BIG STORY

Charges Against Kyari Not Meant To Scuttle Extradition – NDLEA

Published

3 years ago

March 7, 2022

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said former Commander of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari, who was arrested for suspected drug trafficking, has not been paraded because it is not the custom of the agency.

NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, in a Twitter post monitored by The Nation, said the agency does not parade suspects but only posts photos and videos of some recoveries and suspects so people can see the work they do.

He also debunked speculations that the charges against Kyari, who will be arraigned today, were meant to scuttle extradition efforts against the suspended police officer, as they had been filed since February 28, 2022.

Babafemi, who was responding to a question, said: ”A lot of people are mixing things up here. We do not parade suspects. We have never paraded any suspects. That is the truth. I have never brought any suspects before newsmen. What we do most times is that when we issue a statement on our activities, we select some pictures of the exhibits, sometimes with the suspects there, just to show the public because we have a very cynical society that even with pictures, still, a number of people would say it is not possible.

“So, you sometimes need pictures or videos to support the statement you are issuing out so that people can actually see and believe that. Beyond that, some of these things also serve as deterrents to would-be offenders or those who are already in such line of criminality so that they can see that one day they can also be caught.

“I would love to state that the NDLEA did not file charges against these individuals just yesterday. The charges were filed against them on February 28, 2022. The matter has been assigned to a judge and the suspects are due for arraignment in court on Monday, March 7, before Court 8 of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

“This is to correct the insinuation that probably the NDLEA rushed to court to go and file charges after extradition charges were filed against one of the key suspects.

“In our case, we have charged seven persons, not just an individual alone. This is to correct the impression so that people would not keep reading unnecessary meaning into certain actions by the agency,” he said.

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BIG STORY

Two US-Based Nigerians Bag 30-Year Jail For $3.5m Romance Scam

Published

25 mins ago

November 26, 2024

PorscheClassy News

Two Nigerians, Anthony Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu, have been sentenced by a United States federal jury to a combined 30 years in prison for defrauding US citizens of $3.5 million.

The sentencing was announced in a press release made available on the US Department of Justice website on Monday.

According to the statement, Ibekie and Aniukwu deceived their victims by claiming they had received substantial inheritances that required money to be claimed. The duo would then ask the victims to send money with the promise of reimbursement once the inheritances were secured.

The statement also highlighted that the pair carried out romance scams, building online relationships with their victims to gain their trust, only to later demand money.

It read, “An undercover law enforcement investigation has resulted in federal prison sentences for two Nigerian nationals residing in the Chicago suburbs who conducted online inheritance scams and other fraud schemes.

“Using aliases, Anthony Emeka Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu communicated with victims throughout the United States, convincing them they had received substantial inheritances and needed to send money to individuals associated with the defendants in order to claim it.

“In addition to the inheritance scam, the pair carried out an online romance scam that involved communicating with victims via social media and dating websites, building trust with the victims through a purported online romance, and convincing them to send money to a predetermined recipient. Aniukwu and Ibekie also orchestrated a ‘business email compromise’ scam that targeted corporate email accounts.

“The fraud schemes were uncovered by a covert law enforcement investigation. The scams resulted in losses to victims of at least $3.5 million.”

The statement further noted that after facing at least 14 charges, Ibekie and Aniukwu pleaded guilty to the accusations. As a result, Ibekie was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday, while Aniukwu received a 10-year sentence on November 8.

The statement continued, “A federal jury earlier this year convicted Ibekie, 59, of Oswego, Ill., on all 14 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a bank, and passport fraud. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger on Thursday sentenced Ibekie to 20 years in federal prison.

“Aniukwu, 50, of Romeoville, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and money laundering charges. Judge Seeger on Nov. 8, 2024, sentenced Aniukwu to 10 years in prison.”

Meanwhile, an accomplice of Ibekie and Aniukwu, US citizen Jennifer Gosha, is set to be sentenced on December 18 following her guilty plea.

“A third defendant, Jennifer Gosha, 52, a U.S. citizen from Oak Park, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of wire fraud and making false statements to a federal agent. Gosha is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Seeger on December 18, 2024,” the statement concluded.

Post Views: 17

BIG STORY

JUST IN: Ebonyi Governor Suspends Health, Housing Commissioners Over “Gross Misconduct, Negligence Of Duty”

Published

2 hours ago

November 26, 2024

PorscheClassy News

The Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, has suspended the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Moses Ekuma, and his counterpart in Housing and Urban Development, Francis Ori.

The suspensions occurred on Monday during the State Executive Council meeting in Abakaliki, the state capital.

A statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor, on Tuesday morning, read, “Following cases of gross misconduct and dereliction of duties by some government officials and matters related thereto, the Chairman of Council directed the indefinite suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development and three months suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Health respectively.”

Reports suggest that the suspensions may be linked to the alleged theft of government property by officials in the Ministry of Health and the reported underperformance of the Housing and Urban Development commissioner, particularly regarding his poor management of the Amaeze Housing Scheme in the Ishielu Local Government Area.

It is also recalled that the governor visited the health ministry’s premises on Saturday night, where six officials were allegedly caught diverting government materials. He subsequently ordered their arrest and prosecution.

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