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Fagbemi Warns Against Obstructing EFCC From Performing Its Lawful Duty—-The Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN has warned against obstructing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from carrying out its lawful duty .

Fagbemi’s  warning is contained in a statement in  Abuja.

“This is a matter of very grave concern, it is now beyond doubt that the EFCC is given power by the law to invite any person of interest to interact with them in the course of their investigations into any matter, regardless of status.

“Therefore, the least that we can all do when invited, is not to put any obstruction in the way of EFCC, but to honourably answer their invitation.

“A situation where public officials who are themselves subject of protection by law enforcement agents will set up a stratagem of obstruction to the civil and commendable efforts of the EFCC to perform its duty is to say the least, insufferably disquieting’’.

He added that running away from the law will not resolve issues at stake but only exacerbate them.

“Nigeria has a vibrant judicial system that is capable of protecting everyone who follows the rule of law in seeking protection.

“I therefore encourage anyone who has been invited by the EFCC or any other agency to immediately toe the path of decency and civility by honouring such invitation instead of embarking on a temporising self-help and escapism.

“This can only put our country in bad light before the rest of the world’’.

He said institutions of state should be allowed to function effectively and efficiently.

“I stand for the rule of law and will promptly call EFCC, and indeed any other agency to order when there is an indication of any transgressions of the fundamental rights of any Nigerian by any of the agencies’’.

NAN reports that the EFCC had on Wednesday warned members of the public that it was a criminal offence to obstruct officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties.

Section 38(2)(a(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act makes it an offence to prevent officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties.  Culprits risk a jail term of not less than five years.

The warning , the EFCC said, became necessary against the background of the increasing tendency by persons and groups under investigation by the Commission to take the laws into their hands by recruiting thugs to obstruct lawful operations of the EFCC.

On several occasions, the anti graft agency said, operatives of the Commission have had to exercise utmost restraint in the face of such provocation to avoid a breakdown of law and order.

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EFCC Declares Sujimoto Wanted in Real Estate Fraud Crackdown

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EFCC Declares Sujimoto Wanted

EFCC Declares Sujimoto Wanted in Real Estate Fraud Crackdown—-TCN reports that The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared Olasijibomi Suji Ogundele, founder of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, wanted for alleged diversion of funds and money laundering.

The declaration was contained in a notice issued by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, and circulated to the public via its official X account.

According to the Commission, Ogundele is wanted in connection with an alleged case of diversion of funds and money laundering being investigated by its Lagos Command

“The public is hereby notified that OLASIJIBOMI SUJI OGUNDELE of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an alleged case of Diversion of Funds and Money Laundering,” the commission stated. 

Public appeal for information 

The EFCC urged members of the public with useful information on his whereabouts to contact its offices across the country.

The notice described him as a 44-year-old indigene of Ori-Ade Local Government Area of Osun State. His last known address was listed as G29, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos State.

“Anybody with useful information as to his whereabouts should please contact the Commission in its Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt or Abuja offices or through 08093322644; its e-mail address: info@efcc.gov.ng or the nearest Police Station and other security agencies,” the notice read.

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US Increases Reward For Arrest of Venezuela Leader Nicolás Maduro to $50 million

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Arrest of Venezuela Leader Maduro to $50 million

US Government Increases Reward For Arrest of Venezuela Leader Nicolás Maduro to $50 million—-The U.S. government announced on Thursday an unprecedented $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of heading one of the world’s most dangerous narco-trafficking networks.

The reward, which doubles the previous offer, was revealed in a video posted on social media by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who said the Maduro regime has become a direct threat to U.S. national security.

Bondi accused Maduro of using foreign terrorist and criminal organizations —including the Tren de Aragua gang, the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel, and the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles, Cartel of the Suns — to flood the U.S. with cocaine. “He is one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.

Therefore, we’ve doubled his reward to $50 million,” Bondi said in the video. “Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like TDA, Sinaloa and Cartel of the Suns to bring deadly drugs and violence into our country.“ In the video, Bondi also announced the seizure of more than $700 million in Maduro-linked assets, including two private jets, nine vehicles and various properties.

Despite these enforcement actions, Bondi warned, “Maduro’s reign of terror continues.” Although Maduro was not among the early Venezuelan officials tied to narco-trafficking during the previous Hugo Chávez presidency, a federal indictment filed in New York shows his rise through the ranks of the Cartel of the Suns, a drug organization embedded within the Venezuelan military.

According to court documents, Maduro gained increasing influence in the cartel after Chávez’s death in 2013, eventually becoming one of its top leaders. The indictment notes that Maduro “helped manage and, ultimately, lead the Cártel de Los Soles,” as the drug operation became intertwined with the Venezuelan state.

While other top leaders in the Venezuelan regime such as Diosdado Cabello and Tareck El Aissami were often seen as the cartel’s figureheads, the new evidence suggests Maduro’s role was far more significant than previously believed.

The indictment claims the purpose of Venezuela’s drug trafficking apparatus goes beyond self-enrichment.

The cartel, it says, aimed “to flood the United States with cocaine and inflict the drug’s harmful and addictive effects on users in this country.” U.S. authorities had estimated earlier this decade that more than 250 tons of cocaine transit through Venezuela annually, but recent intelligence reports suggest that number may have doubled in recent years to compensate for the shortfall in revenue caused by U.S. sanctions on the country’s oil industry.

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