2wks After He Was Acquitted By High Court, Appeal Court Slams 7yr Jail Term On Delta Senator, NWAOBOSHI For Money Laundering

Just less than two weeks after he was discharged and acquitted by a lower court for a same case, the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal today convicted and sentenced the Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Peter Nwaoboshi, to seven years imprisonment. The court also ordered that the senator’s two companies, Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd, be wound up in line with the provisions of Section 22 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2021.

Seinye Lulu-Briggs Floors EFCC, Immigration As Court Orders Agencies To Pay N15m For Seizing Her Passport

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to pay N15 million to Dr. Mrs Seinye Lulu-Briggs. Justice Ayokunle Faji made the order while ruling on a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Mrs Lulu-Briggs, the Chief Executive of Moni Pulo Limited and wife of the late oil magnate, Olu Benson Lulu-Briggs.

Ex-FIRS Boss, Fowler In EFCC Custody Over Alleged Fraud

The immediate-past chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Babatunde Fowler has been taken into custody by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged fraud.

Developing Story: EFCC Raids Ambode, Chief of Staff's Homes In Lagos

Anti-graft operatives this morning entered the residence of former Lagos Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, raiding the building as part of an ongoing corruption investigation.

EFCC's spokesperson, Tony Orilade confirmed that Mr Ambode is under a corruption probe, a few months after he left office.

The residence of Mr Ambode in his hometown of Epe was being searched as of 9:35 a.m. when Mr Orilade confirmed the development.

The residence of the former governor’s chief of staff in the same Epe neighbourhood was also being searched.

Billions of naira were allegedly misappropriated in the four years of Mr Ambode in office, and detectives have been busy trying to untangle all webs around the alledged corruption.

About two weeks ago, multiple bank accounts holding billions and linked to Mr Ambode were frozen as part of the probe.

Ambode denied links to both the accounts and any allegations of corruption while in office. 

-Source: Premium Times.

EFCC Seals Rochas Foundation College, Supermarket, Daughter’s School

Operatives of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission have sealed Rochas Foundation College, Owerri, Imo State.

The anti-graft agency also sealed East High Primary and Secondary school, Owerri which belongs to Rochas Okorocha’s first daughter,Uloma Nwosu.

Also sealed is All-In Supermarket, Owerri, said to belong to a member of Okorocha’s family.

Okorocha who was governor of Imo State between 2011 and 2019 is currently representing Imo West senatorial district in the Nigerian senate.

The sealed assets simply read “under investigation by EFCC.keep off.”

But the management of East High Primary and Secondary School in a statement on Wednesday said that its school was only under investigation and not sealed by the EFCC.

The statement which was signed by Jones Onwuasoanya said that while the EFCC had the constitutional power to investigate the school, the funds used in establishing the schools were legitimate.

-Punch. 

How First Nation Airline Boss, Kayode Odukoya Used Fake Document To Get N1.7b Loan From Skye Bank

A prosecution witness, Mr Patrick Ogo, on Friday told an Ikeja Special Offences Court that Kayode Odukoya, Managing Director, FirstNation Airways, secured a N1.7 billion loan from Skye Bank with a forged document.

Ogo, a Legal Officer with Polaris Bank, formerly Skye Bank, testified at the beginning of the trial of Odukoya over alleged N1.7 billion theft.

He was led in evidence by Mr Anselm Ozioko, lead counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), prosecuting the case.

The legal officer, who is the first prosecution witness, said that Odukoya, the alter ego of Bellview Airlines and FirstNation Airline (the second and third defendants) had, from 2007 to 2012, obtained various loan facilities from the bank.

He said: “As at December 2016, he obtained facilities accumulating to about N3.4 billion and 2.4 million dollars.

“At the point of the first application for these facilities, the defendant undertook to avail the bank of some collateral.

“The collateral include properties at 29 and 30 Oduduwa Way, Ikeja, and 35 Ladipo Bateye St, Ikeja, which the first defendant alleged belonged to him.

“On the basis that the property belonged to him, the bank disbursed the loan facilities to the defendants.

“When the bank commenced mortgage of these properties with particular reference to the property at No. 29, Oduduwa Way, Ikeja, with registration No. 33 on page 33 volume 1011 at the Lagos State Land Registry, Alausa, it was discovered to be false.

“Relying on same, the bank wrote to the Land Registry to confirm the registered number as furnished by the defendant and the bank received a response that the referred number does not exist in the record to the referred property.”

The prosecution witness said that the bank, upon receiving feedback from the Land Registry, contacted Odukoya who provided a memorandum of loss, a sworn affidavit, police extract and a March 8, 2013 publication of National Mirror newspaper.

Ogo informed the court that page 50 of the newspaper publication declared that the title document of the property was missing, stating that whoever found the document would be rewarded handsomely.

He said that further investigations by Polaris (Skye) bank revealed that the registration number of the property was fake and that Odukoya had used the same property as collateral for another loan from another bank.

“The bank’s internal investigation in respect of that property showed that the registration number of that property was Page 5, Vol. 5 of 1011, which the first defendant had used as collateral.

“The bank thereafter instructed its external solicitor to petition the EFCC as regards the act of the defendant.

“The instructed solicitor also wrote to the defendant referring to the converted sums of the bank which were earlier stated as N3.4 billion and 2.4 million dollars.

“The defendant responded that the referred amount was not involved but rather it was N1.7 billion.

“Subsequently another petition was written by our lawyer to the EFCC to carry out investigation on the fraudulent act of the defendant of obtaining the bank’s money by false representation of facts.

“Investigations were carried out which consequently made me to make statements to the EFCC in respect of the suit,” Ogo said.

The witness said that the loans were granted to Odukoya because his application inferred some urgency for the funds to run the operations of FirstNation Airways and Bellview Airlines.

EFCC Nabs Galaxy Transport CEO, Dalori Over Failed N7b Ponzi Scheme

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested the Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Transportation and Construction Services Limited, Mr Babagana Dalori.

Dalori was arrested for defrauding no fewer than 27, 400 Nigerians to the tune of about N7 billion through fake promises of mouth-watering returns on their investment in his companies.

The commission’s Acting Publicity secretary, Mr Tony Orilade, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to the statement, Dalori, who is currently undergoing interrogation in the Commission, had incorporated the firm in 2012 with one tricycle (Keke NAPEP), which through pool investments by members of the public later boasted of 50 tricycles.

“The entrepreneur later diversified into other business ventures while promising mouth-watering returns to investors.

“The commission’s investigators discovered that Dalori initially paid 200 per cent interest on investors’ deposits in the firm and later reduced the interest to 135 per cent before the scheme crashed in 2018.

“To get as many unsuspecting victims into his ponzi net, Dalori engaged in massive advertisements on radio and television, including a production of a movie by A-list Nollywood actors.

“Unfortunately, his gimmicks paid off as different people took their hard-earned savings, inheritance, pensions and other source of income and invested in Galaxy.

“Now, the scheme has crashed and investors can no longer get their money.

“At the moment, he has used the investors money to incorporate different entities without getting their consent.

“He now has Galaxy Global Energy Concept Ltd, Galaxy Miners Concept Ltd, Galaxy Global Farms, Galaxy Computers, Galaxy Block Making Factory, Galaxy Hospital and Galaxy Hotel.”

According to Orilade, all bank accounts belonging to Galaxy have been frozen in order to prevent further dissipation of investors’ funds, pending the conclusion of investigation.

How EFCC Seized 29 Cars From Astrax Autos Boss Over Suspected Fraud In Lagos

Twenty-nine cars were today seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Lagos during a raid on the office of a car dealer, Astrax Auto Shop.

According to a statement from EFCC’s acting spokesman, Tony Oriade, the raid followed intelligence report received by the Commission on the activities of the operators of the auto shop, who were seen as a syndicate of organized Internet fraudsters.

The statement says, “Investigation revealed that the syndicate, which specializes in Business Emails Compromise, BEC, in the United States of America, USA, usually moves proceeds of its alleged illicit business to a nominated bank account owned by their mules in the U.S.

“The syndicate members allegedly launder the proceeds through money order, which they use to purchase cars in American auctions and ship same to Nigeria for sale.

“The EFCC had earlier arrested one of the syndicate members, Olusegun Micheal Adeyemi.

“In his statement to the EFCC, Adeyemi confirmed one Tayo Onilogbo Yusuf as the Managing Director of Astrax Autos and Automobile.

“The cars recovered from the syndicate include four Toyota Corolla; seven Toyota Camry; two Toyota Highlander; two Toyota Venza; two Range Rover; one  Ford SUV; three Mercedes Benz;  one  Toyota 4runner; one Toyota Sienna;  four  Honda Accord;  one Toyota Sequoia and one Kia car.”

“The syndicate members allegedly launder the proceeds through money order, which they use to purchase cars in American auctions and ship same to Nigeria for sale.

“The EFCC had earlier arrested one of the syndicate members, Olusegun Micheal Adeyemi.

“In his statement to the EFCC, Adeyemi confirmed one Tayo Onilogbo Yusuf as the Managing Director of Astrax Autos and Automobile.

“The cars recovered from the syndicate include four Toyota Corolla; seven Toyota Camry; two Toyota Highlander; two Toyota Venza; two Range Rover; one  Ford SUV; three Mercedes Benz;  one  Toyota 4runner; one Toyota Sienna;  four  Honda Accord;  one Toyota Sequoia and one Kia car.”