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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
A 35-year-old Nigerian, Timilehin Olatunji, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the rape of a woman at a property in Nottingham during the early hours of September 29, 2024.
It was gathered that the victim courageously used a mobile app to record audio evidence of the attack before escaping and reporting the crime to Nottinghamshire Police.
Following the report, Olatunji was arrested shortly afterward and subsequently charged with three counts of rape.
He pleaded guilty to the charges.
During the sentencing at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday, January 15, Judge Michael Auty described the assault as “despicable and vile” and “beyond rational understanding.”
He condemned Olatunji’s actions, saying: “You took it upon yourself to rape her in the most brutal, sadistic, and cruel way imaginable.”
Olatunji has also been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and is subject to an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim.
In a statement released on Thursday, Nottinghamshire Police commended the victim’s bravery and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting survivors of sexual violence.
Detective Constable Emily Bucklow, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “The recorded evidence of Olatunji’s horrific assault made this case particularly harrowing for all the officers who worked on it.
“It is one of the most upsetting things I have had to listen to in my policing career and only enhances my admiration for this victim’s bravery.
“I would also like to commend her for the courage she showed following Olatunji’s arrest and dignity during the subsequent court proceedings,” Emily said.
The detective said, “He subjected her to a violent, degrading and sustained ordeal but she has shown immense bravery to help us bring him to justice.
“I hope the sentence handed down will at least provide some closure to what must have been an acutely distressing period of her life.
“I also hope the sentencing of Olatunji will encourage other victims of rape and serious sexual assault to have the confidence to come forward and report offenders.
“Our experienced officers are here to help the victims of appalling crimes like this,” Emily added.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government reportedly spent a total of N9.74billion for the procurement and distribution of food items as part of its efforts to mitigate the nationwide food crisis in 2024.
This was revealed by BudgIT on its platform, GovSpend, a civic-tech organisation advocating for transparency and accountability.
According to the report, a large portion of the funds was dedicated to supplying essential food staples such as rice, beans, maize, and other commodities.
The report showed that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security led the initiatives, making multiple payments to contractors responsible for the emergency supply of palliative foodstuffs to various federal constituencies.
Key transactions included payments for the delivery of rice, beans, and garri to help alleviate hunger in vulnerable communities.
Payments, averaging around N85.45 million per constituency, were made between February and November 2024 across different regions.
Data from the platform reportedly indicate that N85,454,545.46 was spent on each constituency in states including Kano, Ogun, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Adamawa, Kaduna, Jigawa, Ekiti, Oyo, Lagos, Bauchi, Rivers, Borno, Sokoto, and Enugu, bringing the total expenditure to N9.74 billion.
However, despite the significant financial outlay, there are concerns about the programme’s effectiveness in addressing the root causes of food insecurity.
Shedrach Israel, an economist at Lotus Beta Analytics, argued that food palliatives alone cannot solve Nigeria’s food crisis, according to PUNCH.
“While food palliatives are essential for addressing immediate hunger, they fail to address the underlying systemic issues, such as inflation and the deficiencies in the agricultural sector,” Israel said.
Israel added, “We need long-term economic policies focused on boosting local agricultural productivity and improving distribution networks to reduce dependence on external food aid.”
Israel further said that the N9.74 billion spent on palliatives could have been better invested in agricultural innovation and infrastructure development, which would provide sustainable solutions to food insecurity.
Also, La’ah Dauda, an agricultural economist based in Kaduna, emphasised the need for a more comprehensive approach to addressing the food crisis.
“The government’s reliance on palliatives is a short-term fix to a deeper agricultural crisis. While necessary, these measures do not tackle critical issues like inadequate irrigation, poor storage facilities, and limited market access, all of which continue to impede agricultural productivity across the country,” he said.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
As of January 18, 2025, the Nigerian Naira (NGN) has continued to experience some level of volatility against the US Dollar (USD), while this has been the norm for decades now, this largely to some extent reflects the ongoing economic challenges.
See the Naira performance across various currencies
A quick check at the parallel market at Abuja Zone 4 market,as at January 18, 2025 , the black market exchange rate stands firmly at approximately ₦ 1,682.00 per USD. This means if you want to buy a dollar now, it is ₦ 1,682.00 while if you want to sell it is approximately ₦ 1,670.00 .
Please be aware that the parallel market or the black market rates are mostly and notably higher compared with what you get from the official market or CBN rate
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) Black Market Exchange Rate Today
Selling Rate ₦ 1,682.00
Buying Rate ₦ 1,670.00
UK Court Jails 35-yr-old Nigerians 10 Yrs After Brutal R3pe Of Woman In Nottingham
Tinubu Exhausted N9.74bn Supplying Rice, Beans Palliatives To Nigerians In 2024 – Report
SEE Dollar (USD) to Naira Black Market Rate Today January 18, 2025 Aboki
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