Tag: EFCC

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos has ordered the release of a Babcock University student, Miss Oluwateniola Omidiji, detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a result of a debt owed by her widowed mother, Mrs Omoniyi Omidiji.

In a fundamental rights action suit she filed in FHC/L/CS/759/224, Miss Omidiji alleged that she was taken hostage by EFCC operatives over a debt which one Mr. Charles Nwoko alleged that her mother owes.

Nwoko said he invested N100 million in Mrs. Omidiji’s business sometime in 2020, but that he came after Oluwateniola for the sum and the interest since her mother, his joint venture partner, is out of Nigeria.

Justice Y. Bogoro gave the order following an application for the enforcement of her fundamental human rights brought by her lawyer, Mr Emeka Chijioke, SAN, of Auxano Law Chambers. Already, Oluwateniola, 19, is spending her 11th day in EFCC detention.

The judge said: “I have considered the ex-parte application, the extant laws under which the application is brought,the affidavit supporting the application…, I hereby grant the reliefs sought.”

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EFCC operatives arrested the third year student at her school’s premises April 26, this year. She was subsequently detained at the agency’s detention facility at Ikoyi Lagos, where she’s been kept since. Justice Bogoro’s order was issued on Friday, May 3, 2024.

During investigation, EFCC discovered that four persons were named directors in a company called Elisto Global Services Limited, which Mrs. Omidiji allegedly used to receive the money from Mr. Nwoko.

They are the applicant’s mother; the alleged creditor, Mr. Nwoko; the applicant’s brother and the applicant.

Oluwateniola had cried out to the Court for relief after her institution was stormed last Friday by EFCC operatives while she was writing exams.

They laid siege to the school and took her away.

EFCC is alleged to have maintained that having been named by her mother as a director of Elisto, the 19-year-old Oluwateniola should answer for her mother’s presumed wrongs in the deal with Mr. Nwoko.

Oluwateniola has been detained at EFCC’s facility at Ikoyi, until EFCC gets her mother’s attention while other students have since continued with their exams.

In an application to enforce her fundamental rights filed by her lawyer Chijioke Emeka, SAN of Auxano Law, Oluwateniola contends that she was only a 16-year-old minor when her mother entered into partnership with Mr. Nwoko and she knew nothing about it.

She contended that it was wrong for the EFCC to hold her hostage over a wrong allegedly done by her mother.

She further contended that the transaction is a civil matter and asked the court to order the EFCC to leave her out of the issue and pay her N10 million as damages for the violation of her fundamental rights to human dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing and freedom of movement.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case. But Justice Bogoro adjourned further hearing in the suit till May 21, this year.

The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has shared an incident where a 17-year-old successfully hacked into his personal computer and bank account while being questioned at the EFCC office in Lagos.

Olukoyede invited the young hacker to his office for questioning, saying the teenager was able to bypass the security measures on his locked computer with ease.

The EFCC chairman disclosed this during a conversation with editors at the EFCC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.

He said: “I brought into my Lagos office a seventeen-year-old boy who is studying History and Anthropology. He is in the 200 level. He is not doing anything science-related. The guy sat in my office in Lagos and demonstrated some things to me on my laptop.

“He asked for my number, I gave him my number and through my number, he got my BVN. He then mentioned the name of my account number to me at the bank. I didn’t tell him anything.

“The problem is, I see crime in that, and I also see opportunities in it. So, if you leave these guys, we don’t make them know that what they are doing is wrong, if you leave them, they will continue to see it as a way of life to make money.

“We plead for light sentences so that we can reorientate them and that’s part of what we’re doing. What joy will I derive from sending a 17-year-old boy to jail? You have destroyed his future. You have destroyed his career.

“Sometimes they give them options of fines and all of that conviction, so we bring them in, lecture them and talk to them.”

The boy boldly told Olukoyede that he could transfer up to 10 million naira from any account in a single transaction, showcasing his expertise.

He said the 17-year-old boy, when he was done, said: “Look, oga, I can make 10 million now. I will demonstrate it to you. I will move money from your account to mine.

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“I said no, don’t do that in my office and he was ready to do that. When he opened my laptop, I didn’t give him the key to my laptop and he had access.

“He has two younger ones. One is in JSS2 and the other is in SSS2. He is the one feeding his parents and responsible for the payment of tuition for his younger ones.

“I saw a Bill Gates in that guy. I told my family, we were going to do that.

“I spoke to one of my friends who is also ready to help take up the schooling of the SSS 2 guy. So I’m still looking for someone who will take up the one for the JSS 2 sibling.”

The EFCC chairman has already disclosed the anti-graft agency’s strategy to pardon and rehabilitate convicted online scammers.

Former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido, came under attack from a socio-cultural group – Arewa New Frontiers (ANF) for criticising the initiative of some northern governors in seeking foreign  help to solve the insecurity challenges facing the region. 

The group told Lamido to leave the governors alone in their bid to find solutions to the insecurity ravaging the region and face his case with the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

Lamido had recently criticised ten governors from Northwest and North Central zones for seeking technical assistance on how to tackle the high rate of insecurity in their regions from United States of America during a two-day symposium organized by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).

The former minister of foreign affairs frowned at the governors efforts dismissing the visit and meeting with the American agency as misplaced priority.

But in a reaction at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, the national coordinator of ANF, Abubakar  Lawal said instead of condemnation, the governors deserved commendation of all well meaning Nigerians, arguing that no society can claim monopoly of solution insecurity which has global dimension.

Admitting that the former governor has right to his opinion, the group noted that Lamido’s outburst of condemning the move by the governors to salvage the high rate of insecurity that has taken over their states over the years before their elective positions as governors was not only uncalled for, wasteful and baseless.

Lawal said: “We want to believe the former Governor was attacking the Jigawa state Governor, being his governor, but not the 9 other governors because for us he has misfired. Lamido for the avoidance of doubt should face his travails with the EFCC and allow these new set of digital governors find solutions to their problems. 

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“It is even annoying that a person who has held the foreign affairs portfolio under Obasanjo would be denigrating an international fora meant to find solutions to our problems. It is a shame that he has lost touch with realities. How did he know NIPSS and ASCON were not contacted to find solutions to this challenges. He won’t know, because he is an analogue politician.

“Lamido as far as we are concerned is a failure and we won’t hesitate to call on the EFCC to dust his case file. 

It is a fact that the northern states especially the northwest have of recent been most hit by the dare devil activities of bandits and terrorists and the need to go as far as China or across the red sea to find solution to this blight should be a welcome idea instead of condemnation as no one holds the monopoly to knowledge.”

Expressing optimism on the efforts by the governors, the group maintained that “Nobody can deny the fact that the United States has some of the best security measures across the world and has a long history of helping other nations tackle insecurity effectively with contribution in both intellectual strategies, and weapons acquisition. And as the Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda one of the governors who was part of the visit rightly said ‘sharing experiences and ideas on a global scale was crucial in today’s interconnected world.’

“Nobody is an island. This visit we believe would help build the capacity and understanding of these governors on what to do and how to effectively tackle this insecurity menace in a more modernized form with new ideas and modern weapons and security strategies that would be alien to the enemies.

“The world is a global village and just as Sule Lamido suggested that the governors should have engaged on their visit on how to boost Agriculture, health. Who told him the governors went there for security issues only? He will never know because his mindset was just to be relevant for some days.”

The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a former commissioner for finance in Kwara State, Ademola Banu, before Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, over alleged money laundering and misappropriation of state funds to the tune of N1.22billion.

The defendant was alleged to have among sundry issues, conspired to divert the said sum during the administration of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, between May 2011 and May 2019, when he served as the commissioner for finance.

A statement by the commission’s Head, Media & Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said Banu was to be arraigned alongside his principal, former governor Abdulfatah, on February 23, 2024, but when the case came up, he was absent.

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 in court and had no legal representation, prompting the court to issue a bench warrant against him upon the application by counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN.

The court, on the said date, took the plea of former governor Abdulfatah on the 12-count charge preferred against him and his finance commissioner by the EFCC and adjourned till April 29, while ordering the prosecution to produce Banu for trial.

At the resumed sitting on Monday, the two defendants – Abdulfatah Ahmed and Ademola Banu, who were listed as the first and second defendants in the charge, were present in court.

When the case was called, A. A. Ajibade, SAN, announced the appearance for Abdulfatah, Gboyega Oyewole, SAN for Banu, while the prosecution team was led by Rotimi Jacobs, SAN.

Jacobs informed the court that the second defendant who was unavailable at the last sitting when his co-traveler, Abdulfatah, was arraigned, was finally in court to take his plea.

“My Lord, at the last adjournment, the first defendant (governor Abdulfatah) took his plea, but the second defendant (Banu) was not available in court that day, causing your lordship to issue a bench warrant against him,” he said.

“Following the order of the court, counsel to the second defendant called me and explained that he would produce his client before the court today, which he has done. I pray the court to allow the charge to be read to him.”

In response, Banu’s counsel, Oyewole, prayed the court to discharge the bench warrant earlier issued against his client, which Jacobs did not oppose.

In a short ruling, Justice Anyadike vacated the bench warrant on the second defendant, setting the stage for his arraignment. He was, therefore, ordered to enter the dock to take his plea.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

Following his plea, Oyewole, SAN, moved a motion for the bail of his client. He prayed the court to grant the application on liberal terms citing the medical conditions of the client as reasons.

Jacobs, however, did not oppose the application given the earlier ruling.

Justice Anyadike admitted the second defendant to bail in the sum of N20million with two sureties in like sum, who must have landed property within the jurisdiction of the court. The sureties must deposit three passport photographs with the court’s registrar. The sureties must also produce evidence of payment of electricity bills for the last three months.

Furthermore, the judge ordered that the sum of N5m be paid as a bond into the litigation account of the Federal High Court by the defendant, which will be returned to him after the final determination of the case, but forfeited to the Federal Government in the event the defendant jumps bail.

The judge also ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the court, adding that the defendant must not travel without the permission of the court, but may apply to get it on medical grounds if the need arises.  Thereafter, the judge ordered the defendant to be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending the perfection of his bail conditions.

The case has been adjourned till June 25 and 26, 2024 for trial.