N25bn fraud: Lucky Igbinedion’s brother to pay N3m fine

A Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State on Thursday sentenced a younger brother of ex-Governor Lucky Igbinedion, Michael,   to a six-year jail term for N25bn money laundering offences.

An aide of the ex-governor,   Patrick Eboigbodin, was also jailed for 20 years for the   same of offences.

However, the governor’s brother has an option of paying N3m or N1m for each of the three counts on which he was found guilty to avoid going to jail.

Eboigbodin sentencing on Thursday is without an option of fine.

The two convicts and four companies had been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on an 81-count charge of money laundering during the tenure of Lucky Igbinedion as governor.

The four companies are Gava Corporation Limited, Romrig Nigeria Limited, PML Securities Company Limited and PML Nigeria Limited.

Justice A.M. Liman found Michael guilty on counts 79, 80 and 81 of the alleged charges while Eboigbodin was found guilty on counts 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 and 59.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the assets of PML Limited to the Federal Government. The company will also pay N250,000 fine.

Liman noted that the prosecution had proved the alleged collaboration by the accused beyond reasonable doubts but he discharged them all on the other count charges on the grounds that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations.

The judge further explained that the prosecution only proved suspicion but failed to prove illicit origin of funds deposited in the named banks.

Earlier, the counsel to the first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth accused persons, Richard Ahonanuogho, acknowledged that the 10-count charges brought against his clients centred on money laundering as contained in Section 14 (1) of the Money Laundering Act (2004) and the law provided a sentence of two to three years imprisonment.

He, however, urged the court to use its discretion to award a fine or apply a suspended sentence as the first accused, the ex-governor’s brother, was a first offender, in his late 50’s and had not benefited from the said offence.

Counsel to the second accused, Abubakar Shamsudeen, had told the court that his client, Eboigbodin , had pleaded leniency based on his age and being a first offender and a victim of the office he occupied when the offence was committed.

He, therefore, urged the court to apply an option of fine, not below N250,000 or N500,000, and not more than N1m, in lieu of imprisonment.

But the counsel to the EFCC, Tayo Olukotun, urged the court not to be persuaded by the plea for leniency by the accused, arguing that their conviction would be in line with the provision of the law and that the call for suspended sentence was not within the court’s jurisdiction.

The prosecution also submitted that the claim of non-criminal benefit by the first accused was not an issue because the crime had already been established.

Policeman arrested for allegedly raping Kano minor

The Police in Kano State have arrested a serving policeman, Cpl. Sani Salisu, for allegedly raping a minor.

This is contained in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Magaji Majiya, in Kano on Friday.

“The command wishes to inform the public that, in its effort to flush out the bad eggs from the force, it has arrested a serving member of the force, Cpl. Sani Salisu.

“He was arrested for luring and taking advantage of a seven-year-old girl inside a kiosk located at Mangoron Mahauta Brigade quarters, Kano,” it said.

It added that the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, had directed that the case be transferred immediately to State Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigation.

“The public will be informed of any further development on the case,” the statement added.

The statement, therefore, urged members of the public to remain calm and report any suspicious person or activity to the appropriate authorities for prompt action.

Source: NAN

Jonathan’s mother hails JTF for donating borehole

Mrs. Eunice Jonathan, the mother of President Goodluck Jonathan, has commended the Joint Task Force for donating a borehole to Akipelai community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The borehole, which is sited at the premises of the Community Secondary School, Akipelai, was inaugurated by Jonathan’s mother, a native of the community.

She thanked the JTF Commander for his efforts towards eradicating illegalities in the Niger Delta region.

The President’s mother also commended him for the professional approach in carrying out the mandate of the task force and urged the people of the community to give him the necessary support to fight oil theft.

She urged youths of the community to protect the borehole against vandalism.

The JTF Commander, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, commended the Akipelai community for toeing the line of his zero tolerance campaign against illegalities in the community.

He applauded the community for not indulging in oil theft, which he described as economic sabotage against the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“The people of Akipelai are in total support of this fight and we must continue to identify with them by supporting them in the area we can.

“We are donating this as a mark of appreciation to this community for not involving in illegal bunkering and oil theft.,” Atewe said.

He urged the people of the region to continue to support the task force to carry out its mandate in the Niger Delta.

“Illegal oil bunkering and oil theft degrade the ecological system, thereby creating a health hazard to the inhabitants of the community. It is an act capable of causing health problems,” he added.

Source: NAN

Missing $20bn: Okonjo-Iweala disowns PriceWaterHouseCoopers, says she didn’t hire firm

Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has distanced herself from the audit firm,
PriceWatersHouseCoopers, saying she should not be held responsible for its hiring to probe Nigeria’s alleged missing oil money, days after a widely-discredited report by PwC was released.

As finance minister and coordinator of the economy, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala played a leading role in 2014 when PwC as hired, as the government tried to counter an allegation that $20 billion oil money had been stolen.

Former Central Bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, who made the claim, accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC of diverting the money.

After efforts by the government and the Senate to reconcile the sum yielded no tangible results, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala recommended an independent forensic audit. She later announced the hiring of PriceWaterHouseCoopers.

The report containing the outcome of PwC’s investigation, was released Monday several months after the firm completed its assignment.
PriceWaterHouseCoopers however said the work should not be relied upon, as it failed to meet international standards.

In an unusual statement Thursday, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala sought to steer clear of the audit firm, although she said her response followed a lawsuit blaming her for the hiring.

A statement released by Paul Nwabuikwu, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s spoksperson, said the minister was responding to a lawsuit filed by a group of three accounting firms before a Lagos High Court, accusing Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala of violating federal local content law by appointing PwC.

The statement was issued before the minister received a formal notification of a suit, a rather unusual and prompt response seen as an attempt by Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to comment on the PwC case.

“The CME is astonished by the news of the said court action which is spurious in the extreme,” spokesperson Mr. Nwabuikwu said. “It is shocking that professionals of the calibre of the SIAO Partners can embark on this kind of legal action without taking the trouble to do the minimum amount of homework to confirm basic facts.”

The statement said “Okonjo-Iweala did not appoint the PWC to carry out the audit”.

The minister called on those behind the suit to immediately drop it or face her in court.

Those running to APC will return with “empty stomachs” – Jonathan

Those defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressive Congress due to PDP’s loss at the presidential election, will return with “empty stomachs”, President Goodluck Jonathan said Thursday.

The president said the PDP was still the dominant party and it was only a matter of time before it bounced back. He said the APC will first satisfy the hunger of its own members who worked during the elections before attending to defectors.

Mr. Jonathan made the remarks while receiving the PDP campaign report from the Presidential Campaign Organisation (PCO) at the presidential villa. He urged the party and its members to sit tight and put its failures behind and help the party move forward.

“So I encourage members of our party to remain loyal to the party, not to be so disillusioned ‎because we lost presidential election and decide to go where they think they will fill their stomachs or something. It’s not easy. I have been here for five years plus, you hardly satisfy even 15 percent of those who work for you.

“So those people running and those already cross-carpeting, they will come back on an empty stomach because they will touch the primary members of their party, before they get to you. They know you are coming because you are hungry, before it will get to you the food will be gone.

“So let us be committed to the party, yes we will have challenges at the beginning but surely we will get to where we want to be,” he said.

The president urged PDP members not to judge the party by the result of the presidential elections, saying it was time to go back to the drawing board and identify areas of challenges ‎so that the party will become stronger.

“PDP is still the most organized party, it is still the party that is not owned by anybody, it’s still the party that whatever you are you can get to any level with your competences and so on,” he said.

On his decision to concede defeat the President said he did not consult anyone before making the phone call to the winner in the race, President-elect Muhammadu Buhari.

“Yes I did not consult anybody before I made that phone call but I made that phone call on behalf of all you and on behalf of the PDP.

“I made the pronouncement but some of us are paying the price. Some people pay more price than I do, I know how some of you are already being persecuted and the kind of situation facing you.

“The key thing is that we must continue to unite, as a party we must continue to work hard so that as we go into subsequent elections 2019, 2023 and so on and so forth, PDP will continue to come up strong. Even in the interest of the nation, we need PDP.

“I still believe though we have lost presidential elections, some national assembly elections, governorship elections especially in the north, PDP is still the dominant party. Let us not judge PDP by the result of the elections for the presidential elections”.

He likened the 2015 elections to the civil war which had different accounts written by different people.

“‎Of course the issues of this 2015 elections will be similar to the civil war because different people gave different account of the civil war. The first book on civil war that I read was “My Command” by Olusegun Obasanjo, which is his perspectives on what he saw and observed. I recall Ojukwu’s own was “Because I’m Involved”, if you read it the dimensions are sometimes tangential to the first.

“If you ask the various observer groups, each will give you a different perspective. Even among ourselves whenever we talk ‎sometimes I laugh when people draw some of their analysis but by my privileged position I knew a little more about elections than others,” he said.

The President noted that the key thing isn’t whether the elections were lost or won but that Nigeria as a nation must move forward. “Political parties can only thrive when there is peace and stability in the country. If there is military intervention all the parties will disappear,” he said.
‎He thanked all who worked for the elections.

Mr. Jonathan said countries that sent vessels in case of an urgent need to evacuate their nationals from Nigeria, were disappointed because there was nobody to evacuate.

“The country was so tense but everything has gone down and I think that is the most important thing because the conviction is that you must have a country before you can run for an office. Nigeria is a very complex country and you must manage with care.

“So let me thank you all for joining us to carry the cross, thank you for the various roles you played and I charge you to‎ be even more committed to the development of the party. Definitely PDP will become stronger and united,” he added.

The Director-General of the PCO, Ahmadu Ali‎, commended the President for showing great, exemplary leadership and making the PDP proud despite losing to the rival All Progressives Congress (APC).

“You made the world proud by conceding defeat even when you had several options. You proved to the world that you are committed to your credo that no one’s blood is worth your political ambition.

“By that singular act, you pulled Nigeria back from a seeming pre-determined precipice and you made us proud. While you assuredly lost in the ballots, you won the biggest victory in defeat by that historic phone call.

Mr. Ali said lessons learnt from the elections will be used to wrest power from the current winners in future.

Those running to APC will return with “empty stomachs” – Jonathan

Those defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressive Congress due to PDP’s loss at the presidential election, will return with “empty stomachs”, President Goodluck Jonathan said Thursday.

The president said the PDP was still the dominant party and it was only a matter of time before it bounced back. He said the APC will first satisfy the hunger of its own members who worked during the elections before attending to defectors.

Mr. Jonathan made the remarks while receiving the PDP campaign report from the Presidential Campaign Organisation (PCO) at the presidential villa. He urged the party and its members to sit tight and put its failures behind and help the party move forward.

“So I encourage members of our party to remain loyal to the party, not to be so disillusioned ‎because we lost presidential election and decide to go where they think they will fill their stomachs or something. It’s not easy. I have been here for five years plus, you hardly satisfy even 15 percent of those who work for you.

“So those people running and those already cross-carpeting, they will come back on an empty stomach because they will touch the primary members of their party, before they get to you. They know you are coming because you are hungry, before it will get to you the food will be gone.

“So let us be committed to the party, yes we will have challenges at the beginning but surely we will get to where we want to be,” he said.

The president urged PDP members not to judge the party by the result of the presidential elections, saying it was time to go back to the drawing board and identify areas of challenges ‎so that the party will become stronger.

“PDP is still the most organized party, it is still the party that is not owned by anybody, it’s still the party that whatever you are you can get to any level with your competences and so on,” he said.

On his decision to concede defeat the President said he did not consult anyone before making the phone call to the winner in the race, President-elect Muhammadu Buhari.

“Yes I did not consult anybody before I made that phone call but I made that phone call on behalf of all you and on behalf of the PDP.

“I made the pronouncement but some of us are paying the price. Some people pay more price than I do, I know how some of you are already being persecuted and the kind of situation facing you.

“The key thing is that we must continue to unite, as a party we must continue to work hard so that as we go into subsequent elections 2019, 2023 and so on and so forth, PDP will continue to come up strong. Even in the interest of the nation, we need PDP.

“I still believe though we have lost presidential elections, some national assembly elections, governorship elections especially in the north, PDP is still the dominant party. Let us not judge PDP by the result of the elections for the presidential elections”.

He likened the 2015 elections to the civil war which had different accounts written by different people.

“‎Of course the issues of this 2015 elections will be similar to the civil war because different people gave different account of the civil war. The first book on civil war that I read was “My Command” by Olusegun Obasanjo, which is his perspectives on what he saw and observed. I recall Ojukwu’s own was “Because I’m Involved”, if you read it the dimensions are sometimes tangential to the first.

“If you ask the various observer groups, each will give you a different perspective. Even among ourselves whenever we talk ‎sometimes I laugh when people draw some of their analysis but by my privileged position I knew a little more about elections than others,” he said.

The President noted that the key thing isn’t whether the elections were lost or won but that Nigeria as a nation must move forward. “Political parties can only thrive when there is peace and stability in the country. If there is military intervention all the parties will disappear,” he said.
‎He thanked all who worked for the elections.

Mr. Jonathan said countries that sent vessels in case of an urgent need to evacuate their nationals from Nigeria, were disappointed because there was nobody to evacuate.

“The country was so tense but everything has gone down and I think that is the most important thing because the conviction is that you must have a country before you can run for an office. Nigeria is a very complex country and you must manage with care.

“So let me thank you all for joining us to carry the cross, thank you for the various roles you played and I charge you to‎ be even more committed to the development of the party. Definitely PDP will become stronger and united,” he added.

The Director-General of the PCO, Ahmadu Ali‎, commended the President for showing great, exemplary leadership and making the PDP proud despite losing to the rival All Progressives Congress (APC).

“You made the world proud by conceding defeat even when you had several options. You proved to the world that you are committed to your credo that no one’s blood is worth your political ambition.

“By that singular act, you pulled Nigeria back from a seeming pre-determined precipice and you made us proud. While you assuredly lost in the ballots, you won the biggest victory in defeat by that historic phone call.

Mr. Ali said lessons learnt from the elections will be used to wrest power from the current winners in future.

PDP will bounce back in 2019 – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan declared Thursday in Abuja that if members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) remain committed to the vision of its founding fathers and work very hard, the party will return to power at the Federal level in 2019.

Speaking after receiving the report of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organization at the Presidential Villa, President Jonathan said the party already had all that it will require to win the 2019 elections, but needed to return to the drawing board to re-strategize for the future.

“Whatever happened was like a slip. You don’t need to travel to America to know how power moves from the Republicans to the Democrats and from the Democrats to the Republicans.

“You can even go to Ghana that is very close to us. The present administration lost some years back and of course they came back, and won the elections. So the problem is not whether we lost or won elections, which is already history, but how we can reconsolidate our party.

“If we are committed and we work hard, definitely the PDP will spring back,” President Jonathan told members of the party’s Presidential Campaign Organisation.

Noting that the outcome of future elections will be determined by the party’s preparedness, President Jonathan urged members of the PDP to be more united and remain loyal to the party.

“We must continue to be united as a party. And continue to work hard so that as we move towards subsequent elections in 2019 and 2023, PDP will come out stronger.

“The party will come back stronger. PDP is still the most organized party. PDP is still the party that nobody owns. PDP is still the party that whoever you are, you can get to any level that you aspire to through competence. I encourage members of our party to remain faithful and not be disillusioned,” the President said.