How I Stopped Kingibe, Abba Kyari, Rufai Abubakar From Stealing $44m-Former Acting D-G, NIA

They kept insisting that they had the mandate of the President and that the President had directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to hands off the money and that it was legitimately ours.

Immediate past Acting Director-General (D-G) of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr Mohammed Dauda, has disclosed that he fought off attempts by Messrs. Babagana Kingibe, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and his protégé and incumbent D-G of the NIA, Mr. Rufai Abubakar and Abba Kyari, President Muhammadu Buhari's Chief of Staff to steal $44million NIA intervention fund.  The disclosure was made in a brief to the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence.

In the brief, exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, Mr. Dauda said he assumed office as Acting D-G on November 6 2017, following a brief meeting with Mr. Kyari at the Presidential Villa. The Chief of Staff, he said, conveyed the President's directive to him that he should function in an acting capacity while waiting for further directives. 

On leaving the Presidential Villa, Mr. Dauda said he headed straight to have a meeting with Mr. Arab Yadam who was D-G in an acting capacity but was retiring. The meeting, he said, dwelt on what the retiring Acting D-G did in the seven months during which he ran the agency.   The briefing, said Mr. Dauda, comprised his administrative, operational and technical duties, all of which were highly confidential. Mr. Yadam also gave his successor the picture of the agency's financial position, which included $44million he informed was part of the intervention fund that brought the Ikoyi apartment cash scandal.

After the briefing, Mr. Yadam introduced Mr. Dauda to Brigadier-General Mohammed Ja'afaru, the Acting Director of Finance and Administration (DFA) who briefed him on the nature of the agency's assignments. Among these are the daily operations of the accounts for both domestic and foreign management. The Acting DFA also told Mr. Dauda that the $44million in his custody, which was not part of the agency's budgetary allocation, should not be touched because it had become an exhibit in an ongoing case. The purpose of the disclosure, Mr. Dauda said, was for his information. 

Not long after Mr. Dauda assumed office, the Presidential Review Panel (PRP) headed by Mr. Kingibe started its assignment within NIA. The agency provided the members of the panel with office space, accommodation, food and other logistics. Aside from Mr. Kingibe, other members include Mr. Albert K. Horsfall, a former D-G of the State Security Service; Mr. Olaniyi Oladeji, Mr. ZY Ibrahim both former DGs of the NIA and the current DG of NIA, Mr. Abubakar, who was PRP Secretary.

After the maiden meeting with the panel, said Mr. Dauda, Mr. Kingibe called him to advise that in his own interest, he should cooperate with them fully and avoid being close with Buhari's National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, Mr. Kingibe also disclosed that they had presidential powers to overrule previous instructions or directives issued by the NSA.

"I was instructed to channel all our activities, contacts, concerns and complaints through the Office of the Chief of Staff Abba Kyari only," said Mr. Dauda.

He said the instructions left him in discomfort, as they contradict all the provisions of the agency's instruments. Not wanting to start on a confrontational note, he kept away from the NSA as instructed.

According to him, things went on smoothly untilKingibe and Abubakar kept pressuring him for money. Mr. Dauda said he explained that the agency's dollar account was low because of the difficulty in sourcing dollars from the Central Bank of Nigeria following the crises that arose from the Ikoyi money scandal. However, the replied that the $44m in the custody of the Acting DFA belongs to the agency and that the DFA had no power to stop Mr. Dauda from spending the money. They added that since the crisis had blown over, Mr. Dauda should go and tell Brigadier-General Jafa'aru to return to his job in the army. He was advised to write to the National Security Adviser to withdraw him or ask the NIA security department to stop him from entering the premises of the agency.

Mr. Dauda said the pressure was huge, but he felt if Brigadier-General Jafa'aru left, he might not be able to resist further pressure from the desperate Kingibe led gang.

"They kept insisting that they had the mandate of the President and that the President had directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to hands off the money and that it was legitimately ours. They verbally queried me on the logic of keeping the money as an exhibit since there was no case pending in court. Ambassador Kingibe told me that he was the one who, through the Chief of Staff drafted the memo that the President assented to, instructing the EFCC to hands off our case (Ikoyi cash . scandal) just to convince me that there are no more encumbrances on the money," stated Mr. Dauda.

Still, no dice. He claimed that Kingibe and others kept pressuring and threatening that if he did not get rid of the Brigadier-General, he would have regrets. Mr. Dauda said he had no reason to get the man out and he actually enjoyed working with him. His refusal to do as they wished, he said, this prompted Messrs. Kingibe and Abubakar to tell him at a meeting that he was refusing presidential orders to bar the Brigadier-General from the NIA premises. They warned him that there might be consequences if he remained adamant. At one of the meetings, explained Mr. Dauda, Mr. Horsfall advised him to ignore any suggestion that could cause confrontation between him and the NSA and advised his colleagues on the panel to put it as part of their recommendations to the President since they had his mandate, so he could order the NSA to remove the Acting DFA from the NSA.                                  

The pressure on him for money, the former Acting D-G said, intensified.

"They wanted money for medical treatment or holidays abroad for their families and girlfriends. I met and gave a lady Ambassador Kingibe simply introduced to me as "Angela"  money twice at the car park of the Hilton Hotel. Once $50,000 and the second time $20,000, which apparently did not impress him. Even the current DG NIA once called me on WhatsApp, just like Amb. Kingibe always does and said that his Oga was traveling to London for medical check-up and he suggested that I should find something for him as a sign of good will. So, I reluctantly gave him $50,000 against my will, a decision that made me sad throughout the day," he said. He added that Mr. Kingibe collected over $200,000 from him during the time he headed the PRP. Mr. Dauda said he was always using the President's name to squeeze cash out of the NIA. They also undermined the Office of the National Security Adviser.

On December 20 2017, said the former Acting DG, Mr. Kingibe asked the current DG NIA to tell him to meet them at home located at 59 Nelson Mandela Street, Asokoro, Abuja. He was asked to come alone. At the meeting, he was told of his refusal to cooperate with them and they had brought him there to warn that the Acting DFA was conspiring with some people to steal the $44million in their safe. He was warned that he would be held liable if he did not stop their plan.

"They told me that their Committee had completed their assignment and that their recommendations were so generous to the DG NIA. They said they recommended the appointment of two Deputy Directors-General and watered down their powers enough so that they will not be in a position to pose any threat to him as the DG," wrote Mr. Dauda.

They then suggested that it was his turn to do something in return as he was likely to get the President's nod as the substantive DG only if he could immediately make $2million available.

"I told them it was not going to be possible as the only money available was the $44million and I didn't know how to approach the Acting DFA. They also told me at the meeting that if I can't  sack the DFA, they would send someone to do it soon. That was my last communication with them until I heard of my removal from office on Wednesday 11 January on Channels Television around 8 pm,' said Mr. Dauda.    

The next day, he advised the NSA to look at the possibility of evacuating the money from the NIA, an advice the NSA heeded. The money was moved and taken to the Office of the NSA.

Later that night, Mr. Dauda said he received a call from the Mr. Abubakar, who requested for a meeting with him and the staff who worked with him at 10pm. Mr. Abubakar said the meeting was ordered by Mr. Kyari. The meeting was eventually moved to the next day after Mr. Dauda protested that it was too late. At the meeting the next day, an enraged Mr. Abubakar said the Presidency blamed him for not taking over immediately thereby giving room for the money to be taken away and warned that Mr. Dauda would be held responsible.

When he finished, Mr. Dauda said he told him no money was missing and that he approved the transfer so the money could be safe.

"I told him that if there was no ulterior motive, the apprehension was unfounded. I also warned him to mind his language as I have always been his senior in this service," Mr. Dauda stated.

He equally stated that his life is being threatened by the Kingibe gang and requested immediate protection for him and his family. Mr. Abubakar, he said, has already shown his hand with a letter requesting Mr. Dauda to return official vehicles in his possession. He has also received another letter restricting his movement on the claim that the agency was investigating leakage of sensitive information.

"These are acts meant to cow and intimidate me into submission and there are also attempts to bundle me out of my official quarters through extra-legal means and also to withdraw my security details, thereby impacting my security," he said.

He called on the House Committee not to allow the Kingibe gang to subvert the rule of law by bullying him into submission.

New%20Doc%202018-02-03 by saharaReporters headlines on Scribd

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EMBEZZELMENT: N30trn fraud at ports: Senate gives those involved 4 days to come clean

• THE Senate, yesterday, gave those it described as “port cabal” that swindled Nigeria of over N30 trillion in recent times, four days to come clean or face prosecution. 

• According to the Senate, the said money, which cannot be accounted for, is more than four times the country’s current national budget, adding that it was prepared to prosecute all those involved in the scam.

Disclosing this, yesterday, in Abuja during the Public Hearing of the Joint Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff, Senator Hope Uzodinma (PDP, Imo West) said preliminary findings by the committee into activities of Customs, financial leakages and malpractices in the nation’s ports and revenue system had shown evidence of how “a group of unpatriotic persons brazenly constitute themselves into a cabal to inflict infractions at the nation’s sea ports.
 According to him, the infractions have become daily occurrence at the nation’s sea ports, just as he accused commercial banks, shipping companies, terminal owners and operators of conniving with officials of Customs and Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, to defraud the country in trillions of naira.
 The infractions come in various forms, beginning with abuse and violation of foreign exchange issued by Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, incorrect classification and under valuation of vessels coming into the country. The Senate asked the management of NPA to account for 282 missing vessels and urged the NPA and Customs to explain why they did not collect charges on the vessels and who authorised the release of the vessels from the ports. Senator Uzodinma said: “The Senate has mandated us to carry out a holistic investigation into the scandalous financial leakages that have become the norm in our ports. Quite worrisome is the fact that these leakages are costing our dear country trillions of naira in revenue and inversely constitute a clear and present security threat to our nation.
“It is common knowledge that infractions abound in daily transactions at the nation’s sea ports. Commercial banks, shipping companies, terminal owners and operators connive at ease with officials to defraud our dear nation in trillions of naira.” “Preliminary evidence before us suggests that this is the case in all sea ports. lndeed, initial evidence at our disposal clearly suggests that the port cabal has in recent memory, defrauded the nation of well over N30 trillion.
“It is distressing to note that while our nation is undergoing an exhausting recession, a group of unpatriotic persons, who brazenly constitute themselves into a cabal, is determined to deepen the pains of the nation through very repugnant practices.” “The Senate, determined to put an end to this villainous assault on the economy of our nation, has now taken the bull by the horn, and set out to get to the bottom of this organised crime, and come up with future proof ways at eradicating this gruesome menace.
 “In doing so, we shall be minded by the reality that those who want to bleed the nation to death without remorse. must be dealt with without reprieve. Consequently, all those indicted in this crime will be made to face the full wrath of the law. Meanwhile, the Senate has given the CBN up to Monday to verify claims of remittances by commercial banks, just as it was, however, disappointed at how Customs has over the years managed the Free Trade Zone, accusing it of allowing the free trade zone to be used for smuggling goods into the country. Declaring the event open, Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, who was represented by Deputy Senate Minority Leader, Emmanuel Bwacha, who asked the committee to do a thorough job, said the Senate intended to use this oversight function to expose corruption and ensure that all the loopholes and leakages in the revenue systems were fully and comprehensively sealed. Saraki said, “The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at its sitting on Thursday, 4th May, 2017, mandated the Joint Committee on Customs, Excise & Tariff; and Marine Transport to carry out a holistic investigation into the activities of the Nigeria Customs Service with a View to identifying the financial leakages, malpractices and infractions within the import and export value chain as well as the causes of the declining revenue profile of the Service and come up with recommendations that will reinvigorate the revenue profile of the Nigeria Customs Service.
 “A recent report has suggested that trillions of Naira in revenue are lost annually within the import and export value chain as a result of financial leakages caused through various malpractices and infractions within the system.
“These anomalies are perpetrated by various stakeholders such as importers and exporters, authorized dealers, shipping companies, terminal operators, cargo handlers and their collaborators/conspirators such as Custom officials, ports authority officials and other agency officials.
 “This Senate intends to use its oversight functions to expose corruption and ensure that all loopholes and leakages in our revenue systems are fully and comprehensively sealed.
The 8th National Assembly will not sit idly by and watch things continue to go wrong no matter whose ox is gored. Especially not in the era of economic downturn resulting from declining oil revenue.
 “We are determined to reverse these financial leakages to enable us get the much-needed resources to fund our children’s education, health care and fix the potholes on our roads through the budget.
 “Therefore, I urge this hearing not to leave any stone unturned to ensure that We incrementally eliminate waste and corruption in the management of our national resources. “Of a truth, this assignment is enormous but we are confident that the committee is composed of eminent personalities who will ensure we put an end to this bleeding of the nation.
The Committee is to do a thorough legislative investigation to expose the widespread abuses inherent in import and export businesses; which had greatly undermined and stunted the national economy.”

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EXCLUSIVE: See How Zamfara Gov. Abdulaziz Yari Bought $1m US Mansion, Kept Foreign Accounts Two Years After Assuming Office

• Two years after taking office, Sammynews4u can exclusively reveal, Zamfara State governor, Mr. Abudal’aziz Abubakar Yari, bought a property in the United States for a princely sum of $950,000. The 2.1-acre property is located at 14800 Bowie Farm Court, Bowie Maryland (Zip code: MD 20721) has six full and two half bathrooms with a jacuzzi in the master bedroom.

Gov. Abudual'aziz Abubakar Yari

Deed documents obtained by Sammynews4u from the Circuit Court of Prince George’s County, Maryland, USA, denote Mr. Yari as the sole owner of the property, which was purchased from a limited liability company, K Hovanian Hamptons, located at Creek 11, Delaware. The company used to be known as Real Property Holding, with an address at Prince George’s County, before changing its name on 25 January 2011.

The deed on the property is dated  August 27, 2012, while the approval of the purchase was granted on 1 November 2012 after Yari paid the princely sum of $950,000 cash, there was no mortgage on the property. Equally captured on the deed document is the sum of $5,225, which was described as “recordation of tax paid” and $13,300, described as “transfer tax paid”, both offering indications that Mr. Yari operated a foreign account in clear breach of Code 3 of the Code of Conduct Bureau.

A real estate property tax information obtained by Saharareporters from Prince George’s County shows that Governor Yari paid taxes on the property up till date, his 2017 estate tax was $16, 583.10.

 Mr. Yari bought the property after his fraudulently awarded N25billion in road contracts in Zamfara in 2012.

The code of conduct law expressly prohibits certain public officials from operating bank accounts in any country outside Nigeria. These include the President, Vice President, governor, deputy governor, ministers, commissioners, members of the National Assembly and the Houses of Assembly of the States.

According to the deed document, Mr. Yari signed the agreement in person, with Kimberley Armstead a notary public of Montgomery County State of Maryland, serving as a witness.

In May, this website exclusively reported that Mr. Yari, Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, is building a 100-room hotel in Lekki, Lagos, with the $3million he stole from the Paris Club loan refund to states. Aside from the $3million, Mr. Yari was also found to have diverted the sum of N500million from the Paris Club refund to pay off a loan. He was said to have withdrawn N500million from the N19billion Paris Club refund illegally paid into the account of Nigerian Governors’ Forum as payment to “consultants”. He deposited the stolen sum into a bank account with a mortgage bank from which he had taken an N800million loan to buy properties in 2013. This move, SaharaReporters learned, enabled him to renegotiate his debt from N800million to N500million.

Mr. Yari is thought to have trousered the sum of N2.2billion from the sum illegally diverted into the Nigerian Governors’ Forum Account by the Federal Ministry of Finance. The Senate President, Mr. Bukola Saraki, and his cronies also benefited to the tune of N3.5billion from illegal diversion, which is being investigated by the EFCC. Officials of the anti-graft agency told SaharaReporters in May that Mr. Yari’s hotel, which is under construction, has been listed as a proceed of crime and will be taken over once the EFCC obtains a court order.

Mr. Yari has denied ownership of any hotel in Lagos, claiming he does not even own a plot in the Nigeria’s commercial capital.

In 2017 over 1000 persons died as a result of a meningitis epidemic with Mr. Yari’s Zamfara leading in the number of deaths. At the peak of the epidemic, Yari reportedly said the epidemic was the punishment from God against his people for their sins.

Gov. Yari Mansion In Bowie, MD Property Information

Gov. Yari Mansion In Bowie, MD

Gov. Yari Mansion In Maryland

Gov. Yari Mansion In Maryland

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CORRUPTION: Senator Dino Melaye Panics, Hires Mike Ozekhome To Stop His Recall In Court

• Senator Dino Melaye of Kogi West Senatorial district has filed a lawsuit at the Federal high Court in Abuja seeking a court injunction to halt his recall from the Senate.

Dino Malaye

Senator Dino Melaye of Kogi West Senatorial district has filed a lawsuit at the Federal high Court in Abuja seeking a court injunction to halt his recall from the Senate.

According to SaharaReporters sources, a panic-stricken Melaye had been shopping for a judge in the last 48 hours that could grant an injunction to halt the process after word reached him that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was meeting to decide  on an appropriate response to the submission of more 188,000 signatures to their headquarters on Wednesday from his constituents who wanted him recalled from the Nigerian Senate.

    FLASH: @dino_melaye is reportedly shopping for a judge to grant an "exparte order" to halt his recall
    — Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) June 22, 2017

On Thursday INEC issued a statement notifying the public that it will be verifying the signatures on July 3rd 2017. The commission also wrote to Melaye notifying him of the official commencement of the recall exercise.

 Mr. Melaye’s lawyers today filed a 33-page legal argument seeking to obtain injunctive reliefs from the court. The application was accompanied by an affidavit of urgency filed by a staff of Mr. Ozekhome’s law firm.

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CORRUPTION: 52.3 Percent Of Kogi West Voters Want Senator Dino Melaye Recalled

• A stunning 52.3 percent of the registered voters in Kogi West Senatorial District want their Senator, Dino Melaye, recalled from the Senate.   That percentage represents 188,588 of the 360,098 registered voters in the senatorial district. 

• The collation of signatures of voters which was undertaken over five days ended on June 17. The information was disclosed by Pius Kolawole, a special adviser to Governor Yahaya Bello, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) announced on Monday.  

Dino Malaye

The information was disclosed by Pius Kolawole, a special adviser to Governor Yahaya Bello, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) announced on Monday. 

Mr. Kolawole, who was speaking to party members from the district, commended the voters for turning out in good numbers for the collation, pointing out that Section 69 of the 1999 constitution authorized their decision.

“In 2015, we voted for Dino and now we are using the same method to return him home,” he said.

Giving a breakdown of the collation, the Returning Officer, Adamu Yusuf, said that in terms of the seven local governments in the district, the following numbers of registered voters are in favor of the recall:

18,374 of the 35,331 in Yagba East;
9,186, of the 18,356 in Mopa-Muro local government;
24,703 of the 46,810 in Yagba West;
63,736 of the 116,296 in Lokoja Local Government;
24,283 of the 46,819 in Ijumu Local Government;
28,277 of the 60,520 in Kabba/Bunu Local Government; and
24,703 of the 46,810 in Kogi Local Government.

He disclosed that collation will be submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, for the next step in the recall process.

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CORRUPTION: Top Police Officers, Bureaucrats Named As Beneficiaries Of Bribe By Diezani To Compromise 2015 Elections

• In a document tendered today by the EFCC before the Federal High Court in Lagos, the anti-graft agency stated that the then Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in Kwara State received N1m cash.

Diezani Alison Madueke (Nigeria Former Minister Of Petroleum Resources)

The Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) today named some top officers of the Nigerian Police Force and civil servants who allegedly benefited from a bribe scandal totaling $115m doled out by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke. The purpose of the bribe, offered in cash disbursements, was apparently to enlist the police and civil service officers in a scheme to compromise the 2015 general elections in favor of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a document tendered today by the EFCC before the Federal High Court in Lagos, the anti-graft agency stated that the then Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in Kwara State received N1m cash. The EFCC disclosed that,while the Commissioner of Police in Kwara State at the time received N10m in cash, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations got N2m.

The EFCC also alleged that the Assistant Commissioners of Police in charge of operations and administration in Kwara State received N1m cash each.

According to the EFCC document, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kwara State for the 2015 general elections was given N10m, while the Independent National Electoral Commission's Administrative Secretary in Kwara State at the time received N5m in cash.
The head of Operations Department at INEC, along with “his boys,” were handed N5m, while “other officers”unnamed officials received and shared N2m among themselves.

Other beneficiaries of the Diezani bribe in Kwara State included the officer in charge of the mobile police (Mopol) and “his men” who got N7m, the second-in-command of the Mopol unit in the state, who got N10m, and the Director of the State Security Service (DSS) and “his men,”who got N2.5m.

The military unit in Kwara State received bribe of N50m, according to the EFCC document, while other security agencies, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps and the Federal Road Safety Corps, got N20m.

An EFCC investigator, Usman Zakari, who brought the document to court today, told Justice Rilwan Aikawa that the document was recovered from Dele Belgore, a senior Nigerian lawyer on trial for his alleged involvement in the bribe scandal.

Mr. Belgore is standing trial before Justice Aikawa for allegedly collecting N450m from Ms. Alison-Madueke and distributing the funds to beneficiaries in Kwara State.

The EFCC has accused the lawyer of handling the funds in cash without going through any financial institution, a violation of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.

The EFCC said Mr. Belgore is liable to be punished under sections 15(3)(4), and 16(2)(b) of the same Act.

Standing trial along with Mr. Belgore for the offence is a former Minister of National Planning, Abubakar Suleiman, a professor. The two defendants were on February 8, 2017 arraigned on charges of money laundering, but they pleaded not guilty.

Mr. Zakari is the second witness called by the EFCC in thecase.

Testifying before Justice Aikawa, the investigator Mr.Zakari explained that Mr. Belgore volunteered the list to the EFCC when he was invited and interrogated by the anti-graft agency. He noted that the document, titled “Security and Transportation per State”, was signed by the accused lawyer who stated, “document supplied by me, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN).”

The EFCC also submitted as exhibit another document recovered from Mr. Belgore containing the names of other beneficiaries from the bribe. That exhibit, simply marked “Kwara State,” showed beneficiaries from a slush fund of N155, 220,000, including a breakdown of what individual beneficiaries received.

Among the beneficiaries were 15 electoral officers who received 250,000 each, 15 supervisors who got N100, 000each, and the State Returning Officer who got N1m.

EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, tendered the two documents which the court admitted in evidence as Exhibit 7 and 7A against Mr. Belgore and Mr. Suleiman. The defendants’ respective lawyers, Mr. Ebun Shofunde and Mr. Olatunji Ayanlaja, raised no objection.

Mr. Zakari testified that the EFCC's investigation established that the funds were disbursed to the beneficiaries in cash.

“My Lord, the mode of payment, as contained in Exhibit 7, is cash payment. The payments were not done through any financial institution,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Justice Aikawa heard argument in an application by Mr. Belgore seeking dismissal of the charges on the grounds that the EFCC failed to attach an affidavit showing that it had concluded investigation before bringing the case to court. Moving the application today, Mr. Belgore’s lawyer, Mr. Shofunde, argued that the EFCC’s failure to attach an affidavit stating it had concluded investigation prior to filing charges was a fundamental breach of the Federal High Court Practice Direction. Arguing that such failure rendered the charges incompetent, Mr. Shofunde urged the court to quash the charges and free his client.

Opposing the application, the EFCC lawyer, Mr. Oyedepo, argued that the current law governing criminal cases in the country was the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015. He argued that the ACJA did not list filing of the said affidavit as one of the conditions to be fulfilled before a criminal charge could be filed in court. He stressed that the provisions of the ACJA were superior to that of the Federal High Court Practice Direction.

In addition, Mr. Oyedepo referred Justice Aikawa to Section 221 of the ACJA which barred a judge from entertaining any application challenging the competence of charges in a criminal case in the middle of trial as well as Section 396 (2) of the Act, which barred a judge from ruling on any such application until the final judgment in the case.

He urged the judge to dismiss the defendant’s application, adding that granting it would “amount to slaughtering justice on the altar of technicality.”

Justice Aikawa adjourned till July 7 for ruling.

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The Senate of Alleged Thieves and Rogues (Part One)

• The eighth National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria parades a long list of suspected thieves more than the number any anti-graft agency can prosecute in one administration. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC have investigated a good number of the serving senators at one time or the other for embezzlement, money laundering, diversion of public funds and other criminal charges. 

  • In fact, nine of the lawmakers including the senate president currently are involved in corruption cases that have reached various stages of trials in courts. SaharaReporters profiles these lawmakers with blemished records of public service.

1. Bukola Abubakar Saraki

Senator Bukola Saraki, the Senate president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a man whose name has become a major topic in the discussion about corruption in Nigeria. He represents Kwara Central constituency at the upper chamber. The senator, in connivance with his aides and associates, allegedly laundered N3.5 billion traced to the Paris Club loan refund to states. The senate president also allegedly acquired assets beyond his legitimate earnings while he served as a governor of Kwara State for eight years and operates off-shore accounts in violation of the law which forbids a public officer to own bank account abroad.

He is currently facing a 13-count charge at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), and his spouse, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, has a file at the EFCC over alleged squandering of Kwara State funds.

His bid to stop the trial at the CCT suffered a setback at the Supreme Court last year when the court dismissed his appeal and upheld an earlier decision by the Court of Appeal, ordering him to face trial at the tribunal. Saraki, a medical doctor by training, reportedly emptied the treasury of his father's bank Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria (SGBN) when he served as an executive director. The bank finally collapsed in 2003 after the Saraki Dynasty recklessly looted to fund their political activities that saw Bukola become the Governor of Kwara state in 2003. Mr. Saraki's thieving career started in 1990 according to police documents.

 "Office of the Inspector General of Police, detailed a scheme by the siblings Bukola and Gbemi Saraki, along with Tokunbo Salami, Jude Iluyomade, and Mohammed Bashir.  From 1990 to 2000, according to the Inspector General’s report dated August 21st 1990, Ms. Gbemi Saraki worked in the Treasury Department of Societe Generale Bank Nigeria while now-Senate President Bukola Saraki was a director of the bank. The Saraki family owned the largest shares of any Nigerian in the bank, a fact they exploited to obtain unsecured loans and engage in several other illicit transactions that saw to the bank’s demise.

In one letter to Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Societe Generale Paris, which owned a majority stake of Societe Generale Nigeria, accused the Sarakis and their cohorts of defrauding the bank out of 510,000 Naira through illegal and “unauthorized withdrawals of money.”

 Part of the letter read, “the amount, in this particular case, N510, 000, was cashed by Miss Gbemi Saraki—the daughter of Dr. Olusola Saraki [Senator Saraki’s father]. Miss. Gbemi Saraki works in the Treasury Department of Societe Generale Bank (Nigeria) Limited where the alleged thefts constantly take place…Miss Saraki signed for the collection of the cash.”

 The letter also accused their father, Olusola Saraki, who died on November 14, 2012, of involvement in “stealing N8.5 million out of N10 million illegally withdrawn from the account of the Bank to purchase a house in Ikoyi.” Part of the charges filed against Saraki and others in 1990 Sahara Reporters Media

2. Godswill Obot Akpabio

The senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West, Ikot Ekpene is the minority leader in the Senate. He was the governor of Akwa Ibom State for eight years. EFCC has alleged him of appropriating   N108.1billion of Akwa Ibom funds. Sources close to the governor alleged he has embezzled a lot more than what EFCC is charging him for.

Akpabio, who is the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, was twice invited by the EFCC in 2015, over the allegation of fraud. The anti-graft body in February 2017 impounded a school building in Akwa Ibom belonging to his wife pending completion of the investigation.

3.  Ben Murray-Bruce

The Bayelsa Senator Benjamin Murray-Bruce, former Director General of Nigerian Television Authority between1999 and 2003, allegedly diverted a loan he obtained from Union Bank of Nigeria to purchase a posh property in Beverly Hills, California in 2007. Bruce and his brothers used their companies to borrow funds from the bank at various times, and they repeatedly defaulted in paying back. Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON purchased the loan in 2011 to save the bank from collapsing. AMCON is now seizing the assets belonging to the three companies used in securing the loan – Silverbird Productions Limited, Silverbird Showtime Limited, and Silverbird Galleria Limited.

Mr. Bruce, the self-proclaimed "Commonsense Senator", was one of the most vocal senators during the #BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira, a movement that criticizes those who needlessly import foreign goods. He touted his reputation for building businesses in Nigeria to champion the importance of domestic investment in goods.

Sources from different banks in Nigeria told SaharaReporters that the N11 billion loan Bruce took out from Union Bank around 2007 was supposed to be used to construct the Abuja Entertainment Center. But instead of using the loan to fund his Nigerian business operations, he diverted it to purchase an opulent property in the Beverly Hills area of Los Angeles and London.

The Los Angeles County Property Assessor’s Office, the Real Estate Records office, and the Special Investigation unit confirmed to SaharaReporters that the Nigerian senator from Bayelsa State purchased a property on August 6th, 2007 and remains the owner. The address is 605 North Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

A public records search, also confirmed by municipal employees in Los Angeles County, assessed the value of Senator Bruce’s land at $3.1 million. The value of the mansion and other structures at the property was estimated at no less than $795,000.

The senator’s Beverly Hills swanky property has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a swimming pool and is estimated to be at least 2,777 square feet. Assessments of real estate platforms show that the property is worth $5 million as of today.

4.  Dino Melaye

Self-styled progressive and anti-corruption activist, Senator Dino Melaye a.k.a "Daniel Jonah Melaye" is the Senator representing Kogi West. He illegally operates foreign accounts in the United States, despite that the Nigerian law forbids a public officer to operate a foreign account. Melaye operates a current account with number 4460 1649 8396 under the name “CampusEdge, senatorial” and regular savings account with account number 4460 1647 5966 with Bank of America in the state of Maryland. He is a close ally of the embattled Senator Saraki. 

The senator recently bought a home in Abuja valued at N1.3 billion ($6.5 million). The house is located at 11 Sangha Street, off Mississippi Street, in the Maitama upscale neighborhood of the city. Mr. Melaye who recently embroiled in a certificate scandal has no publicly known source of income, yet he parades a variety luxury automobiles emblazoned with vanity license plates customized to his adopted name.

5. Joshua Chibi Dariye

Senator Joshua Dariye, former governor of Plateau State, is representing Plateau Central senatorial district in the Senate. He was the governor of Plateau State from 1999 to 2003 and was re-elected in 2003 before he was impeached in 2006.

The senator is being prosecuted by EFCC, on a 23-count charge bordering on money laundering and diversion. Dariye is alleged to have siphoned the state’s ecological fund to the tune of N1.162 billion. Before his arrest and trial in Nigeria, Dariye was first arrested for money laundering in London in 2004. However, he jumped bail and fled to Nigeria before charges were filed against him in the UK. He is the chairman Senate Committee on Solid Minerals.

6. Peter Nwaobosi

Senator Peter Nwaobosi is a senator representing Delta North and the Chairman Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs. The Senator and his brother Augustine Nwaoboshi have been alleged of defrauding Delta State to the tune of N2.1 billion. The two men shortchanged the people of Delta by supplying used equipment in place of new ones to Delta State government and went away with N2.1 billion. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator is reported to have used the proceeds to acquire several properties in Lagos and Delta States using his companies as fronts. The senators and his brother allegedly operate over 20 bank accounts for fraudulent purposes.

7. Stella Odua-Ogiemwonyi

EFCC has traced N3.6b in stolen funds to former Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah.

As Minister of Aviation, Ms. Oduah secured several multi-billion naira contracts to upgrade Nigeria’s 22 airports. It was later revealed that much of this money went into the minister’s private account and that the program’s progress that she touted was grossly overstated. Documents made available to SaharaReporters showed that of the 192 contracts awarded in the second phase of the program, only six were completed.

Ms. Oduah first came under scrutiny after compelling the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to buy her two bulletproof BMWs valued at N255m. The House of Representatives and a presidential committee indicted the minister for violating the country’s procurement regulations.

8. Buruji Kashamu

Buruji Kashamu is a Nigerian senator representing Senatorial district, and the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on States and Local Governments.

The senator is wanted in the United States for being a drug baron; he has for a long time avoided traveling to the US. The elections tribunal court in Nigeria annulled his election but was later upheld by the Appeal Court. His case is still in court.

 9. Theodore Ahamefule Orji

Theodore Orji representing Abia Central senatorial district was the former governor in his state. Orji together with his wife and son allegedly looted his state to the tune of N47 billion He was accused of embezzlement of funds that were meant for the several development projects in the state. His case is still pending.

10. Lt. General Jeremiah Timbut Useni

Lt. General Jeremiah Useni, a senator representing Plateau South was the Federal Capital Territory Minister during General Sanni Abacha regime. He served Nigeria in various capacities as Minister for Transport and as Quarter-Master General of the Nigeria Army and was accused of looting the public fund running to billions along with his principal, Abacha. 

 The media reported in 1998 that over N4 billion was found in his palatial country home at Langtang by the combined team of SSS and DMI officers, and over N2 billion of the money was in foreign currency. Also found at his house in the millionaires’ quarters on the British-American road Jos, were a dozen of coaster buses then valued at N110 million, brand new Peugeot cars, jeeps and nine latest models of Mercedes-Benz cars.

 Sources in Jos, who witnessed the raid, said they saw several bags of money being moved out of Useni’s house where he has an underground vault. Like several other army generals who looted the treasury during Abacha regime, he is yet to be prosecuted by any anti-graft agency.

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Senator Andy Uba’s Extensive Academic Fraud Has Been Exposed - Saharareporters

• Senator Andy Uba has extensively falsified his academic credentials, according to finding by a team of investigators at SaharaReporters.

 

• Documents obtained by our investigators reveal that Mr. Uba has systematically lied about every level of his academic experience, brazenly doctoring his secondary school leaving certificate and making claims to several university degrees, including a doctorate, even though he never obtained even a bachelor's degree.

Our investigation showed that Senator Uba, whose formal names are Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba, completed his secondary school education at Union Secondary School, Awkunanaw, Enugu, the capital of then Anambra State, in 1974. His authentic statement of result issued by his secondary school revealed that Mr. Uba sat for nine subjects, namely English Language, Literature in English, Christian Religious Knowledge, Economics, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Statistics. The document, which contained the senator’s examination number, 05465089, showed that Mr. Uba failed Literature in English, Christian Religious Knowledge, and Economics, obtained “pass” grades in English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Biology, and Statistics, and earned “credit” only in Chemistry. However, Mr. Uba forged a different “Confirmation of Result” dated November 13, 2013, claiming that the document was issued by the West African Examination Council (WAEC). In it, the senator offered a rosier picture of his academic performance. The fake document listed his grades as follows: English Literature 4, English Language 7, Christian Religious Knowledge 7, Economics 4, Statistics 6, Mathematics 6, Physics 4, and Chemistry 6.

 In the lower part of the document, which Mr. Uba apparently presented to the UK Border Agency in London, was the message, “You will have to satisfy yourself that he/she and UBA EMMANUEL NNAMDI of our records are one and the same person.” The document, which gave Senator Uba’s address as “14 Vaal Street, Mattama (sic) Abuja,” was signed by Oshunbote S. (Mrs.) as “Results and Certificates Officer,” and Okelezo A.A. (Mr.), “for Head of National Office.” The forged document is riddled with bad grammar, including the sentence, “The details of him/her performance at the examination are as follows.” On WAEC’s official website, www.waec.org, one of the signatories, Mr. A.A. Okelezo, is listed as the branch controller in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State. 

SaharaReporters also obtained another forged school certificate document that Mr. Uba had used to misrepresent his mediocre performance in secondary school. The results recorded in the document tally with those in the so-called “Confirmation of Result.” However, the forged certificate also betrays sloppiness, with GRADE spelled as GARDE.

Senator Uba, who emerged as a major shadowy figure on the national political stage when he worked in Aso Rock as senior domestic aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, actually intensified the falsification of his academic credentials post-secondary school. On his “official website,” www.andyuba.blogspot.com, Senator Uba, who represents Anambra South senatorial zone, authorized the posting of an educational profile that is discredited by the facts. Under “Education,” the official website names Concordia University, Montreal, Canada; California State University, USA, and Buxton University, UK as institutions where Mr. Uba obtained degrees. The entries in Mr. Uba’s website, often written in poor English, claim that he earned a “PhD in Biological Sciences” at Buxton University.

In a section captioned “Biography,” the website notes: “Senator (Dr.) Nnamdi Emmanuel Uba (Andy) was born on December 14, 1958 in Enugu, Enugu State…Having witnessed and survived the Nigerian civil war, with his parents and siblings, Senator Andy continued his education after the war at Boys High School Awkunanaw, Enugu State where he obtained his senior school certificate (SSCE). He gained admission abroad and was engaged in geological studies at Concordia University, Montreal Canada where he graduated with honors in 1984.

had further academic studies at the California State University later proceed to Buxton University in the United Kingdom where he earned a Doctor degree in Bio-Sciences in 1996.” Mr. Uba’s page on the official website of the National Assembly paints a muddled picture, reflecting the senator’s desire to mislead the public about his academic credentials. The page lists St. James Primary School in Uga and Union Secondary School, Awkunanaw, as one of three institutions attended by the senator, with “CALIFONIA STATE UNIVERSITY LOS ANGELES” (sic) as the third. However, the page leaves “date of graduation” from the primary and secondary schools blank. It also claims that Mr. Uba obtained “WASC” (West African School Certificate) from the elementary and secondary schools respectively. For California State University, Mr. Uba enters 2013 as his year of graduation. And then, in the space for “Certificate” obtained, he puts down “BA, P.HD, DPA AWARD” (sic). It is not surprising that Mr. Uba does not list Concordia University and “Buxton University” on his official senator’s page.

In a series of investigative reports done by this website in 2006 and 2007, we exposed the fraudulence of Senator Uba’s claims that he had earned degrees, including a PhD. In one of those investigative reports titled “Andy Uba: the Face of a Fraud,” we reported, “Our investigations into Andy Uba’s educational background determined that Andy Uba does not have a Bachelors degree from Concordia University (formerly Sir George Williams University)—a Canadian institution he claimed to have attended. The official records at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada indicate that he dropped out prior to completing the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree. The university’s alumni office of records told us that Concordia University has no record of Uba ever graduating from the school
“Our investigations also revealed a wrinkle in Uba’s claim to having obtained a Master’s degree from California State University. The official records we obtained from California State University indicated that the former presidential aide never earned a Master’s degree from there. In fact, he was never a graduate student of the said institution. The records of California State University show that Andy Uba was first enrolled at the school for an undergraduate program from March 1985 and dropped out March 1987 and then re-enrolled in September 27, 1990 till March 21, 1992 when he dropped out again, but never graduated.”

The claim on Mr. Uba’s website that he earned a doctorate degree from Buxton University in the United Kingdom shows the absurd lengths to which he went to fudge his academic records. Several major media in the US and elsewhere, including the Washington Post, have reported that Buxton University was never a university but a fraudulent operation, once based in Portugal, that sold all levels of “degrees” to anybody willing to pay a small fee. In 2004, an employee of a TV station in San Antonio, TX placed an order for a degree from a website called InstantDegrees.com. Within a few days, the employee received in the mail a master’s degree from Buxton University. In another instance the same year, an employee of another TV station based in Knoxville, Tennessee paid $160 and received by mail a PhD “degree” from the so-called Buxton University.

Buxton University is not recognized as a legitimate degree-awarding institution by any credible accrediting body in the world. In fact, since 2011, the shadowy operators of the sham degree merchant seem to have ceased all operations. There is no question that Senator Uba simply bought the alleged PhD in “bio-sciences” his official website claims he received from Buxton University in 1996.

During our original investigation in 2006, a UK-based Nigerian academic told this website, “Since [Mr. Uba] has no certifiable first degree, the idea of his holding a doctorate is, on the face of it, fraudulent.” He and other sources in the UK then emphasized that Buxton University was an unaccredited institution that was notorious for awarding bogus degrees to clients like Mr. Uba. In fact, Mr. Uba’s Wikipedia recognized the irregularity of the doctorate “degree” the senator claims to hold. According to an entry on Wikipedia, the senator “studied at California State University and then Buxton University, gaining a PhD in Biosciences in 1996. (Buxton University is incorporated in the Seychelles, and issues degrees to anyone who provides an employment background form and submits the fee.”

Mr. Uba, who in late January, 2017, announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), represents one of the most scandalous cases of Nigerian public officials who inflate their academic credentials to an extraordinary extent. His closest relatives and associates, including those who knew him when he resided in Canada and the US, openly admit that the only academic level he completed was the secondary school leaving certificate. Even then, his performance in the final WAEC tests was so unimpressive that he has forged new results. The impression on his website that he graduated from California State University in 2013 points to a desperate effort to cover the gaping holes in his past claims to having earned academic degrees.

In order to help cover his fraudulent claims, Mr. Uba swore to oaths at various courts claiming that some of his academic credentials were missing.

 In 2011, Andy Uba’s INEC form C.F 001 claimed he attended Concordia University with “AWAITING ”

In a lawsuit filed by Mr. Ikechukwu Obiorah at the National Assembly Election Tribunal in Awka, Anambra State in 2011, the petition asked the Tribunal to invalidate the election in the Anambra South Senatorial District and order a re-run because Mr. Uba was not qualified to have run for the Upper House in the first place.

 Drawing attention to Mr. Uba’s declaration that he attended tertiary institutions that include Concordia University Canada, and California State University, the petitioner claims that Mr. Uba could not have been admitted in those institutions of learning because he lacked the minimum entry requirement.  The petitioner also challenged Mr. Uba’s declaration of a “Bachelor of Science (AWAITING) 1985 -1992” in his application, saying, “The 1st Respondent is presently not enrolled in any University to be expecting any Bachelor of Science twenty (20 )years after his last academic adventure.”

However, Sahara Reporters is in possession of a degree certificate forged by Mr. Uba when he served President Olusegun Obasanjo as his Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs before running for governor in Anambra State. In the certificate Mr. Uba claimed to have received the certificate in 1994.

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[CORRUPTION] Zamfara State Governor Yari Diverts N500m Paris Club Refund To Repay His Loan

• According to the source, Mr. Yari withdrew N500m from the N19 billion Paris Club refund allegedly diverted to a special account of the Nigeria Governors Forum from the N522b allocated to the 36 states and deposited the sum into a mortgage bank account.

Governor Yari

Nigeria's anti-graft agency, EFCC, also told The Nation, “Of the N19 billion, we discovered that a consultant brought by the North-West governor was paid N2.2 billion. From the N2.2 billion, the governor got N500 million.”

Mr. Yari then transferred the sum to the mortgage bank from which he had borrowed N800m to purchase to properties in 2013. According to the source, the governor was able to renegotiate his debt from N800m to N500m.

The EFCC, however, traced the sum, knowing it was connected to Mr. Yari and the Paris Club loan. The mortgage bank then forfeited the N500m to the EFCC.

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REVEALED Pastor Suleman Used Concoction To Procure Illegal Abortion On Me, Stephanie Otobo Petitions Police

• Apostle Johnson Suleman used an illegal concoction to abort Stephanie Otobo’s pregnancy in 2015, she has alleged.  

• In a petition sent to the Commissioner of Police of Lagos State yesterday, Ms. Otobo said she became pregnant for the pastor after they spent three days together in Napoli, Italy where he held a crusade in August of that year, their relationship having begun in Canada two months earlier.

   

   

  

  Stephanie-Otobo

  
  “The relationship was nurtured by Apostle Suleman who inundated me with cash gifts and pleasure trips all over Europe,” she said, including Italy, for which he paid all her expenses. 
  
  “While in Napoli, Apostle Suleman would preach and do “miracle” in the day time and take the much-needed rest in my bosom at night.  Napoli was our love nest for three (3) good days, and after the crusade Apostle Suleman left Napoli, and I also returned to Canada.”
  
  She said when she discovered she was pregnant, she informed Mr. Suleman, but he was not excited about it and requested that she come to Nigeria.
  
  “I arrived Nigeria on August 25th, 2015 and the clandestine arrangement was made for the two (2) of us to meet and consequently, I met Apostle Suleman at Definite Destiny Hotel, beside Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos State,” she wrote.  “It was at the hotel that I was given a concoction to drink by Apostle Suleman who told me that the concoction was for my spiritual fortification. But in less than ten (10) minutes after drinking the concoction, I started vomiting blood and passing out blood. Apostle Suleman then gave me pills to stop the blood though the blood did not stop immediately but the pain subsided, and the pregnancy was
  
  She said she was devastated at losing the pregnancy, and Apostle Suleman gave her cash gifts in three different currencies in Euro, dollars and naira to console and compensate her. 
  
  “I could not come to terms with the facts that the man that claimed to love me and promised to marry me, could procure an abortion for me without my consent which could have led to my death,” she added.
  
  “Unfortunately, Apostle Suleman did not stop at procuring an abortion for me without my consent but also in a desperate bid to keep the amorous relationship between him and I a secret not known to his teeming followers; Apostle Suleman invented various devices to bully and threaten my life.”
  
  She invited the commissioner to institute a thorough and dispassionate investigation into her allegations.
  
  “I plead with you, in the course of your investigation, to confirm the exchange of all our text messages from the networks, forensic analysis of all the nude pictures we both sent to ourselves (and whether they are, indeed, photo-shopped or authentic), our international passports to confirm the dates and times of our travels, investigation concerning the hotels we slept together both in and out of Nigeria and bank accounts to confirm the transfers of funds.”
  
  She requested she be contacted through her lawyers at Festus Keyamo Chambers, pointing out that her phones were seized by some policemen Apostle Suleman used against her.
  

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SSS Official Has Revealed How They Investigated, Charged Justice Ademola For Corruption, Arms Possession

• A witness in the ongoing trial of a Federal High Court judge, Adeniyi Ademola, has explained how the State Security Service, SSS, conducted its investigations before charges were drawn against the defendants.

• Mr. Ademola is facing trial alongside his wife, Olubowale, who is the immediate past Head of Service of Lagos State, and Joe Agi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

  

  Justice Adeniyi Ademola and wife in court

  
  
  
  The witness, Babatunde Adepoju, an SSS official who led the investigations into the alleged offenses committed by the defendants, said he was assigned to the case after a search warrant was executed at the residence of the defendant in October.
  
  Mr. Adepoju explained that he was assigned to investigate the matter following the recoveries made during the search at the residence of the defendants, and other allegations, including those contained in a petition written against Mr. Ademola.
  
  “There was also the allegation that the judge used his position as an FHC judge and his close ties with Senator Ahmed Tinubu to influence the appointment of his wife as head of service, Lagos State.
  
  “My duty was also to conduct follow-up investigations as regards the monetary recoveries in Justice Ademola’s apartment,” said Mr. Adepoju, who described himself as a well-read investigative officer.
  
  He, however, added that Mr. Ademola denied influencing his wife’s appointment, adding that the judge explained that his wife was the most senior permanent secretary in Lagos State at the time of her appointment.
  
  Mr. Adepoju told the court that the recoveries made from Mr. Ademola’s residence included local and foreign currencies in hundreds of thousands, as well as two firearms belonging to Mr. Ademola and another judge, A.R. Mohammed.
  
  According to Mr. Adepoju, the SSS also employed a ballistician who checked the rifles found at the residence of Mr. Ademola during the search in October.
  
  After checking the firearms, Mr. Adepoju said the guns were of the category of prohibited ammunition which could only be licensed at the discretion of the President of the country.
  
  [Nigerian_SSS]
  
  He added that although Mr. Ademola had confirmed that the guns, which had two different licenses, (one for himself and the other for Mr. Mohammed), belonged to the two judges, Mr. Mohammed denied ownership of the rifle.
  
  The SSS operative further said there were also allegations of bribery against the first defendant, which according to his principal, influenced the order by the defendant for the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
  
  Mr. Adepoju also told the court that of particular reference in his investigation was a set of payments made in three tranches to the account of Mrs. Ademola shortly before certain court orders were made by Mr. Ademola, in a case involving a client of Mr. Agi.
  
  “In my further investigation on the connection between Mrs. Ademola and Agi, I tried to establish if Barr. Agi had cases pending or concluded before Justice Ademola, and I discovered that they actually had cases in court,” he said.
  
  “Two among the cases that raised eyebrows were of AMCON vs. FRN and Friday Upkong vs. Chief of Naval Staff. These two cases involved huge sums of money.
  
  “Both cases emanated from Calabar, Cross-River State, Justice Ademola’s previous posting. In the AMCON case, three garnishee orders were granted by Justice Ademola in favor of Joe Agi’s client, which is Linas International Limited”.
  
  Speaking further, Mr. Adepoju explained how his department arrived at the allegation that Mr. Agi had paid N30 million into the account of Mr. Ademola to influence a judgment.
  
  The witness said the money was paid by two maritime businessmen, Ken Hubert and Bassey Bassey. According to the witness, the men paid the sum of $150, 000 which was later converted to naira by Mr. Agi to the tune of N37 million.
  
  “According to Joe Agi, the conversion rate was N37 million, but he remitted N30 million to Ms. Olubowale’s account”, the witness stated.
  
  During cross-examination, however, Mr. Adepoju said the allegations of influencing the appointment of Mrs. Ademola, made against her husband was a verbal brief given to him by his superior; adding that as an investigative officer, he has the discretion to either accept the brief or refuse it, based on evidence at his disposal.
  
  In response to Mr. Adepoju’s statement on influencing Mrs. Ademola’s appointment, the defense lawyer asked whether he had any such evidence and he responded in the negative.
  
  Mr. Adepoju also said he did not charge Mr. Ademola based on the allegations contained in the cited petition against him due to the insufficiency of evidence.
  
  “I am trained to go through any fact-finding quest with an objective mind. These are mere allegations subject to be confirmed or refuted, based on supporting documents,” he answered.
  
  Asked whether he found any available evidence incriminating Mr. Ademola with allegations of bribery in Messrs. Dasuki and Kanu’s cases, the witness answered in the negative.
  
  He also said he could not provide a link between the first defendant and any case in court involving the maritime businessmen, Messrs. Hubert and Bassey, who he had said paid $150, 000 to Mrs. Ademola’s account.
  
  Mr. Adepoju also answered in the negative when asked if there was a link between the case involving Friday Ukpong and the maritime businessmen.
  
  Reading through a document provided by the defense counsel, Mr. Adepoju confirmed that the money was paid by the businessmen, shortly before a wedding of Mr. Ademola’s daughter.
  
  Mr. Adepoju also confirmed that the ballistician whose report on the rifles were recorded was invited in January, months after the case was filed.
  
  He, however, added that the second ballistician was invited because the Service was not satisfied with the investigation first conducted by the police.
  

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Armsgate: EFCC Tenders More Exhibits Against Badeh

• Alex Badeh is standing trial along Iyalikam Nigeria Limited on a 10-count charge bordering on money laundering, criminal breach of trust and corruption to the tune of N3.97 billion.

Ex-Chief of Defense Staff Alex Badeh arriving to the Federal High Court in Abuja for his trial for illegally diverting N3.9 billion

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on February 20, 2017 through its 14th witness presented more exhibits against a former Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, who is standing trial along Iyalikam Nigeria Limited on a 10-count charge bordering on money laundering, criminal breach of trust and corruption to the tune of N3.97 billion.

While being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, the witness Olusegun Adegbite, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, Maiatama, Abuja, told the court that the EFCC requested for documents with respect to the defendants.

"The EFCC requested for documents related to Farsman Account, NAF payee account and Judah Oil Limited, specifically account opening documents, statements of account, and we responded," he said.

He identified the documents in court has having emanated from his office.

The defence team raised no objections to the request of the prosecution to tender them as evidence.

Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court Abuja, thereafter accepted the documents in evidence and marked them as exhibits T97, T98, T99, T100 and T101.

The trial has been adjourned to February 21, 2017.

Wilson Uwujaren

Head, Media & Publicity

February 20, 2017

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Former Gov. Akpabio, Wife Plots Assassination Of Rights Lawyer Inibehe Effiong Over Corruption Probe, Persistent Criticism

• Former Governor of Akwa Ibom State Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio and his wife Ekaette Unoma Akpabio are desperately plotting to assassinate one of their most outspoken critic and human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong; several sources have told Sammynews4u.

Former Governor Akpabio

A source who is close to Akpabio told Sammynews4u that Mr. Effiong has been causing "serious damage" to efforts by the former governor to escape probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and has been using the media to "instigate the public against Akpabio and his successor Mr. Udom Emmanuel which they can no longer tolerate".

As part of the plot to "finally take out" the fiery lawyer, one source told Sammynews4u that Mr. Akpabio, his wife, and a certain Barr. Emmanuel Enoidem who served as the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Renewal under the administration of Akpabio and other close associates of the former Governor will hold a nocturnal meeting in Akpabio's hometown residence in Ukana in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Thursday, February 23, 2017 to reach a consensus on the best way to execute the plot without traces.

Speaking with Sammynews4u on the matter, Mr. Effiong confirmed that his life is no longer safe following recent events and information available to him.

"The threats to my life has been going on for a long time now, but I never took such threats very seriously until recent events. Several informants have intimidated me that a decision has been taken by those who feel that they own Akwa Ibom State to kill me any day I "mistakenly" step my foot on Akwa Ibom State or in the alternative, to track me to my location in Lagos State and assassinate me."

"A few weeks ago, I was in Akwa Ibom State to secure the release of a building contractor who was illegally detained for 23 days in police custody on the orders of the State Governor Mr. Udom Emmanuel over the Reigners Bible Church Collapse in Uyo. I returned to Lagos after the contractor regained freedom on January 4, 2017. Upon arriving Lagos, I received a call from someone who asked me to be grateful to God for not being killed while I was on my way to the Ibom International Airport en route Lagos. The source told me that he was at a beer parlor in Uyo when he overheard some persons boasting that Inibehe Effiong is like a small ant before Akpabio and that I was trailed to the airport but that the hired assassins lost track of the vehicle that conveyed me. That very soon, my name will be history.

"I have been threatened countless times by self-confessed loyalists and supporters of Godswill Akpabio both on Facebook and outside the social media. My only crime is my consistent call for a probe by the anti-corruption agencies into how the resources of Akwa Ibom State was spent between 2007-2015 during which period the oil-rich State received nearly N3 trillion in allocations from the Federation Account.

"Today, Friday 17th February 2017 I received two more frightening calls from two credible sources about the imminent plot to finally put an end to my life by killing me. The sources separately stated emphatically that I should watch all my steps and movements because I may be gunned down any moment from now and that hired assassins have already been mobilized and are only waiting for the order to strike."

"I am told that the plan to assassinate me became more serious after I filed a suit on Monday at the Federal High Court in Abuja on behalf of an anti-corruption activist asking the Court to disqualify the Senate President, Senator Akpabio and 9 other senators from taking part in the screening and confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as the substantive Chairman of the EFCC due to bias and apparent conflict of interest arising from their pending corruption cases with the EFCC."

"I have said it before; several Nigerians were assassinated during the reign of Akpabio because of their dissenting and critical views. I wrote on this in the past and gave numerous examples. If they want to use me to revive their killer squared despite the change in government at the center, it, therefore, means that the talk about President Buhari fighting corruption and impunity in this country is useless".

"If anything happens to me, Nigerians should know where it is coming from and those to hold responsible. I cannot be silenced by blood sucking rascals who looted the resources of Akwa Ibom State with impunity." Effiong concluded.

Another source revealed that the governor's wife who is actively involved in the plot was said to have initially cautioned against going ahead for fear that killing the activist will provoke national outrage and that it may be difficult for the killing not to be linked to the Akpabios' given his persistent criticisms of the former governor. "But after her school, John Paul's School at Shelter Afrique, Uyo was marked by the EFCC for investigation, she agreed that Inibehe who has continued to call for their probe should be taken out," the source said.

Sammynews4u recently published a leaked audio tape in which a brother to former Governor Akpabio by name Ibanga Akpabio is clearly heard boasting about his plans to eliminate another critic and former member of the House of Representatives from Akwa Ibom State, Hon. Robinson Uwak. The audio is yet to be denied by the Akpabios'.

During the regime of Akpabio as the governor of Akwa Ibom State, several high-profile political opponents and outspoken critics were assassinated.

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