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N4bn fraud: EFCC calls two witnesses to testify against Obiano
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Tuesday, opened its case at the Federal High Court Abuja in the money-laundering suit brought against the immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano.
The anti-graft agency presented a total of two witnesses in today’s trial.
A bank manager, Mr Tochukwu Nnadi, who entered the witness box as the first prosecution witness, PW-1, told the court that sometime in April 2022, the EFCC invited him and told him it was in respect of an ongoing investigation.
He was the manager of the branch and handled most of the financial activities of the past state government.
Nnadi told the court that he was a bank manager at Awka, the capital of Anambra State, where he managed customers’ accounts and interfaced with various security and anti-graft agencies in terms of inquiry on a customer’s account.
He also disclosed that he knows the defendant, the immediate past governor of Anambra State.
He explained that the state government maintains various accounts with the bank he works for, and one such account was for security votes.
He claimed the security vote account was just like every other account that they managed for the state government, and there was really nothing special about it.
He said, “The account was mostly funded by the office of the Accountant General of the state and bulk of the funds came from Internally Generated Revenue, of the state”.
He added that payments into the account were made on a weekly basis, and all transactions out of the account were always based on the advice of the account operators.
“The payments we made out of the account were to various entities and corporate organisations,” he said.
He claimed documents containing the names of all the beneficiaries had already been submitted to the EFCC.
However, he refused to mention the names of the beneficiaries in the open court, when he was asked to by prosecution counsel, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, SAN.
He said it would amount to a breach of his oath of secrecy.
He said the accounts were funded every week and cash withdrawals, Manager’s cheques, transfers and drafts were instruments that were used to remove the funds, based on instructions from the operators of the accounts.
He added that “Some of the documents he submitted to the EFCC included the certified true copy of the statements of account, cover letter for the statements of account, packages used to open the account, as well as certificates of identification for each of the accounts.
The court admitted in evidence 794 pages of documents from the bank, which was tendered as Exhibit PW-1 (A1- A 794).
Also, another set of documents dated June 1, 2023, showing the debits that were made from the accounts, were also admitted in evidence.
After Nnadi, EFCC presented another witness, PW-2, an Onitsha-based businesswoman, Mrs Chinwe Egbunam, who informed the court that she is a trader specialising in Turkish wear.
She told the court that on May 20, she received a call that she was needed at the EFCC office over some money that had passed through the account of her company, C.I. Party Ventures Nigeria Limited.
She explained that when she arrived at the anti-graft agency office, she told them that she didn’t know anything about the money.
She said her account officer, Mr Ugochukwu Otibelu, only helped her to upgrade her account to enable her to meet the requirements of the embassy of Turkey, based on her request to him.
“It was to upgrade the account to enable me to be able to travel and the upgrade was for him to help me and post money into my account.
“My account officer accepted my request and collected my company account and cheque.
“However, at the EFCC, I was told that about N156. 8 million passed through my account from the Anambra State Government.”
She, however, said she did not touch the money that was paid into the account as it did not belong to her.
She also claimed that the directors of the company account were her family members.
She added that she does not know the governor personally.
“Outside the fact that the defendant was the governor of Anambra State, I never had any dealings with him.”
She was also asked by the prosecution to tell the court what the security situation in Anambra was like when Obiano was governor.
She said “I currently stay in Anambra. There is usually no movement in the state every Monday because of a sit-at-home order. ESN and IPOB operate fully in Anambra state.
“During the tenure of the defendant, there was serious insecurity in Anambra State, and I know that the government worked with organisations and churches to maintain peace in the state.
“This was because churches, organisations and even mosques were under threat during that period,” she said.
The defence lawyer, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, said they would reserve objections to the exhibits and raise them at their final address.
Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned further hearing until Wednesday, June 25.
Obiano was the governor of Anambra State from March 2014 to March 2022.
He is facing a nine-count charge brought against him by EFCC.
Obiano is accused of defrauding the state to the tune of N4 billion from the state treasury account.
The monies were said to have been stolen from Anambra State’s Security Vote Account, which was converted into dollars and given to the defendant in cash.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, OSSIEC, has announced that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, won all the local government and councillorship positions in the just concluded local government elections in the state.
The Chairman of the Commission, Hashim Abioye, made this announcement via a Facebook Live broadcast on Saturday evening.
Abioye stated that PDP candidates secured all the councillorship seats in all 332 wards in the state, as well as the chairmanship elections in all 30 local government council areas.
The names of the PDP chairmanship candidates and their respective local government council areas:
Babalola Wasiu Kayode – Boripe
Okunade Oluwafemi Adesanya – Egbedore
Adeyenuwo Rotimi John – Ife Central
Agboola Francis Olajire – Obokun
Azeez Lateef Adeniran – Isokan
Aina Abayomi Adesina – Boluwaduro
Sodiq Samuel Oluwapelumi – Ola Oluwa
Ajibade Oluwatoyin S. – Irepodun
Adebanjo Oladiti Tunmininu – Ilesa West
Ibironke Alade Adegboye – Atakumosa East
Aroke Muyiwa Aderemi – Ife South
Kolade Obafemi Kolawole – Olorunda
Moshood Adekunle Kabiru – Iwo
Awotunde Abiodun Sarafadeen – Ifelodun
Akande Taiwo Adekunle – Osogbo
Dada Feyisayo Ajibola – Atakumosa West
Amodu Taiwo – Ede North
Atolagbe Kayode Olayinka – Ifedayo
Akande Michael O. – Ife North
Adeyekun Taiwo Adebayo – Oriade
Adeniran Adenike Felicia – Ayedaade
Afolabi Oyekola Lukman – Ede South
Odunyemi Haruna Bukola – Ife East
Jooda Ambali Babajide – Irewole
Adewale Adeyinka Oluwaseun – Odo Otin
Ogunbiyi Solomon Akinyemi – Ayedire
Raimi Adenike Nafisat – Ejigbo
Adebisi Jayeola Nasir – Ila
Ilesanmi Taiwo Sunday – Ilesa East
Alade Aderemi Fatai – Orolu
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested three persons linked to the alleged assault on its officers during the crisis that rocked the Lagos State House of Assembly, following the removal Mudashiru Obasa, as Speaker
Apparently sensing danger, some lawmakers had mobilized their supporters to the Assembly Complex, but these supporters allegedly attacked some DSS officers who were invited by the Assembly leadership to secure the facility. Security sources revealed that “after extensive analysis of CCTV footage, we were able to clearly identify three of the suspects”.
“The suspects, Ibrahim Olanrewaju Abdulkareem, a photographer and two others attached to the Assembly’s Seargent at Arms, Adetu Adekunle Samsudeen and Adetola Oluwatosin Fatimoh, a lady, were consequently tracked and arrested during the week in different parts of Lagos,” The trio have since confessed to the crime and will soon be charged to court, the source said.
It would be recalled that the Lagos Assembly had in a leaked memo dated 14th February, 2025 and addressed to the DSS Director in the State, and Heads of other Security Agencies in Lagos State, told the Security Agencies in Lagos that, there was credible information to the effect that, Obasa had planned to forcefully reinstate himself today, February 18, 2025.
Accordingly, the Assembly management, held the view that, the development posed “a potential security threat” to it and its members.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), Hashim Abioye, has claimed that the police have sealed off the headquarters in Osogbo.
In a video post on the OSSIEC X handle, Abioye accused the police of also arresting election officials and blocking journalists from covering the local government election.
According to him, several OSSIEC officials were detained while on their way to polling units on Saturday.
Attempts by our correspondent to reach Abioye for further details proved abortive as his telephone line was switched off.
The OSSIEC chair, in the post, assured voters that materials had been deployed to affected areas.
So far so good, the reports have been positive and the conduct has been very smooth and peaceful as against the false alarm raised by the police. Everywhere is calm,” Abioye said.
“The only thing is that in some of the areas in which materials are supposed to have arrived for voters to cast their votes, we had reports of police arresting our officials.
“I don’t know on whose order because there is no court order that warranted the arrest of officers of our officials.
“As it is, we have deployed materials to those units because we have enough on the ground.
For our people in the media community, I want to apologise for the inadequacy of the tags and the jackets because we have enough but the police sealed our office and that was not warranted at all.”
Abioye’s comments come after police had called for the local government election to be called off by the state government, citing a security threat.
In a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Friday, the Police said it received credible intelligence indicating a likelihood of violence and significant security threats should the planned elections proceed.
The police explained that reports gathered from joint intelligence gathering revealed that various groups, including political elements and other interested parties, are mobilising to instigate unrest, disrupt public peace and undermine the democratic order.
However, the Osun State government acknowledged the police’s advice but insisted on going on with the election.
Channels Television reports that the election eventually went on as scheduled on Saturday.
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