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Court adjourns Fayose’s alleged N6.9bn fraud trial till May 8

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Justice Chukujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, March 21, 2023, adjourned further hearing in the trial of a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, and his company, Spotless Investment Limited, over an alleged N6.9bn fraud, till May 8, 2023.

The Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had, on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, re-arraigned Fayose and Spotless Investment Limited on an 11-count charge bordering on money laundering and stealing to the tune of N6.9bn ( Six Billion Nine Hundred Naira).

The defendants had first been arraigned on October 22, 2018 before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun.

At the resumed sitting today, the 12th prosecution witness, PW 12, Musiliu Obanikoro, a former Minister of State for Defence, told the court that he had no document showing that he withdrew the sum of N1.2billion, which he allegedly gave Fayose.

During cross-examination by counsel to the second defendant, Olakekan Ojo, SAN, Obanikoro told the court that he never, at any time, showed the EFCC operatives any document showing that he gave instruction or withdrew the sum of N1.2 billion from the Diamond Bank account of Sylva McNamara Limited.

Obanikoro, in his previous testimony, had told the court that the sum of N1.2 billion was deposited into the account of a company, Sylva McNamara, to fund “clandestine security operations” to prevent terrorists’ activities in Lagos State in two installments.

When asked if he produced any resolution of Board of Directors of Sylva McNamara, authorising him to control the management of the account of the company, he said “No.”

According to him, “I didn’t produce any Board resolution or letter to the EFCC. Also, there was no letter from Sylva McNamara to the then Diamond Bank, telling the bank that I was asked to control and manage the account.”

Obanikoro, who said Sambo Dasuki, a former National Security Adviser, had no interactions with Fayose or Diamond Bank in respect of the N1.2billion withdrawn from the account of Sylva McNamara Limited, further told the court the EFCC exonerated him of any wrongdoing after investigations.

Asked if he was ever asked to refund money to the EFCC, he said: “Yes, I refunded, as it was part of the conditions given for my release. Anywise man would do the same.”

When asked how much was refunded, the he said: “I do not recall.”

But when Ojo asked Obanikoro if the money he refunded was between N100m and N200m, he responded: “ Okay, around that…”

Obanikoro, while reacting to the question about the sum of $4bn he allegedly gave Fayose, said: ”In our line of business, it is not customary to ask for receipt or acknowledgement of such money.

“So, there was no confirmation of the money.”

The case was adjourned till May 8 and 9 and June 6, 8, 2023 for continuation of trial.

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Nigeria spent $8bn to restore peace in Liberia – Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Irabor

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The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, has revealed that Nigeria spent the sum of $8bn to restore peace in Liberia.Delivering his keynote remark at the event to mark the 75th-year celebration of the United Nations peacekeeping operations on Wednesday, May 24, the CDS noted that Nigeria’s active participation in peacekeeping missions had helped save countless lives and restore peace and stability to many countries over the decades.Irabor also stated that despite the security challenges occasioned by the activities of non-state actors and other criminal elements that have besieged the country, the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the Police have continued to contribute troops to sustain the country’s commitment to the UN.He said;“Since the first engagement of troops of our Armed Forces in the Congo in 1960, Nigeria has been unequivocally committed to the principles and objectives of the United Nations. It has significantly contributed to 41 peacekeeping operations worldwide.“Ever since, over 200,000 Nigerian troops have served in UN peacekeeping missions worldwide and Nigerian senior military officers have commanded some of these missions.“Similarly, under regional and sub-regional cooperation, Nigeria has been involved in peacekeeping operations in field missions in Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Darfur and Sierra Leone and has contributed a lot in terms of finance, logistics, troops and civilian experts, making her one of the most significant African troops and civilian police contributors to UN missions.“It is noteworthy that in addition to the loss of lives and injuries to personnel, the ECOMOG, a regional interventionist mediation force advocated to end the protracted Liberian civil war, was operated at an estimated cost of USD 8 billion to the Nigerian government.”

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I couldn’t even afford a wig three years ago – Singer Libianca reveals

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Libianca, the popular Cameroonian singer, has made a revelation about herself.She revealed that she was so poor three years ago she couldn’t afford a wig and was always borrowing her mother’s wig.She disclosed this in a recent interview with R29Unbothered.The ‘People’ crooner said but now she wears expensive wigs.She said: “If you can see this [wig] burst down on my head right now, I couldn’t afford this sh*t two, three years ago.“Two, three years ago, I was wearing my mama’s wig. I’m happier. I’m actually, like, content with where I am in life.”The singer also advised European and American chefs to leave black people’s food for black chefs to cook, adding that white chefs just put spices on food and call them African dishes.

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War: our most urgent task is to ensure Ukraine prevails against Russia – NATO

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The North Atlantic military alliance, NATO has said it will ensure that Ukraine wins the war against Russia. Recall that Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Since then Russia has claimed annexation of four territories belonging to Ukraine despite not controlling the capitals of any of them. Speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Monday, May 15, the military alliance’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said; “The most urgent task now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails — that (Russian) President Putin does not win this war,” . “Fundamentally, NATO’s task is to support Ukraine, as NATO allies and NATO have done now for more than a year, but also to prevent this war from escalating beyond Ukraine,” the official said. The chief of the US-led alliance also stated that it’s important that Ukraine is armed to defend itself from Russian aggression now and in the future. “We don’t know how this war will end, but what we do know is that when it ends, it is extremely important that we are able to prevent history from repeating itself,” he added. The NATO chief said that he expects Ukraine will join the alliance when the war is over. “When it comes to membership, I expect that NATO allies will say that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance,” Stoltenberg said “All allies also agree that Ukraine has the right to choose its own path. It’s not for Moscow to decide what Ukraine can do”

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