Petition Against Dr Kayode Fayemi by The Ekiti State House of Assembly; a Reminder.
We are here to remind the EFCC about our Petition submitted to their office since October 27th 2016 against the former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi who is now a Minister of Solid minerals of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
This petition been the 3rd in the series, (One by the Executive arm Of Govt and 2 from the EKHA) has received no Attention since and left in the cooler By EFCC.
This Petition borders on Various allegations of financial mismanagement in the state during the tenure of Dr Fayemi and most especially the Fraudulent missapropriation of the SUBEB counterpart fund which has led to the blacklisting of Ekiti State since 2013 with serious collateral damages on the primary education sector, the pupils, The teachers, parents and local contractors.
Dr Kayode Fayemi through the wrong handling of this fund breeded poverty in Ekiti State with its attendant consequences on part1, Section 2, of the UBEC act 2004, which guarantee a RIGHT to compulsory free primary Education for all pupils in Ekiti state.
This RIGHT has been abridged, pruned, curtailed and truncated by the actions of Dr Fayemi and the inaction of EFCC to give succour and justice to these less privilege pupils and children of Ekiti state
The APC led federal govt should stop playing to the gallery or been an ostrich on corruption matters that has to do with their officials in Govt.
Their penchant for double face anti corrruption crusade must stop. The Federal Govt should not give the country an impression that they harbour and tolerate corrupt officials. This is unacceptable.
This selective anticorruption fight has turned Nigeria into a laughing stock in the comittee of Nations since the FG has given to the citizens, an impression that some people are above the law. This is also not acceptable.
It's only the APC led FG that fights allegations of corruption among the opposition with Suphuric Acid while using Cold Water to fight corruption among his own people in govt. This is Deceit and double standards.
The EKHA support an all inclusive anti coruption crusade and we say NO to Favouritism and SELECTIVISM by The FG.
The EFCC as a matter of urgency SHOULD investigate Dr Kayode Fayemi and bring him to book if guilty otherwise we will compel them to be alive to their responsibilities under the Constitution of the FRN and the EFCC act 2004.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Monday, 23 January, 2017 arraigned Akintunde Vincent Abiodun before Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of Lagos State High court Ikeja on amended charge bordering on forgery and obtaining money by false pretence.
The 37-year-old HND holder from Federal Polytechnic Auchi, Edo State, is said to have defrauded the victim, D. Bonnici of $267,000 (Two Hundred and Sixty Seven Thousand New Zealand Dollars by claiming to be Christopher Williams from United Kingdom.
According to the complainant, she met Akintunde in a dating site on the internet and allegedly fell in love with him. She said the accused started collecting money from her after he claimed he was in possession of gemstone worth $18,050,000 (Eighteen Million and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars), which he purportedly inherited from his father.
She further said, Akintunde hoodwinked her into believing that he was coming to New Zealand to settle down with her.
She alleged that the money she sent to the suspect were received in Malaysia and Nigeria by persons bearing Norisha, Jalan Klan, and Mohammed Haizam Bin Fauzin. All of them claimed to be friends of Akintunde.
When the 14 charges were read to the defendant, he pleaded not guilty.
In view of the plea, the prosecuting counsel, Sesan Ola prayed the court to remand the defendant in prison custody and also for a trial date to be given.
Counsel to the defendant, O.P. Daramola however prayed the court to grant the defendant bail.
But the prosecution opposed the bail application on the grounds that the defendant had attempted to travel to the United States while on administrative bail and was similarly denied a Canadian visa
Justice Ipaye consequently dismissed the bail application while ordering the defendant be remanded in Kirikiri prison custody.
The matter was adjourned to 7 and 8 March, 2017 for trial.
The estate was discovered by operatives of the anti-graft agency in the course of their investigation of public funds allegedly stolen by the former minister.
The investigators conducted a search on some of the houses on the estate.
Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu has already left Nigeria for London in connection with the investigation of the ex-minister and some upscale properties traced to her at home and abroad.
About five bank chiefs are likely to face trial over the $153million allegedly withdrawn by the ex-minister from the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation( NNPC) in December 2014.
The Nation gathered that the EFCC team,acting on intelligence, uncovered the sprawling estate which is coded as BGIS/OK/02/16/310.
It is located on Diepreye Alamieyeseigha Street, off Goodluck Jonathan Road in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
A source familiar with the investigation said: “Following our obtaining a court order to recover some assets belonging to Diezani, we were able to gather intelligence which led to the location of the hidden estate in question in Bayelsa State.
“Our operatives also conducted searches in some houses on the estate based on tip off on the ex-minister.
“We will follow due process in invoking the relevant laws on asset forfeiture on all the mansions in the estate.”
Section 7 of the EFCC Act says: “The commission has the power to (a) cause any investigations to be conducted as to whether any person, corporate body or organization has committed any offence under this Act or other law relating to economic and financial crimes.
“(b) Cause investigations to be conducted into the properties of any person if it appears to the commission that the person’s lifestyle and extent of the properties are not justified by his source of income.”
Sections 26 and 29 of the EFCC Act read in part: “Any property subject to forfeiture under this Act may be seized by the commission in the following circumstances- (a) the seizure is incidental to an arrest or search; or (b) in the case of property liable to forfeiture upon process issued by the Court following an application made by the Commission in accordance with the prescribed rules
“Whenever property is seized under any of the provisions of this Act, the Commission may-(a) place the property under seal; or (b) remove the property to a place designated by the Commission.
“Properties taken or detained under this section shall be deemed to be in custody of the Commission, subject only to an order of a Court.”
Sections 28 and 34 of the EFCC (Establishment Act) 2004 and Section 13(1) of the Federal High Court Act, 2004 empower the anti-graft agency to invoke Interim Assets Forfeiture Clause.
“Section 28 of the EFCC Act reads: ‘Where a person is arrested for an offence under this Act, the Commission shall immediately trace and attach all the assets and properties of the person acquired as a result of such economic or financial crime and shall thereafter cause to be obtained an interim attachment order from the Court.’
Section 13 of the Federal High Court Act reads in part: “The Court may grant an injunction or appoint a receiver by an interlocutory order in all cases in which it appears to the Court to be just or convenient so to do.
(2) “Any such order may be made either unconditionally or on such terms and conditions as the Court thinks just.”
On the EFCC boss, Magu’s trip to London, Bank, a second source said: “We are getting closer to the biggest fraud trial in the UK. The Acting EFCC chairman has left Abuja for London to compare notes with his colleagues.
“The EFCC is collaborating with prosecutors in the United Kingdom by providing incontrovertible evidence against the ex-minister.
“Some of the UK investigators visited Nigeria in 2016. A few of our crack detectives have been in and out of the UK too.
“Magu’s trip is part of the crystallization and consolidation of evidence against Diezani.”
It was also gathered yesterday that about five bank chiefs might face trial in connection with looted funds traced to ex-Minister Diezani.
“Although we are presently preoccupied with the recovery of looted public funds by the ex-minister, we cannot rule out the prosecution of some people at the end of the day,” a source told The Nation yesterday.
“Some bank chiefs, maybe about five, may face trial but we are not making this a priority now. We want to retrieve every dollar stolen from NNPC accounts.
“Some of these bank chiefs are pleading that we should allow them to refund the funds credited to them without prosecution. But the weight of evidence will determine our position at the end of the day.
“The truth is that many bank chiefs were engaged by the ex-minister to perpetrate fraud.
“So far, all the banks implicated are cooperating with the EFCC. We hope that in two weeks’ time, the $153million would have been forfeited to the Federal Government.
Four banks have been fingered in how Diezani laundered $153,310,000.
The EFCC told a Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday that the huge cash was wired from NNPC accounts to Fidelity Bank before it was given to Sterling Bank, Access Bank Plc, First Bank Plc and Fidelity Bank Plc for safe keeping.
EFCC said the banks “aided and abetted the massive fraud perpetrated by the minister.”
Access Bank is holding $5million out of the total sum.
The breakdown of how the loot was hidden is as follows: Access Bank ($5million); Sterling Bank (N23, 446, 300,000); and First Bank (N9,080,000,000).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Office has arrested the duo of Timothy Adegbaji Ademiju and Taiye Shittu Habibulahi, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Osun State, for offences bordering on internet fraud and obtaining by false pretence.
Ademiju, 36, a staff of a new generation bank, allegedly struck a deal with a student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Ondo State, one David Olaoluwa Adesubokan, also known as Opinion (now at large), to fleece one Giacomo Rossi, an Italian, of huge sum of money while posing as a lady by name, Grace Thomas.
Ademiju allegedly used his position as the officer in charge of Western Money Transfer to process the fraudulent transactions coming from the Italian to ‘Thomas’.
The arrest followed a petition from the victim alleging that he was contacted on a dating site by one ‘Thomas’ posing to be an American Nursing student from OAU, and was in dire need of financial assistance in form of a loan to complete her studies. The loan which ‘Thomas’ promised to pay back was a decoy to trick Rossi into the fraudulent game.
According to the petitioner, he had offered monetary assistance, paid in tranches, to the tune of €2,400 (Two Thousand Four Hundred Euros) which is equivalent of N1,221,600.00 (One Million, Two Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, Six Hundred Naira) before it dawned on him that it was a scam.
The suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation into the matter is concluded.
