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Court Refuses To Order Diezani’s Arrest In UK, Demands AGF’s Extradition Evidence

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The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, rejected the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s request to issue a warrant of arrest against a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, who is believed to be residing in the United Kingdom.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu rejected the EFCC’s request for an arrest warrant citing the commission’s failure to enforce the earlier criminal summons which the court issued on the former minister as far back as July 24, 2020.

The commission had in requesting the criminal summons in July claimed that it was required to facilitate the ex-minister’s extradition to Nigeria.

Faced with the failure of the ex-minister to honour the summons on Wednesday, the EFCC, through its lawyer, Mr Farouk Abdullah, urged Justice Ojukwu to issue a warrant of arrest against her

Ruling on the request by EFCC, Justice Ojukwu rejected it as she noted that the criminal summons which the court issued on Diezani in the ruling of July 24, 2019, ought to be sufficient for the commission to process her extradition to Nigeria to face her trial.

The judge who expressed willingness to give the extradition bid a chance to survive, however, demanded an affidavit with evidence from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (the office with exclusive power to facilitate extradition), to prove that there was a need for the arrest warrant to have Diezani extradited.

She ruled, “It is my view that the summons should have assisted in the extradition of the defendant by the Office of the AGF.

“Today, the defendant is not in court and no reason was given.

“I am being informed that the defendant is believed to be in the United Kingdom.

“The learned counsel also informed the court that the extradition process has failed as a result of the absence of the warrant of arrest.

“But if that is the case, learned counsel shall file an affidavit to that effect supported by evidence from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
“I hereby give you time to put your house in order.”

The judge adjourned till December 3 for the report and possible arraignment of the defendant.

The EFCC had alleged that Diezani escaped from the country shortly after her tenure as the Minister of Petroleum Resources end and got wind of the plan to charge her with various offenses.

The commission on November 11, 2018, filed the 13 counts of money laundering to justify the bid to have her extradited to Nigeria.

Diezani was accused of among others in the charges that she unlawfully took into her possession, the sums of $39.7m and N3.32bn when she reasonably ought to have known that the money formed part of the proceeds of unlawful activities.

She was said to have purchased choice landed assets with the money using different fronts as the owners.d Street, Yaba, Lagos, with N937m.

BIG STORY

Music Band Boy Commits Suicide After Boss Tortured Him For Stealing “Sprayed Money” [VIDEO]

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A Lagos young guitarist identified as Lekan, has allegedly committed suicide after being tortured for stealing money from the leader of a music band group in Ogun State.

Lekan, who was pronounced dead by medical experts at a private hospital in Ifo Local Government Area of the state, was found lying lifeless inside his room after drinking an insecticide liquid, “sniper,” to get away from the trauma that trailed the allegations from his boss who was identified as Sam Omo-Oba.

It was learnt that the deceased was tortured and recorded alongside Ayo, another member of the band, for stealing the money realized from their performance at a Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) anniversary celebration where they entertained guests and worshippers.

The development has thrown the entire Oke-Aro community in Ifo Local Government into mourning, considering the circumstances surrounding the demise of the 26-year-old guitarist who lived in their community but operated often in Lagos.

On Wednesday, a close member of the family told our correspondent that Lekan was pronounced dead by medical experts on Monday, less than 24 hours after they left the church show on Sunday. The source, who identified himself as Kola, narrated that the family, even after seeing him lifeless still rushed him to hospital with a commercial motorcycle popularly called “Okada.”

“He was rushed to a private hospital to save him but the medical facility rejected the family request which prompted the move to another healthcare facility where the doctors pronounced him dead”.

Kola explained that the theft allegation, which was linked to the young artist’s demise, started after Sam Omo-Oba asked that members of his band who could not go home spend the night in his house.

“But they could not spend the night in his house because he was not allowed into the estate, so they decided to lodge at a hotel close to the community.

“While in the hotel, we heard that Sam and the band members drank and slept in the same room. In the morning, the band boss raised an alarm that Lekan and Ayo had stolen money inside his pocket, demanding they return it immediately”.

It was gathered that the deceased guitarist maintained the innocence of the crime he was being linked to during the torture. In the video making rounds online, Lekan was seen being allegedly tortured over the theft despite denying any link to the alleged crime perpetrated.

In the less than one-minute video, Lekan and Ayo were seen being questioned about who took the money and their responses attracted torture after the answers failed to meet expectations of the band leader.

In another video, a voice, suspected to be that of Sam Omo-Oba, was heard announcing that some notes had been discovered where the deceased and Ayo allegedly hid them.

Analyzing the videos, a resident of Oke-Aro who identified himself as Micheal told The Guild that the deceased was wrongly accused of theft, saying, “I know Lekan, rather than steal would prefer to work to earn his pay daily. And since our paths crossed, I have not earned that he stole from people”.

He added, “The torture and recording may have affected him psychologically that he considered suicide as the next option. I say this because, on his body, there were bruises on him which indicated that the torture was too much for him.

“I know him since he started playing drum under Kehinde Carlos and I have no record of theft linked to him. You can see it that the video showed the deceased insisting that he never took the money from his boss even when he was beaten to accept the allegations.

“The entire issue is sad and I can’t believe that Lekan is gone. I wish that this whole scenario could be reversed to avoid this tragedy. This is a young man with aspirations in the music industry. I know how he aspired to handle musical instruments for the big artists in the country. But now, all the dreams have been shattered”.

Efforts to get the Ogun Police Command spokesperson, SP Omolola Odutola, to confirm the sad development proved abortive.

 

Credit: The Guild

 

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Doctor, Three Nurses Die In Same Hospital Within 72 Hours In Saki, Oyo State

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A doctor and three nurses have been reported dead in a hospital in Saki West Local Government Area of Oyo State within 72 hours.

According to Vanguard News, this has created panic among residents of the ancient town, particularly around the hospital.

The hospital has been identified as Almusharaf Hospital, Oke Sunah.

A resident of the area, Adekunle Lawal, told Vanguard News: “Three days ago, one nurse died and on Monday another nurse died and yesterday, the doctor and another nurse died.

“We are afraid because we don’t know what caused their deaths.

“The doctor is a quack doctor.

“Maybe all of them treated a patient who has a contagious disease, which, I think, was not well handled.

“It’s a very big hospital.

“They carry out minor surgery on patients and at times they invite doctors from elsewhere to join them.

“If it’s a contagious disease, how come that no patient died but the staff?

“People are also speculating that it could be food poisoning.

“Maybe one of them ate food and gave it to the others to eat.

“We don’t know.

“All these are mere assumptions until those responsible for monitoring these hospitals carry out an autopsy on the deceased.

“None of the patients died.

“It’s only the staff of the hospital.

“All of them have been buried.

“You know they are Muslims.

“Please, the Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies should step in.”

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President Tinubu Determined To Eliminate Bandits, Terrorists — Nuhu Ribadu

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The National Security Adviser, “Nuhu Ribadu,” has warned that obstructing security under President “Bola Tinubu’s” administration will not be tolerated.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ribadu made this statement at the Comptroller General of Customs Conference in Abuja on Wednesday, emphasising the President’s determination to eliminate bandits, terrorists, and other security threats.

According to him, the government’s high-level strategies had led to the killing of hundreds of bandits daily, forcing many to flee to Chad.

“This prompted the Chadian president to declare war on them.”

“We will secure this country, we will fix it, we are not jokers,” he said.

“Ribadu” assured that the government was working tirelessly to achieve a secure environment, which is crucial for the country’s development.

He cited the improved security situation in the Niger Delta region and the significant increase in crude oil production, which had reached 1.8 million barrels per day.

“Many parts of our country today are living in peace. Go to the Niger Delta, things have changed,” he added.

The NSA urged Nigerians to be patient in the face of the current challenges, as the government’s policies were designed to sanitise the system and improve the economy.

He noted that the “Central Bank of Nigeria” was being reformed, adding that “Naira” would be stabilised.

“Ribadu” also commended the achievements of the “Nigeria Customs Service” and encouraged career officers to aspire to leadership positions, stressing that opportunities for growth were now available to them.

The NAN reports that the conference, which began on Tuesday, is scheduled to end on Friday.

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