Nigerian Police Force Alleged Suspect For Giving False Information

20-Year Old Boy lands in prison for giving Police false information

 

Sarduna Onum, 20,(wearing red and grey shirt)

The Police at the Onikan Division, Ikoyi, Lagos,Western Nigeria have arrested a 20-year old boy, Sarduna Onum who allegedly specialises in giving false information to the police in Nigeria that armed men attacked and robbed him of money and handsets. Police alleged that the suspect have succeeded in the criminal act for about three years in Bayelsa, Rivers, Ogun and other states to deceive the police with false information which subsequently leads to arrest innocent members of the public he alleged robbed him, who though did not commit the alleged offence to compel them to refund the money and other items he alleged was robbed from him at the station.

Police alleged that nemesis caught up with the suspect when on 8 March, 2016 he went to the Onikan police Division, Ikoyi Lagos to lodge a complaint that some men robbed him of the sum of N100,000 and a Tecno handset at Ikoyi area of Lagos.

It was learnt that while the suspect was narrating his alleged false story to the police at the station, a newly transferred female police officer to the Onikan Division who in August last year investigated a similar case the boy reported at a police station in Bayelsa, raised an alarm and said the boy was a fraud, saying she had investigated a similar case for the boy in Bayelsa State and discovered that he was a liar.

Following the development, the female Divisional Police Officer in charge of Onikan Division ordered her men to arrest the suspect and investigate him.

During investigation, according to the police, the suspect allegedly confessed that he feeds on giving false information to the police.

He said he makes up stories of how he was attacked by robbers while pointing out that his innocent victims are arrested and subjected to hardship, adding that, he had defrauded many people at various police stations in Nigeria with the method.

“I started visiting Police Stations to give false information that some men robbed me of money and handsets which was not true due to hardship I suffered after my father died few years ago.

“And I have given false information of robbery attack on me to the police in Bayelsa ,Rivers, Ogun and Lagos states and the Police always believe me because to my age and innocent look.

“And when they lead me to the crime scene, I will point at innocent people as the suspects, and the police will arrest them and take them to the station unknown to them that I fabricated the allegations just to get money to survive.

“And at the station, I will threaten the police to charge the suspects to court or I write a petition against them, and with the threat, all the arrested suspects will find a way to refund what I claimed they stole from me.

“And the police have not been able to detect that I was lying until the female officer who investigated a similar case for me in Bayelsa State last year exposed me when she saw me narrating the same robbery story to the police at Onikan Division, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Speaking on his plight, he said: “I believe Almighty God want me to repent that is why he sent the police officer who investigated a similar case I reported at a police station in Bayelsa State last year to Lagos to expose me.

“I am appealing to the Nigerian Police to forgive me for deceiving them to arrest innocent people for me to extort money from them,” Onum said.

After investigation, the suspect of no fixed address was arraigned before an Igbosere magistrates’ court, Lagos on a two-count charge of felony to wit and giving false information to the police to defraud members of the public and conducts likely to cause breach of public peace.

The police said the offences the accused committed are punishable under sections 93 and 166(d) of the criminal laws of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused however pleaded not guilty to the alleged crime in open court.

Magistrate, Mr P.A Adekomaiya admitted him to bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Mr Adekomaiya adjourned the case till 25 April, 2016 for mention, while the defendant was taken to Ikoyi prison, Lagos pending when he will fulfil his bail conditions.

By pmnews  

Paul Iyoghojie

Falana - Ask Minister Of Finance And FG To Shelve The Idea Of Looking For External Loan For Nigeria

NNPC, Oil Coys, Looters Owe Nigeria $200bn – Falana


 

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana

Human rights lawyer and senior advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana, has asked the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, and the Federal government to shelve the idea of looking for external loan for Nigeria.

Instead, he asks her and the Government to make efforts to collect the outstanding $200 billion owed the country by the NNPC, oil companies and looters. In case government is confused about where the huge trove of dollars is being kept, Falana gave a catalogue of the outstanding sums.

Falana threatens to file a court action against the Federal Government if it fails to heed his advice.

In his letter to Adeosun, he said, “We are compelled to call on the Federal Government to muster the political will and courage to recover the aforesaid withheld or stolen wealth of not less than $200 billion belonging to the Nigerian people. However, if you refuse to accede to our request we shall have no alternative than to initiate legal proceedings at the Federal High Court with a view to restraining the Federal Government from further plunging the nation into external indebtedness.”

Read full letter below:

8th April, 2016

The Honourable Minister of Finance,

Federal Ministry of Finance,

Ahmadu Bello Way,

Central Business District,

Abuja, FCT.Dear Honourable Minister,

REQUEST FOR THE COLLECTION OF OUTSTANDING REVENUE OF $200 BILLION WITHHELD FROM THE FEDERATION ACCOUNT OR STOLEN BY LOOTERS

Following a recent report that the Federal Government had concluded arrangements take a loan of $2.5 billion from the World Bank and $1 billion the African Development Bank we wrote to the Administration requested to jettison the plan. In our letter dated February 12, 2016 addressed to your good self we urged the Federal Government to explore alternative sources of raising revenue to fund the 2016 budget instead of increasing the nation’s external debt of $64 billion. In particular, we requested the federal government to embark on the recovery of the revenue of $42 billion withheld from the Federation Account from 1999-2012 by some transnational oil companies, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and other agencies of the federal government.

In your reply dated March 17, 2016 you assured us that the issues raised in our letter were receiving the attention of the Federal Government. We were therefore surprised to learn that the Administration had applied to the Chinese Government for another loan of $2 billion. In urging the Federal Government to desist from taking the loan of $2 billion from China or any other country we are compelled to advise the Federal Government to intensify efforts to recover the nation’s wealth which has been criminally diverted by a handful of local and foreign looters. The Federal Government may wish to direct the relevant agencies and the anti graft bodies to collect the stolen wealth including the following:

(a) The National Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative has confirmed that from five cycles of independent audit reports of NEITI covering 1999-2012 the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), some oil companies and certain agencies of the federal government had withheld $20.2 billion for the Federation Account.

The indicted oil companies and agencies should be made to remit the said sum of $20.2 billion into the Federation Account.



Kemi Adeosun, Nigeria’s Finance Minister

(b) In 2006, the Central Bank of Nigeria apportioned $7 billion out of the nation’s external reserves to 14 Nigerian banks. In 2008, the CBN also gave a bailout of N600 billion ($4 billion) to the banks. The indebted banks should be asked to repay the $11 billion loan.

(c) On September 6, 2016 the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) announced that arrangements had been concluded to recover the sum of $9.6 billion in over-deducted tax benefits from joint venture partners on major capital projects and oil swap contracts. Since the NNPC is said to have recovered the said sum of $9.6 billion it should be remitted into the Federation Account.

(d) Sometime in 2009, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited applied to the federal government for the renewal of three oil blocks. Upon granting the application the NNPC asked Mobil to pay the sum of $2.5 billion for the renewal of the licences. Curiously, the $600 million paid by the Mobil was accepted by the federal government. One of our clients has requested the EFCC to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fraudulent transaction. The outstanding sum of $1.9 billion ought to be collected from Mobil and paid into the federation account.

(e) From 1998-2014 the Federal Government collected over $4 billion from the over $5 billion stolen from the vaults of the CBN by a former military ruler, the late General Sani Abacha. I have submitted a petition to the Economic and Financial Commission to investigate the alleged criminal diversion of the recovered loot by some former public officers. The governments of the United States and Switzerland have promised to repatriate $458 million and $321 million respectively recovered from the loot. 

(f) In 1999, the Abdulsalami Abubakar military junta enacted theDeep Offshore Inland Sharing Contract Decree to give effect to certain fiscal incentives for the oil and gas companies operating in the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin under production sharing contracts. Thus, by virtue of section 5 of the Act, the payment of royalty in respect of the Deep Offshore production sharing contracts shall range from 4 to 12 per cent while no royalty shall be paid whatsoever in areas in excess of 1000 metres depth! Since the 15-year period of for non-payment of royalties expired in June 2014 the should collect arreas of royalties running to hundreds of million of dollars owed by the oil and gas companies operating in the area.

(g) The $470 million contract awarded to ZTE, (a Chinese company) in 2009 by the federal government for the construction of CCTV cameras in Abuja and Lagos has been abandoned. Hence, the cameras which were installed did not capture the criminals who recently launched bomb attacks in Abuja and killed scores of citizens. Since the contract was not executed the federal government should recover the contract sum of $470 million. 

(h) In the Appropriation Act, 2011 the sum of N245 billion was earmarked for fuel subsidy. In violation of the budget law the federal government fraudulently paid out N2.5 trillion ($16 billion) to a cabal of fuel importers. The investigation conducted into the large scale fraud by the Police and the anti graft agencies was compromised due to pressure from the Jonathan administration. The EFCC should revisit the matter.

(i) On July 6, 2012 the Supreme Court of Nigeria set aside the fraudulent sale of the federal governnent owned Aluminium Smelting Company of Nigeria (ASCON) located in Akwa Ibom state to RUSAL for $250 million and directed the company be sold BFIG, the winner of the bid for $410 million. The federal government should direct the National Council of Privatisation to comply with the judgment. The federal government stands to realise an additional sum of $160 million from the sale.

(j) For contravention of the law on compulsory registration of all SIM cards the NCC imposed a fine of $5.2 billion on MTN last year. Based on plea by the MTN management and the intervention of the Government of South Africa the fine was reduced to $3.9 billion out of which MTN has paid the paltry sum of $250 million. Since MTN has withdrawn the suit challenging the payment of the fine the federal government should take steps to ensure the prompt payment of the outstanding balance of $3.65 billion.

(k) Under the Jonathan administration it was estimated that the nation was recording oil theft worth $7 billion to criminals annually. An investigation being carried out by a team of lawyers hired by the federal government has so far confirmed that hundreds of millions of barrels of oil were stolen by oil companies and shipped to many countries. According to the lawyers the total amount recoverable by the Nigeria Government from the Sellers and Buyers who stole Nigeria’s hydrocarbons and shipped same to the United States from January 2011 to December 2014 stands at US$12.7 billion. Since the verification is programmed to cover 10 years it is estimated that Nigeria can recover not less that $100 billion from the undeclared millions of barrels of oil shipped to the United States and other countries. The EFCC should collaborate with the lawyers to recover the missing fund and prosecute the transnational oil companies involved in the grand oil theft.

(l) On February 20, 2014, President Goodluck Jonathan fired the then Central Bank Governor, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi for having the temerity to expose the NNPC for not remitting $20 billion to the Federation Account. Following the reconciliation of the accounts of the NNPC by the federal government the missing sum was said to be $10.8 billion. To douse the tension generated by the scandal the Federal Government appointed a firm of auditors to audit the books of the NNPC. But in a bid to cover up the scandal the Federal Government ensured that the auditors were denied access to vital documents. At the end of the investigation the auditors indicted the NNPC for withholding $1.8 billion from the Federation Account.

(m) Rising from its monthly meeting at Abuja on September 17, 2015 the National Economic Council accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) of failing to remit N3.8 trillion to the Federation Account under the Jonathan administration. The Council set up a committee of 3 state governors to trace the missing fund. Last month, the Auditor-General of the Federation indicted the NNPC for withholding N3.2 trillion from the Federation Account in 2014. The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission has said that ” the total indebtedness of the NNPC to the Federation Account is N4.9 trillion ($32.6).” In its reaction to the allegations the NNPC has challenged the figures but admitted that it has withheld the sum of N326 billion! The federal government should investigate the conflicting figures to dtermine the actual amount withheld by the NNPC.

(o) The unprecedented looting of the public treasury via the NNPC took place under the rogue regime of President Goodluck Jonathan has continued unabated under the President Buhari who is currently waging a war against corruption. Last week, a firm of auditors revealed that out of the sum of $6.4 billion realised from the sale of crude oil and gas by the Federal Government in the first quarter of 2016 the NNPC remitted only $2 billion to the Federation Account and withheld the colossal sum of $4.2 billion. Up till now the NNPC has not explained how much of the sum of $4.2 billion was spent on its operations in 3 months.

(p) The presidential panel instituted by President Buhari to investigate the criminal diversion of the fund earmarked for procurement of weapons for the armed forces from 2007-2015 has established that over $8 billion was stolen by handful of serving and retired military officers and their civilian collaborators via the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Air Force. The Panel is currently probing similar fraudulent arms procurement in the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Navy. The EFCC has commenced the recovery of the said sum of $8 billion and prosecution of individuals and corporate bodies implicated in the criminal diversion.

(q) The United States’ Government has successfully prosecuted Halliburton and its top officials for bribing Nigerian public officers with $180 million and recovered fines of about $1.3 billion. Although no one was prosecuted in Nigeria the federal government about $200 million was paid by Halliburton and other indicted companies through plea bargain.

(r) The sale of the OPM 245 for $1.3 billion otherwise known as Malabo oil deal has continued to generate controversy. Allegations of bribery and money laundering are being investigated by the British Police, the Italian Police and the EFCC. 

Apart from the $210 million signature bonus paid to the federal government the sum of $190 million has been frozen in the United Kingdom and Switzerland. 

The Italian Police has also frozen $200 million from the proceed of the transaction. The federal government ought to take a final decision on the matter so as to end the controversy surrounding the sale of the oil block.

In the light of the foregoing, we are compelled to call on the Federal Government to muster the political will and courage to recover the aforesaid withheld or stolen wealth of not less than $200 billion belonging to the Nigerian people. However, if you refuse to accede to our request we shall have no alternative than to initiate legal proceedings at the Federal High Court with a view to restraining the Federal Government from further plunging the nation into external indebtedness. Femi Falana SAN.

CBN Set To Create Jobs Through Local Production

Emefiele - CBN Ready To Create Jobs 

The Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has assured genuine investors of cooperation and support toward self-sufficiency in local production of essential goods and the economic diversification drive.

The assurance was contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja by the bank’s acting Director, Corporate Communications, Mr Isaac Okorafor.

According to the statement, Emefiele said this during the facility tour of the newly completed Sunti Golden Sugar factory in Sunti, Niger.

The CBN governor said “the bank invested about N26 billion in the project in order to encourage import substitution and backward integration strategy.

“Such investments are geared toward self-sufficiency, generate employment and create wealth.”

Emefiele urged small scale sugarcane farmers in the area to leverage on the presence of the Sunti Golden Sugar factory
to boost production, as the company would now buy all their produce.

Also, the Chairman of the Flour Mill of Nigeria Group, owners of Sunti Golden Sugar Company, Mr John Coumantaros, expressed appreciation for the uncommon support which the CBN gave the company.

He said the CBN’s support had led to the scheduled completion of the project.

Coumantaros said the N45 billion sugar-refining project was expected to create over 15,000 jobs, including 3,500 direct jobs and 3,000 small scale out-grower farmers.

According to him, the sugar company will save over 50 million dollars in foreign exchange for the country annually.

He added that “Nigeria presently produces 1.7 million tonnes of raw sugar which is about two per cent of her needs whereas countries like Benin Republic, Senegal and Mali currently produce 26 per cent, 48 per cent and 28 per cent of their needs.

“As such, the planned 100,000 tonnes of raw sugar to be produced by Sunti Golden Sugar Company will augment the supply gap, create jobs and save foreign exchange for the country.

“This is in addition to generation of 10 megawatts of electricity , animal feeds and fertiliser from the sugarcane residue.”

FG Releases ( PMS ) To Independent Marketers

FG releases ( PMS ) to independent marketers

The Federal Government has commenced the release of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as petrol to Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN). fuel-pump Information on the release is contained in a statement issued by Mr Lawson Ngoa, the Secretary, IPMAN Reconciliation Committee, on Sunday in Abuja. It would be recalled that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe kachikwu, constituted a 14-man committee to resolve IPMAN crisis and to ensure end to fuel scarcity in the country. The statement quoted the committee secretary as saying the release of the product was part of efforts to settle the 7,000 pending loading tickets of IPMAN. He stated that some marketers had confirmed that they started loading the products from some depots in Lagos as a result of the efforts of the Committee. He noted that IPMAN controlled over 80 per cent of the petroleum products’ retail outlets in the country and that members were not getting products from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) due to internal leadership crisis since last two years. Ngoa said the Committee had taken steps to ensure that products were available all over the country. He thanked Nigerians for the patience and understanding during difficult period and assured that with the support of the minister of petroleum resources and his team, the scarcity would soon be over. He further called on stakeholders to shun unnecessary rancor and join hands with the Committee to restore peace and normalcy in petroleum distribution.
www.vanguardngr.com

President Buhari, Osinbajo, Saraki, & Dogara hold talks

Buhari, Osinbajo, Saraki, & Dogara hold talks on 2016 Budget

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/2016-budget-buhari-osinbajo-meet-national-assembly-leadership/

Talks On 2016 Budget

Buhari, Osinbajo, Saraki, & Dogara hold talks on 2016 Budget

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/2016-budget-buhari-osinbajo-meet-national-assembly-leadership/

Buhari, Osinbajo, Saraki, & Dogara hold talks on 2016 Budget

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/2016-budget-buhari-osinbajo-meet-national-assembly-leadership/

Buhari, Osinbajo, Saraki, & Dogara hold talks on 2016 Budget

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/2016-budget-buhari-osinbajo-meet-national-assembly-leadership/

Buhari, Osinbajo, Saraki, & Dogara hold talks on 2016 Budget

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/2016-budget-buhari-osinbajo-meet-national-assembly-leadership/

ABUJA -Apparently disappointed with the drastic reduction of budgetary allocation to capital projects in the 2016 budget estimates, President Muhammadu Buhari and his vice, Yemi Osinbajo had met with the senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki and the speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara. buhari1The meeting, Vanguard exclusively gathered held, Saturday night, at the presidential villa with the participation of some ministers. The meeting was to find a ruse on some proposals in the budget that were either drastically reduced, transferred or expunged. Another subject that featured prominently for evaluation in the meeting was whether the presidency was returning the document back to National Assembly to be reworked or in due course of its implementation, send a Supplementary Bill to the parliament. It will be recalled that the presidency on Friday held an emergency meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC to review the details of the budget submitted by the National Assembly on Thursday. To this end, the Ministers were mandated to review the budget vis-a-vis their original submissions A presidency source told Vanguard in confidence that President Buhari was in haste to assent to the budget even before he traveled to China, but new findings in the budget indicated that it was not implemented. The source stated that though he was not particularly privy to the Saturday meeting, it was sure that there had been some form of communication between the presidency and the national in trying to find a meeting point on the budget. “There has been some communication between presidency and the National Assembly. I don’t know of any specific meeting at any specific time. But I know there should be some form of communication between both arms of government to rectify things. “To tell you the truth, the president is in a haste to sign the budget into law as soon as possible”, he said.




www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/2016

By Levinus Nwabughiogu