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N2.6bn fraud: “you have a case to answer” court tells Akpobolokemi, others

A Federal High Court Lagos, on Monday, overruled a no case submission by former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency ( NIMASA ), Patrick Akpobolokemi, charged with N2.6 billion fraud.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) had on Dec. 4, 2015, arraigned Akpobolokemi alongside five others, for allegedly diverting N2.6 billion from the coffers of NIMASA between December 2013 and May 2015.

EFCC claimed the funds were approved by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for the implementation of a security project.

Also charged along with Akpobolokemi are: Ezekiel Agaba, Ekene Nwakuche, Governor Juan, Blockz and Stonz Ltd and Al-Kenzo Logistic Ltd.

The accused had pleaded not guilty to the 22 charges pressed against them.
The prosecution had then opened its case and during trial, called a total of 12 witnesses and tendered 77 exhibits in a bid to establish its case.

After the prosecution closed its case, the accused, through their lawyers, filed no-case submissions, contending that the prosecution failed to established a prima facie case against them to warrant their entering any defence.

They had urged the court to uphold the no case submission and discharge the accused.

Delivering his ruling on Monday, the trial judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba noted that a plethora of cases had been cited by learned counsel in arguing their application for a no case submission.

Buba, however, pointed out that in delivering ruling on such no case submission the court is enjoined to keep its ruling as short as possible.

He said:“There are a plethora of cases listed by counsel, but the court is enjoined not to write its ruling as if it is writing its final judgment, but must keep its ruling as short as possible”.

Buba held that the charge was before the court and its ingredients are clear.

“The court therefore, cannot see the fuse in the argument that the prosecution has not made out a prima facie case against the defendants.

“When a judge is faced with a ruling on a no case submission, it is permissible for the ruling to be brief and simply read: “you have a case to answer.

“Consequently, the no case submission fails and is hereby overruled”.

The court therefore, adjourned the case to Oct. 30, Nov. 7 and Nov. 9 for the defence to open its case.

Akpobolokemi’s no-case submission, his lawyer, Mr Joseph Nwobike (SAN), had contended that the EFCC failed to link his client with the alleged diversion of funds from NIMASA.

He added that his signature to such effect was never shown to the court, as such the first accused could not be held liable because he did not approve the security project and money disbursed.

Nwobike had also described the evidence given against the accused by prosecution witness, as mere hearsay with no legal weight.

He, had therefore, urged the court to come to the conclusion, that the first accused cannot be called upon to enter any defence, because no prima facie case had been established against him.

Other defence counsels had also made their arguments on their no case submission.

In response, the prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, maintained that the testimonies of the 12 witnesses and 77 exhibits tendered had successfully linked Akpobolokemi to the alleged fraud.

He had argued that being the head and chief accounting officer of NIMASA at the time of the alleged fraud, Akpobolokemi could not by any stretch of imagination, claim to be innocent.

The prosecutor had further argued that even if it was the former president that approved the security project, Akpobolokemi was the head of NIMASA at the time, and constituted a committee to handle the project and also approved its funds.

He further submitted that the prosecution had established that, rather than its intended purpose, the funds were illegally converted to the personal use of the accused.

In the 22 count charges, the EFCC alleged that the accused induced the Federal Government to approve and deliver to NIMASA the sum of N795 million under false pretence and that the sum represented the cost for the implementation of the Security Code in Nigeria.

The alleged offence contravened the provisions of Section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

NAN

October 16, 2017
Lagosians join Akwa United supporters in celebration

Jubilant supporters of Akwa United FC on Sunday in Lagos took to the streets of Agege and its environs to celebrate their team’s victory over Niger Tornadoes in the AITEO finals.

The supporters had immediately after the match, took over the streets gleefully dancing, singing and blowing their trumpets to savour the epic win over the Northern opposition, who gave them a run for their money.

Akwa United emerged winners of the maiden AITEO Cup in the finals played at Agege Township Stadium.

The Abdul Makaiba-tutored team laboured to a 3-2 penalty shootout win over Niger Tornadoes in the Nigeria’s oldest cup after the regulation time ended in a deadlock.

Gov. Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom had led an unprecedented crowd to cheer their darling team to victory at the 2017 AITEO Cup, formerly Federation Cup.

The recent win by Akwa United marked the second time the club will clinch the cup having won it in 2015.

Akwa United went home with N25 million prize and will be representing Nigeria in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Niger Tornadoes runners-up, who defeated defending champions, FC Ifeanyi Ubah are also N10 million richer.

Speaking with NAN, a supporter, Ifem Eden, described the team’s victory over Niger Tornadoes as a well deserved one.

“This is a tough game for us which we need to celebrate. We are happy with the kind of support we get from our governor.

“We are very pleased with the win and the support we got from the Lagos fans,” he said.

Another supporter, Godson Emmanuel, said with the victory the team had made a statement in Nigeria’s football.

“This is our second win in the space of two years and we are happy; the support from Lagos fans is tremendous, maybe our people here must have prepared the ground for us.”

NAN

October 16, 2017
Vietnam flood deaths rise to 72 as heavy rains continue

Rescuers have found the bodies of another 13 people following flash floods in Vietnam, raising the death toll to 72, while 33 remain missing, authorities said on Monday.

“Up to 700 millimetres of rain had fallen as the result of a tropical depression over the previous five days in central and northern Vietnam.

“It, however, stopped on Friday, but resumed Sunday night and is continuing through Monday.

“Thirteen of those killed in Hoa Binh province died early on Thursday when their houses were buried by a landslide while they were sleeping,’’ the committee for disaster prevention said.

The committee added that five people were still missing in that incident.

According to reports, almost 50,000 homes were still submerged across the centre and north of the country, while floods destroyed bridges and roads, isolating many areas, and several dams have burst.

Some 9,300 pigs, cows and buffalo have been killed, as well as nearly 300,000 poultry.

The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has warned that more landslides could hit the country’s mountainous central and northern regions, as the land had absorbed too much water.

“More carnage is also expected as Vietnam braces for Tropical Storm Khanun, which is moving in from the South China Sea,’’ the centre said.

It added that it is expected to weaken to a tropical depression in the Gulf of Tonkin on Monday.

“Authorities have instructed 75,000 fishing boats with over 300,000 fishermen to dock at ports or move out of dangerous areas in the South China Sea,’’ the disaster prevention committee said.

NAN

October 16, 2017
Bauchi to enrol 10,000 orphans in school

The Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency, says it will enrol 100, 000 orphans and vulnerable children into primary schools across the state this academic session.

The Chairman of the agency, Alhaji Ibrahim Hali, said a statement made available on Monday in Bauchi that the aim was to support the children acquire education in spite of their disadvantaged background.

He said the agency would also ensure that vulnerable children who dropped out of school were brought back to continue with their education.

Read Also: There should be changes in educational curricular – OAU VC

Hali said that the agency would provide the beneficiaries with learning materials such as textbooks, note books and uniforms among others.

The chairman added that the agency would partner relevant stakeholders to select specific primary schools across the 20 Local Government Areas of the state for the enrolment exercise.

The agency had established a vocational secondary school for orphans and vulnerable children in the state.

NAN

October 16, 2017
Kwara vaccinates 200,000 people in three days

The Kwara Government said on Monday that no fewer than 200,000 people have been vaccinated within three days of the ongoing yellow fever reactive vaccination in the state.

Dr Sulaiman Alege, the Commissioner for Health, who gave the figure to newsmen in Ilorin, said 960,000 doses of the vaccine would be administered in nine communities in the state.

“The vaccination is taking place in Ifelodun Local Government and eight others, comprising Isin, Ilorin South, Ilorin East, Irepodun, Oke-Ero and others.

“About 960,000 vaccines has been deployed, and for now, we have immunised close to 200,000 people in the first three days,” he said.

The commissioner described the turnout as impressive, saying that people were massively mobilised through the use of town criers and community informants.

Read Also: ‘No monkey pox in Kwara’

He said that the health education unit of the ministry was also on ground, to ensure efficient participation.

Alege said that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and National Health Care Development Agency team had visited some of the communities to monitor the exercise.

According to him, the state government remains committed to ensuring good health for its citizens.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the vaccination would last for 10 days.

October 16, 2017
Sen. Gaya calls for patience with Buhari

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Sen. Kabiru Gaya, has urged Nigerians to be patient with the present administration as it works towards entrenching good governance.

He made the call while speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly on Sunday at St. Petersburg, Russia.

Gaya, who is the Vice President of the IPU, Africa, urged Nigerians to engage in constructive criticism of government policies rather than castigating the leadership.

While admitting that Nigerians had a right to hold their leaders accountable, he said it was imperative to do so with caution.

“Nigerians need to be patient with our leaders.

“When you have a leader, you pray hard for them because if you keep on castigating your leader, you will only end up frustrating them or hurrying to take bad decisions.

“So, I urge Nigerians to support the present government and President Muhammadu Buhari, make constructive criticisms and offer advice on the way forward,” he said.

On the theme of the 137th IPU, “Promoting Cultural Pluralism and Peace through Inter-Faith and Inter-Ethnic Dialogue’’, Gaya said it was apt in view of increasing level of conflicts around the world.

He said that there could not have been a better time when people were resorting to violence in expressing their grievances.

He said that Nigeria was not insulated from the trend as there were increasing agitations in different sections of the country.

The parliamentarian, however, called for dialogue across board.

“Generally, in any governance in a country where there are crisis or people are oppressed, dialogue is the easiest and best solution.

“This is because unless people open up and express their grievances, there may be no solution and violence is never the answer to any problem.

“Whatever peace cannot give, violence will not give. So it is better to discuss with the people and come up with solutions.

“That is why in Nigeria’s government, most of the time falls back to dialogue.

“For instance, the Biafra and Niger Delta issues were partially resolved on dialogue.

“It is only the issue of Boko Haram that we were not able to resolve with dialogue and you can see the casualty figure,’’ he said.

The chairman commended the Buhari-led government for its effort in keeping the country one in spite of the daunting challenges.

On causes of agitations, the lawmaker said that there was a need to do more to carry every section of the country along.

He said; “the issue of marginalization, for instance, is not peculiar to any section of the country but we in the National Assembly will continue to champion the course of dialogue.

“This 137th IPU assembly is timely as those of us who are able to attend will carry home the language of dialogue.

“On restructuring, particularly the issue of devolution of power, during the Constitution review, we looked at areas that are less controversial and we agreed on them.

“We in the parliament are prepared for restructuring but let us first understand ourselves.

“If the issue of devolution of power comes up again, we will open up and speak with the interest of Nigerians at heart.’’

Gaya said that more needed to be done to get every region to be on the same page before proceeding with the process.

According to him, times have changed and it will take continuous dialogue to get everybody on the same page.

“Nigeria was united under only three regions; people were not complaining at that time. Our leaders were honest and dedicated.

“Nigerians were committed to being Nigerians but these days, it is different. However, we are prepared for dialogue,’’ he said.

NAN

October 16, 2017
Al-Makura appoints new HoS

Gov. Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has appointed Mr Abari Aboki as the new Head of Service (HoS) of the state, replacing Mr Thomas Ogiri who retired recently.

The Secretary to the State Government ( SSG ), Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi, announced this in statement made available to newsmen in Lafia on Friday.

Before his appointment Abari served as the Permanent Secretary (PS) in various ministries, including the Ministry of Commerce, Industries and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Abdullahi stated that the new head of service would also double as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Establishment and Industrial Matters.

“The new Head of Service and the Special Adviser would be sworn in by His Excellency, the Governor, on Tuesday 17th October, 2017 at 11am at the Government House, Lafia,” he said.

The SSG said also that Mr Musa Aloko had been appointed as the Executive Secretary of the Nasarawa State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board to take over from Mr Clement Odeh.

He said: “the governor wishes to express his appreciation to the outgoing Executive Secretary of the Nasarawa State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board for his services and wishes him well in his future endeavours.

NAN

October 13, 2017
Catholic Bishops call for national unity

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria ( CBCN ) has called for the rededication of the country to God to allow for a nation where everyone will live as united people.

Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, the President of CBCN and Archbishop of Jos, made the call when he led a delegation of Archbishops and Bishops on a courtesy visit Gov. Godwin Obaseki, in Benin on Thursday.

Kaigama said the bishops were in Edo to mark the centenary of Lady Fatima’s Apparition.

He said the catholic clergy would use the opportunity to seek God’s intervention for the country and pray for leaders in positions of authority.

He said that during the First World War, Lady Fatima appeared and preached a message of peace; hence the Catholic Church would use the event to pray for unity of various religious and ethnic groups in the country.

‘’We are in Benin to pray for peace and the reconsecration of the country; that the north and south will see themselves as one,

“Muslims and Christians will live as brothers and sisters and ethnic groups will live in harmony harmony,” he said.

The cleric urged leaders to always engage in good works, supporting it with prayers in order to excel.

Obaseki commended the church for its pivotal role of reconciliation and stabilising the society.

He also expressed delight that the state was hosting another religious conference as the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria had held theirs earlier in the year.

The governor used the occasion to seek collaboration with the church to strengthen basic education, healthcare and social welfare services in the state.

Obaseki said that with oil prices no longer what it used to be, Nigeria’s future economy would be knowledge-driven hence Edo was keen on collaborating with the church and other groups interested in contributing to society.

The highlight of the visit was presentation of a statue of the Virgin Mary to the governor as well as prayers offered for his administration, the state and the country.

The Catholic Bishops are attending the 1st National Marian Year and 3rd National Marian Congress in Nigeria in Edo.

NAN

October 13, 2017
Nigeria pledges commitment to eradicate poverty

Nigeria has pledged its commitment to eradicate poverty through various policies of the Federal Government to transform the nation’s economy , particularly agriculture.

Mr Arnold Jackson, Assistant Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council ( NEPC ), stated this while delivering Nigeria’s statement on ‘Eradication of Poverty’ during the general debate at the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Jackson said: “One of the policies of government to drastically reduce unemployment and by extension reduce poverty is the N-Power programme, aimed at engaging 500,000 Nigerian youths.

“The N-Power provides a structure for large scale and relevant work skills acquisition and development while linking its core and outcomes to stimulating the larger economy.

“The beneficiaries of the programme will help in diversifying Nigeria’s economy as well as actualising economic and strategic aspirations of achieving food security and self sufficiency.

“No fewer than 150,000 Nigerian young graduates have already been engaged under the N-Power Scheme, while the process of engaging the remaining 350,000 is currently underway”.

According to him, Nigeria is paying special attention to agricultural development in view of its importance to employment generation, women empowerment and poverty eradication.

“Hence, various agricultural schemes have been initiated to create opportunities for women and youth, with the aim of supporting them with necessary infrastructure to attract various levels of agro investments and non-oil export opportunities.

“Some of these schemes include the ‘Green Initiative’, ‘Zero Oil Plan’, ‘Zero to Export’, ‘One State One Product’, to mention a few.

“Government is committed to ensuring that her agricultural advantages are further boosted through technology transfer, export promotion and rural development, which are fundamentally important for agricultural development in Africa.

“Nigeria would continue to encourage other countries to grant market access opportunities to her exportable agricultural and other products,” he said.

Jackson said it was Nigeria’s firm belief that gender equality and women empowerment would be better achieved through the eradication of poverty and the implementation of appropriate economic measures.

“This is why a ‘National Social Protection Policy’ is currently under consideration to address poverty, vulnerability and inequality in the country.

“The Nigerian government has also intensified campaign for the Girl Child education in order to secure their future participation in national development.

“This effort should be emulated globally to improve the situation of women in the context of the 2030 Agenda.

“At the global level Nigeria keys into several initiatives aimed at empowering women and the girl child, such as the ‘She Trades Initiative’ by the International Trade Centre,” he said.

He said Nigeria rightly acknowledged that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions remained the greatest global challenge and an indispensible requirement for sustainable development.

“It is on this premise that Nigeria avows that international cooperation to combat illicit financial flows and enhance asset recovery to foster sustainable development.

“This is a practical sincere commitment to eradicating poverty and by extension ensuring the attainment of sustainable development,” he said.

NAN

October 13, 2017
Workers’ strike: NGO urges Kogi.Govt/labour dialogue

Kogi Non-Governmental Organisations Network ( KONGONET ), has appealed to the state government to take urgent steps to end industrial dispute with the organised labour in the interest of the people and the state.

Mr Victor Adejoh, state Chairman of the network, made the appeal in an interview on Thursday in Lokoja.

Adejoh said there was also the need to end the “grand-standing” posture of both government and labour over the three-week old strike by the state workforce to ensure peace and industrial harmony in the state.

“As it stands, the economy of the state is in jeopardy and the worst hit is the ordinary people who both sides claim to be fighting for and defending their interest,” he said.

Adejoh,who said Gov. Yahaya Bello’s government was pragmatic enough to have set out a New Direction policy for the state, however, urged government to take quick steps, through social decision-making process, to make it work.

“There is need to invite all aggrieved actors and institutions back to the dialogue table to resolve the impasse amicably. Both sides must make some sacrifices for the state to move forward.

“It is the traditional role of NGOs and Civil Society Organisations to voice out at times like this.’’

”This is because they know the negative impact lack of public service has on the citizens and the burden of underdevelopment and poverty that arise from such situation.

“We call on government and all stakeholders in all striking institutions in Kogi to stop grand-standing and return to the dialogue table.
“There must be a way out of the current challenges; we must give room for transformation. End the grand-standing now and let Kogi move forward.”

Labour claimed that over 30 per cent of the state workforce was being owed 21 months salary arrears; 20 per cent of which owed between 11 and 18 months.
It also claimed that about 45 per cent of the workers took salaries up till July.

NAN

October 12, 2017