2025 | Page 220 of 263 | Trendbrio.com

Alleged N1.9bn Fraud: Court Fixes May 15 for Trial of Works Ministry Director, Surveyor

Fola Badmus6 months ago6 months ago04 mins

Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Apo, Abuja on Thursday, April 3, 2025 fixed May 15, 2025 for the trial of former Deputy Director, Highways, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Augustine Ojo Olowoniyan, alongside a surveyor, Sulaiman Abdulkadir Muhammed of the Department of Highways and Planning. They duo is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a three-count charge, bordering on diversion and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N1,936,961,649.00 (One billion, Nine Hundred and Thirty-six Million, Nine Hundred and Sixty-one Thousand, Six Hundred and Forty-nine Naira ). The fund was earmarked for the acquisition of titles for federal roads nationwide between March 4, 2019, and July 17, 2020, which the defendants allegedly converted to their personal use. At Thursday’s proceedings, counsel to the first and second defendant, J.K. Kolawole and A.S.U. Garba, respectively reminded the court of pending applications of their clients and requested that the court admitted them to bail on liberal terms pending the determination of the case. In his objection, prosecution counsel, M.K Hussein drew the attention of the court to a counter-affidavit signed by Njoku Ekelechi, an investigator with the EFCC, accompanied with a written address, dated April 2, 2025 and urged the court to discontenance the bail application or impose bail terms and conditions that will ensure that the defendants appear in court for their trial. Justice Onwuegbuzie admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N800, 000,000 (Eight Hundred Million Naira) with two sureties in like sum, who must be civil servants that are resident in Abuja. The sureties must write an undertaking to produce the defendants in court as and when due. In addition, the defendants must submit their passports to the court which will be verified by the prosecution. The first defendant, Olowoniyan, who is standing another trial in the same court for an alleged N420million fraud was also admitted to another bail by the court in the sum of N400,000,000 (Four Hundred Million) with a surety in like sum, who must be a civil servant, resident in Abuja. The surety, the court held must write an undertaking to produce the defendant in court as and when due. In addition, the defendant must submit his passport with the court registrar. Both matters were adjourned till May 15, 2025 for trial.

Court Jails Man One Month for Non-declaration of $40,000 at Airport in Lagos

Fola Badmus6 months ago6 months ago05 mins

Justice A.O.Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, April 4, 2025, convicted and sentenced one Igboezue Emeka to one month imprisonment for money laundering. The convict was arrested on February 12, 2025 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, for false currency declaration to the tune of $40,000( Forty Thousand United States of America Dollars). The NCS had, on the same day, handed him over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos for further investigations and prosecution. Consequently, he was arraigned on Friday on one-count charge bordering on money laundering. The charge reads: “That you, IGBOEZUE EMEKA, on or about the 12th day of February, 2025, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, within the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, failed to make a declaration of the sum of $40,000.00 USD (Forty Thousand United States Dollars) to the Nigerian Customs Service and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provisions of Section 3(3) of the Money Laundering Act, No. 14 of 2022 and punishable under Section 3 (5) of the same Act.” He pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him. Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, called on Michael Olayemi, an operative of the EFCC, to review the facts of the case. Olayemi told the court about the events that led to the investigation of the defendant, saying “ At 1.20p.m. on February 12, 2025, we got an intelligence report from the Nigerian Customs Service that it intercepted the defendant with the monetary exhibit of the sum of $40,000. “Upon this, I detailed one of my team leads whom I supervise, Lanre Michael, to go and pick the individual and the exhibit from the Nigeria Customs at Murtala Mohammed Airport”, he said. Continuing, he said: “At about 4pm, he reported with the defendant, the monetary exhibit and the defendant’s international passport. The defendant was in possession of two phones with which he called his lawyer and relatives. “In the presence of his relatives, he volunteered his statement under words of caution, where he admitted that he was travelling via Qatar Air to Seoul, the capital of South Korea. “He also stated that he was accosted by Customs Officers, where he was asked if he had any currency on him to declare, to which he said “No “. In his further evidence, Olaremi told the court that “The statement warranted me to invite the personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogar Sadin John. “John, in his statement, said that when he accosted Igboezue, he claimed that he had no money. He, however, said he was skeptical. “Upon searching him, he found the money hidden in one of his shoes in his hand luggage.” He added that the monetary exhibit was registered with the exhibit keeper , while the suspect was served with an administrative bail. Omewa, thereafter, sought to tender the defendant’s statement and the monetary exhibit recovered from him. The Judge admitted the documents and marked them as exhibits. Justice Owoeye thereafter found Igboezue guilty and sentenced him to one month imprisonment, with effect from the date of his arrest on February 12, 2025.

Court Orders Final Forfeiture of Abuja, Kano Properties

Fola Badmus6 months ago6 months ago05 mins

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Thursday, April 3, 2025 secured a final forfeiture of two properties to the federal government before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The properties are located in FCT, Abuja and Kano state. Both properties which are linked to Aminu Sidi Garunbabba, a senior staff of the Federal Inland Revenue Services, FIRS are a four bedroom terrace masonite with boys quarter, situated in Barumark Groove Estate, Plot 667 Cadastral Zone BO3, Wuye District, Abuja and the other at N0 5 Lodge Road, Kano State. The order was given following a motion ex-parte for their final forfeiture, dated March 16, 2022 and filed by the Commission, through its counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, pursuant to Section 44(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Section 17 of Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act, No 14, 2006. The court had on February 16, 2022, granted an interim forfeiture order of the properties and directed the publication of the order in a national newspaper to make for any interested party to show cause as to why the properties should not be finally forfeited to the federal government. Moving the motion for the final forfeiture order at Thursday’s sitting, the prosecution counsel informed the court that the property was reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities. However, the defence counsel in a preliminary objection, raised concerns that a public officer cannot be investigated and prosecuted when an ongoing administrative disciplinary action is yet to be concluded. Justice Egwatu after listening to the submissions of the counsel dismissed the objection and granted the request of the prosecution for a final forfeiture. The judge held that the matter was a non-conviction based forfeiture which is different from a criminal charge that targets an individual and the simultaneous actions do not amount to abuse of court process. “This case targets properties suspected to be proceeds of crime, the two cases are different. A criminal case requires proving beyond reasonable doubt while in this case, only a suspicion suffices. Both actions can go on simultaneously and one cannot abate the other. The parties are different, the target in both cases are different, one is proved beyond reasonable doubt and the other is reasonable suspicion. The issues are also different, a person cannot be allowed to benefit from illegitimate acts. The respondent failed to show any reasonable cause that the funds used in purchasing the property is from his legitimate earnings, so the request for final forfeiture is granted” The journey to the final forfeiture started with EFCC’s intelligence that unraveled the corrupt activities of staffers of FIRS who conspired among themselves and defrauded the Service of millions of naira under the guise of Duty Tour Allowances for non-existence trips.

Niger Delta Sports Festival in Steady Motion Despite Minor Hiccup

Fola Badmus6 months ago6 months ago02 mins

By China Acheru Despite a brief misunderstanding in the Akwa Ibom State camp at the ongoing Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF), investigations revealed that the issue stemmed from misinformation and has since been resolved. Athletes, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the situation was quickly addressed, allowing the festival to proceed without further disruption. The incident occurred just after the spectacular opening ceremony on Tuesday, April 1, as competitions across various sports kicked off in full force at venues throughout the region. Sources indicate that a minor dispute arose on Day 2 between the Akwa Ibom State contingent and their state sports authority. The confusion reportedly revolved around local camping allowances, which had been misdirected. Fortunately, the state sports officials acted swiftly to clarify the matter and restore harmony within the team. With the hiccup now behind them, the festival is running smoothly, delivering thrilling sporting action across all venues. Spectators are enjoying an exciting showcase of talent, reinforcing the NDSF’s reputation as a celebration of sportsmanship and regional unity.

Manchester Derby Headlines Weekend’s Premier League Clashes on GOtv

Fola Badmus6 months ago6 months ago03 mins

All eyes will be on the Manchester Derby this weekend, as the Premier League hits the home stretch. Manchester United host their city rivals, Man City, on Sunday after United’s struggles continued midweek with a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, leaving them in 13th place. City, currently sixth, are locked in a tight race for Champions League qualification and will be desperate for three points. Kick-off at Old Trafford is 4:30 PM live on GOtv Channel 65. Action begins on Saturday, with Arsenal travelling to take on Everton. The game kicks off at 12:30 PM. The Gunners remain 12 points behind leaders Liverpool and must win every game in the run-in to have any hope of catching them. Later that evening, Aston Villa, pushing for a top-four finish, host third-placed Nottingham Forest at 5:30 PM in what promises to be a high-stakes battle. Also, on Sunday, Liverpool will be guests of Fulham. Kick-off is at 2:00 PM. Liverpool will be looking to extend their winning streak to five games and move another step closer to the title. Brentford with take on Chelsea at 2:00 PM in an encounter that could prove crucial in the race for Champions League places. The round of matches ends on Monday, when Leicester City take on sixth-placed Newcastle United at 8:00 PM. With a game in hand, Newcastle could move into the top four if results go their way, while Leicester desperately need points to avoid relegation. Catch all the Premier League action live on GOtv Channel 65. Subscribe or reconnect via the MyGOtv app to ensure you don’t miss a moment.

Rivers Hoopers Seek Better Performance at Basketball Africa League Season Five

Fola Badmus6 months ago6 months ago05 mins

Rivers Hoopers Head Coach, Ogoh Odaudu, has stated that his team has what it takes to do better than last year’s outing, at the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Season 5..Rivers Hoopers will be involved in the first game at BAL season five, when they take on Stade Malien in the Kalahari Conference opener in Rabat, Morocco on Saturday, 5th April. The reigning Nigerian champions, who have been in closed camping for two weeks, arrived Rabat on Wednesday, ahead of Saturday’s opening game. Speaking on the team’s preparations so far, the BAL season four Coach of The Year, said “Training has gone well so far, we’ve been working very hard for the past two weeks and we’ve made tremendous progress.” Rivers Hoopers became the first Nigerian side to score a podium finish at BAL when they placed third last year, and while the team aims to do better this season, Coach Ogoh Odaudu insisted that the team’s immediate focus is to qualify for the playoffs which takes place in South Africa later this year. “Every tournament is just like an examination, you want to do better than the previous year. We came third last year, but we do not want to jump far ahead of ourselves. Our goal right now is to qualify from Morocco to the finals in South Africa, and then afterwards we can dream of something else. But right now we’re not thinking so far ahead, we want to be one of the two teams to qualify for South Africa at the end [of the Kalahari Conference].” he said. He however acknowledged the level of difficulty posed by the other teams at BAL by saying “It’s really difficult, right from qualifying from Nigeria. Now everybody knows our name in Africa now, the Rivers Hoopers, so it’s going to be twice as difficult as it was last season. Nobody’s going to underrate Nigeria anymore. They know what we can do. We drew a huge target on our back [last season] and people will be aiming for us now. But we’re just going to play our basketball and hopefully at the end of the day, qualify [for the playoffs].” As part of BAL requirements, Rivers Hoopers secured the signatures of Point Guard, Maxi Shamba (Congo DR), Forwards Madut Akec (South Sudan) and Raphiael Putney (USA), while retaining the services of Kelvin Amayo and Peter Olisemeka who helped the Kings Men win the Nigeria Premier Basketball League title last year, and BAL elevate youngster David Ugonna, who was also part of the Rivers Hoopers team at BAL season four. Despite the absence of sharpshooting Will Perry, the tireless Devine Eke, and the experienced John Wilkins who were among the team’s top performers last year, Coach Ogoh Odaudu thinks his current crop of players are equal to the task. He said “It’s a quite different team; we have a new point guard (Maxi Shamba), we have Rahpiael Putney who’s almost 7-foot tall and can shoot the lights out every court. We also have Madut Akec who I think is an upgrade of what we had last year. So I think the team is good to go. I am not one to single out players, I’m a team player, and the whole team is equally important for what we hope to achieve.”

Akpabio To Natasha, Abbo: Apologize And Compensate Me Or Face Legal Action

Akpabio To Natasha, Abbo: Apologise And Compensate Me Or Face Legal Action

Fola Badmus6 months ago6 months ago05 mins

The Senator President Godswill Akpabio has condemned the unfounded, false, and inflammatory claims made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, for being involved in a plot to assassinate her. During a public statement in Kogi State on April 1, 2025, the suspended Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan recklessly and maliciously alleged that Senator Akpabio had “recruited” former Governor Yahaya Bello to “assassinate her in Kogi State instead of Abuja.” These allegations are not only completely false but are also a dangerous and irresponsible attempt to stir public unrest, attract media attention, and discredit the Senate President for personal motives. “It is important to note that this same individual had previously made an unsubstantiated accusation of sexual harassment against Senator Akpabio, a claim which she later abandoned without explanation. After this narrative failed to gain traction, she has escalated her campaign of misinformation to a more sinister level with these false assassination claims. “This pattern of deliberate falsehoods and manipulative tactics highlights her apparent willingness to exploit public sensitivities through recurring victimhood stories. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has previously made similar assassination accusations against former Governor Yahaya Bello and others in 2019 and 2023, alongside multiple unfounded sexual harassment allegations. This consistent campaign to tarnish reputations through baseless allegations must not be allowed to succeed. “Additionally, just 24 hours after these accusations, former Senator Elisha Abbo appeared on Arise Television to revive a previously retracted claim, accusing Senator Akpabio of “manipulating the judiciary” to secure his removal from the Senate. Nigerians will recall that Mr. Abbo publicly apologized in 2023 after retracting these claims, acknowledging they were based on incorrect assumptions. His removal was the result of a constitutionally sound judicial decision by the Court of Appeal, which ruled he was not properly elected to represent Adamawa North,” the statement read. Senator Abbo also falsely claimed he was denied his entitlements by the Senate President. This allegation is categorically untrue, as salaries and allowances are processed through strict administrative and legal procedures, and the Senate President does not have the power to unilaterally approve or deny such requests. “The timing and similarity of these coordinated attacks point to a politically motivated smear campaign. These individuals, likely supported by undisclosed interests, appear determined to undermine the credibility of the Senate and its leadership to distract from their own political shortcomings and failures. “Senator Godswill Akpabio remains undeterred. As a committed statesman devoted to national unity, institutional integrity, and the rule of law, he will not be distracted by malicious falsehoods or inflammatory rhetoric. “Legal action, including formal letters of demand seeking immediate public retractions, apologies, and compensation for reputational damage, will soon be served to both Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Mr. Elisha Abbo. “We urge the Nigerian public and the international community to reject these baseless and provocative narratives. Under Senator Akpabio’s leadership, the Senate remains focused on its constitutional duties: promoting legislative excellence, safeguarding democratic values, and driving meaningful progress for Nigeria.”

GOtv Boxing Night 33: Shogbesan, Gbobaniyi Set for Explosive Showdown

Fola Badmus6 months ago6 months ago02 mins

The stage is set for another thrilling night of boxing as GOtv Boxing Night 33 takes centre stage on April 26 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium. The night’s headline bout will see Sikiru “Omo Iya Eleja” Shogbesan square off against Segun Gbobaniyi in a highly anticipated lightweight clash. GOtv Boxing Night 33 takes place on April 26 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium. Shogbesan, with 20 wins in 24 professional fights, is regarded as a top dog in his division, while his opponent brings a strong record of eight wins from 10 fights, making this contest a battle between experience and resilience. With both fighters known for their knockout power, fans can expect an action-packed encounter. The fight card also features exciting match-ups, including William “Kaki” Amosu against Emmanuel “Ability Famous” Abimbola in a light welterweight contest, while national super featherweight champion Lateef “Latest” Azeez faces Sodiq Oyakojo. Other bouts include Tosin “Soldier Boy” Osaigbovo against Ghana’s Emmanuel Otoo and Durotimi Agboola taking on Sodiq Adeleke in the super bantamweight division. Organizers, Flykite Productions, have promised an unforgettable night of boxing, with elite fighters looking to stake their claim for national and continental titles.