The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on January 13, 2014 arraigned the trio of Vitalis Anopue, Chigbu Paul and Amalaha Augustine before Justice Onuoha A. k. Ogwe of the Abia State High Court sitting in Aba, on 15-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence. The accused persons were alleged to have obtained money from unsuspecting Nigerians under the pretext of soliciting for money for the defunct Anti-Corruption Revolution Campaign (ANCOR) programme of the EFCC. Count three of the charge reads, that “Vitalis Anopue and Chigbu Paul on or about the 12th day of September, 2012 within the…
Author: Kunle Edun
The Secretary to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Emmanuel Adegboyega Aremo has urged Nigerian youths to embrace positive values and shun all vices, especially corruption. He gave the advice Wednesday January 15, 2014 at the Commission’s headquarters, Abuja when he was presented with a distinguished role model award by members of the Akoko Youth Congress. Leader of the three-man AYC team, Comrade Aluko Rasheed said the honour for the EFCC scribe is in recognition of his selfless service and exemplary conduct. “Your good conduct and administrative style coupled with your numerous charitable works has fundamentally amazed our union. Your…
Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde has cautioned public officers across the country against betrayal of trust reposed in them by the larger public. He gave the warning January 11, 2014 at a Retreat for Federal Permanent Secretaries in Lagos. According to him, public officers hold positions in trust for the people and betrayal of such trust “is the worst crime a public officer can commit against the people”. “Every public officer is charged with a specific duty, which feeds into the broader mandate of the public service. It is incumbent on…
Kano State High Court presided over by Justice Dije Abdu Aboki has convicted and sentenced one Bashir Ahmed Haruna to seven months imprisonment for criminal breach of trust and forgery. He is also to pay a fine of N200, 000.The convict and his accomplice, one Abdul Awwal Yahaya, were arraigned on November 18, 2013 for conspiring among themselves to obtain over N2, 000, 000 (Two Million Naira Only) from one Mohammed Awwal Ustaz by presenting themselves as agents of Future University in Cairo Egypt and offering to help secure admission for his children into the University. Upon arraignment, they pleaded…
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Lamorde says property acquisitions in Abuja has become avenues for money laundering by unscrupulous persons. He said evidence of the trend is the number of palatial but unoccupied houses that dot the Abuja landscape. The EFCC boss who was speaking during a courtesy visit to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed in Abuja on Thursday, January 9, stated that the Commission had uncovered money laundering schemes in the FCT in which the perpetrators disguise the proceeds of crime by investing in properties. He explained that those…
The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde has called for an enhanced working relationship between the Commission and the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA in order to curb land scam and other fraudulent practices in the FCT. Lamorde made the appeal Thursday January 9, 2014 during a courtesy visit to the minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed. According to the EFCC chairman, there was need for closer collaboration between the EFCC and FCTA as some unscrupulous people were laundering proceeds of crime through land and property acquisitions in the FCT. He noted that such…
The EFCC is constrained to clarify that, contrary to the sponsored, misguided reports in the media the Commission is NOT after the former Head of Service, Mr. Steve Oronsaye over his perceived support for the Financial Intelligence Agency bill, currently before the National Assembly.Let it be made manifestly clear that the EFCC is a responsible and responsive law enforcement agency and has no scores whatsoever to settle with Mr. Oronsaye or any other person for that matter. The Commission wishes to state that it is not the place of interested parties outside the EFCC to determine whether or when an…
Two alleged fraudsters being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for allegedly being in possession of fake United States Dollar bills have been convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment by Justice E. S. Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja. Ali Saidu and Naru Sani were convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment on each of five count charge of criminal conspiracy, unlawful possession of counterfeit US Dollars and forgery preferred against them by the anti- graft agency The said offences are in contravention of section 10 (6) of the (Miscellaneous Offence Decree No.20 of 1984) as…
Justice U. N Agomoh of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt has dismissed the motion filed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC by a former Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Blessing Ukiri challenging the competence and authority of the EFCC to investigate and prosecute him. The court ruled that the accused has a case to answer and that the Commission should proceed to trial. Ukiri was arraigned by the Commission on the 15th October, 2012 on a 3-count charge bordering on money laundering.One of the charge reads, “that you Ukiri Emonena Blessing, (m), on or about…
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has convicted one Suleiman Abdul for illegal dealing in Petroleum product. Justice U.N Agomoh convicted the accused and sentenced him to two years imprisonment on each of the two-count charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The court also ordered that the truck with registration number XA 179 MWA containing thirty three thousand (33,000) litres of petroleum product be forfeited to the Federal Government Suleiman was arrested on January 16, 2007 by the Anti-Vandalization Squad of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, River State Command and subsequently…
The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to reports in some Newspapers today, December17, 2013 purporting that the Commission is broke and has less than N2million in its coffers.The comment credited to the Secretary to the Commission, Mr Emmanuel Adegboyega Aremo who led a delegation of the EFCC to the public hearing by the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes on the Bill to establish the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency, is gross misrepresentation of what transpired at the event. The mention of N2million by Aremo was not in respect of the total financial…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Western Australia Police are to work together to combat internet fraud and money laundering. This is contained in the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU that was signed today by the parties under the sponsorship of the Commonwealth Secretariat. The latest collaboration between the EFCC and the Major Fraud Squad, MFS of the WA Police is a further demonstration of the commitment of the EFCC towards the eradication of economic and financial crimes in Nigeria. Ibrahim Lamorde, chairman of the EFCC during the ceremony said that the Commission was committed to riding the…
Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, on Monday, December 16, 2013 postponed a fresh bid by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to arraign Mr. Fred Ajudua for an $8.39m scam. Ajudua will now be arraigned on February 12, 2004 on a fresh 13-count charge that borders on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence. EFCC counsel, Seidu Atteh, told the court that Ajudua, (alongside others who are still at large) defrauded a former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ishaya Bamaiyi (retd) of about $8.395million while in detention at the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons,…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, December 13, 2013 told a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja that it had filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division striking out the theft charge instituted against a former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FinBank Plc, ( now First City Monument Bank), Mr Okey Nwosu. The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, had on November 21, 2013 struck out the theft charge preferred against the former banker. The court ruled that the Lagos High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission note with concern two separate decisions by court on December 13, 2013 in cases investigated by the Commission. The first was the acquittal of former Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Chief Olabode George and five others by the Supreme Court. The other was the acquittal of former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and two other by a Federal Capital Territory High Court. Without going into the merit or otherwise of the Supreme court ruling, it is unfortunate that the apex court disagreed with the decision of the two lower…
Two applications, one seeking the transfer of case to another judge and, the other, a notice of appeal against the refusal of bail to the defendants today stalled the trail of Mrs Kudirat Iyabo Adeleke and 11 other defendants who are being prosecuted at Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC over a N5.6billion pension fraud. At the resumed sitting Thursday December 12, 2013, counsel to the 6th defendant, Richard Ogunwole, holding brief for all other defendants, told the court that a letter had been written to the Chief Judge, Oyo State,…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, on Thursday, December 12, 2013 prayed a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja to issue a bench warrant on Oluwaseun Ogunbambo and grant it power to verify a medical report presented to the court by the accused. In the medical report, Ogunbambo claimed to be sick and could not present himself in court for trial. Counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that Ogunbambo’s medical report should be ignored until its authenticity was established. “In view of the antecedents of the 4th defendant (Ogunbambo) this medical report should not just be taken…
The Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML) has charged Self- Regulatory bodies in Nigeria to prevail on their members to comply with Money Laundering law and regulations. Bala Sanga, Director SCUML who gave the charge Thursday, December 12, at the start of a three-day retreat organized by the agency for heads of self regulatory bodies at the EFCC Academy, Karu, Abuja, revealed that aggressive enforcement of compliance by Designated Non Financial Institutions, DNFI’s will begin in January 2014. Sanga equally informed the participants that registration with SCUML “is compulsory for all DNFI’s; and has been made easy with on-line registration”.…
There was a mild drama in Lagos on Monday, December 9, 2013 as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, through its counsel, Rotimi Jacobs SAN, told Justice Lawal Akapo of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja to revoke the bail granted Chairman of Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited, Dr. Wale Babalakin. Babalakin is standing trial alongside Alex Okoh and three companies: Stabilini Visioni Limited, Bi-Courtney Limited and Renix Nigeria Limited on a 27-count charge that borders on conspiracy to commit felony, corruptly conferring benefit on account of public action and retention of proceeds of a criminal conduct to the…
There was a mild drama in Lagos on Monday, December 9, 2013 as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, through its counsel, Rotimi Jacobs SAN, told Justice Lawal Akapo of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja to revoke the bail granted Chairman of Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited, Dr. Wale Babalakin. Babalakin is standing trial alongside Alex Okoh and three companies: Stabilini Visioni Limited, Bi-Courtney Limited and Renix Nigeria Limited on a 27-count charge that borders on conspiracy to commit felony, corruptly conferring benefit on account of public action and retention of proceeds of a criminal conduct to the…