Hope of an easy passage to freedom for the trio of Thomas Iseghohi, Muhammed  Buba, and Mike Okoli, Group Managing Director (GMD) of Transnational Corporation (TRANSCORP) Plc, Company Secretary and Deputy General Manager (DGM) respectively was on Monday June 22, 2009 ruffled when the court granted them bail on stringent conditions.

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Chairman of the Taraba State Civil Service Commission, Dr. Yuguda Manu Kaigama was on Thursday, June 18, 2009 arraigned before a state high court 5 sitting in Jalingo by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for alleged conspiracy, obtaining by false pretences and forgery.

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A 65 -year old Architect and retired federal Permanent Secretary, Dr.Albert Ikomi and his company, Satellite Town Development Company Limited were this morning arraigned before a Lagos High Court  by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC  for offences bordering on obtaining goods and  money by false pretences .

The accused  person who holds the national honour of Member of the Federal Republic, MFR was said to have collected  several millions of Naira from contractors as upfront in order to be given contract to build models satellite houses across the country. But since he collected the money, nothing was heard about the project again.

In the 4-count charge preferred against him by EFCC, he was alleged to have obtained the sum of N22 million from one Mr. Darcy Nomba in 2006 by false pretence. He was also alleged to have fraudulently received goods valued at N23million from the complainant.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges and was ordered remanded in Ikoyi Prison by Justice Oke- Lawal. The case has been adjourned to 15 June for further hearing.

Femi Babafemi
Head,Media & Publicity
10/6/2009

 

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A Federal High Court sitting in Gombe, Gombe state,  on Tuesday June 2, 2009 found guilty and convicted one Sale Mohammed on a six count charge of conspiracy and counterfeiting of Nigerian currency. The convict is to spend 30 years in jail.Three  suspects  – Sale Mohammed, Abdulrahman Dawaki and Mohammed Chubado were arraigned before Justice Saleh Musa Shuaibu at the Gombe Federal High Court by the North East Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

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A woman, Aishatu Abdullai has been sentenced to10 years imprisonment without the option of fine by a Lagos High Court over a fraudulent house scam. The presiding Judge, Justice Joseph Oyewole found the accused guilty in a 4-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretences preferred against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. In addition, she was ordered to pay the sum of N10million as restitution to the victim, Alhaji Abdullai Musa Bashiru
 Aishatu, alias Fatima Abdulai Aboki, together with others still at large conspired to steal the original title document of a house at Park View Estate, Ikoyi belonging to one Major- General Aboki (rtd) and sold the property to the victim.

The victim, a businessman needed a landed property in Ikoyi, and got to know that the General’s house in Park View was on offer for sale. He gave power of attorney to his lawyer, to negotiate with the General’s ‘agents’; unknown to him that he had fallen prey to fraudsters.

The lawyer met and negotiated with Aisha and other members of her syndicate. According to the report, Aisha claimed to be the younger sister of the General who was said to be bedridden in Saudi Arabia hospital and had to sell the property to off- set his medical bills.

To convince the victim, she gave her name as Aishatu Aboki. With this false identity, coupled with the presentation of the original title document to the property, the Lawyer was convinced that he was making a genuine transaction on behalf of his client. They negotiated and he agreed to pay N75million. Promptly, a draft of N70million was raised and N5million cash were given to Aisha for the property. But soon after, the lawyer became suspicious and stopped the payment of the draft.

However, Aisha and her gang still managed to convince the lawyer to part with another N5million, making the total amount collected from him as N10million. At the point of taking possession of the property, the fraudsters started a hide and seek game with the lawyer who did not find their antics funny. Along the line, the real owner of the House, General Aboki who all the while was hale and hearty, enjoying his retirement in his country home in Kaduna got wind of the fraud and rushed back to Lagos.

 He told the lawyer who paid money to the fraudsters that he didn’t know Aisha from Adam and that he was never ill and the house was not for sale. He claimed that the documents to the property were stolen from his lawyer sometime ago. At this point, it dawned on the lawyer and his client that they had been dealing with fraudsters. Consequently they petitioned EFCC and Aisha was arrested. She confessed that for the role she played in the scam, she was rewarded with the sum of N1.1m by the syndicate.

Femi Babafemi
Head, Media & Publicity
3/6/2009

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has restated its commitment to the dictates of the rule of law in the discharge of its statutory responsibilities.  The assurance is coming against the backdrop of some media reports quoting the EFCC Chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri as saying that the rule of law frustrates the Commission’s operations.  “For the avoidance of doubt, the rule of law is the bedrock of any democratic governance. This has been the basis for the operations and activities of the EFCC under the leadership of Mrs. Waziri since she took over the chairmansWE ARE COMMITTED TO RULE OF LAW –EFCC.

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Students from across the country have called for an enduring partnership between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the various educational institutions in Nigeria as a practical way of strenghtening the nation’s anti-graft war.This position was canvassed at the weekend by some student representatives from the University of Ibadan and Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja when they paid courtesy visits to the EFCC. Their interest in the anti-graft war was first declared by students from the University of Ibadan under the umbrella of the National Association of Political Science Students.

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For now, there is no respite for the three directors of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, - Molkat Manasseh Mutfwang, Michael Mtonga Aule, Dr. Andrew Ekpanobi, and a contractor, Alexander John Cozma, his company, Intermarkets USA LLC, who are facing 26 count charge for misappropriation of funds and criminal breach of trust. The accused persons were first arraigned on Monday 18th May by the EFCC at a Federal High Court, Abuja before the case was adjourned to today, Thursday 21st May, 2009.

 

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