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An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, Mr. Romanus Madu, today , told a Federal High Court,sitting in Lagos,south west  Nigeria how his name and other ficticious names were used to syphon several millions of Naira from Government House, Umuahia, Abia State, during the tenor of Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, as the Governor of the state.

Madu, a fourth prosecution witness, who is currently a Permanent Secretary in the Government House, Umuahia, Abia State, stated this while being led-in-evidence by the EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), during the continued trial of Dr. Kalu, his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, and his former Finance Commissioner, Mr. Udeh Jones Udeogu, who are standing trial of alleged N3.2 billion fraud.
At the resumed trial of the former Governor and his former commissioner for finance, Madu told the court presided over that while he was a cashier and later an Assistant Chief Accountant of the Government state House, Umuahia, Abia State between 2003 and 2007, he was only in-charge of payment of approved bills, cheques and other works assigned to him by the second defendant, who was then Director of Finance, Government House.
He also told the court that during his tenure as Cashier, the Government House then  operates three accounts which was domiciled at Mammy Bank, Citizen Bank and Standard Trust Bank (STB), now UBA Plc, adding that the only signatories to the accounts were the Chief of Staff to Governor Kalu Orji, and the Director of Finance (the second defendant).
Madu also told the court that as a cashier in the Government House, he only keep funds called imprest, which he said is used for office maintanace, while the bulk of funds received are being kept by the then Director of Finance, and he does no know what the bulk funds are used for.
He also told the court that each time he received a cheque of magnitude amount, he always handed it over to the then Director of Finance, (UdehJones Udeogu), and that each time he handed over such cheques, the Director of Finance does not make any acknowledgement.
He further told the court that he only came to know about some applications made to bank for drafts, when he was invited by the EFCC for questioning on the financial activities of the Government House.
He said; “there was a time we were invited by the EFCC, and we were asked to write statement, and some papers, cheques,and applications made in my name were shown to me,  for issuance of bank drafts from fidelity bank”.
The prosecutor tendered a bulk of documents from the bank, and it was admitted as ‘Exhibit E69.
Continuing with his evidence, the witness, stated that from Exhibit E14, bankdrafts of N104.3 million were purchased in the tranches of N26 million, N21.5 million, N21.3 million, N21.5 million and N15 million respectively, when in Exhibit E1, 18 and 25, bank drafts of the sum of N70 million were purchased in two tranches of N31 million and N39 million.
He told the court that when questioned by the EFCC of his role in the transaction, he said he told the Commission that he was not one that applied for the bankdrafts, as both the handwritings and signatures were not his own.
When asked by the prosecutor if he knows other names used in purchasing the bankdrafts, such as Ozor Owugwe, Obasi John, and Ogbonna J.
The witness responded that such names are not existing in the Government House.
In the exhibits shown to the witness, Ogbonna J. was said to have applied for a bankdraft of N19 million, while one R. I. Madu was said to have applied for bankdrafts of N31 million and N30.8 million, respectively.
Upon showing the witness applications written to the bank for the purchase of the bankdrafts, the witness said both the handwriting and the signatures in the applications are not his, neither other names used in purchasing the bankdrafts exist in the Government House Umuahia, Abia State.
However, attempt by the prosecution to let the witness compare the handwriting on the applications was opposed by the defendants’ counsels.
In opposing the application, counsels to the defendants, Mr. Awa Kalu, Chief K. C. Nwofo both Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), said the witness having said that the handwriting was not his, he cannot make any comparisons on it, especially, since he is not a forensic expert.
They also argued that the prosecutor was asking the witness a leading questions on the applications.
The defence team cited Section 72 of Evidence Act to support their submissions, while urging the court not to grant the application for the comparison of the handwriting on the applications used in purchasing the bankdrafts.
However, the prosecutor, Mr.Jacobs (SAN), while urging the court to discountenance the defence opposition, saying that the same Section 72 empowered him to ask the witness questions on the applications, since he has been able to identify that both the handwriting and the signatures are not his own, and other name used are unknown in the Government House.
He also cited a case of Alake and the State from the 1992, 3 Nigeria Weekly Law Report (NWLR) Part 265, to support his submission. While adding that the questions he asked the witness are not a leading one.
He therefore urged the court to discountenance the defence opposition and grant his application by allowing the witness to do the comparison of handwriting in the applications.
Upon the submissions of both parties, the presiding judge, Justice Muhammad Idris, adjourned the matter till tomorrow for ruling and continuation of trial.
Kalu alongside his former aide, Udeh Udeogu, and his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, are being tried by the EFCC before the court on an amended 34 count-charge of alleged N3.2 billion fraud.
In the amended charge marked FHC/L/56C/08, Dr. Kalu and other accused persons were alleged to have allegedly diverted about N3.2 billions from Abia State Government’s treasury between 2001 and 2005.
They were also alleged to have used the following banks to perpetrate the alleged fraud, Manny Bank, Spring Bank Plc,( now Heritage Bank), the defunct Standard Trust Bank, now United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) and Fin Land Bank, now First City Monument Bank (FCMB).

The alleged offences according to the EFCC are contrary to sections 17(c) 16, 14(1)(b)17(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2003, and sections 427 of the same Accounts which domiciled with Mammy Bank, Citizen Bank and Standard Trust Bank (STB) now UBA Plc, adding that the signatories to the accounts were the Director of Finance and Chief of Staff.

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“I Killed Him And Used His Blood To Make Money Rituals (Oshole) for Yahoo Boys” – 22-year Old Ritual Killer Confesses

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A 22 year old suspected ritual killer, Idowu Talabi from Ikenne-Remo has been arrested by the Ogun State police command for killing a tenant, Tobi Yisua, who lives in his maternal grandfather’s house.

 

During interrogation by a reporter of Alaroye, a dedicated Yoruba news platform, Idowu Talabi confessed to committing the crime.

 

He said, “he (Tobi Yisua) is a lotto operator (Baba Ijebu). Whenever he keeps money at home and they steal the money, he will accuse me of stealing his money.

 

One day, he was sleeping on the bed in his room, he did not lock the door, he only locked the net outside. When I wanted to enter, I used knife to cut the net and I unlocked it.

 

When I entered his room, I saw him sleeping naked on the bed lying face down and I landed the cutlass I was holding at the back this neck. When I saw that he was trying make noise, I used pillow to cover his mouth and used the cutlass on him again.

 

After killing him, I took part of his blood and mixed it to prepare “Osole”, money ritual charm. I made the charm to sell it to customers who will be interested in it, I did not do it for myself.”

 

Asked how he knew how to make the charm? He said he saw it in his father’s account.

 

On how he was exposed? he said, “the second day, when the wife of the deceased came from church, she found the dead body of her husband on the bed. She then came to me in the backyard, locked my shirt and accused me of killing her husband. When I got to the police station, I confessed to the police that I was the one that killed her husband.”

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Politics Of Bitterness and PDP’s Deadly Plots Against Me, APC MUST Stop Nown – Chief Nelson Agbamuche

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and its operatives in Akwukwu-Igbo in Delta State, led by Kelvin Onuwa Anyakwu and Victor Nzediegwu have been doing everything possible to harm me, my family and political associates.

 

There have been series of attacks on my properties and plots to eliminate me, leading to some unfortunate attacks on my supporters.

 

The reason for the acrimony is due to the fact that I choose to identify with a progressive party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) which has brought and still bringing development to my community.

 

As a traditional title holder whose allegiance is to my people, I thought it wise to join the APC having spent years in the PDP without any noticeable benefit to my people, but my former party chieftains won’t recognise my fundamental human rights of freedom o association guaranteed in our constitution and the African charter.

 

Consequently, they have resorted to attacks and threats to my life, destruction of my properties using thugs and local vigilantes to hound me and my associates.

 

I have already petitioned the Inspector General of Police on this matter, having lodged formal complaints at the state level with no visible action taken.

 

As if that was not enough, they also resorted to political intolerance against myself and members of the All Progressives Congress.

 

This was brought to bare on Saturday when the PDP unleashed an unprecedented level of violence against APC faithfuls during the Local Government elections that our party was clearly winning.

 

After noticing that APC had won most of the units in the election, thugs led by Ikechukwu Joseph Iwegbu, known as Presidential General, invaded the units fully armed at the point of counting to disrupt the exercise. They carted away all the ballot boxes and shot at us recklessly, many of our people sustained various degree of injuries.

The Police in our community witnessed the incidents, they can attest to the brazen attacks.

No result was announced anywhere in Akwukwu-Igbo ward. Of course APC clearly won five out of the seven polling units in the ward. If they are in doubt, let us repeat the election, APC will still win.

 

After the violent attack on Saturday, they used the instruments of the state to move against us, arresting our people who are APC members. This is one oppression taken too far.

They kept saying they don’t want APC, that Delta state is a PDP state yet all the development we have today in Akwukwu Igbo were brought by the APC government.

 

New transformers came about 6 months ago, Rural electrification is near completion, soon to be commissioned.

 

Renovation of our primary schools with perimeter fencing. We have the Agbogidi primary school, Atuma Primary school etc.

 

 

Road projects are equally ongoing.

 

Akwukwu-Illa road project alone is about 4km, you also have Engr. Sunday Gbamdi road and others.

 

Why are we not going to join a party that has brought development to our communities?

 

Since we joined APC, they have been Using hoodlums and local vigilantes to unleash terror on us. We have reported to different authorities, yet the thugs are becoming more brazen. They boast openly that no one can arrest them because they are backed by powers from above.

 

Since they have openly sworn to use everything to fight APC out of the state and we, on our part, are equally resolute in our journey to bring development to our people through the APC led Federal Government, I use this medium to call on all security agencies and well meaning Nigerians to take urgent steps with a view to safeguarding my life and properties in Akwukwu-Igbo and the state in general, as well as calling all the aforementioned individuals and their enablers to order.

 

Chief Nelson Agbamuche

 

Odoziani of Akwukwu-Igbo

 

Delta State.

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