Gov Ododo didn’t help Yahaya Bello evade EFCC arrest — Commissioner, Fanwo
Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, has claimed that Governor Usman Ododo did not shield ex-Governor Yahaya Bello from arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Fanwo stated this while speaking on Channels Television on Friday. “Governor Ododo did not assist in Bello’s departure from his residence; the EFCC’s claims are misinformation aimed at furthering their objectives. “Bello is not evading anyone; the existing court injunction protects his fundamental rights,” he said. Fanwo also insisted that a state high court injunction protects Bello from harassment by the EFCC. He noted that Governor Ododo remains a law-abiding leader who respects the rule of law and the Constitution of Nigeria. EFCC operatives had laid a siege at Bello’s house in Abuja. But Ododo arrived at the residence and hours after he drove out, there were reports that Bello snuck out with him. The EFCC has since declared Bello wanted. He has also been placed on a security watchlist by the federal government.
Abortion Should Be Legalized – Actress Etinosa Idemudia
Actress Etinosa Idemudia has argued abortion should be considered an option as the world is filled with hungry innocent children. Questioning via her X page, she asked if it isn’t preferable for a woman to get rid of a pregnancy than to give birth to a child that will be subjected to long suffering. Idemudia wondered why the world is strongly against terminating pregnancies especially as many people are not disciplined enough to use condom. According to her, an impoverished family bringing children into the world should be criminalised, adding that if she is the child, she will never forgive such parents. She wrote: “With all the hungry Innocent children who are suffering all around, are we still against abortion? Isn’t abortion better than life long suffering? They never asked to be born into all this hardship. If your own future is not sure why bring an innocent person to life. “You are not discipline enough to use condom so in your selfishness you get your wife pregnant with the 5th child no house no tangible source of income. Bringing that child into the world should be a crime. If I’m that child I’ll never forgive you. “You will now hear things like “oh my sweet mother suffered for me. The hustle is for Mama. Her sacrifices made me who I am today. She went hungry so I can eat”… I don’t understand. She no see say food no dey before she born you? She is responsible for you! fam! they owe you!!”
BREAKING: Adoke discharged, acquitted of all charges as court dismisses EFCC’s second case
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the federal high court, Abuja, on Friday upheld the “no case” submission by Mohammed Bello Adoke, former attorney-general of the federation, on charges of money laundering. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had charged Adoke and Abubakar Aliyu, a property developer, to court in 2017, alleging money laundering to the tune of N300 million. Although there is no mention of the OPL 245 transaction in this case, the same particulars were also charged by the EFCC before Justice Abubakar Kutigi of the FCT high court in 2020. While the EFCC admitted before Ekwo that it was a mortgage that Adoke took from Unity Bank, it alleged before Kutigi that the money was a bribe from the sale of the oil block by Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd in 2011. On March 28, 2024, Kutigi pointed out the contradiction while dismissing the charges against Adoke and other defendants, chiding the EFCC for wasting the court’s time for four years. In his own ruling on Friday morning, Ekwo said the EFCC did not provide any evidence to prove the essential elements of the offence against Adoke, who was listed as the first defendant. He upheld the no case submission, discharging and acquitting, However, Ekwo ruled that Aliyu, the second defendant, has to open his defence because he has a case to answer.
Heroes Return: Villagers Cheer Nigerian Soldiers Back From Successful Operation
Soldiers returning from a military operation in Nigeria’s Northeast were met with cheers and celebrations from local residents recently. The troops, who were on Operation Desert Sanity III, had been deployed to combat insurgents in the Sambisa and Timbuktu Triangle regions. The Nigerian Army disclosed this in a video shared on its official X account on Friday. The caption read, “In a heartwarming display of gratitude and solidarity, local communities in Nigeria’s Northeast region have extended a warm welcome to heroic troops of the Nigerian Army following a successful operation in the notorious Sambisa and Timbuktu Triangle areas. “The operation dubbed “Desert Sanity III,’ aimed at neutralising insurgent threats and securing the region, culminated in a significant victory for the nation’s security forces.” PUNCH reports that troops of Operation Desert Sanity III rescued another abducted student of the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, identified as Lydia Simon, around Ngoshe in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State recently. It was also reported on Wednesday that the troops captured a stronghold of the Boko Haram/Islamic State of West African Province in Borno State. The Army stated that both air and ground units of the operation conducted a clearance mission, targeting the terrorist stronghold situated along the Ngumne, Kawaran, and Mangu axes within the Sambisa Forest and Timbuktu Triangle.
Israel-Iranian Conflict: Oil prices Soar
Oil prices have seen a significant spike, with Brent crude surpassing $90 per barrel, a notable rise from $87, in the wake of escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. The increase exceeded 3% on Friday following confirmed reports of an Israeli military operation on Iranian soil. The strike, which targeted strategic locations in Iran, has intensified fears of a potential full-scale conflict in the region, prompting a swift reaction in global oil markets. A U.S. official, speaking to NBC News, confirmed Israel’s involvement in the operations conducted in Iran, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing hostilities between the two nations. Further reports from CNN indicate that Iran’s Fars news agency reported hearing explosions at an airport in the city of Isfahan, although the cause of the blasts has yet to be determined. This incident has led to several commercial flights being diverted to avoid Iranian airspace, highlighting the broader regional implications of the conflict. This surge in oil prices reflects the market’s sensitivity to geopolitical events in the Middle East, a critical hub for global oil production and export. Investors and analysts are closely monitoring the situation, aware that continued unrest could lead to further disruptions in oil supply chains and additional increases in prices.
PDP To Elect New Chairman In August
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has resolved to elect a new national chairman in August 2024. This announcement follows the 98th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja yesterday, at which party stakeholders decided to extend Umar Damagum’s tenure as the party’s acting national chairman. Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, who serves as the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, shared this information with journalists during a press briefing held in Abuja yesterday. He said: “In the next two months we will see a lot of activities, leadership is a responsibility. We said in September that we would have come out from our congresses. “We will look at the issue of leadership and look at the issue of our constitution where it will be and we will do it without rancour.” Mohammed emphasized that the smooth execution of the party’s NEC gathering demonstrated the absence of any disagreement or hostility within the leadership. “It was planned that the party will have an explosion. PDP is more than that, we have gone beyond all these idiosyncrasies. This party is a united party that is guided by experience and constitutionality. “There were a lot of permutations and mischievous thinking outside there. But we looked at all the issues and we worked along our guidelines and constitution. There is no problem or dissension and problem among members,” Premiumtimes quoted the PDP chieftain saying. In his remark, the acting national chairman, Damagum, said that the leadership of the party was not a do-or-die affair. “This is not a matter of life and death. I am still an elected member of this NEC. Even if I revert to deputy national chairman I’m still a member of NWC. The issue of surviving or not does not emerge,” he said.
BREAKING: EFCC declares Yahaya Bello wanted
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, wanted for offences relating to economic and financial crimes. This was contained in a notice posted on the commission’s official Facebook page on Thursday. “The public is hereby notified that YAHAYA ADOZA BELLO (former Governor of Kogi State), whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in connection with alleged case of Money Laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88 (Eighty Billion, Two Hundred and Forty Six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand and Eighty Nine Naira, Eighty Eight Kobo). Bello, 48-year old Ebiraman, is a native of Okenne Local Government of Kogi State. His last known address is: 9, Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja. “Anybody with useful information as to his whereabouts should please contact the Commission in its lbadan, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt and Abuja offices or through these numbers 09-9044751-3, 08093322644, 08183322644, 07026350721-3, 0706350724-5; its e-mail address: info@efccnigeria.org or the nearest Police Station and other security agencies, ” a public notice issued by the EFCC read. Yahaya Bello’s response to these allegations remains unknown at this time, as he has yet to issue a public statement regarding the EFCC’s declaration.
Police Invite Edo Labour Party’s Guber Candidate, Akpata Over UNIBEN Assault Incident
The Edo State Police Command has summoned the Labour Party’s governorship candidate, Olumide Akpata, to discuss alleged security breaches, particularly the incidents of gunfire reported at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) last Friday. The Public Relations Officer for the Command, Chidi Nwabuzor, disclosed this development to the media in Benin City. Nwabuzor stated that the LP gubernatorial candidate was served the invitation by investigators during the Political Desk Session at the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Recall that during an investiture ceremony hosted by the UNIBEN Staff Club, the candidate of the Labour Party for the forthcoming September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State was allegedly assaulted by suspected political thugs. Olumide Akpata, on the other hand, has claimed that the attack was orchestrated by both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and the State Government to assassinate him. The Command’s spokesperson elaborated that the invitation extended to Olumide Akpata was a component of the investigation launched by the police Command into the crisis. In response to inquiries, the State Chairman of the Labour Party, Kelly Ogbaloi, verified the reception of the police invitation, mentioning his absence in Benin during the letter’s arrival, but he affirmed his intention to honour the invitation. “The police ought to have done their background investigations, his being honoured by UNIBEN had nothing to do with our party secretariat. So, I don’t know why I am being asked to come along with him to the Police Command Headquarters in Benin, however, I will honour the invitation,” he said.
JAMB Issues Stern Warning to Parents, Stay Clear of CBT Centers or risk arrest
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has taken decisive action to clamp down on exam malpractice by issuing a stern warning to all Computer-Based Test (CBT) center owners. In a recent briefing held in Abuja, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, the Registrar of JAMB, underscored the gravity of the situation and the necessity of stringent measures. Professor Oloyede emphasized that parents found near any CBT facility during the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) would face immediate arrest. This move, he explained, was prompted by the discovery that many such parents have been involved in facilitating exam malpractices or disrupting exams in the past. In no uncertain terms, Professor Oloyede stated that any parent caught disobeying this directive would not only be apprehended but would also face disqualification for their ward from sitting the examination. Furthermore, the Registrar revealed that security operatives have been instructed to collaborate closely with CBT centers to apprehend any meddlesome parent attempting to interfere with the examination process. Warning candidates of the consequences, Professor Oloyede cautioned that those whose personal details are found on fraudulent websites would be treated as accomplices and subject to prosecution. In a call to action, the Registrar urged CBT center owners to uphold integrity and eschew any unethical behavior, emphasizing that failure to do so could result in missed opportunities. Expressing the Board’s unwavering commitment to maintaining the integrity of the examination, Professor Oloyede revealed that state-of-the-art technologies have been deployed to detect and prevent various forms of infractions and collaborations that run counter to the Board’s code of operations.
Alleged N89.2b money laundering: EFCC threatens inviting army to arrest Yahaya Bello
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) Thursday, informed Justice Emeka Nwite its intension to invite the Nigerian Army to effect the arrest of former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adoza Bello for arraignment before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja. The anti-graft agency, through its legal team issued the threat before the court after explaining how a person of immunity protected Bello from arrest following the court’s bench warrant. The court had fixed today(Thursday) for arraignment of Bello alongside the ex-governor’s nephew, Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu on 19- count charges bordering on money laundering to the tune of N80, 246, 470, 088.88. When the called up, Thursday, EFCC’s counsel, Kemi Piniero SAN said in open court that the Commission was aware that Bello is been harboured in the home of a person that has immunity. He submitted that immunity is only attached to a person, not his house or car, adding that the law allows Nigerian security agencies to break into a house to arrest a defendant. He said, “If he is unwilling to produce his client in court, we will invite other security agencies including the Nigerian army to produce him. “We can come next week. We will produce him,” Piniero assured. Piniero also urged the court to compel the ex-governor’s lawyer to accept service of the processes, explaining that it has been impossible to serve the charge sheet on him personally. Counsel to Yahaya, Abdul Wahab Mohammed, said that the Abuja division of the court or the EFCC cannot arraign his client. He contended that his preliminary objection application has to be taken first, but the EFCC came behind him through a motion-exparte to obtain a warrant of arrest. He said, “The governor has a lawyer in court and if there is a justifiable issue for him to come to court, he would. “Our contention is that the defendant on record is not a fugitive. We are talking of rule of law, not rule of force. “We are contending that the warrant of arrest was given outside jurisdiction because there is a judgement. “I don’t have the authority of the defendant to accept service of the charges and proof of evidence.” What the judge said The judge said he was yet to read the Kogi state high court judgement of yesterday. But the judge held all parties including the ex-governor has to be formally before the court and the EFCC, without a warrant of arrest, can arrest a suspect or defendant. He adjourned to April 23 for ruling and arraignment. In the charge sheet, the anti-graft agency claims the defendants diverted public funds. Some of the counts reads: “That you, Yahaya Adoza Bello, Ali Bello, Dauda Suliman, and Abdulsalam Hudu( Still at large), sometime, in February, 2016, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to convert the total sum of N80, 246,470, 088.88 (Eighty Billion, Two Hundred and Forty Six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand and Eight Nine Naira, Eighty Eight Kobo), which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity to wit, criminal breach of trust and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended”. “That you Yahaya Bello between 26th July 2021 to 6th April 2022 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court aided E-Traders International Limited to conceal the aggregate sum of N3, 081, 804,654.00 (Three Billion, Eighty One Million Eight Hundred and Four Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty Four Naira) in account number 1451458080 domiciled in Access BankPlc, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful activity to wit, criminal breach of trust and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a), 15(2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act. “That you Yahaya Adoza Bello sometime in November 2021 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court indirectly procured E-Traders international Limited to transfer the aggregate sum of $570,330.00 (Five Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Three Hundred and Thirty Dollars) to account number 4266644272 domiciled in TD Bank, United States of America which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful activity to wit, criminal breach of trust and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15( 3) of the same Act”. Bello’s arraignment followed an warrant of arrest and enrolment order granted the EFCC by Justice Emeka Nwite, Wednesday, in the motion ex-parte marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/98/2024 and filed by the EFCC lead counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo. The EFCC counsel argued that the ex-governor needs to be apprehended by security agencies so as to fast track his arraignment in court and immediate trial. The anti-graft agency maintained that the judge should either order Bello’s arrest or issue a public summons commanding the defendant to appear before the court.