EFCC Grabs Dame Patience’s Houseboy, Driver She Allegedly Used To Open $15 Million Accounts

September 12, 2016

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested four domestic servants, including a driver and a houseboy, whose names were used to open bank accounts for Mrs. Dame Patience Jonathan, the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Sources within the anti-graft agency said that the companies’ accounts were opened at Skye Bank. The companies are Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited, Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited and Globus Integrated Service Limited.

The four companies’ accounts, which have since been frozen by the EFCC, have a balance of about $15 million while another account, which bears Patience Jonathan’s name, has $5 million.

Mr. Sammie Somiari, who deposed to an affidavit on behalf of the ex-President’s wife, said the former First Lady was the owner of the money in the accounts.

She had revealed that she gave millions of dollars to the then Special Adviser to the President on Domestic Affairs, Waripamowei Dudafa, to open accounts for her.

Somiari, however, claimed that Dudafa opened five accounts for Patience and that only one of the accounts was in her name, while the other four were opened in the names of companies belonging to Dudafa.

A detective at the EFCC, however, revealed that Dudafa used his domestic servants’ names to open the four other accounts and then deposited the money into the accounts.

The operative added, “We were investigating Dudafa when we stumbled on those four companies’ domiciliary accounts opened at Skye Bank with a balance of about $15m. On further investigation, we were able to identify the directors of the companies.

“When we detained the directors, we found out that they were Dudafa’s domestic servants. One of them was a houseboy while another one was a driver. Their photographs were used in opening the accounts and their signatures were forged.

“We found out that these domestic servants were completely innocent because they had no access to the accounts. We have since released them. The sole signatory to the accounts was Patience Jonathan and she was issued with a special card, which is accepted worldwide. She has a separate account, which was opened in her name and has a balance of $5m.”

The detective said a lawyer, Amajuoyi Briggs, who allegedly helped Dudafa to perpetrate the fraud, would also be arraigned.

It was learnt that two Skye Bank executives, Demola Bolodeoku and Dipo Oshodi, who helped Dudafa to open the accounts on March 22, 2010, were also being investigated.

The detective added, “This is a clear case of fraud and there is no way the bank officials will say they did not know what was going on. They are under investigation and those found culpable will be arraigned.”

The EFCC operative said he could not immediately confirm if the transaction was reported to the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit.

He explained that the commission had discovered a trend which politicians used in laundering and concealing funds, saying it was becoming more rampant due to the operation of the Bank Verification Number which links all accounts owned by an individual.

“What we have noticed is that in order to conceal funds, what politicians and top civil servants do is to open bank accounts in the name of family or friends and then make themselves the sole signatory to the account.

“Don’t forget that we traced about 17 bank accounts to the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.).

“Often times, they do this in connivance with bank officials and that is why the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, has said henceforth, whenever we are investigating a bank official, we will probe the entire bank as well because these officials usually act under the instruction of their superiors.”

Jonathan’s wife has, however, sued Skye Bank for freezing her bank accounts and giving the EFCC vital information about her finances.

She also wants the court to order Skye Bank to pay her damages in the sum of N200m for what she termed a violation of her right to own personal properties under Section 44 of the 1999 Constitution.

Source: PUNCH. [myad]

Kogi Catches 5 Top Civil Servants Who stole N230 Million Pension Fund

Greenbarge Reporters

September 11, 2016

Kogi state government has caught five top civil servants soiling their hands in the treasury, stealing a huge N230 Million meant for the payment of pensioners.
The Accountant-General of the state, Alhaji Yusuf Okala, who confirmed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja today, Sunday, said that the alleged fraud was discovered in the course of the work of the Staff Screening and Verification Committee which he chairs.
“Yes, it is true. We have been able to recover N20 million from them through the efforts of the police command in the state.”
That was even as the state Auditor-General, Alhaji Ahmed Ododo, said that the money would be recovered in full from the suspects. The money was said to be part of funds released by the administration of Captain Idris Wada for the payment of pensioners.
Over 9,000 retirees in the state are owed between four and five months pension arrears as a result of the alleged diversion and the lack of funds by the government.
Ododo explained that the suspects would be made to face the law, even as he commended the state government for setting up the committee for conducting the verification in the interest of the state.
He said apart from identifying ghost workers and pensioners, the committee was working to plug loopholes through which public funds were being stolen.
Ododo promised that all genuine workers and pensioners would soon be cleared for the payment of salaries and pensions.
“The screening of workers and pensioners is going to be a continuous exercise. No authentic staff or pensioner will have any cause to fear.
“Governor Yahaya Bello-led administration in the state has high regard for both workers and pensioners.
“The ongoing verification is not aimed at victimizing anybody but an effort targeted at saving money for the state to take adequate care of its responsibilities.”

NAN. [myad]

Regulator Issues Last Warning To Mobile Network Operators To Stop Unsolicited SMS

Greenbarge Reporters

September 11, 2016

The Nigerian Communications Commission has issued what it called ‘last warning’ mobile network operators in the country to stop unsolicited Short Messages Service or text and calls to subscribers.
Director of the Commission’s Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo, in a statement today, expressed worry that in spite of earlier warnings to telecommunication service providers to activate their ‘Do-Not-Disturb’ facility which gives subscribers the freedom to choose the messages they receive, the Commission is still inundated with complaints by subscribers of continuing text harassment by operators.
The Direction issued to industry operators to activate the 2442 ‘Do Not Disturb’ Short Code took effect from July 1, 2016.
Ojobo explained that the Direction mandates the operators to take immediate action which will allow the subscribers to take informed but independent decisions on what messages to receive from the networks.
He said that industry compliance doesn’t seem to have matched the seriousness of the Direction and that the Commission is therefore compelled to issue a final warning to the operators.
According to him, the directive takes into cognizance the broad range of services, which include: Banking/Insurance/Financial products, Real estate, Education, Health, Consumer Goods and Automobiles, Communication/ Broadcasting/ Entertainment/ IT, Tourism and /Leisure, Sports, Religion (Christianity, Islam, others.
The Commission directed the operators to give the necessary instructions and clarifications that will enable subscribers subscribe to a particular service/services/none at all.
In fact, a Full DND which is SMS ‘STOP” to 2442 does not allow the subscriber to receive any unsolicited messages from the operators at all.
The following are the various options:
“SMS 1” for receiving SMS relating to Banking/Insurance/ Financial Products to 2442
“SMS 2” for receiving SMS relating to Real estate to 2442
SMS 3” for receiving SMS relating to Education to 2442
“SMS 4” for receiving SMS relating to Health to 2442
“SMS 5” for receiving SMS relating to Consumer Goods and Automobiles, to 2442
“SMS 6” for receiving SMS relating to Communication/ Broadcasting/ Entertainment/ IT, to 2442
“SMS 7” for receiving SMS relating to Tourism and Leisure to 2442
“SMS 8” for receiving SMS relating to Sports to 2442
“SMS 9” for receiving SMS relating to Religion to 2442
Ojobo called on the service providers to immediately comply with the directive as further complaints from the subscribers would be taken as serious infractions to a major regulatory intervention by the Commission. [myad]

How To Survive Economic Recession, Gov Obiano Offers, Greets Muslims At Eid-El-Kabir

Greenbarge Reporters

September 11, 2016

The governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has called on Nigerians to imbibe the virtues of love, tolerance and harmony as advocated by the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, to survive the challenges created by the recession in the nation’s economy.
In a Special Message today, Sunday, felicitating with Muslims on the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir, Governor Obiano observed that the celebration of this year offers Nigerians a chance to show love for one another and strengthen the bonds of nationhood.
The Statement signed by James Eze, Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media, said that Nigeria has always bounced
back from difficult positions in the past and that the teachings of the Holy Prophet should serve as a guide to her steady steps out of the current recession.
“Nigerians should love one another, show more tolerance for one another and work more closely together to pull the
country out of the throes of depression.”
The governor appealed to Nigerian Muslims to continue to put Nigeria in their prayers, pointing out that Nigeria needs such prayers now more than ever before. [myad]

Double Burden Of Parents With Malnourished Children In Wamakko, By Yusuf Ozi-Usman

Greenbarge Reporters

September 11, 2016

For most of the people, especially women living in remote villages far from medical centres, it is not only malnutrition that has been devastating their children, and to some extent, even women themselves, but the difficulty in accessing health centres in which they can seek for help to come out of the ailment.
More often, access to the health centres constitute another burden to the point of discouraging mothers from taking the first step of seeking immediate help for their malnourished children.
For instance, most of the sufferers of malnutrition in Gidan Habibu village in Wamakko local government council of Sokoto state and its environs, are facing the challenge of transportation to the nearest centre, i.e. a dispensary for Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAN), funded by European Commission for Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and managed by International Medical Corps.
To start with, malnutrition is a health condition which saps the energy of the sufferer and weakens the function of vital organs in the body. Malnutrition, in most cases, is not caused by lack of food to eat, but is caused sometime by not eating the right food at the right time, according to medical and nutritional experts.
Experts further said that a malnourished child has many chances of contacting all sort of diseases as the immune deficiency is high. It is also believed that even a nursing mother can fall victim of malnutrition, making her breast milk to be affected, especially in quantity.
And in the aforementioned Gidan Habibu in Wamakko local government area of Sokoto state, many nursing mothers have to trek for over an hour to be able to access Gidan Habibu Dispensary. By the time such women, with their malnourished babies strapped to their backs, arrived at the Dispensary after trekking that far, sometime in hot sun, they too would have fagged out and fallen into the category of malnutrition.
To worsen the situation, the structure in which the malnourished ‘patients’ are being attended to in this area is very dilapidated. The walls are sagging, threatening to fall apart any moment. The painting on the wall has virtually washed off even as big cracks are visible in all parts of the structure. It is not surprising that its archaic zink leaks whenever it rains, thereby exposing the sickly babies and their mothers to added health danger.
Except for the voluntary workers, who appear to be enjoying the job of attending to and treating the malnourished children and some of their mothers, there is nothing encouraging about the centre, which gives a clear impression of neglect by the government.
Of course, the Sokoto state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Balarabe Shehu Kakale had said, when he addressed media men and women who attended a UNICEF’s two-day interactive session on children malnutrition, that the state has woken up to the reality of the danger posed by malnutrition and had voted huge amount of money in the budget to control it, a great lot of work still need to be done to arrest the fast drift of the tomorrow’s leaders into oblivion, no thanks to malnutrition.
There is of course, the danger in an attempt by the government, which is just waking up to the reality of the situation regarding malnutrition, the national and International Donour Agencies trying to solve child malnutrition in this particular area with little attention paid to the havoc being caused to the nursing mothers as result of the long distance trekking that is likely to create another challenge on its own.
As a matter of fact, the larger picture is that there might be the tendency of the mothers nursing malnourished children refusing, for no fault of theirs, to access the centre, thereby denying the children the benefit of enjoying the facilities and therefore, dying unnecessarily.
Considering the life-time effect of malnutrition on the children, their growth and the negative effect on the nation itself, it is not asking too much for the government at all levels to create special task force to address the challenges. This is one of the ways of checking malnutrition and therefore, insuring the future of our children. [myad]

The Tragedy Of Senseless Militancy In Niger Delta, By Austin Emaduku

Greenbarge Reporters

September 11, 2016

The Managing Director of Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Chief William Makinde, speaking on Quest FM on Tuesday, 6th September, 2016, made a very serious point regarding the relocation of oil servicing companies from Delta State that should be a take home for every true lover of the Niger Delta. His major point was that we created the state of insecurity that chased away the companies that would have provided employment for our teaming unemployed youths.

This is the immutable truth that our so-called agitators and those who applaud them have failed to see. There is on the rise, a culture of laziness and self-destruct that has permeated and continues to bedevil the Niger Delta region, especially Delta State.

I can recall the mid-80s to the early 90s when Warri, the economic hub of Delta State was home to hundreds of oil companies. Oil production was at its peak and many of our young men and women were engaged in one form of employment or the other: technicians, fitters, welders, caterers, security guards, etc. It was in this era that catering, a hitherto disregarded profession in this area came to the fore.

Several catering schools sprang up to train careers to fill the need of the catering companies that catered for the countless oil companies that operated offshore and they were legion. Even security companies became sophisticated and people were no longer ashamed to take on security jobs as they were now well kitted and the pay was good. The economy of the area boomed. Night life and recreational activities which are indicators of economic buoyancy of the citizenry thrived.

Female night workers, popularly called club girls, could visit any of the night clubs, pick up an expatriate oil worker of any nation and take him to her one room apartment in a face me I face you apartment and spend the night in peace. That white man would wake up in the morning take a cab and go back to his place of abode without any fear or may even decide to spend the weekend without a care for his safety. Club girls were known then to turn down advances from black men whom they nicknamed “si kro kro” for lack of dollar power during club nights until the early hours of the morning when it became clear that there would be no white customers to catch. Such were the exotic tastes of even prostitutes! How times have changed.

Enter the dragon! From nowhere, in the name of resource control, greedy politicians seeking leverage in national politics empowered and encouraged criminal groups to cripple oil installations. This graduated to kidnapping of expatriate oil workers for ransom and then vandalization and bombing of pipelines.

There was a time in Warri when you walked into a roadside bar and you would see an “Oyibo” man drinking beer. They had black friends, co-workers, whom they visited at home. But with the advent of unthinking militancy, the companies started relocating one after the other. Those that remained bought up our security and made us second class citizens in our land. You need to observe these expatriates hold up traffic during rush hours.

While our gun wielding uniform security operatives clear traffic for them –sometimes flogging us – we are made to spend needless hours in traffic just so that they can pass. While there is shortage of security for our homes and neighborhood, our expatriate friends have no such worries. Even the almighty Nigerian Army has been reduced to “maigad” – personal security men – status at the residents of the expatriates. You dare not loiter around their abodes or else you get the usual bloody civilian treatment.

Where has all this left us? A teeming horde of lazy jobless youths who think the surest way to easy wealth is intimidation and violence. They are even against the development of their own communities. Anyone who has attempted to create a road, draw electricity or site a building project in any of our commutes will know what I am talking about. “Deve” collection has driven away many investors from our clime as well as hampered and led to the folding up of many business concerns.

The evil that we created has come full circle. In the absence of white men to kidnap, these so called agitators have turned on our wives, daughters, and mothers who are daily kidnapped, and violated.

How does bombing and polluting the already degraded environment help the Niger Delta cause? How has the harassment and intimidation of investors helped the cause of the region? Instead of acting with tact to protect and preserve our environment, we have contributed in no small measure to its destruction. Instead of agitating to create wealth and employment, we have chased away employment opportunities.

Now let me say this to the so-called Niger Delta agitators who blow up oil pipelines and pollute the already over devastated environment. You are like the mad man who in an attempt to solve problem of rats in his house, set the house on fire only to sleep out in the rain. You are worse than the Boko Haram of the North-East. At least, for the Boko Haram, there is a religious hope of heaven and dream of conjugal bliss with seventy virgins, but for you, your religion has already condemned you to a life of damnation in hell, for the faith you profess is against rape, arson, stealing and murder. And for those who profess the African traditional religious faith, yours is even worse, for the gods of Egbesu, Agbejugbele, Igbe or whatever god you serve does not wait for the afterlife to mete out retribution.

Until we create a conducive atmosphere for investment to thrive we will continue to be jobless. The DESOPADEC MD put it succinctly when he said, until a white man can walk freely from NPA, Warri, to Enerhen junction in Effurun, without fear of being kidnapped, investors will continue to run away from our region and with them the prospect of employment and general economic boom.

Mark Zuckerberg recently came to Nigeria, freely walked on the streets of Lagos and jogged on Eko Bridge without security escort. This is the kind of environment that encourages investors and employment creation and not an atmosphere like the killing fields of the streets of Lebanon.

I challenge all “Waferians” with memory to cast their minds back to the mid-80s to early 90s before the agitation that drove away the companies and tell me when the region was better off: before or after the agitations? What gains has the so-called militancy brought us if not strife, tears and pain? Besides making billionaires of a few, what gains have the years of criminal militancy disguised as agitation for freedom the region?

Niger Deltans, it is time for us to think.

Austin Emaduku wrote from Ekete, Udu LGA, Delta State, Nigeria. [myad]

Dame Patience: Trouble De Sleep, Nyanga Wake Am, By Yusuf Ozi-Usman

Greenbarge Reporters

September 11, 2016

Dame Patience, wife of the immediate past Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has obviously dipped her finger in a burning fire. In other words, she typifies the Igbo coined English which says ‘trouble de sleep and nyanga go wake am.’

In this context, since the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) opened fire on many Nigerians that were suspected to have siphoned the nation’s collective wealth into their private accounts, the name of Dame Patience had never came up even though, there were many Nigerians who believed that given the role she played; the way she played Father-Christmas to those who were worshiping her, she should have been among those focused by the anti-corruption agency.

While the EFCC officers were pursing the suspected thieves who stole Nigerian monies in billions, Dame Patience suddenly appeared from the background, as she was pursued by the god of Change, to announce that she is one of the thieves.

Either out of desperation or ignorance or both, Dame Patience filed a case in court on Thursday, claiming that the $31.4 Million (over N10 Billion), which the EFCC had frozen belonged to her.

The money is involved in an alleged fraud case before a Federal High Court in Lagos. The Counsel to the first defendant in the charge, with case number FHC/337C/16, Gboyega Oduwole, informed the court that Mrs. Patience Jonathan had filed a fundamental application against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, claiming ownership of the money.
In an application filed on September 6, this year, with file number FHC/L/C5/1233/16, Mrs. Patience Jonathan is asking the court to make an order for the enforcement of her fundamental rights, in terms of reliefs she sought, and naming as defendants, the EFCC and Skye Bank Plc.
The former first lady asked the court to make a declaration that the fund standing to the credit of four of the companies and an account in her own name in Skye Bank belonged to her.
She also asked the court to declare that the action of the respondents in placing a No Debit/Freezing Order on the said accounts without any order of a competent court of law or prior notice to her, to be in breach of her fundamental rights as contained in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.‎
The EFCC had taken former presidential aide, Amajuoyi Azubike Briggs; former Skye Bank official, Damola Bolodeoku; Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited; and Avalon Global Property Development Company Limited to court in an alleged $31.4 million fraud involving the companies without addresses.‎

Just as Patience, who had been quietly left to rest all this while but who decided to ruffle the hornet’s nest, was stuggling to repossess her over N10 Billion, the EFCC stumbled on another $5 Million (over N1.5 Billion) belonging to her too. It was then that things began to take far different shapes. As a matter of fact, the money that has so far traced to her account is $200 Million (over N60 Billion)!!!

EFCC officers who are working on her case discovered that it was discovered that the accounts belonged to Patience Jonathan and that she is the sole signatory to the accounts. She was said to have been given a special card which she used in making withdrawals across the world.
“We, therefore, wondered why the accounts were not opened in her name if she had nothing to hide. In fact, we later found out that her personal account, which bears her name, has a balance of $5 million. One wonders where a person, who has never held a government position, got the money from. She was not our initial target but she certainly has questions to answer.”
Commenting on the matter, the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay (SAN), said that with the fresh admission by Patience that she owns the accounts, the EFCC has the right to probe her.
Sagay said that the Act establishing the EFCC gave the anti-graft agency the power to investigate anybody who is seen to have more wealth than he ought to have even as he too wondered how Patience, who was a civil servant and never held any government position, could have billions in her bank accounts.
“The EFCC and ICPC Act have provisions under which they can ask the court to freeze the account of a person if a person’s capacity to earn is below the amount of money that the person appears to have.
“If you are living a lavish lifestyle and it appears you don’t have the means to have acquired the property and the wealth you have, the EFCC is free to probe you.
“If she is claiming the money belongs to her, she has put herself in a position where she must explain how she earned it.”

If this is not a case of trouble de sleep and nyanga go wake am, someone should please, in the name of God, tell me what is?

Was Dame Patience under a spell of Change and had to smoke herself out, identifying herself as one of the nation’s marauders?

I just overheard a naughty hungry man across the street saying: “na so our gods go de catch them one by one.” [myad]

It Is Impossible To Separate The Present From The Past, Buhari Argues

Greenbarge Reporters

September 11, 2016

President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that it is not possible to separate the present from the past even as he assured that his government will eventually get the economy right.
“It is impossible to separate the present from the past to appreciate the extent to which mistakes of the past are affecting everyday life today.”
President Buhari, in a message to Muslims on the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, beginning tomorrow, Monday, said: “the present recession is as a result of cumulative effects of worldwide economic downturn and failure in the past to plan and save for difficult times.”
The President who assured Nigerians that his government is working round the clock to remove the hardships the country is going through, acknowledged their steadfastness in spite of the difficult economic times the country is going through.
“Rail and road constructions, projects in the housing sector, support for farmers and for small and medium scale industries, youth and women’s empowerment programmes, support for revival of industries are all designed to reinvigorate the economy and enhance living standards of ordinary people.
“We are getting security right. We are stopping corruption in its tracks and we will get the economy right by the Grace of God.”
Turning to Muslims in particular, Buhari enjoined them to live by the dictates of Islam and to keep good relationships with their Christian brothers and sisters “and as patriots, to maintain the spirit of the Nigerian nation.”
This is even as an Osun State based civil group, the Civil Societies Coalition for the
Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) asked Nigerians to live in peace and unity among
themselves, irrespective of religion differences. It said that only unity of purpose among the people could make them to put the leaders on their toes by enjoying the dividend of good governance.
The CSCEOS in its Eid-El-Kabir message to the People of Osun State, signed by its Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman, congratulated the Muslims and Christian in the State for witnessing another Eid-El-Kabir festival as well as Muslims from the state who performed this year Hajj in fulfillment of a key injunction of the Islamic faith.
The group called the people of the State and Nigeria to imbibe
the lessons of commitment, dedication and obedience to Almighty Allah in Prophet Ibraheem’s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to
the will of Allah.
The group also called on Muslims to use the occasion to strengthen the unity, peace and progress of the State and Nigeria, even as it advised the Pilgrims in the Holy Land to pray fervently for the progress of the State.
“We must be bold to tell the truth in the interest of our country and her people. Our dear country needs capable
and result-driven leadership to steer the ship of state in the
emerging new world order which places premium on breaking new grounds
to create opportunities for our teeming population. We want to say that this year’s celebration needs more prayers and total dedication now than ever before. Nigeria is at a critical political crossroads coupled with our economy recession.We need strong leadership that is
prepared to address the greater challenges confronting the country at the moment.
“As it is today, the economic situation of the country is nothing to write home about. The spate of kidnappings, pipeline vandalism armed
robberies, arms proliferation, smuggling, unemployment, youths restiveness and decaying infrastructure calls for worry particularly in a society where the moral values have taken a nose dive. We ask the
Almighty Allah to give us leaders that will honour agreements whether
written or verbal, whether documented or otherwise, so that we can collectively nurture a God-fearing society with sound moral values, ethics and rule of law.” [myad]

EFCC Stumbles On $5 Million In Dame Patience’s Account, Says She Has Questions To Answer

Greenbarge Reporters

September 11, 2016

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has stumbled on $5 million in the Skye Bank account of Dame Patience Jonathan, the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan. This is in addition to the $31.4 Million which she personally claimed belonged to her and which EFCC has frozen.
This brings to $200 million the total amount so far traced to the former first lady.
As part of investigations into a money laundering case against a former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to ex-President Jonathan, Waripamowei Dudafa, the EFCC had traced four company accounts to him with a balance of $15 million.
The EFCC subsequently charged Dudafa and the four companies with money laundering.
The four companies, whose accounts have since been frozen, are Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited, Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited and Globus Integrated Service Limited.
A source at the EFCC said that while “we were investigating Dudafa, we traced the four companies to him. The companies have domiciliary accounts at Skye Bank with a balance of about $15 million. So, we obtained a court order and froze the accounts.
“We then traced the directors of the companies who then denied ownership of the accounts. It was later that we were informed that the accounts belonged to Patience Jonathan and that she is the sole signatory to the accounts. She was given a special card which she used in making withdrawals across the world.
“We, therefore, wondered why the accounts were not opened in her name if she had nothing to hide. In fact, we later found out that her personal account, which bears her name, has a balance of $5 million. One wonders where a person, who has never held a government position, got the money from. She was not our initial target but she certainly has questions to answer.”
Jonathan’s wife has already sued Skye Bank for freezing her bank accounts and giving the EFCC vital information about her finances.
Patience filed a N200 million fundamental rights enforcement suit against Skye Bank Plc.
One Sammie Somiari, who deposed to an affidavit on behalf of Patience, claimed that the EFCC placed a No Debit Order on the four accounts in July, in the course of probing Dudafa.
The EFCC has now filed an amended 17 counts against Dudafa and seven others, including the four companies, wherein the suspects were accused of conspiring to conceal $15,591,700, which the EFCC claimed they ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act.
Somiari said that in the affidavit filed on behalf of Patience, who is said to be away for an urgent medical treatment abroad, that it was Dudafa who helped Patience open the four bank accounts which the EFCC froze.
According to him, Dudafa had on March 22, 2010 brought two Skye Bank officers, Demola Bolodeoku and Dipo Oshodi, to meet Patience at home to open five accounts.
The deponent claimed that Patience was the sole signatory to the accounts.
He, however, claimed that after the five accounts were opened, Patience later discovered that Dudafa opened only one of the accounts in her name, while the other four were opened in the names of companies belonging to Dudafa.
“The applicant (Patience) complained about this to Dudafa, who at his prompting and instance promised to effect the change of the said accounts to the applicant’s name; and to effect this change, Dudafa brought the said bank manager, Mr. Dipo Oshodi, who was purported to have effected the changes. This was about April 2014.
“The applicant is not a director, shareholder or participant in the companies named in the aforementioned four accounts.
“The bank official, Mr. Dipo Oshodi, as it would appear, did not effect or reflect the instruction of the applicant to change the said accounts to her name(s) despite repeated requests of the applicant.
“Besides, the ATM credit cards bearing the said companies’ names were brought to the applicant by Mr. Dipo Oshodi of the second respondent bank, who promised to replace them once the cards bearing the changed names were available, but he never did.
“However, since 2010 up until 2014 and thereafter, the applicant had been using the cards on the said accounts and operating the said accounts without let or hindrance.
“Even in May, June and July 2016, the applicant travelled overseas for medical treatment and was using the said credit cards abroad up until July 7, 2016 or thereabout when the cards stopped functioning.”
In her fundamental rights suit, Patience is urging the court to compel the EFCC to immediately remove the No Debit Order placed on her accounts.
She also wants the court to order Skye Bank to pay her damages in the sum of N200 million for what she termed a violation of her right to own personal property under Section 44 of the Constitution.
However, the EFCC is in moves to arraign Dudafa and his alleged accomplices for money laundering before a Federal High Court in Lagos.
Further proceedings in the case has been adjourned until September 15.
However, the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay (SAN), has said that with the fresh admission by Patience that she owns the accounts, the EFCC has the right to probe her.
Sagay said that the Act establishing the EFCC gave the anti-graft agency the power to investigate anybody who is seen to have more wealth than he ought to have.
The senior advocate wondered how Patience, who was a civil servant and never held any government position, could have billions in her bank accounts.
He said: “The EFCC and ICPC Act have provisions under which they can ask the court to freeze the account of a person if a person’s capacity to earn is below the amount of money that the person appears to have.
“If you are living a lavish lifestyle and it appears you don’t have the means to have acquired the property and the wealth you have, the EFCC is free to probe you.
“If she is claiming the money belongs to her, she has put herself in a position where she must explain how she earned it.”
Attempts to get the comments of the wife of the former president were not successful.
Repeated calls and a text message sent to the Media Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr Ikechukwu Eze, were also not responded to as at 8:45pm on Saturday.

Source: PUNCH. [myad]

Nigerian Pilgrims Begin Home Journey On September 17

Greenbarge Reporters

September 11, 2016

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that the returning journey of Nigerian pilgrims who are currently performing hajj in Saudi Arabia will commence on September 17.
The Commission’s Commissioner of Operations, Alhaji Abdullahi Saleh, who spoke during a pre-Arafat meeting with stakeholders in Makkah, said that the returning journey will start with pilgrims from Kwara and Kogi States.
He said: “FlyNas Airline is ready to begin the operation of returning the pilgrims back home. We have got schedule of FlyNas as at Saturday, while Med-view and MaxAir are to follow suit soon.
“We call on state leadership for collaboration, dialogue and consultation with operators. They should exercise patience and cooperate with the operators.”
Meanwhile, the pilgrims, early in the morning of today, Sunday, marched en mass to the plain of Arafat to observe the climax point of the pilgrimage.
The over 1,500,000 pilgrims are expected to remain in Arafat for the whole day, and to leave for Muzdalifa at the sun set.
They would spend the night in Muzdalifa after which they will proceed to Jamrah on Monday morning to pelt the Devil, marking the Eid-el-Kabir and the beginning of the end of the hajj rites.

Here is the Last Sermon (Khutbah) of Prophet Muhammad (Farewell Sermon) which he delivered on the ninth of Dhul Hijjah (12^th and last month of the Islamic year), 10 years after Hijrah (migration from Makkah to Madinah) in the Uranah Valley of mount Arafat. His words were quite clear and concise and were directed to the entire humanity.

After praising, and thanking Allah he said:

“O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and TAKE THESE WORDS TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE PRESENT HERE TODAY.

Beware of Satan for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your LORD, and that HE will indeed reckon your deeds. ALLAH has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. Allah has Judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn ‘Abd’al Muttalib (Prophet’s uncle) shall henceforth be waived…

O People, it is true that you have certain right with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah’s trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.

O People, listen to me in earnest, worship ALLAH, say your five daily prayers (Salah, fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety (taqwa) and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

Remember, one day you will appear before ALLAH and answer your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.

O People, NO PROPHET OR APOSTLE WILL COME AFTER ME AND NO NEW FAITH WILL BE BORN. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the QURAN and my example, the SUNNAH and if you follow these you will never go astray.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O ALLAH, that I have conveyed your message to your people”.

(Reference: See Al-Bukhari, Hadith 1623, 1626, 6361) Sahih of Imam Muslim also refers to this sermon in Hadith number 98. Imam al-Tirmidhi has mentioned this sermon in Hadith nos. 1628, 2046, 2085. Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal has given us the longest and perhaps the most complete version of this sermon in his Masnud, Hadith no. 19774.)

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