₦airaland Forum

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

May 23, 2016
A prosecution witness, Mr. Mustapha Yerima, narrated to a Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, how a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Badeh (retd.), acquired a N650m plot of land in Abuja for the construction of a shopping mall.

Yerima, a contractor and the fourth prosecution witness in Badeh’s ongoing trial, also told Justice Okon Abang, how he helped the Air Force boss to build the shopping mall on the land located along Amino Kano Crescent, Abuja.

Led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, the witness said the land acquired by Badeh for the purpose of building the shopping mall was originally owned by Ayodele Fayose (suspected to be the Ekiti State Governor).

He said Badeh eventually acquired the land from the third buyer.

Yerima said he reached a bargain with Badeh to build the mall for N1.2bn.

He said that a former Director of Finance and Account of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Aliyu Yishau (retd), who had earlier testified as the first prosecution witness (PW1), was the middle man between him and Badeh.

Yishau had testified how he was handing over the dollar equivalent of the N558.2m to Badeh at the Chief of Air Staff’s official residence on monthly basis and also how he helped Badeh to use the money to acquire landed assets in Abuja.

Yerima said on Monday that he received N340m as mobilisation for the job and that he also received about N860m directly from the account of the Nigerian Air Force as part of the payment for the construction of the mall.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting Badeh alongside a firm, Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, on 10 counts of money laundering bordering on alleged fraudulent removal of about N3.97bn from the Nigerian Air Force’s account.

The anti-graft agency accused Badeh of using the fund to buy and develop landed assets in Abuja for himself and two sons between January and December 2013.

Yerima said on Monday that he paid the N650m for the land in cash on behalf of Yishau, who was allegedly acting for his boss.

The witness said, “I am a contractor. Life Builders Technology Limited. I do partnership with other companies. But I am the Managing Director of Life Builders.
http://punchng.com/fayoses-n650m-land-passed-badeh-contractor/

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

BY ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION MAY 18, 2016
A witness, Hussein A. Umar on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 told Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja how he assisted former Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Air Chief Marshal Alex S. Badeh in the purchase of two properties in choice areas of Abuja.

Umar, a private legal practitioner who testified as PW3 while being led in evidence by counsel to EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, told the court that he assisted Badeh and the erstwhile director of finance and accounts at the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, Air Commodore Salisu Abdullahi Yushau in the purchase of two properties situated at No 6, Ogun River Street, Off Danube Street, Maitama, and No 14, Adzope Crescent, Off Kumasi Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja for the sums of N1.1billion and N360million respectively.

According to him, “sometime in 2012, Yushau called me to his house to tell me that his boss (Badeh) was interested in acquiring a befitting retirement home in Maitama. He asked me to source for the befitting accommodation which I did. When I got the property at 6, Ogun River Street, Off Danube street, Maitama, we went for inspection and two days after, he (Badeh) met me at the said site at 8:30pm in a Toyota Tundra which Yushau drove.

“This was the first time I had ever met Badeh. He said I should go on with the process of legal searches on the property. After the search, Yushau and Badeh visited the property again, but this time with a lady who was introduced to me as the wife of Badeh; his son named Kam and his daughter, slim and smallish (in frame). They carried out joint inspections and they all were happy with the property. Yushau then gave me the go-ahead to negotiate with the owner of the property.

“The owner and I negotiated and agreed on an amount, N1.1billion. I reported back to Yushau, who said he would get through to his boss.”

The PW3 further stated that, within a week necessary arrangements were made for the payment and Yushau called to tell him that the money was ready in US dollars.

“I collected $6.2million USD from Yushau. I gave it to Bureau de Change Operatives who transferred the Naira equivalent of N1.1billion to the account provided by the owner of the property. We concluded, and Yushau gave me the name to be used in preparing the deeds - Iyalikam Ventures”, Umar stated.

Umar further added that Badeh, through Yushau, in appreciation of what he did offered him $100,000 USD, the equivalent of N15m.

Regarding the purchase of No 14, Adzope Crescent, Off Kumasi Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja, PW3, Umar also gave details of how the purchase was made.

According to him, "sometime in 2013, Yushau called to tell me that he wanted me to meet one Honourable Bature. He said there was a property that they had already negotiated, and that he wanted me to see Bature, get the details of the property and prepare the deeds of transfer and other documentation as he (Yushau) was travelling. I was given the name- Iyalikam as the purchaser.

“He left the sum of $2million with me; the equivalent of N360million and he instructed that I pay Honourable Bature as soon as the documents were signed, which I did.

“At the time when Yushau was retiring, I met the attorney of the first defendant (Badeh), Barrister Timothy at Yushau's house, in the presence of one Engineer Mustapha. Yushau said his boss had instructed that I hand over all the documents in my possession of No 14, Adzope Crescent, Off Kumasi Crescent. I handed all the documents which had been signed by Honourable Bature (that still needed to be countersigned by the purchaser, Iyalikam), as well as the keys to the properties over to Barrister Timothy.

“I didn't see or hear from Barrister Timothy until February/March this year when he requested to see me urgently. He said that an ongoing investigation involved Badeh and that he wanted to know if I could claim 6, Ogun River Street, Off Danube street, Maitama as my own since the transaction had not been perfected at Abuja Geographical Information System, AGIS. I told him that it was impossible. He dropped the phone and since then I have not heard from him.”

Umar further told the court that, Alex (jnr) also called him sometime between February/March, 2016, pleaded with him to assist in claiming the Ogun River property; a request he said was turned down.

After cross examination by counsel to the first defendant, Akin Olujimi, SAN, Justice Abang adjourned the matter to Thursday May 19, 2016 for further cross examination and continuation of trial.

Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
18th May, 2016

http://saharareporters.com/2016/05/18/armsgate-how-i-acquired-properties-badeh-choice-areas-witness

BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK MAY 18, 2016
A very low turnout marked the first day of the nationwide protests against the hike in the pump price of petrol by the Federal Government. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and civil society groups, on Tuesday, called on Nigerians to fully participate in the protest rallies and get the government to revert to the previous price of gasoline.

However, efforts to mobilize the mass have yielded little results as workers in the informal and formal sectors went about their businesses in Nigeria's commercial hub, Lagos. But the labour unions and civil society groups said they are not discouraged by the low participation of the public.

In Yaba area of Lagos, where the protest kicked off at 6am on Wednesday, the crowd was thin.

Efforts to mobilise more people did not yield results. However, the protesters continued. A group of protesters was sent to the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, where the gates were locked. Another group was sent to the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota, where no protest took place as at the time of filing this report.

Reacting to the poor turnout, Comrade Emma Ogbuaja, NLC's Head of Department of Education, said: “We are not discouraged. The government can deploy all resources to destabilize us, we shall remain true to the struggle. No worker should fall for the government propaganda in the media. All workers should support the struggle. It is the right thing to do.”

Comrade Abiodun Aremu, Secretary of pro-labor Joint Action Front (JAF), also told the small crowd that industrial action is the major tool to get the government to do the wish of the masses. “We voted this government because we thought it was pro-people, but so far it has only brought hardship on the people. It is the masses that always suffer the draconic policies of the government. The government is taking from the poor to enrich the wealthy,” he said.

http://saharareporters.com/2016/05/18/fuel-price-protest-hit-low-turnout-lagos-nlc-says-its-not-discouraged

May 18, 2016 By Ade Adesomoju, Abuja
The first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Mr. Michael Wetkas, told the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Tuesday that Saraki bought a property worth N375m in London in 2010 which he did not declare.

Saraki is being prosecuted on 16 counts, including false and anticipatory asset declaration which he allegedly made when he was the governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2007.

Wetkas said under cross-examination by defence counsel, Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), that the Senate President neither declared the London property nor the liability of the loan in his asset declaration form submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau at the end of his second term as governor in 2011.

Usoro disputed Count 11 of the charges, in which Saraki was accused of failing to declare his liability of N375m loan and the London property.

Usoro said the Senate President was not bound to declare the N375m as his liability because as of the time he made his end of tenure asset declaration as governor on June 3, 2011 his debit balance was about N36m.

But Wetkas said while it was true that that the debit balance on the account was N36m as of May 31, 2011, Saraki failed to declare the property he allegedly acquired in London with the loan.

The witness said, “There are two issues. The issue of the loan and the issue of property he used the loan to buy in London.

“Our position is that we are aware that the outstanding balance was not N375m but N36,042,202.04 as at that date.

“But if that loan was taken for something else apart from property, we would not have made an issue out of it. But it was taken to buy a property. Our position is that, that property should have been declared in this asset declaration form of 2011. And if it was declared in the asset declaration form, the source of how the property was acquired would have been declared that the money was sourced through loan.”

While fielding questions on the alleged anticipatory asset declaration by Saraki, the witness maintained that 5A and B McDonald Road , Ikoyi, Lagos, on assuming office as the Kwara State governor in 2003 was the same as 15 McDonald Road Ikoyi, Lagos.

He said the Presidential Implementation Committee on the Sale of Federal Government’s Properties confirmed that it sold 15 McDonald Road, Ikoyi, to Saraki through the Senate President’s company, Tiny-Tee Limited, in 2006.

But, the witness said Saraki claimed in his asset declaration form submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau on assumption of office in 2003 that he acquired 15A and B McDonald Ikoyi, Lagos, through Carlisle Properties Limited in 2006.

He added, “I have always said it in my evidence about 15 McDonald Road, Ikoyi. We maintain our position that that property was one and the same property that the implementation committee wrote to us about.

“The implementation committee did not tell us that there existed15 A and B separately.

“The Managing Director of Carlisle Property, Mr. Izuagbe, also talked about 15 McDonald as the property belonging to the defendant (Saraki) and the defendant in the asset declaration which he made in 2011 and 2015, delcared the property as 15 McDonald Road, Ikoyi; he no longer said 15A and B.

“That is why we maintained the same position that it is the same property. The nomenclature is just at convenience of the defendant.”

The witness confirmed that the Certificate of Occupancy for the property at 15 McDonald Road, Ikoyi, was issued in the name of Tiny Tee Limited and not in Saraki’s name.

On why he concluded that the property belonged to Saraki, Wetkas said that the asset at 15 McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, was paid for by Saraki through the bank accounts of two other companies which Saraki had declared its interest in.

He also said the Managing Director of two of Saraki’s companies; Carlisle Properties and Investment Limited and Sky View Properties, Mr. Sule Izuagbe, confirmed that the payment for the property was made on the instruction given by the Senate President.

But Saraki’s lawyer, Usoro, said the defendant being an ordinary shareholder in the companies, he could not have been said to be the owner of the assets acquired by the firms.

Usoro said Carlisle and Skyview were both limited liability companies and thus had separate personalities different from that of Saraki.

In response, the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), said the issue of ownership of the property was clear as Saraki himself had declared the property as his in his asset declaration form.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, revealed that there were attempts to influence the tribunal to rule in a particular way during the trial of a former Governor of Lagos State, and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.

Umar said at the opening of the trial of Saraki on charges of false and anticipatory asset declaration, among others, on Tuesday, that despite the pressure mounted on the panel members during Tinubu’s trial, the tribunal ruled on what was put before it.

The CCT chairman said this while allaying the fears of Saraki and his lawyers that the tribunal was being controlled by external influence.

He assured the defence team of the determination of the tribunal to do justice in the case as he and his co-panel member would give account to God.

He said, “I want to say that during Bola Tinubu’s case we were under serious influence. But you saw what happened. We did what we needed to do and discharged based on what was before us.

“So we must be fair to ourselves not to delay this trial.”

http://punchng.com/saraki-failed-declare-n375m-london-property-witness/

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

Posted By: Emeka Ugwuanyi and Akinola Ajibadeon: May 13, 2016
Subsidy removal yesterday worked like magic in Lagos as long queues disappeared at petrol filling stations.

At filling stations in Ikeja, Mushin and Ikorodu Road, among others, petrol was being sold. Some known for “good metering” had queues of about five to 10 vehicles. Others were empty and motorists drove in and out freely. Some filling stations were not selling because, the attendants said, they have no fuel.

But Commercial buses and taxis have increased their fares. For instance, buses that ply Eko Hotel to Ojuelegba collect N250 as against N150. Ojuelegba to Ikeja is now N250 as against N150. Mowe/Ibafo to Oshodi, which was N200, has gone up to N250. Egbeda to Oshodi, which was N150 is now N250. Dopemu to Yaba is N300 as against N150.

Although the removal of subsidy was praised by many Nigerians, particularly those in the manufacturing and operators of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as they need not labour to access fuel, there are concerns that with the state of the naira, some marketers may still sell above N145 per litre as they will source their foreign exchange (forex) from the secondary market, meet their logistics requirements and tackle other issues.

When NNPC was importing and giving the marketers at subsidised price with some margin for using their (marketers) retail outlets and a little profit, some of them sold at N130 per litre. Now that the government has fixed the price at N145 per litre, marketers may not stick to the government’s margin.

Mobil Oil Plc spokesman Akin Fatunke said the N145 per litre template for any patriotic marketer that is not greedy is enough. According to him, the government factored the cost of forex acquisition, logistics needs and marketers’ margins into the new price. The new price can only increase if there is a major economic depression, which will make the price of dollar soar far more than it is now or if the price of crude rises very high.

He said: “At this point in time, if we put everything together in terms of Platts, logistics and other things, the new price is okay. Any reasonable, efficient and proactive businessman can make profit with the new price template despite the cost of securing forex, importing and clearing from the ports.”

Fatunke said any marketer who wants to sell above the new pump price does that at his/her own detriment because aside the fact that the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) will closely monitor the retail outlets, in the long term also, there will be supply glut due to competition and people will buy at stations with lowest price and “good pumps”.

He agreed that some marketers have proclivity for profiteering but noted that with subsidy removal, there will be competition among marketers because the government looked at all the nooks and crannies in terms of petrol price before settling for the price band of N145 per litre. In Fatunke’s view, pump price will not be same across the country, depending on how far a filling station is from the port. He cited the current price in Ibadan and Enugu, which is higher than what obtains in Lagos.

Any marketer who sells above N145 is not only profiteering but should be seen as a cheat, he said, adding that there will be a glut in the market in the long run and such marketers will be out of business.

http://thenationonlineng.net/queues-disappear-lagos-n145litre-pump-price/

BY ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION MAY 11, 2016
Operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 quizzed a former governor of Cross Rivers State, Senator Liyel Imoke, for his alleged involvement in the N500million collected by the Cross Rivers State’s chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Mr. Ntufam John Okon.

The N500m was part of the $115m allegedly lodged in Fidelity Bank Plc, in controversial circumstances, during the 2015 electioneering campaign period by the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison- Madueke.

Also, a former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Imasuen, and a former Secretary to the State Government of Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize Iyamu, have been interrogated by operatives of the EFCC for collecting the sum of N700million( Seven Hundred Million Naira) from the $115million fraud.

The money was reportedly collected from Fidelity Bank Plc, Mission Road, Benin City branch, on March, 2015.

Iyamu, a People's Democratic Party, PDP's presidential campaign coordinator in the 2015 presidential election, admitted to have collected the money from the bank.

He told EFCC's interrogators that he went to the bank on that fateful day with Imasuen and a former House of Representatives member representing Edo Central, Tony Azeigbemi (who is yet to be arrested by the EFCC) and the money was handed over to them by an official of the bank.

Both Imasuen and Iyamu signed for the collection of the money.

Investigations by the EFCC showed that the two politicians conveyed the money from the bank in a bullion van to the residence of a top politician in Edo State.

The Commission is on the trail of the politician for the recovery of the money.

Both Imasuen and Iyamu are still in the EFCC custody and will be charged to court soon.

Wilson Uwujaren,
Head, Media & Publicity,
May 11, 2016

http://saharareporters.com/2016/05/11/efcc-grills-ex-governor-imoke-others-115m-bank-fraud

BY WILSON UWUJAREN MAY 11, 2016
A prosecution witness, Wakili Dauda, in the ongoing trial of a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick Akpobolokemi, and six others, has told a Lagos State High Court how the agency paid him the sum of N96, 764, 689.00million( Nine-six Million Seven Hundred and Sixty-four Thousand Six Hundred and Eighty-Nine Naira) for doing nothing.

Testifying before Justice R.1.B Adebiyi on Monday, May 9, 2016, Dauda, owner of Kofa Father Nigeria Limited, a Bureau De Change, stated that the sum of N96, 764, 689.00million was paid into his account, on October 30, 2014, in two tranches of N35, 688,000.00 and N61, 076,680.00 by the agency’s Committee tasked with the Voluntary International Maritime Organisation Member State Audit Scheme (VIMSAS) Project Committee of NIMASA.

Speaking through an interpreter, Ibrahim AbdulHakeem, a registrar with a Magistrate Court, Wakili further told the court that he was shocked when he received the money.

According to him, "I don't have any customer with NIMASA, and I don't have any transaction with NIMASA either. I have never received any contract award from the Committee of VIMSAS in NIMASA.

‘‘One Mohammed Danliti collected my account number, saying that his customer wanted to deposit money into it. I bought Dollars with this money and gave it to Mohammed Danliti. He mentioned the name of the customer as Captain Bala.

‘‘I don’t know anything about NIMASA. My company has two directors: Wakili Dahiru Dauda and me.’’

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, six prosecuting witness, PW 6, Yahaya Muhammad Yusuf, aka Danliti, explained his involvement in the diversion of N754,740,680 (Seven Hundred and Fifty Four Million, Seven Hundred and Forty Thousand, Six Hundred and Eighty Naira), describing both Wakili Dauda and Tashiru Garuba as the owners of Kofa Fada Nigeria Limited.

Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, Muhammed, a Bureau de Change operator, said: ‘‘I know Captain Bala Agaba as a customer who came to buy and sell money to me in dollars.

‘‘Wakili Dauda gave me money in dollars, which I gave to Captain Bala Agaba. He paid the money into Kofa Fada’s account.

‘‘I forwarded the account number to Captain Bala because he is a good customer to me.

According to him, Kofa Fada did not know or have any contract with NIMASA.

While being cross-examined by the defence, Muhammad, who also confirmed that he gave money to Captain Bala in Dollars, added: ‘‘Captain Bala knows that I do not have a license to operate (as Bureau de Operator), but we have been doing business together for the past 10 years. I work for myself. I gave Kofa Fada’s account number to Captain Bala.’’

Akpobolokemi and six others are alleged to have diverted the sum of N754, 740,680 meant for the implementation of Voluntary International Maritime Organisation Member State Audit Scheme (VIMSAS) at NIMASA.
The others are: Captain Ezekiel Agaba, Ekene Nwakuche, Governor Amechee Juan, Vincent Udoye, Captain Adegboyega Sahib Olopoenia and a company, Gama Marine Nigeria Limited.

http://saharareporters.com/2016/05/11/i-never-did-any-business-nimasa-i-was-paid-n976m-witness

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

BY SAHARA REPORTERS, NEW YORK MAY 01, 2016
The Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), has urged the National Judicial Council (NJC), to suspend judges that are being investigated for corruption from adjudicating on matters in the country pending when they will be cleared by the government agencies investigating them.

In a petition forwarded to the Chairman of NJC and signed by the group’s chairman, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, CSNAC said it is an indictment on the judiciary that judges who have been entangled in a web of corrupt practices are still been allowed to preside over cases in court.

According to CSNAC, the development will be a clear case of double standards because precedence had been set in the issue of Mr. Kunle Kalejaiye SAN, who was caught illicitly communicating with a judge in Osun State, was disrobed, and the Justice Thomas Naron, who was involved, was also removed.

The petition reads: “In its report of 25th April, 2016, SaharaReporters an online newspaper, reported how the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have discovered more damning evidence that a well-known lawyer, Rickey Tarfa (SAN) currently undergoing trial for alleged bribery to a judge, transferred huge sums of money to several other judges, including a female member of the Court of Appeal, Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, who reportedly received N8 million from Mr. Tarfa. Justice Abba-Aji played a key role in election petition cases in the hotly contested states of Delta and Akwa Ibom after the 2015 general elections.

The report also states that Justice Abba-Aji was one of the appellate justices who gave the controversial verdict that the use of election card reader was not a legitimate way of determining votes. Some judicial watchers believe the ruling gave a leeway to election riggers in both states. In 2009 and 2010, SaharaReporters had reported that Justice Abba-Aji was one of the justices who allegedly accepted millions of Naira in inducement to uphold the validity of the election of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. Mr. Yar’Adua who himself conceded that the election had significant irregularities.

Furthermore, EFCC investigators also found and further charged Mr. Tarfa of transferring funds to a bank account belonging to the Chief Judge of Nigeria, Ibrahim Auta. A source at the anti-corruption agency disclosed that Mr. Tarfa made a one-time deposit of N500,000 into the Chief Judge’s account. “He is yet to explain why he paid the money to the Chief Judge". Mr. Tarfa who is currently facing trial for allegedly paying a bribe of N225,000 into the bank account of Justice Mohammed Yunusa in January 2014 has been accused of receiving the sum of $500,000 from one of his clients in 2006 ostensibly to bribe “court and EFCC officials.”

CSNAC wrote further that, “Investigators have also alleged that Mr. Tarfa and four other Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) “donated” N7 million to launch a book written in honor of Justice Auta, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court. The EFCC has found an additional transfer of funds made by Mr. Tarfa to Justice Auta. In his statement of defense, Mr. Tarfa had claimed that some of the transfers were for the hiring of two retired judges, Mustapha Abdullahi, and Oponu-Wusu, which is clearly against the rules governing legal practice in Nigeria, as retired judges are prohibited from law practice upon retirement from the judiciary.

Furthermore, Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa, who serves in the Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State is also allegedly ensnared in the bribery scandal. The embattled Mr. Tarfa claimed that he paid money to Justice Nganjiwa because the judge was part of Mr. Tarfa’s law firm before he was appointed to the bench in 2012. However, his defense crumbled when EFCC investigators discovered that part of the N5 million the he had paid into Justice Nganjiwa’s account was later routed to Justice Yunusa.

“Unfortunately however, up till this moment, the judges named in Mr. Tarfa’s widening bribery scandal continue to preside over cases despite the commencement of the trial of Mr. Tarfa and another lawyer at the center of the bribery. Mr. Tarfa himself has also remained a member of the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee; the body responsible for awarding the title of Senior Advocates of Nigeria to legal practitioners. This is clearly a case of double standards where Mr. Kunle Kalejaiye SAN, who was caught illicitly communicating with a judge in Osun State, was disrobed, and the Justice Thomas Naron, who was involved, was also removed.

“It is an indictment on the judiciary that judges who have been entangled in a web of corrupt practices are still been allowed to adjudicate on matters in the country. This dangerous trend if allowed to continue will put the judiciary in a bad light and further erode the confidence Nigerians are fast losing in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man.

“CSNAC is therefore by this petition calling on the Commission to also conduct further internal investigation, in collaboration with the EFCC, into the aforementioned matter and mete out necessary sanctions to the indicted judges. The recent independent investigation by an undercover investigative journalist in Ghana leading to indictment and subsequent sanction of affected judges is a reference point and a challenge to our judicial system. In any sane society, the law is sacrosanct and no one, no matter how highly placed is/should be above it,” the petition said.

http://saharareporters.com/2016/05/01/group-urges-njc-suspend-investigated-judges

Posted By: Yusuf Alli, Abuja on: April 29, 2016
More arrests are on the way in the probe of the huge cash some oil companies pumped into the failed bid to change the 2015 presidential election results. Some of the cash has been recovered.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested some bankers. It plans to haul in some oil barons who contributed $115m (N23, 299,705,000billion) to bribe some Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials. The officials were to alter the results of the election in which President Muhammadu Buhari, the tehn candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) beat then incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.

The owner of an oil company, Leno Olaitan Adesanya, yesterday reported at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja for interrogation.

He was however asked to go to the commission’s office in Lagos for questioning.

Two others, who have been summoned by the EFCC, were said to have gone underground and incommunicado.

The EFCC has recovered N408.7million from some of the beneficiaries of the slush funds.

Fidelity Bank refunded N49.7million, its profit from the disbursement of the N23.29billion provided by former Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

Some former and serving INEC officials in Oyo and Ogun states refunded N359millon.

More officials of INEC were said to have rushed to the EFCC to refund the bribe given to them.

The EFCC team has intensified its investigation into the scandal.

It was learnt that besides INEC officials in the 36 states, the EFCC has invited the owners of the oil firms which contributed $88.35million of the $115million sent to Fidelity Bank by the ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources.

One of the four oil firms implicated in the bribery saga has been linked to former Governor of Delta State, who is serving a jail term in the United Kingdom, James Ibori.

It was gathered that the oil companies were mandated by Mrs Alison-Madueke to part with $88.35million as their contribution to Dr. Jonathan’s campaign.

Some of the oil chiefs were shocked by the findings of the EFCC that their donations were deployed in bribing INEC officials, The Nation learnt.

An EFCC source, who spoke in confidence, said:”Our investigation into the N23.29billion bribe has reached a critical stage. Six teams are working round the clock in all the geopolitical zones.

“The top officials of Fidelity Bank in custody have made statements, including the list of all beneficiaries and bank details of payments made to them.

“We are likely to arrest more suspects, especially the oil chiefs who provided about $88.35million of the $115million lodged in Fidelity Bank for conversion to naira.

“One of the clues we are probing is the likelihood of these funds being laundered by the oil firms and their owners.

“If these clues are proven, they may eventually face trial for money laundering. We will surely interact with these oil magnates.

“Some oil companies are under surveillance for their covert operation in diverting taxes and revenue meant for the Federal Government to fund campaigns. You can now understand why some of them were given tax waivers.”

The source added: “One of the oil chiefs, Leno Olaitan Adesanya, reported at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja but he has been directed to go to the Lagos office.

“We are expecting him for grilling on Friday (today). We have invited other oil chiefs but two of them have gone underground. We will fish them out wherever they are.”

Fidelity Bank and some former and serving officials of INEC have refunded about N408.7million to the EFCC.

While the bank refunded N49.7million, some former and serving INEC officials in Oyo and Ogun states paid back N359millon

A top EFCC source said: “While scrutinizing their records, we discovered that Fidelity Bank made a profit of N49.7million from the disbursement transactions made in all its branches nationwide. The management of the bank on Thursday refunded the profit while we are continuing investigation on other funds.

“Some former and serving INEC officials in Oyo and Ogun have paid back N359million to EFCC. What happened was that while N802m was voted for bribery of INEC officials and NGOs in Oyo State to change presidential poll results, about N629m was dished out in Ogun State,

“But some of these beneficiaries in Oyo and Ogun were suspicious of the sources of the funds. They cooperated and went to the designated Fidelity Bank branches and collected the cash. Instead of spending it, they sought the service of lawyers who advised them to open accounts to keep the cash in case there are issues in the future.

“When this matter came up, the lawyers assisted in locating the funds and the N359million was refunded.

“We are working on other beneficiaries to recover the slush funds.”

http://thenationonlineng.net/n23-3b-bribe-bank-inec-officials-refund-n408-7m/

Transition Monitoring Group Rebuffed N2 billion Bribe From Jonathan's Men Say EFCC Findings Has Vindicated The Organization

BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORKAPR 29, 2016
The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), a coalition of over 400 civic organizations on Friday, disclosed that sources in the Presidency under Jonathan’s administration offered a bribe of N2 billion to the organization which it rejected.

In a press statement issued Armsfree Ajanaku, Media Manager TMG and signed by Comrade Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, Chairman, TMG, the bribe offer came weeks ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Excerpts

Specifically, some errand boys from the Presidency at the time came to us with a dubious proposal that 50,000 agents of PDP be fielded as TMG observers.

In financial terms, the errand boys expressed the Presidency’s readiness to fund the fraud with the sum of N2billion Naira.

But with the realisation that a good name is better than silver and gold, we stoutly rejected the Greek gift, just as we held our head high in defence of the truth and the best interest of Nigerians.

TMG noted that it has been vindicated by the latest revelations from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) about how some INEC chiefs and election monitors shared froma N23.3 billion slush provided by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezzani Allison Madueke.

The participants in this grand scale bazaar had only one objective; to subvert the electoral process, undermine the votes of the Nigerian people, and rig in their paymaster.

It is utterly shocking that people entrusted with the sacred and heavy responsibility of superintending the electoral process would descend so low to stake the credibility of a critical democratic institution on the altar of quick enrichment.

In any case, TMG had always known that the day of reckoning would come for all those who sought to exchange the sacred position they occupy for a mess of pottage.

The bigger tragedy is the case of so-called civil society organizations, which threw the very basis of their credibility as election observers to the dogs, by allowing themselves to be bought over by desperate politicians, who make no qualms about the fact that they do not give a damn about what becomes of the country.

We cannot mince words about the fact that these indicted INEC officials and their monetized co-conspirators masquerading as election observers have betrayed the nation. They are the unscrupulous elements who give the nation a bad name in the international community.

It is, therefore, imperative for the EFCC to do a clinical investigation and ensure all those culpable are named, shamed and jailed.

It is pertinent to recall that in the buildup to the 2015 elections, TMG kept on announcing that there were anti-democratic forces heavily funded by filthy lucre from the immediate past Presidency, which wanted to undermine the electoral process.

We repeatedly warned all stakeholders to be on their guard in order to wade off all machinations bent on subverting the express wishes of Nigerians.

It is also worthy to note that TMG itself was not spared the excruciating pressure and inducement aimed at pushing us to compromise our position.

For daring to turn down what the enemies of democracy termed, a “juicy” offer, TMG was repeatedly vilified and persecuted by institutions of the State.

It is on record that the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) under its infamous former Director-General, Mr. Sola Omole, banned coverage of all TMG activities on the NTA network.

Even after the elections, TMG Chairman, Comrade Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi was severally trailed by unknown men, who obviously had sinister intentions.

In the end, TMG as an organization chose not to travel on the path of least resistance.

As the chickens come home to roost with these weighty revelations from EFCC, it is time to separate the patriots from the chaff both in civil society and in INEC. For us, INEC as an institution should immediately set up a far-reaching and transparent disciplinary process to make a public example of all those rotten elements who descended so low to drag the institution in the mud.

It is only by implementing this process of thorough cleansing that INEC can begin the process of restoring public confidence.

As for those weak characters in civil society, who decided to sell their conscience and shirk their responsibility to the Nigerian people, it is time to account.

And because our vindication as a civil society coalition rings clear, all we can say is: let the music play and let the traitors who attempted to toy with the nation’s destiny, face the melody.


Comrade Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi
Chairman, TMG
http://saharareporters.com/2016/04/29/transition-monitoring-group-rebuffed-n2-billion-bribe-jonathans-men-say-efcc-findings-has

The Federal Government Wednesday queried the moral right of the Senate President in calling on the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar to disqualify himself from his (Saraki’s) trial for false asset declaration.

Lead prosecution lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs said it was laughable that Saraki, who is currently being tried, will chose to hold on to office as a Senator and Senator President, but demand that Umar, who was merely investigated and had since been freed, to vacate office.

“This motion is absurd. The defendant (Saraki), who has been charged to court, is still performing his statutory duty as a senator, but he is saying that the Constitution guarantees him presumption of innocence.

“He is saying that he remains a senator. He is saying that he will continue to be Senate President and he will continue to perform his duties. But he is saying that your lordship (Umar), who was merely investigated, should not be allowed to enjoy the presumption of innocence and that your lordship should not be allowed to continue to perform his duties.

“Your lordship has not been charged before any court. No charge has been filed against your lordship. That is the absurdity in their motion. This application is only filed to achieve one purpose; to embarrass the tribunal,” Jacobs said while responding to a motion by Saraki, asking the tribunal Chairman to disqualify himself from the trial on the ground that he was investigated for bribery allegation.

Jacobs said the motion was filed to malign the tribunal chairman, adding that the investigation of the bribery allegation had been concluded and the person found to be culpable had since last year been charged to court by the EFCC.

“If investigation has been concluded and someone is already facing trial, will the defendant be right to say that the tribunal chairman is involved in on-going investigation. He cannot be right. The investigation has been concluded since March 2015.

“This is stated in our counter-affidavit which was never challenged. That is what led to the charge he referred to. The person on trial is the only one recommend for prosecution.

“The letter did not recommend your lordship for prosecution. That is not what the letter says. The letter clearly stated with overwhelming evidence the person to be prosecuted. We should fear God, we are counsel,” Jacobs said.

He noted that contrary to Saraki’s claim, the EFCC was not a party to the case, but that it was the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) that issued him (Jacobs) the fiat to prosecute the defendant.

He insisted that the case was filed through the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and not the EFCC as claimed by Oluyede.

He said by virtue of section 349(7), of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, Saraki’s lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede could not have validly file the motion without the consent of the lead defence lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN) who was still in the case.

He reminded the tribunal that the issue of who filed the charges against Saraki, had been argued by Agabi in a motion challenging the tribunal’s jurisdiction.

Jacobs said the issue had become part of the subjects of appeal filed by Agabi against the tribunal’s ruling and urged the judge not to make findings on it in order not to run foul of usurping the duties of the appeal court.

Earlier, Oluyede, while moving the motion, insisted that Umar must disqualify himself from the trial. He argued that the June 24, 2014 letter by the then EFCC chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde and which was dated addressed to the then AGF, Bello Adoke, did not exonerate him of the bribery allegation.

Oluyede contended that the then AGF had directed the EFCC to proceed to prosecute the tribunal chairman and the other suspects. He added that the other report of investigation issued in March 2015 did not also clear the tribunal chairman.

Oluyede said it would require the AGF office to issue another letter overriding the earlier directive to the EFCC to go ahead with the prosecution of Umar and his co-suspect, before the tribunal chairman could be said to have been cleared.

He insisted that in as much as there was no fresh letter by the AGF expressly stating that Umar had been cleared of the allegation, “the legitimacy of the proceedings (Saraki’s trial) is in question”.

On claim by Jacobs that Agabi was not part of the motion, Oluyede noted that “Paragraph 15 of the further affidavit confirms that it was, in fact the lead counsel, Agabi,that advised the defendant to bring this application before the tribunal in the interest of justice.

“The submission of counsel, no matter how esteem that counsel is, does not and is not allowed to be considered as constituting evidence.

“Even if it was true that the lead counsel was not aware or did not even consent or approve it for reasons of conflict, it is immaterial because any counsel that is briefed by a party to a proceeding is entitled to act in accordance to the instruction of his client,” Oluyede said.

Before Oluyede moved the motion, Agabi excused himself from the proceedings.

He appealed to parties in the case, including the tribunal members to allow peace to reign.

As against the claim by Oluyede, Agabi, before exiting the proceedings, admitted that he only became aware of the motion after Oluyede had filed it. Agabi said he had no problem with the motion, being moved on behalf of the defence team.

[b]Shortly after Oluyede moved his motion, Umar said he has been cleared of the allegation by both the EFCC and the AGF.

He recalled that upon a petition filed against him before the House of Representatives over the bribery allegation, the AGF (Malami) appeared before a committee of the House and told the members of the committee that he (Umar) had been cleared.

Umar said, “A group called Anti-Corruption Network wrote a petition against me at the House of Representatives.

“The House committee invited me and I went there three times but the petitioner did not come. The committee asked me what I think should be done and I said, if it were to be court, when the person who filed a case refuses to come, the court will strike it out. But the chairman said, let’s give them another time.

“Why did he not strike it out and decided to continue to wait for the petitioner? I went there just because of the respect I have for the institution. I am a law abiding citizen. That is why I went there three times, abandoning all my works here.

“They invited the AGF. He went with a copy of the letter of EFCC and he said by virtue of that letter, nobody could compel him to prosecute me on the basis of that letter, which stated that the allegation was based on mere suspicion.[/b]

“On the basis of that, he (the AGF) said he will not prosecute me. As the chief law officer, he decides who to prosecute and when to stop to prosecute anybody.”

The tribunal will rule Thursday on the motion.

http://thenationonlineng.net/saraki-lacks-moral-right-to-query-cct-chairs-integrity-fg/

BY PIUS ADESANMI APR 26, 2016
A national teachable moment happened recently on Twitter between Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, Nigeria’s Area Father Plenipotentiary of commonsense, and Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, who needs no introduction. There is a background to that Twitter spat that most commentators have not critically examined. The said background is wholly rooted in the tragedy of our collective definition of Nigeria and our stubborn persistence to clinch to an understanding of nationhood and statehood in the 21st century that is inferior to how Askia the Great understood those notions in the late 15th century.

We must sympathize with Ben Murray-Bruce before exploring the background of his spat with Mrs. Ezekwesili. These are not the best of times to be Ben Murray-Bruce. The Bayelsa Senator is finding out in a very harsh way that it is impossible to be a national crusader for ethics, morality, and common sense from the belly of the cesspool that is Nigeria’s National Assembly. Nigeria’s NASS is one of the most corrupt and irredeemable political institutions ever to bestride the African continent. In the two chambers of NASS are the most execrable African humanoids. As Senator Ben Murray-Bruce is finding out, nothing good can come out of the Nigerian National Assembly.

NASS is constitutionally and statutorily set up to be a crematorium of good and great intentions; an unforgiving grave yard for the angelic reputation. Consider the example of Ben Murray-Bruce’s commonsense crusade. It is crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions for a very simple reason: when you are a member of Nigeria’s National Assembly, commonsense is the very first victim of your situation. You may be honest; you may not have stolen a dime (very unlikely though); you may not have rigged your election, however, your legitimate earnings, allowances, and sundry perks put you above the pay grade of Barack Obama. Does this make sense? No, it doesn’t.

Your legitimate pay puts you above the pay grade of parliamentarians and congressmen and women in any part of the developed world. Yet, they do much more work than you and are answerable to constituents who are citizens in full civic sentience and will therefore not tolerate the rubbish that Nigerians take from you. You are basically the highest paid parliamentarian in the world and you put in the least hours for your constituents. Even the hours you put in are useless for being a Senator or a Rep does not require any cerebral effort from you in Nigeria. You need no intellect to be in NASS. You just wear your agbada and go and yawn and sleep for a few hours every day and watch your account swell every day. Does this make sense?

To be in the position to talk about commonsense at all, our friend from Bayelsa would have to remove the speck in his own eyes. That speck is where the context from which he connects daily with Nigerians. That speck, NASS, is wholly corrupt and indolent. That specks, NASS, is Nigeria’s greatest theatre of legitimate corruption by legislating immoral and amoral allowances which defy commonsense.

Has the Senator done anything about this speck beyond the perfunctory inaudible noise? No, he hasn’t and I do not expect him to. I am just trying to show him the inherent contradictions of his situation. That is why he is salving his conscience by promising Osun workers a cut and riding Okada from time to time to distribute pure water and Tetmosol to his constituents in line with the loot trickle down philosophy of Nigerian politicians.

You will notice that I have concerned myself only with the legitimate earnings of our Bayelsa friend which automatically exclude him and anyone in NASS from being in the same bracket with commonsense. Whatever is legitimate about him disqualifies him from being a spokesperson for commonsense for that role cannot be anchored from within the existential contradictions and ironies of NASS. NASS is antithetical to commonsense. NASS negates commonsense. You cannot crusade for commonsense on the platform of its existential negation.

Now, we all know that the part of the role and functions of a NASS member which devolves from legitimacy is less than 5%. The remaining 95% space in your life as a Senator or a Rep is occupied by everything we associate with politicians and government officials in Nigeria: corruption, patronage, and prebendal avarice. If the 5% that is even legitimate about you and NASS stand commonsense on its head, what does that make of the remaining 95% which falls in the province of the Nigerian way?

The second part of Senator Ben Murray-Bruce’s problem is the mediocrity of his context. He wants to be seen as Nigeria’s answer to Barack Obama, Justin Trudeau, and co: an urbane and cosmopolitan politician powered by 21st century cutting-edge ideas and ideals. Yet, as someone famously puts it on Twitter, his Obanikoro predilections are in tandem with the overall Baba Suwe level of his peers in the Senate. Hence, his attempt at cosmopolitanism are constantly overwhelmed by the prelogical mentality of the Orangutans who dominate the two Chambers.

This is why Senator Ben-Murray Bruce is heehawing for commonsense from the platform of a National Assembly where the predominant opinion is that granting gender equality to women in marriage will make of them lesbians and prostitutes in the 21st century! And the same week they emit these pre-Medieval ideas, they go on a spending spree like demented demons, buying jeeps in an orgy of spending which defies commonsense and the only thing we have heard from the commonsense Chief Priest is the feeble noise that he did not accept his. By the way, I saw a photo-op of Senator Shehu Sani with his own jeep. This is the man donating donkeys and camels to his constitutents. May Sango thunder Shehu Sani’s jeep!

It is in the context of all this turbulence on the commonsense front, when the Area Father of Commonsense, had wisely crawled underground to contemplate the ruins of his crusade – ruined by tragic contradictions – that Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili decided to call him out. The wounded Senator, a master of the knockout repartee, promptly advised the Bring Back Our Girls crusader to occupy her own Senator and stop bugging him. You are making your own Senator lazy by focusing on me, he opined.

On the surface, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce’s response to Mrs. Ezekwesili would appear to be a brilliant uppercut. I was even tempted to think that Mrs. Ezekwesili deserved it for not allowing a man to mourn the ironies and contradictions of his doomed commonsense crusade in peace. Doomed not because Nigeria does not stand in desperate need of commonsense but by the contradictions and hypocrisy attendant upon the Senator’s context and platform: right message, wrong bearer, diseased platform.

However, if you look at it closely, the Senator’s response is silly and irresponsible. A man who has spent an entire year trying to curate a national image for himself as a pan-Nigerian spokesperson of commonsense is suddenly scurrying under the cover of representing only his constituents in the National Assembly when called out on the very basis of his own national crusade! Mrs. Ezekwesili made it clear that she was calling him out on the basis of what he has been projecting. Has he ever projected or given the slightest hint that his crusade was exclusively addressed to his constituents?

This is part of the hypocrisy that has undone Ben Murray-Bruce’s crusade. We must also advise him that it is called the National Assembly for a reason. If he wants to be answerable exclusively to his constituents, he is welcome to go to the Bayelsa House of Assembly – if Mama Peace approves of such a move. In Abuja, the laws and bills you are making (or not making as is the usual case) have a national purview. Besides, not all of us have Senators representing us. In my own case, Senator Dino Melaye has made it clear that he is representing only Senator Bukola Saraki in the Senate till death does them part. Okun people have no Senator currently representing them so don’t tell me to call my Senator. At any rate, I’d sooner call the boss, Saraki, than call his self-styled slave, Dino Melaye.

There is a second aspect to the exchange between Senator Ben Murray-Bruce and Mrs. Ezekwesili. There is a certain patronizing and condescending tone in the Senator’s responses. You’d be right to surmise that he believes he is doing her a favour by even responding at all. This brings me to my earlier point about our tragic understanding and definition of Nigeria. We define and understand Nigeria as a chaotic association of favour doers and recipients of favour. It is not an accident that Nigerian Pentecostals regularly disturb God with endless requests for an uncommon favor. They are taking to the spiritual domain how they have been shaped and defined by Nigeria.

We have conceptualized the social contract as a terrain of favour-doing in Nigeria. Nobody does anything for you because it is their duty and obligation. Rather, every secular transaction in Nigeria is a favour done for you by somebody drawing a salary to do precisely that task. Every Nigerian politician, from the President down to the Local Government Chairman, considers every aspect of what he or she is elected to do a favour rendered to the people.

That is why your politician tars a road, digs a borehole, builds a gada or a culvert or a gutter and his aides gut the airwaves with noise demanding acknowledgement and appreciation from the people for the uncommon favour. This national mental malaise is not limited to politicians. Interactions among the ordinary people is also subject to the same affliction with civil servants being the worst culprits. There is no service you receive in any office in Nigeria that is not conceptualised as a favour by the service provider. Try obtaining any document from a Ministry or a local government office in Nigeria. Everyone you come into contact with sees what they are doing in the delivery of that document to you as a favour.

Go to ShopRite and the attendant who accepts your money is doing you a favour.

Go to Mama Put and Sikira who serves you amala and abula believes she has done you a favour.

Go to your ‘forganaiza’ and he doing you a favour by fixing your tire.

Go to WAEC or JAMB; they give you your results as a favour.

There is no sphere of life that is free from this disease in Nigeria. This is why Ben Murray-Bruce did Oby Ezekwesili a favour by sending her to her Senator.

This is why I have done you a favour by writing this!

http://saharareporters.com/2016/04/26/ben-murray-bruce-and-glamour-favor-pius-adesanmi

SARAKI, THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

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