EFCC Teams Arrive States To Monitor March 18 Polls

Ahead of the governorship and state assembly elections slated for Saturday, March 18, 2023, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has deployed personnel of the Agency across the states where the elections would be held.

The teams led by senior officers began arriving at their assigned locations earlier today, March 17, with a number of them holding consultation with the other security agencies involved in election security and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The team for Ebonyi State, arrived Abakaliki and met with the Commissioner of Police at the State Headquarters, to register their presence before proceeding to the State INEC Headquarters for a brief meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC.

Officers of Kaduna Zonal Command led by ACEII Mustapha Abubakar who are on election monitoring mission to Niger state also met the Commissioner of Police, J.A Ogundele, to register their presence in the state. They also visited the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Niger state, Ahmed Yusha'u Garki.

Officers of the Abuja Zonal Command on election monitoring duty in Nasarawa State, led by ACE II Adeniyi Adebayo also registered their presence at the Nigeria Police Command Lafia, and had a brief meeting with the Commissioner of Police.

The brief of the teams is to deter vote trading and other financial malpractices that could compromise the integrity of the elections.

 The Executive Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa had, in a message to the teams before the Presidential and National Assembly elections of March 5, charged them to exhibit a high sense of integrity and professionalism in carrying out their duties.

“You are out on a national assignment and I expect you to conduct yourselves responsibly in line with our core values of professionalism, integrity and courage.

You have a responsibility to ensure that this election is devoid of financial malpractices, especially inducement of voters. The attention of the world is focused on Nigeria and we must do what is necessary to ensure that we have credible, free and fair elections, “he stated.

EFCC Re-arraigns Businesswoman For Alleged N110m Fraud In Lagos

The Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, March 16, 2023, re-arraigned one Portia Emilia for an alleged N110m fraud before Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos. 

Emilia was re-arraigned alongside her company, Savanah Crest Investment Limited, on an amended five-count charge bordering on conspiracy to steal, contrary to Section 411 and punishable under section  287 (5) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015; obtaining money and property by false pretence, contrary to Section 1(1)(2) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Fraud Offences Act 2006; Stealing, contrary to Section  280(1) (12)8(7), 285(1) and 278(1)b) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011; and retaining stolen property, contrary to Section 328 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

Emilia,  who also took the plea of the company, pleaded "not guilty" to all the charges.

The prosecution counsel, F. Ofoma, informed the court that the prosecution would close its case, having called two witnesses, through whom several documentary evidence were tendered.

"The prosecution hereby applies to close its case," he said.

The defence counsel, J.J. Amodu, prayed the court for an adjournment to enable him prepare for his case. "We also pray this Honourable Court to, upon the re-arraignment of the defendant, allow her to continue to enjoy the bail earlier granted by the court," he said.

The prayer of the defence was granted and the case adjourned till June 22, 2023 for defence.

Revealed! Governor Seyi Makinde's Muslim Name

Did you know that the governor of Oyo State, Engr. 'Seyi Makinde comes from a Muslim background? Did you also know that his Muslim name is Saheed?

If your answer to the above questions is no, then we can tell you authoritatively that Governor Abiodun Oluseyi Makinde is from a Muslim family in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State.

His grandfather was a Muslim from the popular Aigbofa Compound of Oja'ba, Ibadan.

So the governor is a Christian by the virtue of his father, late Pa Olatunbosun Makinde's conversion to Christianity.

This much was revealed by the former first lady of Oyo State, Alhaja Mutiat Yinka Ladoja while featuring on a radio programme few days ago.

Speaking on her relationship with Makinde and why she is refered to as 'Iya Gomina' (Governor's mum), Yinka said she has known her 'adopted' son since 2002.

According to the Maye Iyalode of Ibadanland, Makinde, contrary to the notion being peddled around, is never and can never be anti Islam. 

Saying that the governor has been sending people to Hajj in the last ten years. 

"How can a man who has been consistently organizing Ramadan Lecture in the last ten years be anti Islam," she stated.

It would be recalled that the Makinde-led administration was seriously criticized for demolishing Adogba Central Mosque, which paved ways for the Modern Bus Terminal at Iwo-Road area of Ibadan.

Though the mosque has since been rebuilt on another land near the original location and was recently commissioned by the governor but the criticism has refused to go away.

This evidently manifested in the uproar that followed rename of the mosque after Makinde. In fact, different Islamic organizations, including MURIC kept putting pressure on the government untill Makinde's name was removed from the Mosque's signboard last Sunday.

To Makinde's camp, all these are believed to be politically motivated by the opposition. Who they claimed are playing religion card to unseat Governor Seyi Makinde by all means.

48 Hours To Guber Polls: Oyo APC Candidate, Teslim Folarin Escapes Assassination Attempt

Senator Teslim Folarin, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Ibadan, the state capital, on Thursday.

This is coming less than 48 hours to the governorship and state assembly elections.

Folarin's special adviser on media and publicity, Yekeen Olaniyi, while making this known on Friday morning, March 17, said that a group of masked gunmen invaded his principal's ancestral home at Oja'gbo area in the Ibadan north-east local government area of the state on Thursday evening.

"My principal escaped an assassination attempt on his life on Thursday evening," Olaniyi said.

"He had a scheduled meeting with his family members at Oja'gbo.

"As you are aware, he is the one representing his family at the Olubadan line as Asaju Olubadan.

"So, he was supposed to hold the meeting between 6:30 pm and 7 pm but because he was on air at a radio station, he couldn't meet up at that time.

"He didn't leave the radio station until around 8:40 pm. So, the gunmen invaded the area around 8pm thinking that he was there and started shooting sporadically," he added.

Olaniyi, therefore, called on the state commissioner of police, Adebowale Williams, and other security agencies to beef up security around his principal ahead of the gubernatorial election scheduled for Saturday. March 28.