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Alleged N4.7bn fraud: Oyo Director testifies against Ladoja

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Court summons Oyo official in Ladojas trial

A Director in the Oyo State Civil Service, Mr. Yinka Fatoki, on Tuesday testified for the prosecution in the ongoing trial of N4.7bn money laundering charge against a former governor of Oyo State, Rasheed Ladoja.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting Ladoja and a former Commissioner for Finance, Waheed Akanbi.

Ladoja and Akanbi had, on December 14, 2016, pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge bordering on money laundering before Justice Mohammed Idris of a Federal High Court, Lagos, and were granted bails.

The EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Oluwafemi Olabisi, was present in court; while Mr. Bolaji Onilenla and Mr. Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika represented Ladoja and Akanbi respectively.

At the resumed trial on Tuesday, the prosecution witness, Fatoki, told the court he was the Executive Secretary of the Bureau of Investment and Public Private Partnership in Oyo State.

Olabisi: Where were you in 2007?

Witness: As at 2007, I was an acting Director of Investment Promotion in the Ministry of Commerce, Oyo State; and as at that time, the desk officer in charge of state government investment holdings of public quoted securities.

Olabisi: Do you know Fountain Securities Ltd ?

Witness: Fountain Securities Ltd was the appointed portfolio manager for the sale of the Oyo State Government shares in 2007.

We gave a mandate for them to sell the shares, there was no pricing on the mandate, but that they should sell in line with best practices and within a time frame.

When Fountain Securities reported that the shares were sold at a discounted rate, Oyo State Government enlisted GTI Capital Ltd to investigate.

A petition was written by the state executive council to EFCC upon receipt of the investigation report, I was also named in the petition.

During cross-examination, counsel to the first defendant, Mr. Bolaji Onilenla, asked the witness if he was aware of any meeting with the stock brokers to finalise the sale of the shares.

The witness told the court that he had no such knowledge of any meeting.

Onilenla: Are you aware that the state government had an investigation into the sale of the shares?

Witness: The report GTI Capital Ltd sent to the state government after their investigation confirmed that the sales of the shares were done in line with market rules and practices.

In his cross-examination, Olumide-Fusika asked: Did you receive any payment from Fountain Securities?

Witness: I received payment from Fountain Securities Ltd, but it was not payment for the sale of the shares but for the dividends collected on them.

Fatoki further told the court that he gave the money to the commissioner who further disbursed it.

Olumide-Fusika: How was the payment made?

Witness: Payment was made in tranches and not in lump sum.

At the close of cross-examination, Olabisi told the court that the prosecutions’ next witness resides in Ibadan, and that he would need a few days to produce him.

He urged the court to vacate Wednesday’s earlier set-down date and grant the prosecution a further date to produce other witnesses.

Justice Mohammed Idris adjourned the case until April 12 and 13 for continuation of trial.

The defendants are alleged to have conspired, siphoned and laundered N4.7bn from the coffers of Oyo State.

EFCC is also accusing the defendants of converting N1.9bn belonging to the state to personal use, using the account of a company — Heritage Apartments Ltd — to commit the crime.

It claimed that they retained the money sometime in 2007 in spite of their knowledge that it was proceeds from a criminal activity.

Ladoja was accused of removing 600,000 pounds sterling from the state coffers in 2007, which he allegedly sent to Bimpe Ladoja, his daughter, who was in London at the time.

In addition, the ex-governor was also accused of converting N42m belonging to the state to his personal use and subsequently used same to purchase an armoured Land Cruiser jeep.

Ladoja also allegedly converted N728m and another N77m at different times in 2007 to his personal use and transferred the money to Bistrum Investments to purchase a property in Ibadan on his behalf.

The offences contravened sections 14, 16, 17 (a) and 18 (1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004. (NAN)

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Alleged KGB Infiltration: Police in Dilemma as Senator Natasha Abandons Petition, Snubs Summons

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The Nigeria Police Force appears to be in a quandary over its investigation into the alleged infiltration of the National Assembly by Russia’s KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti), the former Soviet security agency.

Checks revealed that the police had invited the Senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi, for interrogation following a petition filed by his colleague, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central.

In the petition dated March 5, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently serving a six-month suspension from the Senate, urged the police to investigate Karimi’s claim that the KGB had infiltrated the National Assembly, posing a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

She specifically alleged that Senator Karimi had circulated a report titled “KGB Agent Group Warns Senate: A Call for Vigilance Amidst Threats to Democracy” on the official WhatsApp group of the 10th Senate on February 23, 2025.

Describing the claim as a matter of national security, Akpoti-Uduaghan insisted that the alarm raised by Karimi should not be taken lightly. “No nation can afford to ignore the presence of such a group within its legislative body,” she emphasized in her petition.

Karimi Appears Before Police, Natasha Recoils

Further investigations revealed that Senator Karimi honored the police invitation on Monday, appearing at the Force Headquarters in Abuja to clarify his position.

Sources within the police described his session as “positive and insightful,” revealing that he admitted to sharing the report in question. However, the police were reportedly taken aback when Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan distanced herself from the petition and ignored requests to appear for questioning.

“We reached out to her after our session with Senator Karimi, expecting her to provide further clarification, but she has continuously ignored our invitation,” a senior police source disclosed.

“What is disturbing is how she suddenly abandoned such a serious petition against her colleague. First, she claimed to be outside the country, but a viral video has since surfaced showing her in her constituency. It is difficult to reconcile her claims with the information available to us,” the source added.

The police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, further hinted at possible political undertones behind the petition.

“We do not want to meddle in the ongoing power play within the Senate. However, it would be scandalous if she attempted to use the police as a tool in her political battles.”

When asked about the possible next steps, the source stated that his superiors would determine the fate of the petition, which he described as “frivolous.”

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Twelve Inmates Escape in Kotonkarfe Jailbreak

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Twelve inmates have escaped from the Federal Correctional Centre in Kotonkarfe, Kogi State, following an early morning jailbreak on Monday.

Confirming the incident, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, described it as “unfortunate” and assured the public that the government, in collaboration with security agencies, was taking measures to prevent a recurrence.

According to Fanwo, law enforcement officers have already re-arrested one of the escapees.

“The theory that the inmates escaped through the tower without causing any structural damage raises serious concerns. This calls for a thorough investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the escape, arrest the fleeing inmates, and identify possible saboteurs within the system,” he stated.

The commissioner further disclosed that Governor Usman Ododo has directed security agencies to ensure that such breaches do not happen again.

“We call on the public to report any suspicious individuals in their communities. Anyone found harbouring an escaped inmate will be held accountable,” Fanwo warned.

Reassuring residents, he added: “There is no cause for panic. We encourage citizens to go about their daily activities as normal, knowing that the security of lives and property remains our top priority.”

Authorities have yet to disclose further details about the escapees or ongoing efforts to apprehend them.

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Trump Ends Legal Status for Over 500,000 Immigrants, Orders Mass Expulsions

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The United States has announced the termination of legal status for over 500,000 immigrants, ordering them to leave the country within weeks, as President Donald Trump pushes forward with what he calls the largest deportation campaign in American history.

The sweeping directive, issued on Friday, affects approximately 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who arrived under a programme launched by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, in October 2022 and later expanded in January 2023.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the affected immigrants will lose their legal protections 30 days after the order is published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. This means they must leave the United States by 24 April, unless they secure another immigration status permitting them to stay.

Welcome.US, an organisation that supports asylum seekers, has urged those impacted to “immediately” seek legal counsel regarding their options.

A Reversal of Biden’s Immigration Policy

The Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) programme, introduced in January 2023, allowed up to 30,000 migrants per month from these nations to enter the United States for two years. The initiative was designed to offer a “safe and humane” alternative to the dangerous crossings at the US-Mexico border, which had seen a surge in arrivals.

However, the DHS reiterated on Friday that the programme was never meant to provide permanent residency.

“Parole is inherently temporary, and parole alone is not an underlying basis for obtaining any immigration status, nor does it constitute an admission to the United States,” the agency stated.

Mass Deportations Under Trump

Trump, who has made immigration control a cornerstone of his presidency, has vowed to crack down on migrants—particularly those from Latin America.

Last week, he invoked rare wartime legislation to deport more than 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador, a country that has controversially offered to imprison both migrants and U.S. citizens at a discounted rate.

The latest order signals Trump’s intent to follow through on his hardline immigration policies, raising concerns among human rights advocates about the humanitarian impact of such mass deportations.

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