Chidinma voluntarily wrote she murdered Ataga, says police witness – Newstrends
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Chidinma voluntarily wrote she murdered Ataga, says police witness

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A prosecution witness, ASP Olufunke Madeyinlo, on Tuesday testified that Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged murder suspect of the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga, wrote her statement voluntarily.

Madeyinlo made the statement while testifying as the second prosecution witness in the trial within trial to ascertain whether Ojukwu was coerced or induced to make a statement that she killed Ataga by herself.

Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication undergraduate of the University of Lagos, is standing trial for the alleged murder of Ataga.

She is also charged with stealing and forgery alongside one Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ojukwu’s counsel, Mr Onwuka Egwu, had objected to the admissibility of the defendant’s statement.

He said that the defendant did not make the statements voluntarily which made the court to go into trial within trial to ascertain the voluntariness of the defendant’s statement.

At the resumed hearing, the Deputy Director of Prosecution, Mrs Adenike Oluwafemi, called her second witness for the continuation of trial within trial.

However, the first defendant’s counsel, Mr Onwuka Egwu, announced his appearance, while the second defendant’s counsel, Mr Babatunde Busari, as well as the third defendant’s counsel, Mrs F.O. Ilesanmi, also announced their appearance.

Madeyinlo who had worked for 33 years in the police, said that on June 24, 2021, the Officer in Charge of the homicide session, Panti Yaba, Razak Oseni, brought the defendant to her office to write her statement.

She said that she gave the first defendant a statement form and a pen.

According to the witness, DCP Adegoke Bayoade, sent for Oseni, who left the first defendant in her office.

Madeyinlo said that about 40 minutes later, Oseni came back to her office and took Ojukwu’s written statement.

She said, “Oseni collected the statement and went away with the first defendant.

“Nothing happened and nobody forced her to write the statement. She wrote the statement herself.”

During cross-examination by Ojukwu’s counsel, the witness said that she shared her office with three other officers, ASP Gbolahon Jemiyo, ASP Gbola Alabi, and Insp. Kolawole Lukman.

When asked if it was after Jemiyo had assaulted the first defendant that her statement was taken, the witness said that she was in the office with only Alabi when the defendant wrote her statement.

Asked if she interacted with Ojukwu while she was writing her statement, Madeyinlo answered in the affirmative.

“I did not ask her any questions, she wrote her statement herself. The only question I asked her was if she was satisfied with the statement she wrote.

“She answered yes, then I asked her to sign it,” the witness said.

Egwu asked the witness if she gave a 10-year-old girl wrapper to cover herself in the night, on June 23 and 24, 2021.

The witness said that she could not remember because the incident happened a long time ago.

Asked if she knew what happened to the statement the first defendant made on June 24, 2021, she said no.

However, Justice Yetunde Adesanya adjourned the case until November 17, for the first defendant to testify in the trial within trial. (NAN)

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BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

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November 14, 2024

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BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

The federal government has unveiled a proposed budget of N47.9 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year.

Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

Bagudu revealed that the council had approved the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2025-2027.

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According to the minister, the government has pegged the crude oil benchmark at $75 per barrel, with an oil production target of 2.06 million barrels per day (bpd).

The budget also sets the exchange rate at N1,400 per dollar and aims for a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.4%.

 

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

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EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

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November 14, 2024

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EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told FIJ that they have arrested Timber Wabote, the former executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCMB), on the grounds of a failed $35 million Bayelsa refinery project fraud.

Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s spokesperson, confirmed this to FIJ on Thursday.

“It is true,” Oyewale responded to FIJ’s inquiries.

Wabote is accused of misappropriating public funds for a refinery project that should have improved local energy production.

Vanguard reported that the NCDMB under Wabote paid $35 million to support the development of energy infrastructure in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa, yet there was nothing to show for it.

The EFCC picked Wabote up following the arrest of Akintoye Adeoye Akindele, the Managing Director of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, for alleged misappropriation, money laundering and diversion of $35 million in public funds.

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“NCDMB under the watch of Wabote allegedly paid the $35 million to Akindele to build a 2,000 barrel per day (BPD), refinery, jetty, gas plant, power plant, data centre and tank farm at Brass free trade zone (FTZ), Okpoama Community in Brass LGA of Bayelsa State,” a source with the EFCC had explained.

Since December 2020 when the payments were made, Akindele abandoned the project with little or nothing to show for the huge sum he received.

Preliminary investigations showed that Wabote’s NCDMB financed 17 different projects, including the 2,000 BPD refinery in Brass LGA.

There has been a series of public fund misappropriation cases in the energy sector in recent times.

FIJ earlier reported that members of the House of Representatives summoned three ministers to defend how over $2 billion was spent on renewable energy with not much to show for it.

A recent FIJ report also recently detailed how residents of Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa, have not had power in their homes since July due to the vandalisation of the Ahoada-Yenagoa transmission towers caused by unidentified persons.

The Bayelsa state government told FIJ it was the federal government’s responsibility to provide electricity for residents. The state has no renewable energy options reliable enough to power its capital despite the multi-million-dollar NCMB energy project.

Transparency in the energy sector has become necessary at a time when Nigerians have suffered power instability due to frequent grid collapses.

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

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Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

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November 14, 2024

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Yahaya Bello

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has requested an adjournment in the new case against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, stating that the 30-day window for the previously issued summons is still active.

The commission has granted administrative bail to his co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, and asked the court for an extension of time for Bello to appear.

At the resumed hearing before Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, EFCC Counsel Jamiu Agoro noted that the court’s order from October 3rd had not yet expired.

“In that wise, we feel it will not be appropriate for us to take proceedings while that 30 days is still running. So we have discussed and agreed to come back on the 27th day of November, 2024, my lord,” he told the court.

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He also mentioned that the previously set date of November 20th was not convenient for the prosecution counsels.

Counsel to the second defendant, Aliyu Saiki, SAN, confirmed that his client had been granted administrative bail by the prosecution and had no objection to the adjournment request. The third defendant’s counsel, ZE Abass, concurred.

The prosecution counsel also requested the court to allow the notice of hearing to be pasted on the last known address of the first defendant.

After hearing from all counsels, the judge granted the EFCC’s application for adjournment and the issuance of the hearing notice.

“I have considered the application for adjournment by the complainant and issuance of hearing notice and the submission by the second and third defendants. The application is granted,” she said.

Justice Anenih then adjourned the case to November 27th for arraignment.

The former governor, alongside Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, are being prosecuted as 1st to 3rd defendants, respectively, in a fresh 16-count charge instituted against them by the EFCC.

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

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