metro

EFCC re-arraigns former NDDC director over alleged N3.6b fraud

Published

7 months ago

May 21, 2025

Tuoyo Omatsuli

EFCC re-arraigns former NDDC director over alleged N3.6b fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned Tuoyo Omatsuli, a former Executive Director of Projects at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), over an alleged N3.6 billion money laundering case.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, Omatsuli was brought before the Federal High Court in Lagos alongside three co-defendants: Francis Momoh, Don Parker Properties Limited, and Building Associates Limited.

The accused persons are facing a total of 46 counts of money laundering involving billions of naira. The charges stem from various financial transactions believed to have been carried out while Omatsuli was a senior executive at the NDDC.

The provision criminalises conspiracy, aiding and abetting and money laundering. Section 15(3) of the same Act prescribes seven to 14 years imprisonment for an individual and revocatioc of licence in the case of a corporate body.

The defendants denied all the charges on Tuesday.

The move to re-arraign the defendants is sequel to the Court of Appeal’s reversal of their earlier acquittal handed down by the trial court.

Mr Omatsuli’s legal troubles began in 2018 when he was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

However, trial judge Saliu Saidu (now retired) exonerated him and other defendants, dismissing the charges after upholding the defendants’ no-case submission in 2020.

The trial court held that there was no point for the defendants to enter defence when the prosecution, at the end of the presentation of its evidence, failed to link them to the alleged crimes.

READ ALSO:

But the EFCC, dissatisfied with the ruling, went on appeal against it.

The Court of Appeal upheld EFCC’s appeal, overturning the acquittal and ordering the trial to proceed to defence stage.

The trial has faced setbacks since the Court of Appeal’s November 2022 judgement reversing the acquittal of the defendants.

The trial initially resumed before the former judge, Mr Saidu, following the Court of Appeal’s judgement, but was soon truncated.

But Mr Saidu soon retired, prompting the reassignment of the case to the current judge, Daniel Osiagor.

This necessitated the need for the re-arraignment of the defendants before the new judge.

Recall that the anti-graft agency initially secured 22 March 2024 for the re-arraignment, but the proceedings did not take place as planned.

Following the not-guilty plea of the defendants on Tuesday, the prosecuting lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), called the first prosecution witness.

The witness, Usman Adamu, an operative with the EFCC, recounted his involvement in the investigation leading to the charging of the defendants.

He stated that 16 witnesses had testified in the previous trial before the former judge.

He added that 34 pieces of exhibits were admitted and marked Exhibits ET01 to ET34 during the said trial.

“None of the witnesses resides in Lagos. They had to travel from Portharcourt or Abuja to Lagos.

“Some of the witnesses have relocated abroad, while others are no longer reachable,” Mr Adams said.

The prosecuting lawyer, Mr Iheanacho, thereafter, applied to tender the records of the proceedings of the former trial, along with the exhibits admitted in evidence by the former judge. He cited Section 46 of the Evidence Act to support the move.

He also informed the court that his request was predicated on the need to reduce further delay and expenses as earlied held by the court.

The defence counsel did not oppose the application by the prosecution.

The court ruled and admitted the records as well as the exhibits in evidence, which were marked ET 01 to ET 34.

The prosecution counsel also applied to adopt the previous testimony of the 13th prosecution witness, Mr Adamu. He also applied that all the exhibits should be taken as read.

The judge granted the prayer, as there was no objection by the defence team.

The defendants applied for more time to enable them open their defence after the PW1 had closed his testimony.

The judge fixed 2, 3 and 4 July for further proceedings.

In Nigerian courts, cases are often plagued by lengthy trials, frequently prolonged by judge transfers or truncated by the judge’s retirement or elevation to a higher bench.

EFCC re-arraigns former NDDC director over alleged N3.6b fraud

(PremiumTimes)

metro

Sokoto Officials Deny Mosque Attack as Bandits Kill Five in Gatawa Raid

Published

3 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Trends Admin

File photo

Sokoto Officials Deny Mosque Attack as Bandits Kill Five in Gatawa Raid

Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area in Sokoto State, Ayuba Hashimu, has dismissed viral reports alleging that bandits attacked a mosque in the council area, killing an Imam and several worshippers.

Some online platforms had circulated claims that armed bandits stormed a mosque in Sabon Birni, murdered the Imam and congregants, and abducted others.
However, Hashimu, speaking by telephone, described the reports as entirely false.

“I don’t know any mosque that was attacked, not to talk of killing of an Imam and worshippers. The story is false,” he stated.

A member of the state legislature representing the area, Hon. Aminu Boza, also debunked the claims, insisting that no mosque attack occurred on Saturday.

READ ALSO:

“I don’t know how they got their story, but it is not true. No mosque was attacked by bandits,” he said.

While officials denied the alleged mosque incident, a separate early morning assault on Gatawa town within the same LGA resulted in five deaths and left one person critically injured.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Daily Trust that six people — including two married women, two teenage girls and two young boys — were abducted by attackers suspected to be bandits.

“The bandits invaded our community around 1:30 a.m. and started shooting sporadically. Our vigilantes engaged them, but four of them paid the supreme price on the spot. Two others sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to the hospital, but one later died,” the resident said.

He added that the attackers also stole livestock as they fled.
“We heard them exchanging fire with security agents, but none of the abducted persons was rescued,” he recounted.

Sokoto Officials Deny Mosque Attack as Bandits Kill Five in Gatawa Raid

metro

FG Begins Recovery of 157 Almajiri Schools

Published

3 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Trends Admin

Almajiri school

FG Begins Recovery of 157 Almajiri Schools

The Federal Government has commenced the official recovery of 157 model Almajiri schools built during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, in a renewed push to overhaul Almajiri education across the country.

The move was confirmed by Nura Muhammad, spokesperson for the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education (NCAOOSCE), during an interview in Abuja on Sunday. He described the recovery process as a crucial step toward fully revamping and institutionalising Almajiri education.

Muhammad explained that the effort follows the establishment of a legally backed national body now responsible for all Almajiri-related programmes — a structure he said was missing during earlier reform attempts.

READ ALSO:

While commending former President Jonathan for constructing the schools, which he described as “a noble and well-intentioned stride toward modernising the system,” Muhammad noted that the previous initiative struggled due to weak policy implementation, including inadequate engagement with Alarammas, the traditional Qur’anic teachers who play a central role in the Almajiri system.

He added that the lack of a strong institutional framework — with the project operating only as an initiative under the Federal Ministry of Education — contributed to its challenges.

According to him, the Commission is now strengthened by law and guided by the newly adopted National Policy on Almajiri Education, positioning it to deliver sustainable reforms.

Muhammad expressed confidence that harmful practices linked to the Almajiri system would be addressed, emphasising that all recovered schools would soon be fully under the Commission’s control and rehabilitated to serve their original purpose.

FG Begins Recovery of 157 Almajiri Schools

metro

Delta State Police Arrest Suspects in Killing of Retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu

Published

9 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Trends Admin

Justice Ifeoma Okogwu

Delta State Police Arrest Suspects in Killing of Retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu

The Delta State Police Command has made a significant breakthrough in the investigation into the murder of retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu in Anambra State, arresting key suspects linked to the case.

Spokesperson SP Bright Edafe disclosed on Sunday that operatives of the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), acting on credible intelligence, apprehended 25-year-old security guard Godwin Mngumi on 6 December 2025. Mngumi allegedly murdered the retired judge, and authorities also recovered the deceased’s mobile phone from him.

READ ALSO:

According to Edafe, Mngumi confessed to inviting a friend, Nnaji Obalum, and another accomplice — who remains at large — to the residence where the crime was committed. Obalum has since been arrested, while a manhunt continues for the third suspect.

The arrests mark a major step forward in the effort to bring all perpetrators of the high-profile murder to justice.