by Admin | Nov 7, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI Former Acting Governor of Taraba State, Sani Abubakar Danladi, yesterday admitted collecting N450 million through Senators Joel Dallami Ikenya and Hon. Mark Bako Useni during the 2015 presidential election. Danladi, who was arrested last week was quizzed on Monday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), at its Gombe Zonal Office. He was later released on bail to reliable sureties, but asked to report to the EFCC Gombe Zonal Office for further investigation. The former Acting governor was said to have told his interrogators that he chaired the 8-man committee that disbursed the money for the Peoples Democratic Party in Taraba State. The amount in question was part of the N23 billion allegedly doled out by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to influence the outcome of the 2015 presidential election. Danladi said, ”I and the other members of the committee shared N36 million among ourselves, while the balance of N414 million was distributed to other stakeholders across the 16 local government areas of the state and one Development Area...
by Admin | Nov 6, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI A prosecution witness, Mr. Ansalem Dunu, has claimed that during the time he was interfacing with the billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, he learned that the kidnap kingpin collected nothing less than N100 million as ransom from his victims. Mr. Dunu said this while giving testimony before Justice Hakeem Oshodi at the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, on Friday. The examination in chief which was led by Ms. Titi Shitta-Bay, Director of Public Prosecution, revealed that Evans and his kidnap syndicate kidnapped the Executive Officer of Maydon Pharmaceutical Limited, Mr. Donatus Dunu on February 14, 2017, and was not released until a ransom of €223,000 (Euros) was paid. The witness who is the elder brother of the kidnapped victim narrated how his brother was abducted and how the kidnapper threatened and pestered him until he finally paid the ransom. He said in the process of negotiating the ransom with the kidnappers, he was threatened. “On one of the occasions that they called, I told them I have gathered N60 million and that was my limit. The voice that always rain abuses on me said “you are wasting our time, shebi na you go bring this money. Let’s see how you will go back alive” Mr. Dunu said. The witness also informed the court that the kidnappers got information about his brother through his old time friend Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu known to him simply as ‘Chuks’ the 4th defendant in the ongoing criminal trial. “Abba Kyari called that they have arrested the kidnapper. After sometimes, he called that the person who gave my brother’s particulars has been...
by Admin | Nov 6, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI A British national who was being held hostage in Nigeria has been killed, while three others have returned home safely, the Foreign Office in London said Monday. The four, who were working with a Christian medical charity in southern Nigeria’s Delta state, were kidnapped last month. A UK Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are supporting the families of four British people who were abducted on 13 October in Nigeria, one of whom was tragically killed. “This has clearly been a traumatic time for all concerned, and our staff will continue to do all we can to support the families. We are grateful to the Nigerian authorities, and are unable to comment given the ongoing nature of their...
by Admin | Nov 6, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI Retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, former National Security Adviser (NSA), has denied embarking on any unlawful N400 million transaction with the former PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisah Metuh. Dasuki, currently in DSS detention, said this while testifying before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court on Friday in Abuja. The former NSA, who served in ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, was subpoenaed by the court at Metuh’s instance to appear and testify as a defence witness. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the EFCC has filed the criminal charges against Metuh for allegedly taking part in the sharing of 2.1 billion US dollars meant for military hardware. Dasuki, also told the court that he had not been charged with or convicted of any unlawful acts in parts or whole in respect of the charges brought against Metuh. When crossed examined by the prosecuting counsel, Mr Sylvanus Tahir, the witness insisted on consulting his records before answering questions relating to transactions between his former office and Metuh. Attempts by Tahir to compel Dasuki to speak on the detail of his former office’s financial transaction with Metuh and his company failed. The prosecuting counsel had confronted the witness with exhibits showing the alleged transactions, but Dasuki insisted on conferring with his records. “These are simply documents from a prosecution desperate to get a conviction, that is why I insist on referring to my own records,” the witness said. The judge, thereafter, discharged Dasuki as a witness and adjourned the matter until Dec. 4. Earlier, Abang, turned down a motion for adjournment to enable the witness have access to...
by Admin | Nov 6, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI The President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, is in trouble again. On Sunday his name popped up in the global list of infamy exposing some leading world politicians for utilising shell companies in tax havens to either conceal assets, evade tax, or launder funds. That revelation, which is capable of attracting fresh criminal charges to the politician, came only 18 months after a similar investigation exposed his ownership of at least three secret offshore firms which he used in concealing assets abroad. The expose also came even as the senator is battling to extricate himself from charges relating to false asset declaration. The matter is now at the Court of Appeal after the Code of Conduct Tribunal acquitted and discharged him. In the new findings,the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Mr. Saraki was found to sit on the board of an offshore entity while he was governor and later member of the Nigerian Senate in violation of his country’s code of conduct law. The politician set up Tenia Limited in the Cayman Islands —a notorious tax haven in the Caribbean— in 2001, and ran it until at least 2015 as director and sole shareholder. It remains unclear what business he transacted with the entity and what asset he might have used it to conceal. But he failed to list the firm in his assets declaration filings when he was elected governor of Kwara in 2003, in defiance of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act. He also didn’t list the company when he was reelected governor in 2007 and when he was elected senator...
by Admin | Nov 6, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) has ordered Governor Ayo Fayose to pay over N234 million to chairmen and members of statutory commissions appointed and sworn into office by former Governor Kayode Fayemi. Fayose sacked members of the State Independent National Electoral Commission (SIEC), Civil Service Commission (CSC), House of Assembly Service Commission (HASC) and Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) on assumption of office in October 2014 when their tenures were still subsisting. The affected officials through their lawyers, led by Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) approached the court to reverse their unlawful sack and reinstate them into the Commissions. The Claimants anchored their prayers on grounds that the tenure of their appointment is statutory. The Court gave the verdict while delivering judgment in separate suits filed by the sacked members of the commissions against the Governor of Ekiti State and the Attorney General of Ekiti State. Delivering a judgment on Monday, Justice Oyeyibola Oyewumi ordered Fayose to pay the plaintiffs a total sum of N234, 010, 982.24 for terminating their appointments on October 20, 2014. Justice Oyewumi held: “It is trite that where an appointment of an employee is terminated outside the specified terms of agreement or specified terms of agreement or specified period, such a termination will be seen wrongful or unlawful as the case may be. “It is upon this basis that I find that dissolution of these Commissions and removal of their chairmen and members by the first defendant (Fayose), is an act of executive recklessness, executive rascality, a grave disregard to the Governor’s Oath of Office which he sworn to uphold,...
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