Man Who Used Governor’s Phone To Dupe Paraded

A 32-year old man, Kelvin Igho, who was dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force, has been arrested and paraded by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Ikeja, for allegedly using Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s phone to dupe prominent people.

Sources at SARS informed AMEBONEWS that Igho swapped his phone number with that of the Osun State governor and he started using it to dupe important personalities including a Personal Assistant to Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, former Aviation Minister, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, former Enugu State governor, Chimaroke Nnamani and others. Luck ran out on Igho on 20 December 2011 when an aide to Oshiomhole reportedly paid N50,000 into his account at a branch of Intercontinental Bank in Lagos.

Read More...

Perm sec caught with N2bn cash

A serving federal permanent secretary (names withheld) has been arrested over a N18 billion scam uncovered in the police pension scheme with N2 billion cash found in his residence.

The matter has been handed over for prosecution to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The permanent secretary was a director in a federal ministry from where he was seconded to one of the newly-created ministries.

Two other accomplices, who are also a serving director (names withheld) in two federal ministries but who had earlier worked with the Police Pension Fund office, have also been arrested and handed over to the EFCC and ICPC for more investigation. EFCC’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the report, saying that apart from the permanent secretary, there are four other top civil servants involved.

Sources in the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) told Daily Sun that investigation showed that “there is a syndicate which operates in the ministry. A cheque of N300 million was used to clear money from an account which is being kept for that sole purpose.

“The permanent secretary and his accomplices have been handed over to the EFCC and ICPC but investigations are still ongoing. On conclusion, we expect ICPC and EFCC to take the matter to court...”

EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, had earlier confirmed the investigation at a parley with newsmen last week.

Meanwhile, indications emerged at the weekend that PRTT Chairman, AbdulRasheed Maina, has rejected fraud allegations leveled against his team by Assistant Chief Accountant in the Police Pension Office, Mr. Toyin Ishola.

Ishola had earlier testified before the Senate Joint Committee on Establishment and Public Service and States and Local Government Administration investigating pension management and administration.

He told the committee that Maina allegedly distorted the existing Police Pension Account by transferring N21 billion into three different accounts domiciled in three different banks.

The Joint Committee Chairman, Senator Aloysius Etok, and his co-Chairman, Senator Kabiru Gaya, thereafter issued a warrant of arrest against Maina.

The warrant, which was dated March 8, 2012, pursuant to Section 89 of the 1999 Constitution.

But in a 50-page written submission to the committee, Maina insisted that the PRTT has so far saved and recovered N151.6 billion and £6 million for the country from 2010 to date, out of which N74 billion was appropriated as part of the N4.877 trillion 2012 budget.

Another N24 billion was reportedly earmarked as contingency for harmonization of arrears particularly with police, where officers in the cadre of AIGs/Commissioners of Police are paid monthly pensions between N84, 000 and N101, 000.

The documents showed that the two accounts in two different banks were opened with the authorization from the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation vide an August 9, 2011 letter. The new mandate showed that Yakubu Kolawole Adeyemi, Edwin Ementa Nwokoye are the new signatories as at September 5, 2011, replacing Ishola and one Mike Okoro.

Furthermore, the PRTT noted that it discovered that there were illegal “withdrawals by staff of the Police Pension Office, using multiple cheques in fictitions names in excess of 30 cheques per day to withdraw cash from their bankers.

“Such illegal withdrawals amounted to N14 billion. The PRTT, assisted by the law enforcement agencies, have made substantial recovery of the said stolen monies. A staff of the Police Pension Office (names withheld) turned in N1billion cash.

“Another surrendered three luxury estates with about 27 blocks of deluxe flats he built in Abuja and many others...”

Maina equally indicated in the documents submitted to the committee that while he is from Biu in Borno State, Danjuma Zubairu is from Kabba in Kogi State; in a direct response to allegations that the account in a bank in the Central Business District branch, was domiciled in the account of his younger brother.

Zubairu, Maina maintained, is the Group Head, Private Banking, Abuja region of the bank. Repeated calls and text messages to Etok and Gaya were unanswered.

Read More...

Two Nigerians Docked For £1.7million Fraud In London

Can you blame the British government for being “brutish” with Nigerians? In the last one year, over 50 Nigerians have been jailed for financial crimes that run into millions of pounds.

These people are making life difficult for average Nigerian living in UK and working their “behinds out” to make ends meet.

This is what The Sun newspaper reported about these disgraceful Nigerians;

Read More...

SUBSIDY FRAUD! Ribadu Gets Government Appointment

In a bid to “enhance probity and accountability in operations of the Petroleum Industry”, the pioneer chairman of the EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has been appointed as head of a Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force set up by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dieziani Alison-Madueke.

A government statement today said that the new Task Force is “Consistent with the policies and promises of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan's Administration, and underpinned by the yearnings of the people of Nigeria for transparency in the Petroleum Industry.”

The team, which has 17 members and, has the following terms of reference:

• To work with consultants and experts to determine and verify all petroleum upstream and downstream revenues (taxes, royalties, etc.) due and payable to the Federal Government of Nigeria;

• To take all necessary steps to collect all debts due and owing; to obtain agreements and enforce payment terms by all oil industry operators;

• To design a cross debt matrix between all Agencies and Parastatals of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources;

• To develop an automated platform to enable effective tracking, monitoring, and online validation of income and debt drivers of all Parastatals and Agencies in the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources;

• To work with world-class consultants to integrate systems and technology across the production chain to determine and monitor crude oil production and exports, ensuring at all times, the integrity of payments to the Federal Government of Nigeria; and,

• To submit monthly reports for ministerial review and further action.

Members of the committee are as follows:

1. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu - Chairman

2. Mr. Steve Oronsaye - Dep. Chairman

3. Mallam Abba Kyari - Member

4. Ms. Benedicta Molokwu - Member

5. Mr. Supo Sasore, SAN - Member

6. Mr. Tony Idigbe, SAN - Member

7. Mr. Anthony George-Ikoli, SAN - Member

8. Dr. (Mrs.) Omolara Akanji - Member

9. Mr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN - Member

10. Mr. Ituah Ighodalo - Member

11. Mr. Bon Otti - Member

12. Prof. Olusegun Okunnu - Member

13. Mallam Samaila Zubairu - Member

14. Mr.Ignatius Adegunle - Member

15. Mr. Gerald Ilukwe - Member

16. Rep. of FIRS - Ex-Officio

17. Rep. of FMF Incorporated - Ex-Officio

Read More...

Prophetess Charged To Court Over N2.7M Deliverance

A childless housewife, Mrs. Folashade Giwa is now counting her losses after she was made to part with about N2.7m for "deliverance" by a Lagos based prophetess, Christiana Ajibola.

The 60-year-old prophetess whose church is located at 36, Odewale Street in Alagbado, Lagos, has been taken to Ojokoro magistrate’s court on charges of fraud and stealing.

Apart from allegedly defrauding Mrs. Folashade of the said amount, the prophetess is also being accused of initiating her to serve a goddess which the police described in the charge sheet as "man-made-god".

The story started when Mrs. Folashade visited the prophet to seek prayers for the fruit of the womb. The prophetess told her that before she could bear a child, she will undergo deliverance during which she will be "purified".

The prophetess, it was leant, also told her that the currency she pays will determine how speedily her prayer will be answered.

She told her that if she pay in pounds sterling or dollars, her prayers will be answered faster. But if she pay in naira, her prayers will still be answered but not as fast as dollars and pounds sterling. As a result, Mrs. Folashade paid in pounds sterling and dollars so that she could have her own child on time.

According to court document, the woman made payment of £4,500 and $10,000 and cash of N289,000. The total naira equivalent she paid was about N2.7m million.

It was further gathered that the prophetess placed her under several oaths that she should not tell to anyone about her experience. But when her desire to have a child did not materialized as the prophet promised and she could not get her N2.7million, Mrs. Folashade reported the matter at Alagbado Police Station.

Consequently, the prophetess was arrested and charged to court. The offence she committed, according to the prosecutor, Mr. Thomas Nurudeen, was contrary to section 419, 390 and 210 of the criminal act, cap 17 vol. 2 law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2000.

When the charges were read to her, she pleaded not guilty. The presiding magistrate, Mrs. A.F. Adeeyo, granted her bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.

The matter was then adjourned till February 21, 2012, for further hearing.

Read More...