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Update: Federal High Court In Lagos Orders Temporary Forfeiture Of “Residential ATM”

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The Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday ordered the temporary forfeiture of $43,449,947 (about N13billion), N23, 218,000 million and £27,800 (about N10.6milion) cash found in Flat 7B, Osborne Towers, 16, Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Justice Muslim Hassan ordered that the money be temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government until the owner shows up.

The order is based on an ex-parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The judge directed EFCC to advertise the forfeiture order in a newspaper so that anybody who owns the money can claim it within 14 days.

The money will be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government should nobody claim it within the period.

EFCC’s lawyer Rotimi Oyedepo, while moving the motion, said so far, no one has come forward to claim the money.

He said even the property managers denied knowing who might have left the money there.

The lawyer prayed Justice Hassan to order the money’s temporary forfeiture in line with Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act 2006.

Justice Idris granted an order directing the commission to publish the order “for anyone interested in the property (money) to appear within 14 days to show cause as to why a final forfeiture order should not be made in favour of the Federal Government.”

On how the money was recovered, Oyedepo said EFCC received an intelligence report that various sums of money were stashed in a flat in the building.

“The intelligence was acted upon. On getting there, we executed a search warrant and recovered $43, 449,947, N23,218,000 and £27,800 in cash.

“For security reasons, we could not bring the cash before my lord, but we have registered it with an exhibit keeper.

“Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act empowers my lord to order the interim forfeiture of a property to the Federal Government where the property is found to be unclaimed, or where it is found to be proceeds of an unlawful activity.

“No one has approached the commission to claim these sums with reasonable evidence confirming the genuine origin of the money we’re seeking to forfeit in the interim.

“Even the staff of AM Facilities who manage the property could not even give us the identity of the owner of the money surreptitiously kept in that apartment.

“It is, therefore, my submission that the facts and circumstances of this case have their root tied to the provisions of Section 17 which my lord has the power to enforce pending when whoever has the mind to come and claim it shows up. That is our humble prayer,” Oyedepo said.

Ruling, Justice Hassan granted EFCC’s prayers, saying: “Based on  the grounds of the application, the affidavit and the written address, I hereby grant the application as prayed.”

An EFCC source said the commission engaged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to mobilise counting machines to assist in determining the total haul.

“This is a major breakthrough for this commission. We will not relent in recovering slush funds.

“The whistle blowing policy has added value to the anti- graft war. Some of those who looted public funds have been avoiding banks.

“They kept the cash at home and we are on their trail. Imagine what over N11 billion can do in the life of this nation, while the amount traced to private accounts sums up to N4 billion,” the source said.

About N16 billion has been uncovered by the EFCC in the last few days in Lagos, including the N12,360,814,000 recovered and about N4 billion traced to private accounts.

The Federal Government had last December 22 launched a whistle blowing policy to expose fraud and other related crimes in the public and the private sectors.

Section 17 (1) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act says: “Where any property has come into the possession of any officer of the Commission as unclaimed property, or any unclaimed property is found by any officer of the Commission to be in the possession of any other person, body corporate or financial institution, or any property in the possession of any person, body corporate or financial institution is reasonably suspected to be proceeds of some unlawful activity under this Act, the Money Laundering Act of 2004, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act of 2004 or any other law enforceable under the EFCC Act of 2004, the High Court shall upon application made by the Commission, its officers, or any other person authorised by it, and upon being reasonably satisfied that such property is an unclaimed property or proceeds of unlawful activity under the Acts stated in this subsection, make an order that the property or the proceeds from the sale of such property be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

Justice Hassan adjourned until May 5 for hearing.

 

 

 

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Delta monarch declared wanted over murder of army personnel turns himself in

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Clement Ikolo Oghenerukevwe, monarch of Ewu-Urhobo kingdom in Delta, has reported to the police, hours after the military named him as one of the wanted persons for the murder of 17 army personnel in Okuama.

Bright Edafe, Delta state police spokesperson, confirmed Oghenerukevwe’s surrender to newsmen on Friday.

Edafe said the monarch turned himself in on Thursday.

“We have already handed him over to the military, they were the ones that declared him wanted,” the spokesperson said.

The Defence Headquarters had on Thursday declared Oghenerukevwe among eight persons wanted in connection to the murder of the army personnel.

Among those declared wanted are Ekpekpo Arthur, a professor of physics at the Delta State University; Akeywiru Omotegbono, Andaowei Bakrikri, Igoli Ebi, a lady; Akata David, Sinclear Oliki, and Reuben Baru.

Before turning himself in, the monarch released a statement to plead his innocence.

“I am very surprised that my name as the monarch of the kingdom will appear in the list of wanted persons. I have no hand in the killings, I have no hand in encouraging anybody to kill anybody, it is against my philosophy as a human being and my faith as a Catholic,” he said.

“It is a serious crime against humanity and they need to look at the appropriate places and do thorough investigation to know all those who have committed this and bring them to book and let justice prevail.

“I am not a party to this and like I have said earlier, the state government is aware of the turbulence I have been going through and as I speak, an arrangement was made by the government to invite the opponents recently just before this happenings.”

After the killing of the army personnel, President Bola Tinubu and the military high command promised that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

Speaking during the burial ceremony of the late personnel, Taoreed Lagbaja, chief of army staff (COAS), said it was “highly demoralising” that the soldiers were killed by those they were equipped to protect.

The army chief added that it took over 72 hours of search to recover the vital organs of some of the deceased soldiers.

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Bus conveying 46 passengers crashes in South Africa – 8-year-old is sole survivor

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Forty-five passengers died on Thursday when a bus conveying them crashed through a barrier of a bridge in South Africa.

Only an eight-year-old child survived accident with multiple injuries.

The bus was said to have caught fire after it fell off a bridge approximately 300km north of Johannesburg in the north-eastern Limpopo province.

BBC reports that the passengers were pilgrims travelling from Botswana’s capital Gaborone to an Easter service in the town of Moria.

The vehicle lost control and went off a bridge on the Mmamatlakala mountain pass between Mokopane and Marken, around 300km (190 miles) north of Johannesburg, according to South African public broadcaster SABC.

Speaking with reporters after visiting the scene, Sindisiwe Chikunga, South Africa’s minister of transportation, said the government will carry out an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time,” Chikunga said.

We continue to urge responsible driving at all times with heightened alertness as more people are on our roads this Easter weekend.”

In his Easter message to South Africans, President Cyril Ramaphosa called on citizens to “do our best to make this a safe Easter”.

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KFC apologises to Gbenga Daniel’s son over discriminatory treatment

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Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Nigeria, an international fast food restaurant chain, has issued an apology to Adebola Daniel, son of Gbenga Daniel, former governor of Ogun state, over discriminatory treatment.

In a statement on its X page on Thursday, the fast-food chain expressed deep regret for the distress experienced by the customer and pledged swift action to address the issue.

On March 27, Daniel posted on his official X page about his experience at the KFC outlet at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) branch.

According to Daniel, the restaurant had stopped him and his family from entering, stating that “no wheelchairs were allowed”.

Following his statement, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on March 28, said it had shut down KFC over discrimination against Daniel.

FAAN instructed KFC management to tender an unreserved apology, in writing, to Daniel, and a policy statement of non-discrimination be written and pasted conspicuously at its door post at MMIA before it resumed operation.

Reacting to the accusation, KFC reiterated its commitment to opposing bias or discrimination in any shape or form, with inclusivity and respect as fundamental principles of its values.

“KFC is unwavering in our stance against bias or discrimination in any form, with inclusivity and respect as non-negotiable pillars of our values,” the company said.

“However, this recent incident has underscored the pressing need for immediate action. We have embarked on efforts to address the situation.

“We deeply regret the frustration and distress experienced by our guest and extend sincere apologies to those affected.

“In response, we are urgently implementing inclusion training for all our employees. This incident is not reflective of our standards, and we will act swiftly to rectify it.

“We are actively exploring actions to equip our team members and restaurants better to ensure that every guest feels genuinely welcomed and that we deliver empathetic customer service that proactively addresses the diverse needs of each guest.”

‘FCCPC CONDEMNS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CONSUMERS’

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) condemned the discrimination against Daniel.

In a statement on Thursday, Adamu Abdullahi, FCCPC’s acting executive vice chairman (EVC) and chief executive officer (CEO), said the commission strongly condemns any form of discrimination against consumers, especially those based on disability.

Abdullahi said the commission would work with relevant authorities to ensure appropriate redress for the aggrieved consumer.

He said the commission would also ensure KFC took full responsibility for its actions.

The EVC said section 17 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) emphasises the obligation to eliminate practices detrimental to competition and consumer welfare to safeguard consumer interests.

Abdullahi said discriminatory actions, such as those witnessed at the KFC outlet, undermined their principles and would not be tolerated.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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