday May 13, 2017.

    JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede told newsmen in Abuja that each test centre will have a supervisor, a technical officer, a verification officer, three proctors as well as security agents.

    “Each state will be superintended over by a head of a tertiary institution (Vice-Chancellor, Rector or Provost) who coordinates the supervisors under his or her jurisdiction”, Oloyede added.

    “It is certainly not going to be business as usual in the conduct of the Board’s examination and other processes.

    “In line with this resolution, the Board had secured through diligent prosecution, the conviction of two Nigerians who forged the Board’s results and came around for verification.

    “At the moment, we have lodged complaints against a number of Computer-Based Test, CBT, centre owners for one infraction or the other and a number of them were arrested, cautioned, while others are to be prosecuted so as to serve as a deterrent to others”, he added.

    The JAMB boss warned candidates not to fall for the ploy of fraudsters who he said were out to defraud them.

    He pointed out a case at the Federal Government Science Technical College, Orozo,Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, where somebody was sending bulk messages to candidates to come and reprint their slips claiming to be from JAMB.

  • JUST IN: Court rejects Andrew Yakubu’s application to recover forfeited $9m

    JUST IN: Court rejects Andrew Yakubu’s application to recover forfeited $9m

    A former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Engr. Andrew Yakubu, on Wednesday failed to recover the $9.8m seized from him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports Yakubu had filed an application before a Federal High Court in Kano asking the court to overturn an interim order of forfeiture secured by the EFCC in February for the cash.

     

    Details later…

  • My visit to Rivers Chief Judge not for judicial favour – Magu

    My visit to Rivers Chief Judge not for judicial favour – Magu

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has cleared the air on the visit of its Acting Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu to the Chief Judge of Rivers, Justice Adama Iyayi-Lamikanra on Monday.

    It said that contrary to speculation, the visit was not connected to any of its cases pending before the chief judge.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the clarification was made in a statement issued by the Spokesman of the EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren on Tuesday.

    Uwujaren said Magu’s visit to Iyayi-Lamikanra was a courtesy call as part of his working visit to the headquarters of the South South zonal office of the commission in Port Harcourt.

    “Apart from the Chief Judge, Magu also visited the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Zaki Ahmed.

    “Indeed, it is a matter of routine courtesy for the EFCC boss to visit critical stakeholders, particularly law enforcement and justice sector leaders in zones where the commission maintain offices.

    “Such gestures are not meant to compromise or influence them to favour the commission in the discharge of their responsibilities,’’ he explained.

    The EFCC spokesman said the clarification was in reaction to a report in a national daily purporting that the visit was causing disquiet in the state.

    He quoting the report as saying “the state House of Assembly is considering passing a resolution calling for the suspension of the chief judge for receiving Magu’’.

    Uwujaren said an anonymous source told the paper that the lawmakers believed the visit had put the Chief Judge under pressure, and that it was wrong for Magu to visit a judge over any case.

    Uwujaren noted that the visit was pursuant to the commission’s belief that it had a shared responsibility with other workers in the justice delivery system to promote the fight against corruption.

    According to him, visits such as this one offer the commission the opportunity to share experiences and remind the hosts of their responsibilities under the EFCC Act, especially as it concerns the designation of judges to handle EFCC cases.

    “Justice Laminkara is not the first Chief Judge to host Magu and it will be distasteful to malign her over a civilised gesture of receiving a head of a federal agency.

    “Many judges have hosted Magu without a whimper from any quarter. Before now, the EFCC boss visited the Chief Judges of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States.

    “At the federal level, he has paid courtesy visits to the Chief Judges of the Federal High Court, the Federal Capital Territory High Court and the President of the Court of Appeal.

    “These visits have not stopped the commission from losing cases before judges under the supervision of these respected judicial officials,’’ he said.

     

     

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