The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has warned Nigerians against selling their National Identity Number. The commission in a statement said “As Nigerians struggle to acquire the National Identity Number, NIN, from offices of the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, across the country it has come to the knowledge of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, that some unscrupulous persons are cashing in on the excercise to induce enrollees to sell their NIN for a fee. The buyers of the numbers are also trading with them to persons whose motives are anything but noble. “The EFCC wishes to…
Author: Francis Francis
President Muhammadu Buhari has sent “warm greetings to former coach of the Super Eagles, Christian Chukwu, on his 70th birthday, joining sports lovers, family and friends to celebrate the skilful footballer who captained the national team to lift its first African Nations Cup title in 1980”. According to a statement by the President’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, “The President rejoices with the multi-talented and disciplined player on the auspicious period of turning a septuagenarian, affirming that his contributions to development of sports in Nigeria will always attract attention, particularly making the country proud by providing technical…
Justice Lateefa A. Okunnu of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, on Tuesday, convicted and sentenced Okey Nwosu, a former Managing Director, Finbank Plc, to three years imprisonment for over 10m fraud. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had arraigned Nwosu alongside Dayo Famuroti, Agnes Ebubedike and Danjuma Ocholi on a 26-count amended charge bordering on stealing and illegal conversion to the tune of N10,934,704,402. The defendants, who perpetrated the fraud while they were directors of the bank, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them, thereby leading to their full trial. In the course of…
Determined to build the capacity of professionals in the building sector of the State Public Service to enhance performance and stem cases of building collapse, Lagos State Resilience Office (LASRO) at the weekend, organised an evaluation/training programme for top engineers of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), with a charge to always follow due process and government laid down regulations in construction procedures. The Chief Resilient Officer of the Lagos State Resilience Office (LASRO) and Chief Facilitator at the workshop, Arc. Gbolahan Oki, stated that there is a need to ensure that appropriate building regulation and due process are…
In a demonstration of its commitment to a multimodal transport system aimed at tackling traffic gridlocks in the metropolis, the Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY) has urged Lagosians to embrace the unlimited possibilities in water transportation to ease incessant traffic gridlock in the State. The Managing Director of LAGFERRY, Mr. Abdoulbaq Ladi-Balogun, who made the appeal at the weekend in his new year message to commuters while mapping out the Agency’s operational strategies for the year 2021, disclosed that Lagosians would witness a lot of transformation in water transportation in the new year, adding that arrangements have been concluded by the…
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Office, have arrested 21 persons for their alleged involvement in computer-related fraud. The suspects are: Shittu Yakubu, Akinsola Afeez, Adeniyi Joseph, Opeyemi Wahab, Idris Sunday, Lawal Moshood, Jubril Yusuf, Olusegun Mohammed, Adekunle Adesanya and Damilola Abijide. Others are: Sola Adio, Oladipo Ademola, Damilola Adewale, Akinsola Ridwan, Ogunlaye Damilare, Falaye Peters, Magnus Toni, Onanuga Ahmed, Bolarinwa Segun, Onanuga Olawale and Ayomide Afeez. According to the commission, the suspects, who are members of an organized cybercrime syndicate, were arrested on Wednesday, December 30, 2020 during an early morning operation at Roxbury…
The Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture has revoked the license of Queens Park Event Centre, Oniru as the Lagos State Safety Commission also sealed the facility for contravening the COVID-19 protocols of the State. The Commissioner for Tourism, Pharm. Uzamat Akinbile Yussuf said the step to withdraw the license was taken in the best interest of the State and implored other event centres and venue owners to comply with the Government’s laid down directives otherwise risk loosing their chances of doing business in Lagos. She reiterated that the fight against the virus can only…
The Federal Government has urged religious leaders in the country to refrain from stoking the embers of hatred and disunity, warning that resorting to scorched-earth rhetoric at this time could trigger unintended consequences. ”While religious leaders have a responsibility to speak truth to power, such truth must not come wrapped in anger, hatred, disunity and religious disharmony,” the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in a statement issued in Lagos on Saturday. He said it is particularly graceless and impious for any religious leader to use the period of Christmas, which is a season of peace, to…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Lagos Zonal Office, has secured the conviction and sentencing of one Iweregbu Daniel Chima to 18 months imprisonment before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos. The convict, who created many social media accounts and presented himself as Larry Pham, had defrauded his unsuspecting victims, mostly females, online to the tune of $166,000 between July 2017 and June 2018. He was arraigned on December 4, 2020 on a three-count charge bordering on cheating, obtaining by false pretence and retention of proceeds of crime, following a report received by the…
President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja reiterated the promise of his administration to “remain unyielding in confronting the Boko Haram insurgency as well as other forms of criminality that have bedevilled our country.” Speaking at the induction and commissioning ceremony of newly acquired NAF MI-171E Helicopter and two reactivated Alpha Jets and one L39ZA aircraft, all belonging to the Nigerian Air Force, President Buhari said: “On our part, we will continue to support you in any way we can to help you become more effective in the execution of your mandate for the safety and security of our country.” According…
President Muhammadu Buhari said Wednesday that Nigeria will continue to play the role expected of it not only in the West-African sub-region, but also on the African continent. The President stated this at the State House, Abuja during a meeting with former President of Mali and first Chairman, African Union Commission, Professor Alpha Oumar Konare, who came to discuss the current political situation in his country as well as issues in West Africa and Africa. The Nigerian leader commended Prof. Konare for his continuing interest in the affairs of West Africa and the continent.
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has called for synergy between traditional institutions and the government for sustainable community and national development, saying such relationship will facilitate improved security, welfare and prosperity for the people as well as closer cooperation between modern governance and the traditional form of government. Governor Sanwo-Olu gave the advice at the colloquium organised to mark the 12th installation anniversary of the Aragbiji of Iragbiji, His Royal Majesty, Oba Rasheed Olabomi, at Iragbiji, Osun State, recently. Speaking on the theme of the colloquium “Sustainable Community and National Development, Creating a Synergy between Traditional Institutions and…
Justice C.A. Balogun of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, on Monday, adjourned further hearing in the trial of Abubakar Ali Peters, Chairman, Nadabo Energy, and his company, who are standing trial for an alleged N1.4 billion subsidy fraud, to January 26, 2021. Peters and his company, Nababo Energy Limited, were arraigned on December 10, 2012 for offences bordering on obtaining money by false pretences, forgery and use of forged documents to the tune of N1, 464, 961, 978.24. The defendant allegedly obtained the money from the Federal Government by falsely claiming that it represented the subsidy accrued…
Justice Abiodun Akinyemi of the Ogun State High Court, Abeokuta, on Friday convicted and sentenced Adejare Sonde, a former staff of First City Monument Bank, FCMB, Abeokuta branch, to four years in prison for stealing money belonging to the Microfinance Bank of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. The ex-banker was prosecuted by the Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Finacial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on four counts of stealing. The offence is contrary to Section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Laws Cap. C30, Laws of Ogun State, 2006 and punishable under the same section. The convict who arrested…
The Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction and sentencing of five internet fraudsters before Justice Sherifah Solebo, Justice Mojisola Dada and Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos. The convicts are: Onyenwe Toluwalase Onyeka, Olaogun Badmus, Olakunle Abeigbe, Michael Preye Obi and Abua James. They were arrested in different parts of Lagos by operatives of the Commission and subsequently arraigned on separate charges bordering on possession of documents containing false pretences, to which they all initially pleaded “not guilty.” The defendants, who all confessed their involvement…
A criminal court in Minya, Upper Egypt, has acquitted three men accused of assaulting Mrs Suad Thabet, a Christian, in May 2016. The three men were accused of attacking, beating and stripping Mrs Thabet, 72, from the village of Al-Karm. They were alleged to have been part of a mob that attacked the Christian community in Al-Karm after Mrs Thabet’s son was accused of having a relationship with a divorced Muslim woman. The men were initially sentenced to ten years in prison, but this sentence was suspended when the presiding judge resigned. After repeated delays in Mrs Thabet’s case, in which it was returned…
The Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction and sentencing of two lawyers, Sogo Akinola and Feranmi Akinluyi, before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos. The convicts were arraigned sometime in October 2018 on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretences and stealing to the tune of N24m. One of the counts reads: “ That you, Sogo Akinola and Feranmi Akinluyi, between 13th October, 2016 and 13th November, 2016 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, with intent to defraud,…
The Lagos State Government has revamped its Strategic Transport Master Plan in a bid to bolster economic growth and development in line with the smart city goal of the present administration. The Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, who disclosed this in his keynote address at the 2nd Edition of the Lagos Transport Fest 2020, stated that revamping the plan was required to address the current transportation challenges by identifying facilities and services necessary to manage the dynamics of Lagos as a Smart City. According to him, “Transportation plays a crucial role in urban development by providing access to education,…
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Port Harcourt Zonal Office, have arrested an undergraduate: Nnamdi Henry Chimezulem a.k.a. Dessey Marvel, for running a phony investment scheme and in the process, defrauding his victims a sum of N850,000 (Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira only). In a statement on Wednesday, the EFCC said he was arrested December 3, at Omuoda Lane, Aluu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State based on the claims of a petitioner alleging his fraudulent dealings through his firm: Skyworld Investment Limited. One of Chimezulem’s victims: Ukoro Blessing alleged that, sometime in July 2020, he approached her…
The trial of a self-styled herbalist, Alfa Jamiu Isiaka, who allegedly impersonated the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina and a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Maikanti Baru, to defraud a South Korean National, Keun Sig Kim to the tune of N30million, resumed on Tuesday with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, recalling its star witness, Dare Folarin. The 31-year-old Alfa, while parading as senior government official deceived the foreign national to collect various sums of money to the tune of N30million under the pretext of securing for…
The Lagos State Government has concluded plans to review the State’s Child Rights Law, 2015, just as it emphasized the need for children to know their rights early in life. The Solicitor-General/Permanent Secretary, Ms. Titilayo Shitta-Bey, stated this in her address at the Essay and Debate competition organised for School Pupils as part of activities to celebrate the Y2020 Human Rights Day with the theme “Recover Better, Stand Up For Human Rights”. She said that Human Rights Day is observed globally to educate people on their rights as enshrined in the Constitution saying, “For the Children, we have legislation, the…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Department of State Services, DSS, have pledged to deepen collaboration in a bid to fight all manners of graft in Nigeria. The two agencies also agreed to strengthen support towards achieving the common objective of national safety and security. The Ilorin Zonal Head of the EFCC, Oseni Oluwasina Kazeem, disclosed this on Tuesday while playing host to the State Director, DSS, Patrick Ikenweine, at the Commission’s Office, Ilorin. Kazeem, who decried the rate at which corruption had permeated every sector of Nigeria’s system noted that the cankerworm could only be tamed through…
Nigerian rapper, Iceberg Slim has taken to social to question why men brag about sleeping with numerous women, noting that it is better to sleep with one woman and satisfy her than multiple women. Iceberg who was once in a relationship with popular Ghanaian actress, Juliet Ibrahim said following the complexity of women, it’s better to brag about being able to keep one woman. He wrote: Why is it ‘bragging rights’ for men to say they’ve slept with multiple women?! Sex is easy…sex is cheap. However, given the complexity of women.. Shouldn’t men brag about being able to keep/satisfy ONE…
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank has approved financing for a $14.96 million project to help women in Sudan access finance and grow their businesses. The Accelerating Women’s Entrepreneurship and Access to Finance (AWEAF) project will address capacity, financing, and knowledge gaps for Sudan’s women entrepreneurs. The financing comes in the form of a grant. The project aims to help women to access quality business development services and financing as well as improving the quality of services provided by financial institutions serving women entrepreneurs in Sudan’s Khartoum and Red Sea states. “This approval shows that the African…
The African Development Bank’s Desert to Power (D2P) project drew strong support during the 4th Africa Energy Marketplace event held December 8-10 to share progress and developments around what is one of the institution’s flagship initiatives. The virtual event, themed Unlocking the Solar potential of the G5 Sahel Countries, provided Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger the opportunity to present their roadmaps for the rollout of D2P and to engage with a range of stakeholders on implementation, needed reform, and priorities. “The approach of the Desert-to-Power programme is in line with the vision of the G5 Sahel countries and is commendable…
In line with the submissions at the just concluded First Real Estate Market Place Conference and Exhibitions in Lagos, the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Housing, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, has said that the housing sector can serve as an important contributor to the nation’s GDP, support job creation and provide social benefits to Nigerians as a whole. The Special Adviser, who stated this in her closing remark at the just-concluded two-day event held in Lagos, submitted that addressing the housing deficit will have a game-changing impact on our society and communities when compared with other less important sectors…
The Lagos State Ministry of Transportation has announced plans to temporarily close the Nigerian Breweries level crossing for construction works on the tracks in continuation of the Nigerian Railway Modernisation Project. A statement issued on Monday said the Breweries level crossing will be closed from 10:00 pm on Friday, 18th to 4:00 am on Monday, 21st of December, 2020, as the Construction Company, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) Nigeria Limited will continue another round of construction work at the Breweries Level Crossing as a follow up to the recent Gaskiya/Badia track laying work. It, therefore, implored motorists to utilise…
The Lagos Zonal Head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, has disclosed that about 140 cybercriminals were arrested in the zone over a period of three months. He said 38 cybercriminals, including seven girls, were arrested on a particular day during one of the raids in some parts of the state. Speaking on a radio pragramme, Sadiq and the Guru on Lagos Talks 91.3FM, on Monday, Bawa further lamented that cybercriminals were not contributing genuinely to the economy of the country. According to him, “we have carried out a series of investigations regarding computer-related fraud. “We…
Justice Bello Duwale of the Sokoto State High Court, sitting in Sokoto has convicted and sentenced three top officials of the Sokoto Medical and Health Workers Union: Ibrahim Dan-Dede, Suleiman Ibrahim and Habibu Musa, to two years imprisonment without an option of fine for obtaining Three Million Three Hundred Thousand Naira (N3,300, 000.00) by false pretence. The convicts were prosecuted by the Sokoto Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a two-count charge. Count one reads: “That you Ibrahim Dan-Dede while being the Chairman, Suleiman Ibrahim while being the Secretary and Habibu Musa while being Treasurer…
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Office, have arrested one Williams Michael Ogwezi, also known as Dr. Williams, for parading himself as a staff of the Commission to defraud his unsuspecting victims. The suspect, a member of a syndicate that specializes in forging identity cards of the Commission as well as those of other law enforcement agencies, was arrested in Lagos, following a report received by the Commission from the Nigeria Police Area Command. Ajah, Lagos Investigation revealed that the suspect had defrauded one of his victims, a lady, of jewelry valued at N10, 000,000.00…
