News

Heavy shooting as Ododo smuggles Yahaya Bello out of Abuja’s residence

Published

2 weeks ago

April 17, 2024

Advocate News Nigeria

Heavy shooting as Ododo smuggles Yahaya Bello out of Abuja’s residence

Heavy shooting at Yahaya Bello's Abuja residence

There were gunshots at the Abuja residence of former Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello as current state governor, Usman Ododo reportedly smuggled the former out of the premises which were laid siege to by the personnel of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

A security source said Wednesday evening that Ododo escaped with Yahaya Bello, adding that there was a “serious gun battle in Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4 in Abuja”.

The policemen attached to Governor Ododo had in the midst of the confusion on Wednesday prevented the EFCC personnel from arresting Yahaya Bello.

The EFCC operatives had on Wednesday morning barricaded Bello’s house in Wuse, Abuja.

Ododo visited the embattled former Kogi governor on Wednesday afternoon with a retinue of security operatives amid the siege at the latter’s Abuja residence.

According to the sources, there would have been a bloody clash if they had gone head-to-head with the policemen.

“The Inspector General of Police reportedly gave Yahaya Bello more reinforcement through Governor Ododo to thwart his arrest.

“But we’re trying to avoid a bloody clash,” one of the sources said.

It was gathered that the EFCC was able to track Bello to Abuja by outsmarting him.

It was learnt that Bello deliberately left his mobile phone at the Government House in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital to avoid being tracked to Abuja not knowing that EFCC operatives were already tracking the mobile phone of his aide which he used.

Through his aide’s mobile phone, the former governor was tracked to where he was holed up in Abuja.

“Yahaya Bello left his phone at the Government House in Kogi to avoid being tracked to Abuja.

“But the mobile phone of his aide which he used was already being tracked to where he’s now trapped in Abuja,” a top security source said.

The EFCC siege came days after the former governor met with President Bola Tinubu at the State House.

On Wednesday, a top source shared a photograph showing how EFCC operatives had barricaded the access road to Bello’s house.

The source said: “EFCC barricades Bello’s house in Abuja. No movement in the area as EFCC barricaded the house. They are yet to gain access.”

Although there was no immediate information available as to the reason why the anti-graft agency stormed the former governor’s residence, the anti-graft agency had filed fraud charges against him.

The EFCC had charged the former governor with financial fraud to the tune of N84 billion.

The EFCC had arraigned Bello’s nephew, Ali Bello, before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, for alleged money laundering to the tune of N10 billion belonging to the state government.

EFCC, which joined Bello’s nephew Ali Bello, Dauda Sulaiman and Abdulsalam Hudu as co-accused, said it was prosecuting them on an amended 17 counts of money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N84, 062,406,089.88.

The anti-graft agency claimed in the amended charge that former governor Bello was still at large.

In December 2021, SaharaReporters reported that the EFCC had seized $760,910.84 that Bello paid to American International School, Abuja, as prepaid school fees for four children until graduation, over alleged money laundering.

Documents obtained by SaharaReporters showed that Governor Bello through his nephew, Mr Ali Bello had entered an agreement with the school to pay tuition for his four children up to graduation in advance to secure their future.

The agreement was signed and executed on August 23, 2021. Following the execution of the agreement, a total of $845.852.84 was paid into the school account in varied installments.

However, the anti-corruption agency as part of its oversight function, subsequently invited the school managers for a series of interviews in connection with the funds through a letter dated September 7, 2023, after about one year.

Sources said that during the interrogation of officials of the school, the EFCC noted that the advanced school fees were proceeds of crime. It said that the school was being used as an unwitting money laundering tool and demanded that it should refund the monies to the agency through a dedicated account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). (SaharaReporters)

News

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

Published

17 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.

News

EFCC operatives disperse pro-Yahaya Bello protesters

Published

17 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Advocate News Nigeria

Pro-Yahaya Bello protesters

Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday attacked and chased away some Kogi youths who had stormed the commission’s headquarters in support of ex-Governor Yahaya Bello over alleged political persecution.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there were two protests at the EFCC headquarters on Monday with one allegedly organised by members of the opposition party in the state, in support of the EFCC, and the other in support of Bello.

While a protest in support of the anti-graft agency, organised by Kogi Conscience Movement, went on peacefully, the other, which demanded that rule of law be respected in the trial of the former governor, was interrupted by the officers.

Some of the aggrieved protesters under the auspices of Kogi Youth Coalition, who spoke to newsmen, however expressed disappointment over the development.

The leader of the group, Otitoleke Richard, alleged that EFCC had finally fuelled suspicion in many quarters that the purported rally in support of the commission was sponsored by the agency.

Richard, said: “We are here this morning at the headquarters of EFCC in Abuja, addressing a topical national issue that has to do with the rule of law, the defence of democratic governance in Nigeria.

“We have been intimidated, we have been harassed. The EFCC is saying we do not have the right to express our opinion on national issues.

“We have been shot at; they have used their stick to beat ordinary Nigerians that are harmless.

“We’re saying the rule of law must be applied in all corruption files. You cannot fight corruption with lawlessness.”

A member of the group, who simply identified himself as Malik, said it was unfortunate that peaceful protests that were a right of every Nigerian had now been made selective by the commission.

“Why didn’t they attempt to disperse the other group that protested against the former Governor?

“Nigerians should not be fooled to think anybody is fighting any corruption.

“They just want him (Bello) out. Period. But we are saying they can’t disgrace him.

“Yahaya Bello has done more than any governor for us in Kogi State and all these people know.

“This will not make us; to be afraid of asking for our rights. We will continue,” he said.

Abdulmajid Wahab, another member of the group, alleged that the security operatives destroyed one bus and impounded two others.

According to Wahab, they (the officers) said the leader of the protest should come and bail the two vehicles.

At least 10 people were alleged to have been arrested among the pro-Yahaya Bello protesters, and some injured.

All efforts to have a chat with the leadership of the Kogi Conscience Movement, were unsuccessful. (NAN)

News

Court slams N10m on EFCC, others for fundamental right violations

Published

18 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Advocate News Nigeria

Court slams N10m on EFCC, others for fundamental right violations

A Federal Capital Territory high court, Maitama on Monday slammed N10 million cost on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and three others for fundamental rights violation.

Other respondents were former EFCC boss, Abdulrasheed Bawa, an officer with the agency, Calistus, and Fidelity Bank Plc.

Justice Peter Kekemeke, slammed the cost on the respondents when he delivered judgment in a suit filed by Mr Michael Kundera for enforcement of his fundamental rights.

Kekemeke held that the respondents violated the applicant’s fundamental rights by arresting and detaining him from May 15 to May 16, 2023, without charging him to court or releasing him on bail.

He added that a 75-year-old man should not be subjected to such treatment.

“I hereby declare that the arrest and detention of the applicant from May 15 to May 16, 2023, was unlawful and violated the applicant’s fundamental rights.

“The harassment of the applicant in a matter already decided by the court is a violation of his right, and the 1^st to 3^rd respondents exceeded their bounds.

“The case of the applicant succeeds, and the respondents are ordered to pay the sum of N10 million severally or jointly to the applicant for violation of his fundamental rights,” he held.

The judge also ordered the respondents to pay the sum of N2 million as cost for the action.

Kundera through his counsel, Dr O. Orji in suit no CV/6258/23 told the court that the applicant was invited, detained, and refused administrative bail in a matter decided already by an FCT high court.

He said that the subject matter was a plot of land at the foreign affairs quarters which lawfully belonged to the applicant.

According to the applicant’s counsel, the matter is also pending at the court of appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/533/2021 against the principle of pendente lite.

Orji told the court that the applicant was 75 years of age and did not find it funny being dragged about even when the judgment of the court was shown to the respondents.

The applicant therefore prayed for the order of the court to declare that the arrest and detention of the applicant from May 15 and May 16 was unlawful.

He added that it was unconstitutional and a gross violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights as guaranteed under sections 35 (4)(5) and 36 (1) and (5) of the 1999 constitution as amended.

“A declaration that the respondents have exceeded their bounds by their continued invitation and threats on the applicant.

“Order restraining the respondents from continued invitation, threat to re-arrest and detain the applicant.

“Payment of the sum of N500 million as exemplary or aggravated damages is unconstitutional, inexplicable, unjust, uncouth, and barbaric contravention of the applicant’s fundamental rights.” (NAN)