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Patience Jonathan Opened Bank Accounts With Fake Documents

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Patience Jonathan Opened Bank Accounts With Fake Documents

 

Former First Lady, Patience Jonathan
Former First Lady, Patience Jonathan

New information has emerged on the case of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Patience Jonathan, wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

According to a report by the PUNCH Newspaper, the Skye Bank accounts of the former first lady, which contained a total of $15million, were opened with fake identity cards and driving licences.

The EFCC, in the course of investigating a former aide of ex-president Jonathan, had frozen the bank accounts of four companies containing more than $15million in all, and the former first lady claimed the monies were hers.

Further investigations revealed she also has another account, in her name, with Skye bank containing another $5 million.

She had continued to claim innocence of any wrong doing, even after the companies involved had pleaded guilty to money laundry charges.

The anti-graft agency, however, said she would soon be invited for questioning.

The PUNCH reported that EFCC detectives had visited the Skye Bank branch where the accounts were opened and had obtained the files containing the former first lady’s information.

According to the EFCC source the newspaper quoted, “After three months of investigation, I can confirm to you that we are set to invite Patience Jonathan.

“We obtained the files from the bank and we realised that those accounts with the $15m were opened with fake identity cards, including driving licences.

“We took the cards and went to the Federal Road Safety Corps to verify if the cards were authentic. We found out that the cards were fake.

“So, this is not just money laundering but a clear case of fraud. If they had nothing to hide, why did they go to this length?” he questioned.

Journalists Arrested In Edo Still In Detention

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Journalists Arrested In Edo Still In Detention

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10 journalists working for the Watchdog News, who were arrested by a combined team of the Nigerian Army and the Department of State Services, DSS, in Benin, the Edo State capital last Wednesday, September 21, are yet to be released.

Editor of the media house, Taiye Garrick, said they were also denied access to their lawyers.

The news crew, comprising of a Production Manager, three reporters, a Video Editor, three IT personnel, a Logistics Manager and a Driver, were arrested at a hotel in Benin on.

Garrick told newsmen that the team was in Benin to report on the situation of things and the level of INEC’s preparedness ahead of the gubernatorial election scheduled for September 28.

They were arrested by soldiers and DSS operative at their hotel, Douban Hotel in Benin.

The Army issued a statement the following day through its spokesman, Sani Usman, alleging that the journalists were arrested based on “credible security reports” and that “quite a number of incriminating items including INEC sensitive materials” were found on them.

However neither of the security outfits could explained why the journalists were still in detention.

The editor of the media house, alleged that he has been receiving threat calls and invitation from anonymous persons asking him to report at the SSS office in Abuja or elsewhere.

When contacted, the army spokesman refused to comment on the issue.

Only last Monday, a blogger, Jamil Mabai, was arrested and detained for a post in which he criticised the Katsina State government’s expenses.

A number of journalists have also been reported arrested in recent times for opinions that criticizes the government of the day in what activists say is a ploy to suppress the freedom of the press.

Shekau Still Alive; Appears In New Boko Haram Video

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shekau-still-alive-appears-in-new-boko-haram-video

Leader of the Boko Haram terrorist group, Abubakar Shekau, whom the Nigerian Army said it had killed, is still alive.

In the latest video released by the group, Shekau was seen flanked by two gun-wielding boko haram fighters on either side.

The video lasted for about 39 minutes, and Shekau spoke in Arabic, Hausa, Kanuri and English.

Recall that the Middle east-based terrorist group, the Islamic State, to whom Shekau had pledged allegiance, had announced the appointment of Musab Al-Barnawi as the new leader of Boko Haram in place of Shekau.

The announcement reportedly caused a division with the terrosist group with a faction siding with Shekau and the other pledging loyalty to the supposed new leader, Al-Barnawi who was said to be the son of the late Boko Haram founder, Muhammed Yusuf.

Shortly after the announcement, the Nigerian military said that Boko Haram has been largely decimated and that the new change in leadership was just an empty show.

Defence Authorities reiterated that both the original Shekau and the second one had been killed in the ongoing clearance operations in the Northeast.

In August this year, the group released a video purportedly showing only a handful of the school girls it kidnapped in 2014 from their school in Chibok, Borno state.

One of the fighters in the video said that the other girls had either been married off or had been killed in series of air strikes carried out against the group by the Nigerian military.

He said the group would only swap the girls with their members who are currently in detention in various prisons in the country.

Also, on September 13, a day after the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, the group released another video showing large numbers of its members praying at an eid ground.

In the video, one of the terrorists, wielding a sword, threatened that the group would capture Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari.

Kaduna Govt. Flags Off $120 Million Potato Project

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Kaduna Govt. Flags Off $120 Million Potato Project
Governor Nasir El-Rufai laying the foundation stone of the would be potato processing factory
Governor Nasir El-Rufai laying the foundation stone of the would be potato processing factory

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has flagged off the construction of a Potato Farm and Processing factory said to be worth $120 million.

The factory, said to be the first of its kind in West Africa, is located at Manchok in Kaura Local Government Area of the state and is expected to be completed in 18 months.

The project is being undertaken in partnership with Vicampro International, an agro-based company with branches in several countries.

At the ground breaking ceremony on Saturday, Governor El-Rufai noted that the facility would earn foreign exchange and reduce over-dependence on oil.

He pledged the state government’s commitment towards the promotion of agricultural practices to fast track development, diversify the economy and boost Internally Generated Revenue.

The Governor appealed to the host community to support and cooperate with the company in charge of the project.

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, who was also present at the event noted that access to finance has remained a major challenge to most investors.

He however said that the issue was being addressed to ensure that investors with viable ideas were given the necessary support.

Emefiele pointed out that the drop in oil prices had affected  Nigeria’s economy, adding that diversification was the only alternative to overcome the economic crisis.

On her part, the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar, described the development as a giant stride towards moving the nation’s economy forward.

Gambo Hamza, the Executive Secretary of Kaduna State Investment Promotion Agency, KADIPA, explained that the factory, upon completion, would need about 10,000 hectares of land for potato cultivation and has the capacity to process 2,500 tonnes of potatoes daily, create at least 30,000 jobs.

Items expected to be produced at the factory include French fries, Irish flakes and biscuits for local and international consumption.

Niger Delta Militants Attack Troops In Bakassi

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Niger Delta Militants Attack Troops In Bakassi

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The Nigerian army has said that suspected militants in several speed boats attacked troops deployed at Efut Esighi waterfront in Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State.

Army spokesman, Sani Usman, said the attack occurred in the early hours of Saturday and was led by Benjamin Simplee, also known as G1, a wanted criminal kingpin and leader of the Bakassi Strike Force.

“During the attack, a soldier was killed in action, while 2 soldiers were missing in action. They also burnt a buffalo pickup vehicle.

“The troops also killed 2 of the attackers while the rest escaped with gunshot wounds,” Usman stated.

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He added that a reinforcement group sent to the area had found the missing soldiers.

“In addition, the troops’ location has been reinforced with more gunboats and air component. The clearance and pursuit operation is ongoing,” he added.

The army said the attack would not deter it from the discharge of its duties, assuring that “the perpetrators of this dastardly act would be found and brought to justice.”

“The Nigerian Army wishes to send an unequivocal warning to all the criminal elements in the society that intend to attack any of its locations to have a rethink,” Usman concluded.

Assets Sale Is To Fund 2016 Budget – Udoma

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Assets Sale Is To Fund 2016 Budget – Udoma
Minister of Budget and National Budget, Udoma Udo-Udoma
Minister of Budget and National Budget, Udoma Udo-Udoma

The Federal Government has said that the proceeds from the proposed sale of some of the country’s national assets would be used to fund the expenditure of government as contained in the 2016 budget.

Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo-Udoma stated this in a statement issued by his Media aide, Akpandem James, explaining that the government had lost almost half of its expected revenue this year.

According to the statement, government had mapped out key projects that would support its economic diversification agenda, but the decline in the country’s revenue had made it difficult for these projects to be executed.

Udo-Udoma explained that the unfortunate reality was  the reason the Economic Management Team urgently worked out a fiscal stimulus plan to generate large funds to be injected into the economy.

He said the funds would be injected through proceeds of asset sales, advance payment for license rounds, concession of infrastructure, and use of recovered funds among others, to reduce the funding gap.

He clarified that the primary objective of government’s fiscal stimulus plan is not to sell off all major critical national assets, but to source immediate funds to reflate the economy to the path of recovery.

FRSC Insists On October Deadline For Speed Limit Devices

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FRSC Insists On October Deadline For Speed Limit Devices

frsc-insists-on-october-deadline-for-speed-limit-devices

The Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, has insisted that there is no going back on the October 1 deadline for the enforcement of the speed limiting device in commercial vehicles.

Wobin Gora, sector commander of the Bayelsa State command, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Saturday in Yenagoa, that the FRSC was committed to the enforcement of the directive, urging commercial drivers in Bayels State and across Nigeria to install the device before the deadline day.

“The campaign for installation of the speed limiting device has been going on for quite some time.

“Let me emphatically warn commercial drivers in the state that there is no going back on the Oct. 1 deadline.

“My advice to them is to install the device in their vehicles as anybody who failed to do so is doing that at his own risk,’’ he warned.

Gora said the FRSC was optimistic that installing the speed limit device would not only reduce crashes that occur as a result of over speeding, but would also reduce fuel consumption in vehicles.

“When speed is reduced, it saves cost of fuel consumption; it saves cost of repairing vehicle and reduce fatality to the barest minimum,’’ he said.

It would be recalled that the Bayelsa Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, had urged the FRSC to extend the deadline for the enforcement exercise citing the current economy situation in the country.

The NURTW spokesperson had explained that transportation business no longer flourish as it used to, adding that extending the deadline would enable commercial drivers to save money in order to purchase the device.

Militants Break Ceasefire, Bomb Bonny Pipeline

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Militants Break Ceasefire, Bomb Bonny Pipeline

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The Niger Delta Avengers announced  it has bombed the Bonny crude export line in Rivers State.

A statement on the group’s website said its “strike team” has “brought down oil production activities at the Bonny 48 inches crude oil export line.”

The statement noted that the attack was a “wake up call” for the government, which according to the militant group, has been intimidating youths in the region since the ceasefire began.

The Militants, however, said that they were “still in favour of dialogue and negotiations”.

This is first pipeline attack in the oil-rich region since the so-called Niger Delta Avengers declared a ceasefire in order to negotiate with the federal government.

Attacks such as this have adversely affected Nigeria’s crude oil production and exportation, leading to huge loss of revenue.

The Niger Delta Avengers have claimed responsibility for most of the attacks on the oil facilities.

The militants also accused the federal government of violating the ceasefire agreement by sending Nigerian troops to the region on the disguise of a special military training codenamed ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’.

They claimed that the military exercise in the creeks of Ijaw communities was pre-determined genocide in Niger Delta.

 

Former Governor Of Adamawa, Others Remanded In Prison

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Former Governor Of Adamawa, Others Remanded In Prison
Former Adamawa State Governor, Bala Ngilari
Former Adamawa State Governor, Bala Ngilari

The former governor of Adamawa State, Bala Ngillari, former secretary to the Adamawa State government, Ibrahim Welye and former commissioner for finance, Sanda Lamurde have been remanded in prison custody following the failure of their bail applications.

Justice Nathan Musa of the Yola High Court who presided over the case said the accused persons could not convince the court why the bail application should be granted.

The former governor and the two others, both former members of his cabinet, are facing an eight-count charge bothering on corruption and abuse of office.

The charges include purchase of 25 units of operational vehicles without obtaining certificate of no objection from the Adamawa State Bureau of Public Procurement and lack of due process in the award of a contract worth N165.8 million to one El-Yadi Motors Limited.

 

Borno Govt Says Bama Will Be Ready In Two Weeks

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Borno Govt Says Bama Will Be Ready In Two Weeks

Governor Kashim Shettima temporarily relocated his office to Bama to personally supervise reconstruction works in the area

Governor Kashim Shettima had temporarily relocated his office to Bama to personally supervise reconstruction works in the area

The Borno State Environmental Protection Agency, BOSEPA, has declared that Bama, one of the towns ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency, would be ready for re-occupation in two weeks.

Sole Administrator of the Agency, Nassir Surundi told newsmen on Saturday that massive clean-up and fumigation exercise was ongoing in the town which at the peak of the insurgency was referred to as Boko Haram’s “killing field”.

It was reported that the insurgents killed thousands of people in Bama, throwing their bodies into the Yedzaram River while both human and animal carcasses littered the streets.

The town was however reclaimed by the Nigerian military sometime in 2015.

Surundi said the exercise was directed by governor Kashim Shettima, who had relocated to Bama to personally supervise the ongoing reconstruction works.

He said 17 streets have so far been cleared of giant weeds while fumigation and other sanitation exercises were being carried out against snakes and other reptiles.

“We hope to clear 17 additional streets by tomorrow (Sunday) and I promise all of you that within the next two weeks Bama will wear a new look different from the bush and the debris you see around.

“Without us clearing the roads, workers wouldn’t have access to reconstruction sites while the town will continue to look like a war zone, we are committed to Governor Kashim Shettima’s mission of changing Bama from what the insurgents turned it into,” Surundi said.

He noted that the Agency has been well funded by the state government and equipped with specialized trucks and chemicals to fasttrack its work.

He also added similar clean-up exercises had been carried out in order parts of the state, including Dikwa, Magumeri, Konduga and some parts of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council.

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