Buhari Tells Senate to Confirm Magu as EFCC Chair

Again, President Muhammadu Buhari has resubmitted the name of Mr. Ibrahim Magu to the Senate for confirmation as Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The letter containing the president’s request, according to THISDAY check, was delivered to the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Sunday night, five weeks after the upper chamber of the National Assembly rejected Magu’s confirmation because of an adverse security report from the State Security Services (SSS).

Stella Oduah loses bid to stop bulletproof cars probe

A Federal High Court in Lagos has dismissed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by a former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, against the Attorney General of the Federation and three others.

Justice Okon Abang, who dismissed Oduah’s suit for want of jurisdiction today, ordered her to pay a cost of N15,000 to the AGF.

Oduah had filed the suit in August last year praying the court to restrain agencies of the Federal Government from questioning or prosecuting her over the purchase of two armoured BMW vehicles at a cost of N255m by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority under her watch as the Aviation Minister in 2013.

In her suit, Oduah claimed to have already been probed and exonerated by the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and urged Justice Abang to declare that any further probe would amount to violating her fundamental rights.

EFCC seizes N5bn houses of ex-NAF chief, Amosu, others

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized houses and other properties belonging to the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.), and other senior military officers worth N5bn.

Our correspondent learnt on Wednesday that the properties, which were seized in the Ikoyi, Ikeja GRA and Badagry areas of Lagos State, allegedly belonged to Amosu; the immediate past Chief of Accounts and Budgeting of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal J.B. Adigun; and Air Commodore O. O. Gbadebo, who was the Director of Finance and Budget at NAF.

FG orders oil firm to pay unremitted N81.6bn

*Begs oil majors not to sack workers

ABUJA—The Presidency has directed an oil firm to remit to the account of Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, unremitted funds amounting to N81.6 billion ($408m).

*EMMANUEL IBE KACHIKWU.

This came on a day the Federal Government called on operators in the oil sector to shelve plans to lay off workers to avoid throwing the nation into a huge social upheaval.

Oil companies had concluded plans to reduce their workforce, due to falling oil prices in the international market which had impacted their operations.On unremitted revenue, the Presidency’s instruction, it was learned, came against the backdrop of revelations by the chairman of the firm at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, that the company only remitted parts of what it derived from revenue from four oil blocs.

How ex-NIMASA boss paid me for job undone – Witness

lagos—A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of a former Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), Patrick Akpobolokemi and six others, Uche Obilor, yesterday, told a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos how his three companies were paid N905.8million, by  NIMASA under Akpobolokemi , for a contract he did not execute.

 

Obilor, Managing Director of Ace Prosthesis Limited, Seabulk Offshore Limited and Southern Offshore Limited told the court that the money was paid into the companies’ two bank accounts though he did not bid for any contract for NIMASA nor executed any.

$2.1bn Arms probe: EFCC slams fresh charges against Olisa Metuh

ABUJA — THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, on a fresh two-count-charge of destroying the evidence against him.

METUH IN COURT—Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Pdp, Chief Olisa Metuh, signing a document at the Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: NAN.

Metuh, who was yesterday, docked before an Abuja High Court sitting at Maitama on a two-count charge bordering on his alleged destruction of evidence against him, pleaded not guilty to the charge. Metuh was for the second time brought to court in handcuffs.

This happened just as the trial of embattled former National Security Adviser, NSA, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd) on a 19-count-charge turned dramatic, yesterday, at the Abuja High Court sitting at Maitama as the trial judge stood down trial for two hours, insisting that he must be produced in court as required by law before he could continue with the proceedings.

Metuh however denied allegation that he destroyed a confessional statement he made before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

EFCC, in the charge which was signed by its Assistant Director, Legal & Prosecution Department, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, alleged that the PDP spokesman who is also facing another seven-count criminal charge before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja, tore and attempted to chew the statement he made under caution while undergoing interrogation.

The anti-graft agency insisted that the destroyed statement would have been vital to its prosecution of the N400m fraud case pending against Metuh before the Federal High Court.

It said that Metuh, by his action, committed an offence contrary to sections 166 and 326 of the Penal Code Act.

Why we Handcuffed Metuh − NPS

The Nigeria Prisons Service has said that putting handcuffs on the National Publicity Secretary, Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh while appearing for his trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday was at the discretion of the prison officer, who supervised his court appearance.

National Publicity Secretary, Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, appearing for his trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja... on Tuesday

The NPS spokesman, Francis Enobore, said the officer in charge of the escort that took Metuh to court was at liberty to determine if the inmate should be handcuffed based on security situation, the environment and intelligence report made available to him.

Enobore made the clarification following comments in the media and by PDP, that putting handcuffs on Metuh is a plot by the All Progressives congress -led to subdue the major opposition party.

Corruption: EFCC moves against Odili, others

ABUJA—The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is set to reopen the trial of high profile politicians whose corruption cases had either been delayed or put in abeyance as a result of court injunctions.

 

A top management officer of the EFCC told Vanguard, yesterday, that the commission under the leadership of acting chairman, Ibrahim Magu, was bent on reopening all the corruption cases involving top politicians, who were shielded by the court through perpetual injunctions that had temporarily tied the hands of the commission from prosecuting them.

EFCC confronts Dasuki, Dokpesi, Bafarawa, others with evidence of transactions

-$2bn arms deal:

ABUJA — The special team raised by the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the disbursement of $2.2 billion arms contract deal in the office of the former National Security Adviser, yesterday, confronted the major suspects with evidence of their illicit transactions.

 

Nigeria loses N2trn to tax evasion, cyber crime

Aloysius Etok, Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters, has revealed that Nigeria has lost over N2 trillion due to tax evasion and cyber crimes perpetrated by some Nigerians.

This comes as he tasked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to use their powers to strip corrupt officials proceeds of their dealings.

N8bn scam: Cash Assistant has N134m in One Account, says EFCC

Hearing in the Central Bank of Nigeria N8bn mutilated currency fraud suit continued at the Federal High Court, Ibadan on Wednesday as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission told the court that one of the accused persons, Mr. Ayodeji Alase, had N134m in one of his bank accounts.

The EFCC told the trial judge, Justice A.O. Faaji, that Alase, a primary six certificate holder, started work at First Bank as a guard before he was promoted to the position of a cash assistant.

 

The lead prosecution counsel for the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Jacob (SAN), also told the court that the accused had property worth hundreds of millions of naira.