Crime

Naira Redesign: 3 Serving Governors Under EFCC’s Watch List For Stashing Billions Of Naira In Their Houses – Bawa

Published

2 years ago

November 4, 2022

Naira Redesign: 3 Serving Governors Under EFCC’s Watch List For Stashing Billions Of Naira In Their Houses – Bawa

Three serving state governors are being monitored over their moves to launder stashed billions of naira through table payment of salaries to workers, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa said.

He said raid on Bureau De Change operators will be sustained, urging Nigerians to support the system, for the benefit of all.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust, the EFFCC chairman disclosed that some governors are all out devising means to launder money they stashed in houses. He said so far, they are closely monitoring three of them.

Bawa, who refused to disclose the identity of the three governors, however, said two of them are from the North, while the 3rd one is from the southern part of the country.

He said intelligence at the disposal of the commission, showed that the three governors have concluded plans to inject the money into the system through table payment of their state workers’ salaries.

“Let me tell you something, the Intel that I have yesterday and I would want you to take this thing very seriously. Already, some state governors that have some of this cash stashed in various houses and the rest are now trying to pay salaries in cash in their state,” he said.

Asked whether the commission would summon the governors, the EFCC chair said they are closely monitoring them.

He added that “I don’t know how they want to achieve that but we have to stop them from doing that. Well, we are working, they have not paid the salaries in cash yet but it is a very serious thing”, saying the move is against section 2 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act.

“The law is very clear regarding cash transactions. Anybody that is to consummate any cash transaction as an individual, if it is not through a financial institution must not be above N5million and if it is above that it is criminal for you to engage in such transaction. And for corporate entities it is N10million.

“Yes, I agree the salaries are not up to that but why are you all of a sudden, and all along you have been paying people salaries through their bank accounts and now you want to pay them in cash, what are you trying to do? They will come under a lot of guises, they are trying to do verification of officers, that is what we have gotten,” he said.

The EFCC boss also confirmed the mad rush by some people to dispose of their stashed funds by buying property.

“We are aware of that. Even if you dispose of your property and you receive cash, for that cash to be of value to you after January 31, 2023, you have to take it to the bank; so what happened, are you coming to the bank with those millions? That is why we are working with the bankers and if you have this information let us know about it,” he said.

He said the raids of BDC operators would continue. This he said, is very important to protect the system against the laundering of stashed funds.

“They (BDCs) are very important in the sense that a lot of people that have this naira cash, will want to convert them to USD or other foreign currencies, that is why they are very important.

“And based on the known gullibility of these people (BDCs), they are willing to accept this cash from the owners of these monies and they are willing to depart with the foreign currencies that they have and so that is why they are very important and very critical to us in this project that we said to ourselves that we are going to do,” he said. When Bawa’s attention was drawn to the fact that the dollar was rising despite the EFCC raids, he said it is a function of demand and supply.

“The truth of the matter here is just a simple function of demand and supply, people are rushing this commodity not that they are going to use it for any meaningful business engagement but they are just rushing for it, just a store of value, that is what is happening.

“And what they say in economics is the higher the demand, the higher the price; so people are just seeing USD or other hard currencies just the way that they are seeing gold, to get it exchanged and store their value,” he said.

On why he met chief compliance officers of banks in Lagos recently, he said the parley was part of efforts to properly monitor the system and to seek their collaboration in respect of the likelihood of people bringing in their illegitimate funds back to the system.

“We knew a lot of people are hoarding these funds, it is with them and they will always find a way of trying to bring it back to the system.

“So, irrespective of what they use their cash for, whether they exchange it for dollars, whether they use it to purchase houses for those that are willing to accept cash, it has to eventually come back to the financial institution. So, irrespective of what you do, the banks are very important and critical in the sense that they are the end recipients of this cash.

“The owner of BDC must deposit the money he exchanged for the currency he did, the owner of real estate must also do the same and all of that. So, we sat down, we deliberated and we agreed on what to do. Everybody is happy about it,” he said.

He, however, urged Nigerians to be calm, saying “this (naira redesign) is just a routine thing that ordinarily CBN ought to have done after every eight years, the monies are going to be taken.

“All that the government is saying is come and deposit the money at no cost to you; that is just what is happening, nothing more than that. “How can you have an economy where you have 85 per cent of your currency out there when you are calling for a cashless society when we have a lot of means by which people can consummate their transactions? What are you hiding? These days, people hardly go to the banks, you can transfer your money here using your app, and you can transfer your money through ATM, POS, and all of that, so why keep the money? Why are you scared of going to the bank to say that you want to deposit your money? He queried.

Naira Redesign: 3 Serving Governors Under EFCC’s Watch List For Stashing Billions Of Naira In Their Houses – Bawa

Crime

NIDCOM Gets 17 Trafficked Girls Rescued, 5 Traffickers Arrested in Ghana

Published

2 weeks ago

October 28, 2024

Ochuwa Ibrahim

NIDCOM Gets 17 Trafficked Girls Rescued, 5 Traffickers Arrested in Ghana

By: Michael Mike

Seventeen young Nigerian girls trafficked to Ghana have been rescued and repatriated back to the country while five traffickers were equally arrested.

This latest rescue operation brought to 130 girls repatriated back to Nigeria from Ghana alone since July 2024.

According to a statement signed on Sunday by the Director, Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM). Abdur-Rahman Balogun, this was sequel to the combined and coordinated efforts of the Ghanaian Anti-Human Trafficking Police, Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Ghana, and the Nigerian High Commission in Accra.

Speaking on this latest efforts, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO NiDCOM, expressed her gratitude to Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu for her support in facilitating the safe return of the young girls back to the country.

She also commended the vital roles played by the BOT Chairman of NIDO Ghana, Chief Callistus Elozieuwa,, and the Ghanaian Anti-Human Trafficking Police Unit in bringing the traffickers to justice.

She reiterated NiDCOM’s commitment to protecting Nigerians in the diaspora under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which gave priority to combating human trafficking and safeguarding the rights of Nigerian citizens at home and in the Diaspora.

Balogun, in the statement, stated that the rescued young girls, ages 18 to 29 years, come from various states, including Anambra, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Imo, Edo, and Ebonyi.

He said they were lured to Ghana under false promises of employment but were instead forced into exploitative situations and bound by an oath of secrecy.

Dabiri-Erewa expressed her determination to the rescue of those still trafficked in conjuction with various stakeholders, noting that many more trafficked Nigerians are still awaiting rescue.

Director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Mr. Williams Ayaregah praised NiDCOM’s efforts under Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa’s leadership.

He said: “More than ever, traffickers must realise that Ghana is no longer a safe haven.”

The operation, conducted in Kpone Katamanso, Tema, resulted in one of the largest single- operation arrests, with five traffickers apprehended.

Mr. Akinboye Akinsola, representing NiDCOM, played a critical role in escorting the rescued women back to Nigeria, where they were handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for rehabilitation and reintegration.

Chief Callistus Elozieuwa added that two young men were also repatriated, including one who was previously detained in Ghanaian prison.

With NIDO Ghana’s assistance, the young man underwent rehabilitation and has now returned to his home state, Anambra, for family reintegration.

This cross-national effort underscores NiDCOM’s dedication to eradicating human trafficking and highlights the importance of international collaboration to protect Nigerians abroad.

NIDCOM Gets 17 Trafficked Girls Rescued, 5 Traffickers Arrested in Ghana

Crime

NDLEA intercepts US, Europe-bound drugs in shoe soles, N16.7 billion opioids at seaports

Published

2 weeks ago

October 27, 2024

Ochuwa Ibrahim

NDLEA intercepts US, Europe-bound drugs in shoe soles, N16.7 billion opioids at seaports

By: Michael Mike

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and three courier companies in the state consignments of opioids concealed in soles of shoes and hair attachments heading to the United States, United Kingdom and Cyprus.

The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday said a total of 2,118 pills of tramadol concealed in soles of 13 pairs of shoes going to Cyprus were seized at the export shed of the Lagos airport on 12th October 2024 and additional 380 tablets were recovered from the home of the sender, Okenwa Uchenna during a follow up operation in Enugu last Thursday. He added that a cash of N968,880 and a Toyota Avalon car marked UWN 389 AS, were also recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest.

Babafemi said not less than 293 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine injection as well as 1.69 kilogrammes cannabis and tramadol tablets concealed in hair attachments and soles of shoes going to the United States, United Kingdom and Oman were intercepted at three courier firms by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, in Lagos last Thursday.

He said in the same vein, a total of 26,250,000 pills of tramadol as well as 508,400 bottles of codeine based syrup worth about N16.7 billion in street value were intercepted by NDLEA operatives during 100 percent joint examination of watch-listed containers with men of Customs Service and other security agencies at the Tincan port in Lagos and Port Harcourt port, Onne, Rivers state both last Tuesday and Wednesday.

Babafemi said other illicit consignments intercepted during the joint inspection of the containers include 10 million tablets of Toradol Benzhexol and 28 plastic drums of methamphetamine weighing 700 kilogrammes at Tincan and Onne ports respectively, while 56 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 28 kilogrammes were also recovered from a container that arrived the Lagos port from Canada.

He said a suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, 40, was arrested at Ago Palace area of Okota Lagos in connection with the cannabis seizure while a bribe of N10 million paid NDLEA officers to free the suspect has been kept as part of the exhibits for the prosecution of the case.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Lagos last Friday raided the Igbo – Igunuko shrine, located at the Alfa Beach, Ajah, where jumbo bags of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 2,760 kilogrammes were recovered and two suspects: Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun arrested. Another suspect, Ademola Oyelakin was also arrested same day with 770 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance along Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

He said a total of 11,786 pills of tramadol, molly, rohypnol and diazepam as well as 64 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered from the underground storage, a suspect, Muhammad Abdullahi dug in his bedroom at Marwa Coastal road, Lekki Phase 1 Lagos when NDLEA officers raided his home last Friday. He noted that the suspect dug the illicit drug storage deep in his room, covered it with padlocked iron slate, a rug and then put his mattress on top to avoid detection.

In Plateau state, a suspect Fadan Bindom, 39, was arrested at Pilgani village in possession of 65.85 kilogrammes cannabis and 18 grammes of tramadol, while another suspect Sunday Agbata, 42, was nabbed at Pavwei – Rayfield Jos South local government area with 5,830 tablets and ampoules of bromazepam, diazepam and pentazocine injection last Wednesday.

The spokesman said a major distributor of illicit drugs in FCT Abuja, Umar Muhammed, 40, was last Monday nabbed following the earlier seizure of a consignment of 198.5 kilogrammes cannabis linked to him at Wuse market park.

In Edo state, NDLEA operatives recovered 640 kilogrammes cannabis concealed in 80 jumbo bags of fresh vegetables at Ewu junction, Irrua, Esan Central local government area and arrested a suspect, Austin Oruamen, 27, while another suspect Adereti Kazeem, 35, was nabbed with 200 blocks of cannabis weighing 133 kilogrammes at Obalayan, Ile-Ife, Osun state last Thursday.

He noted that with the same vigour, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of MMIA, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, FCT, Osun, Plateau and Edo commands of the agency as well as those of DOGI for the arrests and seizures, stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.

NDLEA intercepts US, Europe-bound drugs in shoe soles, N16.7 billion opioids at seaports

Crime

Bobrisky Arrested by NIS at Seme Border

Published

3 weeks ago

October 21, 2024

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Bobrisky Arrested by NIS at Seme Border

By: Michael Mike

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has apprehended Idris Okuneye popularly known as Bobrisky while trying to cross the border into Republic of Benin.

The Service in a statement on Monday signed by its Public Relations Officer, Kenneth Udo said: “In keeping with its commitment to securing the borders, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) intercepted Okuneye Idris Olarenwaju otherwise known as Bobrisky at the Seme Border over an attempt to Exit the Country.”

Udo added that: “The Service wishes to inform the public that Okuneye Idris is a person of interest over recent issues of public concern.

“He is undergoing interrogation and will be handed over to the appropriate Authorities for further action.

“The Service assures the public that it will continue to be civil and professional in its statutory responsibility of manning the Country’s Borders.”
Bobrisky Arrested by NIS at Seme Border