Author: Chronicle Editor

The Uyo Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday June 24, 2021, secured the conviction of four internet fraudsters before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State. The convicts: Eneji Emmanuel, (a.k.a Karen Moana, Buccly Clunder, Mainer Chic, Karen Klunder) Adie Stephen Udie (alias Laura Vazquze), Nwandike Kelechi (a.k.a Bradley) and Victor Francis (alias Donald Walter), pleaded guilty to separate charges bordering on love scam and obtaining by false pretence. In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Segun R. Akinrinlade urged the court to convict them in…

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has mourned the passing of former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Babatunde Olusola Benson (SAN). Chief Benson, a renowned lawyer and Asiwaju of Ikorodu, died on Thursday at age 88. Governor Sanwo-Olu in a condolence message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, on Friday said Benson’s demise was a big loss to Ikorodu, Lagos State and the legal profession in Nigeria. The governor described the deceased, who was born in Ikorodu to the famous Benson family on July 4, 1932, as an experienced and committed lawyer who used…

The Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, June 25, 2021, arraigned one Andrew Warri before Justice Sherifah Solebo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on a seven count charge bordering on stealing, obtaining by false pretence and issuance of dud cheques. Warri was arraigned alongside two companies: A.M. Projects Consultancy Limited and Ranez Medical Consultancy Limited. One of the counts reads: “Andrew Warri, A.M. Projects Consultancy Limited, sometime in May 2012 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, fraudulently obtained the sum of N125,000,000…

The Department of State Services on Friday said it has invited Kaduna-based cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi for questioning. “Sheikh Gumi was invited by the Service,” the service’s spokesman, Peter Afunaya, confirmed the invitation. The spokesman added that “it is not out of place for it to invite any person of interest.” Although the DSS did not confirm the rationale for the invitation, Sheikh Gumi has recently been outspoken on the issue of banditry in Nigeria. According to the cleric, amnesty should be extended to bandits, who he says have been ‘forced’ into criminality due to, in part, government neglect. In…

A 21-year-old University of Lagos (UNILAG) undergraduate arrested in connection with the murder of SuperTV boss Michael Usifo Ataga, 49, yesterday said she stabbed him to death following a disagreement over another round of sex. The suspect, Chidimma Adaora Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communications student of UNILAG, was paraded by the Commissioner of Police Hakeem Odumosu at the command headquarters Ikeja, nine days after Ataga was murdered in cold blood at an apartment in Lekki, Phase 1, Lagos. Ojukwu, according to Odumosu, was apprehended at her parent’s Yaba residence on Wednesday night following painstaking investigation after Ataga was reported missing…

Senator Peter Nwaoboshi has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. Nwaoboshi‘s defection was confirmed when President Muhammadu Buhari received him at the State House on Friday. Court acquits Senator Nwaoboshi of N322m fraud The Senator who represents Delta North District, Delta State, was presented to Buhari at the State House by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege. Buhari was quoted to have welcomed him to the All Progressives Congress (APC) He had said, “You are welcome to the progressives family.’’ Nwaoboshi arraigned for laundering N805m A few days ago, Senator Nwaoboshi was suspended from the PDP over ‘anti-party’…

President Muhammadu Buhari has cancelled his proposed medical follow-up to the United Kingdom, a spokesperson has said in a new development. Although his spokesperson, Femi Adesina, did not state why the planned trip was cancelled, he however stated that the trip will take place at a letter date. “The medical follow-up visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to United Kingdom earlier scheduled for today, Friday, June 25, 2021, has been postponed,” Adesina said in a terse statement on Friday afternoon. JAMB releases 2021 UTME results He added that, “A new date will be announced in due course.” Chronicle NG had reported…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the results of the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) which took place a few days back. JAMB’s spokesman Fabian Benjamin announced the release of the 2021 UTME results via a statement he issued on Friday in Abuja. He said the board was happy over the smooth conduct of the examination, explaining that the use of the National Identification Number (NIN) was helpful in curbing malpractices during the exercise. JAMB nabs 50-year-old man over impersonation “The Board notes with satisfaction that the utilisation of NIN (National Identification Number) has helped in…

The United States Justice Department has apprehended another Nigerian for stealing COVID-19 economic relief funds. According to reports, Chukwuemeka Onyegbula, aka Phillip Carter, is employed as an IT engineer with Pan Ocean Oil Corporation Nigeria Limited. He is currently being detained in Nigeria. Onyegbula allegedly submitted fraudulent unemployment claims and loan applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. He is accused of stealing over $340,000 from seventeen different states in the US. The incident comes barely five weeks after the aide to Ogun state governor, was arrested in US for the same offence. The department has now called on US…

A House of Representatives ad hoc committee on Thursday grilled the acting Managing Director of Polaris Bank, Innocent Ike, over a hidden account belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The Reps Ad Hoc Committee on Assessment and Status of All Recovered Loots Movable and Immovable Assets from 2002 to 2020 by Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria for Effective Efficient Management and Utilisation is investigating assets belonging to the federal government. According to Punch Newspaper, over $200m was said to have been allegedly hidden in the account, which was opened in 2012. Polaris Bank, formerly Skye Bank, said…