₦airaland Forum

A woman in her late 20s has been confirmed dead after she was reportedly gang-raped in an abandoned building on Farawe Street, Agbado-Oja, in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.

It was gathered that the yet-to-be-identified-woman was found naked and unconscious in a pool of her blood inside a building.

Punch reports that some children were playing football on a pitch near the building at about 6pm last Wednesday when their ball flipped into the building.

One of them, who went to pick the ball, reportedly discovered the victim groaning in pains and raised the alarm, which drew his peers and other residents to the scene.

An eyewitness, Soji, said the woman was immediately rushed to a hospital in the area, but died on the way.

He said, “I think the woman was gang-raped because there was bloodcoming out of her private parts and her mouth. She had become very weak and couldn’t talk when we asked her how she got into the building. She just gesticulated with her hands.

“We have not got to the Agbado division, where we wanted to obtain police report to present at a hospital when she died.”

Another eyewitness, who did not want his name in print, said the incident must have been perpetrated by suspected ritual killers.

“Her body has shrunk and she was frail. She was not from this community. I think this case is beyond ordinary rape; it has a ritual undertone,” he said.

The Baale of Ago-Agbado, Chief Sunday Oyeogun, said the woman’s corpse was buried around 2pm the following day as none of her relatives showed up.

He said, “It appeared the woman was raped and had been in the building a few days before she was found on that day.

“I informed the health workers at the Agbado-Oke Odo Local Council Development Area so that her corpse would not pose health hazard to residents. She had been buried.

“The family members, who own that building, have issues with one another over the sharing of rent. That was why they sent all the tenants away.”

The Ogun State Police Public Relations, ASP Ambibola Oyeyemi, said the command was not aware of the incident.

Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture, says Nigeria will welcome its citizens in the US home if Donald Trump, president-elect, makes life uncomfortable for them over there.

Speaking with state house correspondents after the federal executive council (FEC) meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, Ogbeh expressed shock at Trump’s victory.

Ogbeh said Nigeria might re-tool its foreign policy if Trump turned out to be a sectional president.

“I’m in a bit of shock, but we’re witnessing some very dramatic changes in the world, and I think some of these things began many years ago,” he said.

“The current economic theory ravaging the world is now reaching the poor and the ordinary people. It’s causing a lot of stress.

Brexit happened, America has done this now. Many other countries are going to have near extremism ruling the minds of people.

“The rest of the world will have to then carefully watch and see the impact first. He made comments about Nigerians when he was campaigning that they had stolen money, they should go back to their country and live.

“He has a very low opinion of the blacks and Hispanics. We hope he’ll become a president now for all, including Nigerians and others, resident in the US.

“But if he doesn’t, it means we’ll have to re-tune and re-tool our foreign policy to begin to find a situation where we may have to be welcoming some of our people if they come under extreme pressure. We hope it doesn’t happen.”

Ogbeh described the US president-elect as a capitalist who has succeeded in “bringing the system down”.

“Trump himself is one of those capitalists who have managed to exploit the system, but have now turned around to bring down that system,” he said.

“I do hope that he can manage the US without falling into the trap he thinks he has freed the others from. Because eventually when he gets to Washington and begins to feel the pressure of the White House, he may not be as calm as he was this morning when he was accepting the victory, I can assure you. Those jobs exert a lot of pressure.”

lalasticlala

This disturbing fight took place in Edo State, Nigeria, following a disagreement that seemed petty before it turned big.

The two ladies during the heated fight
Two young ladies who appeared to be friends had a disagreement which resulted in a physical assault that was keenly watched by their other friends without any peaceful interference.

Both ladies dragged the long hairs of each other as well as each others clothes. Incidentally, one of the ladies exposed the bra of her opponent leaving one of her breasts in the full glare of the public.

Their friends at the background jokingly recorded the event on camera and uploaded online. The video has gone viral with thousands of views to its credit.

Ade Adesomoju, Abuja

The Federal Government on Tuesday re-arraigned leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, along with other accused on charges that include terrorism, before the third judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The accused were re-arraigned before Justice Binta Nyako on amended 11 counts, comprising terrorism, treasonable felony, managing an unlawful society, publication of defamatory matter, illegal possession of firearms and improper importation of goods.

All the counts were in connection with the accused persons’ alleged broadcasts on Radio Biafra and agitation for the secession from of states in the South-East and South-South zones and other communities in Kogi and Benue states, to constitute a Republic of Biafra.

The original charges filed on December 18, 2015 had only six counts, with the exclusion of terrorism which is now the 11th count in the new charges filed on November 11, 2016.

Those originally charged along with Kanu were Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi.

But in the amended charges filed by the new Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr. Umar Mohammed, the National Coordinator of IPOB member, Mr. Chidiebere Onwudiwe was added to the defendants, bringing the number of accused persons to four.

The re-arraignment was necessitated by Kanu’s recent rejection of the former judge, Justice John Tsoho, on the grounds that the judge, before whom prosecution had yet to open its case, was biased.

Earlier in December 2015, Kanu had also rejected Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the same Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, on the same grounds.

Justice Nyako on Tuesday became the third judge before whom the accused had appeared in respect to the charges originally filed on December 18, 2015.

With the rejection of the previous judge, Justice Tsoho, the prosecution amended the former six counts by adding five fresh counts, including terrorism and brought in Onwudiwe as the second defendant.

All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the counts.

lalasticlala

By Emem Idio

YENAGOA-A trigger happy policeman (names withheld) attached to the Bayelsa State Police Command in the early hours of Tuesday allegedly shot dead his colleague (names withheld) following an argument over N20, 000,largesse.

It was gathered that the duo went on an operation where they were rewarded with N20, 000. According to a family source, the deceased was of the opinion that they should make returns to the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, while the other objected.

While the argument on what to do with the money ensued, the enraged police officer allegedly brought out his gun and shot dead his colleague, who is a native of Ondewari community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

The body of the deceased, a married man with two wives has been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa morgue, while sympathizers are still trooping in to pay their condolence to an officer many described as a jolly good fellow at the deceased residence at Swali, Yenagoa.

When contacted, Spokesman of the Bayelsa State Police Command Asinim Butswat who could not confirm the incident said he was yet to be briefed on the matter.

An unidentified soldier was on Monday beaten to pulp for allegedly stealing an iphone belonging to a young lady on gun point, yesterday.

DAILY POST gathered that the lady raised alarm at the popular Robson G. Shopping plaza, along Okumagba Avenue in Warri after recognizing the soldier.

Sensing danger, the soldier, who was putting on military camourflage tried to escape from the scene with a knife in his hand.

However, the angry mob gave him a hot chase out of the plaza to Erhiovo and Ogbodu streets near, Olodi Primary School, where they gave him the beating of his life, with his inner wears stained with blood.

It took the intervention of mobile policemen on guard at the shopping plaza to save him from the hands of the angry mob.

The mobile policemen escorted him to the residence of former Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. David Ejoor to confirm if he was truly a personnel of the Nigerian Army.

The Army personnel on Guard at Maj. Gen. David Ejoor’s residence dispersed the angry mob and refused to hand over the unidentified soldier to police officers from the Nigeria Police Force ‘B’ Division in Warri.

An Army van later came and whisked the soldier away to the Nigerian Army Barrack, 3 Battalion, Effurun in Uvwie Local Government Area.

As at the time of filing this report, the Army is yet to confirm if the unidentified officer is a personnel of the Nigerian Army.

But a source within the Barracks said, “we could not question the unidentified officer; he has been referred to the hospital as a result of the injuries he sustained from the angry mob.”

Some members of the National Assembly are lamenting their inability to recoup the millions of naira they spent on electioneering campaign, 17 months after their inauguration, Daily Trust reports.

Section 91 of the Electoral Act 2010 caps elections spending for Senate at N40 million and House of Representatives at N20 million. Violating the Act attracts a fine of N600, 000 or six months imprisonment or both, in the case of Senate, and a fine of N500, 000 or five months imprisonment or both, for the House of Representatives.

However, aspiring national lawmakers spend well above the spending limit.

While a senator from the South-South said he spent N1billion during his campaign for the Upper Chamber, one of his colleagues from the North-Central said he spent N300 million.

The expenditures were incurred before and during elections, excluding legal fees for those taken to court by their opponents after the election.

We are in trouble - Sen Manager
Senator James Manager (PDP, Delta South), who has been at the Senate since 2003, said senators were drained before, during and after the election by the public.

“Calls are coming from all over the places, bring this and bring that even after the election, we are still spending. In the Electoral Act, there is specific amount but in practical terms it is not possible. We borrowed and are still borrowing,” he said.

Manager was speaking during the screening of Professor Okechukwu Ibeano as a national commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Lamenting further, Manager recalled how a Senatorial candidate jumped into the lagoon after spending huge sum on election.

“A man who contested for one of three senatorial districts of Lagos in 2011 drove to his bank six months after the election. On his way back, he asked his driver to stop, he walked for few minutes and jumped into the lagoon.

“We are in trouble, Professor please how do we resolve this?” Manager asked Professor Ibeano.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Abubakar Kyari (APC, Borno North), said the amount stipulated in the Electoral Act was not realistic.

“We have 120,000 polling units across the country and if a Presidential candidate pays N10, 000 to each agent at each of the polling units, he will spend N1.2billion just for agents on election day,” he said.

However, Professor Ibeano said: “I definitely feel your frustration but my profession is against borrowing for elections. The only way out is for political parties to go back to the 60s where volunteer party members assist without being paid. As long as you pay for everything, you will continue to spend.”

Times have changed
Daily Trust gathered that lawmakers, who served during previous assemblies, made money through deals with MDAs and other government officials. Those who failed to cooperate were frustrated.

At the peak of budget processes last year, heads of MDAs were warned against lobbying for increase in budgetary allocation at the National Assembly. A memo to this effect was issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir David Lawal.

A lawmaker said: “We are afraid to ask them (MDAs) now and they too are afraid to bring anything. Like now that we’re approaching the end of the year, MDAs would bring a lot of things to us, but last year was totally different, and I’m sure this year too will be the same.”

A senator who is into transportation business also expressed dismay. He said: “I should have concentrated on my business than coming here because now I don’t have enough time for my business, yet I’m not making anything here.”

Another lawmaker said: “Seriously, this is not what I expected. In fact, I can tell you that I was better off as a businessman than a legislator.

“The story was different before I came here, at least so I was told. Our predecessors enjoyed their stay at the National Assembly, but our own case is different.”

Some of the lawmakers said if things continued like this up to 2019, they might not seek re-election “because the business of legislature appears to be unprofitable.”

A former lawmaker, who spoke to Daily Trust on condition of anonymity, said: “It will not be fair to say every lawmaker comes to the National Assembly to make money. But it is true that many come with that thinking that it is a goldmine. It will certainly be good to make public office unattractive so that only the best and those ready to serve will stand in election.”

He however said that the get-rich-in-office syndrome was not limited to the lawmakers alone. “Even among the executive many see their position as a key to riches and easy money. So we need to get our priorities right,” he added.

Speaking at a seminar titled “The role of the legislature in the fight against corruption in Nigeria,” organized by the anti-corruption committees of the Senate and House of Representatives in Abuja, Kenya’s former anti-corruption chief, Prof Patrick Lumumba, said if a politician was willing to spend N1billion for a N30m job, then it should be clear he was not going there to serve but to make money.

Police Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State command, Abimbola Oyeneye, told PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday that the complainant, who is the mother of the girl, was reported to be the suspect’s lover.

Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has attributed the failure of the Federal Government to engage 200,000 graduates in October as promised to the need to get the required equipment.

He however assured Nigerians that the graduates would be engaged in the next two weeks.

According to a statement on Sunday by his spokesman, Mr. Laolu Akande, the Vice-President disclosed this while speaking at the Apostolic Coalition Summit in Lagos.

“The programme should have commenced as of October 31, 2016, but is delayed on account of the fact that we are trying to get as many of the equipment that we require,” he was quoted to have said.

Osinbajo was referring to the tablets that would be given to all the 500,000 N-power undergraduate participants, according to the statement.

He further disclosed that out of the 200,000 unemployed Nigerians that have been selected, 150,000 would teach and serve in their communities; 30,000 would serve as Agric Extension Workers and 20,000 would serve as public health workers.

He added that each of the unemployed graduates would get a N30,000 monthly stipend, and also get an electronic tablet that would be packaged with several applications that would train and empower the participants.

The Vice-President reiterated that the N-Power scheme was launched as a volunteer programme “to create temporary opportunities for young graduates, to at least be doing something and many of them would be volunteer teachers, health officials and extension workers, who will earn a stipend.”

Sani Usman, army spokesman, on Sunday said superior firepower of the military forced some Boko Haram insurgents in Borno state to run into the Lake Chad water.

He said the sect lost five of its men in the “fierce encounter”, and that 85 captives were set free.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Usman said the operation, which was led by Victor Ezugwu, a brigadier general, led to the destruction of camps in Geram, Bulankassa and Chukungudu, some communities believed to be strongholds of the insurgents.

“The manoeuvring brigade led by 3 battalion of 22 brigade, successfully cleared Geram, Bulankassa and Chukungudu believed to be the Boko Haram terrorists strongholds in that area,” Usman said.

“The gallant troops rescued 85 people, comprising of mostly women and children held hostage by insurgents.

“The troops recovered four rounds of Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) bombs, one Double Barrel Gun, 349 packets containing various rounds of ammunition, three magazines, a link belt of machine gun ammunition and one AK-47 rifle magazine.

“In the factory, they found several already primed suicide bombers’ vests. They also discovered a well equipped motor vehicles and motorcycles’ workshop and spare parts warehouse at Chukungudu village.

“The troops recovered three vehicles and several newly acquired motorcycles. Unfortunately, a soldier died during the encounter.”

Agents of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested a brother to Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia after they discovered that he once wired $150,000 into her Diamond Bank Domiciliary Account.

EFCC investigators said that the judge's brother had wired the huge sum into her account in March 2014.

EFCC sources that the younger Ofili, has not been able to explain to investigators how he came about the huge amount of money and why it was routed to the judge's account.

The arrest of Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia's brother is a significant development in the EFCC's investigation of corruption in the judicial arm of the government.

The arrest comes after the investigative agency's earlier invitation of a former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) executive, Greg Ero, from whom Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia claimed she had borrowed funds to buy her home in London.

Mr. Ero, who is reportedly in poor health, has been regularly reporting to the EFCC offices in Lagos. An EFCC source told our correspondent that the former NNPC executive too had not been able to explain how he came about the sums of monies he reportedly gave to Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia as a loan.

Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia is one of numerous judges currently under investigation by the EFCC for alleged acts of corruption. Investigators believe she and other judges frequently accepted huge sums in bribe in order to tailor judicial verdicts in favor of those who offered the bribes, often elected public officials.

At least 25 persons who served as ministers, aides or advisers to former President Goodluck Jonathan are being either investigated or prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

Apart from ministers and aides, Jonathan’s wife, Patience, and his cousin, Azibaola Robert, who is the Managing Director of OnePlus Holdings, are also under probe for an alleged $20m and $40m fraud respectively.

Also, over 15 heads of agencies and heads of military establishments who served under Jonathan are also under probe or prosecution.

Investigations by Saturday PUNCH, based on reports issued by the EFCC in the last 10 months, revealed that the probes range from the $15bn arms scam to the alleged disbursement of N23bn stolen oil funds and other allegations of financial impropriety.

One of such persons under probe is a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, whose accounts have been frozen while some of her properties, including a mansion worth N3.58bn in Abuja, have been seized by the EFCC.

Diezani, who claims to be suffering from cancer, has been in London since May 2015, where she is also being investigated by British anti-crime agencies.

Among other things, Diezani is accused of diverting $115m (N23bn) oil cash and distributing it to some prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party during the build-up to the 2015 presidential election.

According to EFCC sources, some of the ex-ministers who allegedly received the cash from Diezani and are now under probe include: a former Minister of State for FCT, Jumoke Akinjide (N650m); a former Minister of State for Finance, Amb. Bashir Yuguda (N450m); a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb Aminu Wali (N950m); and a former Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nurudeen Muhammad (N500m).

A former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), is alleged to have disbursed about $2.1bn arms money.

Dasuki was alleged to have transferred about N4.7bn to a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro; who is also under EFCC investigation. Obanikoro has reportedly returned N100m to the EFCC.

Some others under probe include a former Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed; a former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro; a former Minister of Aviation, Senator Stella Oduah; another former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; a former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri; a former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN); a former Minister of Labour and productivity, Senator Joel Danlami; a former Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe; and a former Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau.

Apart from Dasuki, some aides under investigation or prosecution include: a former Special Adviser to the President on Domestic Affairs, Waripamowei Dudafa; a former Principal Secretary to the President, Mr. Hassan Tukur; a former Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati and a former Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Doyin Okupe.

Others include: a former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Kingsley Kuku; Jonathan’s Aide-de-Camp, Col. Ojogbane Adegbe; and the Chief of Staff to the President, Gen. Jones Arogbofa.

The Federal Government had in June released a list of recovered loot. In a statement by the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the government revealed the recoveries were made between May 29, 2015 and May 25, 2016.

The government gave the breakdown of the loot as N78, 325,354,631.82; $185,119,584.61; £3,508,355.46 and €11, 250.

A conversion of the funds using the official exchange rate of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the amount adds up to N115,792,760,499.

The monies were said to have been recovered by the EFCC, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation; the ICPC and the Department of State Services.

The Muhammadu Buhari-led government added that a separate amount of cash and assets worth over N1.9tn had also been seized. However, the properties and cash are under legal contention.

The assets and cash seized under interim forfeiture totalled: $9bn, N126bn, £2.4m and €303,399.

A conversion of the worth of assets and cash seized based on the official CBN exchange rate totalled: N1,918,113,864,063.

It added, “Recoveries under Interim Forfeiture (cash and assets) during the period totalled: N126,563,481,095.43; $9,090,243,920.15; £2,484,447.55 and €303,399.17.”

Attempts to reach the spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, proved abortive as he did not respond to calls made to his telephone.

lalasticlala

SignalTNA:
Same way my mother didn't ask God to damage the abomination i was when i occupying space in her womb

SignalTNA:
Afonjas won't understand this ambition

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA—THE Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo State, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, yesterday, while denying bribery allegation made against him by one of the candidates contending for the governorship ticket of the PDP in Ondo State, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, said he had repeatedly spurned invitations from a serving governor, adding that Ibrahim’s grouse against him was that he refused a request for them to meet in London.

Agbaje said Ibrahim approached him through one of his friends who is currently residing in London.

Agbaje, who is the Ondo State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC. also revealed how he was at a point offered N500 million to rig the last governorship election in Osun State in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, when he was serving there.

Agbaje, who spoke at a dialogue session with a coalition of over 60 Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, led by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, PLAC, said he rejected the money, which he said was brought in a van at night by certain chieftains of the PDP.

The Ondo REC, who said he was a former Director of the Department of State Service, DSS, revealed the money was offered to him at the IBB Golf Course in Abuja, after one of his former colleagues in the DSS, hoodwinked him into following him to the venue.

“So it baffles me now to see allegations being raised against me. I have never met Jimoh Ibrahim in my life. I have never spoken with him in my life. There is one of my friends, an old friend, Mr. Austin Obiagwu who was a former Managing Director of Broad Bank which later merged with Union Bank. He called me sometimes in April this year and said Segun how now, long time! He said when will I come to London, that he has been there for some time. I said ok, that I might be in London later in that April for the ceremony of one of my children and that I will see him then.

“He then told me that there is a friend of his that would want to meet me and that his name is Jimoh Ibrahim. I think he said he was in Accord Party. Either Accord or Alliance Party, I can’t remember. That was in April this year; he was certainly not in PDP then.

“I told my friend that I don’t know him (Ibrahim) and that I have never met him in my life and that I don’t think it is proper for me to see him because I made it a personal policy not to have such interaction with politicians.’’

Speaking on the Osun bribery attempt, he said; ‘’One of his colleagues “picked” him at the end of a conference he attended in Abuja and took him to the meeting where the bribe was allegedly offered. Agbaje said he was shocked and immediately berated his friend.

“I told them that all my children have been trained and they are all married. I have a house in Lagos and another in Ekiti where I come from. So I don’t know what I will use money for at this age. I told them politely that I would not be part of their deal.”

He said: “The governor in my state had wanted to see me in the government house and I told him that this year, I am not coming to that Government House. He wanted to come to my house and I said you cannot come to my house.

“I was the ICS of Anambra State, the then governor, who was a candidate, came to my office, he brought money to my office and I said Sir, we do not accept money, that my headquarters had provided all we needed for that election and as Director of the SSS in that region we don’t need the money.

“The man was annoyed. He said whether I have seen the other people in the other party and I said Sir you don’t know me, that I knew him when he was Permanent Secretary at Dodan Barrack, that if not because he was a very old I would have known what to do. But very politely told him that we didn’t need his money.

“These are some of the circumstances in which I found myself in the past. I was so much flabbergasted when I was reading Punch of upper Sunday and saw that Jimoh Ibrahim mentioned a lot of things against me. I have written to my Chairman on this whole issue to clear my name, as well as asked for two prayers- to address the press and to also go to court. The Chairman has approved the two.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I have never met Jimoh Ibrahim before, the allegations are false and at the appointed time I will take action. Like I said, politicians think that they can always buy everybody, but I told them that the Chairman did not send me to Akure to go and be in favour of a particular candidate.”

The Rivers state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, and Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom, are behind the recent bribery allegations against Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation.

The party also claimed that Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta and Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom, are also in the know of the plot.

Inyang Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta, both justices of the supreme court, who were among the judicial officials arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) had accused Amaechi of attempting to bribe them.

In separate statements, they said the minister threatened to deal with them for not influencing the court rulings of election cases in some south-south states, an allegation Amaechi denied.

However, Davies Ikanya, chairman of the APC in Rivers, said through investigations, those behind the plot to nail have been unraveled.

“The allegations against minister of transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi by Justice Inyang Okoro and Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court have been linked to several top Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders,” he said in a statement.

“The governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, the governor of Delta State Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor of Akwa Ibom State Udom Emmanuel and the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom state who’s now the Senate Leader, Godswill Akpabio (all PDP leaders) have been linked to the Supreme Court Justices’ allegations against Amaechi.”

Ikanaya accused “these big four PDP politicians” of being the ones who actually influenced the justices to deliver judgement in their favour.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari was the main target of the opposition politicians, but that they want to start with Amaechi.

“These big four PDP politicians are said to be the biggest spenders who allegedly induced and bribed the Supreme Court justices with hefty sums of money to get favorable judgements. They are said to be the major sources of the money, wealth and properties that has been traced by the DSS to Justices Okoro and Ngwuta,” Ikanya said.

“These PDP bigwigs are said to have advised the Justices to drag Amaechi into their arrest and investigation by the DSS. They believe doing so would muddle the waters, divert the media and public attention from the corruption allegations against them and make the whole arrest and investigations look like a political vendetta against the Justices.

“Our findings indicate that they told the Justices that the Buhari government is after them, wants to bring them down, and that they must drag Amaechi down as well. They deceived the Justices to think and believe that Amaechi is the one behind their travails because of some State governorship electoral matters the apex court handled, that the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost. Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Delta governorship election appeals were cited to hoodwink Justices Okoro and Ngwuta into believing that Amaechi orchestrated their arrest and investigation.

“And Amaechi was targeted because the four of them – Wike, Akpabio, Udom and Okowa – see Amaechi as a big threat to their political ambitions and calculations ahead of 2019 elections. All four are from the South-South region, just like Amaechi.

They are scared of Amaechi, his closeness to President Muhammadu Buhari and they are afraid that Amaechi continual towering presence in the Buhari administration would truncate their plans and calculations for 2019.

“They want to damage Amaechi irreparably and destroy him politically. The ultimate target is President Buhari, and to get to the President, the conspiracy is to take out Amaechi, first. Furthermore, our investigations reveal that all four PDP leaders hold one grudge or another against Amaechi. They desperately seek to destroy him. But they will fail.”

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Eniola Akinkuotu, Abuja

A former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has signed an undertaking to return N480m to the Federal Government, The PUNCH has learnt.

Obanikoro has also submitted his United States of America and Nigerian passports to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

In addition, the ex-minister has provided two sureties who are directors in the Federal Civil Service.

Impeccable sources told our correspondent that these were part of the conditions given to the ex-minister for his release.

A source said, “The EFCC asked Obanikoro to submit his passports. He was only willing to drop his Nigerian passport but he has finally submitted the American one. He was asked to produce two directors, who must also present a three-month salary pay slip.

“He has returned N100m and has pledged to return N480m. The actual balance is meant to be N685m, but he was able to provide receipts for some transactions. He paid N85m to someone and that person has been traced.

“He also bought some bulletproof vehicles when he was minister and they will be handed over to the EFCC. The cost of the vehicles will be deducted from the amount that should be returned. Having met the conditions, he should be released any time from now.”

Obanikoro, who left the country around June 2015, was detained by the EFCC on October 17, 2016, after returning and surrendering himself to the commission in Abuja.

He was detained for his alleged role in the diversion of N4.7bn from the imprest account of the Office of the National Security Adviser.

The money was said to have been paid into the bank account of Sylvan McNamara, a company in which his two sons, Babajide and Gbolahan, were directors at the time.

Obanikoro reportedly told detectives that out of the N4.7bn, he paid N3.880bn to Ayodele Fayose and Senator Iyiola Omisore in July 2014, when they were the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidates of Ekiti and Osun states respectively.

However, detectives challenged Obanikoro with evidence that he also received N785m from the money and asked him to return it.

A source at the EFCC said, “Obanikoro claimed that he used part of his own share to do an anti-Boko Haram campaign in Lagos in 2014. However, we found out that he wasn’t telling the whole truth because some of the money was spent on his governorship campaign when he was contesting against Jimi Agbaje during the PDP primary.

“So, we asked him to return his own share of the money and he has promised to do so.”

Part of the money allegedly given to Fayose was converted to $5.377m and handed to him at Spotless Hotel, Ado Ekiti, in the presence of the then Ekiti State PDP Secretary, Tope Aluko, and other party stalwarts.

Abuja bizman loses filling station, complex to commission

Meanwhile, the EFCC has seized a filling station and a shopping complex from a man who described himself as a building engineer, Abdullahi Rilwan, for failing to explain where he got the money to buy the properties.

The EFCC Act Section 71 (b) gives the commission the power to commence investigations into the property of any person if it appears to the EFCC that the person’s lifestyle and extent of properties are not justified by law.

The EFCC said in a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, on Thursday, that Rilwan was also arrested for offences bordering on operating a land racketeering syndicate, criminal conspiracy, unlawful possession of classified documents, obtaining by false pretences and money laundering.

According to the commission, the suspect was first accosted in the Kuje Area Council of Abuja during a separate investigation into the $2.1bn arms procurement fraud.
Detectives were said to have visited the area to verify the ownership of several properties suspected to be proceeds of money laundering.

In the course of investigating the ownership of a filling station and a shopping complex both still under construction, located along Pegi Road in the Kuje Area Council, operatives gathered that Rilwan was in charge of the construction work.

The statement added, “Rilwan, who was subsequently engaged, denied ownership of the station but confirmed he was the engineer in charge of the construction work.
He admitted to being the owner of the shopping complex. He also told operatives that he was the owner of two companies, Kaibo Oil and Gas and Kaibo Properties, but could not account for his source of wealth.
“A visit to his office, however, revealed that he was involved in several shady and suspicious business deals.”

It was learnt that the revelation made EFCC operatives to beam its searchlight on Rilwan’s business activities.

Subsequently, on October 31, a search and arrest warrant was executed at his Kuje residence.

The statement added, “The search unearthed several implicating documents in his custody, many of which he uses to sell plots of land. Properties recovered from his residence in Kuje included letter-heads in the name of Kuje Area Council, allocating plots of land, an ‘Irrevocable Power of Attorney’ in favour of Air Commodore Bassey Inyang, a ‘Right of Occupancy’ document granted to Henryville Farms, Abuja, among other implicating documents.

“The filling station and the complex are currently under investigation and he would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.”