APPOINTMENT OF BAWA AS EFCC CHAIR BASED ON MERIT — MALAMI – DAILY TRUST PG.8

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami,

in this exclusive interview with Daily Trust, explained why the Delta State government cannot lay claim to the Ibori loot recently transferred to Nigeria. He also, among others, spoke on the urgent need for a commission to oversee the lingering farmers/herders crisis; the new EFCC chairman’ appointment and the fate of the erstwhile chairman, Ibrahim Magu.

FG INSISTS ON PROJECTS FOR £4.2M IBORI LOOT DESPITE CONTROVERSY – DAILY TRUST PG.27

There have been divergent opinions, less than one week to the return of the £4.2 million loot recovered from the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, stashed in the United Kingdom. This is even as the office of the Attorney General of the Federation has said it will not change its plan to use the recovered funds for the projects enumerated.“The Honourable Attorney General has visited several media stations and said the same thing; that the money will be used for those projects,” the media aide to the AGF, Dr Umar Gwandu, said over the weekend.

IBORI-LINKED £4.2M LOOT: CRACKING THE OWNERSHIP NUT – NATION PG.18&19

Last Tuesday, the United Kingdom (UK) agreed to return £4.2 million (about N2.2 billion) to Nigeria being funds recovered from friends and associates of former Delta State Governor James Ibori. The decision followed the Federal Government’s assurance that the funds would be spent on key infrastructure. The fund was retrieved through UK law enforcement agencies, led by the Metropolitan Police Service, National Crime Agency (NCA), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), supported by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Home Office, who, following investigations, discovered assets bought in the UK with the illicit funds.

ALLEGED $25,000 FRAUD: TECHNICAL HITCHES STALL ATTEMPT TO PLAY SANI’S AUDIO TAPE – NATION PG.6, PUNCH PG.11, SUN PG.5

Efforts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to play what it claimed was the audio recording of conversations between erstwhile Senator Shehu Sani and his accuser, Alhaji Sani Dauda, were unsuccessful yesterday due to some technical hitches experienced with the gadgets. Sani is facing trial before a Federal High Court in Abuja for allegedly obtaining $25,000 from Dauda, a businessman, under false pretence.

EFCC HAS RECOVEREDOVER N20 BILLION SUBSIDY LOOT – THISDAY PG./5

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered over N20 billion of the over N70 billion that was lost to fraudsters, from all the petroleum subsidy matters so far. The EFCC Chairman, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, said this on Wednesday after he appeared before a Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, to give evidence in a N1.4 billion fraud trial involving an oil company, Nadabo Energy Ltd. 

REPS TO RECOVER GOVT ASSETS, FUNDS IN PRIVATISED FIRMS – NATION PG.6

The House of Representatives has promised to recover all dividends, assets and funds belonging to the Federal government in privatised and commercialised enterprises in the country. Chairman of the House Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, Makama Misau, spoke on Monday when the ad hoc committee set up to investigate and recover funds, assets and dividends of Federal Government in some privatised enterprises held its inaugural meeting.

ALLEGED N322M FRAUD: SENATOR NWAOBOSHI KNOWS FATE APRIL 19 – NATION PG.34

A Federal High Court in Lagos has reserved till April 19, judgment on the N322million money laundering charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Senator Peter Nwaoboshi and two firms. The firms are Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd. Nwaoboshi, a Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, represents Delta North in the Upper Chamber.

PANDEF, MASSOB DISAGREE OVER ASARI-DOKUBO’S BIAFRA GOVT DECLARATION – PUNCH PG.7

The Pan Niger Delta Forum and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra have disagreed on Sunday’s declaration of a new Biafran de facto government by a former Niger Delta militant leader, Alhaji Mujahid Asari-Dokubo. Asari-Dokubo, apart from declaring himself the leader of the new Biafra de facto government, had announced names of some officials, who would work with him.

FG DISMISSES DOKUBO’S FORMATION OF BIAFRA CUSTOMARY GOVT – THISDAY PG.10, SUN PG.26

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, yesterday described the reported formation of Biafra Customary Government by ex-militant leader, Mr. AsariDokubo, as a “theatre of the absurd by a joker seeking attention.” He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that President Muhammadu Buhari will not be distracted by the absurdity.

EFCC ONLY DETAINED CLERK, LAWMAKER, ONDO ASSEMBLY INSISTS – PUNCH PG.12

The Ondo State House of Assembly on Monday said only two persons in the Assembly were in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission over the allegation of fraud and not four as earlier reported in the media. It was earlier reported that the Clerk of the House, Mr Bode Aladeyelu, a lawmaker, Mr Bankole Fele Mugudu, representing Akoko South West Constituency, and two other civil servants were detained by the anti-graft agency, but the Assembly said only the Clerk and the lawmaker were detained.

WAKILI, 2 OTHERS TRANSFERRED TO CID – DAILY TRUST PG.38

The Oyo State Police Command has transferred the Ibarapa-based herdsman, Isikalu Wakili, to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Iyaganku Ibadan, for further investigations. The command also refuted the assertion that the complainants who reported Wakili to police were arrested and detained, saying “the allegations are unfounded and baseless.”