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Asset Forfeiture: FG Behind Ekweremadu’s UK Ordeal – Ohanaeze Alleges

Published

2 years ago

November 6, 2022

Editor

An apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has accused the Federal Government of masterminding the ordeal of former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu in the UK.

Ohanaeze was reacting to the Friday ruling of a Federal High Court in Abuja ordering interim forfeiture of 40 properties allegedly linked to Ekweremadu.

In a statement on Sunday, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, said it was immoral to attack a man whose hands were tied to his back and unable to defend himself.

Ohanaeze Youth Council lamented what it described as a pattern of persecution and humiliation of people from one part of the country by the EFCC, insisting it was time the monopoly of the agency by one part of country is ended through the immediate appointment of a new EFCC Chairman from the south.

“The ex-parte interim assets forfeiture order by Federal High Court, Abuja, is to say the least most cruel and whoever filed that suit at this time that Ekweremadu is incarcerated and unable to defend himself has no conscience or slightest regard for the cardinal pillars of law and justice, particularly the principle of “audi alteram partem” (“let the other side be heard as well”).

“This has also proved our suspicion all along that some highly placed personalities were behind Ekweremadu’s UK ordeal”, he stated.

Ohanaeze wondered when it became a crime under Nigerian laws to own properties or be involved in properties business, especially since the EFCC could not pin any crime on him for over six years that they have been on Ekweremadu’s matter.

“Ekweremadu’s name was not mentioned anywhere in all the scandals supposedly uncovered by the EFCC since the All progressives Congress came to power.

“Moreover, EFCC’s claim that its investigators traced to Ekweremadu properties that he had dutifully declared in his assets declaration is ridiculous and not different from Mungo Park travelling thousands from Scotland to discover the River Niger.

“With court’s direction to the EFCC to publish the said properties in national dailies for any interested persons to show cause why they should not be permanently forfeited to the government, how is Ekweremadu, who is in custody in the UK access documents or properly brief his lawyers to show that the said properties were not proceeds of crime?

“EFCC’s action, therefore, conforms to the worrisome pattern of assets stripping of southern businesses and individuals because having failed to establish any case against the lawmaker for the past six years, the EFCC saw his UK ordeal over the daughter’s health as an opportunity to strip him of his assets and rubbish his reputation, knowing he is not in a position to defend himself. Is that what our anti-corruption and justice system are about?” the statement read.

The Ohanaeze Youth Council Worldwide equally accused the EFCC of working with Ekweremadu’s prosecutors in the UK to keep him permanently in custody to, among other things, perfect their agenda to destroy the lawmaker economically, politically, and socially.

“It will interest Nigerians to know that in a bid to please the London Metropolitan Police, which has been its benefactor since inception; in a bid to confiscate Ekweremdu’s assets; and for whatever promises of ensuring they secure their future outside EFCC after President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the EFCC penned a malicious letter for the London Metropolitan Police, which the prosecutors tendered against Ekweremadu’s bail in London court back in July.

“In the said letter, the EFCC equally assured the Metropolitan Police that they would move against Ekweremadu’s assets immediately, all in the bid to help the Metropolitan Police present him as a man of means and a flight risk.

“How do the EFCC and London Metropolitan Police explain that Senator Ekweremadu’s matter could not be taken on Monday the 31st October as earlier scheduled and that other days proposed by the Senator’s lawyers were rejected, except Monday the 7th of November, but only for an ex-parte order to be sought and obtained on Friday 4th October, obviously to be weaponised against the prospects of Ekweremadu’s bail on Monday 7th?

“Why is it so auspicious for the EFCC and their London collaborators to orchestrate Ekweremadu’s continuous detention as against allowing him to defend himself in line with the law?

“Why is the EFCC so bent on continually infusing themselves into the case of Ekweremadu’s daughter’s health with extraneous issues?

“Unable to charge Ekweremadu since 2016, shouldn’t an institution truly fighting corruption have demanded for his repatriation so that he could personally answer for himself in Nigerian courts where these matters are alleged to have taken place?” they queried.

The Ohanaeze youth body said it was quite unimaginable that a UK parliamentarian or US congressman could be treated this way by a UK or US agency over a yet to be proven case of conspiracy to traffic a person.

“Their governments would usually insist on the innocence of even ordinary citizens and do all they can to secure their freedom. Even the Nigerian government did exactly the same for Jigawa State-born Zainab Aliyu, who was caught with banned drugs in Saudi Arabia. If the Nigerian Government will not intervene for Ekweremadu as it did for Zainab, why should its agency be working hand-in-glove with Ekweremadu’s prosecutors to keep him continually in detention without bail or accelerated trial?

“From Nuhu Ribadu to Farida Waziri, to Ibrahim Lamorde, to Ibrahim Magu, and now Abdulrasheed Bawa, it has become clear that the monopoly of the leadership of the EFCC by people from the northern part of the country since inception has resulted in the corrosive deployment of the agency against the people from the southern part of the country.

“Could the EFCC have taken this unpatriotic and wicked step against a northern senator fighting a battle of his life, fighting for his reputation, fighting for his freedom and for the survival of a very sick child in a foreign land?

“We therefore hold that now time to end this wicked monopoly at the EFCC and for the south to head the EFCC”, Ohanaeze Youth Council concluded.
DAILY POST

News

Nigerian Army Hands Over Rescued Chibok Girl, 3 Children To Borno Govt

Published

17 mins ago

May 9, 2024

Editor

The Nigerian Army has handed over Lydia Simon, the rescued Chibok schoolgirl and her three children to the Borno State government for reunification with her family.

The theatre commander, North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Maj. Gen. Waidi Shuaibu, made this known at the handing over ceremony at the Maimalari Cantonment, on Thursday in Maiduguri.

According to him, troops of the 82 Division Task Force Battalion rescued the six-month-old pregnant lady alongside her three children on Wednesday April 17, in Gwoza Local Government Area of the state.

He said that she was the number 18 among the girls that were rescued by the Nigerian military.

Shuaibu explained that the abduction of the Chibok school girls in 2014, made both national and international headlines which culminated in the hashtag, “bring back our girls. ”

The commander added that several efforts have been made both internationally and nationally to return the girls safely and reunite them with their families.

“One of such national efforts is the conduct of military operations deep within the terrorists’ enclaves which have yielded positive results to facilitate rescue of some of the Chibok girls.

“Starting from Esther Marcus, who appears on serial 103 on the abducted Chibok school girls’ list, who was the first to be rescued by troops of 7 Division Gar, till now efforts are still ongoing.

“Just recently on April 17, one more Chibok girl was rescued with her three children from the Mandara mountain by troops of the theatre,” he said.

News

Alleged Fraud: Court Admits Bundles Of Documents As Evidence Against Emefiele

Published

32 mins ago

May 9, 2024

Editor

The trial of the former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, charged with abuse of office and alleged $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion fraud continued on Thursday with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, tendering bundles of documents before the court.

The bundles of documents were tendered by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, through the third prosecution witness, Clement Ngolu, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank.

The documents were admitted as evidence following no objections from the first defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo and the second defence counsel, Adeyinka Kotoye.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Justice Rahman Oshodi admitted the original copies of the Zenith Bank account opening package and statement of account of Limelight Multidimensional Services Ltd. sent to the EFCC as evidence.

“I have read the documents dated March 2024, and I admit the original certified copy of the bundles of documents, which include account opening package and statement of accounts, into evidence and are marked as Exhibit A,” Oshodi said.

Ngolu, in his evidence, said his department responded to regulators and law enforcement agencies to ensure that bank activities were in line with banking policies and regulations.

He further stated that his department worked with agencies such as EFCC, Nigeria Police, ICPC, and NSCDC.

The witness said that his department in 2014 got a request from the EFCC to furnish them with statements of accounts for Limelight and two other accounts.

“The documents we sent to the EFCC were duly signed by the staff of the bank. The process of generating the statement was done through our computer system, which was in good condition.

“The documents were printed out from the company’s computer, which was working well and the documents were in the bank’s custody,” the witness said.

The defence, however, said they had no question for the witness.

Also, a former Director of Information Technology of CBN, Mr John Ayoh, in the continuation of his cross-examination, said he had a confrontation with Emefiele because he asked him to do something wrong.

The witness, who further confirmed that he was sidelined by the embattled governor, added that his being sidelined made him not have any relationship with him.

“I was not happy being unpopular with the former CBN governor but on a number of occasions, I signed contract letters to vendors,” he said.

The fourth witness, a contractor, testified before the court that he was allegedly pressured by the apex bank management to pay $600,000 for the contract that he had executed.

News

Ex-Rep Drags Wabote To EFCC Over Disbursement Of Funds For NCDMB Projects In Bayelsa

Published

33 mins ago

May 9, 2024

Editor

A former member of the Federal House of Representative from Bayelsa State, Isreal Sunny-Goli, has filed a petition before the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, over the need for a thorough investigation into the controversies surrounding the payment of $35 million for projects in the state.

The projects includes the Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company Limited, the Atlantic International Refinery & Petrochemical Limited, as well as the Brass Petroleum Product Terminal Limited.

Recall that recently the House of Representative Committee on Local Content, led by its chairman, Boma Goodhead, launched a probe into the alleged payment of the sum of $35 million, with 40 per cent equity, to a company with a registration value of N10 million.

During the probe, the Committee accused the former management team of the Nigerian Content and Development Monitoring Board, NCDMB, headed by erstwhile Executive Secretary, Simbi Wabote, of showing signs of alleged financial recklessness for investing a total of N14 billion for shares to a company one year after it was registered in 2020.

Sunny-Goli, who was a member of the Federal House of Representative representing Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State in the 9th Assembly, urged the EFCC to investigate the projects, which are situated within the precinct of Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

He said given his years of active political and communal leadership and by all standards, he is qualified to express concerns about the overall development of his people and to protect same.

Parts of the petition read: “It is on this premise that I hereby wish to forward a petition to the Commission for a thorough investigation and possible prosecution.

“It relates to the disbursement of funds for the Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company Limited, the Atlantic International Refinery & Petrochemical Limited, as well as the Brass Petroleum Product Terminal Limited, all situated within the precinct of Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, during the tenure of the immediate past Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board, (NCDMB), Eng. Simbi Kesiye Wabote.”

Sunny-Goli pointed out that the Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company Limited was a project conceived to establish two trains of 5,000MTPD methanol plants and one train of 500MMscf per day processing plant and associated infrastructure to be sited in Odiama, Brass Island, Bayelsa State, with a total NCDMB equity contribution for this project is $200m.

“With an initial payment of $20m made in May, 2021, and an annual payment of $60m over the period of 3 years. He alleged that the NCDMB Directors involved were the past Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Simbi Wabote and Mohammed Umar with one Mr. Ben Okoye as the Keyman.

“Also the Atlantic International Refinery & Petrochemical Limited: This project was conceived for the establishment of a 2,000bpd Modular Refinery, a jetty facility, and a 2MW power plant in the Brass Free Trade Zone (FTZ), Bayelsa State. With the project current status as nothing tangible has been accomplished on this project, thus making its delivery uncertain and gloomy.

“Its target completion period was 24 months from the date of financial close. Full investment amount of $35m was released in one bullet in October 2020. The Keyman is one Akindele Akintoye and the NCDMB Directors involved are Simbi Wabote and Isaac Yalah. Current Status of Project: The project has stalled and has little or nothing to show for the disbursement made. Delivery timeline is also uncertain.

“Brass Petroleum Product Terminal Limited: The investment was for the establishment of a 50 million-litre facility with a two-way product jetty, automated storage tanks, and loading bay in Brass, Baylesa State. Project was initially conceived to have the NNPC Limited and the NCDMB as shareholders with the private company but was curiously financed by the Simbi-led NCDMB alone. The Keymen involved as NCDMB Directors are Simbi Wabote and Mohammed Umar.

“Current Status of Project: The project for which funds were disbursed in September 2021, has not progressed as expected, and its completion remains not only uncertain but funding by the other shareholders is also not assured,” the petition added.