Dear KFBers, we have got loads of interesting stories in tonight's #MajorHeadlinesYouMissed Today feature...enjoy! Fe...
Dear KFBers, we have got loads of interesting stories in tonight's #MajorHeadlinesYouMissed Today feature...enjoy!
Former Aviation minister and former spokesperson of the PDP 2015 presidential campaign, Femi Fani-Kayode and a former Finance minister, Nenadi Usman were today re-arraigned before Justice Ridwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The case was reassigned to Justice Aikawa after FFK protested that the case be withdrawn from the initial presiding judge, Justice Muslim Hassan.
In the 17 count charge filed before the court by EFCC, FFK is alleged to have conspired with the others including Nenadi Usman and two others, to directly and indirectly, retain various sums of money while executing the PDP campaign project between January 8th and March 25th 2015. According to EFCC, the money spent is believed to be proceeds from fraud.
In one of the counts, the defendants were accused of conspiring among themselves to “indirectly retain the sum of N1,500, 000,000.00 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing.” They are also alleged have retained 300m, N400m and N800m during the campaigns. The EFCC says all the money retained are believed to be proceeds from criminal acts.
When the charges were read to them this morning, they all pleaded not guilty to the crime. Justice Aikawa then adjourned the case to June 6th and 9th for the commencement of trial and for the judge to rule on FFK's application for the matter to be transferred to Abuja.
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Court Adjourns EFCC’s Suit Against Patience Jonathan To May 22
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Monday adjourned to May 22, a suit seeking final forfeiture to the Federal Government of the sum of $5.8m belonging to former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.
Justice Mojisola Olatoregun granted the adjournment following an argument by counsel to Jonathan, Mr Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), that the respondent was not given sufficient notice to file a response.
The court had on April 26 issued an interim order for forfeiture of the sum of $5.8m belonging to Jonathan to the Federal Government.
The order followed an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission seeking a forfeiture of the sum to government, pending the determination of the motion on notice.
The court had granted the interim order and had further directed that same be advertised in a national daily, to enable any interested party to appear and show cause why the interim order should not be made final.
When the case was called on Monday, counsel to the respondent, Adedipe informed the court of a notice of Appeal he had filed against the court’s ruling as well as a motion for stay of further proceedings.
He argued that the EFCC ought to have waited to abide by the decision of the court of appeal in respect of the matter.
Adedipe also noted that the publication of the court’s order in the national daily was only done on May 11, adding that such notice was too short to allow for the filing of any response.
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EFCC Takes Over NIA's Bank Accounts Over N13 Billion Ikoyi Cash Haul
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday took charge of bank accounts operated by Nigeria’s foreign intelligence service, the National Intelligence Agency, the latest in a string of measures against the NIA in the wake of last month’s discovery of N13 billion in a Lagos apartment.
The cash – comprising $43.5 million, £27,800 and N23.2 million hidden inside Apartment 7B at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi – was uncovered by operatives of the EFCC on April 12.
The director general of the NIA, Ayodele Oke, admitted to PREMIUM TIMES the money belonged to his agency, and was later suspended from office.
Mr. Oke said the money was meant for multiple “covert projects” across the country. This newspaper published excerpts of letters between Mr. Oke and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, which showed the NSA knew about the operation beforehand. The letters also showed President Muhammadu Buhari was informed by the NSA.
Security sources however told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday that operatives of the anti-graft agency compelled the director of Finance and Administration of the NIA to hand over the accounts of the beleaguered agency to an Army officer attached to the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The EFCC designated Jaafaru Mohammed, a brigadier general in the Nigerian Army, to assume the position of the Director of Finance of the NIA and commence a holistic audit of the agency’s finances.
The development was the climax of a week-long prying operation which saw detectives from the anti-graft agency grill four senior officials of the NIA.
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