Images of court case files on www.wdn.com.ng

WDNews Exclusive: Money laundering, perjury may unseat Kebbi Governor Bagudu





WDNews authoritatively reports that Alhaji Bagudu has been accused of perpetrating perjury by lying in a Form C.F. 001 he filed before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that he had never been sentenced or convicted for any offence by a court of law.


Documents exclusively obtained by WDNews showed that Governor Bagudu was apprehended in Houston, Texas in the United States of America on May 22, 2003 based on extradition warrant requested by Britain on behalf of Isle of Jersey.
Today, he is still on the United States and United Kingdom’s wanted list, which simply implies that, the alleged constitutionally unfit Governor of Kebbi State can neither travel to US nor UK because of his money laundering charges. Beyond that, Alhaji Bagudu can’t still travel to Asia or Europe as a Governor.

Sometime last year, he was billed to be on President Buhari’s entourage to France. When they got a report from Interpol that he would not be permitted entrance into the country, his name was quietly removed from the list of dignitaries embarking on the trip with the president. This is enough to let us into the fact that as a man on th Kebbi Governor Bagudu
Kebbi State Governor Bagudu

e run, he should not be seen anywhere close to the president, least he tarnishes the very good image the President Buhari has built over time.


When Governor Bagudu was detained in US, he was bailed from a six-month detention at an American prison by his wife, Hajia Aisha Bagudu with the sum of $500, 000 with an order setting conditions of his release.

In summary, the documented evidence stated that, “It is ordered that the release of the relator is subject to the following conditions: the relator shall appear at all proceedings or any other place as required. The relator shall immediately advise the Court, defense counsel, the Department of Justice and the Pretrial Service Agency, in writing, before any change in address and telephone number. The relator shall not commit any offence in violation of federal, state or local law while on release in this case. The relator shall not travel outside of the continent of United States, except as required by conditions that the relator promises to present himself to the appropriate authority in Nigeria within 14 days of his release and his passport will be returned at the airport at the time of his departure from the US, through his defense counsel, for this purpose etc.”

When he flouted the bail conditions by running away from the United States back to Nigeria, the US authority requested his extradition to the country, but it was alleged that the former Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, in connivance with Bagudu, replied to US’ letter of extradition that the Nigerian Government could not surrender its citizen to them without even the consent of President Goodluck Jonathan.

According documents in our possession, Governor Bagudu was an associate of Mohammed Abacha, son of late Sani Abacha, who the late military dictator used as his henchman to launder billions of dollars for him.

Alhaji Bagudu aided the transfer of virtually all the Abacha loots from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to offshore accounts.

Also, on April 9, 2003, a warrant of Bagudu’s arrest was issued by the Honourable Philip Bailhache, the Bailiff and Chief Justice of the Island of Jersey. Bugudu was not present at that Jurisdiction at that time.

The document stated, “according to an investigation by authorities of the requesting state, primarily supported by documentary evidence, witness statements, and the admissions of defendants, Bagudu is an associate of Mohammed Sani Abacha, the son of late Nigerian dictator, General Sani Abacha. Bagudu is accused of playing a key role in assisting Abacha and related persons in the looting of hundreds of millions of dollars of assets of the Government of Nigeria.

The document further revealed that on April 2, 1998, Bagudu and Abacha opened a bank account at Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Bank (Channel Islands) Ltd (Deutsche Bank) in Jersey, thereafter, used this account to despoil Nigeria’s treasury with reckless abandon.

For the record, Governor Bagudu has refunded billions of Naira to the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Investigation by WDNews revealed that President Olusegun Obasanjo persuaded Alhaji Bagudu, under an agreement signed in the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA) to return the Abacha loot. He allegedly facilitated most of Abacha loots that were returned under Obasanjo’s regime. But more billions of dollars of the Abacha loot are allegedly still hidden in Governor Bagudu’s personal accounts.

Meanwhile, this case has been in court since March, 2015, prior to the Governorship election, making it a pre-election matter but sadly, up till now, no progress has been registered on this pre-election case that is lying on the table of Hon. Justice Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

This may not be unconnected to the fact that his legal counsel is the alleged venal Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ricky Tarfa, who has allegedly been doing a shady and hatchet job for Governor Bagudu all along.

Recall that recently, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned Mr. Rickey Tarfa, for allegedly obstructing EFCC’s investigations and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Tarfa was arraigned on two counts before Justice Aishat Opesanwo of a Lagos State High Court in Igbosere.

In the charge numbered LD/2417c/16, the EFCC alleged that the senior lawyer willfully obstructed two of its authorised operatives, Moses Awolusi and Sanusi Mohammed, from effecting the arrest of one Gnanhoue Sorou and Nazaire Modeste, “who were reasonably suspected to have committed economic and financial crimes.”

In the second count, Tarfa was accused of making an attempt to pervert the course of justice “by communicating with Hon. Justice M.N. Yunusa of the Federal High Court through your mobile telephone No. 08034600000, whilst suit No. FHC/L/CS/715/2015 between Rana Prestige Industries Nigeria and the EFCC; and suit No. FHC/L/CS/715 between Hair Prestige Manufacturing Nigeria and the EFCC were pending before the said judge.”

Consequently, EFCC has begun to investigate all the court cases Tarfa has handled and is still handling, as it has been alleged that he is infamous for abetting criminals and giving kickbacks to judges to pervert justice.

In recent times, Alhaji Bagudu has continued with questionable actions such as alleged diversion of the Central Bank of Nigeria Dry Season Farming loan for peasant farmers to grow rice in Kebbi State.

He equally runs a State Executive Council where his wife, Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu has been parading herself as the Commissioner for Health; no Commissioner for Information, Agriculture and Education yet.

Recently, the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari was invited to commission a hospital that was built by the previous government in Jega Local Government Area and the hospital was named after the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari. The Governor has claimed that the hospital project was built by his administration.

Meanwhile, all efforts to get the Kebbi State Governor to respond to these allegations via phone calls and text message proved abortive.

Instances can be sited where the president vehemently refused to go to Kogi for Audu Abubakar and Bayelsa, for Timipriye Sylva gubernatorial bids because of the corruption cases hung over their heads by the EFCC. It is also on record that President Buhari refused Lado Danmarke, Mohammed Abacha and Yaka Wada guber tickets in 2011 because they also had corrupt antecedents.

Now that the country is in the era of change and trying to promote a corrupt free administration. The weighty poser now is; will Mr. President shield and protect Governor Bagudu from prosecution? Will he also allow a major player in the much vaulted Abacha loot remain as the Governor of a State? Is this not going to serve as a litmus test for President Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade? Could this much talked about change be for real or just a ploy to grab power at all cost?

Kk

hmm get dem

What happens to the agreement to provide food for Lagos