16102021 - Southeast Gov INEC top official in trouble over $4m bribe

6 — SATURDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 16, 2021
Obaseki immortalises late Victor Uwaifo,
names Edo Creative Hub after music icon
*As his body laid to rest
By Benjamin Njoku &
Gabriel Enogholase
The Edo State Gover
nor, Mr. Godwin
Obaseki has immortalised
the late Sir Victor Uwaifo,
naming the Edo Creative
Hub after the late music
maestro.
In his tribute at the lying-in-state
for late
Uwaifo, held in Benin
City, the governor described
the passing of the
music legend as the end of
an era.
Other dignitaries at the
event include Edo State
Deputy Governor, Rt.
Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu;
former Edo State Governor,
Comrade Adams
Oshiomhole; wife of Edo
State Governor, Mrs Betsy
Obaseki; Speaker, Edo
State House of Assembly,
Rt. Hon. Marcus Onobun
and the Chief of Staff to
Edo State Governor, Hon.
Osaigbovo Iyoha, among
others.
Obaseki said the government
and the people of Edo
mourn the death of a living
legend adding, “For
us, the passing of Sir Victor
Uwaifo marks the end
of an era that produced
some of the prolific artistes
from Edo. It was a
generation with creative
minds, such as the late
Erhabor Emopkai, Dr.
Victor Eghareva and Sir
L-R: Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Marcus Onobun; Edo State
Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; his wife, Mrs. Betsy; Edo State Deputy Governor,
Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu; Chairman Airline Operators of Nigeria, Nogie
Meggison; former Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, at the lyingin-state
for late Sir Victor Uwaifo, in Benin City, on Friday.
Victor Uwaifo. Uwaifo’s
passing marks the end of
that era.
“As a mark of honour
to the late guitar boy, the
Edo State Government
has decided that our
newly built creative hub
will be named after
Uwaifo. This creative
hub which is going to be
commissioned by the second
week of November
2021, has a multi-million-dollar
studio to support
artistes.
He noted that the hub
will “promote creativity
in Edo. It has editing
suites. It will incubate
state-based groups and
artistes. It will be used for
live shows. It has studios
for Nollywood to rent for
their productions.
“There will be spaces for
artistes in the performing
arts. That is the least we
can do for a man who
changed the face of music
in Nigeria; that is the
least we can do for the
man who composed the
song, Joromi. That was
the first song from Africa
and Nigeria to win a golden
disc as at the time it
did.”
“We will always remember
Sir Victor
Uwaifo for what he
meant and what he represented.
He represented
Edo values which include
hard work, creativity
and innovation.
It is going to be very difficult
for us to imagine
our entertainment scene
and music space without
Sir Victor Uwaifo. May
his soul rest in perfect
peace,” the governor
added.
Court orders interim forfeiture of Mompha’s designer
glasses, wristwatches, iPhone
By Onozure Dania
Lagos- A Federal High
Court sitting in Lagos
has granted an order of interim
forfeiture of 11 highend
designer items confiscated
by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission
EFCC from Ismaila Mustapha,
aka. Mompha.
The items are five luxury
sunglasses, five luxury
wristwatches, and an iPhone
8, which were seized from
Mompha when he was arrested
by the EFCC on October
19, 2019 at the Nnamdi
Asikiwe International Airport,
Abuja.
Justice Lewis Allagoa made
the order after hearing an
ex-parte application argued
by EFCC counsel Chinenye
Ugwoke. The Judge ruled
that the order subsists pending
the EFCC’s investigation
of the respondents in the suit,
Mompha and his company
Ismalob Global Investment
Ltd.
Justice Allago made the
order on Wednesday, October
13, 2021.
Mompha - a social media
celebrity - and Ismalob Global
Investment have since
November 25, 2019, been
facing a 14-count charge of
money laundering to the
tune of N32.9 billion before
Justice Mohammed Liman
of the Federal High Court
(FHC) in Lagos.
The 11 luxury items are a
Dsquared sunglass; Tomford
- TF586 sunglass; Cartier -
B17C76B sunglass; Montblanc
– MB0045S sunglass
and a Louis Vuitton- Z1186E
sunglass.
The five wristwatches are
a Rolex Oyster Perpetual;
Audemars Piguet; Audemars
Piguet- J46220; XY
Hublot - 1321920; and an
XY Hublot- 924206.
The iPhone 8’s serial number
is C8PVF1LKJC6C.
The EFCC supported its
application with an affidavit
by an investigating officer
with the anti-graft
agency’s Advance Fee Fraud
Section (AFF), Mr Bot Dachung.
Dachung stated that “the
purpose of this application is
to prevent the Respondents
from tempering and/or dissipating
the properties listed
in the schedule to this application
which are reasonably
suspected to be proceeds
of unlawful activities.”
He added: “If the properties
listed in the schedule to
this application are not temporarily
and timeously forfeited,
efforts of the ongoing
investigation relating to internet/cyber-related
crimes
and possible prosecution
would be brought to a
nought.”
The EFCC told the judge
that the items were “found
in the possession of the 1st Respondent
(Mompha), which
property/asset is reasonably
suspected to be proceeds of
unlawful activities and presently
in the lawful custody of
the Applicant.”
According to the agency, a
preliminary investigation
revealed various intelligence
reports linking Mompha
with chains of internet/cybercrime
activities.
It further alleged that there
“have been concerted ongoing
investigation activities
against the Respondents with
respect to the 1st Respondent’s
(alleged) involvement in
cybercrime activities.
“The properties listed in
the schedule to this application
were recovered from
the 1st Respondent upon
his arrest by the Operatives
of the Applicant, hence this
application.
“That efforts and attempts
have been made by
the 1st Respondent
through his legal representatives
to retrieve the said
properties listed in the
schedule to this application.”
In a bench ruling, Justice
Allagoa granted the order
as prayed.
Justice Liman on October
12, 2020, dismissed
Mompha’s ‘no case’ application
in his case with the
EFCC.
The judge held that the
EFCC had established a prima
facie case against Mompha,
requiring him to explain
himself.
APC Convention: Zone National Chairman’s Position
to North Central, APC Stakeholders tell Leadership
By Henry Umoru
AHEAD of the Nation
al Convention of the
All Progressives Congress,
APC, Stakeholders
of the party have called
on the leadership to emulate
the opposition Peoples
Democratic Party,
PDP by zoning the position
of National Chairman
to the North Central
geo- Political zone of
the country.
The group under the
aegis of APC Stakeholders
for 2023 elections urged
the party leadership to
narrow the position to
Niger State against the
backdrop that the party
will stand a better chance
if the state produces the
next National Chairman.
In a statement yesterday
titled, Like PDP, Like
APC by the Coordinators,
Adeleye Yemi and Sabiu
Ali, they said, “the PDP
has zoned its national
Chairmanship post to the
North and North Central
in particular. The APC
should also do the same to
give the North Central
zone equal opportunity
within the North Central
its rightful and equitable
share of the National Political
Equation
“The North Central
Zone deserves to host the
National Chairman position
of the two frontline
parties that control
Nigerian Politics
“Since the PDP chose
its National Chairman
from Benue, it’s only
fair, logical, right and
reasonable that the APC
should look towards Niger
state for its consensus
National Chairman
“If the PDP can produce
its Chairman by
consensus, the APC
should do the same without
much difficulty or
controversy
EFCC withdraws alleged N20bn
fraud case against Kogi State
By Onozure Dania
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC
has withdrawn its suit seeking the forfeiture of
N20billion bailout funds granted to the Kogi State Government
by a new generation bank.
The money, which was meant for the payment of Kogi
workers, was alleged to have been domiciled in an interest-yielding
account with the bank by officials of the state
government.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke granted the order of withdrawal
on Friday sequel to a motion filed and argued by
EFCC counsel, Mr Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, leading Mr Rotimi
Oyedepo.
Pinheiro listed six grounds upon which the judge granted
the prayer, adding that “the EFCC is a responsible body”.
One of the grounds was that questions resulting in the
commencement of the suit had been clarified, and an intention
had been shown to return the sum of
N19,333,333,333.36 to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
Justice Aneke held: “I have listened to the submission of
the learned Silk for the application, Mr Kemi Pinheiro SAN
vis-a-vis perused the motion to withdraw. My humble
opinion is that application is meritorious and ought to be
granted. Accordingly, the application is granted as
prayed.”
Counsel to the Kogi State Government Professor Sam
Erogbo, SAN, had earlier urged court to vacate the interim
forfeiture order earlier granted for the purpose of clarity.
Justice Aneke however held that the discontinuance
order granted already covers the interim forfeiture order.
The judge noted that the EFCC was “very clear in their
motion to withdraw which is clearly established in paragraph
6.”
Justice Tijjani Ringim had on August 31, granted an exparte
application brought by the EFCC for an interim forfeiture
of the N19, 333, 333, 333.36 billion, said to be
warehoused in the State’s account number.
Justice Ringim made the order of the interim forfeiture
after taking arguments from the EFCC’s counsel, Abbas
Muhammed.
The judge ruled that the order was pending the conclusion
of an investigation or possible prosecution by the EFCC.
PIA can’t stop FG’s duty to
N’Delta — Mulade
By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South
THE Country Director and Chief Executive Officer, CEO,
Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ,
Comrade Sheriff Mulade, has said the Petroleum Industry
Act, PIA, does not stop the Federal Government from carrying
out its constitutional responsibility of providing social
amenities and infrastructural development in the Niger Delta.
Mulade, a governorship aspirant in Delta state, said: “There
have been claims and counter-claims in some quarters that
the PIA might result in the Federal Government abandoning
its mandate to remediate the Niger Delta environment”.
“I want to clearly state that the PIA and three per cent
allocation to host communities do not relieve the Federal Government
of its responsibility to provide basic amenities and
care for its citizens, especially when it is the main beneficiary
of crude oil production activities, which degraded the Niger
Delta environment. My candid advice is that the government
of the federation and the Presidency should do the needful
without further delay.
“I call on the federal government to complete the remediation
of the Niger Delta environment, and the socio-economic
rejuvenation of the oil -rich region devastated by incessant
oil spillage, crude oil exploration and exploitation, deprivation
and marginalization.
“In fact, it is the responsibility of the Nigerian government
and oil companies to remediate the degraded environment,
adequately compensate the affected host communities
and revamp the bastardized social and economic
well-being of the Niger Deltans due to crude oil exploration
activities in the region”, he said.
Mulade, the Ibe-Seremowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom,
Delta State, added: “The rejuvenation of the socio-economic
life of the Niger Delta people is compulsory, important
and necessary. Successive federal governments wasted
too much time to address and accomplish this mandate.”
Isioma Onyeobi School elects
new PTA executive
P
arents have been called upon to see the training
of their children and wards as a sacrifice towards
ensuring good leadership and home building for the future.
The principal of Isioma Onyeobi Mixed Secondary
School, Asaba, Mrs. Theresa Okwuobi gave the charge
during the Parents/Teachers Association (PTA) meeting
of the school held weekend at the school premises.
She told the parents that she was happy and satisfied
with the academic pursuit of the students as well as the
tutors whom she said in spite of the hard times, have
unconditionally continued to put in their best for the
overall benefit of the students, their parents and the
school management.
Officers elected in a keenly contested election include
Mr. Nicholas Jubrin as chairman, Mr. Emeka Ikemefuna
as vice chairman and Mrs. Theresa Okwuobi as secretary.
Others elected are Mrs. Uchenna Nwalupue as Treasurer,
Mrs. Ihegbuche as Fin. Secretary and Mr. Emma
Fejokwu as the P.R.O