Tag: EFCC

Court orders arrest and detention of EFCC boss, Bawa for contempt

Wura Kelani, Crime Reporter

A Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja, has ordered the immediate arrest and detention of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, for disobeying a court order. Justice Rukayat Ayoola of the Kogi State High Court, gave the judgement on Monday while delivering judgement on the application for committal to prison of the EFCC chairman for disobeying a court ruling delivered on November 30, 2022, wherein the EFCC chairman was directed to produce the applicant in the case, Ali Bello. Monday, The court also…

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Okorocha arraigned, remanded in EFCC custody

Jide Ige

Owelle Rochas Okorocha, a former governor of Imo State, was on Monday arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and he pleaded not guilty to the N2.9 billion corruption charges brought against him by the Federal Government. Okorocha was slammed with 17-counts, as he was accused of diverting N2.9 billion from Imo State government House Accounts and that of Imo State Local Government Joint accounts to private companies. The alleged offence was said to have been perpetrated by Okorocha and one Anyim…

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Idris, AGF in EFCC net over N80bn fraud

Wura Kelani, Crime Reporter

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested the serving Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, in connection with the diversion of funds and money laundering activities to the tune of N80bn. The Spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said this in a statement on Monday titled, ‘EFCC arrests Ahmed Idris, Accountant General of the Federation, for N80bn Fraud’. According to the commission, Idris was arrested after failing to honour an invitation. The anti-graft agency added that the accountant-general allegedly laundered funds through bogus consultancies. The statement read in…

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$2.5bn Fraud: UK blocking Diezani’s arrest -Magu

Jide Ige

Ibrahim Magu, acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Monday, revealed that ex-Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison Madueke, is in protective custody in the UK hence efforts to arrest the fugitive ex-minister has always met a brick wall. Magu, therefore, begged the United Kingdom to extradite Mrs. Alison-Madueke, to Nigeria to account for an allegedly missing $2.5bn. Magu, who addressed journalists preparatory to the passing out parade of the EFCC trainees at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, alleged that the former minister stole Nigeria’s money. The EFCC boss…

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Access Bank denies Wigwe’s EFCC arrest tales

Jide Ige

Access Bank Plc has denied reports that its group managing director, Mr. Herbert Wigwe has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of fraud. Some online news sites had reported that the Access Bank boss was arrested for his connection with the assets of former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, alleged money laundering for former petroleum minister, Deziani Allison-Madueke, as well as alleged inflation of contracts linked to former Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode. In a notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on…

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‘We are not bothered about Fayose’s video’ -EFCC

Wura Kelani, Crime Reporter

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has reacted to a video of Ayodele Fayose, dancing on a cruise ship while on a “medical trip” abroad. The special assistant on media and publicity to Mr Magu, Tony Amokeodo, on Thursday in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said the commission is only prosecuting the former governor, not persecuting him. He added that since Fayose’s trial is still on, the EFCC can only wait till he returns on the next adjourned date for the continuation…

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Adoke to remain in EFCC custody for 14 days, court rules

Jide Ige

A Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has granted permission to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to detain the immediate-past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, for 14 days. Justice Othman Musa granted the request contained in an ex parte application filed and moved by the EFCC’s lawyer, Fatima Mustapha, on Friday. Mustapha said the plan to hold the ex-AGF was to enable the commission to complete its investigations of allegations involving the suspect. Adoke who has since 2016 been charged with $1.1bn Malabu Oil…

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$1m Scam: Prison boss, Doctor arrested by EFCC over fake medical report

Jide Ige

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested the Deputy Controller of Kirikiri maximum correctional centre, Emmanuel Oluwaniyi and Hemeson Edwin, also a DC, for allegedly procuring an exaggerated medical report for a suspected cyber scammer, Olusegun Aroke. Aroke, who is serving a 24-year jail term was allegedly given a referral for treatment outside the facility during which he pulled a $1 million scam. The convict is one of two Malaysia-based Nigerian undergraduate fraudsters arrested by the EFCC in 2012 at the 1004 Housing Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos following a…

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Court orders EFCC to bring Diezani home for trial

Jide Ige

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has given the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission a deadline of March 2020 to have a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke extradited to Nigeria. The commission had in November 2018 filed 13 counts of money laundering against the ex-minister accusing her of unlawfully taking into her possession the sums of $39.7m and N3.32bn with which she allegedly bought choice properties in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt in Rivers State, while she was in office. When the matter…

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N2.2bn Fraud: We counted Fayose’s money for 10 days -Witness

Jide Ige

A former head of Zenith Bank branch in Akure, Ondo State, Sunday Alade, told the Federal High Court in Lagos that it took 10 days to count the N1.2bn delivered to the bank in June 2014 by Abiodun Agbele, an ally of former Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State. Alade was in court to testify against Fayose, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for an alleged fraud of N2.2bn. Alade, who was fielding questions from the EFCC lawyer, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), narrated to Justice…

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Wema Bank, Dana Air in EFCC trouble over alleged money laundering scam

Jasmin Ekua, Banking & Finance

Wema Bank Plc and Dana Air, owners of Sri Sai Vandana Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) are enmeshed in a money-laundering scam and may be prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC over Dana Air’s inflight donation collected between 2014 and 2018. Speaking on the allegations, EFCC’s acting spokesman, Tony Orilade said “The EFCC will take it up. We will investigate and prosecute the crime element once prima facie is established,” Dana started Nigeria’s Sri Sai Vandana Foundation in 1995 and commenced the inflight donation in partnership with…

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Yes, we are investigating Ex-Gov., Ambode, EFCC confirms

Jide Ige

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Tuesday, has confirmed that the anti-graft agency is investigating former Lagos State governor Akinwunmi Ambode but denied raiding his Epe home. EFCC’s visit to Ambode’s country home in Epe is coming weeks after the agency secured a court order placing an embargo on three bank accounts totalling N9.3bn allegedly linked to the former governor In a statement issued by the EFCC spokesman, Tony Orilade, the anti-graft agency said since Ambode no longer enjoys immunity, it was investigating him and the visit to his…

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EFCC seizes Ambode’s N9.9bn

Jide Ige

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says it has frozen three bank accounts containing a total of N9.9bn linked to the immediate past Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode. The EFCC, in a press statement by its spokesman, Tony Orilade, titled, ‘EFCC Secures Freezing Order on Accounts Linked to Ex-Gov. Ambode over Alleged N9.9bn Fraud’, said Justice Chuka Obiozor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Tuesday ordered the freezing of the sum of N9.9bn belonging to the Lagos State Government. The funds are domiciled variously in…

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BREAKING: NJC dismisses Innoson Motors chairman’s petition against Lagos judge

Jide Ige

The National Judicial Council has dismissed a petition written by the Chairman of Innoson Motors, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, against Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had charged Chukwuma and his company with alleged forgery and stealing before the judge. But the businessman has repeatedly failed to appear before the judge for his arraignment. At the prompting of the EFCC, the judge issued a bench warrant against Chukwuma and later declared him wanted. But accusing the judge of…

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