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Princess Toyin Kolade Asks Court To Clear Her Name In $32million Fraud Case

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Top businesswoman and Iyalaje Oodua, Princess Toyin Kolade has began moves to clear her name and that of her company in an alleged $32million fraud case.

The amiable society lady who has consistently declared her innocence since the story broke has instructed her lawyers to file application seeking to quash criminal charges which is being heard by Justice Peter Lifu of Federal High Court, Lagos.

Her lawyer, Mr Dele Adesina SAN had filed a motion before the court asking the court to quash the charge preferred, against the Princess Kolade who is the 7th and her company, Fisolak Global Resources, the 10th Defendants/Applicants. In the alternative, he seeks the court to strike out the names of the 7th and 10th defendants in the charge for the following reasons:

According to the learned silk, the Charge and the proof of evidence failed to disclose any prima facie case and/or link or connect the 7th and 10th Defendants/Applicants to the commission of the alleged offences charged.

The Police Investigation Report Issued by the Commissioner of Police, Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department, Annex, Lagos which formed the basis of the Criminal Prosecution did not implicate the 7th and 10th Defendants/Applicants in any way or form.

The Police Investigation Report sufficiently cleared the 7th and 10th Defendants/Applicants from the commission of the alleged offences.

The 7th Defendant/Applicant is a clean, clear and responsible personality in the Society and it will be unfair and unjust to drag her name and that of her Company (the 10th Defendant/Applicant) doing a lawful business into a criminal trial for offences they know nothing about.

The essence of this objection is to terminate the proceedings without this Honourable Court dissipating unnecessary energies to consider this unworthy and fruitless matter as it relates to the 7th and 10th Defendants/Applicants.

The justice of this case demands that the names of the 7th and 10th Defendants/Applicants be struck out from the charge.

The 7th and 10th Defendants/Applicants shall rely on the charge together with all other processes, Statements, Reports and documents filed by the prosecution in this case for the hearing of this application.

In a 24 paragraph affidavit deposed to by Abdul-Malik Abdul-Mutalib, a lawyer in Adesina’s law firm, the defendants have been doing clearing Business at the NPA for many years without any blemish or stain whatsoever. “The Defendants/Applicants are Natural and Corporate Citizens doing honest, lawful and responsible clearing business with sustained credibility in Nigeria.

In this particular case, the defendants averred that they were never privy or parties to the loan application, negotiation and agreement as they were not the parties that applied for the facility granted by either the Access Bank or the FCMB, neither were they beneficiaries at any point in time of the said facilities.

He averred further that the defendants were contacted by the eighth defendant, Metal Africa Steel Products to clear their goods it imported. The consignment bears the name of Metal Africa Steel Products Limited (the 8th Defendant) as the Consignee of the goods to be cleared, and by the ordinary course of business, the name of the consignee must be processed in the Pre-Arrival Reassessment Report (PAAR).

“Form C 16 titled “The Combined Certificate of Value and Origin” (CCVO), which is invoice number CF/96954 of 7th April, 2016 confirms the name of the 8th Defendant as the Consignee of the Steel Billets.
The consignment did not bear the Name of Access Bank Plc or any bank at all. The usual trade practice in clearing business at the Port Authority is that if a consignment is in the name of a Bank, no clearing agent or person has the right/power to clear such consignment without express order or authorization of such Bank as the consignee.

Since the documents were not in the name of the bank, there is no way the 7th and 10th Defendants could have known. Indeed there is no way any clearing agent would have known it belonged to a bank.

He therefore urged the court to grant the prayers saying that “the whole essence of the Administration of Criminal Justice System is to prosecute genuine suspects and or offenders and not to persecute the Innocent such as the 7th and 10th Defendants/Applicants. “the purpose of justice would be defeated if the 7th and 10th Defendants/Applicants are compelled to stand trial in this case for offences that the 7th and 10th Defendants/Applicants know nothing about and for which indeed there are no links connecting the 7th and the 10th Defendants/Applicants to the commission of the alleged offences”.

The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) had dragged Princess Kolade, her company, Fisolak Global Resources Limited, and nine others before the court on charges bordering on Conspiracy, Obtaining by false pretence and fraud of $32 million USD.

Other defendants in the charge are; four India Nationals, Prem Garg, Devashish Garg, Bhagwan Simgh Rawat and Mukul Tyagi and two Britons, Marcus Wade and Andrew Fairie, said to be at large.

Also, four companies: Metal Africa Steel Products Limited, Wilben Trade Limited, Fisolak Global Resources Limited and Kannu Aditya India Limited, were also charged before the court on the alleged offences.

 

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Glo Partners Samsung to Offer Customers the Exclusive Galaxy S-25

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Digital solutions company, Globacom, has teamed up with Samsung, world’s leading manufacturer of electronic devices, to bring a new offer to Glo subscribers. This tantalising deal allows Glo customers to pre-order the highly sought-after Samsung Galaxy S-25 smartphone and enjoy unique benefits.

Samsung Electronics unveiled its newest flagship smartphones: the Galaxy S25 series which comes with cutting-edge advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and was designed to elevate user experience and set new standards in the industry on January 22, 2025.

The pre-ordering exercise kicked off on January 22 and closes on February 18, 2025 at Gloworld shops across the country. It gives customers the opportunity to select from the Galaxy S25 lineup, including the S25 Ultra, the top-tier and most sophisticated model, as well as the S25+ and the standard S25. They, however, come with different processors and storage options.

Customers who pre-order the Galaxy S25 or S25+ will receive complimentary gifts, including a Buds FE, a suit cover, and Samsung Care, while those opting for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, will receive a free Buds 3, a standing grip case, and Samsung Care.

Globacom is also delighting customers who purchase any model from the Galaxy S25 series with 18GB bonus data for 6 months under smartphone festival data plans, while they can also secure their pre-order at any Gloworld shop with an advance payment of ₦500,000. Pre-ordered phones will be delivered to customers from February 19 onwards.

“We are thrilled to bring this offer to our subscribers, who will enjoy unparalleled benefits, including innovative packaging. This partnership with Samsung reinforces our commitment to providing value-added services that cater to the evolving needs of our customers”.

The company advises other phone lovers who are yet to pre-order the new device to visit any Gloworld outlet close to them and join the list of the new owners of the Samsung S-25 phone before the expiry date.

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Another Gloworld Retail Office Opens in Maiduguri

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Technology company, Globacom, on Wednesday opened another Gloworld retail outlet in the Borno State capital, Maiduguri.

The new Gloworld shop is the latest in Globacom’s trademark customer interface shops, and is equipped with the latest technology for fast and efficient customer service and complaints resolution.

According to Mr. Augustine Mamuro, Globacom’s Regional Sales Coordinator, North East, the opening of the centre is in line with its “desire to bring its services closer to the people, create more platforms for customers to have access to Globacom’s wide range of products and services and give them more exciting experience on the network.”

He added that Globacom’s approach to customer service “is one that is underpinned by innovation and total inclusiveness. This is why we are consistently seeking innovative channels to make available our array of services to them”.

Mamuro assured the people of Maiduguri that the office is manned by well-trained, polite and customer-friendly staff who will provide first-class services and attend to customers’ enquiries as well as their service and product needs.

He also said the new shop will offer affordable Glo products, devices, smartphones and accessories, adding, that the people are assured of quick and satisfactory resolutions of all issues ranging from SIM replacement and registration to recovery of over-scratched cards, refill, unblocking of phones and laptop configurations for internet, as well as post paid bill payments and purchase of all Glo and other complementary products”.

The Deputy Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Umar Umar Kadafur, who was the Special Guest at the event, eulogised Globacom for deeming it fit to open a new Gloworld in Maiduguri for the benefit of the people.

He lauded the management of the company for its thoughtfulness in bringing its products and services close to the people of the state.

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I Don’t Belong to Wike’s Camp, Dakuku Peterside Declares

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Dakuku Peterside has publicly declared his political leaning in Rivers State, saying he does not belong to the camp of the former governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Instead, Peterside, a former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said he aligns with Wike’s predecessor and estranged former godfather Rotimi Amaechi.

“I am a friend to Rotimi Amaechi,” the former All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship hopeful said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.

“I am not on the side of Nyesom Wike,” Peterside submitted, adding that he is also not politically aligned with Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

He, however, said he was ready to provide advice for the incumbent governor on how to move the state forward.

“When Nyesom Wike was governor, recall that I was doing open letters to him consistently, giving him my advice. I did that for some time. If Governor Fubara seeks my advice, of course, I am willing to give that, like many governors,” he said.

Rivers is one of the politically charged states in Nigeria, a situation which could be attributed to the chunk votes and fat purse of the oil-rich state.

Like a coat of many colours, fragmented political camps make up the diverse and intrigue-filled state dominated by pugilists in the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where the incumbent governor belongs.

Leaders of the camps include Wike, a PDP powerbroker and two-term governor of the state from May 2015 to May 2023. Another political gladiator in the state is Amaechi, a former APC presidential hopeful and ex-transport minister who previously governed the state from May 2007 to May 2015.

There are also those loyal to Fubara and former governor Peter Odili; while former PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus; Magnus Abe; and Tonye Cole; amongst others, have their die-hard followers too. For over a decade, political crises have been Siamese to the State with followers of the various camps always at loggerheads.

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