Saturday, October 26, 2013

OVER 70 BOKO HARAM TERRORIST GROUP MEMBERS KILLED IN COMBINED AIR & GROUND ASSAULT

Nigerian troops killed 74 members of Boko Haram in an air and ground assault, the military said on Friday, a further sign of stepped up operations against the Islamist sect.

The offensive on Thursday targeted Boko Haram camps in the remote villages of Galangi and Lawanti in northeast Borno state where the militants have their strongest presence.

"The operation, which involved ground and aerial assault supported by theNigerian Air Force led to the destruction of the identified terrorist camps, killing 74 terrorists while others fled with serious injuries," Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Dole said in a statement.

Dole said two soldiers were wounded. The Nigerian military has in the past played down its own losses and those of civilians, security experts say.

The army said it had killed 37 Islamists in a similar strike last week in another remote area of Borno.

Nigerian forces have intensified attacks against Boko Haram since May, when President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in three states in the northeast.

Boko Haram is fighting to establish an Islamic state in religiously mixed Nigeria. While the offensive against it appears to have scattered the movement, it has also seen reprisal attacks against civilians suspected of cooperating with the authorities.

Thousands have been killed since the sect launched its uprising against the state in 2009, turning itself from a clerical movement opposed to Western culture into an armed militia with links to al Qaeda's West African wing.

The group is seen as the biggest security threat to Africa's top oil producer. Although their activities are located hundreds of miles away from its southern oil fields, they have bombed the capital Abuja at least three times, including a deadly attack on the United Nations' Nigeria headquarters in 2011.



source:Reuters



N989.2m Scam : EFCC DECLARES AN ITALIAN WANTED

....... Also  Nsika Usoro and Steve Bajo for N107m Fraud


The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared an Italian, Mariani Albino wanted in connection with a case of obtaining money under false pretence, stealing and money laundering to the tune of N989, 288,400.00 (Nine Hundred and Eighty Nine Million, Two Hundred and Eighty Eight Thousand, Four Hundred Naira Only).


Also declared wanted are two Nigerians, Nsika Usoro and Steve Bajo. The duo who are directors of Rigel Energy and Maritime Limited are wanted for fraudulent conversion of the sum of N107million belonging to So Energy, a subsidiary of Sahara Group.

Albino is 53 years, 5ft 3inches in height and fair in complexion. He speaks Italian and English languages fluently.

His last known address is No 9B, Ezekwuese Close, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.



EFCC Arraigns Ex-Naval Officer, Others for N556m Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, last Wednesday, October 23, 2013 arraigned Okorie Joseph Ogbonaya, Barrister Emmanuel Mbajunwa and Akaeze Ventures Enterprises before Justice Florence I. Duruohaigwe of the Imo State High Court sitting in Owerri on a 3- count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing.
One of the charges reads, "that you Okorie Joseph Ogbonnaya and others still at large, sometime in the month of June 2009 at Owerri within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court with intent to defraud stole and fraudulently converted the sum of $2,256,000 (Two Million Two Hundred and Fifty Six Thousand United States dollars) property of former Oceanic Bank (now Ecobank Plc)"
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Upon their plea, EFCC counsel, M.K Bashir asked for a date for trial and urged the court to remand the accused persons in prison custody. Responding, the defence counsel, D.O Agbo prayed the court to admit the accused persons to bail stressing that the charges preferred against them are bailable. He stated that the accused persons are ready to make themselves available for trial.
However, the prosecuting counsel objected on the ground that the offence for which the accused persons are being tried was felony and insisted on written applications for their bail. He informed the court that the first accused person, Ogbonaya had jumped the administrative bail earlier granted him by the Commission. He therefore urged the court to remand the accused person in prison custody pending the determination of the substantive case.
Justice Duruohaigwe after listening to the argument of both counsel, granted bail to the accused persons in the sum of N4million and one surety each in like sum. Each of the sureties must submit an affidavit of means, an evidence of tax clearance for two years and a recent passport photograph.
While adjourning the case to November 5, 2013, Justice Duruohaigwe ordered that the accused persons be remanded in Federal prison, Owerri until the bail conditions are met.
Ogbonaya was alleged to have obtained two loan facilities of Two Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Six United States Dollars, $2.256m ( about Three Hundred and Sixty Million Naira) and One Hundred and Ninety Six Million Naira (N196 Million) to enable his company, Akaeze Venture Enterprises import 100 containers of rice from Thailand. 
The imported rice was to be warehoused in a designated bank at Owerri. The suspects allegedly connived with the clearing agent to divert 81 out of the 100 containers to other locations unknown to the bank. The accused were said to have sold the diverted containers and converted the proceeds into personal gain.
The accused persons by their action committed an offence contrary to section 516 of the criminal code law cap 30 Laws of Imo state 1991.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

House Probes Aviation Minister Over N255m Bullet Proof Cars


Fresh from the Sallah break, the House of Representatives, Tuesday, resolved to investigate the $1.6 million (N255 million) allegedly used by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to purchase two BMW bullet proof cars for the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah.

The committee is to ascertain whether the purchase was made by the minister; whether it was authorised by any appropriation; whether NCAA has been complying with Financial Responsibility Act (FRA) on Internally Generated Revenue, and whether the minister is entitled to such vehicle under any law in Nigeria.

Relying on Section 88 of the 1999 constitution (as amended), a member of the House, Hon. Osagie, expressed concern that given the poverty and unemployment ravaging the nation, “it will be absurd, unthinkable and indeed unpatriotic for an agency of government to connive with its political head to incur such an expenditure simply for the comfort and safety of one public officer.”

He said the RMAFC has elaborate recommendations regarding the conduct of public officers including ministers and how they would be catered for in terms of salaries and emoluments, housing and motor vehicle. He said recommendations on these have been passed into law by the National Assembly.

Supporting the motion, Hon. Joseph Kigbu (CPC, Nasarawa) said there was no justification for any public official to spend money on frivolities, adding that the practice needs to be checked.

Others who supported the motion were Hon. Hassan Sale (APC, Benue), Emmanuel Jime (PDP, Benue), Matthew Omegara (APC, Imo) and Mohammed Wudil (PDP, Kano.

In a related development, the House is equally investigating the renovation contract on the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano as well as alleged barring of the Qatar airline to the airport by the Ministry of Aviation.

Upon a motion by Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki (PDP, Kano), the House resolved to inaugurate  an ad hoc committee to investigate allegations against the Ministry of Aviation for blocking Qatar Airlines from flying the Kano route. The committee is to also ascertain the quality of renovation work done on the airport.

While leading debate on the motion, Madaki said in June  , there was a bilateral agreement between Nigeria and Qatar officials in Doha where Qatar presented two options to be granted additional landing permits in Kano and Abuja.

According to him, one of the options was that Qatar be granted 21 weeks frequencies to Lagos and 14 weeks frequencies both to Kano and Abuja. He disclosed that the Nigerian delegation refused the 39 additional landing permits demanded by Qatar and instead directed the airline to use Enugu and Port Harcourt airport.

Both motions were unanimously adopted.



Source:The Will



Buhari presents 2021 Budget to National Assembly

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday , 8,October, 2020, formally tabled the Executive’s proposed budget for the 2021 fiscal year to a joint s...