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Kyari: FG files 24 charges, seizes shopping malls, other mega assets

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There seems to be no respite in sight for embattled Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, as the Federal Government has uncovered 14 assets, including shopping malls, residential estate, polo playground, lands and farmland belonging to the former commander of the Intelligence Response Team.

Kyari was said to have failed to disclose his ownership of the properties in different locations in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Maiduguri, Borno State.

Over N207m and Є17,598 were also discovered in his various accounts in GTB, UBA and Sterling Bank.

In the fresh 24-count charges filed against Kyari by the Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, J. Sunday, dated August 30, 2022, the Attorney-General of the Federation stated that the suspended DCP allegedly disguised his ownership of some of the properties.

The case filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, with charge number: FHC/ABJ/CR/408/22 had as co-defendants, Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari, who are believed to be the beleaguered policeman’s siblings.

Also, the Federal Government filed separate 24-count charges against Kyari’s former deputy, Sunday Ubua, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, who is under suspension.

An affidavit in support of the charge deposed to by a litigation officer with the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Stephen Kashawa, explained that Kyari, who is facing trial for dealing in cocaine, was subjected to general and financial investigation when he was transferred by the police to the NDLEA headquarters on February 14, 2022 for investigation.

He added that the financial investigation which extended to his properties led to the filing of charges for non-disclosure and conversion of large sums of money.

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The deponent further said the case was ready for trial and that all the witnesses were available to proceed to trial.

Abuja land
The Federal Government said Kyari knowingly failed to make full disclosure of his asset at plot no 1927 Blue Fountain Estate, Karsana, Abuja and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 35(3)(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, CAP N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The prosecutor also alleged that the embattled DCP did not declare his ownership of an estate at Linda Chaulker Road, Asokoro Extension; plot no. 5 titled BO/4546; plot no. 9 titled BO/1037; plot no. 10 titled CER/4319 and plot no 33 titled BO/4319, Maiduguri, Borno State.

Furthermore, the AGF said the suspended DCP, who is facing prosecution for illegal cocaine dealing alongside six others, failed to reveal his ownership of a shopping mall titled, NE/1229 and a polo playground with plot no. 270, both located in Maiduguri.

The charges also said the former IRT commander did not make full disclosure of his ownership of farmland along Abuja-Kaduna road and a plaza under construction in Guzape, Abuja.

Count 11 read, ‘’That you, DCP Abba Kyari, male, adult and you Mohammed Kyari, male, adult, on or about February 14, 2022, in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this honourable court in order to disguise the true ownership of the property situate at plot no. 33, Bama Road, GRA Extension, Maiduguri, Borno State, covered by certificate no. BO/4319 issued by Borno State Government by deposing to a false affidavit at the Federal High Court in suit no. FHC/NG/Cs/9/2022 and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 15(3)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, (as amended).’’

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Maiduguri land
In an attempt to disguise the ownership of a plot of land covered by Certificate of Occupancy no: 000271 issued by Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Borno State, Kyari was alleged to have also deposed to an affidavit at the Federal High Court, Maiduguri in suit number, FHC/NG/CS/9/2022, contrary to section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.

The AGF equally accused Kyari of deposing to an affidavit to hide his ownership of plot no 9, BOTP/63 covered by the grant of right of occupancy no. BO/1087; a shopping mall at number 4, Aliyu Close along Giwa Barracks, Maiduguri, covered by Certificate of Occupancy no. NE/1229.

The charges revealed that the DCP knowingly converted N28.4 million in his GTB account number 0121075250; N65.2m in his GTB account number 0138360064; N95 million in UBA account number 1002250112 and N16.9 million in Sterling Bank account number 0072451994.

The first defendant was similarly accused of failing to declare in the NDLEA assets declaration form the sum of Є17,598 in two GTB accounts, being proceeds of unlawful activities; N2.9 million in UBA; N366, 258.77 and N88.000 in Sterling Bank.

In the charges against Ubua with number FHC/ABJ/407/22, the government revealed that he did not disclose a N100 million life insurance policy with First Bank of Nigeria Insurance Limited, including several millions stashed in different bank accounts.

The defendant was said to have converted N118.6 million using First bank account 3018154763 and $30,516.36 using Polaris Bank account 2630046721.

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The suspended ACP was accused of converting between January and March, 2022, the sum of N40.8 million in his Polaris Bank account number 1060047951, being proceeds of unlawful activities.

The government said Ubua acquired a block of lock-up shops at Utako bus terminal, Abuja for N16.8 million and also converted N33 million and N227.5 million using First bank account number 2005502596. The defendant was further accused of converting N40.8 million and another N33.7 million.

Kyari’s deputy

Count one read, “That You, Sunday Ubua, male, adult, on or about the 14th day of February, 2022, at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency headquarters, Port Harcourt Crescent, off Gombiya Street, Area 11, Garki, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, knowingly failed to make full disclosure of your assets in the NDLEA assets declaration firm by not disclosing your N100 million life insurance policy with First Bank of Nigeria Insurance Limited contrary to and punishable under section 35(3)(a) of the NDLEA Act, CAP N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.’’

The NDLEA had earlier marked six residential houses and one plaza in Maiduguri belonging to the embattled former IRT commander.

The two-storey shopping plaza, Assurance Plaza, located along the Giwa Barracks Road in Maiduguri, has about 100 stores.

Six other residential houses within the Maiduguri New Government Residential Area allegedly belonging to Kyari were also marked by the NDLEA, 48 hours after a suspected drug dealer linked to the N3 billion worth of tramadol intercepted by the then Kyari-led IRT team was arrested by operatives of the NDLEA in Lagos.

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Police arrest 16-year-old girl for poisoning ex-boyfriend, four others

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The Edo State Police Command has detained a 16-year-old girl, Aisha Suleiman, who is accused of fatally poisoning her ex-boyfriend, identified as Emmanuel, and four other young men in Afashio community in the Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.

The tragic discovery was reported on October 26, 2024, when Emmanuel’s father, Mr Elogie Ezekiel, arrived at his son’s apartment around 6:30 a.m. that day and saw some lifeless bodies in the house.

Ezekiel reportedly found the body of a young man, Nurudeen, in the corridor.

 

Moving further into the apartment, he discovered Emmanuel, 19, and his girlfriend, identified as Ada Samuel, also 16, lying lifeless on the bedroom bed.

 

Two other friends of Emmanuel’s, Samuel and Jeffrey Ayegwalo, both siblings, were found unresponsive in the sitting room.

All five were immediately transported to the hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival.

 

Some sources in the area noted that the victims had just consumed a pot of pepper soup prepared by Suleiman for the five friends.

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The investigation took a significant turn three days later when police received a report that Suleiman, who was alleged to have poisoned the victims, was about to be lynched by a group of young men from the community.

 

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Moses Yamu, said that police officers from the Jattu Division were quickly mobilised to the scene, intervened, and transported Suleiman safely to the station.

 

“The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department to conduct a thorough investigation,” Yamu added.

 

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Umoru Ozigi, has ordered a detailed investigation, instructing officers to pursue every possible lead to determine the true cause of death in the case.

He also warned against any form of mob action, urging the community to allow the police to carry out their duties. CP Ozigi reassured the public that justice would be pursued diligently.

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Court grants N10m bail each to 72 #EndBadGovernance protesters

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A federal high court in Abuja has granted N10 million bail to 72 defendants arraigned over their participation in the recent nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest.

 

Obiora Egwuatu, presiding judge, specified that each defendant must provide two sureties in like sum.

He added that one of the sureties must be a civil servant of grade level 15 or higher, with a verifiable address within the court’s jurisdiction, while the other surety must be a parent of the defendant.

The court had fixed Friday for the arraignment of 76 defendants — who are mostly minors.

At the commencement of proceedings, the children, who looked ill and malnourished, were asked to come forward to take their plea.

While some huddled in the dock, others stood outside the cubicle due to insufficient space.

However, four minors were rushed out of the courtroom after they collapsed and writhed in pain.

The judge had to rise abruptly before calm returned to the courtroom.

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When the court session resumed, the prosecution asked that the names of the four ill children be removed from the charge.

The other defendants were arraigned and pleaded not guilty.

The 76 defendants, who were arrested in Abuja, Kaduna, Gombe, Jos, Katsina, and Kano states, are being accused of treason, among other offences.

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BREAKING: Court orders final forfeiture of $2.04m, properties, shares linked to Emefiele

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The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Friday ordered the final forfeiture of the sum of $2.045m, seven choice landed properties and share certificates linked to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.

 

Justice Deinde Dipeolu ordered the permanent forfeiture of the monies and the two share certificates of Queensdorf Global Fund Limited Trust, after holding that the former CBN governor or any other interested party did not contest same after the initial interim forfeiture.

 

The court also forfeited the seven choice landed properties on the ground that the former CBN Governor, Emefiele,was not able to connect his lawful earnings from Zenith Bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the acquisition of the properties.

 

The court held that the former CBN Governor failed to provide documents or links to show that he owned the properties.

 

Emefiele had denied any connection between him and the companies in whose names the properties were purchased and the companies had also failed to appear before the court to claim the properties.

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The EFCC had listed the companies as; Amrash Ventures Limited, Modern Hotels Limited, Finebury Properties Limited, Fidelity Express Services Limited, H & Y Business Global Limited and SDEM Erectors Nigeria Limited.

 

Justice Dipeolu held, “the conclusion that can be deduced is that there must be something dark about the acquisition of the properties which Emefiele and the companies does not want to come to light.”

 

The judge further held “that the interested party has failed to demonstrate any lawful interest in the properties and that they were aquired from his legitimate earnings”.

 

“I therefore order the final forfeiture to the Federal Government of Nigeria of all those properties…which are reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.”

 

The properties are: two fully detached duplexes of identical structures, lying being and situated at No. 17b Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos; an undeveloped land, measuring 1919.592sqm with Survey Plan No. DS/LS/340 at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos; a bungalow at No. 65a Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos and a four-bedroom duplex at 12a Probyn Road, Ikoyi.

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Others are an industrial complex under construction on 22 plots of land in Agbor, Delta State; 8 units of an undetached apartment on a plot measuring 2457.60sqm at No. 8a Adekunle Lawal Road, Ikoyi, and a full duplex together with all its appurtenances on a plot of land measuring 2217.87sqm at 2a Bank Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

 

On August 15, 2024, the court had authorised the EFCC to temporarily take custody of the cash sum of $2.045million, seven choice landed properties and shares linked to Emefiele after hearing an Exparte application filed by lead counsel to the Commission, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).

 

The court’s ruling followed the EFCC’s assertion that the money and other items sought to be forfeited were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

 

However, counsel to Emefiele, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olalekan Ojo had urged the court to stay proceedings and not grant the final forfeiture of the properties.

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