Nigeria claims discovery of 'Hezbollah cell': Deport all Lebanese Now!-Nigerians urge FG

Nigerians have urged the federal government to sack all Lebanese anywhere they are in the country for carry arms against Nigeria. Those who made the request said Lebanese have never being a good country anywhere they are. According to some prominent Nigerians who sought for anonymity, the early they are deported the better for Nigerian. They claimed that Lebanese are the official sponsors of Boko Haram.

Nigeria's security services say they have discovered a home in the northern city of Kano where Lebanese nationals had stored weapons intended to attack Israeli and Western targets in Nigeria.

 Nigeria's security services said on Thursday they had discovered a home in the northern city of Kano where Lebanese nationals had stored weapons intended to attack Israeli and Western targets in Nigeria.
The Kano state intelligence chief, Bassey Etang, and a separate military statement described the compound as hosting a "terrorist cell" tied to the powerful Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.
No evidence was provided linking the home to the Lebanese group.
Journalists were brought to the compound in the upmarket Bompai neighbourhood of Kano and taken to a bunker dug beneath a bedroom where weapons had allegedly been stored.
"The weapons include anti-tank weapons, rocket-propelled guns, anti-tank (and) anti-personnel mines among other dangerous weapons," the military statement said.
The military said three Lebanese nationals had been arrested in connection with the illegal arms cache, while a fourth suspect was at large.
"This is the handiwork of Hezbollah. What has just been discovered is the cell of Hezbollah and what you have seen here is a Hezbollah armoury," said Etang area director of the Department of State Services, Nigeria's main intelligence branch.
"These weapons are meant to be used to target Israeli and Western interests in Nigeria," he said.
Nigeria is confronting an insurgency waged by radical Islamist group Boko Haram that has left thousands dead since 2009.
"Investigations are still ongoing to determine" if the Lebanese nationals "are really connected to Boko Haram," the intelligence chief said.
Analysts see Boko Haram primarily as a domestic group that has possibly sought closer ties to Al-Qaeda's west Africa franchise.
The military statement said that one suspect, Mustafa Fawaz, was arrested on May 16, and his "confession unveiled other members of the foreign terrorists network."
A second suspect, Abdullah Tahini, was arrested several days later while trying to board a flight to Beirut from the Kano airport, according to the military.
The third detained Lebanese national, Talal Roda, was arrested at the Kano home on May 26 while Fauzi Fawad was identified as the suspect who is at-large.
Mustafa Fawaz, reportedly owns a leading supermarket as well as an amusement park in the capital Abuja called Wonderland.
An employee who answered a call to a number listed for Wonderland said that Fawaz had not been in the office this week.
Nigeria is home to a sizeable Lebanese population, including in the mainly Muslim north.
In February, the DSS said it had discovered a militant cell receiving instructions from Iranian agents that had sought to attack Israeli and Western targets in Nigeria.
DSS National spokesman Marilyn Ogar said at the time the group also planned to assassinate Nigeria's former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida.
Reacting to the latest claims, a security official in Israel said Nigeria was a "destination state for Shiite terror and global Jihad groups, which are boosting their efforts in Africa as part of international terror efforts."
"The cell exposed and arrested is part of a Shiite terror campaign against Western and Israeli targets around the world which has been taking place for a number of years," the official said.
"The possibility that members of the cell acted under Hezbollah's orders in other African states, such as Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Benin and Ghana is also being examined," he added on condition of anonymity.

EFCC Press Release: Peter Iyen Bags Five Years Imprisonment for Forgery

Justice M.B Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos on May 27, 2013, convicted and sentenced Peter Nosakhire Iyen to five years imprisonment for forgery and counterfeiting.

The convict, Peter Nosakhire Iyen and Johan Anderson ( still at large) was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on January 26, 2006, on a 12-count charge of  forgery and counterfeiting of United States Postal Service’s Money Order punishable under Section 1(2) (a) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap. M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The convict pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against him and was remanded at the Ikoyi Prison since 2006. He was consequently convicted by Justice Idris on all the 12 counts preferred against him. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment on each of the counts and the sentence is to run concurrently. The court also ordered that all the forged International Money Orders be destroyed.

Iyen’s journey to prison began on December 16, 2005, when he was arrested by operatives of the EFCC for fraudulently forging United States Money Orders and also conspired to export same from Nigeria to the United States. He also fraudulently induced one Grabb Gregory (a.k.a Oleg Stromsky) of Hyo Eastern Province, United States to buy the said counterfeited Money Orders with serial numbers 70381358876, 7408139887 and 70381798875.

Wilson Uwujaren

Ag. Head, Media & Publicity

31^st May, 2013

Anennih: Automatic tickets for PDP Govs, NASS members...as jonathan boast,No Political Party can beat the PDP- Jonathan

Barring last minute pressure to lure back Peoples Democratic Party, governors who are on the verge of crossing-carpeting to the rival opposition party, APC in the 2015 Presidential election, the Chairman Board of Trustees of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Anthony Anennih, last night at the PDP family dinner held in Abuja propose an automatic ticket for PDP Governors and National Assembly members seeking re-election.
 According to Mr Fix It, the PDP public officers should be allowed to automatically fly the flag of the party in the next election. He further said that, “It will help to stop friction and acrimony in the nomination of aspirants and reduce the problems that come with primaries.”
The BoT Chairman also asks the party to grant President Goodluck Jonathan a second term automatic ticket, advising party members to give the President absolute loyalty and support.
He also asked members not to be distracted by the antics of opposition parties.
President Goodluck Jonathan in his address at the PDP dinner said that, no political party can beat the PDP in Nigeria, according to the President; the PDP is the most united political party in the country.
The President also said he is not losing any sleep over the opinions or actions of the opposition, “People come to me and say, are you aware that the opposition are meeting at this hotel, or at that kitchen? I usually tell them that, the day, they stop meeting, or saying anything, then there is problem.”
He advised PDP members to continue to work together and where there seems to be disagreements, strive to settle it within.

EFCC ARRAIGNS KAMBA, THREE OTHERS OVER LAND SCAM

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday May 30, 2013, arraigned the quartet of Ibrahim Mohammed Kamba, Steven Imokhe, Hassan Argungu and Ibrahim Mohammed Bashir before Justice Abba B. Mohammed of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Apo, Abuja, on a 13-count criminal charge of conspiracy, stealing, forgery, personation, criminal conversion and obtaining under false pretence.

When the charges were read to them, a translator in Hausa language, Bala Ibrahim Mohammed, who works within the court, translated the charges to the first accused. They pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

One of the charge reads, “That you Ibrahim Mohammed Kamba, Ibrahim Mohammed Bashir, Steve Imokhe and Hassan Argungu on or about the 25^th July, 2010 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, agreed amongst yourselves to do an illegal act to wit: obtain titled documents under false pretences and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006”

Counsel to the 1^st accused person, Hassan M. Liman, prayed the court to grant the accused person bail, as he stated that the administrative bail given to the accused by the EFCC should be allowed to continue. Counsel to the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th accused persons also aligned themselves with the argument of the counsel to the 1^st accused person.

Prosecution Counsel, Cosmos O. Ugwu, explained that the issue of administrative bail is a process that is employed pending the arraignment of accused persons, once accused are properly arraigned before the court, the administrative bail lapses and that is why a formal application has to be brought before the court.

The Judge however granted bail to the 1^st accused persons in the sum of N20 million with one surety who must be a member of the House of Representatives. For the 2^nd accused person, the judge granted bail in the sum of N20 million and three sureties in like sum. The sureties, according to the judge, must be civil servants of not less than grade level 12 officers; N10 million naira with two sureties for the 3^rd accused person.

While adjourning the case to June 26, 2013, for commencement of trial, the judge ruled that the 4^th accused person who has been on the run should be remanded in Kuje Prison, as he fixed June 14, 2013, for hearing of the bail application.

EFCC Press Release: Sylva Loses Bid to Reclaim Passport

Former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva today failed in the bid to repossess his international passport as Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court, Abuja threw out his application for lack of merit. 

Sylva had approach the court for the release of his passport claiming that he needed the document to enable him travel to the United Kingdom to be with his wife who is due to undergo a surgical procedure.

At the last sitting, his counsel told the court that the former governor had given an undertaking that as soon as he returns from overseas, he will deliver the passport back to the Registrar of the court.

The defence counsel further told the court that the accused person surrendered himself voluntarily to the court in June 2012 when the he was arraigned. He reminded the court that the passport was released to the accused last year to enable him travel and that upon his return, he promptly brought the said document to the court.

 Prosecution counsel, John Ainetor however opposed the application. He asked the court to dismiss the application in the interest of justice. He said the accused did not need any medical attention personally, but only wanted to accompany his wife who he claims needed medical attention.

 The EFCC counsel also revealed that there were pending allegations against the accused person and his wife and that the trip was a ploy to escape current investigation and possible trial.

Justice Bello in his ruling on Thursday May 30, 2013 dismissed the application on the grounds that the London doctors will deal directly with accused wife and so the application lacks any urgency. The judge also held that the letter from the London Hospital was addressed to No. 38 Malbrone Avenue, London where the wife of the accused is residing and so had no link with the former governor.

Wilson Uwujaren

Ag. Head, Media & Publicity

30^th May, 2013

OmOmatseye Awarded N22m Blackberry Contract Without Board Approval – Witness

A principal prosecution witness in the on-going trial of Raymond Omatseye, former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, on Thursday, May 30, 2013, told a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, that Omatseye awarded a contract for the purchase of Blackberry Smartphones without the approval of the board of the agency.
The witness, Ahmed Ibrahim, told Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, that "the contract for the purchase of BlackBerry smart phones was awarded by NIMASA under the leadership of the accused person and according to the records given to me during investigation, the BlackBerry contract award did not go through the board of NIMASA”.
Omatseye is standing trial for awarding contracts exceeding the threshold allowed a Director General by the Public Procurement Act while he was in office.
When the witness was asked  by the defence counsel,  Sofola Olusina, SAN, to state the sum of the contract,  Ibrahim told the court that the contract was worth N22,050,000 ( twenty two  million and fifty thousand naira ), which was clearly outside the approval threshold of the accused but was not brought before the parastatal’s Tenders Board for approval..
 In his response to the question asked by Sofola on who wrote the memo contained in exhibit PD 17b, Ibrahim told the court that the accused wrote the memo to the board of directors of NIMASA, seeking its approval for the procurement of the BlackBerry smart phones. However, he pointed out that there was no evidence that the board approved the procurement as there is no board resolution conveying such approval, adding that the former Director General acted unilaterally.
Ibrahim also told the court during questioning that the cost of a BlackBerry phone at the time of his investigation was N120, 000(one hundred and twenty thousand naira) but had no knowledge if the phones supplied came with lines.
 
 The case has been adjourned to June 26 and 27, 2013, for continuation of trial.

Wilson Uwujaren

Ag. Head, Media & Publicity

30^th May, 2013

EFCC Arraigns Suspected Oil Thief

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday May 27, 2013 arraigned one John Nwachukwu before Justice S. M Shuaibu  of the Federal High Court, Owerri, Imo State on 3-count charge of pipeline vandalism and illegal dealing in petroleum products. 

 Nwachukwu was arrested on November 7, 2011 by soldiers of the 34 Brigade Garrison, Owerri, who were on internal security duties at Okpuoma Village in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State. He was arrested with over 22,000 liters of bunkered fuel in seven surface tanks. A Volvo car with Registration Number: Imo AA 08 EHM, with some jerry cans filled with bunkered fuel in his custody was impounded.

The case was transferred to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution. When the charge was read to the accused, he pleaded not guilty. One of the counts reads:  “that you John Nwachukwu on or about the 7^th day of November 2011 at Okuoma Village,Ohaji/Egbema,Imo State, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Owerri commit felony to wit; dealing without appropriate licence in petroleum products(22,000 litres of Automotive Gas oil also known as AGO) and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 3(b) (a) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, CAP M17,2004 and punishable under section 1(17) (b) of the same Act”.

The accused was remanded in prison custody and the case adjourned till June 11, 2013 for hearing of the bail application.

Wilson Uwujaren

Ag. Head, Media & Publicity

28^th May, 2013

Okorocha to dissolve cabinet on June 12

Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo on Tuesday said he would soon dissolve the State Executive Council and appoint new members to make the team more formidable.

 A competent source in Imo Government House said the expected change would take place on June 12.

Okorocha gave indication of cabinet reshuffle at a forum organised in Owerri to mark his second year in office.

According to him, selflessness, sacrifice, reduction of costs, thinking ahead and embarking on a four-year project budget were the secret of his success.

He commended the executive members for supporting his rescue mission agenda, adding that the reshuffle was necessary to re-invigorate the team.

The governor explained that his two years in office had brought more development to the state, especially infrastructure development.

Okorocha said N20 billion was spent to construct 15 kilometres of roads in each of the 27 local government areas of the state.

He said that the state had spent N8.6 billion to build precast schools, saying that the project would be replicated in the 305 wards of the state.

According to the governor, the on-going construction of 27 general hospitals across the state is expected to cost N2.7 billion.

Okorocha said the state spent N100 million to improve the Otamiri River in the state and the construction of mayoral and state liaison offices in Abuja.

The governor said the recurrent expenditure within his two years in office stood at N83 billion while the capital stood at N103 billion, totalling N186 billion.

He listed some of the projects executed in the two years to include the renovation of the Government House, Imo Concord Hotel, Commissioners’ Quarters and the construction of the deputy and governor’s wife’s offices.

NDLEA arrests two Drug Barons

Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said they have apprehended two men in connection with unlawful exportation of narcotic drugs. 

The suspects were arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos with 3.700kg of narcotics. A substance that tested positive for methamphetamine weighing 1.700kg hidden in a false bottom of luggage was detected during the outward clearance of Arik air passengers to Monrovia while 2kg of cannabis concealed in dried bitter leaf vegetable was found during the outward search of goods meant for export on board Qatar airline flight.

According to the NDLEA Airport commander, Mr Hamza Umar, both suspects were caught during routine check. “A 53 year old Obianwo Josiah Okwuchukwu concealed 1.700kg of methamphetamine in his luggage on his way to Monrovia, Liberia while Ifeanyi Okafor, 38, concealed 2kg of dried weeds that tested positive for cannabis sativa in a bag containing dried bitter leaf vegetable meant for export to Doha, Qatar.

Both suspects who are from Anambra State have claimed ownership of the drugs. They also stated in their confessional statements that they were enticed by the monetary reward offered by their sponsors. In the words of 53 year old Obianwo Josiah Okwuchukwu, “I have lived in Monrovia for the past five years. I work in a cinema in order to sustain myself and family. My problem began when I lost all my savings to the war in Sierra Leone. I have been living from hand to mouth. My situation was so bad that I agreed to smuggle the drugs for 2,000 dollars”. Obianwo has a wife and four children living in Lagos.

The other suspect, Ifeanyi Okafor said that he lost 87,000 dollars to fraudsters. “I am an importer of baby clothes. My business was going on fine until I lost 87,000 dollars to fraudsters. In fact, I am yet to recover from that tragic incident that reduced me into a beggar. I was smuggling the 2kg of cannabis for a fee of 1,400 dollars. It was carefully packaged but unfortunately the officers detected it” Ifeanyi stated.

Reacting to the latest arrests, NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade said that stiffer penalty is one of the effective strategies of drug control. In his words, “no doubt, stiffer penalties remain one of the effective ways of addressing the problem of drug trafficking in the country. If a 53 year old man knows that if caught with drugs, he will spend the next 15 years in jail, there will be some restraint”. The suspects would soon be charged to court.

N5m Impersonation: EFCC Arrests Vincent Bulus Venman

A fraudster who impersonated a former Plateau State Governor, Fidelis Tapgun and allegedly duped a serving senator of N5m has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Vincent Bulus Venman a.k.a Fidelis Tapgun was apprehended at a First Bank of Nigeria Plc branch in Jos, Plateau State while attempting to withdraw the sum of Two Million Naira (N2, 000,000) sent to him as a bait by the serving senator whom he had earlier defrauded of N5m by claiming to be Ambassador Fidelis Tapgun.

 

Bulus’ undoing was his insistence to further milk the senator after collecting N5m sent to him in two installments through the account name, Venman Vincent Bulus with number 30775681.

 

His demand for another N2m after collecting N5m got the senator suspicious which triggered a petition to the EFCC. The Commission swiftly initiated investigation and advised the senator to play along. The suspect was subsequently nabbed as he tries to withdraw the money sent to him. Items recovered from him include the sum of N2.5million, a Toyota Prado SUV 2012 model and a First bank saving account withdrawal booklet.

The suspect will soon be arraigned in court.

 

Meanwhile, the general public is hereby warned on the activities of fraudsters who use the names of prominent Nigerians for fraudulent purposes.