Weekly ISSN: 1596-4280 is Published by THE BEAM
Productions Limited, #64/66 Nsukka Street, Mile 1 Diobu, Port
Harcourt, Abuja-Ground Floor, Coscharis Plaza Opp Union Bank, Area 3,
Garki Abuja All Correspondence to the
Editor, Festus Ugworah
The
Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom have faulted a claim
by a former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Diepreye
Alamieyeseigha that they gave him $3,000 to escape from London.
The Met police, in the EFCC‘s counter-affidavit in opposition
to Alamieyeseigha‘s application for bail, tendered before
Justice Mohammed Shuaibu of the Federal High Court, in Lagos
on Tuesday, said they did not give him any money. The
ex-governor had in his counter-affidavit of July 12 that was
deposed to by Mr. Vincent Obianyi from the law firm of Okoye &
Okoye & Co, claimed that the “Metropolitan Police gave the
applicant (Alamieyeseigha) $ 3,000 at the airport at Cote
d‘Ivoire before they left, to help him get home. “That it was
the British police, aided by Nigerian operatives, that forced
the applicant to come back to Nigeria, so as to avert crises
in the Niger Delta oil region. As such, the applicant did not
jump bail having not returned on his own volition but due to
his expulsion by the British police,” he added. But the
British police, in an e-mail of July 24 that was faxed to the
EFCC by Bob Ingram, in response to Alamieyeseigha‘s claim,
said, ‘’The accusation in the affidavit is completely untrue.
No police officers were armed. He was not driven to
Nigeria..., this is a fabrication. He was not taken to an
airstrip and forcibly removed from the country.”
Meanwhile,
Justice Mohammed Shuaibu of the Federal High Court in Lagos on
Tuesday fixed July 31 for his ruling on the bail application
of a former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Diepreye
Alamieyeseigha. The development followed the conclusion of
arguments by the lawyer to Alamieyeseigha, Prof. Alfred Kasumu
(SAN), the firms linked with the ex-governor, Messrs Mike
Ozekhome and Mike Okoye, and that of the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi
Jacobs. In his argument for his client‘s application for bail,
Kasumu had urged the court to admit Alamieyeseigha to bail on
the grounds that the parties had agreed that the accused was
sick and needed specialised treatment . He also argued that
the his client‘s present ailment was cardiac in nature and
that the medical treatment being sought could only be obtained
outside the country. Opposing the application, Jacobs said the
accused did not place sufficient material facts before the
court to warrant his being granted bail.
South-south Elements
Progressive Union (SSEPU), has lauded the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), saying it has proven that no one is truly
above the law in Nigeria. The group also welcomed EFCC’s move to
screen aspirants to political offices in 2007, adding that election of
credible and honest leaders was the only way to move the country
forward. In a letter to EFCC Chairman, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, SSEPU said it
was impressed by the commission’s performance, which was “devoid of
fear or favour, even in the face of glaring intimidation and
harassment. We urge you to continue in this direction and give you our
unflinching support to rid Nigerian of corrupt political and business
leaders.” In the letter signed by its national Chairman, Joe
Ambakederimo, the group expressed dismay that “it has become a norm
for every meaningful government policy that to be given political
colouration. “Nigerians should stop being petty and do the things that
should be done to support EFCC in its task of ridding the country of
corruption rather than vilify EFCC,” it said. SSEPU said EFCC has the
task of ensuring that questionable individuals are not allowed to
contest the 2007 polls.” It also advised EFCC to engage informants to
supply it with information on corruption, and beam its searchlight on
multinational oil companies, “to stem corrupt practices in the
sector.”
The personal
assistant to Governor Ayo Fayose of EkitiState,
Goke Olatunji was recently docked at a Federal High Court, Lagos,
docked along with the Managing Director of Biological Concepts Nigeria
Limited, Mr. Gbenga James over the state’s Integrated Poultry Project
in which N1.25 billion was allegedly misappropriated. The Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought them to court at the main
complex at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos under heavy protective
cover of armed mobile policemen. They are facing a 15-count charge of
money laundering and corrupt enrichment as preferred against them by
the EFCC. Olatunji was arrested on Monday, July 24, 2006 at the
Murtala Mohammed International Airport on his way to London in company
of his boss, Fayose, and his deputy, Mrs. Biodun Olujinmi including
the state Commissioner of Works, Mr. Kayode Oso. James was arrested
much earlier on July 20, 2006 over the contract which his company
handled. When the duo were brought before Justice Tijani Abubakar
yesterday, the charge could not be read to them. They could not also
take their pleas as their lawyers complained of the suddenness of
EFCC’s attempt to arraign them recently. Mr. Adekunle Oyesola, counsel
to James told the court that he was served the charge some 10 minutes
before the commencement of the proceeding. For this reason he asked
the court to defer the reading of the charge to his client in
accordance to Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution which prescribes
that an accused person should know the charge against him before he
can take his plea.
Corroborating
Oyesola, counsel to, Olatunji, also asked the court to defer the
arraignment claiming that his client as at that time has not seen the
copy of the charge. He also pleaded with the court to remand the
accused persons with the EFCC instead of taking them to prison
custody. But counsel to EFCC, Mr. Wahab Shittu, objected to the
suspects being kept with the EFCC, emphasising that his client’s
detention facilities were overcrowded. He suggested that they be
remanded in prison custody. The court was almost inclining to Shittu’s
suggestion but for the vehement opposition by the defence counsel
which forced Shittu to concede to their request. However, the
prosecution counsel told the court that he had effected service to all
the accused persons, making it possible for them to be prepared at the
next adjourned date. Shittu told the court that the defence has told
him that they were likely to raise preliminary objection to the
charge.
The EFCC counsel said that he would not opposed the objection, but
suggested that it could be raised at any point of the proceeding. With
this submission, Shittu urged the court to allow the suspects to take
their plea. Justice Abubakar overruled him and adjourned to Tuesday
August 1, 2006 for the parties to return for the mention of the
matter.
The recent crackdown
by the operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
on online fraudsters popularly called Yahoo Boys, who daily throng
cybercafes to send scam e-mails to unsuspecting foreigners and
Nigerians alike is generally believed to be a good move aimed at
redeeming the image of the country among the comity of nations. In the
last few days, the EFCC have spread its dragnets to several cybercafes
in major cities across the country arresting several youths who have
resorted to duping foreigners using Internet facilities. Last month,
President Olusegun Obasanjo signed the Advance Fee Fraud Act,
empowering EFFC to deal with online fraudsters.Online fraud has become
the pastime of many idle Nigerian youths who spend several hours on
the Internet in search of the next victims who would fall for their
enticing stories. It was not surprising that the EFCC followed up
immediately by visiting cybercafes in Lagos. Notorious hideouts of
online criminals such as FestacTown
and Orile in Lagos have not been spared. Several cyber crime suspects
aged between 18 and 25 years were caught in the act of sending scam
mails to Europe,
America, among others. Arrested along with them, were the owners of
the cybercafes and landlords of the buildings in which they were
located. A total of 74 computer systems were also confiscated during
the raids and would be tendered as evidence in court.
Just recently, a new
generation bank handed over to operatives of EFCC two secondary school
leavers whose bank accounts were found to contain N18.7 million. The
youths, who confessed to be unemployed, said they got the monies
through the Internet. This is just a reflection of the kind of youths
the society would breed if moral decadence continues to hold sway, one
analyst said. There have been various attempts by stakeholders in the
industry, including EFCC, Cyber crime Working Group (NCWG), a
coalition of banks, switching companies and courier operators, to
ensure speedy passage of the cyber crime bill that will provide a
legal framework on which to prosecute online fraudsters. Mr. Basil
Udotai, coordinator, NCWG, had said that the drawback being
experienced in the prosecution of offenders was due to the absence of
appropriate legal instrument. He said this has led to the failure of
NCWG, EFCC and the federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) to
successfully see that online fraudsters are brought to book. Mallam Nuhu
Ribadu, chairman, EFCC, at a recent one-day meeting in Abuja with
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and cybercafe’ operators said the
agency would launch an onslaught against the fraudsters. While noting
that the proliferation of cybercafes in the recent past has led to an
upsurge in Internet related fraud like dating, employment, scholarship
and lottery, Ribadu said “these activities must now be closely
monitored: He said efforts should be made to discourage all-night
browsing among youths.
