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OPINION: The Painful Truths About The Ekweremadu Travails

By
The Source
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Ike Ekweremadu and SKC Ogbonnia

By SKC Ogbonnia

For obvious reasons, I had resisted every press inquiry on Senator Ike Ekweremadu – both local and foreign — since he was detained in the United Kingdom on the allegation of organ harvesting. The most relative reason is that our basic African norms dictate that we show empathy for the adversities of others–whether friends or foes.  However, I am provoked to offer the following statements of fact because of the crude timing of the attempt by the Federal Government of Nigeria to seize the properties believed to be proceeds of corrupt practices that belong to Mr. Ekweremadu.

IS EKWEREMADU CORRUPT?

Yes, very, very! A partial testament is his shameless acquisition of 40 properties scattered around the globe. In fact, I had always told the Senator in his face and written extensively on how he used his time in the Senate to collude with contractors to loot the funds budgeted for several public projects in Igbo land. These, of course, include Enugu/Onitsha, Enugu/Port-Harcourt, and Oji-River/Awgu roads, which have continued to claim many innocent lives. A simple scan of the internet on my name alongside Ekweremadu will show more, including a library, water, and road projects that were looted in my hometown of Ugbo, Enugu State.

SELECTIVE WAR ON CORRUPTION

I am well-known for promoting serious consequences for bad behavior. But the timing of Ekweremadu’s punishment is crudely selective. Mr. Ekweremadu is by no means more corrupt than other Senators of his time. More curiously, Ekweremadu’s  degree of corruption is a pint in the ocean compared to that of, allegedly, Senator Bola Tinubu. Oddly, the same Tinubu is the current Presidential candidate of no other party than the party of the current Nigerian government that is determined to convict Mr. Ekweremadu in absentia. Ike Ekweremadu is definitively NOT more corrupt than many of his colleagues who equally have pending cases at the EFCC but presently being embraced by the same Federal Government to promote the candidacy of the same Tinubu.

WHY EKWEREMADU REMAINS IN JAIL

Ordinarily, Ike Ekweremadu, a three-time Nigerian Deputy Senate President, former Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, and a serving Senator —for that matter–would not be denied bail in the United Kingdom. Neither this man nor his wife is a flight risk. The objective fact is that the Nigerian Government is behind the Senator’s continued detention. What must not elude the thinking faculty of fellow Nigerians is that President Buhari is shamelessly vengeful. He is very shameless about the extent he travels to perpetrate vendetta politics. Buhari will never forgive Abubakar Saraki and Ekweremadu whom he perceives as the diabolic duo that hijacked the Legislature to frustrate his first term agenda as a democratic president. If Buhari can, for the first time in Nigeria’s socio-political history, discard a well-known convention by excluding Saraki, a former President of the Senate, from a recent traditional National Honors award, one can then imagine what awaits Ekweremadu, an Igbo for that matter.

WHO BAILS THIS CAT?

Sadly, not sure! Since the Ekweremadu saga broke, I have had ceaseless calls from all over the world, calling me prophetic. One of the perceived prophesies is that I never ceased to tutor the Senator on the genius of the adage: “A tree does not make a forest.”  I even reminded him on several occasions that a day like this could come. I warned the Senator to consider that none of his political associates from his area (entire Old Awgu Division) has the influence, capacity, or the status to bail or even speak for him should he be arrested. The point here is that, unlike some of his crooked colleagues, who excelled in elevating their associates, Senator Ike Ekweremadu made sure that none of his political associates from his area could rise or shine. He could not even recommend any of them as an Ambassador, Chairman of Board of any major parastatal, or a Minister, let alone helping any of them to become a federal contractor. In fact, the Senator is the owner of the construction firm that executes the projects he attracted to his constituency.

The man wanted to be all and all in the area since 1999. He even waged war against few of us outside his realm of control who have the capacity and willpower to oppose his primitive accumulation of wealth, as well as his seductive despotism. Put it this way: the three-time Deputy Senate President and former Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament had his knee on the neck of our people for over two decades.

WAY FORWARD

To garner broad sympathy and support, Ekweremadu must toe the line of Father Ejike Mbaka by retracting his sardonic statements on Mr. Peter Obi’s candidacy, which happened few days before his London palaver.

Any person, and Igbo for that matter, who nurses any motive to sabotage a path to a fair, just, and progressive nation readily attracts the wrath of the gods of Nigerian youths, as well as progressive minds. This truth is that our country has hit the rock-bottom, but our God has remained faithful by presenting us with two simple choices to finally get it right through the 2023 elections. It is a clear case of Evil Vs Good. For now, Ekweremadu is stuck in the middle: His crooked colleagues have already abandoned him while the masses view him with suspicion. He must, therefore, atone and openly choose good over evil.

Ogbonnia, a Political Analyst,  is a regular commentator on National issues

Crypto Billionaire Loses $14bn

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Cryptocurrency

After an estimated 94 percent overnight drop in his wealth, crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried may no longer be able to go by that title, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The Bloomberg wealth index assumes that the impending bailout of FTX by Binance will wipe out current FTX investors, including Bankman-Fried and Alameda.

Sam Bankman-Fried’s net worth now stands at roughly $1 billion, down from $15.6 billion on Tuesday. The 94 percent loss represents the largest one-day decline for any billionaire on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. 

Bankman-Fried’s net worth: When he was at his wealthiest, Bankman-Fried ranked highly on Bloomberg’s wealth index, with a rumoured net worth of $26 billion. The crypto entrepreneur, however, is no longer listed among the top 500. 

His fortunes will likely be “eviscerated,” according to the outlet’s November 9 story, should the sale of his FTX Exchange to rival Binance pull through. 

Bankman-Fried owned a 53 percent stake in FTX, valued at about $6.2 billion before the news of the acquisition.

Bloomberg estimates that Bankman-Fried and other FTX investors will lose everything when the deal with Binance is finalised.

The impending acquisition: Nairametrics reported that FTX and Binance signed an agreement yesterday. The specifics of the deal are unknown. But we do know that it excludes FTX.US, the exchange’s American subsidiary. 

According to Bankman-Fried, the current arrangement with Binance is merely an informal letter of intent. In other words, Binance is free to “get out of at any point.” 

Binance founder’s remarks: Meanwhile, Binance CEO Zhao Changpeng has highlighted the lessons he learned from the latest cryptocurrency fiasco. He said:

  • “Never use a token you created as collateral. Don’t borrow if you run a crypto business. Don’t use capital “efficiently”. Have a large reserve. Binance has never used BNB for collateral, and we have never taken on debt.”

The optics: The impact of FTX and Bankman-Fried is likely more than that of Three Arrows Capital, whose failure only a few months earlier sent shockwaves through the sector. 

Nonetheless, the speed at which the deal was put together and the lack of details has caused concern in the crypto industry. According to those familiar with the situation, many FTX investors learned about the acquisition through Twitter.  

Nairametrics

Fear Grips Travelers As Fulani Kidnappers Takeover Lagos/ Ibadan Expressway

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Kidnappers in Ondo Forest

The Lagos Ibadan expressway has been taken over by kidnappers. The daredevil criminals have struck again barely two weeks after they kidnapped some passengers on the busy highway.

With the manner the criminals elements now operate, security sources monitoring the road said passengers are not sure of their return back to their families whenever they are travelling on one of the continent’ s busiest highways.
On October 29, some travellers including a former deputy vice chancellor of the University of Ibadan Prof. Adigun Agbaje were abducted along the very busy highway.
The university Don had since been released after his family reportedly paid a N50 million ransome to the kidnappers, but other abductedees, including two sistes are still in the den of the criminal elements as hope of getting them out alive is becoming dim each day they spend with the kidnappers.
Speaking recently on the efforts to get her daughters out, their mother said there as no way to get the N20 million demanded by the kidnappers, who she said spoke fulfude, the language mostly spoken by Fulanis during the negotiations for ransome.
According to her, “Yes, we spoke to them. I was the one who spoke to them in their language, which I also understand. I am from Ogun State but I understand their language. They didn’t even let me beg them, they laughed at me and said, “You are here nagging, crying and begging us instead of you to go and look for the money?” They sounded so confident. It wasn’t something new to them. “Go and look for money and we will know what next to do,” they said.”
She called “on the Governor of Ogun State, my own governor, to come to my aid. I will not survive this if these children are taken away from me. I call on Dapo Abiodun’s wife; all the governors’ wives of the 36 states. I call on the president, Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha, to come and help me. Everyone who has a heart of flesh should come and help me. I cannot raise N20m on my own. I cannot! Help me! I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. My blood pressure, I am sure, has risen. I don’t want my children to die.”
On Tuesday, the kidnappers struck again on the road but did not succeed. The passenger’s who escaped the kidnappers by the whiskers have been narrating their stories.
According to Punch, the gunmen suspected to be kidnappers, dresssed in military uniform attacked commuters travelling on expressway on Tuesday.
Their target was an 18 – passenger commercial bus said to have been filled up with passengers at the time of the attack. The gunmen had shot at the bus with the intension of killing the driver in order to force the bust to stop.
Failure to get the driver, they started shooting sporadically at the passengers, thereby leaving many occupants with serious injuries.
Narrating their experience, some passengers said they were lucky to escape from the kidnappers who attacked them before the Sagamu interchange.
According to one of the victims who craved anonymity, “We (passengers) were only lucky to escape the gunmen but many of us have been injured by the bullets and our bus has been badly damaged too.”
Another video shows a man who survived bullet wounds recounting his experience saying, “I thought I was dead, having been shot by them.
“They faced our vehicle shooting at us, we all lay down except the driver who was the target. They thought we were all dead and retreated into the bush.
“The joint patrol team of police officers from Ogun and Oyo states arrived at the scene later,” he said.
While narrating his own experience in the hands of kidnappers operating on the road, Olabode Adekunle said he as forced to live with his captors for days before he was released after coughing out N2 milion.
According to him, he ran into some teenage kidnappers on the night he was driving his brother to the airport on the popular Long Bridge. His abductors, he claimed were Fulanis.
All attempts to reach the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, for further details proved abortive as of the time of filing this report. He did not take his calls nor reply to the text message sent to his phone.
But other police sources who spoke with the magazine anonymously, because they are not under authority to speak on the matter said, a lot is being done to ensue safety on the road. Only a few Nigerians said they believe security agencies are working to keep kidnappers off the highway.
Meanwhile, close watches of what is going on on the highway insist that the two government’s of Oyo and Ogun states which share the border must do more to ensure the safety of road users. As part of such efforts to rid the road of kidnappers and other criminals elements, security experts say community leaders in these areas must work with security agencies. “We are talking of the most important expressway in the country. The road links the south with other parts of the country. Something must be done quickly before the expressway becomes another Abuja/ Kaduna expressway, ” Kola Alphonso, a regular traveller on the road told the magazine on Wednesday.

Tinubu Must Come Clean Or Quit – Obi-Datti MediaOffice

By
The Source
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Peter Obi

The Obi-Datti Media Office said it  has come to the inescapable conclusion that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC Presidential bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, must come clean with his past, engage Nigerians or quit, because the office he seeks to occupy requires a man who should be clean in all ramifications.

In a statement it released on Wednesday, it said its demand is in response to the “damaging document  released by a United States court about Tinubu’s past which entails that he must come clean and stop indulging in proxy game about his past, ostensibly to deny Nigerians the opportunity of knowing exactly the person aspiring to rule them”

Part of the Statement reads.

“What has made the Obi-Datti Media Office more curious is the continued refusal of the APC candidate to present himself for scrutiny by Nigerians, dodging every public and media interaction and using spokespersons and attack dogs to reach Nigerians and cover up his dirty tracks.

“Rather than be ashamed of the embarrassing situation, Tinubu Campaign office is arrogantly and fraudulently covering up and scheming to pick and choose the public events to attend.

“It’s not enough to release a document as manifesto but not be available to defend and explain how you intend to carry out the implementations of the manifesto since spokespersons are not going to be on the ballot.

“If Tinubu truly had any record  of narcotics and money laundering case arising from drug related businesses at any stage in his life, he must explain himself to Nigerians.

“And if he hid his past to Nigerians and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, necessary steps should be taken by relevant authorities to save the country from such a person having access to power at the highest office in the land.

“Obi-Datti Media office is aware that there is a column in  INEC form to candidates seeking to know if they had ever been convicted by any court of law anywhere in the world and that withholding such information breaches the 2022 Electoral Act (as amended).

“In view of the fresh facts arising from the US court document, Nigerians expect the Electoral Commission to demand a convincing response from the APC presidential candidate and to act on it accordingly without let or hindrance

“Following the successive failure of governance in our country over time, the Electoral Commission and indeed the entire Nigerian populace should show more than passing interest in the backgrounds of all those aspiring to rule this country.

“It’s against this backdrop that we totally align our position with that of our Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi that candidacy by proxy must be rejected since the buck stops on the table of the person being elected not spokespersons or attack dogs

“Finally, the Obi-Datti Media Office demands that if the APC candidate is not ready and willing to subject himself to the scrutiny required of anybody seeking to occupy the number one job in the land, he should quit.”

Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Office in a statement signed by its Spokesperson, Festus Keyamo, SAN, said the opposition is raising an old case out of frustration. “It is a dead horse”, Keyamo said.

FG Plans Mass Release Of Prisoners To Decongest Correctional Centers

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Rauf Aregbesola and Prison Officials

By Akinwale Kasali

The Federal Government is planning to decongest Correctional Centers in the country.

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola disclosed that the FG is planning on having a meeting with State Governors in decongesting Prisons and Correctional Centers around the country by 30 Percent, as the influx of Prisoners in these centers has made it inhabitable for humans.

Media Adviser to the former Osun State Governor, Sola Fasure, stated that interfacing with the Governors to agree on the mass release of at least 30 per cent was necessary as more than 90 per cent of the inmates were being held for contravening various state laws, noting that over 70 per cent of the 75,635 inmates at present were awaiting trial.

He stressed that some of the inmates are being kept under the legal jurisdiction of their respective States, adding that the decongestion of the 253 Custodial centres nationwide was necessary as some of the inmates have no reason to remain in custody.

“The Minister has written to the Governors Forum, but he has not met with them because they will have to communicate with him and give him a date.

“He wrote to them with the request that he wants to meet with them, but he is yet to get a response. In other words, the meeting has not been held.”

Following this development, the FG had on Tuesday revealed that over 12,000 inmates were released from various correctional centres across the country within the last six years in line with the policy of prison decongestion.

Abubakar Malami, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister  of Justice, revealed this to members of the Senate Committee on Judiciary , Human Rights and Legal Matters during 2023 budget defence session with the committee .

Malami, who made the declaration in response to question from Senator Ajibola Basiru ( APC Osun Central ) , said the Federal Government was able to decongest prisons across the country through policy actions aside from the Administration of Criminal Justice Act , meant for expeditious dispensation of Justice.

“When this government came on board in 2015, the problem of prison congestion was at the front burner of national discourse , which made President Muhammadu Buhari to set machineries in motion in different ways for required solution.

“One of such machineries set in motion was a presidential committee set up for prison decongestion which liaised with other stakeholders in the justice sector for way out  .

“Aside from the committee, Mr  President himself also wrote letters to the 36 states governors and Chief Judges of the states  for required visitations to prisons and exercise of prerogative of mercies from time to time .

‘In one of such visitations made by the Governor of Kano State , Abdullahi Ganduje  , about 500 inmates were granted pardon in one day, totality of which had led to release of over 12, 000 inmates across the country within the last six years .

“Special attention was given to awaiting trial persons  who constitute the bulk of the inmates across the various correctional centres in the country by taking Magistrates and Judges to the centres for on the spot dispensation of Justice”.

Lagos Hosts 35th NAFEST Festival As 15 States Arrive To National Showpiece

By
Akinwale Kasali
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NAFEST

By Akinwale Kasali

No fewer than 15 States have arrived Lagos for the 35th National Festival for Arts and Culture, NAFEST.

The annual Festival which is targeted at showcasing the nation’s rich cultural heritages and arts of different tribes in the country to tourists and Nigerians  began Wednesday, 9th November, 2022.

Exhibitors of Arts and cultural artifacts from all walks of life across the country are expected to showcase their wares for patronage in the week long event.

Olusegun Runsewe, the  Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, disclosed that over 15 States – Rivers, Bayelsa, Ondo, Ekiti, Lagos, Benue, Abia, Kaduna, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Nassarawa, Jigawa Katsina and Edo States – are already on ground for the festival, as more states are on their way.

Runsewe in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, disclosed that ace musician, Sir Shina Peters, would be on the band stand to entertain spectators and tourists.

He added that youths and up and coming musicians will also showcase their talents at the festival so as to draw more attention and as well dwell more on positive musical content.

“I  am excited to tell you that we now have delegates from 15 states on ground for NAFEST, we are expecting more states before the opening ceremony on Wednesday.

“This edition will be the best ever, all is set for everyone to be entertained and thanks to Lagos State Government for establishing an entertainment segment for this edition of NAFEST,” he said.

Alleged Tinubu’s US Drug Deal: Keyamo Says Opposition Raise Old Issue Due To Frustration

By
Ayodele Oni
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Festus Keyamo

By Ayodele Oni

The spokesperson for Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has said the opposition is frustrated by the continued popularity of the All Progressive Congress, (APC) candidate.

According to him, that is the reason they are now relying on an old document alleging that Bola Tinubu was indicted in a drug trafficking and money laundering case in the United States.

Reacting to the allegation via his verified Twitter account on Wednesday, Keyamo said those making the claims are chasing a lost battle.

“Sign of frustration: They are seeking to wake a horse, long dead and buried and for which a media house publicly apologized in 2016 when they tried to use the story.”

An old judgment document resurfaced in the media on Tuesday, alleging that the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, indicted Tinubu of drug trafficking and money laundering.

In July this year, David Hundeyin had in an article titled, “Bola Ahmed Tinubu: From Drug Lord To Presidential Candidate”, espoused a similar allegation. Also, in the twilight of the 2015 elections, the same allegation surfaced in the media.

Meanwhile, the allegation has continued to generate mixed reactions from Nigerians on social media.

A reaction from Fisayo Soyombo states that “The ignominy that a Bola Tinubu presidency will land Nigeria will be unprecedented.

“Imagine being lost in Democracy or Independence Day celebrations, & a US court suddenly releases fresh evidence of your president’s past dealings.”

In another comment, Ahmed Salami said: “A document dated October 9th, 1993 is what a journalist in Nigeria tagged as a fresh “leaked document.

“Don’tforget; no mainstream had posted this baseless paper because those who tried it before were begging for an out of court settlement.”

Dino Melaye Unruly

By
The Source
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Presidential TownHall Meeting

The Media Office of Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and Yusuf Datti -Baba-Ahmad, respectively, has reacted to the incident which happened between Obi and Senator Dino Melaye, during the Presidential Townhall meeting organised by Arise TV, on  Sunday in Abuja.

Obi had rebuked Senator Melaye, the Spokesperson of the Presidential Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who he said kept distracting him by interjecting with cheeky remarks against him.

But Melaye, in a video post denied making any such remarks, and said Obi’s rebuke of him was unprovoked.

However, the Obi-Datti Media Office, in a statement strongly condemned the Senator and accused him of  unruly behaviour.

Melaye’s principal, Atiku Abubakar, was represented at the Townhall, to the anger of the audience, by his running mate, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor, Delta State.

Following is the full statement from the Obi-Datti Media office.

The Dino Malady and the fantasy of 2023.

“The fact that the Spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Presidential Candidate, Senator Dino Melaye could in his inordinate attitude provoke the highly peaceful and hard to annoy Labour Party Presidential flag bearer, Mr. Peter Obi shows clearly the level of his imprudence.

“At the Arise Television TownHall Meeting for Presidential Candidates on Sunday at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja,  Senator Melaye was so unruly and disproportionately large that a hardly provoked LP standard bearer had to call him out publicly to the shame of the bully spokesman.

“Notwithstanding that his principal Atiku Abubakar who was scheduled for the program ran away and sent his Running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Senator Melaye was not ashamed  of the embarrassment caused by it but was still shamelessly throwing his nuisance about to be noticed by the highly disciplined Obi.

“Instead of ruminating on the dig on him from a cross section of Nigerians for his recalcitrant behavior on Sunday, Melaye is claiming that the obidient family which has become the nightmare to his principal cannot win election.

“According to him, the Obi supporters will burn out and by January 2023 it would be obvious that any vote for him is a vote for the ruling All Progressives Congress, presidential ticket holder Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu.

“We in the Obi-Datti Media office long came to the realization that attack dogs made Mr. Peter Obi their principal target for relevance and retention of their job.

“If any right thinking Nigerian especially a politician still thinks that Obi, the Labour Party Candidate is an underdog in the 2023 Presidential race, that person must be fantasizing and should be pitied.

“Even showing face at all with an attendant ugly conduct  at a  function his Principal was missing, underscores clearly the man who probably was hired purposely for nuisance than for good.

“Obi-Datti Media Office therefore needed to actually make it clear to Senator Melaye and other characters of his ilk that Mr. Peter Obi and Labour Party are in the race to win and win convincingly .

“All political index projections ahead of 2023 show it that Obi is actually the man to beat.

It’s perhaps this type of poor political calculations by Melaye that made him lose his senatorial seat  to APC in 2019 and to a small boy in the House of Representatives  in his party’s primaries in 2022.

“What Peter Obi is out to do by trying to take back Nigeria with Nigerian youths is to ensure that political jokers like Melaye do not occupy spaces reserved for good heads for the uplifting of the nation’s democracy.

“Therefore, Obi-Datti media office needed to educate  Senator Melaye properly that rather than Obi’s vote gifting any other political party in Nigeria, it should be stated very clearly that  Nigerians are visibly tired of the two political parties and are copiously directing their votes to the fresh air in our polity which is Mr  Peter Obi.

The man who by antecedents and qualification is the man needed at this time to rescue and rebuild our beloved country.”

EFCC Says Conviction Of Its Chairman Shocking, Embarrassing

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Abdulrasheed Bawa

By Adesina Soyooye

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, says it finds the conviction of its Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, embarrassing. It also said it found the situation shocking, as it is a presentation of Bawa as one who encourages impunity.

The Commission was reacting to the Committal to the Kuje Correctional Centre of Bawa by an FCT High Court Judge, the Honourable Justice Chizoba Oji for contempt.

In committing Bawa to prison, the the Judge said that the “Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is in contempt of this Honourable Court made on November 21, 2018, directing the EFCC to return the sum of N40,000,000  to return to the Applicant” Air Vice Marshall  Rufus Ojuawo, rtd,  a former Director of Operations at the Nigerian Air Force.

She said: “Having continued wilfully in disobedience to the order of this Court, he should be committed to prison at Kuje Correctional Centre for his disobedience and continued disobedience of the said order of Court made on November 21st, 2018 until he purges himself of the contempt.”

Bawa was not the Chairman of the Commission when the order was made. The Commission’s Chairman then was Ibrahim Magu, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police who was eased out of the Commission in controversial  circumstances.

But in a statement, Tuesday night, signed by its Spokesperson, Wilson Uwajaren, the Commission said that Bawa was already implementing the Court order by releasing the Range Rover to Ojuawo  since June, and has also approved that the sum of N40,000,000 be refunded to him.

The statement reads: “This ruling is surprising as it creates a wrong impression of the person of the Executive Chairman  of the EFCC as encouraging impunity.

“As far as the relationship between the EFCC and the Judiciary is concerned, the Executive Chairman, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, has been an apostle of the rule of law, due process and close collaboration between the two institutions in justice administration.

“As an investigator, and the only Chief Executive of a law enforcement agency who regularly goes to Court, the Executive Chairman will not tolerate impunity or disregard of any lawful orders of Court.

“Abdulrasheed Bawa in his capacity as the Executive Chairman  of the EFCC since   March 5, 2022, did not disregard any order of  Court. For the benefit of the public, the said order of the FCT High Court was given on November 21, 2018, three years before Bawa became the  EFCC Chairman.

“This point is germane as the contempt process is quasi criminal in nature and must be served on the person involved. In this case, Bawa as the incumbent  Chairman of the EFCC was neither served Form 48 nor Form 49.

“Despite this fact, the Executive Chairman, upon being aware of the said Court order of November 21, 2018, had released the Range Rover in question to the Applicant on June 27, 2022 and had approved the process of the release of the remaining N40m.

“Taking into cognisance the procedural lapse in the contempt proceedings, the Commission has initiated a process to set aside the entire contempt proceedings and committal of the Executive Chairman for contempt.

“Despite the discomfort of this ruling, which is seemingly promoted by misinformation, the Commission remains committed to working closely with the Judiciary in furtherance of the fight against economic and financial crimes in Nigeria.”

The EFCC had arraigned Ojuawo on a two-count charge in 2016 before the Honourable Justice Muawiyah Idris. He was accused of corruption in form of taking kickbacks to the tune of N40,000,000 in addition to the Range Rover, Super Charge which valid was put at N29,250m from an Airforce Contractor.

Justice Idris discharged and acquitted the Air Force Chief on November 21, 2018, for want of evidence. He emphasised that the EFCC was unable to prove that Ojuawo received any kickbacks from the Contractor, Société D’Equipment Internationaux Nigeria Ltd.

Malami Outlines Measures To Decongest Prisons

By
Ayodele Oni
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0

By Ayodele Oni

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami has explained that one of the conditions for correctional centres in the country to receive new inmate is availability of space.

The order, he said became imperative to ensure that Correctional Centres are not overcrowded.

To further ensure that there is no overcrowding, Malami declared that over 12,000 inmates were released from various Correctional Centres across the country within the last six years.

Malami disclosed this to members of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters during the ministry’s budget defence.

Malami, who made the declaration in response to a question from Senator Ajibola Basiru (APC – Osun Central), said the Federal Government was able to decongest the prisons across the country through the implementation of the policy actions aside the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, meant for expeditious dispensation of Justice.

“When this government came on board in 2015, the problem of prison congestion was at the front burner of national discourse, which made President Muhammadu Buhari to set machinery in motion in different ways for required solution.

“One of such machineries was a Presidential Committee set up for Prison Decongestion which liaised with other stakeholders in the Justice sector for way out.

“Aside the committee, Mr President himself also wrote letters to the 36 States Governors and Chief Judges of the States for required visitations to prisons and exercise of prerogative of mercies from time to time.

“In one of such visitations made by the Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, about 500 inmates were granted pardon in one day.

“Those so far released are over 12,000 inmates across the country within the last six years.

“Special attention was given to awaiting trial cases who constitute the bulk of the inmates across the various correctional centres in the country by taking Magistrates and Judges to the Centres for on the spot dispensation of Justice.

“The guideline on non-custodial sentences issued in 2020 also helped to tremendously reduce inmates across the various correctional centres.

“The problem as far as this government is concerned, is more or less, a thing of the past now, because in line with the policy guidelines in place, no correctional centre today that is without necessary space, will receive an inmate,”

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC – Ekiti Central), said the 2023 budget estimates for the Federal Ministry of Justice and its agencies as contained in the Appropriation Bill submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari, is N71.291billion.

The total sum according to him, is inclusive of allocations to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and statutory transfer to the National Human Rights Commission.

He commended the President for increasing the budget of the Council of Legal Education from N2.7billion in the 2022 to N10.12billion in 2023.

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