Connect with us
Advertisment

Business

Court orders ex-gov Nnamani’s arrest for alleged N5.3bn fraud

Published

on

Advertisment

 

The Federal High Court in Lagos, on Monday, issued a bench warrant against a former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani, and his ex-aide, Sunday Anyaogu, with whom he was charged with an alleged fraud of N5.3bn.

Advertisment

Justice Chuka Obiozor ordered the arrest of the ex-governor and Anyaogu for failing to appear in court on Monday for their scheduled re-arraignment.

The judge rejected the explanation by Nnamani’s lawyer, Mr. Abubakar Shamsudeen, from the chambers of Mr. Rickey Tarfa (SAN), that his client was at the moment in a hospital in the United States, reportedly recuperating after a heart surgery.

He declined the lawyer’s request for an adjournment till January next year, expressing displeasure with the former governor’s appearance, noting that the case had lasted for 10 years.

Advertisement

ADVERTISING

The judge stated that the judiciary had always been blamed for the delay in such cases.

Justice Obiozor added, “This matter was slated for re-arraignment today; and I have not found any justification for the absence of the accused persons before this court to take their pleas.

“There must be an end to litigation. The charge before me was filed in 2007 and it is now 10 years.

“In the peculiar circumstances of this case, and particularly in the absence of any convincing explanation on the absence of the defendants before this court today, it is hereby ordered that a bench warrant be issued against the first and second defendants as well as a summon for the sureties to show cause.

“Consequently, this case is adjourned until December 14 for further proceedings.”

When the case was called for hearing on Monday, the prosecuting counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Kelvin Uzozie, had noted that the matter was scheduled for the re-arraignment of Nnamani and Anyaogu but explained that they were absent.

He then applied that the judge should issue a bench warrant against them.

“I humbly apply that bench warrants be issued against the first and second defendants and their sureties,” Uzozie pleaded.

But Shamsudeen urged the judge to decline the application for the bench warrants, saying his office had been unable to reach Nnamani in the US or his family since last Thursday that the matter came up afresh in court.

“I was reliably informed that the defendant had a heart surgery last month, and we wanted to get a medical report but unfortunately, we could not,” Shamsudeen added.

He argued that the defendants’ absence in court was not deliberate, stating that they had regularly attended their trial before Justice Mohammed Yunusa, who was handling the case earlier.

But the judge, who noted that the case came up last in 2015, asked the lawyer why Nnamani stopped attending trial even before his heart surgery last month.

Shamsudeen told the judge that some of the companies, charged alongside Nnamani and Anyaogu, had entered into a plea bargain with the Federal Government.

He said though Nnamani and Anyaogu pleaded not guilty, Nnamani had interest in the companies that entered into a plea bargain and forfeited their assets, adding that Nnamani’s ill health was part of the reasons for the plea bargain.

Justice Obiozor however said since Nnamani was being tried in his personal capacity and was not affected by the plea bargain entered into by the companies, there was no justification for his absence in court.

He stated, “A defendant may be guilty or not guilty but the law requires such a defendant to appear and stand his trial, and the sole duty of the court is to do justice.

“You are asking for an adjournment till January when this case has lingered on since 2007 which is almost 10 years.

“Justice, as we all know, is a three-way traffic and once it is lagging, you blame the judiciary.

“This is not a case of more haste and less speed; no, I won’t allow that in my court. This is a 2007 charge and up till now, we are still talking of plea.”

The EFCC lawyer, Uzozie, also countered Shamsudeen, saying the photograph he brought to court, to prove that Nnamani was bedridden in a US hospital, had been in circulation since 2014.

 

Advertisment
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Business

ASR AFRICA BEGINS THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ABDUL SAMAD RABIU CLASSROOM BLOCKS FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF UYO UNDER ITS TERTIARY EDUCATION GRANTS SCHEME

Published

on

ASR AFRICA BEGINS THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ABDUL SAMAD RABIU CLASSROOM BLOCKS FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF UYO UNDER ITS TERTIARY EDUCATION GRANTS SCHEME

 

Advertisment

 

 

Advertisment

 

 

 

Advertisement

Uyo, May 9th, 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sahara Weekly Reports That The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) has commenced the construction of four classroom blocks for the University of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State with a groundbreaking held on the university campus today. This donation forms part of a grant given to the University of Uyo through the ASR Africa Tertiary Education Grants Scheme, which was drawn from ASR Africa’s US$100 million Fund for Social Development and Renewal.

 

 

 

 

ASR AFRICA BEGINS THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ABDUL SAMAD RABIU CLASSROOM BLOCKS FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF UYO UNDER ITS TERTIARY EDUCATION GRANTS SCHEME

 

 

 

 

 

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Nyaudoh U. Ndaeyo, expressed his gratitude to ASR Africa for considering the University of Uyo as a worthy beneficiary of the Tertiary Education Grant Scheme. He emphasised that constructing these classroom blocks was a top priority for the university and requested that the project be completed quickly so that the institution could start using it. He also appreciated the Chairman of ASR Africa, Abdul Samad Rabiu, for his various interventions in tertiary institutions in the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Ubon Udoh, MD CEO of ASR Africa, whilst giving his remarks, applauded the management of the University of Uyo for their support project so far. He also reiterated the commitment of the founder and Chairman of ASR Africa, Abdul Samad Rabiu, to supporting quality education within the tertiary education system in Nigeria and Africa. He further urged the students to make good use of the new facility when it is completed.

 

 

 

 

ASR AFRICA BEGINS THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ABDUL SAMAD RABIU CLASSROOM BLOCKS FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF UYO UNDER ITS TERTIARY EDUCATION GRANTS SCHEME

 

 

 

 

 

So far, over 27 public and private Nigerian universities and institutions of higher learning have benefitted from the ASR Africa Tertiary Education Grants, including the University of Maiduguri, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, the University of Ilorin, the University of Benin, and the University of Ibadan; Adamawa State University, University of Jos, Federal University of Technology, Minna amongst others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About ASR Africa

ASR Africa is the brainchild of the African Industrialist, Philanthropist, and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu. The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) was established in 2021 to provide sustainable, impact-based, homegrown solutions to developmental issues affecting Health, Education and Social Development within Africa.

 

 

 

 

Advertisment
Continue Reading

Business

More Taxes, Economic Hardship Fulfills Primate Ayodele’s Prophecy On Tinubu’s Government

Published

on

*More Taxes, Economic Hardship Fulfills Primate Ayodele’s Prophecy On Tinubu’s Government

 

Advertisment

 

 

Advertisment

For almost one year, Nigerians have been made to go through palpable mayhem in the sectors that should drive the nation into bountifulness. Most especially, the economy and security sectors have maintained a constant downtime, leading to an unprecedented perilous season for the citizens of the once-lively nation.

 

 

Advertisement

More Taxes, Economic Hardship Fulfills Primate Ayodele’s Prophecy On Tinubu’s Government

The predicament of the country cannot be separated from the current leadership; the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration cannot be exonerated from the country’s current state because the policies of the government are the major factors responsible for hardship.

Although President Tinubu’s mantra was ‘Renewed hope’ , many quarters of the country have simply exuded hopelessness in the last one year; an administration that raised the hopes of its citizens and promised to make life enjoyable didn’t waste time before inflicting pains on innocent electorates.

The beginning of Nigeria’s renewed woes was the first declaration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at his swearing-in ceremony that ‘Subsidy is gone’. Barely 24 hours after the President’s statement, the price of petrol increased from N189/Litre to N557, the highest in the history of Africa’s largest oil producer.

While many couldn’t see more to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu than meets the eye during the campaigns, a distinguished Nigerian prophet, Primate Ayodele already X-rayed through his prophetic lens what would become of the APC government if Nigerians voted for the party.

Several Nigerians banked on the renewed hope mantra of President Tinubu but Primate Ayodele was that fearless voice warning Nigerians against voting for Tinubu or the All Progressive Congress (APC) because it would be a government of hardship for the country.

Some of his warnings were hinged on the state of Nigeria’s economy and security. In viral videos, he was heard saying voting for President Tinubu would lead Nigeria into a dungeon. In follow-up prophecies, He prophesied that Dollar will be sold for N1,500, fuel will be sold for N800/Litre, a bag of rice will be sold for N6500, to mention a few.

‘’ I’m not saying anyone should not insult me, I am not scared of any human being. If Nigeria votes APC in 2023, things will be tougher. We will see human beings and want to eat them like food. This is how God told me. I am not saying you should not criticize me or say anything against me even as an APC member, I warned you in 2015 too. You want to vote for lies in 2023, if you vote for the party that has a broom as their symbol, I pity churches. I am not against anybody and I don’t vote, Nigeria will be tough. If you vote and Tinubu enters, there will be serious problems.’’

‘’If Nigerians vote for APC in 2023, the country will sink, we will swim in poverty, and the economy will be in shambles. If APC wins, Nigeria will suffer extraordinarily. We have not yet seen hardship; if APC wins, the real hardship will come. The economy will be sick.’’

As the cleric foretold, citizens are swimming in serious poverty, food items have become unaffordable for the common man, the Nigerian economy has been struggling to breathe for one year without any significant headway and in short, Nigeria has been thrown into an endless dungeon.

Moreover, suffice to say that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration, just as Primate Ayodele foretold, is one that is bent on making Nigerians suffer extraordinarily. The government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) just recently introduced some taxes despite the current hardship faced by those who will still be required to pay the newly imposed taxes.

In a memo, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ordered all commercial banks to impose a 0.5% levy on some electronic transactions. The fund is supposed to be transmitted to the Office of the National Security Adviser for the purpose of cyber security. The levy is imposed on the initiator of the transaction and not the receiver.

There is the stamp duty, the Nigerian Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) charge, and the Value Added Tax. This is apart from the charges imposed by banks like the maintenance fee and the SMS charges.

Meanwhile, the introduction and increment of some of these taxes were all foretold by Primate Ayodele who warned the citizens against voting for another APC government.

In his 2024 prophecies which were released in December 2023, the cleric revealed that there will be an increase in tariffs and more taxes would be introduced for Nigerians in the coming year.

‘’I foresee there will be a high cost of living as tariffs on goods and Services will be raised and taxes will be too high despite the fact that the goods are not contrabands. The spirit of God says the economy will still be very difficult to manage. The government needs to do something good for the people and seek the face of the Lord for divine direction.’’

In another video, he asserted that the government would increase stamp duty and Value added Tax (VAT).

‘’I am seeing an increase in stamp duties. The bank stamp duty will not be friendly to the people…it’s going to be a new thing that will come out. Also, increment in VAT will shut down the economy. The government must not try to increase it because it will make the economy tougher’’

@primateayodele

#centralbank #cardoso #olayemicardoso #cbn #centralbankofnigeria #banking #duties #charge #stampduties #primateayodele #iescworldwide

♬ original sound – Primate Ayodele

The prophecies of Primate Elijah Ayodele and their manifestation further explain the negligent attitude of people especially when it comes to divine revelations from the almighty God. There are no questions about Primate Ayodele’s credibility; there are proven records of over 15,000 fulfilled prophecies credited to him but the ears of the electorate have simply been deafened towards divine warnings.

Well, 2027 is by the corner and hopefully, they listen; maybe Nigeria will become a better nation that exudes hopefulness, liveliness, and wellness.

Advertisment
Continue Reading

Business

Jumbo Emerges Rivers Assembly Speaker

Published

on

Jumbo Emerges Rivers Assembly Speaker

*Jumbo Emerges Rivers Assembly Speaker

 

Advertisment

 

Rt. Hon. Oko Jumbo representing Bonny Constituency has emerged as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Advertisment

Oko becomes the third Speaker under the current administration after Edison Ehie and Martin Amaewhule.

Details later…

 

Advertisement

Jumbo Emerges Rivers Assembly Speaker

Advertisment
Continue Reading

Cover Of The Week

Trending