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Siege to Saraki, Ekweremadu’s Homes: The Full Story+ EFCC Connection

Published

6 years ago

July 24, 2018

Eric

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has invited Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, for questioning.

A July 24 letter to Mr Ekweremadu said he was under investigation for alleged conspiracy, abuse of office and money laundering.

Mr Ekweremadu had been under investigation by the EFCC for allegedly owning questionable properties abroad.

He was also arraigned for allegedly forging Senate standing rules to pave way for the emergence of Bukola Saraki as Senate President in June 2015.

The charges on alleged forgery were later dropped by the federal government.

The letter to Mr Ekweremadu, which was shared by Mr Saraki’s aides moments ago, came hours after EFCC operatives joined State Security Service officers to lay a siege to the home of the Deputy Senate President.

The siege was said to still be ongoing as at 11:30 a.m. at the Apo Legislative Quarters residence of the top lawmaker.

“This commission is investigating the above mentioned case in which your name feature prominently and the need to obtain certain clarification from you become imperative,” said the letter which was signed by the EFCC’s director of operations.

It added that the request is brought pursuant to Section 38 (1) of the EFCC Act.

Mr Saraki said on the floor of the Senate Tuesday that security agencies were being used by President Muhammadu Buhari to bully All Progressives Congress lawmakers who planned to abandon the ruling party in a mass defection today.

Mr Saraki was also briefly prevented from going out of his home by security agents, but reports said the siege was short lived after officers realised the top lawmaker had outsmarted them and escaped.

Mr Saraki later turned up at the Senate and convened plenary after 10 a.m. Within a few minutes after the Senate convened, about 15 senators were announced to have decamped from the APC, effectively making the party a minority at the upper chamber.

Mr Saraki himself did not announce his cross carpeting, although he is widely expected to make the move any day now, especially since the APC has become the minority party.

The police on Monday night summoned Mr Saraki to appear at 8:00 a.m. for questioning by homicide detectives over the killings that occurred during the April 5 robbery attack in Offa, Kwara State.

Mr Saraki appeared to have ignored the police invitation when he realised that Mr Ekweremadu, who should have presided over plenary in his absence, was being prevented from going out of his home.

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Airforce Confirms Nigeria’s Readiness to Acquire 24 Fighter Jets from Italy’s Leonardo

Published

6 hours ago

April 20, 2024

Eric

By Reuters

Nigeria plans to acquire 24 fighter jets from Italy’s Leonardo (LDOF.MI), opens new tab to modernize its fleet and bolster its air force, air force spokesperson Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet said on Friday.

The aircraft will arrive the country in four batches of six jets each, the air force said. Africa’s most populous nation will receive the first six M-346 fighter aircraft before the end of the year, Gabkwet said in a statement.

The news followed a visit by Claudio Sabatino, Leonardo vice president, to Nigeria’s air force chief in Abuja on Wednesday.

Leonardo will provide a minimum of 25 years maintenance support, the air force statement said.

Nigeria is trying to boost its ability to combat insurgency especially in the northeast of the country where Boko Haram militants and the Islamic State regional affiliate is active. Also kidnapping and banditry is rife across the country.

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Stay Away from CBT Centres, JAMB Warns Parents, Threatens Arrest

Published

2 days ago

April 18, 2024

Eric

As this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) begins on Friday, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has vowed to arrest parents found near any Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre during the 2024 UTME exercise.

The directive was issued at the final briefing of the CBT centre owners, which was held virtually on Wednesday, 17th April, 2024.

The spokesman for JAMB, Fabian Benjamin, said this directive became necessary following the intrusive disposition of some parents during the Board’s previous exercises.

Benjamin, who quoted JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said any parent, who disobeys the order would not only be arrested but his ward would also be disqualified from sitting for the examination.

Oloyede explained that this measure became necessary as it has been discovered over time that many of these intruding parents are facilitators of examination infractions while others have, by their actions, disrupted the Board’s examinations in the past.

He added that some miscreants also disguise as parents to infiltrate the centres to perpetrate all forms of infractions.

“The Board’s helmsman noted that going by the extant national policy on education, a candidate for the examination must have attained the age of 17 years.

“Therefore, it is evident that these parents had not allowed their wards to pass through the classes as defined in the document, hence the desperation to follow their wards to the examination venue with the aim of compromising examination officials.

“At any rate, it is clear to any discerning observer that these parents deserve to be sanctioned as they had obviously ‘smuggled’ underage children into the ranks of those scheduled to sit the examination,” the Board note through a statement.

Furthermore, the Registrar said all arrangements have been concluded for the conduct of the 2024 UTME, which will be held in over 700 CBT centres across the nation.

He disclosed that the Board expects a seamless exercise but it has nevertheless made adequate provision to tackle any technical glitch that might occur in the course of the examination.

He, however, warned that if a session experienced any technical challenge, candidates in subsequent sessions would be allowed to sit their examination as scheduled while the candidates in the challenged session would be rescheduled for the last session for the day or the following day or even further depending on the centre schedules.

Featured

Oyo Govt Demolishes Operational Base of Yoruba Nation Agitators

Published

2 days ago

April 18, 2024

Eric

The Oyo State government, on Wednesday, demolished a building serving as the operational base of the Yoruba Nation agitators led by Modupe Onitiri-Abiola, in Ibadan.

Onitiri-Abiola, one of the widows of late Bashorun M.KO Abiola, had declared the creation of the so-called Yoruba Nation in a video posted online, which has been widely condemned.

Last Saturday, some armed men in military uniforms invaded the Oyo State Secretariat, with the motive to forcefully take over the State House of Assembly, before they were dislodged by the combined efforts of police and troops for the Nigeria Army 2 Division..

Mr. Fatai Owoseni, Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Seyi Makinde, confirmed the demolition of the house located at Toye Oyesola Street in Ibadan South West Local Government Area.

Already, no fewer than 29 suspects – including a lecturer – arrested in connection with the foiled armed invasion were on Wednesday arraigned by the police before a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan.

In a case with charge number Mi/520c/2024 between the Commissioner of Police and the 29 suspects, they were accused of a seven-count charge of treasonable felony, unlawful society, illegal possession of firearms, and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.

Inspector Bakare Rasaq, the Investigative Police Officer (IPO) at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan, said the offence contravenes, and is punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.