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Cubana Chief Priest pleads Not Guilty, granted ₦10m bail

Published

2 weeks ago

April 17, 2024

Advocate News Nigeria

Cubana Chief Priest pleads Not Guilty, granted ₦10m bail

Pascal Okechukwu also known as Cubana Chief Priest in court in Lagos State on April 17, 2024

Popular Instagram celebrity Pascal Okechukwu also known as Cubana Chief Priest has pleaded not guilty for alleged naira abuse.

He pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The socialite was arraigned at the Federal High Court, Lagos before Justice Kehinde Ogundare on Wednesday.

The anti-graft commission filed a three-count charge against Cubana Chief Priest accused of abusing the naira at a social event, an act said to be contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007.

After he pleaded not guilty, the court granted him bail in the sum of ₦10m with two responsible sureties in like sum who must be gainfully employed with the federal or state government and not less than grade level 16.

The sureties are to have landed property and the document must be verified by the court.

Cubana Chief Priest is also to submit his travel passport to the custody of the court.

The bail conditions must be perfected within seven days but in the meantime he was released to his lawyer who must give an undertaken to produce him later. Failure to do so, he will be remanded in correctional facility.

A copy of the charge which was filed on April 4th by EFFC’s prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) alongside seven other lawyers representing the chairman of the Commission was obtained on Wednesday.

In Count 1, it was alleged, “that you, Okechukwu Pascal on 13th Feb. 2024, at Eko Hotel, within the jurisdiction of the court, while dancing during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007”.

In count 2, it was alleged, “that you Okechukwu Pascal sometime in 2020, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007”.

In Count 3, it was alleged, “that you Okechukwu Pascal sometime in January 2024, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007”.

Meanwhile, the defendant also informed the court of his pending application to challenge the jurisdiction of the court to hear the charge.

Justice Ogundare has adjourned till May 2nd to hear the application.

This is coming days after the EFCC arraigned controversial cross-dresser Idris Okuneye better known as Bobrisky on similar charges for which he was sentenced to a six-month jail term.

News

Suspected Fulani herdsmen kill PDP chieftain, abduct two others in Delta

Published

14 mins ago

April 30, 2024

Advocate News Nigeria

An octogenarian politician and community leader identified as Elder Francis Amamosa, was said to have been killed by the suspected Fulani herdsmen who allegedly took over his farm and attempted to kidnap him along with two other farmers.

It was learnt that Elder Amasoma who was the pioneer chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for ward 10 in Abavo, Ika South Local Government Area was killed this morning in his farm along the corridors of the railway line in Okpe quarters, Abavo.

According to reports, Elder Amamosa had resisted the kidnappers and questioned their audacity to order him out of his farm following which the gun tottering herdsmen reportedly shot at him.

It was gathered that when the bullet failed to penetrate, the assailants resorted to the use of machete to inflict deadly cuts on him which led to his death.

Two other farmers who were with the deceased during the incident were later abducted by the herders.

Meanwhile, the remains of late elder Amamosa has been deposited at the mortuary while the matter has been reported at the Abavo police division for investigations.

A similar report from the area indicates that a middle aged man was reportedly killed in similar circumstances in Abavo Community on Friday last week causing fear and tension among the residents many of who can mo longer go their farms.

News

Senators fight for seats in newly-renovated chamber

Published

1 hour ago

April 30, 2024

Advocate News Nigeria

The Senate

A rowdy session marred the resumption of the Senate to plenary on Tuesday as senators fought for seats.

The plenary had started around 11 am and immediately after the procession, the Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, read out announcements, specifically the names of the lawmakers who had celebrated their birthdays while the Senate was on break.

Amid the announcement, Senator Sahabi Yau (APC, Zamfara North) started to raise his voice at the Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) while he in return pointed his finger at Yau as if giving him a stern warning.

Immediately, Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central) joined his colleague Yau in shouting at Bamidele and the chairman, of Senate Services, Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) who was in charge of the seating arrangements.

Seating arrangement in the newly renovated hallow chamber was the cause of the furore.

Some ranking Senators were said to have been angry at the seats allocated to them in the front row on the last right side of the aisle.

The Senate President eventually told them to approach the chair one after the other but Yau didn’t oblige him.

The rowdy session lasted for about 20 minutes as senators bickered.

After the Senate President read his speech to welcome senators back from recess, the Senate leader, moved that the Senate resolved into a closed-door session.

The Senate after that, about 12: 05 pm, resolved into an executive session.

The Senate had on March 20, adjourned plenary till April 16, but postponed resumption twice to allow for the completion of the chamber which had been under renovation since 2022.

News

Customers not enjoying 20 hours Electricity will not pay New Tariff – Adelabu

Published

19 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Advocate News Nigeria

Customers not enjoying 20 hours Electricity will not pay New Tariff – Adelabu

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has assured that any customer not currently enjoying 20 hours of electricity would not pay the new tariff.

The minister stated this on Monday while appearing before the Senate Committee on Power, for a one-day investigative hearing on the need to halt the proposed increase in electricity tariff by eleven successor electricity distribution companies amid the biting economic situation in Nigeria.

According to him, the government had introduced a new policy to save the drowning sector, assuring Nigerians that the pains were temporary.

The clarification comes as electricity consumers grapple with the recent increase in tariffs by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

The Minister also stated that the Federal Government would pay the sum of ₦2.9trn to subsidise electricity this year if the tariff was not reviewed.

He also explained that the government was concerned, and had introduced the new policy to rescue the sector.

During the session, Chairman of the committee, Senator Eyinnnaya Abaribe raised the question of how customers were migrated from the previous customer classes of Residential (R1, R2, R3), Commercial (C1, C2) and Demand (D1, D2), to different bands.

Abaribe requested to know if the band classification was under the provisions of the law.

He also raised more questions on how the parameters differentiate between regions and areas, citing a portion of the act that highlighted the need for non-discriminatory distribution.

The development comes on the heels of the recent increase in electricity tariffs for consumers in the Band A category by NERC.

The commission had increased the tariff paid by Band A customers from N68/KWh to N225/kWh.

Band A customers receive 20-24 hours of electricity supply daily. Subscribers under Band B enjoy 16 to 20 hours of power supply, while those in Band C receive 12 to 16 hours daily.