The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday arraigned Ngige over alleged N2.2 billion fraud.

Ngige, a former governor of Anambra, is facing eight counts of fraud and accepting bribes.

The defendant served as the governor of Anambra under PDP platform from May 29, 2003, to March 17, 2006.

He served as minister under former and late President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration from 2015 to 2023.

The EFCC arrested Ngige on Wednesday.

He is being prosecuted for fraud, which he allegedly committed during his tenure as Minister of Labour and Employment.

The EFCC accused him of awarding seven contracts worth over N366 million “for consultancy, training and supply by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF)” to a company, Cezimo Nigeria Limited, belonging to his associate, Ezebinwa Charles.

EFCC alleged that Ngige awarded eight contracts worth over N583 million to another company belonging to Mr Charles.

The EFCC also alleged that the defendant used his position to give preferential treatment, awarding eight contracts worth over N362 million to a company, Jeff & Xris Limited, belonging to Nwosu Chukwunwike.

Other companies he awarded contracts include Olde English Consolidated Limited and Shale Atlantic Intercontinental Services Limited, belonging to Uzoma Igbonwa to the sum of N668 million and N161million respectively.

According to the EFCC, these offences violate section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

Also, the anti-graft agency accused Ngige of collecting gratifications from contractors of the NSITF through “his organization, called Senator (Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige Campaign Organization from Cezimo Nigeria Limited (Zenith Bank Account Number 1011901119).”

The EFCC further alleged that Ngige collected N38.6 million from Cezimo Nigeria Limited, N55 million from Zitacom Nigeria Limited and N26 million from Jeff & Xris Limited.

This, according to EFCC, contravened section 17(a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and is punishable under section 17(c) of the same Act.

He however pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The EFCC’s counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN applied for a trial date and urged the court to remand Ngige at Kuje Custodial Centre.

However, counsel to Ngige, Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, noted that they were only informed of the arraignment yesterday and could not file for his bail application.

Ikwueto urged the court to give Ngige a conditional bail on health grounds.

He also attempted to move for an oral bail application for the defendant on self-recognition.

Tahir noted that the court could not be presented with both a written and oral application.

He also noted that Ngige was yet to submit his international passport, which was part of his previous bail conditions.

Ikweto, however, noted that Ngige’s international passport was stolen, and the EFCC had been informed through a letter.

Tahir denied knowledge about the report.

Following their submissions, Justice, Maryam Hassan, ordered his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre.

Justice Hassan adjourned until Monday for hearing and determination of his bail application.

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The post Alleged N2.2bn fraud: Court remands Ngige in Kuje prison appeared first on Frontpageng.

SP Suleiman Nguroje, the command spokesperson, said this in a statement issued on Monday in Yola.

He said that the escapees identified as Atiku Ibrahim, 37, and Adamu Ibrahim, 40, were arrested by Police crack squad on May 19.

“The escaped suspects were arrested for cattle rustling and other nefarious activities.

“During interrogation they confessed to have been in Kuje Correctional custody since 2021, following allegation of arms dealing against them.

“They also confessed to have escaped to Adamawa, until their arrest.

“They further stated that they were awaiting trial in Kuje in a case of arms dealing and unlawful possession of firearms.”

Nguroje said that the Commissioner of Police, Afolabi Babatola directed that the escapees be handed over to the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Adamawa Command.

The command had in July 2022 arrested another Kuje escapee and handed him over to the NCoS.

Source: NAN

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On July 5, the Boko Haram breakaway faction Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, led an attack on the custodial centre.

The federal government said 879 detainees escaped, including all 68 imprisoned Boko Haram members.

Kyari and other officers of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP’s, Intelligence Response Team, IRT, through their counsel, told Justice Emeka Nwite that their lives were in danger in the correctional facility.

Moving the motion for bail, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, who appeared for 1st (Kyari), 4th and 5th defendants, said granting his clients bail was a necessity because their lives were no longer safe where they were detained.

He said the officers who had performed excellently well in their profession by apprehending dangerous and high-profile criminals, most of who are in the same prison with them, should not be kept in the facility.

Ikpeazu urged the court to admit them to bail on liberal terms.

Also, Gboyega Oyewole, counsel for the 2nd defendant, spoke in the same vein.

But lawyer to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Sunday Joseph, disagreed with the defence counsel.

He urged the court to dismiss the bail application.

Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until August 30 for ruling.

Earlier in the trial, NDLEA’s lawyer, Joseph, tendered the sum of 61, 400 dollars allegedly used by suspended DCP Abba Kyari to bribe the agency’s officer in the drug trafficking suit preferred against him and four other police officers.

Joseph tendered the cash in the open court before the judge when the third prosecution witness, Peter Joshua, was being led in evidence in the trial of the suspended IRT members.

At the resumed trial, Joshua, who works at the NDLEA, FCT Command as an Exhibit Officer, testified against Kyari and his men.

Justice Nwite admitted the cash in evidence as Exhibit 11 after the defence counsel did not oppose to the application.

The NDLEA had alleged that it had photo and video evidence against suspended head of the Intelligence Response Team, DCP Kyari, who negotiated the release of 25kg of cocaine from the agency in Abuja.

It alleged that Kyari was caught in camera where he offered to give 61, 400 dollars bribe to its officer in his (officer’s) car from the sale of 5kg share of the cocaine on behalf of the officer and the FCT commander.

Kyari, who is the 1st defendant, was arraigned alongside four accused police officers, including ACP Sunday J. Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirigba and Inspector John Nuhu as 2nd to 5th defendants respectively on March 7.

The NDLEA accused the police officers, who had been on suspension pending the hearing and determination of the matter, of alleged compromise.

They were accused of tampering and dealing with part of the 21.8 kilogrammes of cocaine recovered from Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne.

Umeibe and Ezenwanne were the two alleged drug traffickers arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu by the suspended IRT officers led by Kyari based on their suspicious trafficking in hard drugs.

Umeibe and Ezenwanne, who conspired with some other persons (now at large), confessed to the police upon their arrest that they carried the recovered drugs through Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia International Airport on January 19 to Enugu Airport.

The suspects were subsequently brought to Abuja and handed over to the NDLEA for further investigation.

They had pleaded guilty to five, six and seven counts preferred against them by the anti-narcotic agency bordering on importation of 21.35kg of cocaine into the country without lawful authority contrary to and punishable under Section 11(d) of the NDLEA Act, CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

The duo, who were later convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment, agreed to testify against the police officers in their ongoing trial.

Source: NAN

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Kyari and three of his co-defendants, through their counsel, urged Justice Emeka Nwite to admit then to a bail because their lives in the Kuje Correctional Centre where they are being remanded were unsafe.

At a resumed hearing, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, counsel to Kyari and suspended ACP Sunday Ubia, informed that an application seeking for bail for the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th defendants had been filed and served on the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.

He said the application became necessary due to the nature of the work the defendants had done in the course of policing the country.

Ikpeazu said the defendants were being remanded with criminals in the correctional centre, who through them, their arrests were made possible.

The senior lawyer said their lives were at risk, hence, the need for their bail.

Four suspended police officers, ACP Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Insp Simon Agirigba and Insp. John Nuhu, listed as 2nd to 5th defendants respectively, are being charged by the NDLEA for alleged drug offence alongside Kyari.

However, while Kyari, Ubia, Agirigba and Nuhu (1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th defendants), sought for a bail over alleged threat to their lives, ASP Bawa James, who is the 3rd defendant in the matter, did not.

Meanwhile, counsel for the prosecution, NDLEA, Sunday Joseph, opposed the request that the bail plea be taken, insisting that the matter was scheduled for review of the facts of the 6th and 7th defendants who pleaded guilty to the counts preferred against them.

Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne (6th and 7th defendants) were the two alleged drug traffickers that were arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu.

Umeibe and Ezenwanne had pleaded guilty to five, six and seven counts preferred against them and are being remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre.

Source: NAN

The post Abba Kyari begs court: Grant me bail, my life at risk in Kuje prison appeared first on Frontpageng.

Chief Magistrate Marble Segun-Bello made the remand order shortly after the defendants were arraigned before her for allegedly embarking on a protest over 2021 crossover celebration.

The federal government arraigned Sowore and the others on three-count charges of criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, and attempting to incite others.

Sowore and the others were arrested by the Special Weapons Tactical Team in Abuja while protesting on New Year’s eve.

According to the prosecution, the defendants were seen carrying placards calling for a violent revolution.

They all pleaded not guilty to the three-count charges.

Following their not guilty plea, prosecuting counsel prayed the court for their remand at the Kuje Correctional Center as investigations into the charges were ongoing.

However, the defendants’ counsel, Mr Marshal Abubakar, attempted to make an oral application for their bail, urging the court to grant them bail on self recognisance.

Segun-Bello, however, ordered that the defendants file a formal bail application and adjourned the matter until January 5 to hear the bail application.

She ordered that the defendants be remanded in Kuje Correctional Center pending the determination of their bail applications.

Source: NAN

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Justice Nkeonye Maha gave the order in a ruling following a motion on notice with charge number: FHC/ABJ/CR/05/2016 dated and filed on Dec. 21 by a team of lawyers led by Dr Oyechi Ikpeazu, counsel to Metuh.

Justice Maha ruled that the surety must be a responsible citizens and owner of landed property/properties within the jurisdiction of the court which value should not be below the bail sum.

The judge ordered that once the bail conditions were perfected, the registry of the court shall bring the release warrant for her signature to order the Superintendent of Nigeria Correctional Service, Kuje, in whose custody Metuh was remanded to release him forthwith.

“That registry of this court shall verify the property/properties with the address of the surety and depose to affidavit of same.

“That original title deeds of the property/properties shall be deposited in the registry of this honourable court.

“That surety shall depose to an affidavit of means and submit recent passport of himself/herself for record purpose,” she held.

The judge also granted Metuh’s application to travel within and outside the jurisdiction of the court for 45 days only, beginning from the date of the order.

Maha, therefore, ordered the conditional release of Metuh’s international passport from the court registry as soon as the bail conditions were fulfilled.

“That applicant must immediately hand over his international passport to the Assistant Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court within three days from the date of his return.

“That lead senior counsel to the applicant will file an undertaking to ensure the return of the applicant’s international passport, in line with the above orders of court,” she ordered.

Metuh, through his team of lawyer led by Ikpeazu, had filed the motion on notice asking for an order abridging the time within which the application should be heard and to hear the application during the December vacation.

“An order granting leave to the applicant to bring this application, judgement having been delivered by the Court of Appeal nullifying the judgment of the Federal High Court on which the applicant is being detained in the charge.

“An order directing the release of the applicant from the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Kuje, Abuja. pending when he is re-arraigned before a court of law.

“An order directing that the applicant’s international passport be conditionally released to him to enable him visit his family residing in London upon his release.

“An order directing that until a condition for bail is made upon his re-arraignment, the applicant shall be at liberty to travel in order to see his family for intermittent periods of two months.

“And for such further order or orders as this honourable court shall deem fit to make in the circumstance,” the motion read in part.

Justice Maha, after reading the 15 paragraphed affidavit in support of the motion and having taken into consideration Exhibit “A”, which was the enrolled order of the Court of Appeal and that the depositions in the affidavit supporting the application on notice was unchallenged in the proceedings by the prosecution counsel, Benjamin Maji, exercised her discretional power pursuant to Section 6 of the 1999 Constitution as amended to grant Metuh’s plea.

Source: NAN

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