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Alleged fraud: Prosecute Yahaya Bello – PDP chieftain tells EFCC

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A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kogi State, Austin Okai, has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to bring the immediate past governor of the state, Yahaya Bello, to justice over alleged misappropriation of funds.

Okai, who was the House of Representatives candidate for Dekina/Bassa in the 2023 elections, made the call in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

He said in spite of the arduous task of protecting the state, it is imperative not to overlook the plight of civil servants grappling with the repercussions of fiscal misdeeds.

He recalled that Justice Tijani Ringim, a vacation judge, had on August 31, 2021, ordered the freezing of government accounts following an ex-parte application filed by the EFCC.

“The anti-graft agency, in a 13-paragraph affidavit in support of the ex-parte application, had stated that it received credible and direct intelligence.

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“The intelligence which led to the tracing of funds reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities in an account No. 0073572696 domiciled in Sterling Bank Plc with the name Kogi State Salary Bailout Account.

“Moving the application for the interim forfeiture of the funds on August 31, 2021, A. O. Mohammed, counsel to the EFCC, had urged the court to grant the order to prevent further dissipation of the funds in the account.

“Mohammed had also told Justice Ringim that the N20 billion meant to augment payment of salary and running cost of the government was kept in an interest-yielding account with the bank,” he said.

Okai said the state’s Commissioner for Information, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, debunked the allegation then and said that the state government judiciously used the funds for its intended purpose.

According to Okai, it is untenable to shield any individual, including Bello, at the expense of the welfare of Kogi workers.

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He said the results of such actions were profound, with millions of lives hanging in the balance.

Okai noted that the EFCC had recently named the former governor in an ongoing corruption case but had yet to formally charge him.

According to him, Bello’s nephew, Ali Bello, and his associate, Dauda Suleiman, the two defendants in the case, were accused of diverting funds belonging to Kogi government.

“But in the newly introduced count, the two defendants in the case were accused of conspiring with the former governor to convert the total sum of N80.2 billion belonging to Kogi State Government to personal use,” he said.

Okai urged all Kogites and all concerned Nigerians to galvanize support for the EFCC’s efforts to bring Bello to justice, saying there was urgency for enhanced scrutiny of Bello’s alleged transgressions.

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“The staggering loss of billions of naira, a burden borne by the citizens, serves as a stark reminder of the imperative to uphold accountability and transparency in governance.

“Moreover, revelations of property acquisitions in lucrative locales like Dubai, Maitama, and Lagos raise serious questions about fiduciary responsibility.

“It is disconcerting that despite the confiscation of numerous properties by the EFCC, investigations were impeded by immunity provisions.

“Now, with Bello out of office, I urge Kogites and all concerned Nigerians to galvanise support for the EFCC’s efforts to bring him to justice.

“The misappropriation of public funds cannot be tolerated, and those responsible must be held accountable irrespective of their former positions,” he said.

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Okai said the call to action was not driven by any personal interest but rather by a steadfast commitment to the principles of good governance and fiscal probity.

He said it was incumbent upon every citizen to remain vigilant and resolute in demanding transparency and accountability from those entrusted with the stewardship of public resources.

According to him, the future well-being of Kogi State hinges upon the integrity of its leaders and the diligence of its citizens in upholding the rule of law.

However, the Kogi State Government has described as false the allegation of corruption levelled against the immediate past governor, Bello, by the EFCC.

Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement, insisted that the state’s funds were not missing, and accused the EFCC of being politically motivated to tarnish Bello’s reputation.

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“As an administration, we inherited the zero tolerance for corruption policy from the immediate past administration of Governor Yahaya Bello,” Fanwo said.

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Politics

Rivers crisis: Why I won’t make peace with Fubara – Wike

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Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has revealed one of the reasons he can’t make peace with Governor Similayi Fubara of Rivers State.

Wike accused Fubara of removing a chief in his family and went ahead to make another person a chief.

The FCT Minister stated this on Wednesday while fielding questions from journalists at a media parley in Abuja.

According to reports, the statement comes amid the ongoing political crisis in the State, with Wike and Governor Similayi Fubara at the center of the feud.

“Sometimes when you people talk about this peace, you don’t take everything. You don’t just sit outside to talk.

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“Look at me, a former governor, Minister of of the FCT, Governor (Fubara) had the temerity, the audacity, because he has money from federation account, because he has more Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), will enter my own family to remove a chief and make another person a chief,” Wike said.

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Lagos HoA Crisis: Let Obasa Stay, Tinubu Tells Lawmakers

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President Bola Tinubu has instructed lawmakers of the Lagos State House of Assembly to allow the impeached and reinstated Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, to continue leading the house.

The President made this position known when he met with the lawmakers at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday.

As reported earlier, this is the first time President Tinubu is meeting the lawmakers since the crisis began in the house January 13, 2025.

One of the lawmakers told newsmen that ” Obasa is staying. We will obey the president. What we had was a family meeting. The President condenmed Obasa’s actions but blamed us for not carring him (Tinubu) along during the impeachement execrise”.

However, the lawmaker said President Tinubu warned Obasa to carry everyone along.

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” He also warned him (Obasa) that if there were any future complaints from any quarters, he would be gone. “The President said he should let peace reign; and so based on that, we have accepted.”

On the pending matter in court, the source said: “The President has instructed him to withdraw it.”

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Fubara not sincere, playing to gallery – Rivers Assembly

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The Rivers State House of Assembly has disagreed with the claims by the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, that he was blocked from entering the House to re-present his 2025 Appropriation Bill.

The House said it never received any official communication from the governor indicating his interest to bring his appropriation bill to the floor of the House.

Spokesperson of the House and Chairman, House Committee on Information, Enemi George, described the claims of the governor as a mere comedy skit scripted to paint the House in bad light.

George recalled that on March 3, the House of Assembly wrote to the governor requesting him to bring his 2025 appropriation bill to the lawmakers following the judgement of the Supreme Court.

He said: “We were the ones, who immediately after that judgement appealed to the governor to bring his appropriation bill. We acted immediately because we have the interest of the state at heart and didn’t want Rivers people to suffer any harm.

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“Despite withholding our entitlements for over a year and demolishing our chambers, we still wanted him to hasten up the presentation in the interest of the progress of Rivers.

“We indicated our intentions in that letter and even gave him a timeframe because of the urgency of the matter. To regularise his appointments, we also urged him during our subsequent sitting to submit the names of his nominees for the positions of commissioners and some boards’ membership for screening and confirmation.

“But, the governor rebuffed our pleas. We sent employees of the Assembly to deliver these resolutions to him. But, as usual, they turned them down at the gate and even brutalized them. We resorted to engaging the services of a courier company.

“But, he still did not heed our call forgetting that there are essential services like hospitals, schools and others to be funded. Our intention was to finish everything about the budget on March 15, so that we could send necessary information and documents to relevant agencies of the government to allow the release of Rivers allocations at the end of March. But, with what he is doing, we don’t know what he wants to achieve.

“How can he turn around to claim that we blocked him from re-presenting his budget? This is the height of insincerity. We even need the budget to be passed because the governor has been owing us our entitlements for more than a year and without the budget, we can’t get our entitlements.

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“The governor and his team simply and deliberately acted Wednesday’s drama with a singular motive to tarnish the image of the Assembly. The governor is simply playing to the gallery to whip up unnecessary sentiments. But, it has backfired because the truth has come out”.

Besides, George insisted that the letter the governor claimed that he sent to the Speaker never got to him, adding that it was after the Wednesday’s sitting that the lawmakers saw the letter flying on social media.

He said: “But, even the letter trending on social media was dated March 11. Does it mean that the governor purportedly sent a letter on Tuesday God knows when, and immediately mobilised to the Assembly Quarters on Wednesday morning, claiming he came to present his budget?

“That alone vitiates the claimed purpose. It is procedurally trite that after writing to the Assembly, the governor ought to wait for the letter to be acknowledged by the lawmakers, who will then invite him to appear before them and make his presentation. Governor Fubara ought to know this if he is sincere.

“But, all we know is that this Assembly will continue to uphold the rule of law and will remain committed to promoting the interest of Rivers State. We urge him to do the needful so that Rivers people can breathe. He is toying with the lives and livelihood of Rivers people.

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