Florence Onojame, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Emee Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited, has been arraigned before the Ikeja special offences court for allegedly defrauding Access Bank of N4.4 billion.

According to NAN, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, filed a three-count charge of conspiracy, stealing, and receiving fraudulently obtained property against Onojame.

Fatai Mohammed, the EFCC counsel, said Onojame and four others (who are still at large) allegedly committed the crime in February 2022 in Lagos.

The EFCC counsel said the N4.4 billion was stolen and transferred through Primusplus — an electronic banking platform of Access Bank — by Onojame.

The anti-graft lawyer also said she used Emee Oil and Gas login details to carry out the transfer and deposited the money into several accounts in Access Bank.

Onojame, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges, which the EFCC said breached sections 278, 326, and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

During the court proceedings, Williams Onate, the defence counsel, prayed that the court should order a short adjournment for the hearing of the bail application.

Onate also asked that the court should remand the defendant in the custody of the EFCC pending the bail hearing.

But Mojisola Dada, the judge, ruled that the defendant be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.

The hearing of the bail application was adjourned to October 10, 2023.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has confirmed the arrest of Chioma Egodi, a consumer who gave a review of an Erisco Foods product.

On September 17, Egodi made a post on Facebook, stating that she tasted Nagiko Tomato Mix, one of the tomato paste variants of Erisco Foods Limited, and found it sugary.

She shared a picture of the opened can of tomato paste alongside her post. Edogi has since deleted the post.

“I went to buy Tin tomatoes yesterday that I will use to make stew, I didn’t see Gino and Sonia, so I decided to buy this one. When I opened it, I decided to taste it omo! Sugar is just too much! Haaa biko let me know if you have used this Tin tomato before because this is an ike gwuru situation,” she wrote.

Reacting in a statement, Erisco Foods Limited described the claim as untrue and unfounded.

The company said the post was intended to mislead its customers and discredit the image of Erisco Foods Limited “as previously instigated by some elements and syndicates who are uncomfortable with our increasing market dominance as a leading indigenous manufacturer of 100% natural tomato pastes”.

Erisco Foods added that it has “decided to bring the said publication to the attention of relevant authorities”.

“While we recognize the rights of our consumers to make genuine observations about our products, we want to thank our esteemed customers for their continued patronage of Erisco Foods Limited,” the statement reads.

“However, having built our reputation on healthy and quality products which have earned us both local and international awards including National Productivity Order of Merit Award, we will take all necessary actions against any malicious attack on our reputation.”

On Sunday, reports of Egodi’s arrest began making waves on social media, with many demanding her release and calling for the boycott of Erisco Foods.

Responding to one of such posts on X, Babatunde Irukera, executive vice-chairman of the FCCPC, said reports of the arrest have been brought to the commission’s attention.

He added that a team is seeking to clarify the arrest and secure an explanation from Erisco Foods.

In a subsequent post on the social media platform, Irukera said the FCCPC has confirmed the arrest and transfer of the consumer to Abuja by the police.

“@fccpcnigeria operatives have confirmed arrest & transfer of the case to Abuja by the Police Force. She was no longer at the station on arrival. Working to determine exact current location & engaging Force HQ in Abuja. Summons being issued to @EriscoFoodsLtd immediately,” the post reads.

..As NDLEA destroys 40 tons of cannabis plants in Ekiti; intercepts over 4,000kgs of illicit drugs in Lagos, Kogi, FCT, Kaduna, Sokoto, Edo raids

Over four tons of illicit and controlled drugs including consignments of nitrous oxide popularly known as laughing gas, skunk, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and tramadol have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, during interdiction operations in Lagos, Kogi, FCT, Jigawa, Kaduna, Sokoto and Edo states.

No fewer than 1,194 cylinders of laughing gas with a total weight of 2,547.2 kilograms loaded in two Toyota Sienna buses were on Friday 22nd September intercepted by NDLEA operatives along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway.

Two suspects: Onyebuchi Ikpozu and Kenneth Igwe who were taking the consignments to the nation’s Federal Capital Territory for distribution have been arrested and taken into custody.

While one of the Toyota Sienna buses marked KTU 582 HV was conveying 99 cartons containing 594 cylinders weighing 1,267.200kgs, the second bus with registration number FKJ 329 YA was conveying 100 cartons of the substance with 600 cylinders weighing 1,280kgs.

A 48-year-old woman, Mrs. Ugo Eluba was also arrested in Abuja in a follow up operation after 2,400 ampules of pentazocine injection and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5 intercepted in Kogi state were traced to her.

In the FCT, operatives intercepted 977 kilograms of skunk on Wednesday 20th September in a trailer marked LSR 343 XW, bearing cartons of maggi.

The skunk consignment was loaded into the truck at Ipele junction in Ondo state. While 959kgs of the substance were meant for distribution in Sokoto state, the rest was to be dropped off at Gwagwalada.

Two suspects: Auwal Mohammed and Abdullahi Abubakar have been arrested in connection with the seizure, while two other suspects: Mutari Abdulazeez, 31, and Ayuba Madaki, 28, were also arrested on Saturday 23rd September at Zuba area of the FCT with different quantities of
methamphetamine, cannabis and 13, 930 pills of tramadol.

In the same vein, Shuaibu Yusif, 27, and Abubakar Hussaini, 20, were on Saturday 23rd September nabbed with 89.1kgs of skunk along Kano -Hadejia road, Jigawa state during a stop and search patrol by NDLEA operatives.

No fewer than 6,000 ampules of pentazocine injection were recovered from a suspect, Usman Musa Sidi, 35, on Monday 18th September along Abuja – Forest road, Kaduna while on his way to Bauchi state.

A follow up operation in Bauchi led to the arrest of the actual owner of the consignment, Dominic Chukwuma, 35, on Tuesday 19th September, with at least 2.58kgs of Diazepam and 36.55kgs of pentazocine injection recovered from his home.

Two other suspects: Inuwa Nuhu and Isiyaku Dahiru Sani were also arrested same Tuesday in connection with the seizure of 49 blocks of cannabis sativa concealed in a black sack weighing 26kgs in a commercial vehicle coming from Ogere, Ogun state to Kano.

While a total of 183kgs of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis, were recovered from body compartments of a J5 bus intercepted in Lagos on Wednesday 20th September, operatives in Sokoto, on Tuesday 19th September arrested one Charles Okeke, 44, with 473 bottles of codeine syrup at Unguwar Kosai area of Sokoto.

In Edo state, 365 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 258kgs were recovered from a Toyota Camry car marked KTU 886 EZ at Igarra, Akoko Edo LGA.

In a massive operation between Monday 11th and Wednesday 13th September, NDLEA operatives stormed thick forests in Ijesha Isu-Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti state, where they destroyed 40 tons (40,000 kilograms) of cannabis plants covering 16 hectares of farmland.

Meanwhile, across the country, NDLEA Commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers and communities all through the week.

Instances include: WADA sensitization lecture at Madarasatu Tarbiyyatil Aulad Islamiyyah Izala Mosque, Sabon Gari Wudil, Wudil LGA, Kano; WADA sensitisation town hall meeting with principals of secondary schools in Kaduna north and south LGAs organized by the Zone J command of the Agency; WADA advocacy visit to the palace of Igwe Emmanuel Ugwu, traditional ruler of Ibagwa Nike, Enugu state and WADA sensitisation lecture for students of the Oyo State College of Science and Health Technology, Ibadan, among others.

While commending the officers and men of the Lagos, FCT, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kogi, Sokoto and Edo Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) also applauded their compatriots in all the commands across the country for intensifying the WADA sensitization lectures and advocacy messages to every part of their areas of responsibility.

Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters Abuja
Sunday 24th September 2023