News

Alleged $6bn Fraud: You’ve no power to try me, ex-Minister, Agunloye tells EFCC

Published

3 months ago

February 12, 2024

Former Minister of Power and Steel, Mr. Olu Agunloye

Alleged $6bn Fraud: You’ve no power to try me, ex-Minister, Agunloye tells EFCC

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Apo on Monday, fixed February 26 to hear a motion the former Minister of Power and Steel, Mr. Olu Agunloye, who was accused of complicity in a $6 billion contract fraud, filed to challenge the powers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), to prosecute him.

The EFCC alleged that Agunloye, who served as a Minister between 1999 and 2003, under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, illegally awarded a contract for the construction of a 3,960 MW Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Station on a Build, Operate, and Transfer Basis.

The agency told the court that the contract, which was awarded to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited, was done without any budgetary provision, approval, or cash backing.

Agunloye was equally alleged to have corruptly received kickback to the tune of N3.6 million from the company to which he awarded the contract.

However, the defendant, who had also served as a Minister of State for Defence, pleaded not guilty to the seven-count charge against him.

At the resumed proceedings in the matter on Monday, the 76-year-old defendant, via a motion marked: M/3736/2024, queried the powers of the EFCC to try him over the alleged offences.

He contended that the agency was bereft of both the investigative and prosecutorial powers under sections 6, 7, and 46 of the EFCC Act, 2004, to initiate the case against him.

He maintained that the offences in the charge bordered on his activities as a public officer, his alleged disobedience to presidential directives, as well as the alleged forgery of a letter dated May 22, 2003.

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“These allegations do not constitute financial crimes, which can be lawfully investigated and prosecuted by the EFCC, pursuant to its powers under Sections 6, 7, and 46 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act and in consonance with the Supreme Court’s decision in Nwobike v. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2022) 6 NWLR (Pt. 1826) 293.

“Not having the mandatory/statutory powers to investigate the allegations against the defendant ab initio, the purported investigation of the defendant and current prosecution of the charge by the EFCC is ultra vires its powers and thereby a nullity.

“This is a threshold issue, in which the court must first satisfy itself that there is requisite statutory powers for the EFCC to prosecute the charge and competent jurisdiction in the court to entertain same,” the former Minister argued through his lawyer, Mr. Adeola Adedipe, SAN.

Besides, he filed another motion for an order of the court to restrain the EFCC from inviting, intimidating, or harassing his sureties.

As well as for an order to vary the bail conditions the court gave to him on January 11, which mandated his sureties to provide evidence of their ownership of a property worth N300 million.

The defendant told the court that the EFCC has “repeatedly harassed, threatened, and invited his sureties for investigation,” an action he said was “actuated by bad faith, for the sureties to withdraw their suretyship and thereby create an uneven playing field in the prosecution of the case.”

Trial Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie adjourned the matter till February 26 to hear the applications.

One of the counts in the charge against the defendant read: “That you, Olu Agunloye, whilst being the Minister of Power and Steel on or about the 22nd of May, 2003 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, awarded a contract titled ‘Construction of 3,960mw Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Station on a Build, Operate, and Transfer Basis’ to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited without any budgetary provision, approval and cash backing, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(4) of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000.”

Alleged $6bn Fraud: You’ve no power to try me, ex-Minister, Agunloye tells EFCC

News

EFCC to arraign Sirika, daughter over fresh N2.7 billion contract scam

Published

11 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Trends Admin

Hadi Sirika

EFCC to arraign Sirika, daughter over fresh N2.7 billion contract scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will arraign a former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, before Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Maitama on Thursday, May 9, 2024.

Sirika, who served under former president Muhammadu Buhari, would be arraigned on six amended charges.

The former minister will be arraigned alongside three others, including his daughter, Fatima; Jalal Hamma and Al-Duraq Investment Ltd, for abuse of office to the tune of N2.7 billion.

As part of EFCC investigations into the financial malfeasance allegedly committed by the former minister, “including fraudulent contracts awarded by the ministry under his watch, had on April 23 detained him in Abuja’’.

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Sirika was invited by the Abuja Zonal Command of the commission on the alleged contract malfeasance and was promptly interrogated and detained at the Formella Street, Wuse 2 Zonal office of the Commission.

“The former minister (Sirika) was invited for questioning by investigators handling the alleged contract frauds under his watch in the ministry.

“He honoured the invitation and has been detained as I am talking with you,” an EFCC source said on the condition of anonymity.

The source also said that EFCC had been investigating the alleged contract frauds while the minister was in office, and he had even met with investigators before he was detained.

The arraignment was earlier slated to hold on Tuesday but due to EFCC prayer to amend the charge, a new date was given.

EFCC to arraign Sirika, daughter over fresh N2.7 billion contract scam

News

Breaking: Fubara bars all LGA heads from appearing before Rivers Assembly

Published

11 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Trends Admin

Governor Siminalayi Fubara

Breaking: Fubara bars all LGA heads from appearing before Rivers Assembly

Governor Siminalayi Fubara has barred all heads and officials of the 23 local government areas in the state from appearing before the Rivers Assembly, especially the Pro-Wike lawmakers.

The governor warned that any of them who appeared before lawmakers loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, led by Martin Amaewhule as Speaker would be sacked.

Fubara had earlier declared that in the eyes of the Law, the State does not have state lawmakers as 27 Lawmakers had defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, thereby losing their mandate as enshrined in the constitution.

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Our Correspondent reports that the governor’s directive is contained in an online circular signed by Ebirieneuket Nteile C, Director of Information and Communications for Chairman Local Government Service Commission, dated Tuesday, May 7, 2024.

“I am directed to inform you/ all officers of the 23 Local Government Councils in Rivers State, not to honour/appear before the Members of Assembly or any purported invitation by anybody or group of persons in any guise without the permission of the Acting Chairman- Local Government Service Commission.

“Any staff who disobeys or violates this instruction will be dismissed accordingly from service.

“Treat as very important, please,” the circular read.

Breaking: Fubara bars all LGA heads from appearing before Rivers Assembly

News

We may shut down Nigeria’s economy over cybersecurity levy – TUC

Published

12 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Trends Admin

President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) Festus Osifo

We may shut down Nigeria’s economy over cybersecurity levy – TUC

The President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) Festus Osifo on Wednesday faulted the cybersecurity levy (CSL) imposed on Nigerians by the federal government.

Osifo in Abuja said the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) directive to banks imposing a 0.5 per cent cybersecurity levy on almost all electronic transactions was “ a conspiracy of the oppressors against the masses and citizens of this country and it must be resisted by all well-meaning Nigerians”.

Newstrends earlier reported that the 0.5 per cent levy implementation will commence on May 20, 2024.

He said, “How can such obnoxious law see the light of day in a truly people-oriented legislative house.

“It is indeed illogical that this is coming at a time that Nigerians are grappling with the high cost of living that is imposed by the devaluation of Naira, hyper hike in the cost of petrol, supersonic increment in the cost of electricity tariff, etc.

“We are quite disturbed that since the inception of this administration, its policies have brought pain, anguish and sorrow to Nigerians. Whereas a bank account holder in Nigeria today is currently charged stamp duty, transfer fee, VAT on transfer fee, and all forms of account maintenance levies by both the government and the banks.

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“So many policies of this government are not only imposing hardship on the downtrodden Nigerians but also businesses, as some of them are shutting down because of the unfriendly business environment.

“Financial analysts have done a preliminary estimate using the 2023 online transfer volume in Nigeria that fell within these categories and put the value at over N2trn; what kind of cybercrime are we fighting with this humongous amount of money?

“This burden seems not to be enough as the government is poised to inflict further pain on the already battered Nigerians”.

Osifo urged the federal government to issue a marching order to the CBN to immediately withdraw the circular and cancel the plan levy forthwith.

The TUC boss warned of a nationwide protest that will immediately cripple economic activities.

In his words, “failure to withdraw, we will be left with no option than to mobilize all our members, stakeholders and indeed the entire masses to embark on the immediate protest that would culminate into the total shutdown of the Nigerian economy as this is one exploitation too many”.