UPDATE - Polls: INEC to feed policemen with N6bn

Feeding of policemen during the 2019 polls will gulp N6 bn.

This is contained in the budget for the polls presented to the House of Representatives by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Lawmakers have raised eyebrows over the figure and are asking the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, to defend it.

The budget defence is ongoing at the National Assembly .

EFCC slams aides to the President on Political Matters, Babafemi Ojodu for linking it to Saraki

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has berated the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu , for accusing the EFCC of playing out a script written by Senate President Bukola Saraki .

Ojudu had in an article titled, ‘Fifth columnists in our recent history ’, accused Saraki of orchestrating the Department of State Services’ blockade of the National Assembly and the EFCC’s freezing of the Benue and Akwa Ibom states’ accounts last week .

He had said, “From the shenanigans at the Benue House of Assembly to the siege on National Assembly , the attack on judges home in the night, the so - called barricade of the Senate President’ s house, the laughable kidnap of Boy Dino and ‘ his 11 hours on a tree ’ , the freezing of the Benue and Akwa Ibom accounts all are scripted , produced and acted by Oloye (Saraki ) Productions . ”
However, the EFCC in a statement by its spokesman , Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said the freezing of the accounts were not scripted by Saraki but by the commission after months of painstaking investigations.
The anti - graft agency advised Ojudu and other politicians to do proper investigation before making allegations.
The statement read in part, “The attention of the EFCC has been drawn to a widely syndicated article by Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters entitled , ‘ Fifth columnists in our recent history ,’ wherein he portrayed the commission as a conscript in the devious plots by Senator Bukola Saraki to undermine the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari .

“The commission takes exception to the attempt to impute false motive to its investigative activities. The recent placement of a ‘Post No Debit Order ’ on some accounts in Benue and Akwa Ibom states were the culmination of many months of painstaking investigative activities. To reduce such activities to the level of a stunt in a real or imaginary script by any politician is outrageous.

via Punchng
“It is important to state that the EFCC is not a party to the so - called script by Saraki . Members of the public should disregard the innuendo in Ojudu’s article as it is unfounded. ”
It added, “The commission calls for circumspection on the part of political leaders , while urging them to seek clarification before making comments on matters they do not know about . ”

In another development , The former governor of Sokoto State , Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, has blamed Nigerians for voting President Muhammadu Buhari , saying that that as a soldier Buhari was trained to kill and not to govern.
Bafarawa made the statement in Lafia, while declaring his intention to contest the presidential seat under the platform of the People Democratic Party at the state PDP party secretariat on Sunday .

Bafarawa explained that he left the APC because of the injustice meted out to him by the party.
The former governor of Sokoto State , who blamed Nigerians for mistakenly voting president Buhari , said, “Buhari is a soldier trained to kill, but not to govern.
“Don ’t vote somebody to power who does not possess democratic tenets to govern a country as Nigeria . ”

Earlier , the state PDP Chairman, Francis Orogu , said the visit of the presidential aspirant was apt and timely.
Orogu described Nasarawa as a PDP state, stating that though the party was not in control, it was able to produce two senators and three House of Representatives members .

EFCC Closes Case against Air Vice Marshall Tony Omenyi over N136 million arms deal

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on April 17, 2018 closed its case againstAir Vice Marshall Tony Omenyi(retd), who is standingtrial for allegedly diverting overN136 million meant for the purchase of arms by the military.

Omenyi is being prosecuted along with Huzee Nigeria Limited, on an amended three-count charge preferred againsthim by the EFCC.The prosecuting counsel, M.S.Abubakar on January 22, 2018presented its fifth witness, GojiMohammed, an EFCC operative, who told the court that in the course of investigating the arms deal scandal, suspicious transactions were linked to Omenyi and Huzee Nigeria Limited.He said:

“We discovered that Huzee Nigeria Limited was incorporated by the first defendant and maintained a corporate account with FCMB in which he was a co-signatory. “We also discovered payment made to Sky experts by NAF and in most cases you will see a corresponding payment to Huzee Nigeria Limited.”

He further revealed that analyses of documents from the NigeriaAir Force, NAF and the Corporate Affairs Commission,CAC, in response to requests made to them in the course of investigations, indicated that “in 2013 NAF awarded contracts to Cyrus Technologywith contract sum of N1.2 billion”.

The proceedings continued today, with the cross-examination of Mohammed by the defence counsel, Goddy Uche, SAN.While being cross-examined, Mohammed noted that Omenyi was not a member of the procurement planning committee of NAF, “but he attended the meeting and the recommendation for the awardof the contract was based on his presentation”. Uche, then asked the witness, whether in the course of investigations, EFCC took statements of o the ne Adeogwu Onyeka, a staff of FCMB and the account officer of Sky Experts Nigeria Limited.However, Abubakar raised an objection, arguing that: “this procedure is strange to me; I have not seen the document and the witness is not the maker of the statement”. Subsequently, Justice NnamdiDimg alt='?EFCC?Closes Case against Air Vice Marshall Tony Omenyi?over N136 million arms deal' class='img-responsive text-center' style='margin: auto;'ba adjourned further hearing to June 20 and 21, 2018 when the defendant is expected to open its defence.

[NEWS] JAMB snake and EFCC eagle clash in rib cracking contest

That story of a snake that swallowed N36 million at a JAMB office is throwing up all sorts of hilarious reactions. EFCC tweeted a pic of an eagle attacking a snake in an effort to publicise its anti corruption efforts.

JAMB snake fired back with a tweet of its own and it's epic! Who won this round? You can check out the original story here.

Source - Lindaikejisblog.com

EFCC Arraigns two bankers for N27 Million fraud in Ibadan

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Ibadan Zonal Office on Friday 2nd February, 2018 arraigned the duo of Ebenezer Adelowo and Walter Ekomaye beforeJusticeM. L. Owolabiof the State High Court sitting in Iyaganku, Ibadan, Oyo State.

They were arraigned on different and separate charges bordering on conspiracy, stealing and obtaining money by false pretence.

While Ebenezer and Walter were arraigned together on a three- count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing, Ebenezer answered to another separate five count charge alone for obtaining money under false pretenses respectively.

They both pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against them.

In view of their plea, prosecution counsel,Adeola Elumaro prayed the court for a trial date. However, counsel to the first defendant, Degbile Moronkeji informed the court of an application for bail filed on 31st January, 2018, which he said is before the court. He thereafter prayed the court to allow the first defendant remain in the EFCC's custody pending ruling on his bail application. Counsel to the second defendant also informed the court of his bail application filed this morning. Justice Owolabi however, ordered that the defendants be remanded in EFCC's custody pending the determination of their bail applications.

The case is adjourned to 16 February, 2018 for hearing of bail applications. Walter Ekomaye (39) and Ebenezer Adelowo (31) were arraigned sequel to a petition from a Regional Control Compliance Officer and Zonal Control Compliance Officer of a bank (name withheld) alleging that sometimes in December, 2017, the duo were involved in an illegal withdrawal of funds from customer's accounts totaling N23million. It was further alleged that they took advantage of their position as account officers to some of the bank customers to perpetrate the fraud.

According to the petition, Ebenezer allegedly collected over N27Million from different Bureau-de-change outlets under the pretense that he will give them the dollar equivalent.

NEWS - EFCC resumes probe of Osborne’s$43.4m cash

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has resumed the probe into the $43.4million cash recovered at Osborne Towers in Ikoyi, Lagos which led to Monday’s sacking of National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Director-General Ayo Oke by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Presidency said it is in order for anti-graft agencies to probe the former NIA boss and the sacked Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal.There were indications last night that the EFCC had received the report of the Presidential Investigative Committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

More suspects from the NIA and outside it are to be invited for interrogation by the anti-graft agency, it was learnt. The EFCC deferred action on the interrogation of some suspects because it wanted the Osinbajo panel to conclude its assignment.

A top source in the anti-graft agency, who spoke in confidence last night, said:“On Tuesday, we resumed the ongoing probe of the $43.4million, 27,000 pounds and N23.2million recovered on April 12, 2017 from the seventh floor of a four-bedroom apartment at Osborne Towers located on 16, Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.“We have shortlisted more suspects for interrogation and we are likely to pick them up any moment from now. Some of the suspects are NIA men  including those in the Finance Unit.

“Don’t forget that the then Acting President approved the redeployment of NIA’s Director of Finance and some officials in the Finance Unit as part of the ongoing review of the finances of the agency.”The detectives are being led by the Acting Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, who has reconvened the team handling the investigation.“Some of the detectives might still visit Lagos for more forensic evidence on some of the suspects,” it was learnt.

A judge of the Federal High Court  in Lagos, Justice Muslim Hassan,  had on June 6, 2017 granted a final forfeiture order of the funds since no one appeared before the court to claim them.

Source - The Nation