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Tag: arrest

  • Ex-EFCC boss Lamorde keeps mum over Senate’s arrest order

    Ex-EFCC boss Lamorde keeps mum over Senate’s arrest order

    The immediate past Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Lamurde is not in the mood to talk ,at least publicly,about the warrant of arrest issued against him by the Senate.

    He rebuffed attempts yesterday by reporters to get him to respond to the Senate’s action.

    The Senate wants Lamurde to come and defend himself about a petition alleging that about N1trillion kept in the custody of the EFCC during his tenure was tampered with.

    The former boss of the anti-graft agency was sighted yesterday at the National Institute For Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, Jos to commence a one year research course.

    He is one the 67 top public servants and private sector executives nominated for the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 38 at the end of which successful participants will earn mni (member Nigerian Institute).

    As reporters kept pestering Lamurde,a police officer,with questions on the development,he said: “Please, I’m here for a course. I’m here for pure academic research work. I will not discuss any other thing. “I will need to take permission from my sponsors, the Nigeria Police Force, before I comment on anything outside this course.”

    The course participants are drawn from the military, para-military organisations, the Police Force, Labour, civil service and the academic.

    All the participants arrived NIPSS two weeks before the inauguration of the SEC yesterday by the Vice President Profesor Yemi Osinbanjo.

    Lamurde’s predecessor, Nuhu Ribadu was also sent to the institute immediately he was removed as EFCC boss.

  • My arrest’s a blessing in disguise, says drug addict

    A drug addict, Williams Ama arrested by the police at the weekend told The Nation that he was very happy because his confinement was helping him quit drugs.

    Ama who claimed he has been taking cocaine and heroine for over 10 years, disclosed that he usually spent at least N2, 000 daily on drugs.

    The middle aged man who seemed very at home while he was being paraded, however denied allegations by the police that he was a traffic robber.

    “I am not a thief. I have never stolen anything before. My only crime is that I am a drug addict, which is what has landed me here. The police forced me to state under duress that I was a robber. I am shouting it to the world now that I am not a thief.

    “I sell clothes at 1, Adebola Street, Yaba. I usually buy from Lagos Island and then I resell. I still stay in my mother’s house with my wife.

    “I usually make about N5000 a day and I spend N2000 on cocaine and heroine daily. I do not feel alright anytime I don’t take it. I have been doing this for more than 10 years.

    “That is why I am happy that I have been arrested. I see this as an opportunity to free my system if drugs. I have been trying to stop it on my own but I could not.

    “Forget that talk that I usually still wristwatches and sell to those I buy drugs from. It is not true. I do not even know where the police got all the watches and phones that are in front of me from. I don’t know anything about the items,” he said.

    Ama’s co-suspect, Ridwan Aliyu, 20, who was accused of trading illicit drugs for stolen properties, also denied knowing anything about the items.

    He admitted to the sale of cocaine, heroine, Indian hemp, adding that his master pays him N1000 a day after making about N10, 000.

    “I am from Ibadan and a friend of mine brought me to Lagos three months ago to work and safe up money to start a trade.

    “But since I could not get anything to do, I was introduced to my oga who supplies me the drugs, which have been weighed and tied to sell.

    “We sell a gram of cocaine for N7000. I make up to N10, 000 for him every day at Agarawu, Lagos Island and at the end of the day, he gives me N1, 000,” he said.

  • IG issues order for Tompolo’s arrest 

    IG issues order for Tompolo’s arrest 

    •Security beefed up in Benue over Mark’s alarm

    Inspector-General of Police Solomon Arase said yesterday that his men have the order to arrest ex-Niger Delta militant Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo), declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after a court issued the warrant for his arrest.

    Tomopolo was declared wanted by the EFCC in connection with a N45.9b fraud in the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

    The IGP also said he had directed Benue State Commissioner of Police to increase security in the state following the alarm raised by former Senate President David Mark.

    The IGP spoke in Abuja during a session with journalists.

    Arase said:  “We are still looking for Tompolo. The commissioners of police in Delta, Rivers and all those areas have been given the warrant for the arrest so that they could carry out the arrest.

    “The EFCC has declared him wanted and you know the court has issued a warrant of arrest. So, it is the duty of the EFCC to publish him as a wanted person and it is our duty to ensure the arrest.

    On David Mark’s allegation that his life is under threat,  Arase said: “I read it in the newspapers but I have not seen the petition but I have asked the Commissioner of Police to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order as the election comes up on Saturday.”

    The IG also said the Police have incurred over N800million as judgment debt.

    He said: “As at the last count, we had a total of about N800million or close to N1billion in garnishee.

    “We are trying to appeal against some of these judgments. We are also raising the argument that before you make the garnishee to be absolute, you must get the Attorney-General of the Federation’s fiat.

    On the proposed recruitment of 10,000 men as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari, the IG said: “We want the recruitment to be state based because we want to encourage community partnership. If we want to encourage community partnership for instance, somebody from Kano who understands the language and culture, as a Constable, he will be able to serve better and gather information in that area after training instead of talking somebody from Lagos who does not understand the culture to go and dump him in Kano and then take a young boy who has not passed through Kaduna before to be dumped in the Southeast.”

  • Jonathan’s ex-aide Kuku loses bid to stop arrest

    Jonathan’s ex-aide Kuku loses bid to stop arrest

    The Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday dismissed an application by a Special Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta Affairs, Kingsley Kuku, to stop his arrest.

    Kuku asked the court to restrain anti-corruption agencies from arresting and prosecuting him over allegations of corruption.

    But, Justice Okon Abang held that the application lacked merit.  “This application lacks merit and is hereby dismissed. I so hold,” he said.

    Justice Abang refused Kuku’s prayer to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) from arresting and probing him. He, however, said should Kuku be arrested, he should not be detained beyond 48 hours because that would contravene Section 35(4) (5) of the 1999 Constitution.

    He said EFCC has a statutory obligation to investigate Kuku over alleged financial impropriety and arrest him if he refuses to honour its invitation but disagreed with the submission that any move to invite Kuku was politically motivated.

    After assuming jurisdiction in the case, Justice Abang held: ”It is in my view that the invitation sent to the applicant is lawful and constitutional.

    “The court cannot stop a statutory institution from performing it constitutional duty.”

    The court, however, said his arrest must follow due process.

    Kuku sued the Attorney-General of the Federation, EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the DSS and the Nigeria Immigration Service, alleging of “plots by the respondents to concoct, fabricate or falsify evidence in order to provide a basis for his arrest, detention, persecution and/or prosecution for political reasons”.

    According to him, it was “in furtherance of the unconscionable use of the otherwise laudable war against corruption to repress the political opposition constituted by the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including the applicant.”

    Kuku sought a declaration that any such invitation, arrest, harassment or prosecution on the basis of allegations of corruption in respect to his tenure as Chairman of the Amnesty Programme between 2011 and 2015 is a breach of his right to fair hearing and freedom of movement.

    Similarly, he sought an order prohibiting the respondents from arresting or prosecuting him on the basis of the allegations.

    The Auditor-General of the Federation had raised questions over alleged mismanagement of funds in reports of audit monitoring and evaluation of the amnesty programme.

    Kuku’s lawyer Mr. Ajibola Oluyede said the respondents were about to abuse the criminal process by seeking to arrest his client.

    “There is an illegal and unjustifiable instigation of the criminal process against the applicant in a manner that infringes upon his fundamental rights as enshrined in Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution,” he said.

    But the AGF’s and IGP’s counsel, Mr. Tijani Gazali, urged the court to dismiss Kuku’s application.

    He said Kuku was only invited to clear allegations of corruption against him, adding that there was no plot to violate his rights.

    “We only invited him to ensure his right to fair hearing. It was only an invitation. Instead, he has run to the court to be conferred with immunity so as not to be investigated. He was invited so as to tell his own side of the story,” Gazali said.

  • Family demands justice over artiste’s ‘illegal’ arrest

    Family demands justice over artiste’s ‘illegal’ arrest

    •Police: we acted on petition

    Were the police used to intimidate an artiste, Adekunle Balogun, aka Dragnet, and his family at Oke-Afa in Isolo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State last Friday?

    Residents of Low Cost Housing Estate at Oke-Afa are accusing the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) operatives of inhuman treatment of Dragnet while arresting him last Friday.

    The two men in FSARS outfit reportedly stormed the Baloguns’ Block 435 Flat 5 home, to arrest Dragnet based on a petition by a neighbour, Adeyemi Bello.

    The FSARS men allegedly pounced on Dragnet, who was washing his brother’s car,  before confirming his identity.

    “After attacking me from behind, I asked ‘what happened? What did I do? They said ‘are you Adekunle Balogun? I replied ‘yes.’ The next thing was they handcuffed my legs and started dragging me on the floor as if I am a hardened criminal,” Dragnet told The Nation.

    The Nation learnt that the police action infuriated his neighbours, who wondered why he was being “maltreated”.

    The residents were seen in a video footage, asking: “What has he done?”; “Where is the arrest warrant?”; “You will kill somebody here;” “You are on inhuman errand;” “You can’t take him away;” “Whoever sent you to do this should fear God;” “God will punish you for this maltreatment;” “He is not going anywhere;” “You are going to kill everybody here;”

    Dragnet’s mother, Mrs Balogun, who strapped a baby on her back, was also seen in the video crying and beckoning on people to help save her son. “My son is not a robber. He has not stolen anybody’s thing. How come he is being treated in this manner? Help me! He didn’t do anything. Don’t let these people kill my son.”

    Dragnet was taken to Ejigbo Police Station and transferred to SARS Headquarters in Ikeja.

    According to his elder brother, Tajudeen Balogun, whose car he was washing, all efforts to get him released on Friday failed.

    He said Dragnet was released on Saturday after the police found out that Bello’s petition was false.

    “He petitioned the police that my brother broke his car side glass and stole N500,000 inside his car. Can you imagine that? When we got to the station on Saturday, they didn’t mention the false allegation again only for the officers to say that the matter be settled and everybody left Ikeja after my brother was released. Does that mean my brother will just suffer for nothing? What about the stress Bello put other family members and neighbours into since Friday? This is a big slap on our face and it is injustice,” he said.

    Dragnet told The Nation that the officers came to do a hatchet job, describing their action as unprofessional.

    The artiste said: “On Friday morning, I was upstairs, washing the plates before my brother asked me to go and clean his car. When I got downstairs around 7:30 am, I was pouring water on the car when I just felt someone clearing me off my feet from behind and asking me who I am. I was explaining myself to him and before I could say anything again, he had put an handcuff on my legs without him mentioning the offence I committed. I saw another man who was dressed in a police uniform instructing the other officer to handcuff me.

    “I said to him, what is the meaning of all this that I am not that kind of person,  that I am an artiste and that even if he wants to do anything,  he should take it easy with me and that he should look at how he is molesting me.

    “At this time, they have already handcuffed my legs; the thing was tight and it was paining me. People rushed to call my family members and people came out with their cameras and were asking what is happening? Who are they?

    “They asked them to lose the handcuff on my legs but they didn’t. The officers told them that if they want to confirm anything they should follow them to Ejigbo Police Station. As we were on our way to the station, they did not say anything to us neither did we say anything to them.  On getting to the police station, they went through a register to confirm the names on the register and as they were going through it, one of the policemen just shouted ‘arrest this man’. From there, I was taken to Ikeja.”

    Police spokesperson Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police (SP), told The Nation that there was a petition against Dragnet.

    Badmos accused Dragnet of resisting arrest, asking: “Is that proper? It is high time that our people recognised that police is police and have the right to arrest anyone deemed fit. Let’s start respecting our own police but I am glad that when they got there (headquarters) the Officer-in-Charge looked into the matter and found out that it was a neighbourhood issue and urged them to resolve it amicably.”

    She urged the Baloguns to petition the Commissioner of Police if they believed that their rights have been trampled upon.

    Some of their neighbours told The Nation that Bello “is fond of using policemen from Ejigbo Police Station to harass us. We need Commissioner of Police to look into the activities of his men at Ejigbo.”

    Contacted, Bello yelled at our reporter, saying: “Why are you disturbing me? Don’t call my number again. Are you mad? What is your business with me? You must be mad.”

    He later called the reporter with another line, raining abuses on him.

    Bello also threatened the reporter, saying: “I am going to make an official report on you for your jungle journalism.”

  • Court orders online publisher’s arrest over ‘adultery’ report

    Court orders online publisher’s arrest over ‘adultery’ report

    The Federal High Court in Lagos Thursday issued a bench warrant for the arrest of an online publisher, Seun Oloketuyi.

    He was arraigned by the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU) for allegedly publishing a false report that Fidelity Bank Managing Director, Nnamdi Okonkwo, impregnated the bank’s head of marketing.

    He was granted bail for N3million with two sureties, but failed to turn up Thursday for his trial.

    Oloketuyi’s lawyer, Uchenna Akingbade, said the accused person was absent because he was sick, but Justice Jude Dagat said there was no medical report to justify the accused person’s absence.

    Revoking the bail granted Oloketuyi, he said: “There is no medical report before the court to show that the accused is sick, and his sureties are not present. In the circumstance, the bail is hereby revoked, and a bench warrant is issued against the accused person,” the judge said.

    Oloketuyi’s lead counsel, Dr Muiz Banire (SAN), had faulted the criminal charge, saying the complainant should have sued for libel since defamation is a civil matter.

    Banire said the SFU also had no business arraigning the blogger because he was not involved in any act of fraud.

    The police said the accused published the report on his website www.naijahottestgist.com.

    Oloketuyi, organiser of the Best of Nollywood Awards (BON), was arraigned on a two-count charge.

    Count one reads in part: “That you, Seun Oloketuyi ‘m’ on or about June 2015 did knowingly or intentionally send a message and other matters by means of computer systems or network on one Nnamdi Okonkwo, the Managing Director/CEO of Fidelity Bank Plc which you know to be false, for the purpose of causing him annoyance, insult and ill-will on www.naijahottestgist.com.”

    In count two, Oloketuyi was accused of publishing “defamatory matters” against Okonkwo “with malice” while knowing that the information was false.

    Prosecution counsel, Olakanmi Omisope, said the alleged offence contravenes Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition) Act, 2015 and Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38. Oloketuyi pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    The story claimed that Okonkwo impregnated the bank’s “top marketer” known as Justina, which resulted in her husband, Ben, leaving their matrimonial home.

    Oloketuyi had apologised and retracted the story via www.bestofnollywood.tv.

    Justice Dagat adjourned till March 1.

     

  • Oil swap deal: Aiteo’s, Ontario’s MDs risk arrest

    • House praises Taleveras

    Following the refusal of two firms involved in crude oil swap arrangement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to appear before an investigative hearing, the House of Representatives has threatened to issue bench warrants for the arrest of their chief executives.

    Aiteo Nigeria Ltd and Ontario Nigeria Ltd entered into a contract with the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) to return refined products in exchange for 30,000 barrels of crude oil from PPMC through Duke Oil, a subsidiary of NNPC.

    The chief executives of the two firms however failed to appear before the Zakari Mohammed-led ad hoc committee investigating the contract yesterday.

    Instead, a lawyer,  Chika Onyebuchi Uko represented Aiteo.

    Chika told the committee that her clients would not appear because there was a case against the sitting of the committee.

    “My clients will not appear because there is a case in court against this sitting. For my clients to come and make presentation would be prejudicial. My clients will not come until that case is dispensed with,” she told the committee.

    When the  committee asked her to present a copy of a restraining order against the investigation, Uko could not.

    The committee chairman told her the futility of that move, saying the House is constitutionally empowered to embark on such investigations.

    He said it was unpatriotic for her to attempt to truncate investigations aimed at exposing corruption.

    Mohammed said: “It is clear that you are misleading your clients from your presentation.

    “Is it because of the money you want to make that you’re jettisoning due process? As a legal practitioner, you know these step you are taking is wrong.

    “Ask your chief executives to appear within 48 hours and if they fail to appear, a bench warrant would be used to arrest them,” he said and banged the gavel.

    Speaking to reporters later,  Mohammed said: “Two companies that were in a contract with Duke Oil, Aiteo and Ontario appeared before us through their counsel that the hearing cannot continue.

    “We however made it clear that we are constitutionally empowered to do this. We also made it clear that the chief executives of the two companies must appear before the committee

    “We have formally summoned them to appear next Tuesday and if they fail to do tso, by Wednesday, we will inform the IGP(Inspector General of Police) to effect the bench warrant for the arrest of the chief executives of the two firms.

    “We have the bench warrant already. This is a national assignment and we can not allow it to be derailed; we are serious with the assignment given us by the House.”

    On the third trading firm, Taleveras Nigeria Ltd,  Mohammed said the company honoured the invitation.

    He said: “Taleveras have been coming since the commencement of the hearing. They were here today as well but went to the former hearing room but before we left the new hearing room, their representatives met us. They will be taken on Tuesday.”

    Mohammed said the committee will begin the investigation of marketers soon.

    He said: “By way of getting back, we have started our assignment and taken on a number of agencies. We are to dovetail and zero in on the marketers.

    “According to the PPMC, which deals with product marketing, most of the swap activities were carried out by oil marketers.”

  • LUTH keeps mum on ‘fake’ doctor’s arrest

    LUTH keeps mum on ‘fake’ doctor’s arrest

    The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Wednesday maintained silence on the arrest of an alleged impostor by the police.

    Operatives of the Alakara Police Station nabbed one Adesina Opeyemi, 43, who was said to be a fake doctor.

    The suspect, who has allegedly practiced for three years, was nabbed with seven fake documents, the police said.

    Opeyemi, a resident of 1, Alowolodu Street, Alapere, Ketu, was said to have claimed to be a consultant Gynaecologist.

    Although it was authoritatively gathered that his arrest was sequel to a petition to the police by LUTH management, the hospital spokesman, Kelechi Otuneme declined confirming or refuting same.

    Rather, he told The Nation on telephone that he has been directed to visit Alakara Police station for further details.

    “I have been directed to go to Alakara Police Station tomorrow (today) to get more information.

    “I am not going to say anything about whether LUTH petitioned the police. I am being careful with my words and can only give you accurate information after visiting the police station,” he said.

    But the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Dolapo Badmos, an SP, had confirmed the arrest, adding that the suspect will be charged to court for impersonation.

  • Police arrest 32 for touting, unlawful entry at MMIA

    Police arrest 32 for touting, unlawful entry at MMIA

    The Lagos Airport Police Command on Monday said it arrested a total of 32 persons for unlawful entry and touting at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos in December 2015.

    The command spokesman, ASP Joseph Alabi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the suspects had been charged to court.

    He said that the airport had to be secured to guarantee the safety of passengers, airline operators and other users.

    “Measures are being put in place to enhance passenger security at the airport.

    “All our men have been deployed to strategic areas and vulnerable points to curtail the entrance of unauthorised persons,” he said.

    Alabi appealed to members of the public to abide by the rules and regulations of the airport, especially on the issue of restricted areas.

    “Unless you have an assignment there, you can’t just walk into those areas.

    “There are signs there indicating that these are restricted areas, so people who have no business there should keep off.

    “Our men are always there to interrogate any person coming into the restricted areas in order to protect passengers and other airport users,” he said.

    NAN reports that the offences of touting and loitering within the airport contravene the provisions of Section 3(a) (b) and (e) of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) By Laws, 2005.

    The law prescribes six months imprisonment for an offender, on conviction

     

  • I’ve no hand in Faleke’s, Audu’s son’s arrest, says Bello

    Kogi State Governor-elect Yahaya Bello has distanced himself from the arrest of his estranged deputy governor-elect, James Abiodun Faleke and the late Prince Abubakar Audu’s son, Muhammed, by the Department of State Security (DSS).

    The duo were detained by the DSS last Friday, but later released, for undisclosed reasons.

    Bello, in a statement by his media office yesterday, said he never sent a petition against the duo to the DSS.

    The statement, by Jude Salau, reads: “The allegation that I sent a petition to the DSS is false.

    “I did not send any petition to the security department to invite Faleke. The insinuation that I might have written a petition to push for their invitation is false.”

    He said the DSS proved to be a professional body under its leadership and could not be pushed around by an individual or a group.

    “We should strive to support the independence of our security agencies. The agencies of government related to law enforcement and judiciary must be seen as impartial in our desire to build a strong democracy.”

    Salau urged the All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) members to seek the resolution of the issue “in the interest of our state.”

    Said he: “Faleke is a respected member of the APC, who has contributed to the success of our party. Instigating his arrest cannot be a part of reconciliatory moves and peace building efforts we have initiated ahead of our January 27 inauguration.

    “As we count down towards this historic inauguration of our change government, our focus remains the installation of a responsive and responsible leadership Kogi people will be proud of.

    “We are determined to deliver the dividends of democracy to our people. A new Kogi is here: peace, harmony and an all-round development.”

    Faleke is challenging the emergence of Bello as the governor-elect, following the death of Prince Audu, who was on the verge of becoming a second time democratically-elected governor.

    He approached the tribunal, seeking to be declared a replacement for the late Audu.