by Admin | Mar 24, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI The Economic and Financial Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, 22nd March, 2017 secured another conviction in the ongoing N8bn Currency Mutilation Scam before Justice Joyce Abdul Malik of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State. In her ruling, the judge convicted and sentenced the duo of Toogun Kayode Philip and Afolabi Esther Olunike, former staff of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Wema bank respectively to eighteen years imprisonment on three counts to run concurrently. The convicts who were the 4th and 5th defendants amongst other former bankers standing trial in the ongoing CBN N8bn currency mutilation scam opted for a plea bargain hence, they were convicted accordingly. While Toogun, a former staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN bagged a three-year jail term on counts 15, 17 and 19 respectively to run concurrently with effect from January 1st, 2016 , Afolabi got three years on counts 16, 18 and 19 respectively to also run concurrently with effect from January 1st , 2016. The court also ordered that Toogun forfeits to the Federal Government a 3 bedroom apartment situated at Oganla area, off Omi Adio Apata Ibadan, Oyo State, the entire sum in his Access bank and First bank accounts with all the accrued interest as at the date of the conviction. Afolabi forfeits a 5 bedroom duplex situated at No.8 Fatoke Street, Molete area of Ibadan, a borehole machine/rig, a filing station- Oba Oil Gas Limited located at Liberty Academy area of Ibadan, Oyo State. She shall also forfeit the entire sum in her accounts with First bank, Zenith bank and Guaranty Trust bank respectively. The...
by Admin | Mar 24, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI The trial of Giwa Useni John, Pius Iorye Uganden and Nancy Uganden for a N30 million fraud continued on March 21, 2017 before Justice O.A. Otaluka of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court, Lugbe, with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, presenting two witnesses against them. They are facing a five-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, to which on March 7, 2017they pleaded “not guilty”. They are alleged to have disguised as members of the Ad-hoc committee on the sale of Federal Government of Nigeria Houses in the FCT with the “intent to obtain money under false pretence”. The fraud was allegedly committed in 2013. At the resumed sitting, the first witness, Emeka Adiele, a lawyer, while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Rimamsomte Ezekiel, gave insight into how a petition by Phillip Chukweke, sometime in April 2016 exposed the shady activities of the defendants. “I received his complaint, in which he alleged that the defendants, defrauded him in a business deal in which he wanted to buy one property located at 3, Zinguinchor Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja,” he said. He further told the court that Chukweke, who is also the Managing Director of Communication Towers Nigeria Limited, and the defendants, signed a Memorandum of Understanding and payment plan agreement. “However, after the initial deposit of N30 million by Chukweke, he was given forged receipt by the defendants in respect of the said property,” he added. He further explained that the said property was valued at N250 million, and that “after six months, the defendants failed to raise the necessary allocation...
by Admin | Mar 24, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI NDLEA operatives apprehended one Roland Chukwudi Tochukwu, 37, with 2.045kg of heroin imported from Nairobi, Kenya. Another suspect, Maduka Nnemeka Peter, 39, was also caught attempting to export 1.555kg of cocaine to Dubai from Lagos. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested two individuals for narcotics possession at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos on Thursday. NDLEA operatives apprehended one Roland Chukwudi Tochukwu, 37, with 2.045kg of heroin imported from Nairobi, Kenya. The NDLEA disclosed that the suspect also possessed a fake ticket indicating that he was traveling from China. NDLEA spokesman Mitchell Ofoyeju said that he intentionally carried the fake travel ticket from China to circumvent security checks. “Preliminary investigation by the anti-narcotic agency revealed that Tochukwu deliberately replaced his ticket with a fake one showing that he was coming from China instead of Nairobi,” Mr. Ofoyeju said. “This was intended to place him on a low risk profile, but his expectations were dashed as the heroin concealed inside his luggage was detected during a screening of passengers on an Ethiopian Airline flight.” Commenting on the arrest, NDLEA Commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba, added that drugs are more expensive in Asia, so passengers from Asian countries are generally not suspected to be trafficking drugs from there. “The suspect wanted to distract the attention of officers by presenting himself as coming from China while he actually took off from Nairobi. This is because it is economically unwise to bring narcotics from China where the price is far higher than here in Nigeria,” Mr. Garba said. Another suspect, Maduka Nnemeka Peter, 39, was...
by Admin | Mar 23, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI Two illegal immigrants who are said to be Beninese have been arrested by the men of the Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service. The suspects were Alagbe Ogunde (35) and Yaguenu Tonye (56). They were said to have been arrested at an immigration point at Olorunsogo via Ilaro in Yewa South Local Government Area of the state. Briefing journalists at the command’s headquarters in Abeokuta on Thursday, the state Comptroller of Immigration Service, Ajibola Bayeroju, said the suspects were criminally-minded, adding that one of them, Alagbe, was an ex-convict in Republic of Benin. Bayeroju said, “The suspects were intercepted in one of the immigration points around Olorunsogo after Ilaro in Yewa South Local Government Area. “One of the suspects, Alagbe, confessed in his statement to have been involved in criminal acts and subsequently jailed in Republic of Benin sometimes back.” Alagbe who claimed the ownership of the two locally-made pistols while speaking with journalists, said he made the pistols to protect himself “from any form of attack.” The suspect was also said to have confessed that he had an intention of attacking officers of the NIS at Ohunbe /Obelle Control Post. However, Bayeroju, said the command would continue to raid border communities to rid the state of illegal immigrants and other miscreants. He said the items recovered from the suspects were the two locally-made pistols loaded with ammunition, assorted charms, dagger, gunpowder, bank savings and withdrawal booklets and a bunch of keys. Bayeroju said the suspects would be handed over to the state police command for further investigation. He said, “We want to assure the...
by Admin | Mar 23, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI The list of suspects wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has grown in number by 57 percent in the last a year. In January 2016, there were 37 people on the list, but the number has increased to 86 by March 2017, according to the records published on the EFCC website. The suspects include the likes of ex-Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, more commonly known as Tompolo, and the former governor of Jigawa State, Ibrahim Saminu Turaki. Tompolo is wanted in a case of conspiracy, illegal diversion of the sum of N45 billion belonging to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), while Mr. Turaki is wanted in connection with a case of misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N36 Billion. Six of the suspects that have escaped arrest for more than one year are bankers. Bawa Thomas Momodu, ex-Sterling Bank Plc staff, is wanted in connection with a case of criminal conspiracy, stealing, forgery and money laundering. Mr. Momodu is alleged to have fraudulently stolen a total of N27 million from a customer’s account. Also, a former staff of Fidelity Bank Plc, Sapele branch, Delta State, Emeka Charles Ekekwe, is wanted for stealing N146 million. Others are Geraldine Karina Faikabuna of Diobu Microfinance, who was accused of stealing N52 million, and Godswill Oyegwa Uyoyou. Mr. Uyoyou, an IT staff of a bank, is alleged to have fraudulently connived with some scammers and hacked into his bank’s database in order to steal the sum of N6.28 billion. Meanwhile, Justice Simon Aboki of the State High Court sitting in Mararaba, Nasarawa...
by Admin | Mar 23, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI The Department of State Services (DSS) has dismantled Boko Haram’s aggressive fundraising operations to finance its plans through kidnapping, armed robbery and gun-running. In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, the DSS said it was questioning two suspects, Ibrahim Sule and Bello Shehu, who were arrested on March 13, at Nasarawa town in Kaduna State for alleged involvement in the kidnap of two Germans – Dr. Peter Breuning and Johannes Brehinger – at Pahkogo village in Kaduna State on February 22. According to the DSS, about 32 suspected members of Boko Haram, kidnapping and other criminal gangs were arrested in operations conducted in Ekiti, Bauchi, Yobe, Gombe, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Kogi states between February and March. The statement said: “Determined to sustain the prevailing peace and stamp out all cases of kidnapping in various states where it is taking root, the Service staged vigorous operations, which recorded successes. “The duo of Ibrahim Sule and Bello Shehu were arrested on March 13, 2017 at Nasarawa town, Nasarawa Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State for their suspected involvement in the kidnap of two German nationals – Dr. Peter Breuning and Johannes Brehinger – on February 22, 2017 at Pahkogo, Kagarko LGA, Kaduna State. “On March 20, 2017, a suspected Boko Haram kingpin, Adenoyi Abdulsalam, was arrested in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State by a Joint Military/DSS operation team and an Ak-47 rifle was recovered from the suspect, who is presently undergoing investigation; Abdulsalam was in the final stages of kidnapping some high level targets in Ekiti, not only to raise funds but to terrorise communities in the State. “Prior to...
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