Court Orders Arrest Of WikkiTimes Publisher For Exposing Multi-Million Contract Corruption Involving House Of Reps Member, Manu Soro.

A magistrate court in Bauchi State has issued a bench warrant of arrest against Haruna Mohammed Salisu, the WikkiTimes publisher.

Salisu would be arrested for exposing how a federal lawmaker, Mansur Manu Soro, representing Darazo/Ganjuwa Federal Constituency in the Green Chamber, allegedly diverted hundreds of millions in what appears to be fraudulent contracts through his associate in Bauchi State.

Soro who initially vowed not to take any legal action against the publication backtracked.

He used his ally, Abubakar Abdullahi who is a director of Sahel Global Desert Emergy Limited, to sue WikkiTimes over the publication.

Joined in the lawsuit are Yawale Adamu (the reporter), and Haruna Salisu Mohammed, the publisher.

The court issued the warrant due to Salisu’s inability to personally appear before it.

The presiding judge noted that Salisu’s absence from court sessions necessitated the enforcement of an earlier order to arrest him. The parties in the suit had been served through substituted service.

The lawmaker who instituted the lawsuit through his surrogate claims that the WikkiTimes’ report defamed his character and damaged his personal and social life.

WikkiTimes’ counsel, Barrister Idris Safiyanu Gambo, explained that his clients were initially unaware of the lawsuit until they were served through substituted service.

Barrister Gambo contended that there was no record of attempts to serve his respondents before resorting to substituted service.

He emphasized that his clients have been complying with court dates and that he has kept the court informed about the publisher’s absence because he was out of the country since the start of the case.

Speaking to SaharaReporters on the development, Salisu denied refusing to attend court hearings, expressing surprise over the decision of the judge.

“I am aware of the bench warrant issued against me, and I respect the decision of the judge to have issued it against me. It's within his prerogative to do so, and if in his wisdom, that is the right thing to do, I respect that.”

“In the long run, I believe justice will take its due course. Personally, I have always been committed to upholding the law and ensuring due process is followed. The warrant comes as a surprise, as I have never deliberately disregarded any court proceedings.”he told SaharaReporters

He further noted that he has told his lawyers why he has not been in the country and his legal team has presented evidences in this regard.

“I have informed my lawyer why I have not been in Nigeria for so long and my legal team has presented evidence as to why I have not been adding the court's hearing.”

“I have never intentionally avoided any court summons. As a responsible citizen and a professional journalist, I know and appreciate why we have to adhere to legal processes.”

“I have severally attended court sittings and there is no reason whatsoever why I should avoid court summons except for the reason of my being absence in Nigeria for long. Any instances of non-compliance is due to my absence in the country.”

He also stated that there is growing hostility against the reportage of truth in Bauchi state.

“Yes, there is growing hostility towards truth-based journalism in Bauchi. Powerful individuals and and institutions view critical reportage as a threat to their interests.”

“At WikkiTimes, this is not new to us. We have been harassed repeatedly. I have to exile Nigeria to neigbouring countries because of repeated harassment and persecution.”

He however vowed that his platform will not stop holding those in power to account, regardless of the pushback they have faced.

“But despite these challenges, we are committed to holding power accountable through investigative journalism. This bench warrant appears to be part of a broader attempt to intimidate us from reporting on issues that matter to the public.”

“WE WILL NEVER BE DETERRED whatsoever. We will continue to report courageously and professionally. This incident will not deter us from our mission of transparency, accountability, and serving the public interest. It's my firm believe that the rule of law will take its course, that will defend our right to truthful reporting.” he stated.

There has been a continued clampdown on press freedom in the country with journalists arrested, haunted and persecuted by state authorities.

senatordave1:


The amount of people alone benefitting from the benevolence of Okpebholo alone is enough to crown him winner. Which indices are you even using self?

Curious346:
State police is coming . They will be rested soon

CyrusVI:
"

They are fixing it from the top, you will start seeing the effect soon

Dont panic...we are almost there

Biodun556:

On display at the press conference were twelve containers seized by the Customs Service. “Seizures on Display: One (1) x 40-feet container: Containing 4,800 pairs of military/paramilitary camouflage rain boots and 67,320 pairs of various rubber footwear, with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N923,040,000.”





Three additional containers were found to contain 562,600 bottles of 100ml cough syrup with codeine and other items valued at over N4.7 billion.


Now they are abusing it

ADELEYE AYOMIDE is a serial k!ller

In 2018, he k!lled his girlfriend
In 2020, he k!lled his sister
In 2024, he murdered Christianah

His name is ADELEYE AYOMIDE.

He must be done away with

#JusticeForChristianah

The 300 level Funaab student, Idowu Christianah has been allegedly murdered by her friend who kidnapped her after he initially demanded for N3M ransom from her family.

Four years ago, the United States and the world were in the grips of the COVID pandemic. While there were many heroes in that battle, there were also villains.

One of those alleged villains is Yomi Jones “Sabbie” Olayeye, a 40-year-old Nigerian accused of seeking $10 million in fraudulent unemployment benefits and receiving $1.5 million in pandemic relief payments, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Massachusetts said in an Aug. 19 press release.

Arrested Upon Landing in New York
Olayeye was arrested by Secret Service agents on Aug. 13 upon arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. He has since been transferred from the Eastern District of New York to the District of Massachusetts jurisdiction for further court proceedings, the Massachusetts office said.

Olayeye and another unnamed Nigerian national were indicted in September 2020 on one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Prosecutors allege that from March to July 2020, Olayeye and his co-conspirator filed false claims under traditional Unemployment Assistance (UI), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) administered by the unemployment departments of Massachusetts, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Montana, Maine, Ohio and Washington, according to a signed flight risk letter submitted to the court and obtained by The Daily Muck.

A federal court has charged Yomi Jones “Sabbie” Olayeye with multiple fraud counts of pandemic paycheck protection (PPP) programs, according to court documents obtained by The Daily Muck.
In an Aug. 14 letter to the U.S. magistrate in Brooklyn, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Olayeye’s “co-defendant remains at large.”

Olayeye Used Stolen Identity Data to Pose as Eligible Residents
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Olayeye and his co-conspirator allegedly used personally identifiable information (PII) purchased via criminal internet forums to pretend to be eligible state residents and apply for the pandemic relief assistance. The fraudsters also allegedly used that information to open bank accounts and prepaid debit cards to receive the payments.

The indictment claims the conspirators individuals with U.S. bank accounts – whom they called “clients” – to receive the fraudulent unemployment payments and wire the money to Nigeria. The group rented space on a U.S. server to file the claims to hide their connection with Nigeria.

On Aug. 20, a federal judge in Brooklyn ordered Olayeye to be transferred to Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, R.I., while his case is handled in Boston.

Olayeye Allegedly Lied on Visa Application
In arguing the defendant not be granted bail, the New York U.S. Attorney’s Office noted, among other factors, that Olayeye was denied a non-immigrant visa in 2017 and “falsely stated on his current visa application that he had never been refused a U.S. visa. His lack of candor with U.S. authorities undercuts any suggestion that he would be truthful with the United States Probation and Pretrial Services Office tasked with supervising his conditions of release.”

In the Aug. 14 “flight risk” letter to the court, Eastern New York U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said Olayeye had never been in the U.S. until August 13, when he was arrested at the airport upon arrival. The prosecutor noted Olayeye’s wife and children arrived in this country in April and the wife has temporary employment with a human services agency.

“The evidence against the defendant is also particularly compelling,” Peace wrote. “The
government intends to prove the defendant’s guilt at trial using, among other things, the contents of his own e-mail and other social media accounts, which establish both his connections to his co-defendant and his control of significant quantities of PII tied to pandemic and other species of fraud.”

Facing Decades in Prison
If convicted, Olayeye could face 20 years in prison on each count of wire fraud and conspiracy both carry maximum sentences of 20 years in prison and three years of supervised release, the Massachusetts office noted in its press release. The court can also impose a hefty fine and require forfeiture of ill-gotten gains and restitution to victims.

The aggravated identity theft offense has a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison, which would be added to the wire fraud sentence.

On Aug. 26, U.S. Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley took under advisement the matter of whether Olayeye would remain in custody or be allowed bond pending trial.

This case is being pursued under the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force established by the attorney general in May 2021 to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Department of Justice provides more information on its response to pandemic-related fraud at https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.

The DOJ asks anyone having or needing information about possible fraud to visit its NCDF website and access its complaint form.

The information contained in the indictment and other court documents are only allegations and not proof of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

This is not the only article The Daily Muck has explored involving Nigerian criminals. One recent article involved two Nigerian men who targeted approximately 100 victims in a “sextortion” scheme.

I’m very okay Fam🙏🙏😂😂😂I’m just overwhelmed and truthfully I need strength from GOD🤜🤜Thank you all for your love and calls. IYA YIN wa alright o, Mo cook Alakadabadandboujee for Dec💯Love you all and thanks once again🙏🙏 #Alakadabadandboujee #Abbmovie

seunmsg:
I am not a fan of this kind of extension because of the impact on the promotion prospect of others. Everyone should leave once they get to their statutory age of retirement. Policy like this will only lead to stagnation and poor moral in the service.

LegendHero:
HAPPINESS AMONG NIGERIAN MEN

Percentage of men age (15-49) who are very or somewhat happy

By zone
South West — 84.8%
North Central — 74%
North West — 71.8%
South South — 66.4%
North East — 61.1%
South East — 53.2%

The Process of getting PMS from Crude

1. Extract crude oil
2. Transport crude oil to refinery
3. Refine to PMS and other byproducts
4. Take PMS from refinery
5. Market

Step 1 to 5 are same if the refinery is in Lagos State or Malta

Dangote Refinery will save $ cash , yes but where?

1. Crude oil extraction? No, same cost wherever it's refined, crude oil is priced in $ not Naira. If Dangote pays Naira, Nigeria loses $ revenue. This is the highest cost.

2. Take Crude to Refinery? Yes, Instead of taking crude to "Malta", it will be taken to Lagos.

3. Refine? same cost, if refinery is in Lagos or "Malta"

4. Take PMS from refinery? Yes instead of transferring from "Malta", it's from Lagos. still a cost, but lower.

5. Market? no same cost where ever it's refined

Thus what Dangote Refinery saves is the Transportation associated cost, previously paid in $ to bring crude from "Malta" to Lagos


Nigeria still pays for insurance, interest etc. These are still related costs. Or are the ships insured locally or produced locally?

When you say Dangote Refinery reduces $ demand, i agree but not to the extent you claim. Remember Dangote is paying in Naira meaning it's a net off of FX loss from Naira purchase and lower demand for FX

The real benefit Dangote Refinery brings is that those associated byproducts that we left in ''Malta" will now be captured by Dangote locally.

Thus Nigeria will earn MORE by exporting those byproducts, so net net , the Dangote Refinery earns Nigeria more FX.

The Dangote Refinery is the biggest game changer in Nigeria since NLNG, but your PMS bill will not substantially drop, unless the Federation subsidizes crude oil and $ exchange rate.