Crime

Alleged N50bn fraud: Arrest, Prosecute Ganduje Now Or Resign, Anti-Corruption Groups Tell Olukoyede

Published

7 months ago

October 11, 2024

thecloudngr

Alleged N50bn fraud: Arrest, Prosecute Ganduje Now Or Resign, Anti-Corruption Groups Tell Olukoyede

•’EFCC’s silence on Ganduje despite monumental corruption allegations no longer golden’

A Coalition of 30 Anti-corruption Civil Society Organizations have called for the resignation of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, over his alleged failure to prosecute a former Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, despite multiple petitions against him on multi-billion naira fraud and bribery allegations.

The CSOs, under the umbrella, “Global Initiative for Corruption Eradication”, also called for the immediate arrest of Ganduje, who they said had no immunity, but was allegedly enjoying the cover of the Federal Government through the EFCC.

The spokesperson for GICE, Comrade Anthony Onoja, who addressed a press conference in Abuja on Friday, said, “N50billion diverted LGA funds, dollar video and N1billion naira probe seem to have all been swept under the carpet. It’s been over 2,200 days since the dollar video scandal broke and yet EFCC is silent.”

The activists urged well meaning Nigerians and relevant international organizations to join in stopping the EFCC from further insulting the sensibilities of Nigerians by calling for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Ganduje.

“The chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) must resign from his position if he fails to arrest and prosecute Governor Ganduje in line with our extant laws.

“The continued silence of the EFCC despite the monumental corruption allegations against Ganduje, despite the many petitions, the avalanche of evidence(s) available and protest from various groups and the Kano state government to probe and bring Ganduje to book is no longer golden. It also negates its constant rebuttal of keeping sacred cows.

“The general perception of Nigerians now is that the EFCC, as it is, has abandoned its original mandate by becoming a political tool in the hands of the government of the day for eliminating political rivals and perceived enemies,” Onoja said.

He added that the EFCC was now seen by Nigerians as a major conduit of misappropriation of public funds and a tool for political persecution.

“While these perceptions have become increasingly prevalent, the agency has further justified and vindicated the majority of Nigerians that hold this view with its recent selective prosecution of alleged corrupt public officers; and allowing very corrupt ones to walk free after suppressing the wheel of justice from taking its full effect against them.

“An example of these sacred cows that have continued to walk free despite the monumental corruption allegations against him is the former governor of Kano and current National chairman of the ruling party, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje,” the activists said.

They stated: “It would be recalled that the Kano High Court was to arraign the former Kano Governor, Umaru Ganduje and his wife on April 17, 2024, over allegations of bribery and misappropriation of funds by the state government. Neither he nor his wife went to court. They also disrespected the court so much that they didn’t send a legal representation.

“The case was adjourned to 29th April but was stalled again. No representation, no appearance. Ganduje was not present. The case was again adjourned to May 16, and on that day, arraignment was rescheduled to June 5. Still, the former governor, who no longer has immunity under our extant laws and is not above the laws of Nigeria by virtue of being the Chairman of the ruling party, did not show up. No representation still.

“The last arraignment was supposed to be July 11. At the resumed proceedings on July 11, Ganduje and his co-defendants were again absent. The judge declined a prayer by the prosecution counsel for a warrant of arrest but ruled that the defendants could be tried in absentia.”

According to them, while the creation of the EFCC by the Obasanjo administration was greeted with commendations, EFCC has derailed.

“Finally, our group is of the considered view that perhaps if the EFCC in its current form is disbanded because of its constitutional illegality as pointed out by the states in the current case against the EFCC at the Apex Court, it would be able to perform its real functions of stamping out corruption when its law is properly enacted,” the CSOs added.

thecloudngr

0Shares

Up Next

Lagos Lawmakers Seek Collaboration To End Food Insecurity

Don't Miss

Chelsea Starboy Cole Palmer Emerged As PL Player Of The Month Of September

Click to comment

News

Tragedy at Akala Express: Stray Bullet Kills A Student In Ibadan

Published

3 days ago

May 20, 2025

thecloudngr

Tragedy at Akala Express: Stray Bullet Kills A Student In Ibadan—-Nigeria Police officer on Tuesday kill an innocent teenager with a stray bullet while on his way for WAEC Examination.

Eyewitnesses report that the secondary school student, simply identified as Taiwo, was said to have been hit by a stray bullet allegedly fired by a yet-to-be-identified police officer during a high-speed chase.

The incident, it was gathered, occurred around Gbagi Market Road in Ibadan as the officer pursued a fleeing vehicle, suspected to be conveying internet fraudsters, popularly called “Yahoo boys.”

Sources said the officers, in an attempt to scare the suspected fraudsters, shot into the air, but that the bullets fired hit the student, who was riding on a motorcycle with his twin brother.

The boy was on his way to take the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examination at the time of the incident.

He was a candidate in the ongoing WAEC examination for SS3 students.

In response to the tragedy, market traders and sympathisers in protest took the boy’s lifeless body to protest the action of officers at the Oyo State Secretariat, demanding justice.

As of the time this report was written, security personnel have been stationed at the entrance of the government secretariat to control the crowd.

Ibadan-based radio station, Splash FM, said the student was killed by police officers who opened fire while in pursuit of a Hilux vehicle.

“Unfortunately, a stray bullet struck the student, who was in his father’s car, resulting in his death. The incident has sparked outrage and calls for an immediate investigation into the actions,” the report noted.

thecloudngr

0Shares

News

Biafran Political Activist Simon Ekpa To Be Repatriated For Supporting Nnamdi Kanu, Witness Tells Court

Published

3 weeks ago

May 2, 2025

thecloudngr

Biafran Political Activist Simon Ekpa To Be Repatriated For Supporting Nnamdi Kanu, Witness Tells Court—A prosecution witness, identified as PW-AAA, on Friday, said that Simon Ekpa would soon be brought from Finland to Nigeria to face trial for supporting Nnamdi Kanu in the agitation for Republic of Biafra.

PW-AAA, one of the Department of State Service (DSS) operatives that arrested Kanu in 2015 at a Lagos hotel, told Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja in the ongoing trial of Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The witness, whose real name was not mentioned because of security reasons, stated this during cross examination by Kanu’s counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN.

Earlier, the Federal Government also tendered more items recovered from Kanu and admitted as exhibits by the court.

These include one black laptop, two multi mix transmitters, one mini white Apple iPad with a pouch, one grey Apple iPad with a pouch, one grey MacBook with a pouch, one grey MacBook with case, one mini drone sound wave speaker, and two mini white speakers.

Others are one large computer mouse, one white adaptor, one laptop adaptor and one carton bag with laptop, two 3G modems, two Glo modems, one Glo Hawaii modem, one MTN modem, one Etisalat modem, one flash drive and one camcorder.

These also included one hand recorder in a black pouch, one MacBook Pro adaptor, one Mic stand, one Phillips headphone, one radio sharp mic with cord, one pro sound mic with cord and one 4G LTE modem.

Others are a bunch of cards, one power adaptor for mixer, one Easy Blaze white modem, one Samsung phone,1 black Motorola phone and one Nokia phone.

Also found on him are “one black Samsung phone, one black phone, 1 D-Link black modem, one 8GB flash drive, one extension wire adaptor, one pair of shoes, one belt, one pair of ciderwood sneakers and one footwear.

“One black Softech wristwatch, two singlets, one sealed Hermes perfume, one Trinket, one Pokham perfume, one Fredrick Peckham wristwatch, one Diesel wristwatch, one Alexander Christy collection wristwatch, one Club wristwatch.

“Others are a bank MasterCards, copies of documents, one copy of IPOB complementary card, documents tagged IPOB, one white clipper, one bottle of medicine, one Oman perfume, one Mini scented oils, one empty black purse.

“Others are one Nigerian passport bearing the names Okwu Kanu Nwannekaibeya Nnamdi Ngozichukwu and one British passport bearing the name Okwu Kanu Nwannekaibeya, one black purse, one passport holder, one card holder, one box of Rocarden wristwatch and four bundles of cords.”

While being cross examined, PW-AAA said no weapon was recovered from the IPOB leader during his arrest in Lagos.

He also said that no arms was recovered from the lady arrested along with Kanu.

He said though the recovered items might not be ordinarily offensive, the intention of the defendant might be otherwise.

PW-AAA also told the court that he did not analyse any of the items recovered because his mandate was to effect arrest and obtain statement from Kanu.

Justice Omotosho adjourned the matter until May 6, May 7 and May 8 for continuation of cross examination.

thecloudngr