PHOTOS: N23 BILLION DIEZANI'S BRIBE: INEC STAFF HAS PLEADED GUILTY !

A staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Christian Nwosu has pleaded guilty to receiving N30million as bribe from the N23billion alleged Diezani bribe meant to compromise electoral officers before  the 2015 general election. Nwosu was among three INEC officials that were  today docked by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,  EFCC, before Justice M. B. Idris of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi,  Lagos on a 7-count charge bordering on receiving gratification to the tune of N264,880,000.00 (Two Hundred and Sixty-four Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira).

Nwosu and the other accused persons-Yisa Olanrewaju Adedoyin  and Tijani  Bashir had,  on March 27, 2015, allegedly received bribes from a former Minister of Petroleum Resources,  Diezani Allison-Madueke,  ahead of the 2015 general election.

Count one of the charges reads: "That you, Mrs.  Diezani  Allison - Madueke (still at large),  Christian Nwosu,  Yisa Olanrewaju Adedoyin and Tijani  Bashir  on or about the 27th day of March,  2015 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired among yourselves to directly take possession of N264,880,000(Two Hundred and Sixty-four Million,  Eight Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira)  which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: gratification and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition)  (Amendment) Act,  2002 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act."

Another count reads: "That you,  Christian Nwosu  on or about the 27 day of March,  2015 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court directly used the sum of N30,000,000  which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: gratification and you hereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(a) of the money laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment)  Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act."

Both the second and third defendants, Adedoyin and Bashir, pleaded not guilty to the charges..
However, the first defendant, Nwosu, pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against him.
 Counsel to the first defendant, Adaku Ngbangba, pleaded with the court to grant her client bail on self-recognizance, adding that “he is a first-time offender. He has put in over 20 years in service. Given his honestly, I urge you, my Lord, to grant him bail on liberal terms.’’
Counsels to the second defendant, Ngbangba, as well as counsel to the third defendant, Nelson Imoh, also pleaded with the court to grant their clients bail on self-recognizance.
In his address, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo,  told the court that the first defendant had entered a plea bargain agreement with the Commission.
He said: “We received the sum of $115 million kept in the custody of Fidelity Bank Plc, which was subsequently converted to N23bn.

“Of this amount of money, it was alleged that the first defendant received a cash payment of N30, 000,000. 00  as Director and Administrative Secretary, INEC, Kwara State.
“The first defendant went to Fidelity Bank and signed for N264, 880,000. This was left in the bank in the custody of the third defendant who carried it in a Hilux bus and was making cash payment/withdrawals without going through any financial institutions.
"In the course of making the cash payments, the third defendant paid the first defendant the total sum of N30, 000,000.00 cash."

Oyedepo further told the court that the first defendant was invited to the Commission’s office, where he made his statement under words of caution.
He stated that the receipt of payment of the money signed for by the first defendant was also retrieved by the Commission.

Both the statement and the receipt were tendered and admitted as exhibits A-A6 by the court.
Oyedepo also told the court that the first defendant had admitted essentially to the ingredients of the alleged offence in his statement to the Commission on December 12, 2016.
The first defendant in his statement, according to Oyedepo, admitted to have benefitted N30, 000,000. 00.

Oyedepo, in his address, also stated that “the first defendant also gave account of the properties he used the money to acquire.
“He brought the title documents to the EFCC office.
“Having demonstrated remorse and given useful information to aid the prosecution of the case, he has entered into an agreement to forfeit the properties to the Federal Government. The properties are listed in the paragraphs 1 and 2 of the plea bargain agreement.
“The EFCC has recovered the N5m left from the first defendant, having spent N25m to acquire properties."

He also urged the court to convict the first defendant in line with the count seven of the charges and adopt the term contained in the plea bargain agreement.
Consequently, Justice Idris found the first defendant liable as charged on count seven.
He, however, deferred the sentencing of the first defendant to May 7, 2017.
The first defendant was ordered to be remanded in the EFCC custody till the next adjourned date.
Justice Idris admitted both t the second and third defendants to bail in the sum of N50 million, with two sureties in like sum.
The sureties must have landed properties within the jurisdiction of the court.
The second and third accused persons must submit their international passport to the court.
They were ordered to be remanded in prison custody till the perfection of their bail conditions.
The case was adjourned to May 7, 2017 for continuation of trial.

REAL ADMIRAL DANIEL IKOLI FOUND DEAD IN A POOL OF BLOOD AT HIS RESIDENCE !

The Fleet Commander, Western Naval Command (WNC) Rear Admiral Daniel Ikoli was Wednesday found dead at his Apapa, Lagos residence, The Nations report.

Ikoli, who was Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT and later appointed into the presidential committee on the probe of arms deal, was said to have been found in a pool of his blood.



It was gathered that the senior officer left the office on Tuesday afternoon after complaining he wasn’t feeling too well.

The Nation reports that Rear Admiral Ikoli was battling an undisclosed illness, which made him loose weight. He also became withdrawn contrary to his usual boisterous personality.


It was also gathered that the deceased was suffering from depression caused by the high dollar rate and unavailability Foreign Exchange (FOREX) for his children’s tuition.

According to sources, Ikoli usually expressed worries about the possibility of assassins going after him as a result of his membership in the committee.



Officers who worked under the deceased have expressed shock over his death, insisting he might have been assassinated.

According to a close aide to the deceased, a boy who lives at his home claimed he heard gunshot from Ikoli’s room and took cover.

He said:

 “The boy said he heard gunshot and when he did, he took cover. His wife is in Abuja and his children school abroad. His orderly and Naval Assistant (NA) usually go after dropping him.
The bullet hit him on the chest. Three bullets were seen in his room. No one can really tell what happened but the position he was seen suggests he might have been scared of something or someone.
He was a nice and intelligent officer. He was the one who spearheaded the renovations at BEECROFT when he was Commander. It’s a sad news really.”

Contacted, the command’s information officer, Lieutenant Commander Chinwe Umar said the police have been invited for investigation.

She said:
“In the early hours of Wednesday, April 5, gunshots were heard in the vicinity where Rear Admiral Teikumo Daniel Ikoli resides in Apapa.
When his room was opened, he was found dead. Police have been invited and investigation is ongoing. When the situation is clearer, an update would be given.”

POLICE PENSION FUND (PPF) SCAM: 'I MADE $544,000 SELLING PURE WATER'~~Veronica Onyegbula

 The Economic and Finacial CrimesCommission EFCC, yesterday told a Federal High Court in Abuja that the fourth defendant in the ongoing N24 billion police pension scam trial, Veronica Onyegbula, during interrogation in 2012 when she was arrested, that she made $544,000 from sales of pure water.

Onyegbula is standing trial alongside Esai Dangabar; Ahmed Inuwa Wada; Atiku Abubakar Kigo; Sani Habila Zira; Uzoma Attang and Christian Madubuike on criminal charges bordering on conspiracy and criminal breach of trust for their complicity in the scam at the police pension office. It is alleged that the accused persons conspired and sequentially withdrew money from the Police Pension Fund (PPF) in an account domiciled at First Bank of Nigeria and shared it amongst themselves.

At the resumed hearing of the case at an FCT high court yesterday, one of the prosecuting witnesses and an operative of the antigraft agency, Rukayya Ibrahim, told the court that during interrogation, the accused informed the agency that she made the huge sum of money from her pure water business. Rukayya said this while while giving evidence in the trial within trial requested by counsel to Onyegbula, Barrister Ernest Ikeji.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Barrister Leke Atolagbe, Rukkaya told the court that all the statements made by Onyegbula were voluntarily made under a cordial interactive session and not under duress as being alleged by her counsel.

The presiding judge, Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, adjourned the trial within trial to today at the instance of the prosecution counsel.

PHOTOS :KOGI STATE POLICE COMMAND RESCUES ABDUCTED CORPS MEMBER AND 3 OTHERS FROM KIDNAPPERS !

 A member of the National Youth Service Corps, Becky Ashiodiame Godfrey and 3 other passengers were abducted by gunmen along the Okene-Kogi road on Monday, April 3.
The gunmen said to be wearing police uniforms ambushed the vehicle conveying the victims and other passengers to Bayelsa State.

 Mr Braima Godfrey, the father of Becky, a Marketing graduate of Auchi Polytechnic, who is currently serving in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State said the kidnappers demanded N5 million ransom as condition for her release.

However, the police were able to rescue the victims on Tuesday, April 4th. Spokesperson for the Kogi State Police Command, William Aya, who confirmed the incident said two persons were arrested in connection with the abduction.

Photo credit: Becky Godfrey

PHOTOS: BENUE LAWMAKER ASKED TO APOLOGIZE TO GOVERNOR ON HIS KNEEL OVER HERDSMEN ATTACKS

Hon. James Gbande, member representing Kwande East State Constituency, was asked to kneel down and apologize to Governor Samuel Ortom after he accused the governor of not doing enough to end the killings by Fulani herdsmen in his constituency.

Fulani gunmen yesterday invaded Ikyoawen in Moor District and Diiv as well as Alaba villages of Nzaav council wards all in Turan, Kwande local government council killing 15 persons and destroying houses.

GERMAN SET TO DEPORT 12,000 NIGERIANS

The German authorities are planning to repatriate 12,000 Nigerians who are seeking asylum in the country.

This was made known by Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the senior special assistant to President Buhari on Diaspora Affairs, during the public presentation of two books 'From Libya with Tears' and 'Practical News and Feature Writing’ in Lagos.


The books were written by Mr. Dele Bodunde, who retired as a Managing Editor/Director in NAN on Tuesday at the attainment of 60 years.

According to Dabiri-Erewa, who was represented by her Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Abdul-Rahman Balogun she said that the German Embassy in Nigeria had intimated her office on plans to repatriate at least 12,000 Nigerian asylum seekers from the European country.

She also noted that about 128 Nigerians were among the over 576 West African migrants to Europe that recently died in the Mediterranean sea.

'Just some days ago, 128 Nigerians died in the Mediterranean sea out of 576. Most of them were from West African countries and they were on their way to Europe.

'Now, this is an unfortunate incident and I think it is better to remain in Nigeria and keep struggling, instead of making desperate journeys that could take their lives,’ she said.

She, however, added that some Nigerians had been trapped in Libya and were subjected to various inhuman treatments and that only the intervention of the Federal Government had ensured the return of many.

Source: Guardian Newspapers

PHOTOS:MAN WHO IMPREGNATED HIS DAUGHTER IN BAUCHI AND DUMPED THE BABY IN A WELL

Here is the photo of 55-year-old man in Gamawa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Abdulkadir Mohammed who allegedly had sexual intercourse with his biological daughter, Dije Abdulkadir, and then threw the baby into a well after the girl gave birth.

Shared by Aishat Alubankudi who apparently broke the story, she penned...'Here is the photo of the wicked paedophile from Gamawa, Bauchi State that I  mentioned last week. He impregnated her daughter and wanted to kill the baby but Allah has His reasons for sparing the innocent baby. May Allah punish the bastard for his evil acts'