Crime Facts

N784m debt: Court rules in AMCON’s suit against Ogboru

The Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed February 2, 2021 to rule on whether or not it has jurisdiction to entertain an application filed by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria seeking to seize the funds in the bank accounts of the 2019 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Delta State , Chief Great Ogboru , and his firm , Fiogret Limited . AMCON said it was seeking to recover a judgment debt of N 784m from Ogboru and his firm . Justice Maureen Onyetenu fixed the date last week after taking arguments from AMCON’ s lawyer , Mr Kunle Ogunba ( SAN) , and counsel for Ogboru and his firm , Chief Nelson Imoh . In an ex parte application filed before the judge , AMCON said the N 784m debt arose from a July 5, 2013 consent judgment entered in its favour by Justice Okon Abang. The corporation said contrary to its expectation , about seven years after Justice Abang’ s judgment , Fiogret Limited and Ogboru “ have not taken any step ( s ) to satisfy /liquidate the judgment sum and the accruable interest . ” AMCON said its investigation revealed that Fiogret and Ogboru had accounts in 22 banks in Nigeria . It prayed the court to summon all the banks to disclose how much Fiogret Limited and Ogboru had with them and for the court to make an order attaching the funds “ to prevent the judgment debtors from dissipating their funds with the various garnishees ( banks) . ” The corporation said this was the only means by which it could “ reap the fruits of its hard-earned judgment in the suit herein. ” But Fiogret Limited and Ogboru are challenging Justice Onyetenu’ s jurisdiction to hear AMCON’ s ex parte application seeking the seizure of their funds. The firm and the businessman said they had already appealed Justice Abang’ s July 5, 2013 judgment up to the Supreme Court , while their Motion on Notice praying for a stay of execution of the judgment was also pending before the apex court .

We’ll hunt killers of Nasarawa APC chairman, says governor

Abdullahi Sule, governor of Nasarawa, says killers of Philip Shekwo, chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, will be hunted. Armed men abducted Shekwo from his residence in Lafia, the state capital, on Saturday night. They were said to have exchanged gunfire with the security detail attached to the APC chairman before whisking him away. Raman Nansel, spokesman of the Nasarawa police command, told TheCable that Shekwo had been killed as his corpse was found on Sunday. In a statement issued on behalf of Sule, Ibrahim Addra, the governor’s chief press secretary, said killers of the APC chairman will not go scot-free. He said the perpetrators will be hunted and punished in accordance with the law. “We received with great shock and bewilderment the killing of the Nasarawa State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Philip Tatari Shekwo, in the hands of yet to be identified gunmen who forcefully gained entrance into his residence last night,” the statement reads. “My prayers and thoughts go to the family of the late Shekwo. He was a great husband, a statesman, peaceful gentleman and loyal party man. “I will like to assure all that the perpetrators of this dastard act will not go scot-free. Investigations have already commenced by our security agencies who will do all it takes to hunt down these criminals and bring them to justice.”

HURIDE condemns public murder of citizen Eze,others

……asks FG to fish out killer soldiers .….. tells Obiano to pay N20m each to the victims’ family Human Rights,Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE), has called for the immediate fishing out of the soldiers who shot and killed citizen Anuli Eze and four others who were severely injured during the EndSARS protest in the State. The rights group unequivocally condemned the despicable and abominable murder of Eze and four other Anambra youths who were shot at close range by some soldiers who engaged in shooting spree against #End SARS protesters who went to collect Covid-19 palliatives at Anambra state government warehouses in Awka. Some youths ostensibly due to hunger attempted to broke into warehouses where rice, indomie and other foodstuffs for Covid-19 palliatives were kept. They were said to have attempted to carte away the items which was received months back but was hoarded and kept by the officials of the State Government, apparently wating to be distributed to party members during the upcoming gubernatorial electioneering in 2021. However when the youths attempted to broke into the warehouse, the soldiers guarding the place was said to have open fire and shot at them in a close range. In the process citizen Eze an indigene of the state was murdered in a cold blood while four other citizens who sustained various degree of severe injuries were taken to Amaku General Hospital, Awka and abandoned them to their fate without medical attention. HURIDE in a statement signed by its chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) Dede Uzor A Uzor and its Chief media officer Comrade Unah Zack Unah however said the method through which citizen Eze and others were brutally shot at in a cold blood was uncivlised, crude,ugodly,wicked and therefore should be condemned by people of good conscience. They called on the Federal government under Presidemt Muhammad Buhari to immediately fish out those soldiers who killed citizens Eze and shot four other citizens with different degree of injuries all over their bodies. The group said the Anambra State Government should also provide the families of the disease victims the sum of N20 million each and tender a public apology in four different newspapers. Governor Willie Obiano, they said, should assure Anambra citizens of their security of lives from soldiers and other security operatives in the State who he uses to kill and maim innocent and defenceless citizens. The group gave the governor 14 days to address this all-important matter but if he fails they shall resort to another rounds of protest that will shake the foundation of this state and then regard and see him as an “enemy of democracy,constitutionalism and rule of law” the group cautioned.

Gunmen kill five worshippers, abduct 18 during attack on Zamfara mosque

Suspected bandits on Friday attacked a mosque in Zamfara state during the congregational Jummah prayer, killing five people and abducting 18 others, including the imam. Mohammed Shehu, spokesman of the state’s police command, confirmed the incident on Sunday. The bandits, numbering about 100, were said to have arrived in motorcycles and opened on the mosque located at Dutsen Gari village in Maru district as residents were observing the weekly Friday prayers. The imam, identified as Yahaya, and some of the captives reportedly regained their freedom on Saturday. Shehu said efforts are on to apprehend the perpetrators and secure the release of the other victims. Several states in the north-west and north-east have repeatedly suffered attacks from armed bandits over the years. In November, 14 persons were killed by suspected bandits in Karaye village, Gummi local government area of Zamfara. The committee set up by Bello Matawalle, the state governor, to find solutions to banditry in the state, disclosed in October that suspected bandits collected over N3 billion as ransom from relatives of abducted victims from June 2011 to May 29, 2019.

Abducted Nasarawa APC chairman found dead

Philip Shekwo, chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa state, has been found dead. Crimefacts.News had reported how armed men abducted Shekwo from his residence in Lafia, the state capital, on Saturday night. They were said to have exchanged gunfire with the security detail attached to the APC chairman before whisking him away. Bola Longe, police commissioner in the state who confirmed the incident, had said his men were combing forests and flashpoints to ensure that Shekwo is rescued. But on Sunday Raman Nansel, spokesman of the Nasarawa police command, told TheCable that Shekwo had been killed. “We discovered his corpse today and it has been taken to the morgue for post mortem examination,” he told TheCable over the phone. “Investigation has begun. We are determined to unravel the cause of the incident.” More to follow…

Ubah Threatens To Sue Obiano Over N25bn Promissory Notes Issued By DMO

The N25 billion refunded to the Anambra State Government by the Federal Government for repayment of rehabilitation and reconstruction of Federal roads has pitched Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (Anambra South) against Governor Willie Obiano. Ubah at a press briefing on Sunday gave Obiano 72- hour ultimatum to address Anambra on why he had to discount the promissory notes with about N8billion or two-third of the money ahead of their maturity dates. He threatened to institute a legal action against the Anambra State Government if Governor Obiano fails to heed his request. The promissory notes were issued to the Anambra State Government by the Debt Management Office in 2018 and 2019. The refund was made to the state through two separate promissory notes issued by the Debt Management Office (DMO) in December 2018 and April, 2019, to the tune of N10.097 billion and N15.146 billion respectively The two Promissory notes had maturity dates of December 28, 2020 and April 1, 2022 respectively. Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C-Don Adinuba, had in a statement denied that the State Government raised money from “the Debt Management Office or the Federal Ministry of Finance under a bond, or any financial instrument from any institution or organisation. “Our record of prudent financial management and integrity is well acknowledged far and near. It is tough to speculate how the senator came about the phantom N25billion bond which Anambra State purportedly raised surreptitiously from the DMO/Federal Ministry of Finance.” However, Senator Ubah, who was armed with documents concerning the transaction from the DMO and signed by its Director General, Patience Oniha and the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, insisted that the N25billion was expected to be paid in two installments. He lamented out of the N25billion, only N16.1billion was realised by the state government after the promissory notes were discounted at the rate of 15 per cent and 13 per cent respectively, by Governor Obiano through a commercial bank. He said the state lost whopping N8.85billion after the promissory notes were acquired at discounted rates by the bank. “The governor paid banks over N8billion in order to cash out the promissory notes before their maturity dates, thereby ensuring that Anambra lost the amount from the transactions,” Ubah said. According to the documents obtained from the DMO by Senator Ubah, the amount and tenor of the first promissory note was N10, 097, 722, 436.90 and issued to the state government on December 28, 2018 with a maturity date of December 28, 2020. The second promissory note of N15,146, 583, 655.00 was issued by the DMO on April 1, 2019 with a maturity date of April 1, 2022. The letter from the DMO to Senator Ubah with reference number DMO/PMD/598/S.4/III/881 and dated November 16, 2020, reads in part: “The Distinguished Senator may wish to be informed that these were the only promissory notes issued to Anambra State Government which fully settled the outstanding claims of the state as approved by the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly.” But Senator Ubah further alleged that “in order for Governor Obiano to cash out on the N25billion that hasn’t matured, he had to terminate the deal by giving up 15 per cent and 13 per cent respectively of the total sums per annum.” He added: “The Governor paid about N3billion in bank charges for N10billion on the first promissory note which has a tenor of two years and paid another N4.5billion on the second promissory note of N15billion which has a tenor of three years.” The lawmaker, however, vowed to petition the Anambra State House of Assembly after which he would sue the Governor should he fail to explain to the people of Anambra State why he threw away N8billion in his rush to cash out the money before the respective maturity dates. He, however, wondered why the governor failed to capture the money realized from the promissory notes in the state’s annual budgets. He called on the Governor to explain what he did with the N16billion he collected after making the state to lose whooping N8billion as discounts as well as why he allegedly lied through his commissioner about the funds. He insisted that the road projects for which the N25billion was refunded by the Federal Government were executed by the administrations of Governors Chris Ngige and Peter Obi. Senator Ubah also alleged that Governor Obiano has prevailed on the Federal Commissioner for Works in the state to stop him from rehabilitating some bad roads in his constituency even as the governor has continued to neglect the roads.

EndSARS: British Parliament To Debate Petition Against Nigeria On Monday

The British Parliament will on Monday debate a petition seeking to sanction the Nigerian government and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) over alleged human rights abuses during the #EndSARS protests. “Parliament will debate this petition on November 23, 2020,” the Parliament posted on its website, explaining that the debate would be led by Theresa Villiers at the Westminster Hall between 6:00 pm and 7:30 pm. “You will be able to watch online on the UK Parliament YouTube channel.” According to the debate pack captioned “E-petition 554150, relating to Nigeria and the sanctions regime,” the Parliament equally referenced the shooting of #EndSARS demonstrators at the Lekki Toll Gate on the 20th of October, 2020 as one its press articles. “On 6 July, the Government established the Global Human Rights sanctions regime by laying regulations in Parliament under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018,” the post further noted. “In a statement to Parliament, the Foreign Secretary set out in full the scope of the UK’s new Global Human Rights sanctions regime. He announced the first tranche of designations, as well as the Government’s approach to future designations. “This sanctions regime will give the UK a powerful new tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. The sanctions regime is not intended to target individual countries. It will allow for sanctions to be imposed on individuals and entities involved in serious human rights violations or abuses around the world.” The petition created by Silas Ojo sought to get 100,000 signatures. It has garnered 220,315 signatures, according to the UK Parliament’s website, crossing the 100, 000 mark needed for a petition to be debated by the lawmakers. Early last month, thousands of Nigerians thronged to the streets, calling for an end to police brutality and extra-judicial killings by the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). A largely peaceful demonstration in several parts of the country, however, later turned violent with arson, looting and killing of security personnel and civilians alike after it was hijacked by hoodlums.

CCB to prosecute Magu over dormant account, ‘Port Harcourt property

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) will arraign Ibrahim Magu, the suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CTC) any moment from now, TheCable understands. According to sources in the know, Magu is to be prosecuted for allegedly failing to list a bank account in his asset declaration form. TheCable understands that the First Bank account had not been operated by Magu for five years and gone dormant. The CCB, TheCable learnt, has also listed a property in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, allegedly owned by the police commissioner as part of the evidence to be used against him at the tribunal. Magu had previously been accused of owning properties in Dubai, Lagos and Abuja — but it now appears there is no substance to the allegations. His team has maintained that he owns only one house and it is in Karu, Nasarawa state. “We thought they said he owned houses in Dubai and Banana Island but now it is a phantom property in Port Harcourt that is being linked to him,” a member of his team told TheCable. Magu, who was named acting chairman of the EFCC in 2015 and was never confirmed until his suspension in July 2020, had been invited by the CCB to answer questions on his asset declaration. This came at the time he was also being investigated by the Justice Ayo Salami panel, which has now recommended his sack and prosecution for alleged corruption in office — an allegation Magu has consistently denied. Magu failed to appear before the CCB, citing his lack of access to the documents being requested. In a statement issue on Sunday, Wahab Shittu, counsel to Magu, denied that the suspebeded chairman shunned the bureau. Below is the full text of his statement. Our attention has been drawn to certain media report where it was reported that our client, the suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, shunned the invitation of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). We wish to state that our client did not shun the CCC invitation as the media reportage did not reflect the true position of the narrative. We wish to state with high sense of responsibility that we have written two letters to the Chairman of the CBB, intimating him about the inability of our client to have access to the relevant documents as required by the CCB. Advertisement The letters, which were dated November 16 and 17, 2020, were addressed to the CCB Chairman. The letters were titled- Re: Investigation of Activities- Letter of Invitation, Breach of Code of Conduct for Public Officers Please note that the letters were stamped and acknowledged by the office of the CCB Chairman on the said date of November 17, 2020. We also wish to state the said letters were copied to the Director of Intelligence, Investigation and Monitoring while the letters were also stamped and acknowledged by his office. Explaining the inability of our client to honour the invitation, we stated as follows: “Your letter dated November 2, 2020 with reference No.-CCB/HQ/II & M/007/2093 addressed to our client has been passed unto us to respond to as follows: “In the referred letter, our client was requested to appear before your distinguished body on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 11am prompt concerning the above subject matter. “We have firm instructions to inform your distinguished body that our client, regrettably will not be able to honour today’s invitation in view of certain circumstances beyond his control. “Our client’s inability to honour your invitation is as a result of his inability to access his office and the requested documents since his suspension from office. “We wish to inform you that the documents which you requested for and other personal documents are still in his personal office where he has been denied access up to date. The relevant documents include: Acknowledgement slips of all Magu’s assets declaration to the Code of Conduct since he joined Public service. Copies of his Appointment Letter, Acceptance, Records of Service and payslips from January to May, 2020. All title documents of his landed properties both developed and undeveloped. “We request that the invitation to our client be extended pending the conclusion of the exercise of the mandate of the presidential Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up against our client and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). “This request has become necessary since most of the documents requested by your Bureau, were removed from our client’s offices by the Department of State Security Service (DSS) and the request of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry in the absence of our client while our client was in detention. Based on the foregoing, it would be impossible for our client to answer your questions and provides those documents which are in the possession of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry and the Department of State Security Service (DSS). “We therefore kindly request your distinguished body to graciously extend the invitation extended to our client pending the return of our client’s documents (which you requested). “We further wish to inform you that we are writing a letter to the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, requesting it to direct the Acting EFCC boss to allow our client access to the relevant documents. “Please note that there is the need for our client to have access to the relevant documents in order to prepare for his defence to your invitation. “In the circumstances, until such a time when our client gains access to his personal file in his office where most of the requested documents are, it is impracticable to honour your invitation, even if our client is willing to do so as an obedient and patriotic citizen. Thank you in anticipation of your cooperation in the above regard. “Please accept our professional regards.” Yours Faithfully, Signed Wahab Shittu, Esq

Six die, eleven injured as mini bus crashes with truck at along Enugu- Onitsha express way

Ibe Pascal Arogorn, Awka Six people have been killed, eleven injured in a fatal crash involving a mini white bus belonging to CDO transport Company with registration number BGT 313 XA and a white truck without a registration number recorded at 1710hrs on Sunday at Niwelle Junction along Nteje – Onitsha express way. Crimefacts.News gathered that the crash occurred as a result of excessive speeding leading to loss of control of the bus and crashing eventually. A total of 17 people (11) Male adults and (6) female adults were involved in the Crash. Eleven (11) male adults who sustained varying degree of injuries were rushed to Iyi – Ene Hospital Ogidi by FRSC rescue team from Nteje Unit Command who deposited Corpses of the dead victims at the Mogue after Doctor’s confirmation. Road obstruction is being cleared to ensure free flow of traffic. The Sector Commander Federal Road Safety Corps Anambra State CC *Andrew A *Kumapayi* sends his condolences to the deceased families and strongly warns motorists to adhere strictly to speed limits stipulated by law and minimize avoidable crashes this Ember Months.

Labour leaders stage walk out as meeting with FG ends in disarray

The meeting between the Federal Government and the organised labour on the hikes in fuel pump price and the electricity tariff on Sunday ended in disarray as the labour leaders walked out of the parley in anger, ThePunch is reporting. The dialogue, which was meant to take updates on the implementation of resolutions reached during the three previous meetings, ended abruptly barely 10 minutes after it commenced at the Presidential Villa banquet hall , Abuja . The meeting had started at 8:18 pm when the Trade Union Congress President , Quadri Olaleye , raised the issue of the latest hike in fuel pump price from N 160 to N 170. He accused the government of insincerity, stating that the meeting must record progress otherwise , the labour leaders would walk out of the parley , adding that they were beginning to lose confidence in the government . According to the TUC leader , several meetings held on the issues had not recorded any appreciable progress. Olaleye said , “ Government is showing a high level of insincerity in discussions with us and is also putting us at risk with the people we are leading , with the masses. We find it difficult to move freely but the people in government are moving freely . ”