UAE to help Nigeria recover looted funds

The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Nigeria, Mahmud Muhammad Al- Mahmud has said that his country will support Nigeria's anti-corruption war.

“No country can be an island without the support of others,” he said.

The envoy gave the assurance in Abuja on Wednesday during a meeting with the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.

Magu said that in the light of intelligence reports that the UAE is considered a safe haven by corrupt Nigerian politicians, he had come to see the country's support in tracking stolen funds and repatriating corrupt persons.

The meeting came on the heels of a recent agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance on the repatriation of stolen funds and extradition of indicted officials signed between President Muhammadu Buhari and the government of the United Arab Emirates.

According to a statement issued by Mr Wilson Uwujaren, Head of Media and Publicity of EFCC, Magu told the UAE envoy that he had come to seek his country's support for the anti graft war.

“The fight against graft requires the support of all, most especially the international community.

“I have come to seek your support and cooperation just as we had in the case of Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, James Ibori, among others, to get the mission accomplished.”

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How military chiefs used their wives, kids to hide looted funds

Information emanating from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC suggest that some of the looted $2.1b arms procurement fund have been traced to the accounts of wives and children of some former and serving military chiefs.

Abujacitynews learnt that the EFCC may soon block access to the accounts fingered in the offense.

A source close to the anti graft agency revealed that some of the indicted officers, both serving and retired acquired properties in the names of their family members in order to conceal their loot.

Another source close to the investigation told The Nation that the EFCC has made some interesting discoveries concerning the looted funds.

His words:
“Our investigators have uncovered that some of these military officers under probe stashed  their shares of the $2.1billion arms cash in the accounts of their relations, especially wives and children.

“We have traced such slush funds and we may freeze these accounts until we have screened the inflows and expenditures. The legitimately operated accounts will be freed after thorough screening.

”Besides, some houses belonging to the children and relations of some military chiefs have been identified as products of proceeds of financial crimes.

“We have already marked the properties of one of the children of a top military brass. We have invoked Temporary Assets Forfeiture Clause in EFCC Act.

“It is obvious that some of the arms cash were laundered through proxies, relations and phony companies. Some even registered companies in the names of their spouses or families.

“We have done enough ground work to interrogate some of these former and serving military chiefs.

“We have also summoned most of the former and serving military officers referred to EFCC for probe,” he said.

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Police to replace firearms with stun guns IGP

The Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase says that the Nigeria Police Force will soon introduce stun guns as part of measures to reduce fatalities associated with misuse of firearms by police officers.

Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday after a meeting with senior police officers, Arase said that the introduction of stun guns will discourage the use of firearms by policemen on metro patrol.

“Right now, what we are trying to do is to discourage issuing firearms to police officers, who go on metro patrol. And that is why we are thinking of introducing stun guns this year.

“Stun guns can incapacitate you, demobilise you, but they will not kill you. So, in case there is a mistake, then we will be able to ensure that the fatality is not such that will result in death.

“It is also true that from statistics we have internal mechanisms for dealing with people who engage in misuse of firearms and I must tell you that many of them have been dismissed. But it is not every day you will see it on the pages of the paper that they have been dismissed,” he said.

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Dariye was given diverted N1.162b for land reclamation - witness

A letter signed by former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye requesting for funds to reclaim lands damaged by erosion and mining activities was admitted as exhibit yesterday by a Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting at Gudu, Abuja.

The former governor who now represents Plateau Central in the Senate is standing trial on
23 counts of criminal diversion of the N1.162b  ecological funds meant for land reclamation and flood channelisation project in the Bokkos area of the state preferred against him by the EFCC.

The anti graft agency's second prosecution witness, an accountant in the Federal Civil Service, Mr. James Adewesu, mounted the witness box on Wednesday to give details of the processes leading to the release of the funds to Dariye, who he said personally collected the cheque for the N1.162b bn from the Ecological Fund Office at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.

Adewesu who said he was serving in the accounts department of the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, where the account of the Ecological Fund  was domiciled told the court that the cheque was released to Dariye following the approval of the state’s request by then former Vice-President,  Atiku Abubakar, who was the chairman of the Ecological Fund Office.

The witness then read a letter signed by Dariye and titled
“SOS: An appeal for Federal Government’s assistance on reclamation of lands devastated by past mining activities in Plateau State.”

The court admitted the letter as exhibit.

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Who wouldn't want him for a husband? (Photo)

Every woman loves a dutiful husband.

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The things men do for love

Man spotted carrying his wife's handbag... http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2016/02/man-spotted-carrying-his-wifes-handbag.html

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Former lawmaker in police net for buying stolen vehicle

A former councillor in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, Mr Sunday Abo has been arrested by the Nasarawa State Police Command for buying stolen vehicles from armed robbers.

Parading the suspect in Lafia, the Nasarawa State Police PublicRelations Officer, ASP Ismail Numan, said that the former councillor was arrested for buying an Acura saloon car stolen from a Catholic priest at gun point.

Numan said that a gang of armed robbers had on November 11, 2015, attacked one Rev Fr Christopher Omaku at Mararaba in Nasarawa State, dispossessing him of his belongings.

“They also robbed him of his Acura saloon car. Further investigations led SARS operatives to Otukpo to arrest the receiver of the vehicle, Mr. Aboh Sunday, who was a former councillor of the area,” he said. .

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