The Court of Appeal, Benin City, today ( April 9, 2014) upheld the appeal of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as it ruled that a former governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion has a case to answer over allegations of financial improprieties. In a unanimous decision, the panel of three justices led by Justice Helen M. Ogunwunmiju ruled that the former governor should return the Federal High Court to face trial for money laundering, misappropriation of fund and abuse of office. The other justices are Justice M. M. Saulawa and Justice A. O. Lokulo-Sodipe. The EFCC approached the Court…
Author: Kunle Edun
A witness in the on-going trial of Rocky Energy Limited and four others implicated in a N789.6million subsidy scam today told a Lagos State High court presided over by Justice Lateefa Okunnu how the mother vessel allegedly used by the accused persons to import fuel into the country could not be found on the Lloyds listing. At the resumed hearing of the case Tuesday, Tolulola Olanubi, an investigator with the EFCC told the court that her main duties involved monitoring and tracking of vessels through Lloyd’s database. This entails monitoring vessels offshore all over the world. She went further to…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,on April 7, 2014, arraigned duo of Mohammed Bello Abubakar and Abubakar Abdullahi Ahmed, Permanent Secretary and Deputy Director of Sokoto State Ministry of Education respectively before Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Fed High Court, Sokoto. Abubakar and Ahmed were docked on a 43-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and money laundering.The suspects who are both civil servants are alleged to be living above their means as the extent of their assets is not supported by their legitimate sources of income. Abubakar is said to own 5 companies -Rose Gallery Nigeria Limited, Silver Spring…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned a traditional ruler, Cornelius Nwoga, Nze Obi IV, before Justice V. Agishi of Federal High Court, Enugu, Enugu State on an 8-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence. The accused is alleged to have conspired with a syndicate to defraud one Okey Marcel of the sum of N12, 435,500 by falsely presenting himself as a staff of Agip Oil Company and awarding a contract to construct five boreholes to Okey Marcel with the pretense that Agip Oil Company was awarding contracts for Aggah town, Egbema, Rivers State.Other members…
The trial of Sani Lulu Abdullahi, former chairman and three other Board members of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, continued on April 3, 2014, before Justice E.S Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja. Abdulllahi is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, alongside Amanze Uchegbulam, Bolaji Ojo-Oba and Taiwo Ogunjobi for offences bordering on conspiracy and breach of due process which is in contravention of the Public Procurement Act.At the resumed hearing of the case, an operative of the EFCC, Adeniyi Adebayo, while being cross examined by Akin Olujimi, SAN, counsel to the 2nd and 3rd…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on April 1, 2014, arraigned one Oshi Joel Luke before Justice A. O Onovo of the Enugu State High Court, Nsukka, Enugu State, on a 10-count charge of stealing, contrary to Section 342 of the revised Criminal Code of Enugu State and punishable under section 353(g) of the same Act. The accused allegedly connived with three members of staff of his school, OBFO International Academy and collected the sum of forty six thousand naira (N46, 000.00) each from 580 candidates as registration fee for the West African Examination Council, WAEC May/June 2012 examination…
Justice T. U. Uzokwe of the Abia State High Court, Aba, has convicted and sentenced one Alozie David to 9 years imprisonment for issuance of dud cheque and obtaining money by false pretence. The convict was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on an amended 2-court charge of issuance of dud cheque and obtaining money by false pretence. One of the count reads, “that you, Alozie David, male and Royal Nature Nigeria Limited, on or about the 31st day of August, 2009 at Aba, Abia State, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Abia State, did…
Justice Lawal Akapo of the Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja will on May 2, 2014, rule on an application filed by a former Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank (now Access Bank), Mr. Erastus Akingbola and his associate, Mr Bayo Dada challenging the jurisdiction of the court on a 22-count charge bordering on stealing and obtaining by false pretence, preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The ground for the application is the contention of the defendants that a state High Court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the charge preferred against them. Counsels to Akingbola and…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday April 1, 2014, told an Ikeja High court how Emeka Chukwu sold an import permit granted to Ifeanyi Anosyke and his company, Anosyke Group of Company to Ngozi Ekeoma, owner of Dell Energy Limited. Anosyke Group of Companies, Ifeanyi Anosyke, Ngozi Ekeoma, Emeka Chukwu and Dell Energy Limited were dragged to court by the EFCC for alleged conspiracy to obtain by false pretence and forgery the sum of N1, 537,278,880.82( One Billion, Five Hundred and Thirty Seven Million, Two Hundred and Seventy Eight Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty Naira, Eighty-Two Kobo…
Ismaila Muhammed was today sentenced to 12 years imprisonment by a Federal High Court sitting in Bauchi and presided by Justice Mohammed Garba Umar. Ismaila had on March 6, 2014 pleaded guilty to all 4-count charge bordering on conspiracy, fraud and currency counterfeiting when he was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. One of the charge alleged that the convict conspired “with one Aminu Bauchi, now at large, to utter 59 pieces of counterfeit United States of American Dollar bills in $100 denomination and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 6 (2) (b) and…