June 2022 – Page 53 – Crime Facts

Post Date : June 10, 2022

Tinubu to Yahaya Bello: Let’s unite to extract Nigerians from poverty

Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has asked Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi, to support his campaign to improve the lives of Nigerians. Tinubu, former governor of Lagos, visited Bello, who also contested the presidency, on Friday. The former Lagoa governor had polled 1,271 votes and defeated 13 other presidential hopefuls at the primary which was concluded on Wednesday — the Kogi governor got 47 votes. Speaking during the visit, Tinubu said there is a need for unity to provide a better, prosperous future for Nigerians. “To all of you, I say thank you; you’ve done a good job. If the mood will reflect the day, I will spend the night here. I say thank you very much for donating a befitting office for us to continue to struggle,” he said. “We will use our intellectual inquisitiveness, build a nation of sound minds, sound people, elevate our people, extract them from poverty. “There is no reason to be in abject poverty in this country. We are brilliant people. Let us wear the uniform of can-do; the mind of those people who have built other nations, particularly people from this age. “You are the owners of today, tomorrow and thereafter. It will be your grandchildren that will drive the nation after you have gone. The prayer is that we will leave a united, prosperous nation for you.”

Post Date : June 10, 2022

BREAKING: Tinubu, Yahaya Bello in closed-door meeting

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is currently in a closed-door meeting with Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, in what political observers said was part of reconciliatory moves to pacify aggrieved aspirants of the APC presidential ticket. Tinubu was accompanied to the meeting on Friday by Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos); Bello Matawalle (Zamfara); and Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano). A former governor of Edo State and former national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, is also in the entourage. It was, however, not clear if the issue of Tinubu’s running mate would be part of the agenda. The PUNCH learnt that they would brief the press on the outcome of the meeting. More to follow…

Post Date : June 10, 2022

INEC: Ohanaeze urges Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu to stop attacks on Igbo youths in Lagos

The pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has called on the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to caution hoodlums attacking Igbo people in Lagos State. The group made the same appeal to the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State to use his political power to stop the attack and harassment of Igbo youths in the state. Vanguard reported yesterday that hoodlums attacked Igbo traders who shut down their shops at Alaba International Market, Ojo area of the state, to go to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, office in the Igbede to register for permanent voters’ cards, PVCs, ahead of the 2023 general elections. The massive turn-out of the Igbo traders at the INEC office was, however, disrupted as thugs, armed with machetes, sticks and clubs, stormed the venue and made moves to cart away INEC machines. Reacting through a statement by its President-General, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide said Ndigbo should not be pushed beyond the wall. The statement reads: “We have already been pushed to the walls, what they are doing now amounts to pushing Ndigbo beyond the walls and the consequences could be drastic. “The two major political parties in the country cannot deny the South-East presidential ticket and at the same time deny them the opportunity to exercise their franchise. This is a call for total anarchy in the land and we are urging the security agencies to rise to the occasion,” Okwu said. “We are saying this because Bola Tinubu has serious hatred for Ndigbo which he demonstrated by shunning the entire South-East during his consultations with delegates ahead of his party’s primary election. “We do not begrudge him as it is within his right to choose who to interact with. However, what we will not condone is the mindless and unprovoked attack on Igbo residents in Lagos State. “We also call on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to deploy registration materials to churches and other public places in Lagos in order to give Nigerians free access.”

Post Date : June 10, 2022

Ondo attack: Police, Owo monarch deny arrest of attackers

The Ondo State Police Command has denied the arrest of the attackers of St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, where no fewer than 40 people were killed and many injured last Sunday. A social media report said the suspected terrorists were arrested by a joint team of men of the Nigerian Army, Amotekun Corps and other security agencies as well as the local hunters, on Thursday. The report said the suspects were taken to the palace of Olowo. It was gathered that when people heard about the news, they started besieging the palace to catch the glimpse of the suspects. But the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, denied the report saying no suspect was arrested and taken to the palace. He had told the people that besieged the palace, in Owo dialect, that the attackers would soon be arrested. Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone, the first class monarch said, “They said some people were arrested in the bush by the security but said they were not sure that the suspects were the ones that carried out the attack. “The report was not true; people have been trooping to the palace to see them but Olowo has addressed them that no suspect was brought to the palace,” he explained. A source said some criminals were arrested by the police in the bush but the people who saw the suspects in the police van thought they were the attackers and they had been taken to the palace, hence the besieging of the palace by the people. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, said the report was untrue, noting that nobody had been arrested in connection with the attack. She said, “There is nothing like that. We have called the police divisions there, they said there was nothing like that. We have called the Kabiyesi, Olowo of Owo, he said he was not aware of any arrest. So, it is the handiwork of some social media but it is just rumour.”

Post Date : June 10, 2022

N6bn fraud: Mompha defied court order, travelled to Dubai, EFCC tells court

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Ikeja Special Offences Court, Lagos on Friday said that the social media celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha, had defied the court order by traveling to Dubai with a new international passport. EFCC had on January 12 charged Mompha and his company, Ismalob Global Investment Ltd, with six billion Naira money laundering. The court had on March 28, ordered Mompha to submit his international passport to court after his bail sum was reduced from N200 million to N25 million. During Friday’s sitting, the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the court that the parties did not come to a conclusion, but the defendant hired an Emirate Airline and traveled to Abuja after he had submitted his international passport on the order of the court. Oyedepo said, “My lord granted bail to the defendant and ordered him to submit his International Passport, but still traveled down to Dubai. “The commission is not the only one on this matter and we heard from good authority that the defendant has a passport with No. D50084304 which was issued in Abuja on July 2021 and is to expire on June 30, 2031. “From the information by our partner, the defendant had on April 11 hired emirate and flew from Ghana to Dubai and the passport that the defendant used to travel is not the one submitted to this honourable court my lord. “The defendant did not travel through Nigeria and the issue here now is that the defendant has a new passport at hand which he traveled with after my lord restricted him from traveling.” The Defence counsel, Gboyega Oyewole, however, objected to the submission of the prosecution and argued that EFCC should write to Nigeria Immigration to ascertain the claim. Oyewole said, “I have spoken with the prosecution concerning this my lord and when he called, I told him that there was a particular person who was our surety that was supposed to pay the N25 million. “His account was frozen when the money got into his account. The surety called the defendant and for the defendant’s safety, he told the surety that he had traveled. But the man has connection and concluded that the defendant has defiled court order. “My lord, the EFCC should write to Immigration to ascertain if my client really traveled out of the country or not. “This is a superior court of record sir and I suggest that an application be brought concerning this because there is a lot of confusion here and should be on record. “Let Immigration respond if another passport exists. The residency visa that he has to live in Dubai is already submitted in court so there is no way he can enter the country,” A photocopy of the passport was shown to the defendant and he denied the signature on it. The EFCC counsel thereafter urged the court to stand down the case for ten minutes so as to discuss it with the defence counsel. The defence counsel, thereafter, urged the court to grant him one week to verify the claim of the prosecution. Oyewole said, “We have had discussions within ourselves and also spoke with the prosecution. “In the interest of justice, we have agreed with the prosecution to give me one week to verify the truth as I need to verify the truth my lord.” The prosecution did not object the submission of the defence counsel. Justice Dada adjourned the case until June 16, 2022, for further consideration on the bail application and ordered the defendant to be in the custody of the defense counsel.

Post Date : June 10, 2022

Wike orders prosecution of Amaechi, Cole over alleged sale of assets

Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has directed the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zaccheaus Adangor to commence immediate prosecution of his predecessor and former Transport Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, over alleged fraudulent sale of state assets and diversion of $50m. The Governor named those to be included in the prosecution as Rivers All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Tonye Cole and his company Sahara Energy. The Governor said there was a need for Rivers people and the rest of the world to know what actually happened to the $50 million that disappeared from state’s account without a proof of business where it was deployed. Wike said: “Attorney General, you’re at a critical period where people want to know what the State is going to do with the Judiciary Panel of Inquiry after the Supreme Court judgement on it. “Luckily, you came at the right time when we have preferred criminal charges against the former governor (Amaechi), Sahara Energy, Tonye Cole and the rest of them. “So, you are coming at the right time to take over the matter and to make sure it is prosecuted diligently. I don’t want to hear excuses. Let the people see what happened to our money. “The world will see how $50 million from our account was moved to a company without nothing to show whether there was a business.” Wike further directed Adangor to send a protest letter to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) following the harassment of Rivers Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Siminalaye Fubara. Wike gave the directives on Friday at the Executive Chamber of Government House, Port Harcourt, during the inauguration of three new commissioners. Those sworn-in by the Governor and their portfolios are Prof. Adangor, Isaac Kamalu, Commissioner of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning and Dr. George-Kelly, Dakorinama Alabo, Commissioner for Works and Special Projects. The Governor recalled that the EFCC and its officers attempted to harass and intimidate Fubara, who before his emergence as the PDP governorship candidate, had served as the Accountant-General of Rivers State. Wike said EFCC should know that the era of impunity and flagrant disobedience to the rule of law was gone and that his administration would not accept such behaviour. He threatened that the State Government would charge the EFCC for contempt if it failed to retrace its steps. Wike explained that hitherto, the Rivers State government had secured a subsisting court judgment against the EFCC stopping the commission from investigating the state finances or its officers. He said there was also another subsisting judgment against EFCC by the PDP governorship candidate on the enforcement of his fundamental rights. He said: “Rivers State government had judgment against EFCC since 2007. The court said you (EFCC) has no business in the financial transactions of the (Rivers) State. EFCC has been struggling to set aside that judgement until now. They have not even appealed it.” Wike noted that nobody would accept the use of EFCC at such political period to intimidate persons in order to achieve their skewed goals. He said: “We are in a political period. People should not think that they will use EFCC to intimidate or manipulate him (Fubara). Nobody will accept that. So you (Attorney General) have to attach the judgment of the candidate against EFCC and send the right signal to them that we are not people that can be cowed.” The governor commended the newly sworn-in commissioners for showing capacity, loyalty and commitment in previous assignments without excuses. Wike informed that he would be careful in constituting his cabinet to full capacity because at such twilight of his administration, only people with undivided loyalty were needed to ensure good ending. “I want to commend three you that you have shown commitment, you have shown hard work, you have shown loyalty. And for me, that is the only way to pay back the people who have shown in spite of all odds, they are still there with you”, he said.

Post Date : June 10, 2022

I did not pay tribute to Tinubu – Soyinka

Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka has debunked claims that he paid tribute to the Presidential standard bearer of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr. Ahmed Bola Tinubu. The elder statesman had earlier in the year also dismissed a social media post endorsing Tinubu for the 2023 Presidency. A tribute titled, ‘Prof Wole Soyinka’s tribute to Sen Asiwaju Tinubu’ purportedly written by Soyinka eulogising Tinubu on his political accomplishments had gone viral on various WhatsApp platforms shortly after he emerged as the Presidential candidate of APC. Soyinka in a statement by his spokesman, Abiola Owoaje dismissed the trending post as the handiwork of indolent identity thieves whose preoccupation is to deceive the general public with phoney social media posts to gain prominence. He maintained he does not operate or own social media accounts. The literary luminary reiterated his position on the 2023 elections and the issues surrounding it, noting that he has no business meddling in the struggle for power by political parties in the country. Soyinka enjoins the general public to be on alert to the antics of faceless cowards spreading falsehood, adding that they should not partake in the despicable action of the authors by spreading the cocktail of lies.

Post Date : June 10, 2022

Akeredolu faults FG for Iinking Owo terror attack to ISWAP

Ondo Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has faulted pronouncement by the Federal Government that ISWAP terrorist group was responsible for last Sunday’s terrorist attack on St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Owo local government area. Akeredolu said he took the conclusion with a pinch of salt. He stated that ISWAP always take responsibility for any attack it carries out. Speaking on Friday during an interaction with a Swiss-based Christian human rights Organisation, Christian Solidarity International (CSI), the Ondo Governor said the Southwest region has been a peace haven before the attack. According to him: ”The statement is too hasty. I take their conclusion with a pinch of salt. ISWAP don’t hide their attacks. If they have done it, they would have owned up. We are yet to know their identity and our security people are still on their trail. “We are helping the victims of the attack. Including those who lost their loved ones and those who are in the hospitals. We have also have people who have offered the state government some assistance. Some people have donated to the Catholic.” On State police, the Governor said: “A single police command can not guarantee safety in this country. We must have state police now. Amotekun suffers a lot of limitation in getting all the equipment needed to fight these criminals.” The Governor described the international community reactions to the killings in Owo as unprecedented.

Post Date : June 10, 2022

CAN: Running mates of Tinubu, Atiku must be Christians

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has warned the presidential candidates of leading political parties against choosing running mates of the same religion as them. In a statement issued on Friday by Joseph Daramola, CAN national secretary, the association said the development would be “a threat to the fragile peace and unity of Nigeria”. “Any party that tries same religion ticket will fail. This is not 1993. Even when we have a joint Muslim/Christian ticket, the church still goes through hell. Only God knows the number of Christians that have been killed in the last seven years with no one apprehended or prosecuted. Imagine how bad it will be if we have two Muslims in power? The extant Nigerian Constitution promotes religious balance,” the statement reads. “So, if any political party wants to try Muslim/Muslim ticket, it’s at its own peril. CAN is only forewarning but will make a categorical statement in the event our warning is not heeded. “The Presidential running mate for the APC presidential flag bearer, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu should be a Christian from the North, Atiku’s running mate should be a Christian from the South while Obi should choose his own among the Muslims from the North.” CAN said if political parties choose running mates of the same religion as the presidential candidates, it would mean the leadership of the parties “do not bother about the unity of this entity called Nigeria”. “Those who are planning Muslim/Muslim ticket should also find out what was the outcome of MKO Abiola and Kingibe ticket in 1993. If they try Muslim/Muslim ticket this time around, the outcome will be worse because our fault lines are very visible.,” the statement reads. “There is no party that has no great, good and patriotic Christians who can preside over the affairs of this nation not to talk of being the Vice President as some mischievous people are trying to say. “To those arguing that people do not care about the religions of their leaders once they are competent and credible, we dare APC to pick its Presidential running mate from the South and PDP pick its own from the North and see what follows. “Our politicians should be doing what will unite us instead of what will further polarise the country.”

Post Date : June 10, 2022

Christ Embassy’s Pastor, Wife Declared Wanted By EFCC Over N2bn Scam

The Chief Executive Officer of Baraza Multipurpose Cooperative, a Bayelsa-based Ponzi scheme, Pastor (Dr) Miebi Bribena (full name: Onyimiebi Bribena) and his wife, Beatrice Bribena have been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for allegedly defrauding Nigerians over N2 billion. Bribena, who is a pastor at Christ Embassy Kumasi 1, Ghana, fled Nigeria last year after failing to pay investors their return on investment (ROI), leading to protests in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. Bribena had alleged that some staff of the cooperative compromised its systems by defrauding the organization of over N300 million. He added that the organisation was carrying out a forensic audit to enable it to pay the backlog of unpaid surpluses to the investors and members, a promise that was never fulfilled. A statement signed by Wilson Uwujaren, Head, Media & Publicity of EFCC partly reads: “Bribena and Beatrice are both natives of Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. “Their last known address is No 163 Mbiama Yenagoa Road, Biogbolo, Bayelsa State. “Anybody with useful information as to their whereabouts should please contact the Commission in its Benin, Kaduna, Ibadan, Sokoto, Gombe, Maiduguri, Makurdi, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt, and Abuja offices or through these numbers 09-9044751-3, 0B093322644, 08183322644, 070-26350721-3, 070-6350724-5; Its e-mail address: