Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde today disclosed that the Commission has recovered N4.3billion from suspects involved in the petroleum subsidy scam. He made the disclosure Tuesday April 15 when the management of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency led by its Executive Secretary, Mr. Farouk Ahmed paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.The EFCC boss said the collaboration between the two agencies was pivotal to the Commission instituting court cases against 13 oil marketers indicted in the investigations in the subsidy regime. He called for a sustained partnership between the…
Author: Kunle Edun
Further hearing in the N25.7billion theft charge preferred against former managing director of Bank PHB, Mr Fancis Atuche, his wife, Elizabeth and Ugo Anyanwu, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC was today ( April 15, 2014) stalled at the Lagos High Court, Ikeja following the absence of key defence witness, who is said to be a handwriting expert. Counsel to the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro SAN, reminded the court of several adjournments in the past to accommodate the absence of the same witness. “The absence of this witness does not stop the defence from calling other witnesses. The court…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC today told a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja that Fidelis Ogbechie, defence witness in the on-going trial of former managing director of defunct Bank PHB, Francis Atuche was not a witness of truth as his claim that that his employers, ICON Stockbrokers Limited was lead Stockbroker to Bank PHB is false. At the resumed hearing of the case Monday, April 14, prosecuting counsel Kemi Pinheiro SAN told the court that “the claim by the second defence witness that his employers, ICON Stockbrokers Limited, was the lead stockbroker or Joint-lead stockbroker was purely…
Justice U.N Agomoh of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt on April 14, 2014 convicted and sentenced one Gideon Nuka Vopna to two years imprisonment without an option of fine. Gideon pleaded guilty to two-count charge bordering on illegal dealing in petroleum products preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. He bagged a two-year jail term on each count. The sentences are to run concurrently. The convict was intercepted sometime in January 2010, by men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSDC) at Kpopie Junction in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State with 33,000…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, April 14, 2014 arraigned Sunkami Odewande, before Justice S. S Ogunsanya of Lagos State High Court, sitting in Ikeja, on a 4- count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretences and possession of documents containing false information. One of the charges read,”Sunkami Odewande sometime on or about December 2012 at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of 1,500 USD (One Thousand Five Hundred United State of America Dollars) from Kate Melock by falsely pretending that the said sum represented over payments due to…
Three persons who attempted to defraud Diamond Bank of N100million through an electronic device called grabber have been docked by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Godwin Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, Evaristus Moses Oyemah and Kenneth Iweha were on Monday April 14 arraigned before Justice S.A Nmakanma of the High Court of Abia state, Umuahia, on a 2- count charge bordering on conspiracy and attempt to steal. The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to both counts. In view of the accused persons plea, the prosecuting counsel E. A. Jackson prayed the court to remand the accused persons and fix a…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on April 11, 2014 arraigned Emmanuel Olufemi Are, (alias Paul Preston), Oladayo Daniel Ajileye, Majekodumi Gbolahan and Omowayeola Joseph Gbenga before Justice A.O Taiwo of a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere on a 13-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence and possession of document containing false pretence. The accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against them by the EFCC.The accused persons, who are confidence tricksters, allegedly conned an American lady, Janet Perkins with promises of marriage and obtained various sums of money from her.…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had secured more than 773 convictions and recovered billions of naira since its inception in 2003, the Chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde, has said. Lamorde who said this on Friday April 11, 2014, in Sokoto while inaugurating the Usman Danfodiyo University chapter of `Zero Tolerance Club, an anti-corruption club explained that the war against corruption, economic and financial crimes would only be won through concerted efforts.Mr. Lamorde who was represented at the occasion by Osita Nwajah, Deputy Director, Public Affairs Department of the Commission, also delivered a paper entitled: “Students should lead…
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, presided over by Justice A. I. Kutigi, on Thursday, April 10, 2014, dismissed a suit filed by Dr. Ezekiel Izuogu, Managing Director, Izuogu Motors Limited against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, demanding for N200 million damages. Izuogu had approached the court to stop the EFCC from arresting and investigating him over a petition filed by Dr.Catherine Okpareke who alleged that Izuogu defrauded her to the tune of N20 million (Twenty Million Naira).Izuogu among others prayed the court to declare his arrest and interrogation on April 15, 2013, illegal, unlawful and…
For any meaningful impact to be made in the war against economic crimes and corruption, anti-graft agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) must be funded through a first line charge basis. A forensic accountant and director, Nigerian College of Accountancy, Jos, Plateau State, Dr. Friday Wada stated this on Thursday April 10, 2014 while delivering a paper titled “Integration of Forensic Accounting for Economic and Financial Crimes Prosecution”, at the monthly Commandant Lecture series of the EFCC Academy, Karu-Abuja.He said direct funding of EFCC from the federation account was necessary to guarantee effectiveness and independence of the…
As part of its strategic move to sensitize Nigeria students on the need to shun corruption and economic crimes, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission through its Enlightenment and Re-orientation Unit, on April 8, 2014 launched the Zero Tolerance for Corruption Club for the University of Ilorin, Kwara State. Speaking at the ceremony, Aisha Larai Musa, head, E&R, said the club was a strategic response to the hydra-headed monster called corruption which is threatening the progress and development of the country.“Against the backdrop of the high rate of criminal activities in tertiary institutions and the pervasive nature of corruption, economic…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on April 9, 2014, re-arraigned Mohammed Ahmed Katun, a former staff of Pension Account, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation before Justice A. R Mohammed of Federal High Court, Abuja. Katun was re-arraigned on a 3- count amended charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and diverting pension funds to tune of N62.3 million. Katun was first arraigned alongside nine others. But the charge was withdrawn as the Commission filed separate charge against the accused persons.One of the charge reads: “That you, Mohammed Ahmed Katun, on or about the 30th…
The on-going trial of Stephen Ropo Asala and Obaro Victor Kayode, former chairmen Yagba West and Yagba East Local Government Areas of Kogi State respectively by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, continued on April 9, 2014, before Justice I.E Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Lokoja. At the resumed hearing Wednesday, a witness, Joseph Alagbade who was the Head of Works Department during the tenure of the second accused, (Kayode )while being cross-examined by counsel to EFCC, Wahab Shittu told the court that he was kept in the dark regarding the cost of projects and the loans allegedly…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has been commended for its efforts in fighting corruption in Nigeria. Members of the UNCAC Peer Review Team gave the commendation Wednesday as they rounded off a three day working visit to the country. The team which was led to the Commission’s headquarters by Emmanuel Akomaye, national focal person for the peer review process and former Secretary to the EFCC, included Howard Dem (World Bank); Ryna Terhisce (World Bank); Sefako Seema ( Lesotho); Dursan Drakic(Montenegro) and Tanja Santucci (UNODC)A member of the team, Samuel de Jaegro, the anti-corruption coordinator for Central and West…
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…
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…