The arraignment of Timipre Marlin Sylva, former governor of Bayelsa State and six others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC before Justice A. Y Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja could not go on today. Though the ex-governor was present in court, counsel to the third accused person, Chukwuma Ochu told the court that he has a pending motion before the court which seeks the disqualification of the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN from standing as counsel in this matter for breach of the rules of the legal profession. “The motion touches on the integrity…
Author: Kunle Edun
The withdrawal of defence counsel, Mahmood A. Magaji, SAN today ( March 20, 2014) stalled further hearing in the ongoing trial of Aliyu Bello, a former special assistant to the director of administration, Pension Account, office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and Abdullahi Omeiza, a sokoto-based school teacher, alongside their companies Fafama Estate Developers and Fafama Oil and Gas Limited. The accused persons who were arraigned in May 2013, are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before a Federal High Court on a 5-count charge bordering on criminal conversion and obtaining over One…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on March 19, 2014 arraigned one Emmanuel Sunday before Justice P.I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court, Benin, Edo State on an 8-count charge bordering on conspiracy, impersonation and obtaining money under false pretence. The accused who paraded himself as a serving military officer of the rank of Captain allegedly obtained the sum of two million naira from one Endurance Igue purportedly to facilitate her enlistment into the Nigerian Army.One of the charges against the accused reads, “That you Emmanuel Sunday ( also known as Umoh Sunday and Inyang Samuel Chukwudi ) on…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested four undergraduates and three others for alleged involvement in Internet scam. They were arrested in two different locations in Ibadan, Oyo State. The undergraduates are: Otuyalo Damilola, a 400 level student of Computer Science of Lead City University, Ibadan; Adegbuyi Michael, an undergraduate of University of Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia; Ibrahim Aruna, a student of Mineral Resources Engineering, Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State and Adeosun Matthew, a 200 level student of Banking and Finance, University of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. Others are Afolabi Ayodele, Balogun Olumuyiwa and Abiola Okunola. Five of the suspects:…
Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court today March 14, 2014 refused an application for the variation of the terms of the bail earlier granted to Aliyu Bello, a former special assistant to the director of administration (Pension Account) and Abdullahi Omeiza, a Sokoto-based school teacher. Justice Ademola had earlier granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N366, 000,000 (Three Hundred and Sixty Six Million) each and a surety in like sum. However, they claimed that they could not fulfil the bail terms, and filed an application for the variation of the bail conditions.It will be recalled…
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes, Ibrahim Lamorde, has commended the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for accepting to partner with the Commission in the fight against corruption. “It will further serve as an avenue to deepen existing relations between the two agencies,” he said. Lamorde who was represented by Osita Nwajah, deputy director, Public Affairs stated this at an Anti-Corruption Sensitization Programme organized for the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) on March 13, 2014. “It is far cheaper to prevent crime than to fight it, EFCC cannot work alone in this fight. It is our hope that the…
The arraignment of Mohammed Bello Abubakar, a former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Sokoto State, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before Justice Rilwan Mohammed Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Sokoto on Wednesday, March 12, 2014 did not hold after all. Abubakar who was the Permanent Secretary of Local government and Community Development, Sokoto State between 2007 and June 2012 and presently Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Sokoto State was to be arraigned alongside the Deputy Director, Finance and Supply, Abubakar Abdullahi Ahmed on a 43-count charge bordering on conspiracy and forgery.Though the…
Justice Husseini Baba of the FCT High Court today, March 13,2014, admitted in evidence, Certificate of Identification of Statement of Account and Cheques obtained from First Bank Nigeria Plc by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in the ongoing trial of seven persons who are alleged to have stolen N24 billion of Police pension fund. The documents contain forensic analyses of statement of accounts of the police pension office which revealed how a total of 400 cheques were cashed on a single day. These were labelled as Exhibits P6, P6A and P6B respectively. Further attempt by the prosecution counsel,…
The general public is hereby informed that the Special Team on Petroleum Subsidy (STPS) which was set up as an Ad-hoc Team in January 2012 to investigate petroleum subsidy fraud in the country has, by approval of Management, been elevated to a full section- Extractive Industry Fraud Section (EIFS) under the Operations Department. The public is by this notice, to relate with the Section in this regard.
The Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, on March 12, 2014, arraigned one Zahradeen Dambazzau Mohammed before Justice Olasumbo Olanrewaju Goodluck of the FCT High Court, Abuja, on a 5-count charge bordering on forgery and issuance of dud cheque. The accused and Ibrahim Ismail (still at large) allegedly conspired among themselves to forge a land title deed document belonging to Ishaya Madi. One of the counts reads: “That you, Zahradeen Dambazzau Mohammed and Ibrahim Ismail (at large) sometime in 2011 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did conspire among yourself…
A 29 year-old warder with the old Abeokuta Prisons, Ibara, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Joseph Emmanuel is presently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for allegedly assisting a prison inmate in carrying out fraudulent financial transactions, as well as using the name and documents of an illiterate taxi driver, to open a First Bank account for the inmate. The suspect allegedly assisted the inmate whom he called ‘Ora’ to open the account, using the name of one taxi driver in his neighbourhood called Monsuru Ogunsina Adeogun”. He took the step after he rejected the entreaties of…
A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of seven persons accused of complicity in the billion naira Police Pension fraud, Mustapha Sani Gadanya, on March 11, 2014, told Justice Hussein Baba of the Federal Capital Territory High Court how 400 cheques were cashed in a day by the accused persons. “Over 400 cheques were withdrawn and we got this information from the bank statement furnished us by First Bank Plc,” Mustapha said. Led in evidence by Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Gadanya told the court that he obtained and analyzed the certified true copy of instruments used in making withdrawals in the…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday March 10, 2014 arraigned the quartet of Joseph Sule Emoabino, David Eson Igbinoba, Agbator Gaskin Efe and Dr. Simon Imuekeme before Justice Esther Edigin of the Edo State High Court on an 8-count charge that borders on diversion of the sum of N113 million allocated for a particular project to another project contrary to section 22(5) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and engaging in criminal conspiracy to commit an offence contrary to section (26) (1) (c) of the same Act.” The quartet who were chairman, secretary, director…
The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to publications in Vanguard and The Punch, newspapers and some online publications of Monday, 10 March, 2014, entitled, Alam’s Loot: Bayelsa Govt. Drags EFCC to Court, and Bayelsa Drags EFCC to Court over Alamieyeseigha Loot among other headlines. The news reports about a matter said to have been filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, by one Mr. George Uboh, ostensibly acting on the instruction of the Bayelsa State Government, is provocative misinformation and very cheap blackmail, to say the very least. The Commission wishes to state that…
Justice M. L Shuaibu of the Federal High Court sitting in Enugu recently convicted and sentenced one Joseph Okoro to 35 years imprisonment on charges of conspiracy and fraud. Okoro who was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC , was found guilty on each of the 5-count charge which borders on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence contrary to section 1 (1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1 (3) of the same Act. The convict was arrested in 2009 by the Nigeria police upon complaint by…
The Economic and Financial Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, February 6, 2014 re-arraigned a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Lagos on a 40-count charge of money laundering. Fani-Kayode’s re-arraignment followed the amendment of the previous 47 criminal counts charge of money laundering involving about N230 million. In the amended charge before justice Ofili-Ajumogobia, Fani-Kayode is accused of accepting various sums of money totalling N100 million between July 7, 2006 and May 11, 2007 without passing through a financial institution.One of the counts reads, “that you Chief Femi Fani-Kayode on or…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 arraigned one Ohaegbuelem Chikodinaka before Justice F.A. Olubanjo of the Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia, Abia State on a 15-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and obtaining money by false pretence. The accused allegedly specializes in stealing dividend warrants from unsuspecting shareholders through the Nigeria postal service and claiming the dividends using different bank accounts. Chikodinaka also allegedly impersonates top government officials to defraud contractors under the pretext of giving them non- existent contracts. Count one of the charge reads; ‘that you Ohaegbuelem Chikodinaka sometimes in…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has received commendation from the National Assembly for the performance of its 2013 budget. Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes gave the commendation Wednesday during the defense of the 2014 budget proposal by the agency. Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde who presented a proposal of N10, 245,369,170.00 as approved by the Budget office against the N21,058,864,600.20 proposed by the EFCC, disclosed that the Commission recorded 99 percent performance In its 2013 budget. The feat was applauded by members of the Committee, with other agencies of government…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Thursday March 6, 2014 arraigned Patrick Joseph Osobase and his company, Eventica Nigeria Limited, before Justice Othman Musa of the FCT High Court, Apo, Abuja on one count charge of criminal breach of trust to the tune of N28 million. The accused is said to have failed to remit the said sum to the coffers of the Federal Government as proceeds accruing to it from the country’s fiftieth anniversary celebration held in 2010 through the office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation.The charge reads, “ that you Patrick Joseph Osobase and…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today (March 4, 2014) secured the final forfeiture of Brifina Hotel Limited to the Federal Government. The hotel which is located at Plot 1106 Cadastral Zone B02 Durumi District, Abuja is alleged to be one of the properties acquired by Dr Sani Shuaibu Teidi, former director, Pension Accounts, Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation with proceeds of fraud. Though the hotel was traced to Teidi, he denied ownership of the property despite claim by the original owner that he sold the property to him. Investigation by the Commission revealed…