Although the matter was mentioned for hearing, the trial could not go on because of the absence of the Defendant (Abayomi). The prosecutor reported to the court that the prison officers couldn’t bring him because of the recent prison break at the Suleja correctional centre. He further submitted that proper arrangements are serious ongoing to secure his presence in court in the next adjourned date…
The Defendant Counsel moved a motion for the review of Abayomi bail application, which is subject to the discretion of the court that must be exercised judiciously.
Abayomi Segun Oluwasesan who allegedly committed the heinous crime of defrauding the leading global crypto space known as Afriq Arbitrage System has been Re-arrested alongside his wife and arraigned in FCT High court, Jabi in Abuja on March 28th, 2024.
Abayomi and his wife were tracked to an estate in Lagos and brought back to Abuja on Sunday, March 24th, 2024 over the lingering financial scam to the tune of 87 million dollar and criminal activities he perpetrated against AAS and the CEO, Jesam Micheal.
The arraignment of Abayomi by the IG of police at the Federal High Court in Abuja witnessed a significant development on Thursday, March 28th, 2024, as the case involving the alleged theft of 87 million dollar by Abayomi OluwaSesan charged by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, proceeded with significant deliberations.
The accused individuals were charged for purportedly accessing millions of subscribers’ investments at the Afriq Arbitrage Company’s online trading platform until October 9th, 2023.
In the courtroom presided over by Justice Ms. Idris, both parties, including the defendants’ lawyer and the complainant lawyer Sidi Abdulrasheed, were present alongside individuals whose investments were affected by the alleged fraud at the Afriq Arbitrage Company.
During the session today, the defendants’ lawyer appealed for leniency on the stringent bail condition on behalf of Abayomi OluwaSesan citing their prolonged detention and promising their availability for trial if granted bail. However, the complainant lawyer, Sidi Abdulrasheed, opposed the bail request, highlighting previous instances where the defendants had allegedly fled after being granted bail.
Upon hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Ms. Idris adjourned the case until May 2nd, 2024.
It would be recalled that the conditions initially given included provision of two sureties each with 500 million Naira, owning property in Maitama, and also two directors in the federal civil service. Additionally, the sureties must deposit the title documents of their properties in court.
Speaking to Jesam Micheal the CEO of Afriq Arbitrage Company’s (AAC) after the court proceedings, he clarified the wrong narratives by a session of the media propagated by one human rights group. He narrated how Abayomi who was entrusted with the platform while he went for liver transplant tempered with the systems and defrauded the community of the staggering sum of $87m. He said even the defendant’s counsel admitted he stole the money when he said some properties have been returned to the company.
Also, the complainant’s counsel, Barrister Obeten revealed that justice will be served at the court as the suspect has allegedly admitted to committing the crime and speaking too much on the issue is tantamount to contempt of the court.
Meanwhile, several investors in their hundreds stormed the court to show solidarity to the company and its board of directors. They affirmed that the Afriq Arbitrage System is legit as they benefited immensely from it before the unfortunate saga involving Abayomi. They all chanted their demands for justice.
THECLOUDNGR The WhatsApp number of Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has reportedly been hacked, prompting a warning from his spokesperson, Bolaji Tunji.
The announcement was made in a brief notice sent to the Daily Post by Tunji on Thursday night.
Tunji urged Nigerians to ignore any requests for money or financial assistance originating from the compromised phone number, stating, “HM of power number has been hacked on WhatsApp. Kindly disregard any appeal for money or any assistance for financial support through the number 08022901928.”
This incident follows closely on the heels of similar security breaches involving other government officials.
Just six days prior, the WhatsApp number of the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, was hacked, and earlier, the same fate befell the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh.
TCN recalls that the WhatsApp number of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, in August was also hacked by fraudsters, leading to an attempt to defraud several of his contacts.
The incident came to light when some individuals on the governor’s contact list received messages from his WhatsApp number, requesting that money be sent to a specified account with a promise of a refund later.
In a related incident, Osun State Government, in July issued a public alert on the security breach of Governor Ademola Adeleke‘s official telephone number.
Bobrisky: Why I Didn’t File Suit Against VeryDarkMan – Falana—-Prominent human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has revealed that he is resisting the urge to file criminal charges against a blogger, Martins Otse, who is better known as VeryDarkMan.
The blogger had recently published an audio clip accusing Falana of helping cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, secure a pardon.
Falana clarified that he has no connection with Bobrisky.
Speaking for the first time since the audio surfaced, Falana addressed the situation, stating that VeryDarkMan released a recording of a supposed conversation between Bobrisky and an unidentified person. In the clip, Bobrisky allegedly claimed to have bribed officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with ₦15 million to drop a money laundering case against him.
The recording also suggested that Bobrisky reached out to Falana’s son, Folarin (Falz), seeking his father’s influence to obtain a presidential pardon, with a demand for ₦10 million.
The House of Representatives is currently investigating the allegations, and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has established an independent panel to look into the accusations against officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Appearing on Channels TV’s Politics Today, Falana criticized the audio, stating that he would have pursued legal action if not for his ongoing advocacy for the decriminalization of free speech.
Falana remarked, “Bobrisky never spoke to me. I’ve never met him. I don’t know him from Adam. He was alleged to have spoken to my son, Folarin (Falz).” He continued by explaining that his son did receive a call from Bobrisky on May 4, requesting financial assistance to secure a placement in a VIP section of the prison. Falz, however, refused to engage, asking Bobrisky to only make requests through official prison channels.
Falana added, “We are going to examine the call logs… My son has never negotiated fees on behalf of anyone.”
The senior lawyer emphasized that although he had the opportunity to file a criminal case, he chose not to, given his role in a broader campaign across West Africa aimed at decriminalizing freedom of expression.
“This campaign is being coordinated by the Media Foundation for West Africa, where I’m a board member… We have succeeded in getting Liberia, Ghana, and Sierra Leone to decriminalize free expression. We are appealing to other countries to follow suit.”
He cautioned, however, that freedom of expression does not justify defamation or blackmail, and expressed his intent to take civil action if an acceptable apology is not offered.
Falana concluded, “We have asked for a retraction and an apology… If we don’t receive them, we will initiate civil proceedings in the High Court.”
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