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Dismissed pension boss, Maina, resurfaces with more allegations against Buhari’s officials

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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Dismissed pension boss, Maina, resurfaces with more allegations against Buhari’s officials

FORMER Chairman of the Pension Reforms Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, has again made several corruption allegations against top serving officials of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration while maintaining his innocence in the charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Maina has been underground since October 2017 when Buhari ordered his dismissal from the federal civil service, but he has consistently maintained his innocence and claimed that he was being hunted by powerful forces in the administration who wants to kill him in order to protect their ugly secrets.

He was secretly reinstated into office after having been removed in 2010 by then President Goodluck Jonathan, following allegations of stealing of pension funds. But following public outcry, Buhari ordered that he be dismissed again.

The EFCC had also declared Maina wanted in connection with the above allegations. He was charged to court alongside Steven Oronsanye, a former Head of Service of the Federation, and other suspects. The others had pleaded not guilty to the charges but Maina has been on the run and has never attended any of the court sittings, much less enter a plea.

Since October 2017, Maina has granted several television interviews from his hiding place, detailing how he helped the federal government recover trillions of naira stolen by top public officials and urging Buhari to grant him an audience to prove his innocence.

Speaking during an interview on “Brekete Family”, a reality talk magazine programme that usually airs on Human Rights Radio, 101.1 FM, Abuja, on Friday, Maina reiterated his readiness to come out of hiding only if President Buhari would assure him of total protection. He said “the cabal” is earnestly searching for him and that his sources told him he would be “injected” once he comes out in the open.

Allegations against top government officials

Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita.

Maina claimed that the current Head of Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita, still operates bank accounts that are not linked to the Treasury Single Account of the federal government as directed by President Buhari, and that was why she worked against his reinstatement in 2017.

“There are accounts under her now, now, that she has not turned in to the single treasury account as directed by the President. Let her say no and then I will go back… I challenge her, I challenge everybody there. This is why they don’t want me to come back to my office,” he said.

Maina said he was willing to disclose to President Buhari all the clandestine accounts being operated by all his ministers.

He said: “President Buhari, I want you to open your eyes and ears, there is a lot of money in your government.

“All your ministers, I can give you the accounts of what they have operated, who is doing what, and where the monies have gone to. I can show you on the system.

“NFIU (National Financial Intelligence Unit) I challenge you to do your work. Give the chairman of EFCC the correct information let him give it to the President.”

Promise to recover trillions more

Maina promised that once he is assured of full protection by President Buhari, he would recover trillions from several hidden bank accounts owned and operated by government officials.

“The monies are there, they are in those accounts,” he said. “Let me tell you what they do. Sometimes they move them offshore. The accounts are there, they have been opened s many years ago.

“You know what they do, they call it accounting engineering. If at the end of the year, let’s say N200 billion is remaining in this ministry, the ministry, in collaboration with the office of the Accountant General of the Federation and return N20 billion and N198 billion is there. In this N198 billion, somebody will retire, and the new Permanent Secretary will not even know.

“So he (the retired official) will now sit down with the banks and do investments with the banks and for so many years, until he dies, nobody will know, and the banks will keep quiet.

“Such accounts exist in Nigeria, so many of them, and I have these accounts, I know them (but) nobody wants to give me the opportunity.”

Continuing, Maina said without checking through the many hidden accounts, several trillions would be recovered in the pension sector alone.

“I only touched two pension offices out of 98 pension outfits, and I brought (in) N2.9 trillion, only two pension offices.

On how long it would take him to recover the funds should President assure him of his safety, Maina said: “In the first week, I can recover N1 trillion for him. In the second month, I can recover N2 trillion for him, in the third month, I can recover another N1 trillion for him, but I have to have 100 per cent full protection from the President and I must not report to any other authority except the President.”

They are after my life

“Nigeria has a lot of money but the cabal is after my life. If they invite me to a meeting, they are not inviting me to talk to me, they are inviting me to kill me.

“I have people in these spy organisations who would tell me ‘look, you will be injected, we have already been advised to do such a thing’.

“They only want to get me out of this world, but if I go and allow myself to be killed, how will I impact on the lives of Nigerians?”

Maina also said Nigerians should not believe what is being reported in the media about him because almost all the media organisations in the have been compromised.

“Do you know that one time they went to one hotel, Chopstick, and spent N500 million to editors and reporters on Maina, ‘go and spoil Maina’. Nigerians should not be fooled by what they hear from newspapers. You can go and pay for anything to want to come out,” he said.

I did not run, I am in Nigeria

Maina said that contrary to several reports that he fled the country, “I am in Nigeria, I just travelled for lesser Hajj, I have been in Nigeria for long, in my house.”

“If I did something let them come and arrest me. I didn’t do anything,” he said.

Maina also demanded that the federal government should pay him five per cent of the trillions that he already recovered for the government in accordance to the current whistle-blowing policy of the current administration.

Digital switch-over scam: NBC boss shared N2.5b among cronies, witness tells court

Jennifer UGWA
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Digital switch-over scam: NBC boss shared N2.5b among cronies, witness tells court

Ishaq Modibbo-Kawu, Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), and Lucky Omoluwa, Chairman of Pinnacle Communications Limited, shared out the N2.5 billion seed grant for the Digital Switch-Over programme of the federal government amongst their cronies and family members.

This is according to a witness, Charles Adama, who testified against Modibbo-Kawu and his co-accused persons in the 12-count corruption charge brought against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Adama also told the court that politicians, churches, and a golf club also benefited from the shindig which was supervised by Omoluwa.

“The N2.5 billion was shared to individuals, friends and family members by Omoluwa who is the sole signatory to the account of the company. The money was also given to a golf club, churches, and top politicians and other charities,” Adama said according to a statement by the ICPC spokesperson, Rasheedat Okoduwa.

Adama also added that Dipo Onifade, the Chief Operating Officer of Pinnacle Communications – who is also a defendant in the case – received the sum of N127 million as payment for legal services to his private firm, Dipo Onifade and Co.

He added that Onifade, who fixed N100 million of the said sum in a fixed deposit account, could not provide any evidence of tax payment.

The witness, led by Counsel to ICPC, Henry Emore, also told the court that Omoluwa deposited the sum of N1.5 billion in a fixed deposit account which yielded N134 million interest.

Under cross-examination by Modibbo-Kawu’s Counsel A. U. Mustapha, Adama informed the court that the illegal payment of the N2.5 billion seed grant to Omoluwa’s company was exposed in a petition against Integrated Television Services (ITS),

It is an affiliate company of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and had received N1.77 billion as seed grant according to government White Paper guiding the DSO process and properly utilized the funds.

“The N1.77 billion was used for broadcast signal distribution meant for three cities but they covered four. They covered Jos, Abuja, Ilorin, and Oshogbo,” said Adama.

On the last adjourned date, another prosecution witness, Algeria Saidu, had told the court that the approval of N2.5 billion payment to Pinnacle Communication by Modibbo-Kawu was against government’s directive which expressly stated that only government-affiliated companies should be engaged in the DSO programme.

The matter was subsequently adjourned to May 27, June 3, 4, 26, and July 4, for accelerated trial.

 

 

Appeal Court says CCT order suspending ex-CJN Onnoghen ‘shrouded in secrecy’

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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Appeal Court says CCT order suspending ex-CJN Onnoghen ‘shrouded in secrecy’

THE Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja says the ex parte order granted by the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, ordering the suspension of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen, was “obtained via the back door” and “shrouded in secrecy”.

A three-justice panel of the appellate court, comprising Justices Stephen Adah, Peter Ige, and Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson, gave the unanimous ruling on Friday.

The panel, however, struck out Onnoghen’s appeal against the ex parte order, saying it has been overtaken by events and therefore is “already spent”.

The court sitting, which was scheduled to begin by 9 am on Friday, eventually kicked off at past 1 pm, as according to court officials, faulty printers prevented the judges from printing their judgements on time.

Onnoghen was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2019 following allegations of corruption as well as false assets declaration. Buhari named Tanko Mohammed, who was the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria at the time, as Acting CJN and he was sworn in immediately.

The sitting, scheduled to begin by 9 am did not start until past 1 pm.

Buhari said Onnoghen’s suspension was in keeping with the order of the CCT which directed that Onnoghen be stepped aside pending the determination of the case against him.

Delivering the ruling on Friday, Justice Adah noted that though Onnoghen had been served notice of summons for the charges against him, he had not been arraigned in court as at the date the ex parte order was issued.

He pointed out that on the day the trial was to commence, Onnoghen was not in court and as a result, sitting was adjourned. Adah wondered why the prosecution, who had said that the matter could not be heard as the accused person was not present, went behind the defence counsel to obtain an ex parte order removing him from office.

“Justice must never be shrouded in secrecy or clandestine activities,” Adah said.

However, he said that the appeal has been overtaken by events, as Onnoghen eventually faced trial and proceedings have been concluded and judgement delivered.

“The ex parte order is already spent,” Adah said, and since it can no longer serve any purpose, and cannot be allowed to remain before the panel, “it is hereby struck out”.

Adah asked parties in the matter to now concentrate on the substantive appeal in which Onnoghen had challenged the judgement of the CCT which declared him guilty of false assets declaration and, therefore, barred him from holding any public office in Nigeria for the next 10 years.

In the second appeal, in which Onnoghen asked the appellate court to overturn the bench warrant issued against him by the CCT, the appeal panel court said that too had become academic as Onnoghen eventually attended trial and there was no evidence placed before it that the bench warrant was executed against the former CJN.

The ruling on Onnoghen’s third appeal was delivered by Justice Akomolafe-Wilson. The appeal was to determine whether the CCT was right to continue the trial without first determining the issue of jurisdiction that was raised by Onnoghen’s counsel.

Akomolafe-Wilson agreed that according to the general principle law, once a court’s jurisdiction is challenged, the court must first determine the issue before proceeding with the case. However, she said that in the case at hand, there was specific legislation in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (2015) overriding the general principle. She, therefore, resolved the issue in favour of the respondent(the CCT) and against the appellant (Onnoghen).

The fourth and final appeal bothered on whether the CCT Chairman, Danladi Umar, was right to have discountenanced the orders of the Federal High Court, the FCT High Court, and the National Industrial Court respectively, directing it to stay proceedings in the trial of the former CJN.

Umar had held, at the time, that the Federal High Court, FCT High Court and the NIC were courts of coordinate jurisdiction with the CCT and, therefore, the tribunal was not bound by the orders of the courts.

However, Justice Ige, who delivered judgement on the fourth appeal, said it was wrong for the CCT to have assumed the position of the appellate court by discountenancing valid court rulings.

“Any judgement, decision or order of a court remains sacrosanct and cannot be discountenanced,” Ige ruled. “The lower tribunal ought to have obeyed the court orders or have them vacated by the appellate court.”

He went on to resolve the issue against the respondent and in favour of the appellant.

George Ibrahim, Onnoghen’s counsel.

Speaking to journalists after the judgement, Counsel to Onnoghen, George Ibrahim, said it was disappointing that the judgement was coming at a time when the matter had become academic.

He, however, expressed satisfaction with the ruling which pointed out that the order suspending Onnoghen was obtained through the back door.

Ibrahim also wondered why the CCT Chairman has not issued them with copies of the final judgement delivered on April 18 and the rulings he gave in the course of Onnoghen’s trial.

“Since the decision of the 18th of April, up till now, he has not given us copies of the judgement, or the two rulings that he delivered, the one challenging his jurisdiction and the one asking him to recuse himself, up till now. And if care is not taken we may find ourselves where we have found ourselves today,” he said.

“There is this school of thought that believes that justice delayed is justice denied, that is exactly what has happened. Judgement has come, findings have come, but we can no longer use them.”

Ibrahim further clarified that Friday’s judgement was not that of the appeal of the final judgement delivered by the CCT on April 18. He said three appeals challenging the judgement is still pending before the appeal court.

Cybercrime: Six London-based Nigerians jailed in UK

Nneoma BENSON
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Cybercrime: Six London-based Nigerians jailed in UK

SIX Nigerians resident in London have been reportedly jailed for forty-three years, for their roles in cyber theft worth millions of pounds in the United Kingdom (UK).

The gang, who are blood-related were among ten persons convicted between March 26 and 28, for their roles in a large-scale “diversion fraud” scam using hacking software; they  used computer malware to intercept and steal the log-in details of email accounts belonging to businesses and private individuals worldwide, with the intent of identifying high-value financial transactions.

The convicts are  Bonaventure Chukwuka, 41; Emmanuel Chukwuka, 27; Christian Chukwuka, 39; Andrew Chukwu, 35; Queen Chukwuka, 32; and Grace Chukwuka, 39.

Bonaventure Sunday Chukwuka, of Roding Gardens, Loughton was found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, and conspiracy to conceal/transfer criminal property. He was also found guilty of possession of a prohibited item (a phone) in prison – sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment.

Andrew Chike Chukwu of River Road, Buckhurst Hill was found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and conspiracy to conceal/transfer criminal property – sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.

Emmanuel Chike Chukwuka, of Roding Gardens, Loughton was found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud. He was found not guilty of conspiracy to money launder – sentenced to two years and eight months’ imprisonment.

Christian Chukwuka of  Latchetts Shaw, Basildon, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and conspiracy to conceal/transfer criminal property – sentenced to five years and nine months’ imprisonment.

Queen Chukwuka, of Roding Gardens, Loughton was found guilty of acquiring/possessing criminal property – sentenced to a community order

Grace Plange Chukwu, of River Road, Buckhurst Hill was found guilty of acquiring/possessing criminal property – conditional discharge.

An investigation, by Met’s falcon fraud squad- a group of detectives specialized in the protection of people and businesses in London from all complex cyber crime and fraud, found out, the wild gang had a total of 228 separate frauds committed by the same network between 2014 to 2018, and totaling: £10,112,312.54.

The detectives identified a total of 165 “mule” accounts, opened with fake identification documents or bought from unscrupulous account holders.

Accordingly, the gang intercepted emails about these transactions and sent spoof emails, duping the victims into paying the funds into alternative UK-based “mule” bank accounts – accounts obtained and controlled by the fraudsters for this purpose – instead of the intended recipient.

The fraudsters used the funds from mule accounts to buy and export thousands of pounds of baby milk to Nigeria, to launder the money.

Abassi who established a sham company and opened business bank accounts and Zaman and Rahman who sourced the mule accounts were all arraigned.

Queen Chukwuka and Grace Chukwu, who are wives of Bonaventure and Andrew, received funds into their own personal bank accounts.

DC Chris Collins, a detective from the Falcon Fraud Squad, stated that the fraudster had been on cyber crime for four years, scamming both individuals and business organization, unaware of being caught someday. He posited, that a complex investigation diligently carried out fished them out.

“I hope this conviction sends a strong message to online fraudsters: we have the ways and means of tracing you and we will seek to bring you to justice,” Collins said.

 

Over 1 million people displaced in Nigeria due to conflicts, disasters in 2018 − Report

Rebecca Akinremi
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Over 1 million people displaced in Nigeria due to conflicts, disasters in 2018 − Report

NIGERIA had more than 1.1 million newly displaced people in 2018, while over 613 thousand displacements were caused by disasters, according to a new report published on Friday by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

The 2019 Global Report on Internally Displacement (GRID) indicated that as of December 31 of last year, there as a total of 2,216,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country.

Among the 1,154,000 people newly displaced in the year, 613 thousand people were displaced as a result of disaster while 541,000 were due to conflict and violence. The 2018  number of newly displaced people in the country was the highest in the last five years.

Explaining the causes of the displacement, the report stated that the “drivers of displacement in Nigeria are multi-faceted, complex and often overlapping”.

“The emergence of the militant group, Boko Haram, has caused large numbers of displacements since 2014. In the Middle Belt region, competition between pastoralists and farmers has caused tensions, culminating in significant levels of violence and displacement,” The report read in part.

It also included flooding affected 80 per cent of the country last year and triggered most of the 613,000 new displacements.

“In urban areas, poor planning and zoning mean many residential areas have been built on exposed river banks and flood plains. This combined with poor drainage systems makes homes highly vulnerable to regular flooding,” the report read.

While it noted that despite Nigerian government insistence that Boko Haram is close to defeat, “attacks by armed opposition groups continued last year, particularly in the north-eastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe”.

The Monitoring Centre urged the Nigerian government to design and implementing policies to reduce people’s vulnerability and exposure to displacement. “…address the needs of those already displaced must be a priority for the government, the report concluded for Nigeria.

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) is the world’s authoritative source of data and analysis on internal displacement. Their work informs policy and operational decisions that improve the lives of the millions of people living in internal displacement, or at risk of becoming displaced in the future.

We are ready to be killed; no Kokori, no NSTIF board, NLC insists

YEKEEN Akinwale
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We are ready to be killed; no Kokori, no NSTIF board, NLC insists

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says it would not rest on its agitation until the board of National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) is inaugurated with a former labour leader, Frank Kokori as its chairman.

This was the stand of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of NLC at the end of its emergency meeting in Abuja on Thursday after its leaders were attacked by suspected thugs at the residence of Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige on Wednesday.

A communique issued at the end of the meeting which was made available to The ICIR said failure by the minister to inaugurate the board with the appropriate person as its chairman would invite more protests.

While challenging the Federal Government to come out clean about unresolved issues around the Trust Fund, the Congress demanded the arrest and prosecution of the thugs and their sponsors since they are well known

On its planned protest on Monday, May 13, in Abuja against the brutalization of its members by the thugs believed to be loyal to the minister, the labour union said it has directed its members and civil society allies to commence immediate mobilisation.

The Congress said its members were “ready to be killed by the thugs hired by Dr. Ngige or security agents who maintained a complicitous silence while defenceless workers were being mowed down.”

It also demanded an unconditional and unqualified apology from the government both for the primitive behaviour of its minister and its suspicious silence.

The Congress pointed out that while the Vice President, Yemi Osibajo found it necessary to step out of his car to address indigenous communities which were protesting against the forceful acquisition of their land by the military, the Minister resorted to recruiting thugs to engage workers.

“The CWC resolved to hold Dr. Chris Ngige personally responsible for the violence visited on the workers and injuries that they suffered, noting that he has sown a seed of violence,” NLC said in the communique.

“The CWC also resolved to send his name to all airports, train stations, shipping ports and all public entry and exit point around the world in other to have visited upon him protest and disgrace for his ignominious role in the violence unleashed against workers.”

The NLC in February decided to picket the Minister of Labour and Employment house if he failed to inaugurate the NSITF board on or before May 1, 2019.

Crisis started after President Muhammadu Buhari approved the replacement of Kokori Austin Enajemo-Isire, and appointing the former as the Chairman of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, MINILS, Ilorin, Kwara State.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour and Employment on Thursday vowed never to allow  Kokori to head the NSITF board.

Kokori is the preferred choice of the NLC for the job, but Ngige said no matter the resort to “blackmail” by the NLC, he would not approve of Kokori because he (Kokori) was not a “proper” and “neutral” person to hold the office.

Nearly 900 child soldiers freed from armed group in north-east

Jennifer UGWA
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Nearly 900 child soldiers freed from armed group in north-east

A TOTAL of 894 children, including 106 girls, were released from the ranks of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Maiduguri, north-east Nigeria today says UNICEF.

As part of its commitment to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children, CJTF signed an action plan in September 2017 committing to putting measures in place to end and prevent recruitment and use of children and young people in the fight against terrorism.

Mohamed Fall, Representative of United Nations Children’s Fund in Nigeria and the Co-chair of United Nations Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting on Grave Child Rights Violations (CTFMR) hailed the move as a catalyst for positive change and protection of child rights.

“Any commitment for children that is matched with action is a step in the right direction for the protection of children’s rights and must be recognised and encouraged.

“Children of north-east Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict. They have been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and witnessed death, killing, and violence. This participation in the conflict has had serious implications for (sic) their physical and emotional well-being.”

According to UNICEF, the reintegration programmes will help the children return to civilian life, seize new opportunities for their own development, and contribute to bringing lasting peace in Nigeria, as productive citizens of the country.

It is reported that more than 3,500 children were recruited and used by non-state armed groups between 2013 and 2017 while others have been abducted, maimed, raped and killed.

“We cannot give up the fight for the children, as long as children are still affected by the fighting. We will continue until there is no child left in the ranks of all armed groups in Nigeria,” said Fall.

The CJTF is a local militia that helps the Nigerian security forces in the fight against insurgency in north-east Nigeria. It was formed in 2013, with the aim of protecting communities from attack.

 

 

Nestle Nigeria redeems pledge, fixes borehole for community after The ICIR report

Amos ABBA
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Nestle Nigeria redeems pledge, fixes borehole for community after The ICIR report

TWO days after The ICIR published an investigation on the plight of Manderegi residents whose source of water supply was contaminated by effluents from Nestle’s water factory, the multinational corporation completed a water project in the community it had initially abandoned.

Following the investigative report on lack of access to potable water in the community, the management of Nestle’s Water factory, Abaji led by Victoria Uwadoka, Nestle Nigeria Public affairs Manager visited the community on April 30, to install a generating plant that would pump water daily.

They also promised to provide fuel to power the generating plant until the faulty solar-powered plant which had been installed earlier was fixed.

The water borehole project which had been launched in January was not functional until The ICIR report shed light on the neglected water project.

On Wednesday, when The ICIR visited the community the taps were fully functional with several women fetching water who told the reporter that water supply has been consistent since the plant was installed.

Speaking to The ICIR, Edith a resident in the community was excited with the prospects of having water close to her home since she no longer walks a long distance to get water.

“Sincerely, I am very happy to have water very close to my house unlike before when we will have to walk to the stream for over thirty minutes to get water and when we need to wash clothes we have to take our clothes to the stream to wash unless you want to make five or six trips to the stream,” she said.

She was hopeful that the borehole water project will offer a lasting solution to the water problem in the community.

“I believe that this borehole will continue to function for a long time so we will be relieved from the stress we go through to have water in our houses,” she told The ICIR.

Salihu Yehuza, another resident in the community said the borehole will increase the productivity of people in the community.

“At least, for now, we no longer have to travel very far to get water. We save that energy and put it into a productive aspect of our lives,” he said.

The ICIR reporter also observed that the school toilet in LGEA Primary School, Manderegi which was previously under locks when the reporter first visited in March has been open to pupils since the borehole became functional.

Garba Seidu, the community chief was sceptical about the sustainability prospects of the project but he was happy that water was accessible to his people.

“Its good we are getting water but I don’t know how long it is going to last. When Nestle officials came they told me they would be responsible for buying fuel to power the generating plant to pump water until the solar-powered engine is fixed.

“I also wanted them to take water to the other part of the community where people have to cross the highway to fetch water from here and they promised to look into it. I just believe this borehole will provide a final solution to our water problem,” he said with optimism.

The ICIR contacted Oluwafemi Ojo, the human resource manager at Nestle Waters, Abaji to ascertain the scope of completion of the water project carried out in the community.

“I can’t give you any details about it but someone will contact you this issue,” he said.

However, the reporter received an email from Nestle Nigeria Public Affairs Manager stating that the reporter should fix a convenient time for an interview session.

But subsequently, the email sent by The ICIR has not been replied, also calls and a text message were also not answered at the time of filing this report.

EFCC arrests Naira Marley in connection with cyber fraud

Jennifer UGWA
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EFCC arrests Naira Marley in connection with cyber fraud

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday confirmed the arrest of Nigerian musician Afeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley in Lagos today.

Orilade Tony, Spokesperson of EFCC who spoke to The ICIR, confirmed that the upcoming artist was arrested in the early hours of the day in connection with cyber fraud activities and is been currently held at the EFCC zonal office in Lagos.

“He was arrested in relations and connections with Yahoo-Yahoo boys,” Orilade told The ICIR on Friday.

Orilade, also revealed that Naira Marley was also arrested with some of his cohorts.

Naira Marley who recently dropped a single hit track—‘Am I a Yahoo Boy’ with another popular Nigerian artist  Omoniyi Temidayo, also known as Zlatan came to limelight with  his 2017 hit song titled ’It’s a goal.’

The singer on Instagram has appealed to Nigerian’s to pray for Internet fraudsters.

“All you guys, all the money in your pockets, all the money you spend, you think it’s the government that is making the money go round?” he said on a live Instagram session.

Due to his recent opinion on cyber fraud, the artist has been criticised by other Nigerian artists who countered his opinions, stressing the need to acquire wealth through legitimate means.

 

Breaking: Faulty printer delays court sitting at Onnoghen’s appeal  

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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Breaking: Faulty printer delays court sitting at Onnoghen’s appeal  

SITTING at the Federal Court of Appeal Abuja over the appeal brought by the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen has been delayed for more than two hours due to faulty printer. 

The proceedings that ought to commence by 9 am is yet to commence as at 12:44 pm.

The appeal court had set today, Friday to deliver judgement on the appeal filed by Onnoghen, but the sitting for the judgement is being put on hold.

A court official came to announce to journalists who had arrived earlier before the proceeding that, “the printers are faulty, so the court sitting would be delayed.

“He told us that the judges pleaded that the sitting would commence by 12 noon but we are still waiting,” The ICIR reporter at the court said at 12: 44 pm.

Journalists waiting for the sitting to commence at the Federal Court of Appeal
Photo Credit: The ICIR

 

The Code of Conduct Tribunal had convicted the former CJN over false declaration of assets and thus removed him from office. Onnoghen was also barred from holding public office for 10 years.

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