Arms Funds Saga : Why I will not return my own N100m - Falae

ABUJA
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, SDP is insisting that he will not return the N100m he received from PDP stalwart, Chief Tony Anenih.

The money is said to have been taken from the $2.1b arms procurement fund disbursed from the Office of the National Security Adviser.

Falae's argument is that the money given to him to market the second term bid of President Goodluck Jonathan was not received directly from Dasuki.

He therefore told the EFCC to hold the former PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih accountable for the money.

He told a press conference in Abuja that his party made no contact with either Dasuki or the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA and therefore could not be asked to refund the money.

“In terms of refund of money, I want to say here that those people who are refunding money are those who got their money directly from the arms deal fund.

“Our fund did not come from the arms deal, our fund came from an electoral alliance with the PDP and we knew that the PDP had a fund raising committee that gathered billions of naira and PDP had been in government for 16 years.

”So, with that, we knew that the PDP had the capacity to fund the alliance that was formed with them by the SDP.

“You don’t postulate what you don’t have on the ground, you can’t build on a non foundation.

“We, as a political party knew that the PDP was a capable hand in the electoral alliance which we entered with them. And we equally knew that the PDP had a fund raising, where it generated over N20 billion down.

“So, whether the money came from Col. Sambo Dasuki or his office, is what we don’t know and it is left for them to ask Chief Tony Anenih to explain.

“We knew that the PDP had been ruling Nigeria for 16 years. So, this was the basis of our electoral alliance with them.

“We can’t refund any money to anybody because the money we got as a party came because of the alliance we had with the PDP and we have the agreement note from this alliance.

“If it is possible that the money Chief Anenih gave us was from the arms deal, it is left for them to ask Chief Anenih to clarify. As far as we knew, we did not have any dealing with Dasuki.

”Our office did not ever have anything to do with the office or person of the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki,” he said.

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Dasukigate: Why the EFCC will not arrest Jonathan

ABUJA
Following startling revelations on how former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki shared the $2.1b arms procurement fund to PDP stalwarts and some well-placed Nigerians, speculations have been rife that former President Goodluck Jonathan could have some questions to answer.

However, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Magu has given reasons why the former President has not been arrested.

Magu told online news publishers on Monday that so far, no document has been traced to Jonathan approving money for any reason other than arms procurement.

He added that those being questioned are people who collected the arms money for reasons other than procurement of arms and ammunitions.

“All approvals by former president Jonathan did not mention that it was for political purposes. All the memos approved by him were for the purchase of arms,” he said.

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Investors urged to clear N90b unclaimed dividends

The Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC said in Abuja on Monday that N90b dividends remained unclaimed as at September 30, 2015.

This was disclosed by the Head, Marketing Development, SEC, Mr Henry Adekunle during a sensitization road show on e-dividend.

Adekunle said the Commission embarked on the three-day sensitisation walk to encourage investors to provide necessary information to enable them to claim their dividends electronically

“All we are saying here is that our investors should go and register to collect your dividend electronically in their preferred bank.

“All that we expect from an investor is to go to the bank and fill a form, which will contain certain information.

“You will be required to give certain information like your passport, account number whether savings or current and then your BVN.

“Your Central Securities Clearing System number will be required if you are already dematerialized
“But if you are not, you will go with your share certificate number after which you will be validated using the Nigeria Inter – Bank Settlement System portal where the e – dividend form is actually located,’’ he said.

He added that on completion of registration, the forms would be sent to the registrars for consolidation of the investors' dividends and commencement of payment.

He also said that “the objective of this initiative is to make sure that the N90 billion unclaimed dividend is depleted within the next six months after the completion of this exercise.

“The exercise will be free for about three months and close in March. Six months from that date, we expect that these N90 billion would have fully depleted.’’

Adekunle also said that upon full implementation, the exercise
would support the Direct Cash Settlement regime, increase market velocity and attract foreign investors.

The Head, Corporate Communications, SEC, Mr Naif Abdussalam, disclosed that the exercise was part of the commission’s implementation strategy for the 10-year capital market master plan.

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EFCC Arrests NBC Director General

The Director General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, NBC was this Monday arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in Abuja.

Mba was whisked away in the morning and taken to the Abuja headquarters of the EFCC where he is presently answering questions bordering on corruption.

Sources familiar with the NBC said that the Commission has been under EFCC searchlights in the last one month.

Abujacitynews learnt that last week the EFCC arrested some key accounts staff of the NBC after ransacking computers and files in the finance and accounts department.

It is believed that the arrested staff implicated the NBC boss and some top officials of the Commission.

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APC gubernatorial aspirant kidnapped in Abuja

Barely two days after he declared his intention to vie for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC for the 2016 governorship elections, former Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Hon Victor Olabintan has been kidnapped in Abuja.

According to the Secretary, Olabintan Campaign Organisation, Mr Gboyega Ajayi, the politician was traveling to Abuja from Ondo State before he met his abductors at Kwali on the outskirts of Abuja.

The APC chieftain was flagged down at a checkpoint by men posing as soldiers and was subsequently kidnapped.

Ajayi said that the police have started investigation into the matter.

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Odili, Falae, Ladoja, others must refund cash or face trial - EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has declared that every politician who benefited from the diversion of the $2.1b arms procurement fund must refund what he got or face prosecution.

According to EFCC sources, the Commission decided to insist on refund of cash after going through some of the memos which the former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki wrote to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan requesting for funds.

Based on the disbursement of the arms money to some highly placed Nigerians, especially PDP bigwigs as revealed by the memos, the EFCC arrived at the option of "refund the money or face prosecution."

Some of those who benefited from the sharing of the arms funds have so far been identified as:

Peter Odili (N100m);
Rashidi Ladoja (N100m), Attahiru Bafarawa (N100m), Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi (N100m), 
Jim Nwobodo (N500m).
Chief Tony Anenih(N260m);
ex-PDP National Chairman Ahmadu Ali (N100m);
Chief Bode George (N100m/ $30,000),
Yerima Abdullahi (N100m); Chief Olu Falae (N100m);
Tanko Yakassai (N63m);
Gen. Bello Sarkin Yaki(N200m); Raymond Dokpesi (N2.1b), Iyorchia Ayu’s company(N345m);
BAM Properties(N300m); Dalhatu Investment Limited(N1.5b);
Ex-PDP National Chairman Mohammed Bello Haliru, Abba Mohammed, Sagir Attahiru, serving and former members of the House of Representatives(over N600 million);
Former Chairman of the House of Representatives on Security and Intelligence, Bello Matawalle (N300m);
ACACIA Holdings (N600m); Bashir Yuguda (N1,950,000,000)

The EFCC insists it has done a thorough job in identifying who got what in the arms fund bazaar. A knowledgeable source at the Commission said;
“We have conducted a thorough investigation and we have retrieved some of the memos sent to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan by the former National Security Adviser; none of them indicated that the cash should be for political purposes.

“There was never a memo for cash advance for political matters like campaign or election.

“We have also traced some of these funds directly to the accounts of these bigwigs or their proxy companies.

“Having gone far, we are asking them to return these funds or else, we will go after them any moment from now. I think they should respect themselves and make urgent refund.

“In the alternative, we will arrest them and arraign them in court to defend such strange allocations.

“We will retrieve every kobo given out from ONSA. It is insufficient to say somebody gave me this money. Once we trace undeserved public funds into your account or phony and proxy companies, we will ask for refund.

“Contrary to the noise outside, we did our homework very well. Anybody we bring to the EFCC this time around, we used to make sure that we have established a case against him.

“So, we don’t invite or arrest on frivolous basis."

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Why EFCC released Buhari's associate, Jafaru Isa

Abujacitynews has learnt that former Military Administrator of
Kaduna State and close friend of President Muhammadu Buhari, Gen Jafaru Isa retd who was recently released by the EFCC regained his freedom after refunding 60 per cent of the money he received from the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA.

Isa, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Wednesday last week at his home in Asokoro District, Abuja.
A source close to the anti-graft agency said that Gen Isa "admitted collecting money from ONSA and he has refunded 60 per cent of the sum credited to him. I think it should be about N100 million.

“Isa is the only person who has so far refunded money among the political figures who collected funds from ONSA. We have granted him bail to allow him time to source for the balance,” he said.

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