₦airaland Forum

Benin – Right Honourable Frank Okiye, Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, on Wednesday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to rein in on Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and other stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for allegedly planning to invade and forcefully take over the house of assembly.

Frank Okiye, in a statement alleged that Uzodinma and APC leaders are in a secret agreement with the impeached deputy speaker, Yekini Idiaye to import a fake made to take over the assembly.

He said this is akin, “to lighting a match in an already tensed political environment, which conflagration is capable of causing crisis in the state, and of a scale beyond our imagination.

“We recognise the constitutional right of the three members of the House of Assembly to support the candidate of their choice, but that should not distract them from coming to work to carry out the job they were elected for,” he added.

Reacting, Simon Ebegbulem, Imo State Commissioner for Special Projects, said the speaker is already jittery because of the imminent defeat in the coming election.

“The illegal Speaker and his governor are not making sense to me with this baseless allegation. I don’t even know what they are talking about because there is no House of Assembly in Edo state. I think that is why the so-called Speaker is running away from his shadow like a criminal that will always run once he sees a law enforcement agent.

“However, I don’t know why he should draw the leg of His Excellency, Governor Hope Uzodinma into his political problems. My Governor is interested in working with other APC governors and stakeholders to reclaim Edo State which has been an APC state before Governor Obaseki donated it to the PDP.

“The illegal Speaker and his principal are already jittery because of the imminent defeat in the coming election. You can see that his aides are resigning everyday including his Deputy Speaker,” he said.

The Chinese government says there’s no clause in the $500 million loan it gave to Nigeria that include taking over its sovereignty.

The House of Representatives had in the probe of Chinese loans to Nigeria alleged that the agreements ceded Nigeria’s sovereign right on the assets financed by the loans to China if there was payment default.

However, the Chinese foreign ministry in a statement debunked the claim saying the country had no such plan.

“We follow a “five-no” approach in our relations with Africa: no interference in African countries’ pursuit of development paths that fit their national conditions; no interference in African countries’ internal affairs; no imposition of our will on African countries; no attachment of political strings to assistance to Africa; and no seeking of selfish political gains in investment and financing cooperation with Africa,” the ministry quoted President Xi Jinping, as saying at the FOCAC Beijing Summit in 2018.

The ministry added that “China is committed to enhancing investment and financial cooperation with African countries based on their needs to help them improve infrastructure and extradite socioeconomic development.

By funding infrastructure and other areas that lag behind for short of money, we have helped the relevant countries break bottlenecks, enhance their capacity for independent development, realize social and economic sustainable development, and improve people’s livelihood.

Such cooperation has delivered tangible benefits to African countries and peoples.

“In the process, China always gives full consideration to debt sustainability and seeks mutually-acceptable proposals through equal and friendly consultations.

That is the fundamental reason behind the enormous popularity of China-Africa cooperation in Africa.”

The Commissioner for Humanity and Social Welfare in Cross River State, Mrs Blessing Egbara was manhandled by thugs allegedly led by a councillor, Omang Theresa Fobe, representing Ekpashi ward of Boki 2 constituency of the state over sharing of palliatives to local communities.

The incident happened when the commissioner went to distribute the palliatives to the locals late Sunday evening.

The assault was attributed to the issue of coordination in the sharing of the palliative informed by bad feelings that local ward and councillors were not taken into consideration in the exercise.

Sources disclosed that disagreement ensued when the councillor, Omang Theresa Fobe, reportedly requested that the bags of palliatives should be dropped at her compound so that she could personally carry out the distribution exercise to the community.

However, the commissioner instructed that the bags of food items could not be handed to any councillor to share individually but rather she would carry out the distribution along with her team.

A witness said when the disagreement became heated, the Commissioner ordered her team to head back to base, and continue the exercise the next day, when the beneficiaries would be available.

The witness said, “The councillor, Omang Theresa, got really furious with the idea of not handling the exercise herself, as she ordered thugs to block the road at about 9:40 pm to stop the Commissioner from leaving the community.

“It got heated as the thugs started beating the team members and took out their locally made rifles and threatened to shoot the team if they didn’t comply with Omang Theresa’s directives.”

Reacting, Omang denied that they manhandled the commissioner, adding that she and other stakeholders merely appealed to the commissioner to allow them to handle the distribution since it was very late.

“It is not true that we beat up the commissioner. We told her that it was late for her to distribute the palliatives in the night; that we can do that the following day. But she disagreed,” she said.

Findings by SaharaReporters revealed that the IGP had used his office to unlawfully compel and in fact threaten Mobile Police Commanders into generating millions of naira monthly through illegal means for the establishment of a Mopol Training School in his hometown of Endehu in Nasarawa State.

Mr Mohammed Adamu, has been discovered to be involved in a multi-billion naira fraudulent scheme.

Findings by SaharaReporters revealed that the IGP had used his office to unlawfully compel and in fact threaten Mobile Police Commanders into generating millions of naira monthly through illegal means for the establishment of a Mopol Training School in Endehu, Nasarawa State.

It was gathered that the same project was included in the 2020 budget of the Nigeria Police Force but was rejected by the National Assembly.

But desperate to fulfill his desire, the Inspector-General of Police had each Squadron Commanders cough out nothing less than N500,000 monthly for the purpose of erecting different structures in the training school.

According to senior police officers in the know, the illegally sourced funds run into several millions each month and is under the firm control of Adamu.

“The IGP does not mind how these Mopol leaders get the money for the project, whether through corrupt means or otherwise, he does not care.

“The directive has made the Mopol Commanders do everything through corrupt means to raise millions of naira monthly to build the project just to satisfy the ego of the IGP and keep their positions too.

“The training school is about to be inaugurated on August 12 and the same Mopol Commanders are to be used as Guinea pigs to test run the facilities from August 16,” a source said.

SaharaReporters further gathered that the Inspector-General of Police had insisted on having the training go on at the facility despite the warning of health experts due to the risk of participants contracting and spreading Coronavirus.

This, it was discovered, was against government’s directives stating that meetings, seminars and courses with more than four participants must be held through virtual means.

“With all these directives in place, no one can truly state why the IGP is adamant that the course must go on, thereby risking the lives of more than 90 senior officers mostly within the rank of Assistant Commissioners of Police,” the source added.

In a 2019 public survey by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project titled “Corruption Perception Survey”, the Nigeria Police Force emerged the most corrupt public institution in the country, sharply ahead of the power sector.

According to the survey, "A bribe is paid in 54 per cent of interactions with the police. In fact, there is a 63 per cent probability that an average Nigerian would be asked to pay a bribe each time he or she interacted with the police. That is almost two out of three."

A 28-year-old man that the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command said was arrested for allegedly raping and impregnating two teenage sisters has said he did the act with the permission of the girls’ father.

Sources at the Ikotun police division, which is handling the matter, alleged that the suspect, one Nduka Anyanwu, had been having carnal knowledge of the girls, 13 and 17 years old, since they were in primary school.

Interrogators at the station told our correspondent that, Anyanwu, however, said he engaged the sisters in sex with the permission of their father, Christian Onyechi.

The suspect was said to have been arrested yesterday after a pregnancy test that the girls’ mother insisted must be done on them showed they were pregnant.

The police said the girls told them Anyanwu had been sexually molesting them since they were in primary school.

The girls’ father was understood to have been arrested. Efforts to get confirmation proved abortive as the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, did not pick calls put through to him just as he did not reply a message sent to him.

Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri



A forensic audit report set up by the State government has revealed a massive fraud perpetrated in the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC) where it gathered that N12.3 billion was misappropriated between 2007 and 2020.

Out of the sum, N10 billion claimed to have been used for execution of projects by the commission during the years in review was discovered to be false as the acclaimed projects were non existing according to the report.


The interim forensic audit report which our correspondent obtained, was carried out by Corporate Dev.& Assets Mgt Ltd (CADAM-ANE), duly commissioned by the State government.

A breakdown of some of the findings of the audit report which covers the period 2007 to May 2020 , shows that N3.5 billion was an inexplicable online transfers of ISOPADEC to “sundry payees” from inception in 2007 to January 2020.

Most worrisome of the report was a N3 billion spent between June 2019 and January 2020, while N647 million was spent between 2007 and May 2019.

Further shocking details are that while only 44 transactions under the sub head of unexplained expenditure and on line transfers were carried out in 12 years (2007 to 2018) 88 of such illegal transactions were carried out in less than 8 months (June 2019 to January 2020)

The report also showed that the overall expenditure profile of ISOPADEC within the period under review witnessed an unprecedented high in seven months than in any single year in 12 years.

In 2008 the commission spent N3.1billion, N1.7billion in 2009, N1.4billion in both 2012 and 2013 and N1B in 2017. The rest years from 2007 to 2018 were less than a billion Naira. But between June 2019 to January 2020 alone, less than 8 months, the commission spent N3.3billion.

The report also revealed that huge sums of money were paid to contractors without following due process in direct violation of extant laws, huge serial on line transfers were also made to either unknown or unidentified recipients.

It further shows that payments to contractors were made without any guaranteed APG or certificates earned and that there was no project history, tender records or evidence of approvals from the board as well as lack of adherence to existing protocols on award of contract above N1million.

In summary,the report gave a breakdown of the unaccounted N12.272 billion as comprising of N9.611billion from statutory allocation,Miscellaneous inflows of N2.203B, N410.721million deductions and N48.1 million gifts to staff.

The report also recommended that the state government should take steps for the immediate recovery of the missing N12.272 billion.

Reacting to the report, the State commissioner for information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba who confirmed the government engagement of the audit firm however assured that the government will leave no stone unturned in its efforts to recover the money, while asserting that all those behind the unexcuted contracts will be dealt with according to the law.

Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno, says if the military is unable to secure Baga, he would engage hunters to keep the town safe.

On Wednesday, Boko Haram insurgents attacked his convoy in Baga, while on his way to some internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Kukawa local government area of the state.

After donating 12 patrol vehicles to security operatives in the area, Zulum also flagged off the reopening of the Monguno-Baga highway after a two-year closure.

Zulum, who had earlier been briefed by the troops that Baga was free of Boko Haram insurgents, returned to ask what led to the attack on his convoy.

“We have over 1,181 soldiers in Baga; 72 officers, 107 solders, 400 soldiers in mile 4 and 1,900 soldiers in Monguno. I see no reason why Boko Haram will stop operate in Baga town,” he said.

“The troops have been in mile 4 for over one year, there is complete sabotage, the problem is not with President Buhari, or General Burutai but the command and control structures. There is need to look into command structure.

“We have over 80,000 IDPs in Monguno, they cannot continue to depend on NGOs and others for food, we have created opportunity for them to go back to their communities and continue with their business and farming activities.

“After Sallah, we will go back to Kukawa. We we will give time to the military; but if they will not clear Baga, we will mobilise our hunters and vigilantes to recapture Baga… we can’t continue like this. People have take their destiny in their hands.”

Reacting to the attack, Sagir Musa, army spokesman, said details of the incident are sketchy and efforts are ongoing to comb the scene of the attack.

“An investigation is also in progress to identify the circumstances that led to the attack,” he said.

“Regrettably, this is an isolated and most unfortunate incident that occurred in a territory where normalcy has since been restored with socio-economic activities picking up. The Nigerian army wants to reassure the general public that this will be interrogated with a view to forestalling future recurrence.”

Over the months, the governor has had face-offs with the troops in the state.

In January, he accused troops of extorting road users and the following month.

The Presidency, on Tuesday, revealed the motive behind the Multilateral Energy Sales Agreement that the Nigerian government had with Niger, Benin and Togo.

A presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a statement issued in Abuja, said power exported to Niger, Benin and Togo based on agreement with Nigeria was on the basis that they would not dam the waters that feed our major power plants in Kainji, Shiroro and Jebba.

‘ Many Nigerians are complaining about lack of electricity and many are furious that the country exports same to other African countries while many parts of Nigeria stay in darkness.

But Shehu explained that the essence of bilateral agreements “by which we give them power and they do not build dams on the River Niger means that Nigeria and her brotherly neighbours had avoided the unfolding situation of the Nile River between the sovereign states of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.”

“As of the last review in 2019, the amount of indebtedness to all three customers stood at $69 million, subsequent upon which several payments were made to NBET.

“Much of this has been repaid by the debtor nations.

“As of today, Niger owes only USD 16 million and Benin, USD 4 million, adding up to the Naira equivalent of about N1.2bn,” the statement issued for clarification purpose added.

The presidential aide stated that the cost of electricity generated between 2018 and 2019 by all the electricity generation companies in Nigeria was about N1.2 trillion ($4 billion).

He added that over 90% of the electricity generated was distributed and consumed by consumers across the 11 electricity distribution companies in the country.

Eniola Akinkuotu

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter as well as video streaming site, Youtube, have deleted videos by an American-based physician, Dr Stella Immanuel, who claimed to have recorded a 100 per cent success rate in the treatment of COVID-19 using hydroxychloroquine.

The video was first published by Breitbart News, a right-wing medium co-founded by Steve Bannon, a former aide to American President, Donald Trump.

In the video, which was shot in front of the United States Supreme Court, Dr Immanuel is seen with seven others wearing white lab coats calling themselves “America’s Frontline Doctors” and addressing the press.


President Trump, who is up for reelection in November, shared multiple versions of the video with his 84 million Twitter followers on Monday night.

During the press conference, she claims “you don’t need masks” to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and that recent studies showing hydroxychloroquine is ineffective for the treatment of Covid-19 are “fake science” sponsored by “fake pharma companies”.

“This virus has a cure, it’s called hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and Zithromax,” the woman claims. “You don’t need masks, there is a cure.”

The claims run contrary to multiple studies on the anti-malarial drug and advice from public health officials to prevent the spread of the virus.

According to CNN, a study found that neither hydroxychloroquine alone nor hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin appeared to affect the condition of patients at the 15-day mark. Additionally, unusual heart rhythms and elevated liver-enzyme levels were more frequent in patients receiving hydroxychloroquine alone or with azithromycin, according to the study.

The video quickly went viral on Facebook, becoming one of the top-performing posts on the platform with more than 14 million views before it was taken down Monday night for promoting misinformation. It was shared nearly 600,000 times, according to Crowdtangle, a data-analytics firm owned by Facebook.

“We’ve removed this video for sharing false information about cures and treatments for COVID-19,” a Facebook spokesperson told CNN, adding that the platform is “showing messages in News Feed to people who have reacted to, commented on or shared harmful COVID-19-related misinformation that we have removed, connecting them to myths debunked by the WHO.”

Twitter worked to scrub the video late Monday night after Trump shared versions of the video that amassed hundreds of thousands of views.

“We’re taking action in line with our Covid misinfo policy,” a Twitter spokesperson told CNN.

Twitter took action against the videos that Trump retweeted. By early Tuesday morning, the videos were no longer able to be viewed on his account. Twitter also took action on a version of the video posted by Donald Trump Jr. and others shared by Breitbart News.

The video was also removed by YouTube, where it had been viewed more than 40,000 times. Users attempting to access the video late Monday were greeted with a message that said it had been removed for “violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines.”

According to the website for America’s Frontline Doctors, the group is led by Dr. Simone Gold, a Los Angeles-based emergency medicine specialist who has previously been featured on Fox News for her views that stay-at-home orders are harmful. Gold told the Associated Press in May she wanted to speak out against stay-home orders because there was “no scientific basis that the average American should be concerned” about Covid-19.

America’s Frontline Doctors could not be reached for comment late Monday.

Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Professionals Forum have threatened to leave the party following the decision to sideline them in appointive positions.

National coordinator of the forum, Akeem Akintayo, at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, lamented that members who toiled for the party were not rewarded after election victories.

Akintayo who described politics as a game of interest appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to further enhance party loyalty and structures by empowering the party’s National Caretaker Committee to nominate those who participated actively to install his government into boards of government agencies and parastatals.

“Issues of lack of reward system still lingers on in the party. In the recent past, mostly big names have been rewarded who may not necessarily believe in the founding principles and ideology of our party, leaving the grassroots support base with professionals and intellectuals mostly unrewarded.

“We are unwavering in our repeated call on the President to give greater attention to the grassroots supporters by rewarding them with board’s appointments. Elections are won by the number of motivated grassroots support base, the continued feeling of neglect by majority of those who feel sidelined despite their sacrifices for the party including members of the APC Professional Forum is for us a red flag for the party as we move into the politics of 2023. Like Oliver Twist we find it more urgent to call on the President to improve on reward system as a way of strengthening the party. We also find the discordant tunes between some members of the executives and legislators as an embarrassment.

“Although we appreciate the President’s commitments to give teeth to his words “I am for no one, I am for everyone,” we wish to call on the President not to fail to reward those who made enormous sacrifices to campaign and vote for him as party men and women.

“Rewarding these men through an immediate release of board appointments to reward loyal party men and women will go a long way to enhance the reconciliation drive by the National Caretaker Committee and strengthen the party beyond 2023,” he said.

Following the announcement of the names of prominent Nigerians named after railway stations across the country, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has been the source of debate on social after Buhari failed to name any of the new train stations in his honour.

According to a statement by the Minister of Transportation, Buhari named the train stations after some deserving Nigerians “who have contributed to the progress and development of their respective communities and the nation at large”. Missing on the list was former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Here are five reasons, Buhari may have omitted Obasanjo’s name;


1 Obasanjo Has Monuments Named After Him Already

Obasanjo has monuments named after him like National Open University of Nigeria research centre, a major road in Kano state, Kalambo Station in DR Congo etc


2 Obasanjo Is A Major Critic Of Buhari

Buhari and Obasanjo have always been at loggerheads since 2018, following a statement made by Buhari insinuating that Obasanjo wasted $16 billion on power projects. This has given rise to altercations between the incumbent President and the former President.


3. There Are Other Projects Ongoing In The Country

We can never can tell, the ongoing Lagos Ibadan expressway construction may be named after the former President. This may just be a case of reserving the best for last.


4. Could Buhari Be Trying To Spite Obasanjo?

It is no news, the feud between Prof. Wole Soyinka and Obasanjo. Recall that the Nobel Laureate in 2019 called Obasanjo the Nation’s biggest hypocrite. Prof. Wole Soyinka’s name made the list of train station’s renamed and Obasanjo’s name didn’t.


5. Obasanjo’s Insensitivity

The current administration has been met with several backlash from the former President. In 2019, Obasanjo opposed the reelection of Buhari accusing the president of poor handling of the economy, among others.

Eniola Akinkuotu, Abuja



The Special Adviser to the President on Anti-Corruption, Abiodun Aikomo, says the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has the power to stop any corruption case without recourse or explanation to the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

Aikomo, who works in the office of the AGF, said this on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme while responding to allegations that Malami had not been cooperating with anti-corruption agencies.

The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), had accused Malami of frustrating the war against corruption.

In his response, Aikomo said, “With due respect to Prof. Sagay, the constitutional powers to enter nolle prosequi (stop prosecution) has been given to the attorney-general. The attorney-general does not owe anybody any explanation; not even the President. And the Supreme Court has ruled on this several times.

“So, these powers are not something somebody can second guess. That is what we are talking about. The attorney general’s power to enter nolle prosequi is borne out of so many things and it is not a power that is at large. The constitution has circumscribed how the power should be used and I can say confidently that is how the attorney-general has exercised this power.”

On why the attorney-general had discontinued many corruption cases in court, Aikomo said there were many things that were usually considered before cases are allowed to go forward.

“There are so many things you are not privy to. There are so many considerations that you may never know and you will never know. Everything, the attorney-general knows. The attorney-general has an eagle view of issues in the prosecution arena. He coordinates all the activities of the prosecution in Nigeria,” the aide said.

However, Mr. Tosin Ojaomo, who is the lawyer to the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim
Ojaomo said Malami had failed to prosecute cases that he had taken over from the disbanded Special Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property.

Investment announcements tracked by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) dropped by $10.09 to $5.06 billion in the first half of 2020, compared with the $15.15 billion investments recorded in the first half of 2019, translating to 67 per cent decline.

In the report released at the weekend, NIPC stated that, “The decline is consistent with the expected downward pressure on investment flows given the negative global economic impact of COVID-19.”

In the report, NIPC which tracked 34 projects across 16 states, FCT and the Niger Delta from January to June, 2020, listed the top investment destinations during the period as Kaduna State ($2.61bn), Lagos ($221m), Nasarawa ($56m), Ekiti ($50m) and Cross River ($15m).

The United States of America was the most active source of investments during the period, with 43 per cent of the announcements.

The other major sources were South Africa (31 per cent), domestic investors (16 per cent) and the United Kingdom (eight per cent). While the report may not contain exhaustive information on all investment announcements in Nigeria during the period, it however, gives a sense of investors’ interest in the Nigerian economy.

“NIPC did not independently verify the authenticity of the investment announcements but is working on tracking the announcements to facilitate their progress to actual investments,” the commission revealed.

Meanwhile, NIPC announced that negotiations with the leadership of the NIPC staff union on their industrial action had been concluded.

A statement released by the commission’s Director, Strategic Communication Department, Mr. Emeka Offor, indicated that after extensive discussions with union officials over several days, two agreements were signed by all parties on Friday to end the week-long industrial action.

Iyobosa Uwugiaren in Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and top leaders of the party yesterday met with the Edo State governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, in Abuja, where they insisted that the party’s victory in the September 9 governorship election in Edo State is not negotiable.

This is coming as Ize-Iyamu, has said that with his manifesto titled ‘’SIMPLE AGENDA,’’ he has signed a contract with the people of Edo State, which they will use to regularly hold him accountable.

One of the governors who attended the meeting told THISDAY that the governors and the National Campaign Council’s members used the meeting to review the preparations for the election and fine-tune strategies on how to win the poll.

According to him, the APC leaders also resolved to employ all “democratic methods’’ in ensuring that APC wins the election

Some of the state governors who attended the meeting include, Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos); Yahaya Bello (Kogi); Senator Hope Uzondinma (Imo State); Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano); Mai Mala Buni (Yobe); Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and some members of the campaign council.

‘’The meeting was very fruitful, we reviewed the activities of the campaign council so far; and what is needed to strengthen the campaign. Our candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu also briefed the meeting and we were satisfied with his input. Let me say that Ize-Iyamu’s victory in the election is not negotiable; we will employ all democratic methods in ensuring we win the election.

‘’We have a very good candidate for the election, and our jobs have been made very simple. Pastor Ize-Iyamu is a grassroots politician, he is a man that has shown a single-minded determination to the politics of the state all his life.


‘’And this intuitive commitment has won him a lot of committed loyalists all over the state, Nigeria and in the Diaspora’’, the governor who spoke with THISDAY in confidence stated.


The meeting of the APC governors and leaders, according to insiders, was at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari, who was said to have directed them to ensure that the party wins the September governorship election in Edo State by deploring all their resources in mobilising the electorate for the party’s candidate.

THISDAY gathered that Ize-Iyamu was also expected to meet with Fayemi and some ministers, led by the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Ameachi for another strategic meeting late last night in Abuja.

Meanwhile, Ize-Iyamu, has said that with his manifesto titled “SIMPLE AGENDA,’’ he has signed a contract with the people of Edo State, which they will use to regularly hold him accountable.

The SIMPLE AGENDA, according to him, encompasses socio-political, economic, welfare, jobs creation, women/youths empowerment, security and other issues, which will be deliberately and consistently implemented, immediately he is sworn by the grace of God in November this year as governor of Edo State.

“Although the potentials of the state are huge in terms of our ability to attract tourists, investments and quality jobs, but the current security situation in the state makes the realization of these potentials unrealistic and unattainable.

“Many of those in Diaspora have demonstrated their willingness to come home and invest their skills and material resources for the state’s development, given proper incentives.

“Unfortunately, the current level of insecurity in the state makes the realisation of its full economic potentials a pipe dream. We will provide an enabling environment for our people so that they can channel investments back to our state’’, Ize-Iyamu explained in a press statement issued by the Media Unit of his campaign organisation.

He argued that the global best practice approach to security delivery, which involves all stakeholders in the communities and the use of well-trained and motivated personnel will be adopted to make the people of the state to sleep with their two eyes closed once again.

A 28-year-old woman, Mrs Clara Vincent, has allegedly committed suicide by drinking sniper after quarrelling with her husband,

City Round learnt that the deceased, who lived on Ebewi Street at Agodo area of Lagos State with her husband, was rushed to the General Hospital, Isolo, Lagos where she was confirmed dead.

Her cousin, Mr Lawrence John, who reported the case to the police, said the family suspected foul play, alleging that the husband had a hand in her death.

He said, “My cousin, Clara, was said to have taken her own life after drinking sniper. She was rushed to the General hospital, at Isolo, where she died.

“We were surprised that the husband had packed up the body and ready to take her to his hometown in Umuezeala in Imo State for burial without the knowledge of her family members. We suspect that the husband killed her based on the misunderstanding they had in previous times.”

Our correspondent learnt that the husband was in police custody for interrogation.

John added, “Her remains have been deposited at the hospital mortuary for autopsy. The husband has been arrested by the police and the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, for further investigation.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana told our correspondents that investigation was ongoing.

He said, “I am aware of the case and I can tell you that investigation is ongoing while we await the result of the autopsy.”

A woman identified as Khadija Dauda, is currently in the custody of the Kogi State Police Command for allegedly pouring hot water on her 14-year-old step-sister, Zainab Dauda.

The woman was handed over to the police by the State government through the ministry for women affairs, which directed her arrest when the information on the development got to the ministry.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Fatima Kabir Buba, told journalists on Friday in Lokoja, that the accused carried out the act when she had misunderstanding with her step-sister, thereby causing severe burns on the girl.

It was learnt that the 14-year-old victim lost her mother some years back and had been undergoing endless torture from her step-siblings.

Parts of Zainab’s body have been badly scalded as a result of the hot water poured on her which is being treated by the ministry.

The commissioner described the incident as wicked and inhuman, assuring that the ministry, under her leadership, will ensure justice for the 14-year-old Zainab Dauda.


https://cdn.dailytrust.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG-20200717-WA0017.jpg
Zainab Dauda


“This is total wickedness. “How would a sane person pour hot water on her fellow human being? “The Kogi State Government won’t condole this brutality.

“We are going to follow this case to a logical conclusion and ensure that Zainab Dauda gets justice,” she promised.

She noted that the wife of the state governor, Hajiya Rasheedat Bello will leave no stone unturned to ensure that any individual engaging in child battering, molestation of the girl child, child trafficking and other heinous act will be made to face the full wrath of the law. The police said the offender will be charged to court next week.

The Rivers State Police Command has rubbished reports that the armed operatives who attempted to arrest the former Managing Director of NDDC, Joi Nunieh were not sanctioned by the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State.

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike had shortly after rescuing Nunieh claimed in an interview that the officers could not show a warrant for her arrest neither was the police hierarchy aware of their presence.

But the Rivers Police Command in a statement released by SP Nnamdi Omoni, the Public Relations Officer, said the operatives were on legitimate duty.


Omoni confirmed that the personnel at Nunieh’s residence were from the IGP Monitoring Team in Abuja and were in Port Harcourt on official assignment.

NEWS: Reps order arrest of NDDC boss, Pondei
The statement added that before the officers proceeded to her residence, they observed due protocols and requisite standard operating procedures, including going through the processes of arriving themselves at the Headquarters with their Investigation Activities duly signed and approved by the Commissioner of Police, CP Joseph Mukan.

“The attention of the Rivers State Police Command has been drawn to an Online Publication, credited to Vanguardngr.com, where it was erroneously reported that ‘the MOPOL presence at the residence of Joi Nunieh was not the directive of the Command’.


“Ordinarily, such a phantom report should have been ignored but due to the potential danger inherent in keeping silent, the Command is minded to react and state the true position as follows: That they went to her (Nunieh’s) residence with Mobile Policemen, suggesting of course that they were there on official duty and not illegal duty as speculated.

“That, the reference indicating that the Officers were there without the directive of the CP nor the IGP is preposterous and most unfortunate, hence should be discountenanced and disregarded,” the statement read.

WOMEN in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday protested the continued suspension of the only female lawmaker in the House of Assembly, Favour Semilore Tomomewo.

They threatened to boycott the October governorship election if Favour is not recalled.

The lawmaker was among the three legislators suspended by the leadership of the Assembly for alleged unruly behaviour.

The women, under the auspices of the National Council for Women Society (NCWS), Ondo State chapter, protested at the office of Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Adekola Olawoye, where they demanded reinstatement of Tomomewo.

NCWS President Pastor Jumoke Aborode said the suspension of the only female lawmaker was an embarrassment to the womenfolk.

She said it was a slap on the womenfolk not to have a voice in the Assembly as party primaries and elections are approaching.

Olawoye said the protest should be directed to the House of Assembly.

Twenty-five-year-old Victoria Okocha, yesterday, gave a chilling account of how she was abducted by suspected herdsmen in Isa-Ogwashi-Uku area of Delta State, gang-raped and forced to drink another victim’s blood as water, while in her captors’ den.

Okocha left her home town in Ubulu-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area of the state last Friday, heading for Asaba, the state capital, when they sighted a fallen tree across the road at Isa-Ogwashi.

Apparently thinking the fallen tree was as a result of the downpour the previous day, the driver, according to her, kept moving toward the direction, until they discovered too late that it was used to barricade the road.

She said: “By the time the driver attempted to reverse, it was too late as a man armed with a cutlass, hit his side window in an attempt to drag him out of the vehicle. Passengers hurriedly jumped out and ran into the bush in different directions.

“But I was unlucky because I had cramps and fell. Another one got hold of me and dragged me into the bush, while the driver, who was inflicted with machete cuts managed to escape.

“They took me far into the bush and demanded N20 million ransom. When I told them my family could not afford that amount because we are poor, they threatened to cut my breasts and pluck out my eyeballs from their sockets if they did not get the amount.

“They were five in number and only one of them could speak English. I was blindfolded and had my hands tied. Five of them took turns to rape me that night.

“When they contacted one of my relatives, Afamefune, he begged that they reduce the amount and they agreed to reduce it to N5 million. I stayed with them for two days before my people could raise some money, which was dropped at a designated place. They also collected N2,000 out of the N3000 cash I had in my bag.

Offered blood to drink

“In my weak state, I begged them to give me some water to drink and they offered me blood. The blood was that of a lady they kidnapped and murdered while I was there. They also drank out of the blood.

“Leader of the gang, who could speak English, told me that their intention was also to kill me because my family did not give them a reasonable amount. But he intervened by sending other members away and told me to run away, showing me the direction to take. I was able to locate the road, where I saw a vehicle that was heading towards the direction of my village.”

Meanwhile, the Police in Delta State, according to her family, had been informed of the incident. But efforts to reach the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, failed as she could not be reached on her mobile telephone.

But sources at the command said the command had been working round the clock to address the worrisome trend, which kidnapping had assumed in the state, disclosing that some arrests had been made.

The Federal Government on Monday announced the suspension of all unnecessary travels for meetings by government officials till further notice.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman, Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, said this in Abuja at the 50th joint national briefing of the taskforce.

He also said that government or board meetings should be conducted virtually until further notice. Mustapha also said that Nigerians must remain vigilant as the pandemic would not go away by a wish, neither would it go away if people refuse to keep safe.

“Please let us all resolve to play our part, while the Government does its best to save lives and livelihood. To this end, all government offices shall continue to hold virtual meetings in their offices especially where participants exceed four persons and suspend all unnecessary travels for meetings.

“For corporate organisations, board members, among others, the reopening of the domestic flights should not be misconstrued.

“The PTF strongly encourages virtual meetings as well; we still urge places of worship to cautiously follow the guidelines on public gatherings, and we urge members of the political class to exercise utmost circumspection in their gathering for whatever reasons,” he said.

According to him, the decision was part of the outcome of the PTF mid-term Review of the National Response Strategy. He said that the Mid-term review had in attendance legislators including the Chairmen of the relevant Committees on Health in the Senate and House of Representatives, the Office of the Vice President, Ministers, Diplomatic Community as well as development partners.

On the case management deficit, Mustapha said that the focus was on having enough oxygen nationwide as the number of hospitalized persons increases. On the testing deficit, he said that the plan was to establish one sample collection centre per local government areas.

“Underlying the above, as a cross-cutting initiative is an enhanced Risk Communication Strategy designed not only to educate the citizenry on the virulence of the virus and individual and collective roles but more importantly to tackle the deliberate misinformation being bandied around especially in the social media.

“An enhanced Risk Communication strategy becomes inevitable when we realise that within the last 24 hours, the world witnessed the largest single-day cases of 230,370 while in Nigeria the last week recorded the highest weekly fatality of 70 deaths,” Mustapha said.

On the controversy surrounding schools resumption, the SGF said, “The PTF has followed with keen interest the conversation around the resumption of schools. We recognize that our children are precious and we would not do anything to compromise their safety.

“The PTF has assessed the circumstances and has put in place necessary guidelines to be followed while the managers of the sector have the responsibility for drawing up the protocols and determining the dates. “We urge Nigerians to follow closely the critical steps being taken by the Federal Ministry of Education in conjunction with other stakeholders,” he said.

He added that the Federal Ministry of Education has released guidelines for schools and learning facilities reopening after COVID-19 Pandemic closure.

He said that the guidelines clearly spell out major things to consider before schools and learning facilities shall reopen, the reopening process, sequencing and scheduling of safe reopening and decisions about schools reopening.

SOME of Nigeria’s strategic partners in the anti-corruption battle have taken more than a passing interest in the ongoing probe into activities of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under suspended acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu.

Key countries – some of them having mutual legal assistance treaties with the country – are monitoring the process of the investigation, it was learnt at the weekend.

They include the United States (U.S.), the United Kingdom (UK), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), France and Switzerland.

For one week, Magu has been detained. He was accosted on the road in Abuja and dragged to appear before the Justice Isa Ayo Salami Presidential Investigation Panel, which is probing allegations levelled against him by Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami.

On Sunday, he denied the claim that he failed to account for the interest in the N550 billion recovered fund kept in CBN’s custody.

In a statement by his lawyer Wahab Shittu, Magu said such recovered fund kept with the Central Bank of Nigeria do not generate interest.

The statement said: “It is falsehood that Magu placed N550 billion recovered loot into a deposit account.

“The alleged transaction never featured in the proceedings before the Salami panel. Magu was never confronted with any such allegation by the panel and the news is blatant falsehood.

“To the best of Magu’s knowledge, no such amount is in any such account and he remains aghast at such outrageous figures. No one has confronted Magu with such allegations.

“All recovered funds are lodged in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Such recovered funds do not generate interest. This is elementary and can be verified from the CBN and the federal ministry of finance.

“This can also be confirmed from other government revenue generating agencies. Funds kept in TSA account do not generate interest.”

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the United Kingdom, the United States and others are closely monitoring development on the allegations against Magu and the activities of the Presidential Investigation Committee.

There are some investigative cases in which Nigeria and some of these foreign nations are collaborating on.

Looted funds, which Nigeria is battling to recover, were stashed away in some of these countries.

A top diplomatic source said some of these nations are taking their time to monitor what is going on which is why they have not issued a joint statement on the development in EFCC.

The source said: “Despite the fact that we have our individual intelligence on the development in your country, we are sitting and watching what is going on at the investigative committee.

“We want to know if the allegations against Magu are true; if the process of investigation is in conformity with international best practices; whether there is fair hearing and the implications of the challenge at hand for the anti-corruption campaign in your country.

“We are as curious as every Nigerian in knowing the truth about all these allegations. Ultimately, we desire strict commitment to the Rule of Law, social Justice, upholding the fundamentals of democracy and human rights, fairness and equity to all and a corruption-free Nigeria.”

Another senior diplomat, who has deep knowledge of Nigerian politics, said: “My country knows a lot about power play in Nigeria ( even as it may apply to this case) but we are careful in dabbling in the affairs of your country.

“We are being meticulous in monitoring the fact-finding committee because its findings and recommendations might determine your commitment to the anti-graft activities.”

An expert in one of the international agencies said: “All members of the Diplomatic Corps, global financial institutions and donor agencies are interested in the ongoing investigation of EFCC’s activities under Magu.

“We have been comparing notes at the diplomatic level, especially by countries like the UK, the U.S., France, Switzerland, Italy, UAE and others. We are giving all the parties the benefit of the doubt, even though the activities of some political office holders are predictable in this circumstance,

“Whatever is the outcome, it will assist in reaching conclusions on where Nigeria is headed in fighting corruption and ensuring justice.”

Also at the weekend, a global coalition against corruption wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari over Magu’s travails.

It alleged that the former EFCC boss may be “a pun in the desperate attempts by corrupt officials to kill the EFCC or turn the agency into a willing tool of corrupt politicians.”

The letter was signed by Mr.Lucas Manes (Re:Common); Nicholas Hildyard ( Corner House); Simon Taylor (Globalwitness) and Mr.Olanrewaju Suraju(HEDA)

The groups have been investigating corruption by Nigerian politicians and officials and the complicity of European and U.S. banks, companies and others in facilitating such corruption

The groups said: “What is going on in Nigeria is of concern to the international community. Mr Magu has proved himself to be up to the task. His determination to fight corruption is evident by the recovery of stolen funds and properties plus his own high moral ground earned at the cost of diligence and hardwork never before seen.

“His removal questions the will of Nigeria to deal with a major cause of the country’s underdevelopment which is corruption.

“Some of the groups’ most significant contributions to Nigeria’s anti-graft effort is the historic exposure of Nigeria’s top oil companies linked to large scale corruption and their on-going trial in Italy and other European courts.

”We are therefore greatly alarmed – as are others in the international anti-corruption movement – by reports that Magu has been detained and/or suspended following allegations against him that were reportedly made by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr, Abubakar Malami (SAN).

The groups said the international community was not opposed to Magu being investigated since all allegations of corruption must be thoroughly probed.

But it alleged that due process and the proper disciplinary procedures have not been followed.

It added: “The procedures are clearly being hijacked by detractors of Magu in the political space and this is eroding the potential credibility of the outcome of the panel constituted to probe these allegations. The hounding of Magu through seemingly politically connected sponsored media harassment only makes matters worse”, the groups stated in the letter.

The coalition alleged that Nigeria’s image may be dented if the situation at hand is not well handled.

The groups said: “We have been hugely impressed by the dedication of its investigators and by the disciplined leadership shown by Acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu.

“The agency is completely different from the sclerotic, timid, politically captured bureaucracy that it was In the receipt period. The credit for this is due in large part to you for appointing Magu and sticking with him despite efforts to unseat him.

“The respect that Nigeria has gained is exemplified by the recognition accorded to Magu, not least by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, which recently honoured him with an Award of Excellence.

“Indeed, in meetings we have had with this, and other agencies, conversations have often referred to the impressive current leadership of the EFCC.

“The Attorney-General of the Federation has apparently sought to bypass the usual administrative procedures of issuing a query to an accused officer under his ministry in favour of a political approach.

“The procedure risks severely denting Nigeria’s reputation abroad and urging the President to enforce a “zero tolerance to political interference” as recommended by the Edinburgh research group.

“We note that many of the allegations reportedly made by the Attorney-General of the Federation have already been investigated by same AGF under your instruction in 2017 and that Magu was exonerated in respect of the corruption allegations: only those related to insubordination were freshly leveled.

“We are concerned that accusations of “insubordination” risk crossing the line that ensures the independence of prosecutors from political interference. Despite bearing false witness being illegal, no-one has been investigated or charged in relation to bringing the false allegations against Magu in 2017.

“We realize that you have been placed in an invidious position by the AGF. However, we very much hope that you will find a way forward that protects the huge strides made by the EFCC under Magu’s acting chairmanship.

“We very much doubt if the Italian case on Malabu Oil Block (OPL 245) would have reached the stage that it has without his committed and diligent response to Mutual Legal Assistance requests. At this critical stage in the trial, his replacement for political reasons would be wholly regrettable and would only give succor to those being prosecuted.”

Unknown to Ibrahim Magu, President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate him as far back as 2018, TheCable can report.

The DSS, which has a financial crimes unit, played the central role in unearthing the allegations for which the suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is now facing a presidential probe.

The president was said to have been shocked when the DSS provided a comprehensive dossier on Magu which was “damning”.

“If Magu was a man who can read the signs, he should have asked himself why the president did not re-present his name to the senate for confirmation as EFCC chairman since the new national assembly was inaugurated,” a senior presidential source told TheCable.

The current senate has never turned down any nominee of the president, unlike the previous one which refused to confirm Magu.

However, it would appear Magu eventually got wind of the moves against him as he tried to ingratiate himself with the president.

“He came to the mosque at the presidential villa to say Jumaat prayers along with the president on June 5, but the president was not very comfortable with it,” the source said.

“President Buhari prefers to pray with his family and personal aides, so he was not happy when Magu wangled his way to the mosque after the partial lifting of lockdown.

“An instruction was then issued that he should not be allowed to come to the mosque.”

The trigger for the DSS investigation, according to the source, was the report of the presidential committee on audit of recovered assets.

The three-member committee was inaugurated on November 22, 2017 by Buhari to audit all assets recovered by agencies of the federal government from May 29, 2015 when his government was inaugurated.

The committee was headed by Olufemi Lijadu, with Mohammad Nami and Gloria Bibigha as members.

Lijadu is now the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) while Nami was appointed chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The committee submitted its report six months behind schedule because of the extent of the work, and the aspect on EFCC “took the president by surprise”.

The report said the EFCC reported a total naira equivalent of N46,038,882,509.87, while the naira equivalent of the foreign currency lodgements were N37,533,764,195.66, “representing a shortfall of N8,505,118,314.21″.

“These inconsistencies cast a serious doubt on the accuracy of figures submitted by the EFCC. It is the committee’s view that the EFCC cannot be said to have fully accounted for cash recoveries made by it,” the report noted.

“While EFCC reported total Naira recoveries of N504,154,184,744.04, the actual bank lodgements were N543,511,792,863.47. These discrepancies mean that EFCC’s actual lodgement exceeded its reported recoveries by N39,357,608,119.43.”

Buhari immediately asked the DSS to investigate Magu.

While DSS identified several properties allegedly owned by Magu in Dubai, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) played a major role in providing intelligence on his alleged financial dealings.

NFIU, the central national agency that handles disclosures and intelligence in the financial sector, used to be under the EFCC but was excised and made an independent body in July 2018 despite Magu’s opposition.

The suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has again been accused of failing to give a proper account of missing 332 – out of the 836 recovered – real estate property in March 2018.

Magu has not specifically reacted to the latest allegations, but he has always maintained he did nothing wrong.

Magu is reported to have written to the Inspector-General of Police in which he “provided both documentary and oral evidence to clear the air on all the allegations.”

His counsel last weekend said Magu had submitted video and documentary evidence to Attorney-General Abubakar Malami before now and would produce more to shame critics.

A report by the Presidential Committee on Audit of Recovered Assets (PCARA) made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) confirmed the development, indicating that the unaccounted property was worth billions of naira. The report also noted massive wastage and deterioration of physical assets (including landed property, cars and vessels recovered by the EFCC due to poor management.

It also noted with concern the failure to preserve and realise the economic value of the recovered assets, noting that some of the assets were recovered over 15 years ago and left fallow.

“A disturbing example is the two vessels that allegedly sunk at NNS Beecroft Naval BASE, Lagos and NNS Pathfinder Naval Base in Port Harcourt without trace under the watch of the acting Chairman of EFCC. “The vessels named MT GOOD SUCCESS, MV PSV DERBY and MV THAMES were allowed to sink in spite of several warnings from the Navy on the need to evacuate the petroleum products in the vessels.

“The total value of the assets lost due to the negligence runs into millions of US dollars. “The (suspended) acting Chairman is yet to provide a report on what happened to these vessels,’’ the report said.

Magu, who is facing charges of mismanagement and lack of transparency in managing recovered assets as well as flagrant disobedience to directives and to court orders, would be expected to provide answers to the conflicting figures.

Managing assets

The PCARA report also noted that the few consultants hired by EFCC were not managing a substantial number of the recovered assets and that the EFCC has no capacity to manage the entire assets on its own.

The committee, therefore, alerted the nation on the economic and environmental implications of this negligent of duty by the commission. It equally observed that EFCC made conflicting submissions or returns to it in respect of the non-cash assets which substantially affected the committee’s assignment.

The report read in part: “For instance, EFCC stated 836 as the number of Recovered Real Estate in the Original Returns it made to the President on 07/04/2017. “However, in its 1st Returns to PCARA on 13/12/2017, EFCC short-changed the system and gave the figure of 339 thereby failing to account for 497 property.

“It is interesting to note that when the Acting Chairman was further queried on this lapse, he made further contradictory 2nd return of 504 on 09/03/2018 thereby bridging the gap to 332 property.’’

The committee identified lack of internal control mechanisms/ systems within EFCC and Lack of adequate returns by EFCC Departments and Zonal Offices as reasons for these discrepancies and inconsistencies by the commission.

The suspended EFCC boss was also alleged to have neglected and refused to comply with the Regulations on the Management of Recovered Assets, 2019 as he embarked on disposing some of the property without regard to extant law.

“These Regulations was issued in line with international best practices and to ensure that all the anti-corruption agencies report all their recovered assets in a database provided by the Federal Government.

’’It is important to note that the (suspended) Acting Chairman in apparent disregard of the regulation is disposing of these properties without regard to extant laws, and Regulations and without reference to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and in effect, there is no way to have an audit of the property.

“This is also a clear sign that there is a deliberate attempt to hide the exact figures of recoveries, which is an indication of fraudulent intent. “These actions of the (suspended) Ag. Chairman in refusing the Regulation is a clear case of refusal to follow lawful instructions and directives contrary to the provisions of the Act that establish the EFCC,’’ a separate report on the matter, addressed to the president, further noted.

Corrupt enrichment

According to the fresh report obtained by NAN, Magu and some top officials of EFCC were allegedly using these recovered assets to corruptly enrich themselves.

The report also listed the number of the affected properties suspected to have been illegally acquired as well as the bank accounts of those individuals serving as fronts for Magu and the affected EFCC officials.

“Most of the recovered assets are allegedly sold without anyone knowing and without proper records and without recourse to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing that has the mandate to undertake evaluation of such property.

“Some of the assets have been taken over by EFCC officials while some are sold at a giveaway prices to friends and cronies of the Acting Chairman.

“It is also on record that the (suspended) acting chairman is maintaining different accounts, including using proxies who return the benefit of the sold assets to him. “These funds are then used to procure property and lands in the names of some of his proxies,’’ the report further stated. (NAN)

Pressure is piling on President Muhammadu Buhari to see the ongoing investigation of alleged sleaze against the suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, to a logical conclusion and restore the integrity of his anti-corruption campaign.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Association of Middle Belt Ethnic Nationality (ASOBEM), in separate statements, said the revelation from the probe of Magu was an indication of the failure of the anti-corruption fight and incompetence.


However, regardless of the perceived dent his action might have put on Federal Government’s anti-graft campaign, President Buhari has said Magu is not immune to probe as there will be no sacred cows in his government.

The PDP, in a statement by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the allegations to which Magu should answer also include reported violation of rules, victimisation of Nigerians and stealing of recovered funds.

The party described Magu as not only unfit to lead an agency like the EFCC but has also reduced the anti-corruption agency to a house of corruption.

It berated Magu for turning the commission’s headquarters and the war against corruption into a “partisan witch-hunt organisation that thrives in violation of rules, abuse of investigation processes, manipulation of court procedures as well as a vehicle to harass and extort money from innocent Nigerians.”

The PDP insisted that Magu should be made to provide an answer to allegations in the public space that he was more interested in securing politically induced convictions rather than justice.

“What Nigerians expect at this time is for the Federal Government to ensure Magu’s prosecution in court as well as take necessary and decisive steps to restore the integrity of the EFCC by ensuring that Magu’s replacement as EFCC chairman is thoroughly screened to avoid the ills and violations experienced under the suspended acting chairman,” PDP stated.

The opposition party said while breaching the rules of engagement Magu allegedly turned the EFCC into a terror house where innocent Nigerians are harassed with trumped-up charges and convicted on media trial even before being allowed to defend themselves in court.

The statement reads in part: “There are also allegations of violation of rights, including allegedly making his victims make statements in custody without the services of their lawyers.

“This is in addition to insinuations in the public that the indicted EFCC boss was also harassing certain judges to get a conviction on cases.

“Nigerians can recall that under Magu, the former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, was bold to state that once a corrupt person joins the APC, all his sins are forgiven.

“Moreover, the memo by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, detailing charges of diversion of recovered funds, secret sale of seized property and insubordination among others now validates the position of most Nigerians that Ibrahim Magu lacks the required discipline, exposure and experience to head an agency like the EFCC.

Also reacting, the Secretary-General of the Middle Belt Forum, Reverend James Pam, faulted the noncompliance with the federal character principle in the appointment of heads of the antigraft agency.


He called for a review of the act that established the EFCC to reflect the peculiarities of the country and also give room for people of proven integrity to take over the commission.

“The Federal Government, since the beginning of this dispensation, has been appointing the headship from a particular part of the country without recourse to the federal character.

“ASOMBEN is also of the view that the act which established the EFCC should be reviewed. The chairman of the Commission does not have to be a police officer.


“All those that had occupied the seat to Magu have always ended up in trouble, why can’t it be another people of high integrity in the society like retired judge or clergyman,” he said.

But the president, through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, dismissed insinuation that Magu’s investigation has derailed the administration’s anti-corruption war.

He said “Those who see Magu’s investigation as a signal that the fight against corruption is failing have unfortunately missed the boat.


“There is no better indication that the fight is real and active than the will to investigate allegations in an open and transparent manner against those who have been charged to be custodians of this very system.

“Under this president and government, this is our mantra and guiding principle.

There are no sacred cows, and for those who think they have a halo over their heads, their days are also numbered.

“Mr Magu was not immune – and regardless of the obvious embarrassment that potential acts of wrongdoing by him, given the office he held, may appear for the government.

“No other administration in the history of Nigeria would have moved to bring into the light and public domain such an allegation,” Shehu said.

The presidency affirmed that there are other individuals in the commission who can be trusted to carry on the anti-corruption fight.

Shehu explained that the allegations levelled against Magu necessitated the probe in line with extant laws.


He also said the probe would afford Magu the opportunity to defend himself.

The presidential spokesperson, in a statement, said the suspension of Magu allows the commission to continue with its work without the cloud of an investigation hanging over it.

“As is the proper procedure, when allegations are made against the chief executive of an institution, and in this case an institution that ought to be seen as beyond reproach, the chief executive has to step down from his post and allow for a transparent and unhindered investigation.

“The EFCC does not revolve around the personality of an individual, and as such cannot be seen through the prism of any individual.

“Therefore, the suspension of Magu allows the institution to continue carrying out its mandate without the cloud of an investigation hanging over its head.

“The EFCC has many good, hardworking men and women who are committed to its ideal and ensuring that the wealth of our country isn’t plundered and wherein there is an act of misappropriation such person(s) are brought to justice.

“Meanwhile, Mr Magu is being availed the opportunity to defend himself and answer the allegations against him. This is how it should be, as is the fact that under the Laws of Nigeria every citizen is presumed and remains innocent until proven guilty.

“We must realise that the fight against corruption is not a static event, but a dynamic and ever-evolving process in which the EFCC is just one actor, and as we continue to work towards improving our democratic process so shall every institution of ours also embark on that journey of evolution.


“What is however important is that there must be accountability and transparency and our people must realise that they would be held to account. This is the building block in the fight against corruption, the establishment of the concept of accountability and the recognition of the rule of law.”

There are indications that the Nigeria Police Force has taken far-reaching decisions over Mr. Ibrahim Magu, suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Police sources told Vanguard that the management team decided that the embattled EFCC boss should be made to carry his cross based on the fact that while he was presiding over EFCC, he deliberately failed to respect senior police officers and never attended senior officers meetings chaired by the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Adamu Muhammed.

Magu, who is currently facing trial before the Presidential Investigation Panel over allegations of corruption levelled against him, is said to have been abandoned to his fate, following his refusal to identify with the police hierarchy while he was the commission’s boss.

The IGP reportedly summoned a meeting with the Force Chief Legal Officer, CP Augustine Salomi, in attendance, where the decision was taken.

On Tuesday, Vanguardreported that operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, and riot policemen stormed Mr. Magu’s private home in Karu and his official residence in Maitama in Abuja, which were ransacked.

Furthermore, President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly warned serving ministers, senior police officers, and top government officials not to be seen offering any assistance over the case.

It was also gathered that the presidential panel has given the directors and senior staff of EFCC seven days to come up with all files containing cases handled under Ibrahim Magu since 2018.

The Justice Ayo Salami panel investigating allegations of infractions against the suspended Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) chairman, Ibrahim Magu, has been given absolute freedom by President Muhammadu Buhari to probe and recommend whatever can lead to a complete overhaul of the commission.

Magu first appeared before the committee, led by the former president of the Court of Appeal on Monday to respond to charges of alleged discrepancies in the reconciliation records on recovered funds, insubordination, disobeying court orders, among others.

The suspended EFCC chairman, who was hauled before the panel sitting at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa by a team of security agents, has been answering questions from its members through sessions lasting many hours daily.

A senior government official disclosed to Daily Trust Saturday that the president did not set a limit to the committee and has given it absolute freedom to recommend to him, not just on issues relating to Magu, but other areas that could help turn the anti-graft body around.

It was for that reason that the panel expanded its scope and sent invitations to some directors and senior management staff of the EFCC, who appeared before it on Thursday, Daily Trust Saturday gathered.

Heads of departments of the commission were asked to submit detailed report of their activities from 2015 when Magu was appointed chairman, just as other staff in the Asset Forfeiture and Procurement and Finance department were asked to provide receipts, serial numbers of all recovered assets and tender records.

The Federal Government, which set up the panel, has not disclosed its terms of reference. But the top government official said the scope of the probe was not being limited to Magu, adding that it would also target other general issues in the EFCC.

“The president did not set limit to the Salami committee. He instead gave them absolute freedom to recommend anything, not only about Magu, but on the commission in general.

Whatever they recommend, the president will consider, and that is why they are expanding the scope of their work beyond Magu,” he said.

With the governorship election in Edo state just two months away, Governor Godwin Obaseki last three weeks started what is seen as the process of clearing the impediments for his re-election as governor of the state by moving from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); few days after he was disqualified by the Screening Committee for the Edo State governorship election.

Obaseki’s disqualification, climaxed what is seen as a long-run battle between the governor and the former National Chairman of APC and a former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole.

Obaseki’s disqualification was occasioned by discrepancies in the certificates presented and also the difference in the names contained in his National Youth Service Service Corps (NYSC) certificate dated 6th August 1980. The committee observed that he bears the name “Obasek” Godwin, different from Obaseki, a factor the committee believes could compromise its chances in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo.

Such errors have cost the APC some states in the past and no serious political party would risk the potential implications of such grave error in an attempt to please its members.

Although Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu believe his disqualification from the contest is a witch-hunt by what they often describe as godfatherism orchestrated by Comrade Oshiomole, it is clear that the APC was not ready to take any chance and allow itself to be a willing tool to win the election for an another party, bearing in mind its experience in Zamfa and Bayelsa states.

“In our interaction with issues raised, we concluded that HSLC was defective, the NYSC certificate and based on the party’s Constitution, this has made us to recommend that the above candidate therefore, Obaseki, is not eligible to participate in the election,” chairman of the committee, Prof. Jonathan Ayuba stated in defence of the action.

Governor Obaseki’s spokesman, Crusoe Osagie described the outcome of the screening as a mockery of democratic process, which he claims Comrade Oshiomhole is administering and superintending over in APC. “It has been an unfortunate, disheartening and dreadful spectacle,” Osagie said. While Osagie sees Obaseki’s disqualification as open show of shame, illegality and travesty of justice, he failed to see the obvious.

When Obaseki was disqualified by the APC screening committee for the governorship election and he eventually moved to the PDP, not a few people said it was clear Obaseki is in for a serious trouble because without Oshiomhole and the APC that brought him to office in 2016, he is one of the most unpopular candidates in the coming elections.

For watchers of political events in Edo state between 2007 when Oshiomhole was first elected as governor of the state and the role he played in the election of Obaseki in 2016, they believe that winning the governorship election is one of the unlikely objectives for Obaseki. He faces grave hurdles that are most likely to stop him from coming back as governor of the state in September.

Speaking on his movement to PDP, Andrew Etokhana an APC member opposed to Obaseki’s second term said “Pitching tent with the PDP offers him some semblance of stability to succeed in the coming election. But in the real sense of it, Obaseki’s candidature is like a thing built on nothing. Beyond the fact that making Obaseki their candidate has emerged as an albatross for the PDP, Obaseki is currently like a general without command. He has no political structure to drive his ambition”.

“Mr. Obaseki has and still facing stiff opposition within his new party, the PDP. Many PDP members are averse to his emergence as the party’s flag bearer in the coming governorship election.

“Except for the intervention of top interests from within and outside of Edo state, picking the ticket of the party would been a shadow chase, largely due to the fact that he was not proactive enough to build friendship across party lines, like his predecessor. Many still see his coming into the party as an imposition by those who want to takeover leadership of the state at all cost”.

A staunch member of the PDP and former Commissioner of Information in Edo state, Kassim Afegbua is among those in the PDP who are opposed to Obaseki’s adoption in the state head the election. Like Afegbua who has vowed to join forces with the APC to ensure the defeat of Obaseki in the September 19 governorship election, many PDP members are not happy over his coming into their party. That number is huge in the state. Obaseki will need to work harder to convince such opposing voices, to be able to get their votes at the polls.

Those who belong to that group wonder – rightly how Obaseki it once branded a failure, suddenly merited the ticket so much that all three aspirants stepped down for him.

“We will join hands collectively with the APC candidate to ensure that Godwin Obaseki does not return. I am PDP member, but I will vote APC. A man with the humility of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is better than a governor who fights everyone who disagrees with him,” Afebgua is a politician that can wished away with the wave of hand.

Speaking further, Etokhana “On the flip side, without Oshiomhole’s support, Obaseki is standing on an empty stage without followership or congregation to call his own. That’s the truth. Not a few people would agree that Obaseki now faces his toughest battle in his political career”.

“He rode on the crest of evidential popularity and enviable goodwill of the APC in Edo state to become the state Governor in 2016. Apart from the overwhelming support for the APC in the state, Obaseki’s access to the government house was also largely aided by the legacies of his predecessor, Oshiomhole who bestrode the state to a higher status, making it one of Nigeria’s fastest growing states – in roads network, education, job creation, economic growth, youth empowerment and security, among others. As it stands, he has swept the legacies of his predecessor under the carpet, while elevating politics far and above governance and provision of the dividends of democracy for the good people of the state”.

“Obaseki is actually walking a tighter rope at the moment. There are indications that he is not even popular among his Benin people like his major rival and candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the coming election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu”.

“Those who describe Obaseki as a political weakling are quick to recall on February 23, 2019, Obaseki lost his ward, LG, federal constituencies and senatorial district in the Presidential/National Assembly elections. On March 18, 2019, Obaseki purportedly suspended Gen. Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere (rid) from APC. That aside, on October 6, 2018, was accused to have allegedly imposed his preferred candidates for National/House of Assembly elections on the party in several LGs of the state”.

Another member of the Edo Peoples Mandate (EPM) said “At the height of his political idiosyncrasy, on July 3, 2019 to be specific, he sacked people he believe were loyal to Oshiomhole, while accusing the state APC leaders of fighting him for access to the state treasury to share Edo money”.

“At the throes of that unwarranted fight with some party stalwarts, Governor Obaseki sacked eight commissioners and special advisers and many Local Government Chairmen believed to be Oshiomhole”s loyalists. On July 4, 2019, Chris Okaeben was suspended from the APC by the Oredo LG chapter of the party. On July 23, 2019. Obaseki was fingered in the fight against the ministerial nomination of Clem Agba by President Muhammadu Buhari. On July 31, the chairman of Etsako West LG, Yakubu Musa, was suspended”.

According to analysts, another factor that will make it harder for Obaseki to win the election in the state is the growing level of unemployment and its resultant effect on insecurity.

Those who spoke with this newspaper lament the rising insecurity, prostitution, internet fraudsters and rituals in the state, a situation they attribute to the governor’s insensitivity to the plight of the people.

Afegbua aptly put it recently in a media engagement when he noted that Edo has become too polarised over avoidable and needless battles. As a solution, he called for a new leadership that will usher in quiet and peace to everyone. The noises from the Obaseki aspiration have become too polluted and cannot be in the best interest of anyone, he said.

Speaking further, Etokhana said “Some aggrieved youths of the state had threatened to withdraw their support for Governor Obaseki’s re-election over failure of the Governor to deliver on his promise to them. Their claim is that women and elders of the party who voted for him have been abandoned”.

“How the Governor hopes to win the people’s confidence in the face of defects in his administration of the state since the last three years remains to be seen. The popular view in the state is that Obaseki has not done significant deals for the state to merit a re-election in September” .

The fate of over 16,000 Nigerian students in the United States is currently hanging in the balance as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) moves to deport foreign students whose schools will switch to online classes due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The development, however, has drawn the ire of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which blamed the Federal Government for neglecting Nigeria’s educational system.

The Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP), which is run by ICE, in a new rule released on Monday, had said foreign nationals enrolled in U.S. educational institutions will have to transfer to in-person schools or take online classes outside the country. Otherwise, they will be deported. Also, the Department of State will no longer issue visas to students to attend schools that offer online classes only.

The statement reads in part: “The U.S. Department of State no longer issues visas to students enrolled in schools or programmes that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit such students to enter the United States.


“Active students who are currently in the United States and enrolled in such programmes must leave the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status. If not, they will have to face immigration consequences.”

But in a telephone interview with The Guardian, ASUU President Prof. Abiodun Ogunyemi recalled with regret “a time foreign students were coming to Nigerian universities. Students were coming from South Africa, Egypt and Ghana.”

According to him, “Today, the reverse is the case. In Ghana, more than half of the foreign students there are Nigerians. So, we can see that they are just harvesting our resources to fund their tertiary education. Why should Nigerians be going to the Republic of Benin, Cameroon, Togo, and Sudan to seek university education, not to talk of U.S.?”

ASUU’s incessant strikes are in the interest of students and their parents, he insisted, stressing that all the union is saying is: “Fix our laboratories, stock our libraries, renovate our workshops, supply facilities for e-learning and provide structures. Are those not the things they are enjoying there?”

The ASUU President said further: “Of course, the ruling class that can afford it are those sending their children to those distant places in America and Europe. The children of the poor are left to attend universities that are without facilities, universities that are not adequately staffed, and universities whose capacity for research have been dwindling. We think this is an opportunity for the Federal Government to sit back and address the problems in our university education and indeed Nigerian education as a whole.”


Also, former Minister of Education Prof. Chinwe Obaji wondered how courses like engineering and sciences that require practicals would be taught online. He called on government to make the universities attractive to Nigerian students abroad by tackling its many challenges, adding that COVID-19 is a temporary setback, which all nations would surmount in due course.

On his part, Prof. Ayodeji Olukoju, former Vice Chancellor at Caleb University, Imota, said: “The truth is that this situation is peculiar. It is unprecedented. It is not sustainable. In due course, we will conquer it. We once conquered the pandemic in 1819, Ebola, and we will surely conquer COVID-19. Nothing is permanent. It is true that online teaching would always continue but it can never take away the issues of face-to face interaction. For example, those students studying engineering in American universities and lab-based sciences, would they do all those things from a distance?”

He added: “We should adjust our curriculum to reflect the reality, mainly that we have to depend more and more, now, on online teaching. Secondly, we need to provide more infrastructure of online learning, ICT infrastructure essentially.

“Thirdly, we have to train people who can manage the infrastructure and those who want to teach on the platform because you can’t teach on the platform the way you teach in conventional classrooms. This is not a permanent situation but the world has to adapt to it.”

Most U.S. colleges and universities have not yet announced their plans for the fall semester but a number of schools are looking at a hybrid model of in-person and online instruction while some, including Harvard University, have said all classes will be conducted online.

Nigeria currently has the highest number of students from Africa studying in the U.S. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Nigeria had 16,039 students as at 2019.

The agency said: “There are over 36,000 students from Sub-Saharan Africa studying in the U.S. As of March 2019, there were 16,039 students from Nigeria studying in the United States with 54 per cent male and 46 per cent female.

“This is an increase of 3,342 students over 12,693 students recorded in November 2018. Undergraduate students constituted 34 per cent; Masters students 36 per cent; doctorate formed 12 per cent; while associate was 12 per cent. Non-degree and others formed five per cent.”

According to the agency, the top five states for Nigerian students in the U.S. include Texas with 2,713; California, 856 students; Maryland, 827 students; New York, 818 students; and Florida, 753 students.


Also, the over 16,000 Nigerians currently studying in the U.S. contributed $514 million to the U.S. economy in 2018, according to official data from the 2019 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange released by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The report indicates that Nigeria was the 11th leading place of origin for foreign students in the U.S. as of the 2018/2019 session. It accounted for 1.2 per cent of the total number of 1,095,299 international students in the country.

A breakdown of the figure shows that 5,689 of Nigerian students were at the undergraduate level; 5,274 at graduate level; 367 were non-degree students; and 2,093 were on Optional Practical Training (OPT).

OPT is a period during which undergraduate and graduate students work for one year on a student visa toward acquiring practical training to complement their education.

Olalekan Jacob Ponle, popularly known as Woodberry, was nabbed through details accessed from his WhatsApp, iPhone and Bitcoin transactions, court documents obtained by PREMIUM TIMES reveal.

Mr Ponle, alongside Ramoni Igbalode, also known as Hushpuppi, was arrested in the United Arab Emirate on June 10 for multiple fraud charges after a raid by operatives of the Dubai crime unit.

The duo were then extradited to the United States on July 2.

Mr Ponle, 29, is currently facing charges bordering on wire fraud conspiracy at a United States District Court sitting in Illinois.

The court had since June 25 issued an arrest warrant to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding Mr Ponle’s case after a criminal complaint was filed.

His first appearance in court was on July 3, after which the preliminary hearing was set for July 16 before Judge Jeffrey T Gilbert.

However, as provided by a section of the U.S. laws on the release or detention of a defendant pending trial, Mr Ponle will be remanded in custody until a further order of the court.

If found guilty, he is liable to a jail term ranging from 20 to 30 years.

Page Pate, a U.S. law firm, stated on its website that penalties for wire fraud include a prison sentence of up to 20 years (30 years if the case involves federal disaster relief funds or a financial institution), restitution to any victims and a fine set by the judge.

How he was tracked

Ali Sadiq, a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), chronicled how the bureau tracked down through his online activities.

He said this in a criminal complaint document filed at the court and obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.

He stated that Mr Ponle, who often adopted a pseudonym Mark Kain, has defrauded several United States-based companies through Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes.

This scheme compromises legitimate business email accounts through computer intrusion techniques or social engineering and uses those accounts to cause the unauthorised transfer of funds.

Techniques for perpetrating these schemes include phishing, spear phishing, identity theft, email spoofing, and the use of malware.

“Beginning no later than January 2019 and continuing until at least September 2019, OLALEKAN JACOB PONLE conspired with others to engage in BEC schemes to defraud several United States-based companies. These schemes resulted in attempted and actual losses to victim companies in the tens of millions of dollars,” the criminal complaint document read.

As part of the scheme, he reportedly directed ‘money mules’ in the United States to open bank accounts in the names of victimised companies.

According to Mr Sadiq, proceeds from BEC schemes, “ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars”, were then wired by unwitting employees to the bank accounts opened by Mr Ponle’s mules.

Mr Ponle then instructed the mules to convert the proceeds to bitcoin (virtual currency) and to send the proceeds of the BEC schemes to a bitcoin wallet that he owned and operated.

Bitcoin, a type of cryptocurrency, is generated and controlled through computer software operating on a decentralised peer-to-peer network.

Its transactions are recorded in the Bitcoin blockchain which makes it hard to trace because the identities of individuals are partially anonymous.

Massive scheme, more findings

In fact, one of those BEC schemes involved two Chicago-based companies. One was defrauded of $2.3 million and the other, sent wire transfers totaling $15.3 million.

Preliminary blockchain analysis done by the FBI indicated that the 29-year-old received at least 1,494.71506296 bitcoin related to these BEC schemes, valued at over $6 million dollars at the time he received the proceeds.

Finding also revealed that the money mules in the United States were approached by a person they knew as “Mark” or “Mark Kain.” Mark later directed them to open bank accounts in the names of these companies.

Those accounts received proceeds from the BEC schemes, and on Mark’s instructions, the
money mules converted proceeds to bitcoin and sent proceeds to Mark.

According to Mr Sadiq, “Mark Kain” contacted Individual B using telephone number (323) 985-4088 (“the 4088 phone number”).

Mr Sadiq noted that these telephone details were records obtained from Dingtone, a messaging and voice call application.

He added that his review of the chat transcripts from online messaging applications like WhatsApp showed him how Mr Ponle and his mules transact.

“Mark instructed Individual B and Individual A to send money to the bitcoin wallet 16AtGJbaxL2kmzx4mW5ocpT2ysTWxmacWn (“the 16AtGJ BTC Wallet”) on at least nine occasions.

“Records obtained from Bitpay, a processor of cryptocurrency transactions, indicated that between approximately September 18, 2015 and November 29, 2016, the 16AtGJ BTC wallet made five purchases associated with the Gmail account hustleandbustle@gmail[.]com (the “hustle Gmail account”).

“Based on records obtained from Apple, an iCloud account (Subject Account 1) was subscribed to by Jacob Olalekan, listing the 7890 phone number, the hustle Gmail account, and a physical address in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“Based on my review of records from Apple, Subject Account 1 contained several identity documents and photographs of PONLE. These included a photo of a Nigerian passport with a photo of an individual named Olalekan Jacob Ponle, born in May 1991 in Lagos, Nigeria, a photo of a United Arab Emirates visa with a photo of an individual named Olalekan Jacob Ponle with the profession ‘marketing’,” the document read.

The FBI agent insisted Mr Ponle and his accomplices, gained access to emails and financial records of these companies to perpetrate fraud.

“Based on the above information, there is probable cause to believe that, beginning no late than January 2019 and continuing until at least September 2019, at Chicago, in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, PONLE conspired to commit wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349,” Mr Sadiq said.