[Jibrin withdraws suit challenging suspension ▷ NAIJ.COM]
https://www.naij.com/1018131-just-budget-padding-saga-jibrin-makes-u-turn.html
Tuesday 25 October 2016
The former chairman, House of Representatives committee on appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has withdrawn his suit challenging his suspension from the House.
Saturday 22 October 2016
Fayose implicated in arms loot
Amidst denial by the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose that he did not receive any money from Chief Musiliu Obanikoro, a former Minister of State for Defence. the detained Obanikoro has implicated Governor Ayodele Fayose in the probe of the N4.745billion wired to a company by the Office of the National Security Adviser(ONSA).
The cash was wired to Sylva Mcnamara, which has been linked to Obanikoro within seven months in 2014.
Sen. Obanikoro said of the cash, N2.23billion was transferred to Fayose. Culled from the news punch.
FFK finally in deep trouble.
The former director of media and publicity of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 election campaign, Femi Fani-Kayode, was on Friday arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, as he emerged from a corruption trial at the Federal High Court, Lagos.
A former aviation minister, Mr. Fani-Kayode was in court for the trial of the alleged diversion and misappropriation of N4.9 billion campaign fund when he was picked up by the anti-graft commission. Others charged alongside the outspoken former minister were ex-finance minister, Nenadi Usman, one Danjuma Yusuf and a company, Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited.
All the accused pleaded not guilty and had been granted bail.
The 17-count suit was adjourned to November 14 after the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, presented the witness evidence for the day.
But as soon as Mr. Fani-Kayode stepped out of the court room, he was accosted and subsequently arrested by two operatives of the EFCC. He was whisked away in a white Toyota Hiace bus.
Interestingly, the opposition politician on Thursday released a statement about a plan by the EFCC to arrest him today at the court premises.
“I have been reliably informed by my sources within the EFCC that they are planning to re-arrest and detain me again for as long as possible even though I have been granted bail by the Federal High Court in Lagos,” he said.
“Fresh charges were filed against me by the EFCC at the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 7. These charges border on baseless and false claims that I received N26 million from the NSA’s office in 2014. These are politically-motivated charges and there is no truth in or substance to them whatsoever.
“The case has been assigned to a judge and the date for arraignment has been set for November 10 before Justice Tsoho of the Federal High Court in Abuja. My lawyers were in court for the original date of arraignment on October 14 but for some curious reasons the EFCC did not show up on that day.
“The matter was therefore adjourned till November 10 and my lawyers have given an undertaking to the judge to ensure that I am in court on that day. They have also written to the EFCC to that effect and our letter was acknowledged by them.
“Yet the EFCC is still planning to arrest me probably at the premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos if I appear there on October 21 to attend my trial on the trumped up and politically-motivated charges concerning the presidential campaign funds.
“If they do arrest me then they seek to detain me for as long as possible. Whichever way, they will come and I am ready for them. I am not running,” he added.
The last few days have been busy for the controversial former aviation minister. On Monday, his wife, Precious, was briefly held by the law enforcement officials after she tried to withdraw money from an Access Bank account flagged by the EFCC in Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State. She was carrying her 8 months baby at the time.
Mr. Fani-Kayode said EFCC gave no prior notice that the account was flagged and promised to sue the commission and Access Bank.
“She (his wife) has never been formally invited by the EFCC or asked any questions about her transactions and neither have they written to her on any issue even though they are always sending letters to my house and sending people there’.
“We intend to sue the bank and to sue the EFCC for this illegal and wicked action. They have no right to do this. If they want to see my wife all they need to do is to invite her. We have nothing to fear. They do not need to be so primitive and barbaric to people”.
I was paid N30 million in cash – witness
Meanwhile, at the hearing of the alleged 4.9 billion fraud suit Friday, the EFCC presented its first witness, Idowu Olusegun, a media consultant with Paste Poster Company Limited. Mr. Olusegun told the court that he received N30 million in cash from the Mr Fani-Kayode. He said he had signed a N24 million media consultancy contract. Culled from- premium times.
The National Judicial council replies NBA on its call for the sack of rogue judges
The National Judicial Council on Friday rejected the suggestion by the Nigerian Bar Association to suspend serving judges who were among the seven arrested by the Department of State Service between October 8 and 9.
The NJC, in a statement by its Acting Director, Information, said it had no powers to suspend serving judges without investigating a petition accusing the affected judges of certain acts of misconduct.
It said lawyers who were part of the members of the NJC participated in the emergency meeting of the NJC where the raid on the houses of and the arrest of judges were condemned.
The NBA President, Mr. Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), made the call on Thursday in Abauja at the valedictory court session held in honour of a retiring Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Sotonye Denton-West.
Mahmoud said at the event, “We therefore strongly recommend that, without prejudice to the innocence or otherwise of the Judges involved in the ongoing investigations, they should recuse themselves from further judicial functions or required to proceed on compulsory leave until their innocence is fully and completely established or until the conclusion of all judicial or disciplinary proceedings”.
But reacting to NBA’s stance on Friday, the NJC said acting in line with NBA’s suggestion would amount to violation of section 158 of the Constitution.
The statement read in part, “Thus, the current position of the Nigerian Bar Association vis-à-vis its recommendation that the affected judicial officers involved in the on-going investigation of Judicial Officers by the DSS, be requested to proceed on compulsory leave until the conclusion of all disciplinary proceedings against them, is unacceptable to the NJC; as it breaches the 2014 Revised Judicial Discipline Regulations formulated by NJC pursuant to Section 160 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.
“It is to be reiterated also that by the provisions of Section 158 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, NJC shall not be subject to the direction or control of any other authority or person while exercising its disciplinary power of control over Judicial Officers in the Federation.
“The members of the public are hereby informed that the mechanism that will determine a judicial officer to be directed or requested to proceed on compulsory leave or be suspended from office, is a disciplinary power that NJC can only exercise after initiating disciplinary proceeding on the complaint or petition forwarded against the Judge, after he has been found culpable.
“Therefore, to act on the recommendation of the NBA, it is not only contrary to the provisions of Section 158 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, but it means NJC will direct any judicial officer that has been petitioned even if the allegations contained therein are frivolous and baseless, to proceed on compulsory leave or be suspended from office without complying with the rule of law. Culled from- the Nigerian lawyer.
Friday 21 October 2016
Another setback for terrorists in Nigeria
Navy Intercepts Barge With Stolen 120,000 Litres Of Crude Oil
— Oct 13, 2016 3:36 pm | Leave a comment
The Nigerian Navy has intercepted a large metallic barge transporting about 120,000 litres of crude oil suspected to be stolen from pipelines in Rivers.
— Oct 13, 2016 3:36 pm | Leave a comment
The Nigerian Navy has intercepted a large metallic barge transporting about 120,000 litres of crude oil suspected to be stolen from pipelines in Rivers.
The Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Rear Adm. James Oluwole, announced the seizure on Thursday while inspecting the barge at Elem Kalabari, Akuku Toru Local Government Area of Rivers.
Oluwole said the barge was intercepted in the early hours of Wednesday by troops manning its house boat in the area.
“Naval troops manning our maritime security stations (house boat) on Wednesday around 2a.m. intercepted and impounded a metallic barge laden with about 120,000 litres of crude oil suspected to be stolen.
“Troops were unable to arrest crew members on board the barge as they fled the scene on sighting advancing naval gunboats.
“This interception is a testament to success of our choke point strategy which involves positioning of troops on flash points for quick response to situations.
“This strategy and other security measures recently put in place curtailed spate of attacks on oil and gas installations, piracy and other criminality on our maritime environment,” he said.
Oluwole said that more house boats and other military hardware would be deployed to ensure drastic reduction of oil theft, especially on the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) area of responsibility.
He said four house boats had already been deployed with three positioned under the Central Naval Command Headquarters in Bayelsa.
Oluwole said that a total of five house boats had so far been deployed within the command’s domain.
He said one of the house boats had been deployed to the ENC which enabled troops to identify routes used by illegal oil thieves to transport stolen petroleum products from the creeks.
Also speaking, the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder Port Harcourt, Commodore Kennedy Egbuchulam, said that troops were specially trained to reduce rising spate of attacks on oil and gas installations.
Egbuchulam, whose troops intercepted the barge, said that advanced surveillance and tracking systems had been positioned to ensure effective coverage of the creeks and waterways.
“Aside the house boats, gunboats in their numbers patrol the areas day and night using sophisticated surveillance system to spot illegalities on our maritime environment.
“Without the surveillance system, it would have been near impossible to spot the barge as it was highly disguised due to the darkness of the night,” he said. (NAN)
Nigerian Senate to pass the whistle blower bill in what maybe seen as a nice development for the battle against corruption.
http://cupstv.com/2016/10/21/the-much-anticipated-whistle-blower-bill-has-passed-second-reading-at-the-senate/
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