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Forum / Naijapals Base (Metro life) / ABOKI! EFCC Nabs Currency Courier In Lagos Trying to Export $7m Cash To Dubai |
on: 28-09-2012 07:10 PM
| The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arrested one Abubakar Tijani Sheriff, whom it described as a bulk currency smuggler, as he attempted to smuggle $7million out of the country.  The EFCC said in a statement today that Sheriff, 24, was arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos en route Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as he boarded his flight. Following his arrest, he declared that he had a total sum of $4.5million on him but thorough screening and search showed that he was actually carrying $7,049,444, the commission said. Sheriff then confessed that he was a courier for 20 individuals who hired him to courier the money for them to Dubai. “Investigations by the EFCC showed that Sheriff is a regular traveller and one of several couriers of illegal cash suspected to be proceeds of crime,” the commission adding that his claims concerning his accomplices are being investigated. Travellers leaving the country are statutorily required to declare cash in excess of $10,000. However, under the provisions of the Money Laundering Act, it is not sufficient to declare excess cash; the onus is on the person making the declaration to explain the source of the excess cash and the reason for the export. The EFCC noted that globally, bulk cash smuggling is usually associated with proceeds of crime, where legitimately earned funds are processed through the banking system. “Our experience in the last few years indicates an emerging trend of bulk cash smuggling to Europe, Middle East and North America with the attendant consequence for capital flight. Some Nigerian citizens are routinely arrested at airports in Europe and North American for currency smuggling though no such arrests have been recorded in the Middle East. But in all cases, the money is lost as they are never repatriated back to the country.” The Commission warned travellers who wish to move bulk cash out of the country to do so through the banking system, or to be prepared to declare it and explain its origin. Sheriff is being detained at the EFCC’s holding facility in Lagos pending his arraignment in court. | | | | |
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Forum / Naijapals Base (Metro life) / ...We Saw Hell in Medina, Lament Deported Pilgrims!!! |
on: 27-09-2012 06:20 PM
| | In a rare twist of fate, 171 female pilgrims from Nigeria who set out to fulfil a cardinal pillar of their faith in Saudi Arabia, ended up, first as detainees and then as deportees, to complete an awful trajectory in a quest to be ‘better Muslims.’
They were subjected to harrowing experience by Saudi authorities in their pursuit of performing a religious obligation to their creator.
Saudi Arabia Wednesday deported the 171 female pilgrims who had gone to the Holy Land from Katsina and Taraba States. They all landed at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano from the Medina Airport, all looking dejected and with tales of woes from an unaccomplished mission. They perfectly cut the image of disappointed pilgrims captured by Kwesi Brew in his poem, “Lest We Should Be the Last.”
The pilgrims were deported aboard Max Air aircraft, with registration number 5N MBB at about 4.58pm Wednesday.
They lamented that for three days, they were detained at the Medina airport under discomforting conditions. Their crime is that they failed to show up at the airport with their guardians (husbands or male partners) described as Muharram.
The Saudi immigration law stipulates that female pilgrims coming to Saudi Arabia who are 40 years and below must be accompanied by their husbands or guardians, failing which they will not be cleared by the immigration at the point of entry, even when they have valid entry visas.
Already, posers are being raised on why Saudi Arabia, which had hitherto granted Nigeria the concession to allow its female pilgrims travel without male escorts as long as they are accompanied by officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), withdrew the concession to Nigeria.
According to a source familiar with Nigeria’s preparations for the pilgrimage, “I wonder what triggered this development; the male escort requirement has never been an issue all these years.”
When THISDAY spoke to Alhaji Tasiu Umar Malumfashi, husband of three women among those deported, he merely dismissed the rule as “totally embarrassing, shocking not only to me but to the entire family”. After picking up his three wives, he left the airport in a huff.
But the Kano State Executive Secretary of the Pilgrims’ Welfare Board, Alhaji Laminu Rabiu, who also came to the airport to receive the deported pilgrims, described the action as deceitful, since the pilgrims were in Saudi Arabia for the hajj.
About 1,000 Nigerian women in all were detained in Saudi Arabia over their failure to travel with their approved male chaperons.
One of the deported pilgrims, who identified herself as Aishatu Ismail from Taraba State, told reporters that “we have seen hell because the security people in Medina detained us for three days without food and care.
“The Saudi authorities caged us in one open space without allowing us to move an inch, and we were given no food; neither were we allowed to even buy any with our money. As you can see us now, we spent three days without food at the Medina airport.”
She lamented that all through their detention, “No any official of the Federal Government or state came to our rescue. Nobody attended to us in Medina, partly because the security officials over there just caged us and did not allow anybody to come close to us, all because they say we do not have guardians in our intended hajj exercise. We were terribly humiliated by the Saudi authorities.”
However, their ordeal seems not enough to dissuade Ismail and others from performing the hajj exercise in the future.
“I also hope that if the issue is settled between the Nigerian officials and the Saudi authorities, we may likely be going back for the pilgrimage,” she said.
THISDAY gathered that out of the 171 deported pilgrims, Katsina State has 111 members who were later flown to Katsina airport from Kano Wednesday. The Taraba State contingent, numbering 60, were taken to Kano pilgrims’ camp pending the arrival of their state officials who will take them back to Taraba.
Sources at MAKIA told THISDAY that the deported 171 pilgrims had flown to Mecca through the Katsina airport, while the Taraba pilgrims departed through the Yola Airport.
THISDAY observed that most of the deported pilgrims were in tears, as they wore long faces and looked dejected while recounting the horrible experience they had in the hands of the Saudi Arabia authorities. | | | | |
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Forum / Naijapals Base (Metro life) / Hausa Men scammed Kuwaitis of US$1million using Abacha’s name |
on: 27-09-2012 06:09 PM
| | The Kuwaitis were ured into a shady deal with fraudsters from Nigeria who used Sani Abacha as bait.
Three Nigerians, claiming affiliation to the late Head of State, Sani Abacha, swindled US$1.375million (N204 million) out of two Kuwaiti businessmen, UK court documents obtained by PREMIUM TIMES have shown.
The multimillion naira fraud, which occurred between August 2001 and March 2002, also involved the now defunct City Express Bank although the presiding judge, Justice Treacy, largely found the bank innocent of “dishonest assistance.”
In his ruling, Mr. Treacy noted that there was nothing to show that the bank had prior knowledge of the impending scam.
The players
In May 2001, Qumar Bello, acting on behalf of Abdulkadir Abacha, alleged to be the brother of the late general, contacted Adnan Abou-Rahmah, a Kuwaiti lawyer, seeking his assistance to invest US$65million in an Arab country.
Mr. Abou-Rahmah flew out to the Republic of Benin, where the money, allegedly belonging to the Abacha family trust, was stashed; and by August, a formal agreement had been entered by both parties.
In the agreement, as a reward for Mr. Abou-Rahmah’s assistance in investing the US$65million in Kuwait’s “very buoyant” real estate, 40 percent of the trust money as well as 15 percent of the income produced would accrue to the Kuwaiti lawyer and his client, Khalid Al-Fulaij and Sons General Trading and Contracting company.
While in Benin, Mr. Abou-Rahmah also met with ‘bankers’, ‘ministers’ as well as a host of ‘public officials’, dissolving any prior suspicion of foul play.
The bait
After agreeing on the sharing formula with the Kuwaiti; the trio of Mr. Bello, Mr. Abacha, and a third colleague, Aboubakar Mohammed Maiga, claimed that a series of bureaucratic obstacles involving various payments had to be made before the trust capital could be transferred out of the country.
But the fraudsters agreed to clear the payment, only soliciting a “contribution” from Mr. Abou-Rahmah.
In August, 2001, the first part of Mr. Abou-Rahmah’s “contributions” – US$100,000 in cash wired to the fraudsters – as part of a US$450,000 they claimed had to be paid to the Ministry of Finance in Benin to secure authorisation of the trust capital.
Two months later, the Kuwaiti lawyer wired another US$450,000, part of a fee allegedly to be paid to the Benin Drug Enforcement Agency to obtain a drugs certificate needed for the release of the money.
Again, on the 9th of January, 2002, Mr. Abou-Rahmah wired US$400,000 to the fraudsters. Another US$225,000 was paid one month later. Both monies, alleged to be VAT payable on the trust capital, were paid into City Express Bank’s HSBC bank account in Poultry, London.
The funds were to be held for Trust International, the name of the client Mr. Abacha instructed the Kuwaiti lawyer to pay the money.
The bank subsequently transferred the naira equivalent sums of the money to its client’s account at Apapa, Lagos.
However, the actual name of the client was Trusty International while its principals were Yusuf Ibrahim and Nasir Saminu.
The duo cleared the money as soon as it reached the account.
The US$65million never materialised.
The fraudsters vanished.
Quest for justice
With their supposed business partners as well as their money disappearing without trace; Mr. Abou-Rahmah and his partner headed to the High Court of Justice, Queen’s Bench Division, in London, accusing City Express Bank of “dishonest assistance.”
The Kuwaitis contended that the bank’s handling of the US$625,000 which it paid to Trusty International as against Trust International amounted to fraud against them.
In his ruling, the judge held that although Dare Faronbi, the bank’s Apapa branch manager, was aware that Messrs Ibrahim and Saminu were involved in a bureau de change business usually used to launder money for Nigerian politicians, who constitute a large number of their clients; his denial of not having any specific knowing that Trusty International was aiding corrupt politicians, at the time, was accepted.
“I have come to the conclusion that at the time… Mr. Faronbi probably suspected, in a general way that Messrs Ibrahim and Saminu might be, in the course of their business from time to time, assisting corrupt politicians to launder money,” said the judge.
“There was nothing to show that Mr. Faronbi had any particularly suspicions about the transactions which were the subject of this case,” he added.
The judge also dismissed claims from City Express Bank that Mr. Abou-Rahmah was an accomplice in crime since he must have realized that the supposed trust capital to be transferred to him were associated with the Abacha family, and thus, were the proceeds of crime.
“I should say at this stage that I regard the claimed relationship to General Abacha as yet another component of the fraud perpetrated upon the claimants; I consider it extremely doubtful that any such relationship existed,” the judge noted.
Also, the judge held that even if Mr. Faronbi had noticed the discrepancy between ‘Trust’ and ‘Trusty’, the production of documents would reasonably have overridden any question as to the intended recipient of the monies.
“The failure to observe the discrepancy between ‘Trust’ and ‘Trusty’ was not a wilful or reckless closing of eyes. It represented a failure to notice; something which could not be put any higher than mere negligence,” the judge ruled | | | | |
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Forum / Naijapals Base (Metro life) / Pa Igbinedion’s Birthday Tragedy: 4 Lecturers Die In Auto Crash |
on: 7-09-2012 02:38 AM
| | The 78th birthday anniversary celebration of business magnate and father of Lucky Igbinedion, former governor of Edo State, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, assumed a disastrous dimension on Wednesday, as one of the vehicles in his entourage plunged into the Ovia River, killing the four occupants instantly.The causalities, whose identities could not be ascertained at press time, were said to be lecturers at Igbinedion University, Okada.
They had travelled with Chief Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin Kingdom, who earlier in the day launched his Benin-based Independent Television into satellite for viewing in 104 countries.
The carnival-like train had left for the country-home of Igbinedion, Okada, after the event at the television station where another celebration took place, after which they returned to Benin City.
Disaster struck when the driver of one of the cars an Audi 80, in the convoy conveying the four lecturers lost control and plunged into the Ovia River, along the Benin-Ore Road, killing all the occupants instantly.
The incident has continued to raise speculations from members of the public in the ancient city of Benin who argue that mysterious deaths like that have trailed his birthday celebrations as long as they could remember.
Three years ago, during his birthday celebration, one of his staff allegedly had an accident an lost his life while running an errand for the Benin high chief.
Also last year, Omoregbe Okpenye (aka Bayo Ade), a musician who was entertaining his guest at his palatial residence in Benin during his 77th birthday celebration was suddenly kidnapped by unknown gunmen and later killed.
Calls made to the mobile phones of Professor Efosa Osaghae, Vice Chancellor of Igbinedion University and his Public Relations Officer were unsuccessful. | | | | |
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Forum / Naijapals Base (Metro life) / Boko Haram Claims Responsibility For Mast Attacks, To Destroy More Schools |
on: 6-09-2012 11:44 PM
| | In claiming responsibility for mast bombings , Boko Haram says it sets its sight on VOA and primary schools.
The extremist sect, Jama’atu ahlis sunnah lil daawati wal jihad, popularly called Boko Haram, claimed responsibility for attacking telecommunication base stations in Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, and Kano states saying it was its way of punishing them for alleged culpability in aiding security agencies to kill its members.
“We are attacking GSM companies because they have helped security agencies to arrest and kill many of our members, and we will continue with our attacks on them until they stop,” Mr. Abu Qaqa, spokesperson for the sect said Thursday evening in an email sent to PREMIUM TIMES.
Mr. Qaqa’s statement came just as security officials lambasted the sect, and faulted its logic that telecommunication companies had a hand in the killing of its members. “How can they tghey say telcom companies are aiding security forces to arrest their members when a lot of them are tired and disgruntled” said a Joint Task Force official who argued that the difficulties the sect is currently facing has its root in internal rebellion and the counter response of victims.
“Did they register their SIM cards as Boko Haram members?” the JTF official queried adding that security agencies have no need for telecommunication companies to arrest sect members.
In its message, Boko Haram also expanded on its operational objectives beyond the establishment of an Islamic state, putting on notice those that try to prevent them as enemy that will be “fought with all we have”.
Mr. Qaqa put the Hausa service of the Voice of America in this category accusing the international broadcaster for “fighting against Islamic religion”. For all journalists working with the broadcaster, the sect promised a reward of blood, adding “We advise any reporter or correspondent working with the station to resign, otherwise we will not hesitate any of them we come across anywhere.”
Mr. Qaqa also said the sect will intensify attacks on primary schools as a result of the “attack on Islamic schools by security agencies” boasting that the recent resolve by governors and traditional rulers in the north to fight the sect “will come to nothing”.
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