Metro News

WAR IN MKO’s HOUSE: Kudirat’s children drag family members to Buhari, EFCC, DSS, others over assets

Published

3 years ago

July 18, 2021

admin

All is presently not well in the home of late Chief Moshood Abiola, with the children battling over the assets left behind by the late business mogul.

The children of the late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, one of Abiola’s wives, have cried to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the protracted feud between them and some unnamed members of the family on allegations of withholding the assets left to them by their late father.

Their petition was contained in an open letter titled ‘Report of a Decades-long Fraud,’ addressed to the President by ‘Children of Kudirat Abiola,’ published in Daily Trust on Saturday.

The letter was copied to the Minister of Justice, the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the State Security Services, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

Others who were copied included the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the Head of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, and the governors of Kwara, Lagos, Ogun and Taraba states.

The petition read in part, “Our father was a man of equity and, as such, he established companies that reflected this side of him. In all his companies, he made sure that no child was given one single share and that no child was even officially made a director.

READ EFCC re-arraigns JAMB official for alleged N46m fraud

“Even in Habib Bank (now Keystone Bank), he gave equal shares to children of different mothers (Kola and Lekan were given equal shares and this can be verified). On the other hand, he put some of his wives as directors.”

Kudirat’s children further explained that their late mother was appointed as a director in Abiola Farms and another one of Abiola’s wives, the late Alhaja Simbiat, was made a director in Radio Communication Nigeria, though, according to them, each wife was not given more than one share.

“However, five years following the death of our father, some members of the family fraudulently and criminally inserted their names into our father’s companies, including the most active one called RCN, in whose name our father had used to purchase the bulk of his shares at Habib Bank (sic).

“Having taken control of this company, these individuals were able to tamper with the Bank PHB shares and borrow monies from commercial banks using our father’s assets with the aim to default and impoverish his other children.

“This is despite the fact that in his will, our father stated that his entire assets should be equally shared among all his children. This is something that should have been done over two decades ago. They were also able to use their new status in RCN to exert influence on other companies like Abiola Farms and Abiola Bookshop where RCN is also a major shareholder,” the letter read.

READ Shonekan's burial service: Lagos announces diversion of traffic in Marina Friday

Kudirat’s children alleged that the United Kingdom property Abiola secured for their mother was “sold illegally a few months after her assassination” on June 4, 1996, the proceeds of which they said had yet to be surrendered to them. According to them, the property is “now worth almost a billion naira.”

“Furthermore, the money willed to her was withheld from us while other wives had the UK properties secured for them converted to their names and also received monies willed to them,” they said.

They demanded that the Corporate Affairs Commission be made to “rectify the criminal changes made to RCN and to reverse the company to its original form as of the time our father died when he owned 499,999 shares and the late Alhaja Simbiat owned one share (in other words, it should withdraw the 60 per cent and 40 per cent illegally given to both Agbo and Deji Abiola).”

They also requested that the CAC “immediately declare the company as moribund,” adding that all proceeds received from the sale of its shares in PHB and revenues ‘‘accrued from Summit Oil (using the fact that RCN is a shareholder of Summit Oil) should be returned to the rightful heirs as intended by our father.”

READ Updated: Tinubu inspects Guard of Honour to mark Democracy Day (PHOTOS)

The demands also included the ‘‘protection of the status of our mother as a director in Abiola Farms through which her position can only be substituted by her surviving children through a legal proceeding which has already been done by two high courts.

“All investigative agencies should move with speed to bring the culprits to book since this is a criminal offence and not a civil matter.

“The culprits must be made to return all monies earned illegally after deducting what was entitled to their mother in the will or in the current value of any property denied her as occurred in our own case. These people should face the full and swift wrath of the law to serve as a potent example and deterrent to others planning to carry out similar crimes.”

Also, Kudirat’s children asked that the NNPC and the Department of Petroleum Resources be instructed to stop dealing with any individual claiming to have authority over oil blocks belonging to Summit Oil.

Metro News

Police to arraign two over alleged defamation of Oba Saheed Elegushi

Published

15 hours ago

May 13, 2024

admin

The Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has filed a three-count charge against two persons before the Federal High Court, Lagos for alleged cyberstalking, illegal publication, and defamation of His Royal Highness, Oba Saheed Elegushi.

A copy of the charge dated April 30, 2024, showed it was filed by Nosa Watson Uhumwango, a senior legal officer at the State Criminal Intelligence Investigation Department, CIID, Yaba.

It lists the two defendants as Adesola James and Odunmosu Azeez Awiye.

It was gathered that the two will be arraigned tomorrow, Tuesday, May 13 before Justice Abimbola Awogboro.

In count 1, it was alleged that Adesola James, Odunmosu Azeez Awiye, and others at large, between the months of Dec. 2023 & March 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Honorable Court, did conspire together to commit a felony to wit: cyberstalking and thereby committed an ofence punishable under Section 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, ETC) Act, 2015.

READ BBNaija Season 7 welcomes 12 more housemates

In Count 2, it was alleged that, Adesola James, Odunmosu Azeez Awiye, and others at large, between the months of Dec. 2023 & March 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, did illegally and unlawfuly published by audible sounds and same exhibiting through your TIKTOK platform known as “ARIFANLA JOGUN OMO ODO AGBA” and “OKIKI_OSHUNT” respectively, a social network with the intention of a menacing character which is grossly offensive, false, indecent, obscene for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience danger obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, hatred or needless anxiety to the prejudice of His Royal Highness, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, the Elegushi of Ikate Kingdom, Kusenla IlI and the people of Ikate Kingdom in Lagos State and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 24(1)(b)(2)(a)(i) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, ETC) Act, 2015.

COUNT 3 says that, Adesola James, Odunmosu Azeez Awiye, and others at large, between the months of Dec. 2023 & March 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, did publish defamatory matters in your TIKTOK platform known as “ARIFANLA JOGUN OMO ODO AGBA” and “OKIKI_OSHUNT” respectively, a social network and which have been circulated and reported on other several social media platforms, including but not limited

READ Edo train attack: Six victims, including 4 children rescued

Metro News

NDLEA intercepts three trailer loads of Opioids in Lagos (PHOTOS)

Published

16 hours ago

May 13, 2024

admin

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted three trailer loads of opioids comprising 3,450,000 pills and 344,000 bottles of codeine syrup at Abule Ado in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos state where three suspects were also arrested in connection with the seizure.

A statement signed by Director, Media and Advocacy of the Agency, Femi Babafemi, said the multi-billion naira consignments were loaded into two 40-ft container trucks and another 20-ft truck at the AML bonded terminal, Abule-Osun, near the International Trade Fair complex before heading to a large warehouse at Abule-Ado where NDLEA officers eventually arrested the suspects and recovered the opioid consignments on Thursday 9th May 2024.

Those arrested include the warehouse agent, Cosmas Obiajulu, Ridwan Balogun and Banjo Tayo, drivers of two of the trucks while the third driver escaped.

The statement further added that 75-year-old grandpa, Jibril Audu was on Friday 10th May arrested with 7.5 kilograms of cannabis at Oke-asa village, Ijero-Ekiti, Ekiti state during a raid operation, while a 70-year-old grandma, Tikwase Nytor was nabbed with 15.6kg of same substance on Thursday 9th May during a raid operation at Achusa and International Market road, Makurdi, Benue state.

READ North Korea’s president breaks down in tears as he begs country's women to have more children

Metro News

Military uncovers over 50 illegal refineries in Bayelsa forest

Published

1 day ago

May 13, 2024

admin

The military Joint Task Force in Niger Delta “Operation Delta Safe (OPDS)” has uncovered 50 illegal refining sites at the Biseni forest in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The operation was led by the Commander of OPDS, Rear Admiral John Okeke.

According to the commander, illegal refining of stolen crude oil was carried out at the sites on daily basis before it was busted by the military.

Speaking with newsmen after the operation, Okeke stated that a large dugout open pit found in ones of the illegal refining sites can accommodate more than 10 trucks of Alternative Gas Oil (AGO), holding crude oil from where they distribute to their cooking site.

He said he had earlier warned oil thieves in the area to desist from the illegal business or relocate to another area.

He said: “On May 9, 2024, we were at Ukwa West LGA, in Abua State bordering Rivers State, a contiguous forest bear a shared along Imo River.

READ Children with high vitamin A intake may suffer convulsion, experts warn parents

“Today like I said we are not going to relent and is work in progress. We will not get tired, we will continue, we are in Biseni in Yenagoa LGA of Bayelsa. We transverse from Ahoada West LGA, of Rivers to reach this point, the most surprising thing is that this place we are now is housing over 50 cooking sites with unique arrangements.

“Why are the thieves operating in this area decided to be so smart by connecting what is called theft line made of two inches pipe, a galvanized pipe connecting directly to supply oil line on the road, from a distance of one kilometer.

“Then they have a lot of funny connections where they have various arrangement of connection, multiple connection where each of the thief get their supply. From a large dugout open pit that can accommodate more than 10 trucks of AGO, holding crude oil from where they distribute to their cooking site.

READ BREAKING: Davido loses another aide

“Look at the thick forest, we are now, you can never imagine that such serious crime is going on here, if not for the good spirited individual that volunteer information, we wouldn’t have known,” he said.

In his address at the inauguration of the New Headquarters Naval Training Command in Ebubu community, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, last month, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, lamented that Nigeria loses an estimated 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day to oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and other forms of criminality.

Abbas stated that the menace has culminated in revenue losses estimated at N1.29 trillion annually.