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How London immigration officers ‘harassed, detained’ Obi at Heathrow – Campaign office

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The Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Office has revealed how the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi was harassed by immigration officers at Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom. 

Spokesman for the Campaign Council, Diran Onifade, in a statement on Wednesday said the former Anambra State governor was detained and questioned for a duplication offense which suggests that someone has been impersonating Obi in London.

According to Mr Onifade, the LP’s Presidential Candidate who is just back from London, where he celebrated Easter, was saved by the spontaneous reaction of Nigerians at Heathrow Airport.

Onifade said Obi arrived the Heathrow Airport in London from Nigeria on Good Friday, April 7, 2023, and joined the queue for the necessary airport protocols when he was accosted by immigration official who handed him a detention note and told him to step aside.

“He was questioned for a long time and it was very strange for a man who lived for over a decade in that country.

“Since Obi’s face was already an international frame, especially for Nigerians, Africans home, and in Diaspora who are likely to be Obidients, the people quickly raised their voices wondering why he was being delayed,” Onifade narrated.

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He further recounted that the immigration officials who were also taken aback at the reaction of the people were forced to reveal to those present Obi was being questioned.

Onifade asserted that the high implication of the offense is that the impersonator could be committing all kinds of weighty crimes and other dubious acts and it would be recorded in Obi’s name.

“Since the impersonator is still at large, the scenario is unimaginable as Obi could be implicated in a series of forbidden acts and even be framed in a manner that could be a huge embarrassment to him, his family, his party, the obidient Movement, and indeed Nigeria, where he currently and indisputably remains the conscience of the people,” the LP Campaign Office spokesman stressed.

The Obi-Datti Media office said its principal has been under all kinds of attack, since the February 25th, 2023 Presidential election in which he came third out of 18 contestants as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, even though its “supporters and many other election watchers including international observers believe very strongly that he won the election but was manipulated out”.

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The campaign office further stated that Since Obi was told to go to court if he feels strongly about the election, there have been severe attacks on him from all corners.

Even Federal Government who directed him to go to court even despatched the Minister of Information Lai Mohammad to the United States to attempt at de-marketing him and accused him of treason.

“Obi’s telephone line was also bugged when they were possibly looking for information to portray him badly before a section of the country who had voted for him massively.

“As if they were not getting the desired results of denting his image, and possibly placing the traducers under a heavier conscience load, they tried to persuade him to leave the country and go take a rest.

“It’s also not impossible that those urging him to leave the country may have planted the impersonators ostensibly to tar the Eagle’s immaculate appearance.
The Obi-Datti Media office will like to therefore assure all persons of goodwill especially the Obidients that the Rock is not deterred as he is ready to suffer the pain and remain even more determined to pursue whichever path his creator destined for him in Nigeria,” the media office statement partly read.

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In buttressing his point, the Campaign Office spokesman, Mr Onifade, stated that Nigerians must know that in the face of the flurry of unwarranted attacks and cogs being placed in the wheel of rescuing the nation, Obi strongly believes that a new Nigeria is possible where the people will be able to live in a secure and productive country they will all be proud to own.

He added that in the meantime, Peter Obi is back in the country and has continued his charity work visiting health and educational institutions making donations, and bagging awards.

 

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ICPC detains TETFund boss ‘over questionable N7.6bn project’

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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has detained Sonny Echono, executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

Demola Bakare, ICPC spokesperson, confirmed the development on Friday.

 

Bakare said that Echono was invited by the anti-graft agency on Thursday.

“The executive secretary of TETFund is here with us. He has been invited for questioning. He is still in custody. He was invited yesterday.” Bakare said.

 

“He was invited on Thursday. He has not been released. He’s still with us. Investigation is still ongoing.”

 

It was earlier reported that TETfund awarded two contracts to Fides Et Ratio Academy and Pole Global Marketing (PGM) within two months at the cost of N3.8 billion respectively without the approval of the federal executive council (FEC), which is required for the contract size.

 

The contract was to provide capacity building course and learning management systems to about 2 million students across higher institutions in the country.

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In a rejoinder, TETFund said it did not award N7.6 billion contracts to two companies without due process.

 

The agency said it was wrong to say they were contracts, whereas they were ICT projects implemented under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which doesn’t require competitive bidding in public procurement.

 

TETFund further said its disbursement guidelines were approved by the president on the recommendation of the “Fund’s Board of Trustees and concurrence of the Honourable Minister of Education in line with the TETFund Act 2011″.

In an interview with TheCable, Echono said there was no form of irregularity in the N7.6 billion project.

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American school writes EFCC, seeks to refund $760k of Yahaya Bello’s children fees

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The American International School of Abuja (AISA) has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to provide “authentic banking details” for the refund of fees paid for the children of Yahaya Bello, immediate-past governor of Kogi state.

 

It will be recalled that Bello had àllegedly paid $720,000 in advance as fees for five of his children from the coffers of the Kogi state government.

 

The children are in grade level 2 to 8 at the school.

 

On April 17, EFCC operatives laid siege on Bello’s residence in Abuja in attempt to arrest him over an alleged N80.2 billion fraud.

 

While the operatives were at the house, Usman Ododo, governor of Kogi, arrived at the property and reportedly whisked Bello away.

 

In a letter addressed to the Lagos zonal commander of the EFCC, the school said the sum of $845,852 has been paid in tuition “since the 7th of September 2021 to date”.

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AISA said the sum to be refunded is $760,910, because it had deducted educational services already rendered.

 

“Please forward to us an official written request, with the authentic banking details of the EFCC, for the refund of the above-mentioned funds as previously indicated as part of your investigation into the alleged money laundering activities by the Bello family,” the letter reads.

 

“Since the 7th September 2021 to date, $845,852.84 (Eight Hundred and Forty Five Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty Two US Dollars and eighty four cents) in tuition and other fees has been deposited into our Bank account.

 

“We have calculated the net amount to be transferred and refunded to the State, after deducting the educational services rendered as $760,910.84. (Seven Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ten US Dollars and Eighty Four cents).

 

“No further additional fees are expected in respect of tuition as the students’ fees have now been settled until they graduate from ASIA.”

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The school said it will draw the attention of the anti-graft agency if there are any further deposits by the Bello family.

 

In a statement signed by Greg Hughes, AISA also said “Ali Bello contacted the school on Friday 13 August 2021 requesting to pay the family school fees in advance until the students graduate from High School”.

 

The EFCC has since declared Bello wanted, with the NIS placing the ex-governor on a wanted list.

 

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Arms deal: N4.6bn traced to Bafarawa’s son, EFCC witness tells court

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Hamza Abdullahi, a witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has narrated how N4.6 billion from the arms deal was traced to the son of Attahiru Bafarawa, a former governor of Sokoto.

Abdullahi appeared before Y. Halilu, the judge, at the federal capital territory (FCT) high court on Wednesday.

Bafarawa alongside Sagir, his son; Bashir Yuguda, former minister of state for finance; Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA); Dalhatu Investment Limited, a company owned by the former Sokoto governor; were arraigned by the EFCC.

The defendants are facing 25 counts of misappropriation, criminal breach of trust and receiving stolen property.

 

Their trial is connected to the alleged misappropriation of arms funds by Dasuki while he was NSA from 2012 to 2015.

On Wednesday, EFCC presented Abdullahi as the second witness in the trial-within-trial of the former Sokoto governor.

During the court proceedings, the EFCC witness said N4.633 billion was traced to the account of Dalhatu Investment Limited, where Bafarawa’s sons were directors.

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The witness added that Sagir was the sole signatory to the company’s bank account.

 

The EFCC witness told the court that he was the second-in-command of special task force, fraud investigation on arms, defence equipment procurement in the office of NSA in 2015.

He said the team investigated the activities of 78 companies that received money from the office of the NSA without justification, adding that Dalhatu Investment Limited was among the companies.

Abdullahi said Sagir was interviewed on November 25, 2015 by the investigation team and that he made his statement voluntarily.

“My Lord, I witnessed the statement dated 25/11/2015 of Sagir Attahiru Bafarawa. He was interviewed in my presence, the statement was also recorded in my presence,” the witness said.

 

“At the conclusion of the written statement, I read it to him. Thereafter, I endorsed the written statement. I equally endorsed the second statement at 4pm and it was concluded by 4:25pm, the same day. I witnessed it, my name and signature were there.

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“My Lord, there was nothing like promises made to the accused, threat or inducement. To the best of my knowledge, there was nothing like that.

“It was a very conducive environment and that was the secretariat of the special task force at the head office then.

 

“The secretariat is the conference room of the chairman, and no member of the special task force is authorized to make any promise in the course of investigation.

“When Sagir Attahiru Bafarawa honored our invitation, he came with his lawyer and he was confronted with the evidence that we have.

“Afterwards, he said he needed to consult his lawyer and later volunteered his written statement. These statements were based on the fact of the evidence we have on the company.”

After the witness’ testimony, Halilu adjourned the case to May 22, 2024.

Bafarawa served as the governor of Sokoto from 1999 to 2007.

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