Law enforcement officials across Europe arrested 60 people last year in a crackdown that retrieved over 11,000 trafficked artworks and artefacts including ancient books, sculptures and coins, Interpol said Thursday.

As part of an annual operation codenamed Pandora VII, forces led by Spain’s Guardia Civil police swooped on the art criminals from September 13 to 24 last year in a slew of European nations, the international police cooperation body said.

The items recovered included 77 ancient books in Italy stolen from a monastery, thousands of historic coins in Poland, and 48 religious sculptures and other artefacts in Portugal, believed to have been nabbed in a string of church robberies in the 1990s and early 2000s.

In all, police from 15 countries took part: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden.

France-based Interpol oversaw coordination between the different forces, along with the EU law enforcement cooperation agency Europol.

“Some 130 investigations are still ongoing, as a result of which more seizures and arrests are anticipated as investigators around the globe go after those spoiling and destroying cultural heritage,” Interpol said it a statement.

Pandora operations to recover stolen art and artefacts have been carried out every year since 2016.

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Mr Clement Oladele, the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun, who confirmed the incident, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta on Saturday that the somersault was preceded by excessive speed, tyre burst, and the driver’s subsequent loss of control.

Oladele stated that the bus, with registration number FST 578 XM, somersaulted many times, leading to the death of three persons, while 11 others sustained various degrees of injury.

“Three male adults, eight female adults were injured, while one male adult and two female adults were killed in the accident,” he said.

The FRSC official said that the injured victims had been taken to Idera Hospital in Sagamu, while the bodies of the three people who lost their lives had been deposited at the morgue in Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu .

Oladele urged motorists to drive with standard tyres.

He also advised them to use their day time running lights due to poor visibility common in the early morning and late evening hours.

The post Three die, 11 injured in Lagos auto crash first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

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EFCC had transferred Fayose from their Abuja office to Lagos, in order for him to be arraigned before the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Monday.

The EFCC charged the former Governor on an 11-count charge bordering on money laundering.

EFCC named Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Alex Otti, as well as the Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank amongst others as key witnesses.

Some of the charges against Fayose read in part, That you Mr. Ayodele Fayose and Mr. Abiodun Agbele (now facing another charge) on or about 17th June, 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, took possession of the sum of N1, 219, 000, 000.00 (One Billion, Two Hundred and Nineteen Million Naira) to fund your 2014 gubernatorial campaign in Ekiti State, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) and (4) of the same Act.

That you Mr. Ayodele Fayose on or about 17th June, 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without going through the financial institution received cash payment in the sum of $5, 000, 000 (Five Million Dollars) from Senator Musiliu Obanikoro the then Minister of State for Defence, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 1 and 16 (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16 (2) (b) of the same Act.

That you Mr. Ayodele Fayose on or about 7th April, 2015 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did retain in your fixed deposit account No: 9013074033 with Zenith Bank Plc, the sum of N300, 000, 000.00 (Three Hundred Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

That you Mr. Ayodele Fayose and Spotless Limited between 17th June, 2014 and 4th August, 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, took control of an aggregate sum of N317, 000, 000.00 (Three Hundred and Seventeen Million Naira) by depositing same into the Zenith Bank Plc’s Account No: 1010170969 belonging to Spotless Limited, a company controlled by you and members of your family and which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

The post EFCC names 22 witnesses, lists 11 charges against Fayose first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

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