The Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC has concluded arrangement to arraign in court, five top executives of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, implicated in a mega scam involving the theft and recirculation of defaced and mutilated currencies.The suspects drawn from various business units of the apex bank are to be docked by the anti-graft agency before a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, from Tuesday June 2, 2015 to Thursday June 4, 2015. They include Patience Okoro Eye( Abuja) , Afolabi Olufemi( Lagos), Kolawole Babalola( Ibadan), Olaniran Muniru Adeola(Ibadan), Fatai Yusuf, Adekunle( Head, Security, CBN, (Ibadan)…
Author: Kunle Edun
A Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice A. Y. Mohammed, on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 adjourned the N19.2bn fraud case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against a former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva till June 8, 2015.Sylva along with Francis Okokwo, Gbenga Balogun, and Samuel Ogbuku, are allegedly to have used three companies – Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction and Logistics Limited to move about N19.2 billion from Bayelsa State coffers between 2009 and 2012, under false pretence of using the withdrawn money to augment salaries of…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on May 27, 2015, arraigned one Elder Christopher Andrew Isibor before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on a 3-count charge bordering on conspiracy and illegal dealing in stolen crude oil.The suspect was arraigned sequel to a petition by the Economic and Organized Crime Office, EOCO, Ghana alleging that the accused person is into piracy, stealing and money laundering alongside a Ghanaian marketer, Auxesia Energy Limited. During investigations it was discovered that some Nigeria companies, Earth Petroleum Development Limited, Spiral Oil and Gas Limited, hijacked a Vessel MT…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today May 26, 2015, arraigned Mohammed Dogonyaro Audu (aka Abdullahi Dogonyaro Mohammed) and Yahaya Ayodeji,both staff of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, OAGF, before Justice Yusuf Halilu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory Jabi, Abuja, on a ten count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy and complicity in award of contact.The duo allegedly abused their offices by floating companies through which they cornered contracts emanating from the Economic Reform and Governance Project, ERGP, domiciled in the office of the Accountant General of the Federation. The accused persons…
The trial of Imaobong Akon Esu-Nte, an accountant with the Nigeria Prisons Service, who is being prosecuted alongside two others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on charges bordering on conspiracy, forgery, abuse of office and money laundering, before Justice E. S Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja has been adjourned till June 10.At the resumed hearing of the case on May 25, 2015, Esu-Nte’s counsel, Titus Ashaolu, SAN, brought an application, seeking to quash the charges prferred against the accused. Ashaolu argued that, “the charges and proof of evidence does not disclose a prima facie…
The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to a report in The Sun newspaper of Tuesday, May 26, 2015, entitled, Jonathan Starved EFCC of Funds- Lamorde, in which the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde was quoted as indicting the out-going Jonathan administration of poor performance.The Commission takes exception to this report which is pure fabrication by the author for reason best known to him. In the first place, Lamorde who is currently out of the country did not speak with the media and could not have made the comments attributed to him…
Justice E. S. Chukwu of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja on Monday, May 25, 2015 adjourned hearing in the matter involving Emmanuel Okoyomon, a former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, NSPM, sine die.Justice Chukwu had on May 4, 2015 ordered the extradition of Okoyomon to the United Kingdom to face charges of corruption and money laundering. Okoyomon’s extradition is being sought by the UK government over his alleged role in the bribery allegation involving officials of Central Bank of Nigeria , CBN, the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, NSPM…
Two staff of the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Yahaya Yusuf Ayodeji and Mohammed Dogon Yaro Audu, implicated in a N1billion World Bank Government Integrated Financial Management Information System, GIFMIS, fraud are to be arraigned before a Federal Capital Territory High Court, Jabi, Abuja, on Tuesday, May 26, 2015.According to facts emanating from the anti-graft agency, the EFCC, the duo allegedly took advantage of their offices by using the payment platform to award contracts to their companies and those of their cronies The World Bank GIFMIS Project is warehoused in the OAGF. The companies that were discovered…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, May 22, re-arraigned Opeyemi Ajuah, Majope Investment, Abdullah Alao, Axenergy, and Olarenwaju Olalusi before Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, on eight-count amended charge of conspiracy, forgery and obtaining money under false pretense.The suspects were first arraigned before the same court for allegedly obtaining the sum of N1,110,049,444.35( One Billion, One Hundred and Ten Million, Forty Nine Thousand, Four Hundred and Forty- Four Naira, Thirty- Five kobo) fraudulently as subsidy payments for 15,206,733 metric tons of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from the Federal Government.At Friday’s re-…
The case involving a former governor of Bayelsa State , Timipre Sylva, being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before Justice A. Y Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja , has been adjourned till May 27, 2015.Sylva along with Francis Okokwo, Gbenga Balogun, and Samuel Ogbuku, allegedly used three companies – Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction and Logistics Limited to move about N19.2 billion from Bayelsa State coffers between 2009 and 2012, under false pretence of using the withdrawn money to augment salaries of the state government workers. Since the matter began…
The alleged case of wrongful dismissal brought against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, by two of its former employees: Juliet Ibekaku, former assistant director, Legal and prosecution and Michael Nzekwe, prosecutor in Legal and Prosecution Department, before Justice Babatunde A. Adejumo of the National Industrial Court, NIC, has been adjourned to May 27, 2015.It will be recalled that, the case was initially scheduled for Monday, May 18, 2015 but, had to be shifted to today for undisclosed reasons. This is the second time within a week, the case will suffer such shift in similar circumstance. Ibekaku and Nzekwe were…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday May 20, 2015 arraigned Chidi Alozie before Justice U.N Agomoh of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt on a 4-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence.The accused was alleged to have collected the sum of One Hundred and Thirty Two Thousand Naira (N132, 000.00) from one Joseph Nicodemus Etete sometime in 2014 to facilitate his employment into an oil company. He pleaded not guilty to all the count charge. One of the counts read, “That you Chidi Alozie and another (now at large) between January 2014…
The attempt by Imaobong Akon Esu-Nte, an accountant with the Nigeria Prisons Service to frustrate a case of conspiracy, forgery, abuse of office and money laundering brought against her and two others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today failed as Justice E.S Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja frowned at a motion by the defendant challenging the competence of the court to hear the matter.The trial judge warned against any attempt to frustrate the speedy determination of the case and adjourned to Monday, May 25, 2015 for hearing on the motion. Etsu-Nte is being prosecuted…
Afanda Bashir Emmanuel, the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Chidi David Adabanya and 11 others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today revealed how the accused persons squandered approximately N2 Billion meant for the community gas project, among Shell Consultants and officials of the Bayelsa state Urban and Regional Planning Department.At the resumed hearing on Tuesday May 19, 2015, Emmanuel, a staff of EFCC, who was led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN. told the Federal High Court presided over by Justice Ademola Adeniyi, that the matter was reported to the Commission…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 arraigned one Obiejogo Raymond Azuka before Justice Muawiyah Baba Idris of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Gwagwalada, Abuja on a six count charge bordering on forgery.Obiejigo, a Higher National Diploma holder from Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra allegedly forged a reference letter purportedly from the Honourable Minister of Finance, Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala alongside his curriculum vitae requesting for employment into the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC; Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND and Nigerian Security Printing and Minting, NSPM. One of the counts reads: “That…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on May 18, 2015 arraigned one Opara Edmund and his wife, Amarachi Opara before Justice O.O Oguntoyinbo of the Federal High Court Owerri, Imo State on a 2-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence. They pleaded not guilty to the charge. The accused persons were alleged to have collected money from one Okechukwu Ogbonna to the tune of Seven Million Naira (N7, 000,000.00) for a phony land deal situated at Federal Low Cost Housing Estate 11 Umuguma New Owerri. It was further revealed that the said land which was sold to …
The alleged case of wrongful dismissal brought against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC by two of its former employees: Juliet Ibekaku, former assistant director, Legal and prosecution and Michael Nzekwe, prosecutor in Legal and Prosecution Department, before Justice Babatunde A. Adejumo of the National Industrial Court, NIC, could not hold on Monday, May 18, 2015 for unstated reasons.Ibekaku and Nzekwe were dismissed by EFCC for desertion which is a serious offence against discipline going by the provisions of Section 43(e) (i) of the EFCC Staff Regulation which states that, “Any officer who wilfully absents for twenty one (21)…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday May 14, 2015 arraigned one Mary Ozala before Justice Kudirat. A. Jose of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja on a 4- count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretences. Three other suspects, Nwokeke C. Chukwunonso, Shedrach Umeh and Uchenna Okpala are at large.Ozala, 22-year-old student and her co-travelers are alleged to have hacked into the email account of the complainant whom they fraudulently defrauded of the sum of N2 million. When the charge was read to the defendant in court, she pleaded not guilty. One of the…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on May 12, 2015 arraigned one Uche Obodoekwe alongside his company DE CANON Investment Limited before Justice M.B Idris of the Federal High Court Lagos on an 8-count charge bordering on Money Laundering.He allegedly used the property of an insurance firm, Royal Exchange Assurance Plc as collateral to secure a N500, 000,000 (Five Hundred Million Naira Only) loan from the defunct First Inland Bank, purportedly to purchase about two hundred million units of shares. However, after taking the facility, the accused neither used the money to buy shares nor service his obligation to the…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, May 14, 2015, secured another conviction, as one Ofonome S. Enukora was sentenced to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine by Justice I.B. Gafar of the Federal High Court sitting in Akwa, Anambra State.The convict had earlier been arraigned on February 12, 2015 on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N4, 500,000( Four Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira). Though the convict was discharged and acquitted on the first count, he was found guilty of the second count and was sentenced to…