The trial of former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, who is being prosecuted on a 27-count charge alongside his two sons, Aminu Sule Lamido and Mustapha Sule Lamido, and two others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) resumed on Tuesday December 15th before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, with the EFCC presenting two more witnesses. At the last sitting, the witnesses who testified as PW1, PW2, PW3 and PW4 respectively were: Longji Tupkop, a Relationship Manager with United Bank of Africa, UBA; Kabir Mashi, Regional Manager, Unity Bank Plc, Kano North; Mustapha…
Author: Kunle Edun
The Federal High Court in Lagos through Justice Ibrahim Buba was on Tuesday December 15, convicted and sentenced nine foreigners alongside their vessel for illegal oil bunkering. The convicts, arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 18 June 2015, were found guilty on a 4-count charge that bordered on conspiracy and illegal oil bunkering. The convicts are five Bangladeshi and four Filipinos. They are Axel Joseph Gibo Jabone, MD Zahirul Islam, Juanto Camireno Infantado, Suarin Fernando Alave, Gatila Jaypee Gadayan, Islam Shahinul, Islam Rafiqul, Shaikh Shibli Nomany and Rolando Jose Comendador. The vessel is MT Asteris. Justice Buba…
Bashir Yuguda who is a former Minister of State For Finance, and five others were, on Tuesday, December 15, docked by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Peter Afen of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, sitting in Maitama, Abuja on a 22-count charge bordering on conspiracy, bribery, abuse of office and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N28,315,000.000. Yuguda, who is the first defendant, is charged alongside with the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki; Shuaibu Salisu, a former Director of Finance and Administration, Office of the National Security Adviser; Attahiru Dalhatu Bafawara, a former…
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has another strings of boosters as the House of Representative is resolved to fully support EFCC in its determined efforts to tackle corruption and economic crimes in Nigeria. Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption, Hon. Kayode Oladele gave this indication Tuesday, during an interactive meeting with the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Mustafa Magu at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja. Oladele said the House of Representatives and the Committee are determined to partner with the Executive to ensure significant reduction in incidents of financial crimes in Nigeria. “We are…
The Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State through Justice U.N Agomoh on Tuesday, December 15, granted bail to Uchenna-Dike Ogbonnaya, Uchenna-Dike Ugomma and Ukeni Ugah Adanne who are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 17-count charge bordering on stealing, conspiracy, money laundering and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of Eighty Six Million, Nine Hundred and Forty One Thousand, Five Hundred Naira (N86,941,500.00). One of the counts reads: “That you, Uchenna-Dike Ogbonnaya, Uchenna-Dike Ugomma and Ukeni Ugah Adanne, sometime in 2014, at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable…
The former Chairman of DAAR Communication Plc, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, has been granted bail bail in the sum of N200m (Two Hundred Million Naira) by Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Monday, 14 December, 2015, granted , bail in the sum of N200m ( Two Hundred Million Naira). Dokpesi, who was arraigned alongside his company, DAAR Investment and Holdings Limited on Wednesday, 9 December 2015, had pleaded not guilty to the six-count charge bordering on alleged procurement fraud and breach of public trust preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.…
[December 14, 2015] Justice Abubakar Talba of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Gudu, Abuja, on Monday, warned counsel to the accused persons in the ongoing trial of a syndicate that allegedly swindled the Federal Government to the tune of N1.2 billion in a pension scam not to broach the idea of plea bargain in his court. The accused persons: Ibrahim Ahmed Mazangari, Muhammed Sani Sulaiman, Hajia Fatima Mazangari and Saleh Yerima Tsojon- are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on a 29-count charge bordering on conspiracy and collecting by false pretense. The accused persons, who…
[December 14, 2015] The Senate pledged its support for the ongoing fight against corruption in Nigeria. Chairman Senate Committee on Anti-corruption and Financial Crimes, Senator Chukwuka Utazi made the pledge when the committee received the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu. He said the Senate fully supports the anti- corruption programme of the Muhammadu Buhari administration and promised to work closely with the Commission to overcome its challenges and ensure that it lived up to the expectation of Nigerians. ‘’It is a daunting job, at times thankless but we have to make sure this…
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday December 10, 2015 arraigned the trio of Uchenna-Dike Ogbonnaya, Uchenna-Dike Ugomma and Ukeni Ugah Adanne before Justice U. N. Agomoh Of the Federal High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on a 17-count charge bordering on Conspiracy, Stealing, Money laundering and Obtaining Money by False Pretence to the tune of Eighty Six Million, Nine Hundred and Forty One Thousand, Five Hundred Naira (N86,941,500). The suspects were arrested following a petition written by Ecobank alleging that the 2nd defendant who was a staff the Bank, alongside her husband (the 1st defendant) took…
High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, the former Chairman, DAAR Communications Plc, on Thursday, December 10, 2015 failed in his bid to regain freedom after being docked on Wednesday on a six-count charge bordering on alleged procurement fraud and breach of public trust to the tune of N2.1 billion before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Dokpesi is facing prosecution by the anti graft agency for allegedly receiving the sum of N2.billion from the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, for PDP’s presidential media campaign. The money was allegedly…
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd.), has described the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as the pivot on which the fight against corruption in Nigeria rests. He said the leadership of the Service has also realised that having a mutual relationship with the Commission was a necessity. According to him, “We have realised that the pivot or nucleus of fighting corruption in this country is this organization. Also, we have realised that we, on our own, cannot function effectively, if we do not get a common platform with a lot of organizations. On resumption of the…
Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, has said that the Commission will leave no stone unturned in the effort to recover public funds that have been stolen in the guise of arms procurement in Nigeria. Magu, who stated that the Commission was on top of the ongoing investigation, added that all the culprits in the arms procurement scandal would be brought to justice. Speaking at the commemoration of the International Anti-corruption Day which has as theme, ‘‘Break the Corruption Chain’’ on Wednesday, December 9 at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, he said: ‘‘Corruption…
The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State through Justice U.N Agomoh on Monday, December 7, 2015 granted bail to one Idowu Olanrewaju (a.k.a Henry Idobari, Eng. Henry, also trading under the name and style of Hillmat farms) and Joe Onwudimowei (a.k.a Capt. Anthony Saramoh) who are being prosecuted on a 22-count charge bordering on forgery, conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of four million dollars ($4,000,000.00) by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). One of the counts reads: “ That you, Emmanuel Idowu Olanrewaju (a.k.a Henry Idobari, Eng. Henry, also trading under the…
The trial of former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam, and his Commissioner for Finance, Omodachi Okolobia, commenced on Tuesday December 8th before Justice A. R. Mohammad of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama Abuja, with a prosecution witness telling the court how Suswam ordered the sale of Benue State-owned shares through Elixir Investment Partners Limited, a stock brokerage firm. Both Suswam and Omodachi are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a nine-count charge bordering on money laundering, abuse of office and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N3.1 bn. Suswam and Okolobia were alleged…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Chief Jonathan Alatoru before Justice U.N Agomoh of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State on an 8-count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N200m (two hundred million naira). Alatoru was alleged to have obtained a loan facility of N200m from one of the new generation banks sometime in September, 2012 with forged documents ranging from property valuation report, certificate of occupancy and consent letter to pledge the property used as collateral. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.…
The Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna on Monday, December 7 dismissed the appeal of Aminu Sule Lamido, the 34 year old son of former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, against the decision of the Federal High Court, Kano which found him guilty of the charge of money laundering brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Aminu Sule Lamido was arrested on the 11th of December 2012 by operatives of the EFCC, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on his way to Egypt for failure to declare the sum of $40,000 in the Customs Currency…
The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on Monday, December 7, ordered Yanaty Petrochemical Limited, an oil marketing company, to submit itself for investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) over an alleged N1,840,768,720 petroleum subsidy fraud. The EFCC had dragged the defendant before the appellate court to set aside the judgment of Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, that ALL investigations into the alleged petroleum subsidy fraud against the defendant had been concluded. Delivering the unanimous ruling, Justice E. J. Ekanem said Justice Ademola’s judgment was an undue interference with the statutory power…
A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of a former Imo State governor, Ikedi Ohakim, has told Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja how the former governor allegedly gave him the sum of $2,290,000.00 (Two Million, Two Hundred and Ninety Thousand Dollars) to purchase a piece of land at Plot No. 1098 Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District, otherwise known as No.60, Kwame Nkurumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja. In his testimony on Monday, December 7, 2015, Abu Sule, told the court that he met the accused person in Lagos State sometime in the mid-nineties while he worked…
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Monday December 7th admitted as an exhibit, a statement made by Ngene Linus Chibuike, while being interrogated by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Chibuike is standing trial for non- declaration of US$2,506,998 (Two Million, Five Hundred and Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety Eight United States Dollars) during his outbound clearance for travel to China en-route Addis Ababa, by men of the Nigeria Customs Service. Justice Ibrahim Buba admitted the statement as an exhibit, after a prosecution witness, Modupe Daniela Olagbaye, addressed the court on how the statement of Chibuike…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday, December 3rd, 2015 arraigned one Boniface Pius Egbuziem before Justice S.C Amadi of the State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on one count charge bordering on cheating to the tune of Forty Four Thousand Euros. The suspect, Boniface Pius Egbuziem who is resident in Germany allegedly tricked his tenant in Nigeria into a phony boat purchase scheme. He was said to have convinced the tenant that he could help him purchase a boat in Antwerp, Belgium and ship it to Nigeria. Based on this agreement, the complainant sent…