Author: The Nation

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested 33 suspected internet fraudsters in Borno and Kwara states.

Twenty of the suspects were apprehended in Ilorin, Kwara State and 13 of them picked up at Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, the commission said yesterday.

 The suspects arrested in Ilorin included Habeeb Abubakar, Abiola Abiodun, Atitebi Samuel, Emmanuel Mofe Oborirhwoho, John Adamson, Mayowa Akinola Victor, Oluwafemi Smith Ola, Abdullahi Isiak, Orji Daniel Roland, Martinson Adegboyega and Kolawole Temidayo.

Others were Orimadegun Bashir Ishola, Tijani Quadri, Adebisi Kazeem, Umar Abdulkareem, Adebisi Teslim, Okunlola Idris Ayomide, Quadri Lekan, Ukueni Great and Adeyeye Usman.

They were arrested at Egbejila, Airport Road and Offa Garage areas of Ilorin following credible intelligence on their alleged criminal activities.

Items recovered from them included different brands of phones, laptops and exotic cars.

Early last month, operatives of the commission also arrested 62 suspected internet fraudsters including a convict, one Raji Wasiu Babatunde, jailed for a similar offence last year.

The Maiduguri suspects were identified as Wilson Akpotaire, Adamu Mohammed, Adetoro Suleiman Opeyemi, Musbahudeen Nurudeen Opeyemi, Bolanle Alhassan Olaitan, Joshua Ohaneye, Yusuf Philip, Mohammed Tijjani, Ahmed Andrew, Sangari Halilu Amilah, Maina Matakun, Oshalaiye Augustine and Kefas Nesta Victor.

They were arrested around Tashan Bama Road, Maiduguri, Borno State on Monday, June 5.

Items recovered included different brands of mobile phones. The suspects, the commission said, would be arraigned in court as soon as investigations were concluded.

The Federal High Court, Lagos, yesterday sentenced one Ariyibi Ahmed Olaseinde to five years imprisonment for attempting to illegally export 11.5 kilograms of cocaine to Saudi Arabia.

Justice Chukwuejekwu Aneke convicted Olaseinde, 49, following his “guilty” plea to two counts of conspiracy and illegal export of the banned drug preferred against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Olaseinde, according to the prosecutor, Augustine Nwagu, was arrested with the substance on February 20, at the Screening Hall, Terminal II of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, during the outward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight to Medina, Saudi Arabia via Doha.

The court heard that Olaseinde conspired with one Jeleel Badmus, now at large, to commit the crimes.

The prosecutor said the convict confessed during interrogation that he was commissioned by Jeleel Badmus to traffick the cocaine on the promise of being paid $1,500 and that he had been paid $300 as part payment.

The offence contravened Sections 14(b) and 11(b) of the NDLEA Act, 2004.

The exhibits tendered by the prosecutor included the cocaine, Olaseinde’s two confessional statements, his two ECOWAS/Nigeria International passports and $300.

Following Olaseinde’s plea, his lawyer, Chief Lilian Omotunde, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing her client.

She sought an option of a fine in lieu of a custodial sentence, saying he was a first-time offender and saved the court’s time by admitting his guilt.

Justice Aneke sentenced the convict to five years imprisonment with an option of paying N5million in place of the jail term.

The judge ordered the convict to perform 150 hours of community service and also ordered the forfeiture of the passports and the $300 to the Federal Government.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has appealed to Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, to halt further eviction of cocoa farmers from forest reserves in Odigbo Local Government Area.

Oba Ogunwusi sent a delegation to meet Akeredolu after the cocoa farmers begged for his intervention to stop SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited from further destroying their plantations and respect the court order halting the destruction of their farms.

Chairman of the Forest Reserve Farmers Associates, Rotimi Isinleye, who spoke in Akure after receiving Oba Ogunwusi’s delegation, said they also reached out to other personalities in the Southwest.

According to Isinleye, the destruction of their farmlands has left many of the farmers incapacitated while some had died. He also lamented that the destruction has continued despite a court order restraining the firm.

According to him, over N500 million worth of cocoa and oil palm farms have been destroyed.

He said: “Surprisingly, after giving the order, with the government’s backing and in disobedience to court order, workmen of SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited, with security protection, mobilised to the farms saying they have the directive to shoot and kill anyone who stopped their work. This has continued daily on our cocoa farmlands in the Oluwa Forest reserve.

“We have cried to the world and notable Nigerians have intervened, even the Ooni of Ife, who has sent representatives to intervene and ensure that due process is followed.

“But SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited has continued to destroy our farmlands, and with government backing.”

But the Akeredolu’s Senior Special Assistant on Agric and Agribusiness, Pastor Akin Olotu, said the Oluwa Forest has been handed over to SAO Agro-Allied Services Limited to grade and plant oil palm in line with the CBN project.

According to him, the government took steps to eject the farmers ‘as they have done incalculable damage to the cocoa business in Ondo State and the global market. It has been observed that cocoa in Ondo State is planted in the forest reserve and EU is of the opinion that they don’t want any chocolate product that is coming from forest reserves. Those that will bear that brunt are the real cocoa farmers that are farming on community land.

“Apart from that, it was also a matter of security threat. When there was insecurity all over, it was part of the Southwest decision to evict illegal farmers on government reserves. Who gave them the forest reserve in the first place? We need to recover our forest. We have photographs of the farmers setting big trees on fire, cultivating Indian Hemp.

“So, it is serious matter. We can’t jeopardise the interest of everybody in the state, the country and those passing by because some few people are using the forest illegally.”

The Ogun State House of Assembly has approved Governor Dapo Abiodun’s request to appoint 20 special advisers.

The House gave the approval yesterday during an Executive session held at the Assembly complex in Abeokuta.

Speaker Olakunle Oluomo read the governor’s request letter dated June 5.

Messrs Abayomi Fasuwa, Ademuyiwa Adeyemi, Kemi Oduwole and Yusuf Adejojo said the aides would assist the governor in the smooth running of the state. They noted that the governor could not afford to run the government alone without the support of professionals.

Oluomo said it was important for the governor to keep the engine of government running, hence the need for immediate appointment of special advisers.

Majority Leader Yusuf Sheriff moved the motion that the governor’s request be approved and it was seconded by Atinuke Bello.

Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Lanre Sunmi Odesanya, has said President Bola Tinubu made a wise decision by choosing House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, as Chief of Staff, and three-time Benue State Governor as Secretary to Government of the Federation.

Odesanya, a lawyer and former member of the House of Assembly, said the duo will add value to the Tinubu administration.

A statement by him reads: “Gbajabiamila’s choice underscores his competence, experience, loyalty and trust in his ability by the President, who is his leader. In the last two decades of his legislative involvement in the House of Representatives, he has been a star legislator and attracted applause for his brilliance, sagacity, acumen and fidelity to parliamentary creeds and ethos.”

He urged Gbajabiamila to continue to display these traits of diligence and capacity in his new assignment.

Odesanya also felicitated with Akume, describing him as honest, dependable and mature political player. According to him, Akume’s appointment will halt the partisan complaints about the marginalisation of the Northcentral because the zone has produced the SGF at a time it is still retaining the slot of APC national chairman.

He also congratulated Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, for emerging speaker for the third time. According to him,

Obasa has lived up to expectation and served his constituency, the APC and state with loyalty and sense of responsibility.

Odesanya described Obasa as a child of destiny and a man of the future, urging him to remain loyal to the party and the people of Lagos.

He also advised him to shun vendetta and promote equity, unity and inclusion.

Odesanya,  a member of Lagos State House of Assembly Commission (LAHASCOM) between 2013 and 2017, said:”The House of Assembly should always work harmoniously with the Executive to drive the progressive vision of our party and implement our manifestos in a way and manner that will spread the dividends of democracy to all Lagosians.”

The Federal Government has filed conspiracy, bribery and money laundering charges against the Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the March 18 governorship election, Ladi Adebutu, a new generation bank and its Managing Director.

According to the June 2 charge sheet at the Ogun State High Court, Abeokuta, this followed their alleged role in facilitating vote buying during the election.

The defendants are Adebutu alongside Messers Ogunbona Hammed, Tiamiyu Waliu, Egunsola Owolabi, Sanni Adegoke, Hon Dare Lukman Ogunleye, Dayo Fasina, Wasiu Enilolobo and Malik Badmus. They are to face four counts comprising one count of criminal conspiracy contrary to Section 121 of the Electoral Act, 2022; bribery contrary to Section 121 of the Electoral Act, 2022, and two counts of undue influence contrary to Section 127 of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The charges were filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of the Federation, M.B Abubakar; Assistant Chief State Counsel, Aderonke Imana and Senior State Counsel, Bagudu Sani, on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

The bank MD, one Celestina Appeal and the bank were charged with failing to report suspicious transactions on Verve cards with the inscription Dame Oladuni Memorial Endorsement Scheme for Less-Privileged, between February and March 2023, contrary to section 7(1) (a) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022;

He was also alleged to have failed to verify the identity of customers carrying out electronic transactions on Verve cards with the inscription Dame Oladuni Memorial Endorsement Scheme For Less privileged, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 37 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2022.

According to the particulars of the offence, the bank MD and the co-accused ‘on or about 18th of March at Ibara, did conspire to corruptly give gifts in form of Verve prepaid cards which had inscribed on them ‘Dame Caroline Oladuni Adebutu Memorial Endorsement Scheme for Less Privileged’ in order to induce voters to endeavour the return of PDP candidates during the gubernatorial and state assembly elections in Ogun State.”

The banker was further accused of providing 200,000 prepaid Verve cards loaded with N10,000 each and inscribed with the same name “for the purpose of corruptly influencing voters to vote for PDP candidates” during the said elections.

Nigerians looking to find their family records or trace their genealogy will now find it easier owing to a collaboration of the National Population Commission (NPC) with Family Search International, a non-profit organisation in the United States of America (U.S).

Family Search International is focused on keeping family records and tracing of family tree by preserving vital records (birth registration) and digitising them for easy tracing and linking with family genealogy.

Federal Commissioner of the NPC in charge of Lagos State, Mrs. Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, expressed excitement that the digitisation would be of great use to the public and private sectors. She stressed that Family Search is not taking away any records from the NPC office, but will only take clear pictures of required documents, take them through auditing to ensure they meet required specification before they are stored on the server.

There would be joint access to the server, Mrs. Salu-Hundeyin noted.

She added: “The NPC is the only government agency statutorily empowered by the constitution to collate, analyse and keep records of all Nigerians. But these records could be lost to accidents, and that is why this partnership is important because what Family Search is doing will ensure these records are kept and accessible anytime, whenever.

“We are also currently working with UNICEF on the digitisation of birth records, so this is an added advantage to the NPC because what Family Search is offering is a two-in-one blessing – permanent archiving and family tracing. It is also a beautiful thing because the government can access required information to make policies and informed decisions which will eventually aid good governance.”

“They will be doing all their work here and also train our staff on the technicalities, so we have provided an office for them as the process will take between two to five years. Lagos is actually the pilot phase and so we can talk about other states much later.

“Let me also reiterate that no paper record is leaving the NPC office; the records still belong to the NPC. Family Search will only take clear pictures of the documents and process them for storage on their server which we will both have access to.”

Strategic Relations Officer of Family Search International, Brian Braithwaite, said the organisation’s goal is ‘to identify records that will be best for what we want to do’.

He added: “We are very excited because we know that when records are kept in digital formats, they last for generations, unlike what we have seen here where they deteriorate fast and prone to accidents. So we are really excited to be able to come here to sensitise and train the workers on our processes.

“We will be bringing in about 20 or 30 cameras so we can do the capturing within the shortest time possible, say within two to five years. This initiative is important because Nigerians can rest assured that their records are kept and preserved for generations yet unborn.”