Tonto Dikeh Churchill welcomes a baby, releases photo of her baby bump http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2016/02/tonto-dikeh-churchill-welcomes-baby.html 
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
The Attorney General of the Federation on Wednesday reopened the corruption trial of former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu.
The office of the AGF had sometime ago, written to the Federal High Court, Abuja, for a fresh hearing date on the case which started in 2007, following which the matter was listed for mention on Wednesday.
At the resumption of hearing on the case on Wednesday, the prosecution was represented by Rotimi Jacobs, SAN while the defence had no representation.
Kalu is being tried on a 107-count charge of money laundering, official corruption and criminal diversion of public funds in excess of N5 billion.
The Court of Appeal had earlier declined Kalu's request to stop his trial.
The founding Chairman of Daar Communications Plc, Chief Raymond Dokpesi was on Wednesday re-arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a six count charge of money laundering and other charges bordering on procurement fraud.
Dokpesi is charged with fraudulently receiving N2.1bn from the Office of the National Security Adviser between October 2014 and March 19, 2015 to prosecute Peoples Democratic Party, PDP's 2015 presidential media campaign.
The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta had reassigned the case to Justice James Tsoho following the withdrawal of Justice Gabriel Kolawole.
Justice Kolawole had in December 2015, granted bail to Dokpesi following his denial of the charges against him.
However, at the resumed hearing on Wednesday, trial could not begin as scheduled because of the need to begin the matter afresh as a result of the transfer of the case to a new judge.
Appearing before Justice Tsoho on Wednesday, Dokpesi like he did before Justice Kolawole earlier, pleaded “absolutely, absolutely and absolutely not guilty ” when the charges were read to him.
Justice Tsoho granted the request by Dokpesi's lead defence counsel, Wole Olanipekun, to allow him on bail in the same terms and conditions earlier granted him by Justice Kolawole.
He thereafter adjourned the case till March 2 and 3, 2016 for trial.
In the run up to the February 20 rerun election into the Nigerian Senate in Okigwe Senatorial Zone of Imo State, the majority of Okigwe people appear to have made up their minds about where to cast their lot between Senator Athan Nneji Achonu, aka the One-arm General and Mr Ben Uwajumogu.
The reasons why public opinion favours Achonu are not farfetched. In his six months in the Senate before the Court of Appeal annulled his election and ordered a rerun, the One-arm General made some remarkable achievements.
On the lips of practically every Okigwe indigene is;
1. The growing prominence and respect for Okigwe Zone in the Senate since Athan Nneji Achonu got there.
2. The four bills sponsored by the One-arm General under 6 months in the Senate; a) Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2015 ; b) Mining and Solid Minerals Act 2007 Amendment Bill 2015 ; c) Petroleum Act Amendment Bill 2015 ; Federal Republic of Nigeria Alteration Bill 2015.
3. Biannual medical missions and integrated health support.
4. 68 scholarships awarded to deserving Okigwe sons and daughters by Athan Nneji Achonu.
5. Constituency Projects: Under the 2015 Appropriation Bill, Senator Achonu attracted some intervention projects to empower Okigwe people.
These include the provision of 30 units of multi-kva generators, grains milling machines, block moulding machines, computers and accessories and one mini bus.
To add to all these, the One-arm General has promised better healthcare, sustainable agriculture and 272 scholarships into tertiary institutions over the next four years if elected.
On the other hand, Okigwe people are at a loss as to what Hon Uwajumogu did for the people in all his years as the Speaker of Imo House of Assembly.
So Okigwe people are seeking answers to two nagging question which are:
1. If Governor Rochas Okorocha could pocket Uwajumogu as the head of the legislative arm of government in Imo State, how would the same Uwajumogu not likewise be pocketed in far away Abuja?
2. How could an Uwajumogu who hardly spoke a word in two tenures as a legislator in Imo State go to Abuja to speak for Okigwe people?
Tuesday, 16 February 2016
The Borno State Command of the Nigerian Security And Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC has arrested a man for allegedly defrauding Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs in the state to the tune of N2.7m.
According to the state commandant of the NSCDC, Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim, the suspect was arrested in the process of selling forms which he falsely claimed to be for the procurement of relief materials from Abuja to some IDPs.
“The suspects have sold a total of 9,000 forms to the IDPs in some camps across Maiduguri at the cost of N300 each, promising them that they will be provided with special relief materials from Abuja,” he said
Ibrahim explained that the suspect, working with some other people now at large, recruited "some agents in the camps, to deceive the IDPs that special relief materials will be brought to them from Abuja after filling the forms with their passport photographs attached.”
While advising the displaced persons to be vigilant and report suspicious persons to security agencies, Ibrahim assured that the suspect would be handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, 16 February 2016 received the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the State House, Abuja.
The two leaders discussed issues bordering on regional security.
“I came to talk about the joint commission that has been formulated and how we can make it a more effective instrument for improving relations – trade relation, investment relation, international relation – and to continue to see Liberia and Nigeria as strong friends,”the Liberian President said.
See photos after the cut.
The Director of Projects Management in the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Engr Robert Obioha has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for attempting to bribe the EFCC South-South Zonal Head, Mr. Ishaq Salihu, with N150, 000.
The anti graft agency said in a statement that the suspect who was on administrative bail is under investigation for alleged contract splitting and inflation.
The statement read in part ;
“He was quizzed and offered administrative bail, but when he reported the next day to perfect his bail, he went to the zonal head’s office and offered him the sum of N150,000 to buy recharge cards.
“The suspect claimed that he offered the said money to Salihu in order to build a good relationship with him. The suspect will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.”
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