9 Herdsmen Arrested In FCT Over Illegal Grazing

Nine herdsmen have been arrested in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) over illegal grazing.

AEPB stated that the herdsmen were penalised by the mobile court which imposed fines ranging from N3,000 to N7,000 on them. 25 cows and 51 sheep were also confiscated.
The acting Director of the board, Mrs. Omolola Olanipekun, who disclosed this at a press briefing on Friday in Abuja, added that 589 street hawkers were also arrested and fined by the mobile court.

When questioned about the directive from the Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT, Senator Dino Melaye, that cattle found grazing in Abuja should be slaughtered by the FCT Administration, Olanipekun responded by saying compliance with the directive may lead to violence.

She said, “We don’t want a repeat of what is happening in other states, we don’t want loss of lives because of cattle.
“We have met with the cattle rearers and they promised that they would try and get their people off the streets, but unfortunately, they did not fully comply. We have been arresting them and we discovered that there is another group that we have not met.
“We are preparing to meet with them and let them know that we don’t want cows in the city. If we start killing them (cattle), like the senator wants us to do, they would react and we don’t want bloodshed here. Very soon, I promise, the cattle would be where they are supposed to be.”

Wife Of Nigerian CBN Governor, Margaret Emefiele Kidnapped

Saharareporters has confirmed that the wife of the Nigerian Central Bank Governor has been kidnapped. Mrs. Margaret Emefiele was kidnapped by gunmen along the Benin-Agbor road and it is the highest profile kidnap in the country.
The News agency also reported that the kidnappers have reached out to demand ransom from the family.

Ekweremadu, Ezekwesili reject call for national assets’ sale

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and a former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, have opposed the proposed sale of Nigeria’s national assets as part of the means of moving the country out of economic depression.
Ekweremadu expressed his opposition against the suggestion of business mogul, Aliko Dangote, and the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki on Wednesday when he led other senators at a plenary to reject the call for the sale of the country’s national assets.
The senators at the plenary also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to reshuffle his cabinet as part of measures to take Nigeria out of the current economic woes.
The advice against the sale of assets come barely 24 hours after Saraki urged the Federal Government to consider the partial sale of some key national assets like the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Holdings to raise needed foreign currency to revive the economy and stabilise the naira.
He also suggested that some airports should be privatised or put up for concession.
During the Wednesday plenary, the senators urged Buhari to consider a cabinet reshuffle to give bite to his economic team.
Specifically, they asked that the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and her Budget and National Planning counterpart, Udo Udoma, should be considered for other appointments.
Ekweremadu, in his contribution, advised against the sale of national assets, insisting it would be counterproductive to sell assets for short-term gains.
Ekweremadu said, “The President needs to look at his cabinet. He has to put square pegs in square holes. Your Excellency, distinguished colleagues, Udo Udoma is my friend, an accomplished lawyer for that matter, but in fairness to him, I believe he can do better in another ministry especially like trade and investment but certainly not budget and planning.
“The minister of finance can do much better in another ministry. At this critical time we need somebody who is more experienced to man the ministry of finance so that he can coordinate the strategies for this recovery.”
On the issue of the planned sale of national assets, he said, “I have heard about the issue of selling of our assets. I need to caution that other countries are not doing the same. The United Arab Emirate, does not even allow you to get to their oil wells let alone selling them.
“…So, if we must sell we have to sell the non-performing assets so that people can turn them around and create employment. We need to amend section 162 especially from 3,4,5,6 where every money in the federation account is enjoined to be shared among the other levels of government.”
Speaking in a similar vein, Senator George Akume (APC Benue North West), said, “The thing is very straight: there is a buyer market and there is a seller market, if you want to dispose of your oil assets at this time when the prices of oil has crashed, precisely how much are you going to realise?
“We are making a mistake here. What we are intending to do is to very unpatriotically ensure that those who are within the bracket of the stolen dollars will still come to buy.
“I believe that this is not the time to sell these assets. Fortunately the Central Bank of Nigeria governor made a very powerful statement that the worst days of the recession were over and therefore we had to look elsewhere and not sell our assets. We should rather focus on industrialisation through agriculture and try to revamp this economy.”
Ezekwesili, who is a former Vice-President of the World Bank’s Africa Division, made her submission on her official Twitter handle on Wednesday.
The ex-minister added that what Nigeria needed was economic reform and better economic management.
She said, “Managers of the economy must resist our ‘wonderful’ politicians now chorusing quick fixes like asset sale. There are no easy options here.
“It seems that the default instinct of our political class is ‘sell and spend’. Sell oil. Spend. Oil fails? Sell assets. Spend. It won’t work.
“Any asset sale at all should be within the context of an empirically guided, deliberated and deep structural reform of the sector of the said asset.
“The economy can’t get back to the high and sustainable growth rates necessary for wealth creation and poverty reduction without macro-economic stability.”
She said rather than the sale of assets, the Federal Government should embark on key structural reforms such as petroleum sector deregulation and liberalisation; civil service reform and increased investment in agriculture.
The ex-minister argued that without restoring macroeconomic stability, growth could not resume and without growth resuming, more people would fall into poverty.
Ezekwesili said it was unfortunate that despite the billions of dollars generated from oil over the years, Nigeria failed to save for the rainy day.
She said taking foreign loans would only be effective if the money was well-spent.
The ex-minister said, “A country that earned over $600bn within this decade during a six-year oil boom period now cheerfully goes ‘a-borrowing’. Wow.
“Other times this country went ‘a-borrowing’, what followed was ‘a-sorrowing’. By all means, borrow to stimulate and recover growth but be wise!”
Ezekwesili, who is the co-founder of Transparency International, said the Buhari administration should not take all the blame as the cause of the recession was cumulative.
She, however, argued that the inability of the Buhari government to act quickly contributed to the problem.
The ex-minister added, “Baggage from the past can’t be waved off nor can the indefensible delay by the current. In economic management delaying right action is costly.
“This Federal Government was handed a lemon package by the former but it worsened that heritage by a mix of delays, uncertainty and wrong policies.”
When asked by one of her Twitter followers if Buhari’s economic team was competent, the former minister said it was not bad.
She, however, argued that the team must do better
Ezekwesili added, “I am not one of those that think this Federal Government does not have bright lights on its team and I’ve said so before. It does. But they must do better.”

EFCC freezes Patience Jonathan’s personal $5m account

Patience Jonathan said she does not trust the representatives of the companies that pleaded guilty to money laundering

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has frozen Patience Jonathan’s personal account, titled ‘Patience Ibifaka Jonathan’, which is domiciled in Skye Bank Plc.
Impeccable sources within the agency told our correspondent on Wednesday that the move had become necessary due to the prima facie case established against the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife.
As part of investigations into alleged diversion against a former Special Adviser to ex-President Jonathan on Domestic Affairs, Waripamowei Dudafa, the anti-graft agency had frozen four companies’ accounts in Skye Bank with a balance of $15,591,700.
However, before the EFCC could arraign the four companies in court, Jonathan’s wife deposed to an affidavit, claiming that the money belonged to her.
Despite Patience’s claims, however, the EFCC arraigned the four companies –Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited; Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited; Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited; and Globus Integrated Service Limited.
The companies pleaded guilty and the EFCC had already begun moves to ensure that the money is forfeited permanently to the Federal Government.
A detective at the EFCC told The PUNCH, “Recall that we had frozen the four companies’ accounts, which Patience Jonathan later laid claim to. We have been able to establish that the money was part of proceeds of crime.
“She had no evidence that the money in the four accounts belonged to her. All she had were platinum debit cards, which she was using to withdraw money and the cards are not evidence of ownership.
“Initially, we had traced $5m to her personal account, which we did not touch but I can confirm to you now that the $5m account, bearing Patience Jonathan’s name, has also been seized since she claimed that the monies in the company accounts and the one in her personal name all emanated from the same source.
“We are tracing other accounts belonging to Patience. It will interest you to know that despite all the letters she has written, she has never stated where she got the money from. She claimed to be a housewife and yet she has $20m.”
Patience had recently written a letter to the acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, where she claimed that she needed the money for her medical treatment abroad.
She had also sued Skye Bank for N200m, accusing the bank of freezing her accounts unjustly.
In a letter written by her lawyers, Granville Abibo (SAN) and Co, Patience said, “It is noteworthy to emphasise that the said accounts, which were in US dollar denomination, were card-based accounts and our client is the sole signatory of these accounts.
“The said bank officials also assured our client that they will change the account names accordingly and issue to our client new credit cards for the said accounts which was not done despite repeated demands.
“However, our client has been operating the said accounts using the cards for her medical bill payments and purchases for her private purposes without any let or hindrance.
“Our client was therefore surprised when the said cards stopped functioning on July 7, 2016 or thereabout. Our client immediately thereupon contacted Skye Bank Plc through our solicitors. It was only then that the bank officials informed our client that the said accounts were placed on a ‘No Debit Order’ following investigations and instructions from your commission and this is without notice to our client by either the bank or the commission.
“It is in the light of the foregoing that we urge you to use your good offices to vacate the ‘No Debit/Freezing Order’ placed on the said accounts.”

ABUJA—THE House of Representatives was thrown into a rowdy session yesterday, following a motion by the Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Orker Jev, over alleged infringement of members’ right and privileges by the former chairman of Appropriation Committee, Abdulmumin Jibrin. reps The House, presided over by the speaker, Yakubu Dogara, resolved to refer the matter and Jibrin to its Committee on Ethics and Privileges for proper investigation, with a mandate to report its findings and make appropriate recommendations within a week. Jibrin had accused the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, his deputy, Yusuf Lasun, Chief Whip, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, of being behind the alleged padding of the 2016 budget. Jev in the motion, had stated that the privileges of members, practices, precedents were breached by Jibrin, adding that the punishment for the act was suspension for a period not less than six months. But he was interrupted by the Jibrin supporters, led by Aliyu Madaki, who represents Dala Federal Constituency of Kano State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who was shouting point of order to stop him from delivering his motion. This threw the House into a rowdy session. While supporters of Dogara urged Jeff to go ahead, those of Jibrin, including members of the Transparent Group, made spirited but unsuccessful efforts to stop the motion. Jev, who moved the motion about 11:48am, had in his introductory remarks, stated that there were expectations, especially from the media that the House was going to be rowdy, adding, “we will disappoint them.” He said: “I am asking for permission to move a motion on the collective breaches of privileges of members.” This was greeted with repeated shout of nay from Jibrin’s supporters, and for about one hour, the House was rowdy as the sergeant-at-arms quickly formed a ring around the Mace to protect it. This did not, however, deter Jev who went ahead to read his motion, which was later passed through a resounding voice vote and referred to the Ossai Nicholas Ossai-led Committee on Ethics and Privileges. As the melee continued, Jibrin left the chamber, while supporters of Dogara who were in majority, started distributing green muffler bearing the name of the speaker. Jev, in his motion, noted that Jibrin was relieved of his appointment as Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation on July 21, 2016, adding that a day after his removal, he (Jibrin) allegedly embarked on a campaign of calumny and denigration by making false and scandalous statements and publications in the print, electronic media and internet against the entire membership and institution of the House of Representatives and National Assembly. He said the contemptuous statements made by Jibrin against the House and its members were punishable by six months suspension. However, the embattled former Appropriations Committee chairman, Abdulmumin Jibrin, said yesterday he would not appear before th ethics committee. He said he would only appear on the condition that the Ethics Committee conducted its investigation in public. Jibrin, who represents Kiru-Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State, said: “I attended the sitting of the House today (yesterday) and carefully observed the proceedings concerning the allegations of budget fraud and corruption I leveled against Speaker Dogara and three other principal officers.”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/09/budget-padding-reps-rowdy-session/

ABUJA—THE House of Representatives was thrown into a rowdy session yesterday, following a motion by the Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Orker Jev, over alleged infringement of members’ right and privileges by the former chairman of Appropriation Committee, Abdulmumin Jibrin. reps The House, presided over by the speaker, Yakubu Dogara, resolved to refer the matter and Jibrin to its Committee on Ethics and Privileges for proper investigation, with a mandate to report its findings and make appropriate recommendations within a week. Jibrin had accused the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, his deputy, Yusuf Lasun, Chief Whip, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, of being behind the alleged padding of the 2016 budget. Jev in the motion, had stated that the privileges of members, practices, precedents were breached by Jibrin, adding that the punishment for the act was suspension for a period not less than six months. But he was interrupted by the Jibrin supporters, led by Aliyu Madaki, who represents Dala Federal Constituency of Kano State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who was shouting point of order to stop him from delivering his motion. This threw the House into a rowdy session. While supporters of Dogara urged Jeff to go ahead, those of Jibrin, including members of the Transparent Group, made spirited but unsuccessful efforts to stop the motion. Jev, who moved the motion about 11:48am, had in his introductory remarks, stated that there were expectations, especially from the media that the House was going to be rowdy, adding, “we will disappoint them.” He said: “I am asking for permission to move a motion on the collective breaches of privileges of members.” This was greeted with repeated shout of nay from Jibrin’s supporters, and for about one hour, the House was rowdy as the sergeant-at-arms quickly formed a ring around the Mace to protect it. This did not, however, deter Jev who went ahead to read his motion, which was later passed through a resounding voice vote and referred to the Ossai Nicholas Ossai-led Committee on Ethics and Privileges. As the melee continued, Jibrin left the chamber, while supporters of Dogara who were in majority, started distributing green muffler bearing the name of the speaker. Jev, in his motion, noted that Jibrin was relieved of his appointment as Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation on July 21, 2016, adding that a day after his removal, he (Jibrin) allegedly embarked on a campaign of calumny and denigration by making false and scandalous statements and publications in the print, electronic media and internet against the entire membership and institution of the House of Representatives and National Assembly. He said the contemptuous statements made by Jibrin against the House and its members were punishable by six months suspension. However, the embattled former Appropriations Committee chairman, Abdulmumin Jibrin, said yesterday he would not appear before th ethics committee. He said he would only appear on the condition that the Ethics Committee conducted its investigation in public. Jibrin, who represents Kiru-Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State, said: “I attended the sitting of the House today (yesterday) and carefully observed the proceedings concerning the allegations of budget fraud and corruption I leveled against Speaker Dogara and three other principal officers.”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/09/budget-padding-reps-rowdy-session/

Meet the Pilot Who Flies President Muhammadu Buhari’s Official Plane (Photos)

For those who say Muhammadu Buhari is a tribalistic president, here’s another reason to have a rethink as we recently stumbled on Captain Chinyelu Chizoba Ndibuisi.

For those who don’t know him, Captain Ndibuisi is President Muhammadu Buhari’s official pilot who flies the Nigerian Air Force 001.

The decorated aviator, who was a former Air Peace pilot flew the President to the United States for the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly #UNGA in New York.
See more photos below:

Nigerians desperately hungry: 13 takeaways from Saraki’s resumption speech (pics, video)

The Nigerian Senate resumed from its Sallah recess on Tuesday, September 20, 2016 with Bukola Saraki, its president, reminding his colleagues and the executive arm of government that the citizens of the country are desperately hungry.
Nigeria is currently suffering from an economic recession and rising cost of food and Saraki did not fail to confirm this,
While proffering solutions to the country’s many challenges, he also promised that the National Assembly would work with the executive arm of government to get Nigeria out of the woods.
Read some of the most important statements he made while addressing his colleagues on the floor of the Senate:
1. I recall unforgettably, how one of the women came straight to me with a look of utter desperation and all she could mutter out was, please our Senator, do what you can to put an end to this suffering, it is becoming unbearable. I don’t know what your experience was, but if your experience mirrored mine, then the challenge before us could not have been made clearer. The words of this woman reverberated across the hall with such unison that it was impossible to under estimate the desperation in the land.
2. Yes, the collapse in oil prices from over $100 per barrel to about $48 recently meant the Nigerian economy would experience serious challenges. However, low sovereign savings have compounded our situation with FX reserves having declined from over $65bn in 2007 to about $30bn by 2015. The implications of this is that we must do something drastic and quick to restore confidence back into the economy and get people investing and spending again if we are to end the despair in the land.
3. It is clear to me that when people are desperately hungry, what they need is leadership with a clear vision; leadership whose daily actions reflects the very urgency of the people’s condition. Therefore, our response to the current challenge must be dictated by the urgency of the hardship that the people suffer on a daily basis.
4. The simple question for our debate must be; how do we tame the widespread hunger in the land? How do we save our businesses from collapse? How do we save jobs for the majority and create even a lot more? Only a few months ago, Naira was exchanging to the dollar at 200; today it is approaching 500. How do we arrest this drift so that our businesses can compete and our children can go to school wherever they may find opportunities.
5. Even as desperate as our people may be for solution, I did not feel that what they expect from us is a miracle. I believe what they want to see is that as leaders, all our hands are on the deck. They don’t care about our politics; they don’t care about our political affiliations; they don’t care if we are APC OR PDP; north or south. What they want is for us to lead the way out of this crisis and deliver on the promises that we made to them.
6. We will work in concert, not at cross-purposes. Our goal is clear; to work together with the Executive to get our economy out of recession. We will proffer our solutions on policy issues, and where necessary enact necessary legislation to ensure that investor confidence returns to the market.
7. The executive must immediately put in place leadership-level engagement platform with the private sector. This must be one that is pro-business and shows unequivocally that government is ready to partner with the private sector towards economic revival. This is a critical signpost towards market confidence which is a key ingredient to help us revamp the economy out of recession.

Saraki with a member of the Senate

8. The executive mist raise capital from asset sales and other sources to shore up foreign reserves. This will calm investors, discourage currency speculation and stabilize the economy. The measures should include part sale of NLNG Holdings; reduction of government share in upstream oil joint venture operations; sale of government stake in financial institutions e.g. Africa Finance Corporation; and the privatization and concession of major/regional airports and refineries.
9. The executive and CBN must agree on a policy of monetary easing to stimulate the economy and harmonise monetary and fiscal policy until economic recovery is attained. We must ensure local government borrowing does not crowd out credit for the private sector.
10. The executive must retool its export promotion policy scheme with export incentives such as the resumption of the Export Expansion Grant (EEG); and introduce export-financing initiatives.
11. The executive is urged to engage in meaningful dialogue with those aggrieved in the Niger Delta and avoid an escalation of the conflict in the region. The National Assembly is very ready to play any role in the process and offer ideas on approaches that will deliver quick win-win in order to move the region and the economy forward.
12. The executive must as a deliberate response consider immediate release of funds to ensure the implementation of the budget for the near short term to inject money into the economy.
13 Distinguished colleagues, I must at the point like to re-emphasis the fact that we need togetherness to tackle this problem and it will be naïve to consider the problem we face today as the problem of the administration alone, or that those who brought us to this situation should see us out, that would be doing a disservice to our people who elected us to help them out when they are in need.

Unpaid Salaries: Bayelsa Teachers’ Strike Enters Day Three

The strike embarked upon by primary and secondary school teachers in Bayelsa State over months of unpaid salaries entered the third day on Wednesday.

The  teachers sat back at home on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday despite resumption of schools following the inability of the Seriake Dickson administration to pay them their salary backlogs.
The government is owing teachers and other categories of workers months of arrears of salaries.
Investigation showed that pupils who turned up on Monday and other days in their various schools were stranded as there were no teachers in their classrooms.
The pupils were said to have played away their time and later returned to their various homes after waiting in vain for their teachers to resume work.
On Wednesday, checks revealed that the pupils did not bother going to school after they were told their teachers were on strike since Monday.
At St. Jude Secondary School at Amarata, Yenagoa, it was discovered deserted. Some residents were seen playing hockey at the school’s field.
As of 9am, no pupil and teacher were seen around the St. Mathias Primary School in Yenagoa.
Similar situation was discovered at Community Primary School, Onopa, and the Community Secondary School, Okaka.
Teachers under the auspices of the National Union of Teachers made good their threat to begin strike after exhausting the final seven-day ultimatum they gave to the government.
The teachers accused the governor of violating all the agreements reached with them and failing to pay their salaries for about seven months.
They said non-payment of salaries had thrown them into unbearable hardship.
The teachers in a communique jointly signed by the state Chairman, Mr. Kalama Toinpre and Secretary, Mr. Jonhson Hector, had asked the government to reinstate dismissed teachers who were employed in 2008 and 2009.
They further appealed to the government to look into non-payment and non-implementation of promotions of teachers and N18,000 minimum wage arrears.
The teachers said they were angry at non-provision of instructional materials and infrastructures in schools.
When contacted, the Commissioner for Education, Markson Fefegha, was said to be in a meeting.
Further calls to his mobile phone indicated that it was switched off

Actress Tonto Dikeh Flaunts Her Recently Acquired iPhone7

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The actress’ hubby bought her the newly released iPhone 7 and she took to Instagram to share and appreciate him. see photos of the phone after the break

3 times Aisha Buhari has proven that recession is just a word (Photos)

AISHA BUHARI HOST WOMEN 00; L-R; Wife of the Vice President Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo and Wife of the President Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari during a dinner hosted by the wife of the President at the presidential villa in Abuja. PHOTO; SUNDAY AGHAEZE JUNE 14 2015.

The Nigerian first lady, Aisha Buhari has shown that when it comes to her dressing she spares no expense. The first sign of this was about a year ago when, she wore a very expensive watch to the presidential inauguration ceremony.
Investigations by Breaking Times said that the wife of the Nigerian President appeared on the official portrait with a Cartier Baignoire Folle 18-Carat white gold and diamond ladies watch that cost £34,500.
According to the CBN foreign exchange rate as at that time the wristwatch costs N10, 453, 000 (Ten Million, Four Hundred and Fifty Three Thousand Naira).
Below are some of the times, she showed that she could clearly afford the best of the best, recession or not:

1. Presidential Inauguration, May 29, 2015

Aisha Buhari wearing a Cartier watch at the 2015 inauguration caused an uproar

Cartier Watch

As stated above, this was the first time Nigerians understood, that she loved the wealthy life, as she flaunted a Cartier Baignoire Folle 18-Carat white gold and diamond ladies.
Nigerians cried out with many claiming the watch cost more than N10 million. The outrage that ensued was mainly because their were earlier indications that the Buharis were a modest family. Especially after the President said he was a pastoral farmer with 150 cows, and that he had barely raised the money to pay for his presidential nomination form.
So a £34,500 Cartier watch was the last thing Nigerians were expecting, even at the exchange rate of N303 to £1 in 2015.

Naira depreciates against dollar

The Naira on Friday depreciated in most major segments of the foreign exchange market, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
The Nigerian currency fell by N2.24 to exchange at N308.69 to the dollar at the interbank market, from N306.93 recorded on Thursday.
At the Bureau De Change (BDC) segment of the market, it closed at N420 to the dollar, N550 to the Pound Sterling and N465 against the Euro.
At the parallel market, naira lost N2 to close at N425 against the dollar from N423 it traded on Thursday, while it exchanged at N545 and N470 against the Pound Sterling and the Euro, respectively.
Traders at the market said that in spite of the reduction in the rush for the greenback to meet up school fees payment, the naira continued to depreciate.

They said that the demand for dollars for importation far outstripped its supply.

Jonathan’s wife’s $15m: Four firms plead guilty

Patience Jonathan

Four companies linked to former First Lady Patience Jonathan, yesterday pleaded guilty to laundering $15,591,700 (about N5billion).

They are: Pluto Property and Investment Company Ltd (represented by Friday Davis), Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Ltd (represented by Agbor Baro), Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Ltd (represented by Dioghowori Frederick) and Avalon Global Property Development Ltd (represented by Taiwo Ebenezer).

The companies, along with a former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Waripamo Dudafa, a lawyer, Amajuoyi Briggs and a banker, Adedamola Bolodeoku, were arraigned at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Dudafa, Briggs and Bolodeoku  pleaded not guilty to a 17-count charge before Mr. Justice Babs Kuewumi.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said the accused persons conspired on November 13, 2013 in Lagos to launder $15,591,700.

It said the defendants “reasonably ought to have known that the funds form part of the proceeds of an unlawful act”.

The alleged offence is contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3).

Mrs Jonathan sued EFCC and Skye Bank over the freezing of her bank accounts, demanding N200 million damages.

She said the funds in the accounts of the companies, which pleaded guilty, were hers.

An aide, Sammie Somiari, who deposed to an affidavit on behalf of the former first lady, claimed she helped Mrs Jonathan open the accounts.

He said Dudafa, on March 22, 2010 brought two Skye Bank officers, Bolodeoku and Dipo Oshodi, to meet Mrs Jonathan at home, following which she authorised the accounts’ opening. She was the sole signatory.

Somiari, however, added that after the five accounts were opened, Mrs Jonathan discovered that Dudafa opened only one of the accounts in her name; the other four were opened in the names of Dudafa’s companies.

According to Somiari, Mrs Jonathan had been operating the accounts after Oshodi promised to change the accounts’ names to hers.

“Since 2010 up until 2014 and thereafter, the applicant (Mrs Jonathan) had been using the cards on the said accounts and operating the said accounts without let or hindrance.

“Even in May, June and July 2016, the applicant travelled overseas for medical treatment and was using the said credit cards abroad up until July 7, 2016 or thereabouts when the cards stopped functioning,” he said.

Mrs Jonathan is urging the court to compel the EFCC to immediately remove the “No Debit Order” placed on her accounts.

Seagate Property, Dudafa, Bolodeoku and Sompre Omiebi (said to be at large) were accused of indirectly retaining $1,094,500 through a Skye Bank Plc account (2110002207) between November 14 and 19, 2013. EFCC said the money “forms part of an unlawful act to wit: stealing.”

They were also accused of indirectly retaining $1,200,000 through the Skye Bank account between January 21 and December 19, 2014; as well as $1,349,700 through the same account between March 31 and May 20, 2015.

Trans Ocean and others were said to have “indirectly retained” $1,897,600 and $1,839,900, through Skye Bank account 2110002245 between February 2014 and last May.

Pluto Property and others allegedly retained $1,895,400 and $1,200,000 through Skye Bank account 2110002238 between February 21, 2014 and last May.

EFCC said Avalon Global and others, last May 28, indirectly retained $250,000 through a Wema Bank Plc account no 0122493290.

The commission said Dudafa, Briggs, Bolodeoku and Omiebi, on November 26, 2013, conspired to forge a Skye Bank mandate card purportedly signed by Friday Davis as Signatory A, an offence punishable under Section 1 (19)(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 2004.

It said the forged document was to the prejudice of Skye Bank which was induced to open an account no. 2110002238 in Pluto Property’s name.

EFCC said they also forged mandate cards with which the accounts of Trans Ocean (no. 2110002245, with Kola Fredrick as Signatory B), Avalon Global (2110002252, with Taiwo Ebenezer and Chima John as Signatory A and B) and Seagate Property (2110002207, with Agbo Baro as Signatory A) were opened.

Dudafa, Bolodeoku and Omiebi were also accused of forging a Wema Bank corporate account mandate card to the bank’s prejudice.

EFCC said the mandate card with which Avalon Global’s account was opened, was signed by Taiwo Ebenezer and Chima John.

Before the arraignment, defence counsel had objected to the charge on the basis that the individuals who claimed to represent the companies did not exhibit any authorisation letters.

“EFCC could have picked them on the street. There has to be a letter in writing from the companies in line with Section 477 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act,” Dudafa’s lawyer Gbenga Oyewole said.

Bolodeoku’s lawyer, Joseph Okobiemen said: “This is a joint trial. Whatever plea given by the companies will rub off on others.”

Briggs’ lawyer, Tochukwu Onyiuke, added: “They merely claimed they’re representatives, but they have not exhibited any documents appointing them.”

Mr. Justice Kuewumi discountenanced the objections and directed the court’s registrar to read the charges.

After the representatives had pleaded guilty on the companies’ behalf, prosecution counsel Rotimi Oyedepo asked the court to allow him review the facts of the case so the judge could sentence the companies, but the judge said that would be done on the next adjourned date.

Mr. Justice Kuewumi granted Briggs and Bolodeoku bail for N250million with one surety, who must be a property owner in a “highbrow” area of Lagos.

The surety must deposit the Certificate of Occupancy and his International Passport at the court. The land registry is to verify the CofO, the judge ordered.

Dudafa’s lawyer, Gboyega Oyewole urged the court to allow his client to continue on the bail terms earlier granted him by Justice Mohammed Idris of the same court.

EFCC first arraigned Dudafa on June 16 on 23 counts of conspiracy and concealment of crime proceeds. He and Iwejuo Joseph Nna (alias Taiwo A. Ebenezer and Olugbenga Isaiah) were accused of conspiring to conceal proceeds of crime amounting to over N1.6billion on June 11, 2013. They pleaded not guilty to all the counts.

Mr. Justice Kuewumi said since the charge was different, a fresh bail application ought to be filed.

He adjourned until September 27 for trial.

Former First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan has picked holes in the authenticity of the representatives of the four companies who pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges of money laundering at a Federal High Court in Lagos, presided over by Justice Babs Kuewumi. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants told the court through their counsel that their clients were challenging the validity of the representatives of Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited; Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited; Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited; and Avalon Global Property Development Company Limited on the basis that they failed to produce a letter of authority to represent the companies as required under section 477 (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. The companies are facing a 15-count 2nd Amended Charge along with Waripamo Dudafa, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, and two others. While Dudafa and the two others pleaded not guilty, the fourth to seventh defendants whose authenticity as the true representatives of the company was challenged proceeded to curiously plead guilty and admitted culpability before the court. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has since frozen the companies’ accounts with Skye Bank, while Mrs Jonathan has sued the commission and the bank, laying claims to the accounts. The former First Lady’s through her media aide, Chima Osuji alleged that the EFCC presented four unknown people as representatives of the companies, all of who did not show letters authorising them by their respective boards to represent them in the case. “This is a clear evidence of the desperation of the prosecution to pull down the former First Lady and confiscate her hard-earned money,” he quipped. Osuji stated: “It is an irony. it was the former first lady who went to court for the repatriation of her confiscated money when she realised that the EFCC and its co-travellers were playing politics with this issue after she had come out publicly to say that the said money belongs to her and that she has all evidence to prove the sources of her money. Up till this very moment, EFCC has refused to interrogate or invite her for EFCC boss Magu and Patience Jonathan EFCC boss Magu and Patience Jonathan questioning. He further said: “The biggest twist in court on Thursday was that the fourth to seventh defendants pleaded guilty to all the 15-count charges. It is clear that these unknown faces were agents of the EFCC, who have been stage-managed and tutored to come to court to complicate the case as a strategy to confiscate her money.” The aide reiterated the respect of his boss for the sanctity and integrity of the judiciary as the bastion of hope for every citizen of the country. He however expressed disappointment that Mrs. Jonathan well-earned image was being maligned in the court of public opinion through the “tissues of lies being churned out by the EFCC in respect of the matter.” He continued that “Mrs Jonathan is not a Director, shareholder, promoter and/or participant in any of the four companies now under trial, and that she was the sole signatory to all the said accounts, contrary to the fabrication that she used her driver and cook as proxies”. Finally, he said Mrs Jonathan has denied ever receiving any monies from any unknown sources into her accounts and that the accounts were opened in order to facilitate her travel overseas particularly for medical treatment, sundry purchase for herself and her late mother Mrs. Charity Oba (Mama Sisi).

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/09/patience-jonathan-accuses-efcc-of-hiring-mercenaries-to-plead-guilty/