The Nation Newspaper

Tag: investigating

  • Police still investigating drowned man’s case, says CP

    Abia State Police Commissioner Mr. Chris Ezike has said the command is still investigating the case of the drowned man at a swimming pool.

    He added that the friends of the deceased were taken back into custody to continue with investigation and rule out foul-play.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a 20-year-old man drowned at the swimming pool of a hotel on Margret Avenue in GRA, Aba on November 29.

    The man was said to have gone to swim at the hotel’s pool during their colleague’s birthday party, but drowned.

    Sixteen other friends of the deceased at the party were arrested by the police for investigation and released on November 30.

    A police source told NAN that their release came after preliminary investigations involving CCTV footage preview at the Central Police Station, Aba failed to link them with their colleague’s death.

    However, NAN findings showed that State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday re-arrested and moved the boys to the police headquarters in Umuahia.

    Ezike said the police were not in for a witch-hunt, but wanted to rule out the possibility of foul play in the death of the young man.

    “You talked about CCTV footage. The footage did not show when the boy entered the pool. It only showed his body in the pool.

    “We are looking at negligent act; we are looking at wilful act. Wilful acts are different from negligent acts, but all or part can form the ingredients of a crime.”

     

     

     

  • EFCC denies investigating Benue State Govt

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied investigating the accounts, appropriation and administration of funds of the government of Benue State.

    It faulted insinuations that it was working to cripple the government.

    The commission said it was only investigating some officials of the state government against who some citizens made allegations of diversion of public funds, money laundering and related offences.

    The EFCC said its activities in Benue were within its constitutional powers. It faulted claim by the Benue State Attorney General that the investigation being carried out by the EFCC in the state amounted to usurping the functions of the House of Assembly.

    The anti-graft agency made the explanation in its response to a suit  filed by the Benue State Government through the state’s Attorney General.  Defendants in the suit are EFCC, Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, Clerk, Benue State House of Assembly and the Auditor General, Benue State.

    The EFCC, in its counter-affidavit to the plaintiff’s originating summons, stated that its investigation in Benue was informed by petitions from indigenes of the state, including former Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav and Joel Magnus, President of a group, Concerned Citizens of Benue State Transparency Anti-Corruption Group, Gboko, Benue State.

    It stated that the petitioners identified some officials of the state government, who they accused of diverting the state’s funds and engaging in money laundering and other related financial crimes, a development, which informed why the state has been unable to pay staff salaries.

    The EFCC added: “In carrying out its onerous duties, the 1st defendant, being a responsible agency of government, has employed the best practices of extending invitation to concerned State Government functionaries through high ranking government officials such as Secretary to the State Government, Permanent Secretaries of relevant ministries/agencies, Accountant General of the state and Liaison Officer, Benue State Liaison Office, Abuja without resorting to crude and uncivilised methods.

    “The 1st defendant is not investigating the accounts and/or appropriation, disbursement and administration of funds of Benue State Government. The 1st defendant is only investigating economic and financial crimes, money laundering related offences allegedly committed by some officials of Benue State Government.

    “The ongoing investigation cannot result into a shut down or grinding to a halt, the activities of governance in Benue State as the 1st defendant is not an army of occupation. Indeed, the 1st defendant has not shut down government offices/business as it has been inviting relevant state government officials to make statements and/or furnish relevant documents as the need arises.

    “The ongoing investigation can only result in restoring the confidence of citizens of Benue State, who are calling for accountability, transparency and probity in the affairs of government of their state. It may well be that the outcome of investigation may prove the allegations as baseless, which is in the interest of the government of Benue State.

    “That contrary to the depositions contained in paragraphs 12 13 of the affidavit in support of the originating summons, the business of governance of Benue State has not in any way suffered or been destabilised consequent upon the ongoing investigation, as relevant officials only report as the need arises, who report and make statements and or bring relevant documents in furtherance of investigation.

    “That contrary to the depositions contained in paragraphs 21, 22 and 25 of the affidavit in support of the Originating Summons, it is not true that honouring invitations by relevant Benue State Government officials in furtherance of ongoing invitation is distracting or causing inconveniences to the officials invited, who by virtue of their offices and responsibilities/duties, their statements are crucial to the investigation, which is very painstaking.

    “That contrary to the depositions contained in paragraphs 23 and 24 of the affidavit in support of the originating summons, the statutory duties of the 1st defendant of investigating criminal allegations are never in conflict with the constitutional duties of the 4th defendant, hence there is no usurpation of the official functions of the 4th defendant, whose constitutional duties are quite distinct and different from the statutory duties of the 1st defendant.

    “The 1st defendant has never interfered with the federal principles relating to the tiers to the tiers of government, as the 1st defendant is only discharging its statutory duties.

    Yesterday, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba fixed August 29 for the hearing of the suit in which the plaintiff is challenging the propriety of EFCC’s ongoing activities in the state.

  • Campaign funds: Group commends EFCC for investigating Ochekpe, others

    Campaign funds: Group commends EFCC for investigating Ochekpe, others

    The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has been commended for investigation the embezzlement of government money by previous administration to fund the 2015 elections.

    The group, Coalition of Youths Congress of Nigeria said what EFCC is doing is instructive as another election year approaches and expressed the hope that those involved in diverting public fund to finance elections must be punished to deter others in future.

    The group, which addressed journalists  Monday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos was reacting to the arraignment of a former Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, former Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in Plateau State, Mr. Raymond Dabo and the Coordinator of Jonathan/Sambo re-election campaign in Plateau State, Evangelist Lyons Sunday Jatau who were dragged to court over allegation of embezzlement of N450 million belonging to the federal government.

    The leader of the group, Mr. John Pam said the anti-corruption stance of the present administration would ensure that such perfidy and use of money meant for the development of the country by politicians at the corridor of power would not happen again.

    The trio would be arraigned on February 13, 2018 at a Federal High Court sitting in Jos, the Plateau state capital on charges of receiving the money from the former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Deziani Alison-Madueke, to finance the re-election of former President Goodluck Jonathan and his deputy.

    At the first hearing of the suit, Ochekpe had told trial Justice Justice Musa Haruna Kurya that she gave the money to the late PDP governorship candidate in the 2015 gubernatorial election in Plateau G.N.S Pwajok.

    The group therefore urged EFCC to leave no stone unturned to make sure that money politics in Nigeria is discouraged and also to ensure that those in the custody of public fund do not deep their hands into the till to serve themselves.

    “We are commending EFCC for taking these people to court so that when found guilty justice will take its cause, which will sound as a warning to others who may want to so corrupt themselves by diverting public funds meant for the provision of social amenities for our citizens. The interest of our group is to ensure corrupt free society and for the first time we have seen a government that is determined to rid this scourge from the country,” Pam said.

  • Govt investigating Dokpesi for another N8b fraud allegation

    Govt investigating Dokpesi for another N8b fraud allegation

    The Federal Government is investigating businessman Raymond Dokpesi for his alleged involvement in another fraud involving about N8billion, the government’s lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), yesterday told a Federal High Court in Abuja.

    Jacobs said the Federal Government was about rounding off investigations into  a fresh allegation of N8.4billion the AIT/Raypower emeritus chairman collected from the Goodluck Jonathan administration for airing  the FIFA  U17 championship which Nigeria hosted  in January 27,2012.

    He said though the airing right was granted his company, DAAR Communication, by FIFA and without the Federal Government as a party to the contract, Dokpesi allegedly collected N8b from the government for the execution of the contract.

    Jacobs was arguing the government’s counter-affidavit against Dokpesi’s bail application.

    Dokpesi was arraigned with his company, Daar Investment and Holding Company Limited, on Wednesday on a six-count charge. He was accused of unlawfully receiving N2.1billion from former National Security Adviser (NSA), Mohammed Sambo Dasuki.

    He pleaded not guilty and applied for bail. Parties argued the bail application and the prosecution’s counter affidavit yesterday.

    Jacobs, urging the court to reject Dokpesi’s application, argued that a bail to Dokpesi will prejudice investigation into the N8b allegation.

    He urged the court to take a judicial look at the government’s affidavit evidence, which indicated that no contract paper was exchanged by Dokpesi and any agent of the government when the N2.1b was paid to him.

    Jacobs faulted Dokpesi’s claim of ill-health, noting that not only did he fail to disclose the nature of his illness, the letter of appointment with the physicians exhibited by Dokpesi was sent on December 5 when Dokpesi was already in the custody of the EFCC.

    Jacobs, who is the lead prosecution lawyer in Dokpesi’s trial, said it would be dangerous to admit Dokpesi to bail because, going by the charges, he risked a jail term of seven years upon conviction and, as such, may decide to flee the country if allowed to go on bail.

    Earlier, while arguing the bail application, Dokpesi’s lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), stated that the offences for which his client was standing trial were bailable because they are not capital offences.

    He said Dokpesi had not in any way contributed to any act of insurgency and that he would not jump bail when granted.

    Ozekhome  also told the court that his client was billed to travel abroad for a medical check-up when he got a telephone call inviting him orally to the EFCC and that without any hesitation, Dokpesi honoured the invitation as a law abiding citizen.

    He also told the court that Dokpesi’s son’s wedding had been fixed for 17 and 19 of this month, he has invited prominent Nigerians and, as such, he would be around at all times to stand trial.

    Ozekhome also submitted that Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution presumes his client innocent until the contrary has been proved by the prosecution.

    Justice Gabriel Kolawole, after listening to both lawyers, said he needed time to consider their arguments and processes filed.

    He adjourned till December 14 for ruling and ordered that Dokpesi be remanded in the custody of the EFCC.