Malabu $1.1 billion Scandal: Court Orders OPL 245 Returned To The Nigerian Government

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured a court order mandating the return of OPL 245 to the Nigerian government.

The order was granted by Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court on Thursday morning, pending “the conclusion of investigations…” by the EFCC.

OPL 245, considered the largest oil block in Africa with over 9 billion barrels of crude, has been a subject of investigations in at least five different countries.

Two oil giants, Shell and Eni, in 2011 paid about $1.1 billion into a Nigerian government account in London to take control of the oil block.

Over 70 percent of the money was subsequently transferred in controversial circumstances into Malabu accounts controlled by a former petroleum minister, Dan Etete. Mr. Etete transferred over half of what he got into accounts of phony companies controlled by Aliyu Abubakar, a man wanted for fraud in Italy and whom the EFCC already charged for fraud.

Mr. Abubakar is believed to be a front for several top officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration including Mr. Jonathan and his attorney general, Bello Adoke.

Both men have denied any wrongdoings.

The EFCC had in December last year filed fraud and money laundering charges against Messrs. Etete, Abubakar, and Adoke.

A week after, Italian prosecutors also indicated their decision to file charges against Shell and Eni, their officials, and Mr. Etete for their roles in the scandal.

US deports 90 Somalians, two Kenyans as Trump cracks down on illegal immigrants

No fewer than 90 Somali nationals and two Kenyans on Wednesday arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi after being deported from the US. 

The deportees, believed to have been affected by US President Donald Trump’s implementation of his pledge to crack down on illegal immigrants, arrived at the airport at midday aboard Omni, an American Charter Airline. According to Africa Review, the Somalis then boarded a flight that left for Mogadishu at 3pm (+3GMT). 

Security sources at the airport said the travellers were accompanied by security officers, who also accompanied them to Mogadishu. Airport police boss Zipporah Waweru confirmed that there had been a plane carrying Somalis in transit to Mogadishu, but she could not confirm whether they were deportees. “They have left and to me, they looked happy so I cannot for sure tell you that they were deported or not,” 

Ms Waweru said. President Trump had vowed during the campaign for the White House to kick out illegal immigrants and immigrants with criminal records, saying they would be deported at their own cost. On Tuesday, President Trump said he was ready to build a wall on the Mexican border and send away illegal immigrants as he rolled out a series of immigration decrees. 

Officials said President Trump had directed that migrant quotas and programmes be cut, thus slowing down the processing of visas. The orders would restrict immigration and access to the US for refugees and visa holders from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, according to American media. During his campaign, President Trump said he would deport or jail up to three million illegal migrants

IGP Idris denies leading delegation to visit Buhari in London

The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris has denied the media report that said he led “a high powered delegation to visit President Muhammadu Buhari in London. 

President Muhammadu Buhari is on a two week vacation in London and doubts have been raised about his true state of health. Idris, in a statement signed by Don Awunah, Force Public Relations Officer said contrary to media report, he was in London on an official visit to London on the invitation of SO15, the London Metropolitan Police Service. 

The SO15 is part of the Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorism Command that works for the protection of London and the United Kingdom, against threats of terrorism. 

“Contrary to the compelling objectives of the planned visit, however, some sections of the Nigerian online and print media are disseminating invented and incorrect stories, and misrepresenting facts regarding the official visit of the IGP to the United Kingdom. “

For the avoidance of doubt, the IGP did not lead “a high powered delegation” to visit President Mohammadu Buhari, who is on vacation in London. The visit of IGP to London while the President is on vacation is merely coincidental. The statement read.

Drug charges: US court rules against Buruji Kashamu

A U.S. appeals court has upheld a ruling against a Nigerian senator who faces drug charges related to the hit TV show “Orange is the New Black.”

Chicago prosecutors accuse Buruji Kashamu of heading a heroin trafficking ring in the 1990s. 

Kashamu, elected in 2015 from Ogun state, argues that prosecutors want his dead brother instead. In an April 2015 filing, Kashamu asked a district court to prevent his “abduction abroad by U.S. authorities.” 

The court dismissed the complaint, and the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling Monday. It said U.S. agents’ attempt to arrest Kashamu in coordination with local authorities would not constitute “an attempted abduction.” 

A dozen people long ago pleaded guilty in the case, including Piper Kerman, whose memoir was adapted for the Netflix show.

[Updated] Oil subsidy fraud: Court jails Ontario Oil MD 10 years, orders refund of N754m to FG

Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Thursday sentenced the Managing Director of Ontario Oil and Gas Limited, Mrs. Ada Ugo-Ngali, to a jail term of 10 years for a fuel subsidy fraud of N754m.

The judge ordered the refund of the N754m to the Federal Government.

Justice Okunnu had on January 13, 2017 convicted Ugo-Ngali, Ontario Oil and Gas Limited and its Chairman, Mr. Walter Wagbatsoma of eight counts pressed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes.

The judge had been unable to pass the sentence on the judgment day as Ugo-Ngali slumped in court after being convicted and just before the judge could pass the sentence.

The convict was subsequently rushed out of the courtroom and and taken to Havannah hospital in Surelere from where she was later moved to the intensive care unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba.

Ngo-Ngali came to court on Thursday straight from LUTH and on a wheel chair, with plasters on her body.

In passing the sentence, Justice Okunnu rejected the plea of the convict’s lawyer, Mr. Edoka Onyeke, praying that the sentence should be non-custodian in view of his client’s health.

“I have considered the plea of the defence counsel for non-custodian sentence of the 2nd defendant. I have to say that the request to grant a non-custodian sentence must be rejected and I can only exercise my discretion on the length of time the convict will spend in prison,” Justice Okunnu held.

She subsequently sentenced the convict to a cumulative jail term of 69 years, which would, however, run concurrently for only 10 years.

The judge said the jail term would begin to read from January 13, 2017, when Ngo-Ngali and her accomplices were pronounced convicted.

Wagbatsoma, who is the first convict in the case, is said to be currently under house arrest in the United Kingdom, where he is being held for money laundering, relating to a £12m National Health Service Trust fraud.

Drama ensued soon after Ngo-Ngali was sentenced as the convict’s relatives and prison officials pounced on the official photographer of the EFCC, for attempting to take Ngo-Ngali’s shots as she was being wheeled towards the waiting prison van.

The EFCC had on August 1, 2013 arraigned the Ngo-Ngali, Wagbatsoma and their company, accusing them of defrauding the Federal Government of N1.9bn, which they fraudulently obtained as subsidy sum for purportedly importing Premium Motor Spirit into the country.

Also charged with the three convicts was an official of the Petroleum Products Price and Regulatory Agency, Mr. Babafemi Fakuade, who was, however, discharged and acquitted by the judge on January 13.

In finding Wagbatsoma and Ngo-Ngali guilty, Justice Okunnu held, “The defendants defrauded the Federal Government of N340m in the third quarter of 2010 and N414m in the fourth quarter of 2010.

“According to a forensic audit by Akintola Williams Delloitte, the defendants did not remit an excess of N754m to the Federal Government.

“The first defendant knowingly received the sum in excess of what the fourth defendant (Ontario Oil and Gas Limited) was entitled to.

“In my opinion, he contributed to the false pretence.”

Justice Okunnu further held, “The second defendant is the MD of the company, she is the alter – ego of the fourth defendant and was aware of the going ons of the company.”‎