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  • EFCC re-arraigns Alao-Akala, two others over alleged fraud

    EFCC re-arraigns Alao-Akala, two others over alleged fraud

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday re-arraigned a former governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, and two others in an Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan over alleged N11.5 billion fraud.

    According to reports the other defendants are a former Oyo State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Sen. Hosea Agboola, and an Ibadan-based businessman, Femi Babalola.

    The defendants are facing an 11-count charge of conspiracy, awarding contract without budgetary provision, obtaining by false pretence, acquiring property with money derived from illegal act and concealing the ownership of such property, among others.

    EFCC’s counsel, Dr B. Ubi, told the court that when Alao-Akala was the governor of Oyo State, he awarded a road contract worth N8.5 billion between 2007 and 2009 to Pentagon Engineering Services.

    Ubi alleged that the firm owned by Babalola handled the contract on behalf of the 33 local governments without budgetary provision.

    The counsel further claimed that Alao-Akala ordered the supply of drilling machines on behalf of the 33 local governments in the state to the tune of N3.5 billion.

    He also alleged that Alao-Akala conspired with Ayoola to withdraw N2.9 billion from Oyo State Local Government Joint Account.

    The prosecutor told the court that Alao-Akala also illegally acquired some property on Old Bodija road, off Rotimi Williams road, when he was the governor of the state.

    He said that the offences contravened Section 22 (4) of the Corrupt Practices and  Other Related Offences Act and Section 1 (18) of the Advanced Fee Fraud Act.

    The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Mr Hakeem Afolabi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and counsel to Alao-Akala and Babaloa prayed the court to exercise its discretion in granting bail to the defendants.

    Afolabi said that the charge before the court was not a fresh one but a re-arraignment.

    He said the matter was first filed on Oct. 11, 2011,  before Justice Moshood Abas and bail was granted after  the defendants met the conditions.

    It would be recalled that the defendants had also appeared before Justice Akintunde Boade  and  Justice Bayo Taiwo who was recently transferred out of Ibadan Division.

    Afolabi said  that Alao-Akala was granted bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties in  like sum while the other defendants were granted bail in the sum of N3 million each with two sureties in like sum.

    Afolabi urged the court to allow the defendants to enjoy the earlier bail condition granted to the defendants.

    Mr Richard Ogunwole, another Senior Advocate of Nigeria and counsel to Ayoola, aligned with the submission of Alao-Akala’s counsel.

    The EFC counsel said he would not oppose the bail applications.

    Justice Muniru Owolabi granted the defendants’ prayers and adjourned the case till April 16 for trial.

    NAN

    Read Also: Akala’s followers defect to APC

     

  • Fraud in Social Investment Programme

    Fraud in Social Investment Programme

    SIR: We laud the honesty behind the disclosure of the fraud involving the Social Investment Programme of the federal government in some states as announced by the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment Programme, Mrs. Mariam Uwais. We align with her suggestion for proper monitoring of the scheme nationwide. This kind of honesty is needed in our collective effort to fight corruption in the country.

    It clearly shows that there is no hiding place for the corrupt under her watch. It clearly shows that there is hope at the other end of the tunnel in our fight against graft and she deserves commendation.

    The presidential aide’s admittance that “the Federal Government was weak in the monitoring of the implementation of the programmes reinforces the need for civil society partnership with government to strengthen the monitoring of expenditure of funds meant for the programme.

    Uwais had listed those corrupt practices as including shortchanging, racketeering and harassment of beneficiaries as well as exploitation of the vulnerable. It is sad to note that state officials working under the programme were taking undue advantage of the poor people they were supposed to be serving and helping to exit poverty. We call for full scale investigation by the federal government to bring all suspects to book to serve as deterrence to others.

    ANEEJ as a leading CSO in monitoring of the use of public funds for poverty eradication in the country would bring our experience to support the effort of government in this regard, more so as some looted funds being repatriated from Switzerland and other sources are being chanelled to National Social Investment Programme. We would join forces with other stakeholders to ensure that monies meant to combat poverty are not looted by the corrupt at the state levels.

    The social investment programme of the federal government was put in place by the Buhari administration as a palliative measure. It seeks to create jobs through a school feeding programme for children in primary schools and soft loans to indigent women and youth. Prior to revelations by the organisers of the programme, there have been complaints regarding the quality of food being fed to school children and ghost recipients who have hijacked it for fraudulent intents. These instances reveal that the programme, laudable as it seems, may be one example of a social remedy which may not have been well-thought out for execution.

    It is for this reason that ANEEJ calls for a committee to be set up by the federal government to rejig and re-evaluate the programme based on the revelations of corruption and irregularities expressed by the coordinators of the Social Investment Programme.

     

    • Rev David Ugolor,

    Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice,

    Benin City.

  • $9.8m fraud: Witness’ absence stalls ex-NNPC GMD’s trial

    $9.8m fraud: Witness’ absence stalls ex-NNPC GMD’s trial

    The trial of former Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Mr. Andrew Yakubu was yesterday stalled at the Federal High Court, Abuja, due to the absence of prosecution witnesses.

    When the matter was called up, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Ben Ikani, told the court that the matter was for continuation of trial, but that unfortunately, his witnesses were not present in court.

    Yakubu’s counsel Mr. Ahmed Raji (SAN) also told the court that in the circumstance, he had filed an application seeking the leave of court for his client to attend to his health.

    Raji told the court that the prosecution had not opposed the application.

    The trial judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, granted the application, as the prosecution raised no objection and adjourned the matter until May 10.

    On the last adjourned date, Mr. Waziri Nitte, the second prosecution witness, told the court how he and his colleagues raided a house in Kaduna and recovered a huge sum of money in foreign currency.

    Nitte, who was led in evidence by Ikani, told the court that he was a detective with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The witness, who said they acted based on an intelligence report that the house in question was stashed with money, added that the money recovered was taken to the Central Bank of Nigeria.

    “We searched the house and found a safe which was locked, we engaged the services of a locksmith who unlocked the safe and upon counting the money, it amounted to $9,772, 800 and £74,000.”

    Yakubu was arraigned by the EFCC on a six-count charge, bordering on non-disclosure of assets and fraud, charges to which he pleaded not guilty.

    Yakubu was alleged to have, as “Group Managing Director of NNPC between 2012 and 2014, within the jurisdiction of the court, with intent to avoid lawful transaction, transported to Kaduna $9.8 million and £74,000.

    He was also accused of failure to disclose $9.8 million and £74,000 in his asset declaration form, a crime which contravened Section 27 (3) of the EFCC Act.

  • House panel probes alleged import fraud

    House panel probes alleged import fraud

    The House of Representatives Committee on Customs has begun investigations into alleged multi-billion naira fraud committed by some companies through massive breach of importation procedures, leading to huge loss of revenues to the Federation Account.

    Chairman of the committee James Abiodun Faleke, who made this known to reporters yesterday in Abuja, said the committee had invited those companies to come and clear the allegations against them or face the wrath of the law.

    “You recall the House in plenary on December 9, 2017 mandated the committee to investigate these alleged infractions of import procedures leading to monumental loss of revenue to the nation. The committee is determined to carry out a thorough forensic investigation in line with its mandate,” he declared.

    According to the chairman, “the unpatriotic and fraudulent act of some of these companies had cost the nation a lot financially. We are talking of losses probably in trillions of naira that should have accrued to our common purse.”

    The committee chairman said the panel was not on a witch-hunt mission but on an “altruistic, patriotic mission aimed at recovering our collective patrimony from unpatriotic elements and corporate entities”.

    Faleke said letters detailing the alleged infractions had been dispatched to the affected companies for appropriate responses and fair hearing.

    The committee chairman disclosed that the “Investigation Hearing Commences from March 7, 2018 and all the companies invited are expected to appear on the date allotted to them unfailingly or risk sanctions”.

  • EFCC arraigns couple for ‘N32.5m fraud’

    EFCC arraigns couple for ‘N32.5m fraud’

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Office, has arraigned Austin Mbonu and Nnenna Mbonu, aka Chika Mbonu, alongside their companies- Global Steno Nigeria Ltd and Nestins Global Links Ltd- before Justice O. A. Taiwo of the state High Court, Ikeja.

    They were arraigned on a 20-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy, forgery and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N32,507,628.08

    One of the counts reads: “That you, Austin Mbonu, Nnenna Mbonu (aka Chika Mbonu) and Nestins Global Links Ltd, on or about the 30th day of June, 2017 in Lagos within the Lagos Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain the sum of N14, 145,686.95 (Fourteen Million, One Hundred and Forty-five Thousand, Six Hundred and Eighty-six Naira, Ninety-five Kobo) from Fidelity Bank PLC as the cost of facilitation of a Local Purchase Order (LPO), contract from Chivita Nigeria Ltd.”

    The defendants pleaded not guilty.

    The prosecution counsel, Nkeruwem Anana, asked for a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendants in prison custody.

    But the defence counsel, Peter Ozodiale, moved an application for bail on behalf of his clients.

    He said: “My Lord, the defendants have been in EFCC custody for days. The second defendant, Nnenna Mbonu, is a nursing mother; she has a four-month-old baby.”

    Justice Taiwo adjourned the case till February 2 for hearing of the bail application and ordered the defendants to be remanded in EFCC custody.

    On February 2, they were granted bail after meeting the conditions.

    Trial has been fixed for March 19, 20 and 24.

  • Poly probes ex-rector for N98m promotion arrears ‘fraud’

    The management of the Federal Polytechnic in Ado-Ekiti has launched a probe into the administration of former Rector, Dr. Theresa Taiwo Akande.

    A competent source at the polytechnic said  yesterday that Akande was being probed for allegedly mismanaging N98 million promotion arrears.

    Apparently outraged by the alleged fraud, the Governing Council suspended the Registrar, Mrs. Sade Adediran, and the Bursar, Mr. E. A. Onaolapo.

    The council has appointed Mr. J. O. Awoniyi as the acting registrar and Mr. E. O. Aboluje, as the acting bursar.

    A statement by the Deputy Registrar (Information), Mr. Ade Adeyemi-Adejolu, said the suspended officers were ordered to step aside for three months “consequent upon an ongoing restructuring”.

    The statement said the decision was taken at the council’s statutory meeting on February 15, consequent upon recommendations in the report of an ad hoc committee raised to look into the Akande-led management.

    Mrs. Akande stepped down from office in December after completing two terms of four years each.

    She has been replaced by an Acting Rector, Dr. Dayo Oladebeye, pending the appointment of a substantive chief executive.

    Workers and major unions hahave haied the council’s action.

    The council set up a fact-finding panel to probe Mrs Akande’s alleged wrongdoings

    The panel is to turn in its report ahead of its next statutory meeting in May.

    But Mrs Akande said she was not aware that the authorities had instituted a probe into her tenure.

    The ex-rector, who spoke on phone yesterday, said she did not know anything about promotion arrears, which she said was the responsibility of the Budget Office.

    She added: “I am not aware of that (probe), but I know that was the period when I was having problems with the unions.

    “Nobody has contacted me about any probe; I don’t know anything about promotion arrears because that is the duty of the Budget Office. Promotion arrears were not paid throughout my tenure.

    “We have made presentation to the Budget Office. That is all I can say about it for now. Let them contact me (about the probe) so that I can talk better.”

  • APC members accuse caretaker chair of fraud

    APC members accuse caretaker chair of fraud

    •Chairman: I haven’t committed any offence

    Aggrieved stakeholders of the All Progressives (APC) in Ondo East Local Government Area have accused the chairman of caretaker committee of the local government, Ayodeji Akinkuolie, of financial impropriety.

    A petition by 16 APC chieftains to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu accused Akinkuolie of gross abuse of office, misappropriation of funds and unauthorised disbursement of N8.9 million party funds into his personal account.

    Copies of the petition were sent to Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Ifedayo Abegunde, APC State Chairman Ade Adetimehin and others.

    They urged the governor to promptly investigate the matter to correct the smeared image of the local government.

    The party leaders said the caretaker chairman, on assumption of office last year, allegedly refused to disclose the statement of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and other accounts.

    They also accused Akinkuolie of illegal diversion of approved funds for the execution of projects in the local government.

    The petition reads: “Against all norms, the chairman of the IGR committee, thereby using his position to illegally enrich himself by appointing his cronies as consultants and revenue collectors.

    “He also made unauthorised disbursement of N8.9 million to his personal account, which is against his oath of office.”

    The party chieftains demanded to know the finances of the local government.

    They urged Akeredolu to set up an independent probe panel on the activities of the caretaker chairman to prevent mass protest by stakeholders.

    But Akinkuolie said the money in question was not given to Ondo East in isolation but to all other local government areas.

    He said: “I put it in my personal account but started to withdraw it the following day for what it was meant. There is no law that says I can’t put the money in my account.”

    The council chief maintained that his refusal to release the statement of account of the local government was none of the petitioners’ business.

  • Lawyers urge IGP to prosecute Senator’s accuser

    Lawyers urge IGP to prosecute Senator’s accuser

    A group, the Nigerian Lawyers Renaissance Forum, Tuesday urged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris to prosecute Mr. Victor Uwajeh for alleged fraud, forgery and possession of false documents.

    Uwajeh was charged with allegedly attempting to blackmail Senator Andy Uba, after he allegedly claimed that the Anambra South Senatorial District representative forged his West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate.

    The Police filed a four-count charge of fraud, possession of false documents and forgery against Uwajeh before Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, but the prosecution has reportedly been unable to serve the defendant with the charge.

    The group, in a statement by Prince Deji Atanda and Ike Tagbo, both lawyers, urged the IGP not to be distracted by petitions accusing him of compromising the case.

    “Owing to the fact that we have some bad eggs still in the legal profession as does every other profession, we were surprised when we read that petitions had been written accusing the IGP of scuttling the investigation in favour of Senator Uba.

    “We are much saddened by this move as it appears to be an attempt to wear upon Uwajeh the toga of a victim. We are, therefore, calling on the IGP and other interested parties to shun such distractions and carry out their conventional duties.

    “If indeed Uwajeh does not have a case to answer, why is he avoiding been served the sermons? Like it is said, a clear conscience fears no accusation. Uwajeh should make himself available for service of the criminal summons.

    “We are also forwarding a petition to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Disciplinary Committee to sanction some of these lawyers who are smearing the legal practice,” the group said.

  • SERAP to Buhari: publish details of fraud in social programme, Malabu deal

    SERAP to Buhari: publish details of fraud in social programme, Malabu deal

    THE Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to publish details of the alleged fraud and stealing of about N1 trillion budgeted for the Social Investments Programme (SIP).

    It urged President Buhari to order Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) and Minister of Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun to publish  details on the alleged stealing  in the SIP, including the exact amount of the $321 million of the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, recently returned by Switzerland and those affected by the fraud.

    The organisation also urged the President to “instruct appropriate authorities to publish details of how his government plans to spend and monitor the spending of the $85 million returned by the United Kingdom (UK) from the controversial Malabu deal involving $1.6 billion, so as to remove the risks of corruption or mismanagement of the money.”

    The Special Adviser on SIP, Maryam Uwais, had last week reportedly disclosed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was invited to probe ‘massive fraud’ and other corrupt practices like short-changing, racketeering, harassment of beneficiaries and exploitation of the vulnerable plaguing the scheme in some states.

    SERAP, in a statement yesterday by its deputy director Timothy Adewale, while  welcoming the reported disclosure of fraud and corruption in the SIP, urged the EFCC to probe the allegations related to the two agencies.

    “We are concerned that sufficient details about the allegations have not been disclosed. Nigerians have the right to know more about the allegations, including the names of the states involved, and whether the recently returned $321 million Abacha loot was affected by the reported fraud and corruption,” SERAP stated.

    The organisation argued: “It is important for the government to identify and remove the risks of corruption in the SIP as fast as possible and let Nigerians know the exact steps the authorities are taking to protect public funds, including the returned Abacha loot, in the implementation of the SIP.”

    It stated that part of the approach could include naming and shaming the states and contractors involved, to serve as deterrent to others and to preserve the integrity of the SIP.

    Mrs. Uwais had reportedly said that “a total of 7,812,201 Nigerians are direct beneficiaries of the SIP, which include home-grown school feeding programme, conditional cash transfer, N-Power; while secondary beneficiaries – mainly farmers and cooks – are about 1,500,000. The total actual spending on SIP in 2016 and 2017 is just 15.58 percent of the budget. Half a trillion naira had been budgeted for each of the two years, meaning that only N158 billion had been released and spent.”

    She added that challenges encountered so far had been “Corrupt practices in the states, like shortchanging, racketeering and harassment of beneficiaries; exploitation of the vulnerable. Some officials had siphoned money to illegal bank accounts”.

    The Federal Government established the National Social Investments Programmes (NSIP) in 2016, to tackle poverty and hunger across the country.

     

  • Lawyer, two others remanded in prison over N155m fraud

    Lawyer, two others remanded in prison over N155m fraud

    An Ikeja high court has remanded a lawyer, Idowu Adebayo Micheal and two others in Kirikiri Prisons over their alleged involvement in N155million fraud.

    Others remanded in prison on the order of the court are Mukaila Fakos and Rasaq Sefiu Adesina.
    Justice Hakeem Oshodi ordered their remand following their ’not guilty plea’ to an eleven count charge preferred against them by the Police.

    Their offences bordered on conspiracy to effect an unlawful purpose, fraudulent disposal of trust property, stealing, obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and uttering of false document.

    The defendants were said to have conspired sometimes in 2009, to “unlawfully effected sale of a property of No 2, Kayode Taiwo Street, Magodo, Lagos without permission or consent of the owner”.

    The police alleged that Engineer Adesina and Fakos sold the landed property to Barrister Idowu Adebayo Micheal for N35 million and fraudulently converted the money to their own use and benefit.

    Part of the charge read that, “Mukaila Fakos, Engr. Rasak Sefiu Adesina, Barrister Idowu Adebayo Micheal, Babatunde Smith (at large) and Adigun Smith (at large), sometimes in 2010 in Ikeja conspired to obtained the sum of N120 million from one Lanre Obisesan by false pretence when you know you were not authorised to do so by the true owners unlawful sale of Mr Idowu Musiliu Ololape Balogun and Musbal Nig. Ltd’s property to him.”

    The prosecution also alleged that the defendants obtained N120million from Obisesan by falsely representing to him that they were authorised to sell the land property at No 5c Micheal Ogun Street, GRA, Ikeja.

    They were further alleged to have forged a document titled; “Special Resolution of Musbal Nigeria Limited” dated December 8, 2010,  “Form CAC 7” and “Consent Letter by Ayoola Fakos” and uttered false document to Guarantee Trust Bank through a staff of the bank to act upon as genuine.

    After their ‘not guilty plea’, prosecution counsel, Mr Emmanuel Jackson asked the court for short adjournment for trial and prayed the court to remand the defendants.

    However, counsel to the defendants, Lawal Pedro (SAN) in his response told the court that the third defendant, Barrister Micheal, had filed application for bail.

    The trial judge thereafter adjourned hearing of the bail application for the third defendant till February 26, 2018.

    He  ordered the defendants to be remanded in prison custody until next adjourned date.

    Read Also:Lawyer petitions ICPC over FMC Owo contract