Skip to main content

NIMASA : EFCC arraigns army general, others for N8.5bn fraud

GENERAL ATEWE.106A former Commander of Guards Brigade and erstwhile Commander of the Joint Military Task Force, OPERATION PULO SHIELD, Major General Emmanuel Atewe was on Friday arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before Justice Saliu Saidu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi on an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy, abuse of office and money laundering.

The officer who is currently serving with the army’s Training and Doctrine Command in Minna, Niger State was charged alongside a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NMASA, Patrick Ziadeke Akpobolokemi; Kime Engozu and Josephine Otuaga.

The accused persons allegedly conspired to divert over N8 billion paid into the account of the Joint Military Task Force by NIMASA during the tenure of Akpobolokemi. The money was converted into foreign exchange and the proceeds shared by the defendants.

Specifically, payments to the tune of N8, 537,586,798.58 were allegedly made to the JTF’s account with a new generation bank by NIMASA.

A substantial part of the money, about N6, 038,350,741 was converted into United States Dollars by Atewe and Akpobolokemi, through various Bureau De Change operators, and handed over to Enzogu and Otuaga who were business partners to Akpobokelemi and thereafter shared by the defendants.

Part of the money was allegedly used in the acquisition of choice properties in Port Harcourt and Abuja, as well as shares in blue chip companies.

One of the charges read: “That you, Mr. Patrick Ziadeke Akpobolokemi, Major General Emmanuel Atewe, Kime Engozu and Josphine Otuaga, sometime in 2014, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this court with intent to defraud conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit; Conversion of the sum of N8,537,586,798.58 (Eight billion, five hundred and thirty seven million, five hundred and eighty six thousand, seven hundred and ninety eight Naira, fifty eight kobo), property of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment)Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.’’

All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo told the court that he was ready for trial with his witnesses and pleaded for accelerated hearing.

Counsel to the first accused, Mathew Bukar, however prayed the court to grant his client (Akpobolokemi) bail, as he had earlier been granted bail by judges in the other cases where he is currently standing trial.

Counsel to the third and fourth accused, U.B.E Innaji also urged the court to exercise its discretion to grant bail in the favour of his clients.

However, the court rejected Mike Ozekhome SAN, counsel to General Atewe’s prayer to grant his client bail based on self recognition.

Justice Saidu after considering the bail applications granted bail to the first accused (Akpobokelemi) on the terms earlier given by courts where he is currently standing trial on corruption charges.

The second, third and fourth accused were also granted bail in the sum of One hundred million naira each, two sureties and one of whom must be a senior civil servant of the rank of Deputy Director. The other must be a relative who must have a property in Victoria Island, Ikoyi, or Lekki areas of Lagos.

The accused are remanded in prison custody pending when they perfect the terms of their bail.

Justice Saidu adjourned the case to June 24, 2016 for commencement of trial.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Houthis Claim Attack on Central Israel in Response to Gaza ‘Massacres’

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has taken a concerning regional turn as the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for an attack on central Israel. The group announced this as part of their escalating response to what they describe as "massacres" in Gaza amid the Israeli military’s operations in the strip. Details of the Attack The Houthis, a Shiite militant group with ties to Iran, declared that they launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israel. While the exact impact of these attacks remains unclear, reports suggest that Israel’s defense systems intercepted several threats over its airspace. This marks a significant escalation as the Houthis widen their involvement in the conflict beyond their typical operations within Yemen and neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Houthis’ Justification In their statement, the Houthis framed the attack as retaliation for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which they characterized as indiscriminate bombings resultin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fire: UniJos Senate convenes emergency meeting on Monday

Fire at the University of Jos Library University of Jos is to convene an emergency senate meeting on Monday to review the level of damage done to the institution by the Saturday night inferno. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sebastian Maimako, disclosed this on Sunday after inspecting areas affected by the incident. The fire, which lasted for more than six hours, destroyed the Library Complex that equally houses the faculties of management and social sciences. The fire also destroyed examination scripts, books and very crucial materials. Consequently, the vice-chancellor said “the Senate will meet tomorrow (Monday) to take a decision about the unmarked examination scripts that were burnt.” On the cause of the inferno, Maimako said investigation had commenced, adding that “nothing has been confirmed yet. We are still investigating.” The vice chancellor said the school was already working with federal authorities toward establishing a main fire station since the mini fire station in t...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDLEA arrests 252 suspects, seizes 3,073 kg Indian hemp

NDLEA operatives The NDLEA in Niger on Monday said that it had arrested 252 suspects and seized 3,073.9 kilogramme of Indian hemp(cannabis sativa) in the state. The NDLEA Commander in the state, Mr Joseph Iweajunwa, who disclosed this in Minna, said that the operations were carried out between January and September. “Our operations in Niger State from January to September 2016 led to the arrest of 252 suspects and seizure of 3,073.997 kilogramme of cannabis sativa,’’ he said. Iweajunwa said that within the period, the agency also seized 1, 530 litres of liquid drugs, especially cough syrup with codeine. He said the NDLEA also counselled and rehabilitated 90 drug addicts in the state within the period under review. The agency, he added, secured convictions of only nine of the suspects because the judge at the Federal High Court, Minna, went on leave. “ Now that the judge has resumed more suspects will be tried,’’ he said. He advised motorists, especially commercial vehicle dri...
Post a Comment
Read more