24 year old Teacher impregnated by her 13 year old student

A 24-year-old teacher, Alexandria Vera, has been accused of having sex with a 13 year old, eighth grade student.

Vera claims that the pair are in love and that the boys’ parents knew about their relationship and even approved of it. She added that his parents allowed him to sleep over at her apartment on numerous occasions. And that she would drop him off at the bus stop for school the morning afterwards.

Vera said the teen was a student in her English 8th grade class and that the romance started over social media after they met in her summer class.

The middle school teacher explains that the then-13-year-old first contacted her via Instagram, and their relationship grew from there and people seemed to notice. She said he missed a class one day so she sent him a message asking him why he missed class and that was when he asked for her number.

She said one time she went to his house for school and he invited her in and introduced her to his parents as his girlfriend and his parents accepted her.

She said the first time they had sex was sometime in September of last year when she dropped him of at home and his parents were not at home.

She also said a lot of people at school noticed that they were both in a relationship.

One student told ABC 13:

“He like grabbed her butt, and everybody saw it. And then they were talking about it.”

Vera said she got pregnant in January and told investigators that the teen's family was “excited” and “very supportive” when they found out. However, court documents reveal that she became nervous after Child Protective Services visited her school and interviewed the couple about their relationship so she eventually aborted her unborn baby.

Aldine ISD’s Stovall Middle School, located near Houston, Texas, has since released the following statement:

Aldine ISD has been made aware that charges have been filed against a former Stovall Middle School teacher involved in inappropriate behavior with a male student. When the allegation was made in April, the teacher was immediately removed from the school and placed on administrative leave. Aldine ISD Police investigated the incident and turned their findings over to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. The safety and security of Aldine ISD’s students and staff remains a priority of the school district.

Vera is charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child. She turned herself in on Wednesday to officers at Montgomery County Jail in Conroe, Texas, after police issued a warrant for her arrest.

Vera's bond was set at $100,000. She has met the bail condition and has been released.

Source: ABC 13

Parents of 'Jihadi Jack' face terror charges

The parents of a British Muslim accused of joining ISIS have been charged with terrorism offences.

Jack Letts, aka  "Jihadi Jack", who converted to Islam, was suspected of being the first white Briton to join the terror group after he travelled to Syria two years ago.
The 20-year-old, who reportedly goes by the name Abu Mohammed, married an Iraqi woman with whom he has a son, named Muhammed and they have been living in Raqqa, in Syria since.

Letts' father, John Letts, an organic farmer and baker, and mother, Sally Lane, are accused of making money available for a terrorist purpose because they have been helping their son financially since he went to Syria.
A spokesman for the South East Counter Terrorism Unit (SECTU) said Mr Letts, 55, and Ms Lane, 53, both of Chilswell Road, Oxford, have been charged under section 17 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Mr Letts faces three counts of "entering into or becoming concerned in an arrangement to make available money, knowing or having reasonable cause to suspect that it may be used for a terrorist purpose".
Ms Lane, who is a former books editor, faces that charge and two others of attempting to provide money knowing or suspecting it might be used for terrorism.
However, both have denied their son, who ran off to Syria in 2014 aged 18, has any ties with IS.

He is thought to have told his parents he was going to study Arabic in Kuwait before secretly travelling to Syria.

His parents, Mr. Letts and Ms Lane have both been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 9 June. 

Source: sky news

Four Nigerian stowaways on a Malaysian bound cargo ship arrested after one fell sick due to hunger

Four Nigerians, 24 year old Ahmed Azeez, 33 year old Tunde Yagba, 25 year old Adewale Sunday and 3 year old Ajose Kehinde, who had smuggled themselves into a Malaysian-bound cargo vessel without proper documentation, were on Wednesday discovered and arrested by operatives of the Marine Police Command.

Sunday gave himself up and was rushed to  the hospital after he had a severe ulcer induced pain due to lack of food inside the area of the cargo they were hiding in. 

Following a tip-off from the Amphibious Ambush Squad of the Marine Command led by DSP Ben Ogungbure, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Maritime Police Command, Muhammed Katsina, began to track the movement of the remaining three suspects. The operatives arrested Azeez, Yagba and Kehinde who were already on board the Malaysia bound cargo ship,

Katsina said that the suspects were tracked 23 hours after they had departed, and  that upon interrogation, the command discovered they had previously illegally travelled to various countries but were always deported.

PDP knocks Edo over N1.4bn alleged procurement violation

The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has accused the state government of allegedly approving the payment of 75 per cent mobilisation fee for the provision of medical equipment for the Central Hospital, Benin, in contravention of the Edo State Public Procurement Agency Law, 2012.

The Publicity Secretary, Edo PDP, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, told journalists on Wednesday that Governor Adams Oshiomhole had, on January 14, 2016, allegedly approved the payment of N1.4bn to a private construction company “for the supply, installation, training and maintenance” of the equipment for the accident and emergency ward “as well as the ward complex of the Central Hospital, Benin.”

Also speaking, the state Legal Adviser of the PDP, Prof. Edoba Omoregie, accused the state government of unlawful virement of funds meant for the hospital to the newly established Edo University, Iyamho, without an approval by the House of Assembly.

“You can only do this if there is a clear request for this to be done and an approval by the state House of Assembly,” he added.

The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Kassim Afegbua, could not be reached for comments.

But Afegbua had, in an earlier statement, debunked the allegations, which he said were based on “beer parlour gossip” and “crass ignorance” of budget interpretation.

He commissioner had said, “As a government that has exhibited a high sense of prudence in the management of state resources, whatever we embark on, by way of projects, are usually captured in our budget proposal and the Edo University, Iyamo, and the new five-star Central Hospital, Benin, are no exception.

“It should be noted that the State Executive Council only approves contracts when they have met all the requirements of bidding – in line with the Procurement Act. We do not behave like the PDP, whose chieftains defrauded the state and the nation with reckless abandon without respect for due process.”

However, Nehikhare explained that the alleged mobilisation fee was in gross violation of Section 47 of the state public procurement agency law, which according to him, provides that only 25 per cent advance payment be made to a supplier or contractor.

He accused the state government of making anticipatory expenditure when the 2016 budget had not been passed.

He also explained that although Section 122 of the 1999 Constitution permitted the governor to authorise expenditure, six months into an appropriation year and pending the passage of the appropriation law for the year, it limited such expenditure to the tune of the appropriation made for the preceding year.

Source: punch 

Militants Attack more Chevron Assets

Niger Delta militants on Wednesday blew up two additional facilities belonging to Chevron Nigeria Limited, making it the fourth time the oil major’s assets would be attacked in less than a month.

Amid the recent upsurge in attacks on oil and gas installations in the area, some international oil companies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Companies have seen their facilities damaged, with the latest being Chevron.

A militant group that calls itself the Niger Delta Avengers, which has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks since the beginning of the year, destroyed two vital Chevron’s Bibi oil wells, RMP 23 and RMP 24, in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State on Wednesday.

One of our correspondents learnt that the incident occurred around 3:44am near Egbema, an Ijaw enclave in Warri North, and the wells have been shut down.

A military source and an employee of Chevron, who did not want their names mentioned, confirmed the incident, adding that the attack led to heavy spillage in the creeks.

The source also said that a team of engineers had been sent to assess the damage and stop further spread of the spillage.

When contacted, the Manager, Communications, Chevron Nigeria, Mr. Sola Adebawo, said, “We will not comment on security issues.”

On May 4, Chevron’s Okan offshore platform came under attack, a development that resulted in the shutdown of the facility.

Okan is the nation’s first offshore production platform located in the Escravos area of Delta State.

Chevron said the damage to the Okan platform had affected about 35,000 barrels per day of its own net crude production, or about 15 per cent of its output in the country.

On May 13, a new blast occurred at a Chevron oil well at the Marakaba pipeline in Warri.

Last week, the NDA carried out another attack on the oil major’s main power line at the Escravos terminal, shutting down its onshore operations in the region.

Onshore oil assets in Nigeria have been attacked for years, forcing the IOCs to reduce their land-bound operations in the area in favour of more secure offshore projects.

The Head of Energy Research, Ecobank Capital, Mr. Dolapo Oni, said, “I think the IOCs have genuine reasons to be worried. As companies that have high safety standards, most major oil companies are likely to take stringent safety protocols, including reducing personnel at fields bordering locations that have been hit or could be hit.”

Domestic violence: 4,000 cases recorded in 1year –LASG

The Lagos State Government says no fewer than 4,035 domestic violence cases were recorded in the last one year, adding that they ranged from rape, child abuse, sexual assault and sexual abuse to defilement, divorce and other matrimonial issues.

The government, which vowed not to shy away from prosecuting perpetrators of domestic crimes, added that the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT), had been at the forefront of the war against domestic violence in the state.

The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, on Tuesday in Ikeja at a news conference on the activities of the DSVRT in the last one year, added that the agency handled 192 domestic abuse cases.

Kazeem explained that out of the 192 cases handled by the DSVRT, 89 were domestic assault cases, 62 were defilement cases, 18 were rape cases, six attempted rape, 10 child neglect and seven child abuse cases.

He added that 92 cases were presently being heard in court.

Kazeem said, “The Lagos State Government under the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has zero tolerance for issues relating to domestic violence and child abuse and will not relent until the scourge is reduced to the barest minimum.

“Agencies of government, including DSVRT, Office of Public Defender and the Directorate of the Public Prosecutions, have been mandated to ensure that while perpetrators of the acts are brought to justice, victims of domestic violence are rehabilitated.

“As regards provision of shelter for victims, the Ministries of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and Youth and Social Development, as well as non-governmental organisations have been playing key roles in ensuring that victims are taken to a safe environment.

“All the victims of sexual assault received medical attention from the Mirabel Centre and public hospitals.”

The commissioner assured residents that the government would step up its campaign against domestic violence.

“As a matter of fact, the DSVRT will hold a free clinic for victims by Friday and we urge victims of domestic violence to call 08137960048 for professional counseling and immediate action from the government,” the commissioner added.

Source: punch 

Man charged with manslaughter after killing thug who beat and tried to rape his wife has been released

A New York City man and father of three, 61 year old Mamadou Diallo who beat his wife's would-be rapist to death was released from jail on Tuesday evening after appearing in a Bronx Criminal court. He was cheered and hailed by members of the Guinean community and his family after the judge freed him on his own recognizance.

Diallo was arrested on Monday night and charged with manslaughter after surveillance cameras inside his Washington Avenue apartment captured him bludgeoning Earl Nash to death with a tire iron inside his Bronx apartment building elevator.

Diallo said he was outside his building when his wife, 51 year old Nenegale Diallo, called and said a man had broken into their apartment, dropped his pants and said, 'I'm going to rape you.'



Nash

The attacker, identified as 43 year old Nash had a lengthy criminal record. Nash has 14 prior arrests. He served five years behind bars for a 2006 conviction for selling drugs and bribery. He was released in February 2011, returned the next April, and then was released July 2015. 

Diallo ran inside and found his wife naked in the hallway, she said she saw Nash trying to run away and told her husband that the attacker was trying to escape.

She told the NY Daily News: 'While it was going on, I was thinking I was going to die. I told my husband, "Don’t let him out!"'

The husband ran after Nash, caught up with him as he got inside the elevator on the sixth floor and fractured his skull with the steel lever as Nash tried to fight back with his belt. The elevator was covered in Nash blood from his fractured skull.

Nash died at Lincoln Hospital from 'severe trauma to his head and body' about three hours later, according to police.
Several hours before the attack, Nash slipped past the apartment building entrance around 10pm on Monday night by following a resident in. He was also seen in surveillance cameras lurking inside the hallway and elevator.

He knocked on a number of apartments asking for water before knocking on Diallo's door, the wife, Nenegale  Diallo, opened the door thinking it was her son. Nenegale's sister was also home at the time.

Nash forced his way in, locked the door behind him and started taking off his pants.
When Nenegale offered him money, he reportedly said: 'I don’t wan’t money. I’m going to rape you.'

Nash then struggled with both women, attacking the sister first before hitting Nenegale in the head with a chair and tearing off her clothes after she tried to run to the door for help.

The two sisters fought with Nash for about 20 minutes and managed to fight him off long enough for Nenegale to call her husband.

After Diallo came to his wife's rescue and fractured Nash's skull, they called the Police.

The Police arrested Diallo and charged him with manslaughter. But he claimed self defense as he was led away by the Police. He said: "Self-defense. He threatened my wife. He threatened my wife,"

In court, Diallo's attorney called the incident an attack on Diallo's family under extreme circumstances, and asked for the judge to release the cab driver and father of three on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on June 27.

In 2003, Nash pleaded guilty to the unlawful imprisonment of a 17-year-old, who he held captive for two days, after which authorities said she was sexually abused, stabbed and beaten.

Source: ABC news 

Saudi Arabia executes Nigerian man after he was convicted of killing a police officer

Saudi authorities have executed a Nigerian man after convicting him of murdering a police officer, AFP reports. It was the 95th execution of the year in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom, which imposes the death penalty for offences including murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy. The surge in executions has drawn concern from human rights groups.

Fahd Houssawi was executed on Sunday, May 29 in the western city of Taif, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency. He had been found guilty of strangling a policeman and beating him to death, the ministry said.

Houssawi had knocked the man to the ground before hitting his head repeatedly into the ground, beating him to death. He then injured another man in his attempt to escape.

Amnesty International has warned that at the current rate Saudi Arabia could see more than 100 executions in the first half of 2016.

The London-based watchdog said the kingdom carried out at least 158 death sentences last year, making it the third most prolific executioner after Iran and Pakistan. Its figures do not include secretive China.

The executions this year are higher than at the same point last year, Amnesty said.

Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions, although 47 people were put to death for “terrorism” offences on a single day in January.

Source: AFP

Zambian woman Precious denies killing her husband, accuses her brother-in-law of being the murderer

Precious has denied killing her husband, Lubinda  and is instead accusing the deceased younger brother of being the murderer. According to the 35-year-old woman, her husband and his younger brother were home alone, and when she returned home, she found her hubby dead and a pistol on the ground. She claimed that after a few minutes, the young brother came with five police officers and arrested her. Read the full report from Zambezi Reporters' Isaac Mwanza after the cut...

 

    PRECIOUS DENIES KILLING HER HUSBAND 

Precious has dissociated herself from the murder of her husband Lubinda. She has expressed shock and disgust at reports circulating on social media linking her to the gruesome killing of her husband with whom she had 2 children with.

Speaking at woodlands police were she is currently detained, she narrated that on Tuesday evening, she together with the deceased, his brother James and her workmate melinda went out to chicagos at mandahill.

After midnight, the deceased notified her that he wanted to drop his brother in chelstone before going home and that is how he left. At around 03.00, she also left her friend at Chicago s for home . However, when she arrived, she was surprised to find her brother inlaw coming from her matrimonial home soaked in blood while carrying a bag. She also noticed that he was armed with their pistol 9mm.

A fight ensued between the two and that's how she grabbed the gun from him and he bolted. When she entered the bedroom, she discovered her husband lying bloodied on the floor. She immediately went to check on her kids. She later saw about 5 armed officers in the company of her brother in law who pointed at her as a killer.

She was arrested and police refused to hear her side of the story. She complained of police treatment who only acted on her brother inlaw story which she describes as false. She has accused the brother of having attempted to rob them of the k200 000 which they planned to pay on Wednesday on a land transaction which she suggested they keep in the house since Wednesday was a public holiday. Efforts to get a comment from the police proved futile as the phone went unanswered.

BROTHER TO THE DECEASED VERSION (As told by the Third Party)

[25/05 1:10 PM] She got home at
[25/05 1:10 PM] Like 2 in the morning
[25/05 1:11 PM] Husband and brother (my mate) were already home
[25/05 1:11 PM] Brother wasn't supposed to spend night but he felt lazy to go home so stayed the night
[25/05 1:11 PM] Husband went and opened gate for her she came in. Went to bed
[25/05 1:12 PM] Later brother just heard scream and 5 gun shots after
[25/05 1:13 PM] : He thought it was a robbery. So stayed in his room. He stood behind the door in case of anything and kept lights off.
[25/05 1:13 PM] She came to his room and said where are you Iv killed your brother and I'm going to kill you too
[25/05 1:14 PM] She walked in and he jumped on her and they struggled with the gun until he managed to let all the bullets finish firing
[25/05 1:14 PM] Then dashed to his brothers room and found dude had already died
[25/05 1:15 PM] Shot in the mouth, lower back, arm and chest
[25/05 1:15 PM] His name is Lipimile
[25/05 1:15 PM] You know Lee I'm sure. Big Fat dude
[25/05 1:16 PM] Uhm, as of now, not known mwe
[25/05 1:16 PM] But they found 236,000 cash in the crib
[25/05 1:16 PM] So looks like she wanted to plug the own and claim it was a robbery
[25/05 1:17 PM] But brother spent a night which he wasn't supposed to so that complicated her plan
[25/05 1:17 PM] That's why she let maid go to execute the plan
[25/05 1:17 PM] Both worked for Banc abc

 

Ibori's London Trial: Thursday's Court Proceedings

Counsel to Chief James Onanefe Ibori, Thursday May 19, 2016 told the Southwark Court, London that there may be no fair trial in the confiscation hearing of James Ibori that is due to start in June at a Southwark Crown Court in London.

According to a press statement signed by Ibori's Media Assistant, Tony Eluemunor, Ibori's lawyer said this during Thursday's preliminary hearing preparatory to the confiscation trial against Ibori that is due to start in June.

The lawyer, Mr. Ivan Krolic, said that there are established cases of corruption against the police and the crown prosecution counsels who investigated Ibori. This, he said, has led to dropping every member of entire Police and Crown Prosecution teams that investigated Ibori and his associates.

Mr. Krolic notified the court that following the revelation that the Police involved in investigating Ibori for money laundry were themselves involved in corruption, and were knowingly covered up by the Crown Prosecution, the integrity of the entire process has been put in doubt. He said: “there are cases of abuse of process against the crown prosecution to deliberately manipulate the process to gain undue advantage and inflate the confiscation figure which will require a stay of proceeding in this case to allow for the abuse of process to be dealt with”.   

The trial Judge, His Honour Tomlinson, acknowledging the precarious situation of the Ibori case, especially the serious allegations of police corruption which has led the Police authority itself acknowledged the corruption charges and as a result to set up a review of the process and corruption allegations against its officers, the Judge, noted “there are a lot of perceptions and it is inevitable that the team involved in the investigation and prosecution be changed following these allegations”.

Putting the Judge on notice should the confiscation trial begin as scheduled while the application for crown and police abuse of process is held, Mr Krolic said “our argument is that the whole process is infected and it will be wrong for the confiscation hearing to continue...the allegation is that the crown consistently and deliberately manipulated the system and forced James Ibori to plead guilty and inflate the figures (of the money involved) in the light of the serious allegation of police corruption in this case”.

His Honour Tomlinson replied: “I have an obligation to keep an open mind and keep this under constant review”, and having also read the statement witness of James Ibori's former Defence Counsel, Mr Nicholas Purnell QC, that the Crown Counsels misled him to cause his client, James Ibori, to plead guilty, there are potentials in the statements”. That notwithstanding, the June start date of the Confiscation hearing may hold though he alerted that “a number of potential hazards to this proceedings have been flagged off”.

Meanwhile, the confiscation hearing is due to start on 6th June at Southwark Crown in London.

Signed: Tony Eluemunor

James Onanefe Ibori's Media Assistant.

Copied#

BREAKING: EX-NIMASA boss, Omatseye sent to 5 years imprisonment

Former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Raymond Omatseye

 A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration Safety Agency, Mr. Raymond Omatseye, to five years in prison for a N1.5bn contract scam.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had arraigned for engaging in contract splitting and bid rigging estimated at over N1.5bn while he was the DG of NIMASA.

The offence, according to the EFCC, contravened Section 58(4) (d) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

Omatseye was also charged with money laundering contrary to Sections 14(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004.

Police rescue boy from abductors

Rivers state police rescues Chisom from abductors

OPERATIVES of the Rivers State Police Command have rescued an 11-year-old boy identified as Chisom Okafor from four men suspected to be ritual killers.

Chisom’s abductors had taken him away on May 1, 2016 after a friend to his father, Okorie, sent him on an errand. Chisom, who hails from Ndimoko community in Anambra State, was said to have be whisked away by his abductors in a Sport Utility Vehicle.

Chisom, who could not express himself clearly in English Language, said he was blindfolded up to a point by his captors and was only left to go when the police stop the vehicle conveying him.

Explaining that he was a son of a carpenter, Chisom said his father had a week before his abduction taken him to Okorie to learn a trade.

He said, “I was taken away by four men from Ndimoko. I am Chisom from Ndimoko in Anambra State. They blindfolded me and I did not know where I was. They removed the blindfold when they got to police checkpoint.

“They drove away after I got down from the vehicle when the police said they wanted to search the vehicle. The police are still looking for how they can take me to my parents,” Chisom said.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ahmad Muhammad, told newsmen that Chisom was rescued by policemen who were on a stop-and-search on Eliozu Bridge in Port Harcourt.

Muhammad said the four suspects escaped after the boy (Chisom) came down first on the directive by the police that occupants of the vehicle should come down for a thorough search of the SUV.

“It was at that point that the suspects left the boy behind and zoomed off. After several questions, the boy made us to realise that he was kidnapped by suspected ritualists.

“We suspect the four men are ritualists because the father of the boy is just a carpenter. We have intensified investigation to ensure we get those behind the boys kidnap.

“We are also working towards locating the community of the boy with a view to reuniting him with his parents,” the state Police spokesman said.

Muhammad urged the parents and other relatives of Chisom not to panic, adding that the police was making arrangement to locate the victim’s community after his rescue.

Source :punch

Three men arrested and face 1 year in prison for killing tiny fish

Three men arrested and face 1 year in prison for killing tiny fish

Three men have been arrested and charged with the killing of a tiny fish (an endangered specie) destruction of property, trespassing and unlawful possession of a firearm by police after they allegedly broke into a fenced-off protected area of Death Valley National Park in Nevada on 30 April.

The 3 drunk men Steven Schwinkendorf, 29, Edgar Reyes, 35, and Trenton Sargent, 26, stomped around in the water of Devils Hole, they threw up in the pond, threw beer cans and boxer shorts over the area, and tore up the habitat of the Devils Hole pupfish, one of the rarest fish in the world. One of the fish was later found dead.

According to the National Parks Service, the men fired a gun at least 10 times at gate locks, a motion sensor and several signs. Sensitive scientific monitoring equipment was also damaged. They face the possibility of fines of up to $50,000 and a year in prison.

The Sherriff's office said:

“Their unlawful visit ultimately culminated with at least one of the suspects stripping off their clothes and entering the water of Devils Hole.”

“The suspects in the water stomped around the shelf area of the critical ecosystem before swimming around the deeper water, leaving behind a pair of dirty underwear when finished.

“The intrusion is believed to have resulted in the death of at least one endangered Devils Hole pupfish, and fisheries biologists are trying to ascertain the extended damage that may have been done to food sources and egg sites which could lead to more loss of a species whose numbers are now below the last count of 115 in existence.”

Man arrested for taking off woman's hijab

Man arrested for taking off woman's hijab

37-year-old Gill Parker Payne, of Gastonia, North Carolina was on a South Airlines flight from Chicago to Albuquerque on Dec. 11 2015 when he saw a woman wearing a hijab sitting several rows in front of him. Authorities say Payne approached her and told her to take it off, she refused saying it was a religious headscarf, then he responded, "This is America!" He then removed the hijab from her head.

The woman reported the incident to the Police and Payne got arrested. He was charged with using force or threat of force to obstruct a Muslim woman in the free exercise of her religious beliefs.

He appeared in court on Friday and pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge.

He didn't go to jail but was fined.


Source: AP

EFCC gets order to hold Fani-Kayode for 14 days

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has obtained a remand order to keep a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, in custody for the next two weeks.

The remand order is, however, renewable after 14 days depending on the outcome of investigations.

Fani-Kayode is being investigated by the EFCC for allegedly receiving N840m when he was the Director of Publicity for the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation in 2015.

The money, which Fani-Kayode confessed to receiving, was said to have emanated from the account of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The commission had recently frozen the ex-minister’s Zenith Bank account with number 1004735721 domiciled at Maitama, Abuja.

Fani-Kayode had told our correspondent that the PDP leadership gave him the impression that the money was sourced from private individuals.

He said, “I served as the director of publicity of the Jonathan campaign organisation and I was told to set up an account for the directorate, which I did. I never received money from the CBN but like all the other directors, we received money from the director of finance.”

However, a detective told our correspondent that the EFCC was working on the assumption that the ex-minister might have received more than N840m.

The source said, “Besides the N840m that Fani-Kayode admitted to receiving, we believe he got more. Thanks to BVN (Bank Verification Number), we can trace all other accounts that he has. We will trace the transaction history and see how much he truly received and how much was from the public funds.

“There are other petitions against the former minister and he will be grilled. In the coming days, we will reveal the outcome of investigations.”

When asked if the investigation of the former minister was a witch-hunt as alleged, the detective said such excuses were not tenable in court.

He recalled that Fani-Kayode was arraigned in court for several offences between 2008 and 2015, noting that this was under the PDP administrations.

“The issue of a witch-hunt does not apply here. Fani-Kayode faced a criminal trial under (late President Umaru) Yar’Adua and (former President Goodluck) Jonathan. Did it mean they also hated him?” the detective said.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that the commission might seize some of the ex-minister’s properties as investigations continue.

“Section 29 permits the assets of a person arrested under Section 28 to be seized by the state. The Recovery of Public Property Special Provisions Act Cap R42004 Laws of the Federation also empowers the EFCC to seize assets,” the source added.

Sources:Punch