CBN FRAUD: Ordinary Cash Assistant Has N134m In Account

       

Greed is a bad thing, if you allow it to catch up with you then you are heading for destruction. Simple!

Hearing in the Central Bank of Nigeria N8bn mutilated currency fraud suit continued at the Federal High Court, Ibadan on Wednesday as the EFCC told the court that one of the accused persons, Mr. Ayodeji Alase, had as much as N134m in just one of his bank accounts.

The EFCC told the trial judge, Justice A.O. Faaji, that Mr. Alase, a primary six certificate holder, started work at First Bank as a guard before he was promoted to the position of a cash assistant.

The lead prosecution counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Jacob (SAN), also revealed that the accused had property worth hundreds of millions of naira.

Mr. Alase, according to the anti-graft agency, has a duplex at Oluyole Estate in Ibadan, a shopping complex, a warehouse at Podo, a fenced plot at Dugbe, a block of four flats at Apeye, two plots of land and five-bedroom flat in other parts of the state capital.

He was alleged to have another credit balance of N132m in one of his bank accounts.

The commission also alleged that Mrr. Alase possessed a block of five-bedroom flat at Apete area of Ibadan and a supermarket at New Garage, Apata area of Ibadan.

Other accused persons, including Olaniran Adeola, Ayodele Adeyemi, Isiaq Akano and others were also said to own property in South Africa, filling stations, cement shops, schools, supermarkets, exotic cars and buildings in several locations in Nigeria.

One of the accused, Mrs. Afolabi Olunike, was alleged to be the owner of a duplex, several plots of land, a storey building and another three acres of land.

Earlier during the hearing, Mr. Alase delayed court proceedings when he claimed not to understand English when charges were read to him. But Jacob rose to fault his claim, alleging that although Mr. Alase was employed as a guard, he rose to become a cash assistant in First Bank Plc.

Justice Faaji later ruled that an interpreter should be provided for Mr. Alase to ease communication between the court and the accused. Funny enough, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The accused persons are:

Kolawole Babalola, Olaniran Adeola, Toogun Phillip, Ayodele Adeyemi, Isiaq Akano, Oyebamiji Akeem, Alase, Ajiwe Adegoke and Idowu Oguntade, who is still at large.

Three officials of the CBN were among the accused, while others are from Wema Bank and First Bank.

According to the charge sheet, the accused persons were charged with intent to defraud and conspiracy to commit an offence punishable under the Nigerian law.

They were also accused of sharing among themselves mutilated currency meant to be destroyed and destroying and defacing some boxes used to move the currency from one bank to the other. They all pleaded not guilty to all the charges and despite efforts of the counsel to the accused persons to secure bail for them through oral application, Justice Faaji ruled that they should be remanded in prisons pending further hearing.

The case was adjourned to June 8, 2015 for further hearing.

Ambode Warns LASTMA, KAI & VIO to Stop Jumping into Motorists’ Vehicles & Harassing Them

If you have ever driven in Lagos you may have experienced undue harassment from Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) or Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) at least once.

LASTMA officials are well known for jumping into people’s car when a traffic offense – real or imagined –  has been committed. It looks like such days of harassment may be over, as Lagos State governor Akinwunmi Ambode, has warned officials from LASTMA, VIO, and KAI (Kick Against Indiscipline) to stop terrorizing Lagosians.

He gave the warning during an interactive session with officials from the aforementioned organizations at the government state house, Daily Postreports.

“I want LASTMA, KAI, and VIO to help this government deliver on the promises made to the public, and there are two promises: to make life simpler for every resident of Lagos and make each resident happier than before.I don’t want officers that will torture my citizens. They may be offenders but don’t torture them. Don’t jump into their cars to enforce arrest. This is where you have to be creative and use technology in the implementation of the law. For now, no harassment,” he said.

There's Sufficient Evidence To Probe Senior Military Officers In Nigeria For War Crimes

        

Amnesty International has disclosed that there is sufficient evidence for the International Criminal Court to probe senior Nigerian military officers for war crimes in the battle against Boko Haram. The group stated the case against five senior officers in a new 133-page report based on hundreds of interviews, including with military sources and leaked defence ministry documents.

The allegations centre on thousands of people Amnesty claimed were extra-judically killed by the security forces and its civilian vigilante allies, as well as crimes against those held in military custody.

The report said: “In the course of security operations against Boko Haram in north-east Nigeria, Nigerian military forces have extrajudicially executed more than 1,200 people; they have arbitrarily arrested at least 20,000 people, mostly young men and boys.”

Nigerian forces “have committed countless acts of torture; hundreds, if not thousands, of Nigerians have become victims of enforced disappearance; and at least 7,000 people have died in military detention as a result of starvation, extreme overcrowding and denial of medical assistance,” it added.

Amnesty said commanders based in the northeast “should be investigated for potential responsibility for war crimes of murder, enforced disappearances and torture”. Top service chiefs in the capital Abuja “should be investigated for their potential command responsibility for crimes committed by their subordinates given that they knew or should have known about the commission of the crimes, and failed to take adequate action”.

The ICC in The Hague has opened a preliminary investigation into the Boko Haram conflict, which Amnesty said has killed at least 17,000 people since 2009. The tribunal has previously said there was insufficient evidence tying Nigeria’s military to systematic and orchestrated atrocities targeting civilians.

But the report said: “Amnesty International believes that the evidence contained in this report and submitted separately to the (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor is sufficient to reopen this issue.” The group said it had separately shared its evidence with the ICC prosecutor’s office. Amnesty’s latest report includes new claims on specific acts of murder committed by Nigerian soldiers in the northeast but the general subject matter is not new.

Amnesty, Human Rights Watch and independent reporting, including by AFP, has found evidence of arbitrary killing, unlawful detention and torture in custody of alleged Boko Haram suspects. The government of former president Goodluck Jonathan was repeatedly pressured to try all Boko Haram suspects in court.

New President Muhammadu Buhari said after taking the oath of office on Friday that he would review the military’s rules of engagement in a bid to end concerns of rights violations by soldiers. He also promised to improve “operational and legal mechanisms so that disciplinary steps are taken against proven human right violations by the Armed Forces”.

Igbo NYSC Member Reportedly Converts to Islam to Honour Pres. Buhari

First, people trekked long distances for their favorite politicians. Then rode bicycles and donkeys. They also climbed trees. We thought we’d seen it all but apparently, we were wrong.

According to several online reports, a youth corper has converted to Islam to honour President Muhammadu Buhari.

The individual is said to be Chukwuma Austin Dike from Imo State and is a “Batch C” corp member serving in Benue State, Konshisha Local. He reportedly made a vow during election period that if Buhari won the elections, he would convert to Islam.

Sources state that shortly after Buhari’s inauguration, Dike converted to Islam atJibwisb Mosque Gboko, Benue state.

Powerful Ex-Governor Ali-Modu Sheriff Surrenders To EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has detained a former Governor of Borno State, Ali-Modu Sheriff, over allegations of massive corruption under his watch.

After weeks of hide and seek, Sheriff voluntarily handed himself to EFCC on Wednesday afternoon.

EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that Sheriff was currently being held by them.

Sources reported how the anti-graft agency had on April 23, moved to declare Sheriff wanted when he failed to honour its invitations for questioning. The former governor, was who summoned by the commission to appear, damned the invitation and stayed away.

Although the specific allegations against ex-governor Sheriff are​ unclear as at the time of posting, sources said the investigation is related to allegations that parts of the N300billion his administration received from the Federation Account between 2003 and 2011 were not judiciously spent.

The investigation began in 2012 and had been ongoing ever since.

Senate members pass 46 bills in less than 10 minutes

24 hours to the end of their tenure, members of the Nigerian Senate passed 46 bills in less than 10 minutes, a situation best described as a 'historic moment'. The Senators will be ending their tenure as tomorrow June 4th to give rise to the 8th National Assembly.

At today's plenary session, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Ita Enang, announced all 46 bills before the house and then Senate President, David Mark, immediately called for votes on all the 46. He gave consent to all the "Ayess" which resulted in a rowdy session as those who were against the manner in which the bills were passed voiced their objection. The Senate President however told the aggrieved Senators to come tomorrow for consideration.

Photos: President Buhari in Niger Republic

President Buhari left Abuja this morning for Niger Republic to hold talks with the President of the country, Mahamadou Issoufou over Boko Haram and how their activities can be eradicated in the region. Another photo after the cut...

UNN shuts down to avert students’ riot as 34 students die in Peace Mass Transit Accident

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, has been closed down.
DAILY POST gathered that the institution’s management had asked students to vacate their hostels immediately.
A source told our correspondent that although the UNN management said the closure was a temporary break, it was actually meant to avert a riot which would have been carried out by the students within the week.
A student told DAILY POST that they had been faced with acute water scarcity and epileptic power supply for a long time.
The statement from the university management, signed by Okwun Omeaku, its Chief Public Relations Officer, read: “This is to bring to the notice of all students and the entire University Community, that the University of Nigeria shall proceed on a TWO-WEEK MID SEMESTER BREAK with immediate effect.
“Consequently, all academic activities on the campuses are hereby suspended for the period.
“Students are by this notice directed to vacate their hostels within the next 24 HOURS, ie, not later than 6pm. on TUESDAY, JUNE 02, 2015″.

The Climax of the situation was when a Peace Mass Transit Bus carrying 34 students from Nsukka  TO Enugu crashed all to death.

BUHARI TO HANDLE PETROLEUM PORTFOLIO LIKE OBASANJO

Indications have emerged that the President is likely to head the Ministry of Petroleum Resources in the new cabinet, rather than trust anyone else with the source of most of Nigeria’s revenue, just like President Olusegun Obasanjo did for about five years of the his eight-year tenure as civilian leader.

According to one of Buhari’s long-standing associates who spoke on condition of anomymity, Nigeria’s oil sector is so dirty that nobody’s hands are clean enough to do the “surgical changes” needed.

Another associate said: “Buhari will do it. It would be stupid to give that position to anyone else.”

According to the first source, Buhari has still not settled on his cabinet and has laughed off speculation in the media about those he will appoint. Joking with friends as he read out a newspaper article that mentioned possible names: 'They have picked my ministers for me. Have I even told you who I want?'

“It’s going to be a lean government, I doubt he’ll have 42 ministries like Jonathan but he must have at least 36 (for the number of states) as prescribed by the constitution, though it does not specify whether they have to be senior or junior,” an adviser in the ruling APC party told Reuters.

Buhari's camp had not yet gone through reports on Jonathan’s handover notes on policy, the adviser said.

“There is a huge body of proposals being bandied around the place,” the advisor said, adding that Buhari plans to let the N60 billion a year amnesty programme end in December as scheduled to save money and it is unclear what he will fund in its place.

He has also made it clear that he wants to revamp Nigeria’s refining sector, which declined while the country became dependent on imports for fuel.

The APC source added. “He (Buhari) is emotionally attached to the refineries because he built some of them. He wants them to start functioning again.”

One of Indias richest man gives up his wealth to live the life of a Monk

Bhanwar Lal Raghunath Doshi built a business empire worth Rs 600 crore ($100 million) trading in plastic raw material. He started his empire when he borrowed Rs 30,000 from his father in the late 70s to start his own plastic trading business in Delhi. The son of a small textile merchant from Rajasthan, who embraced crippling hardships when he rejected his father's offer to join his family's modest business, was clear about reaching the top by himself and he did.

On Sunday he gave it all up to become a Jain monk at a highly publicized and heavily attended event at the Ahmedabad Education Society.

His consecration ceremony was attended by both Jain spiritual leaders and the city's top industrialists.

The father of three, 2 boys and 1 girl, now looks at a life of austerity -- he can't cut his hair and has to walk without any type of footwear.

Doshi had been planning to become a Monk since 1982 after Jain lectures drew him to spirituality. However, he wasn't able to convince his family until last year.

As many as 101 people from the audience also took a sankalp (resolution) to take Jain diksha during the next five years.

"Taking diskha is not easy. A Jain muni's life is like that of conch shell that cannot be painted by any other colour," Surishwarji Maharaj said.

Doshi's status as a Jain monk will be unique since he's a married man, has money and considerable social standing.

A Times of India report said 1,500 servers were appointed to serve food to guests during the three-day ceremony. The venue was built in the form of a ship. 500 hotel rooms were booked to accommodate guests. An estimated 150,000 people participated in the event.