Skip to main content

COURT STOPS TRIAL OF FORMER ARMY CHIEF OVER N13.8b FRAUD

 

Court stops trial of ex-Army chief, others over N13.8bn fraud

Kenneth-Minimah2

Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah (retd.)


Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the planned trial of a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, and two serving senior Army officers over alleged complicity in the diversion of public funds estimated at N13.8bn.

The two other persons are Major General A. O. Adebayo (ex-Chief of Accounts and Budget, Nigerian Army) and Brigadier General R. I. Odi (ex-Director, Finance and Accounts, Nigerian Army.)

Justice Inyang Ekwo, in an ex-parte ruling, ordered parties in a suit by the three to maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the plaintiffs’ pending motion for interlocutory injunctions.

Media had reported that while Minimah was COAS between January 2014 and July 2015, Adebayo and Odi are still in service.

They were indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for allegedly misappropriating N13,798,619,309 from funds provided by the Federal Government for the purchase of military hardware.

The EFCC, in its court processes obtained by journalists in Abuja on Sunday, said the Committee on the Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement in the Nigerian Armed Forces chaired by Air Vice Marshal John Ode (retd.), referred a case of misappropriation to it for investigation.

The CADEF said in the course of the investigation, it found that about N13,789,619,309.00 was misappropriated by Minimah, Adebayo and Odi.

The EFCC therefore filed a charge against the three before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.

The EFCC also wrote the Army authorities, requesting their release for prosecution.

But on learning about the EFCC’s request for their release, Mimimah, Adebayo and Odi filed a suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja, querying, among others, their planned trial before a civil court.

The Army Generals in the suit filed by their lawyer, Mahmud Magaji (SAN), argued among others, that under the Armed Forces Act, the EFCC lacked the powers to initiate criminal proceedings against them, let alone prosecute them.

Shortly after the filing of the suit, Justice Ekwo heard an ex-parte motion moved by Magaji and ordered parties to maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice.

The judge adjourned till January 14 and 15, 2022 for hearing.

The judge ordered parties to file and exchange all necessary processes before then.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

$100 MILLION STOLEN BY HACKERS IN CRYPTO HEIST

  Hackers steal nearly $100m in Japan crypto heist IMAGE SOURCE, Liquid has been hit by hackers, with almost $100m (£73m) estimated to have been stolen. Leading Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid has been hit by hackers, with almost $100m (£73m) estimated to have been stolen.  The company announced that some of its digital currency wallets have been "compromised." It is the second major theft of cryptocurrencies to take place in recent days.                 Last week, digital token platform Poly Network was at the centre of a $600m heist. "WE ARE SORRY TO ANNOUNCE THAT #LIQUIDGLOBAL WARM WALLETS WERE COMPROMISED, WE ARE MOVING ASSETS INTO THE COLD WALLET," THE COMPANY SAID ON TWITTER. So-called 'warm' or 'hot' digital wallets are usually based online and designed to allow users to access their cryptocurrencies more easily, while 'cold' wallets are offline and harder to access and therefore usually more secure.                            
Post a Comment
Read more

Countries Accepting Nigerians Seeking Second Citizenship

  Countries Accepting Nigerians Seeking Second Citizenship Nigerians are able to access the following citizenship and immigration programs: The Caribbean Second Citizenship Programs, Caribbean nations like St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia and Grenada offer second citizenship through their respective Citizenship-by-Investment programs. A holder of one of these passports may travel visa free to about 135 countries, including all European Union countries, the UK, Russia, Turkey, Singapore and Hong Kong. Holding a citizenship from one of these respected countries may also make it easier to obtain residency status or study in other countries, and allows political security and makes it easier to open bank accounts in foreign jurisdictions. To qualify, an applicant needs to be of good reputation and make a government donation of at least $100,000 USD after approval of their citizenship application.  Approval of a Citizenship-by-Investment application normally takes about 3 months, and all de
3 comments
Read more

ACTRESS SENTENCED TO SIX MONTHS IN ISLAMIC SCHOOL

    Sharia Court Sentences Kannywood Actress To Six Months In Islamic School The actress, Sadiya Haruna was handed the sentence on charges of “indecent social media postings.” Credit: Instagram | Sadiya Haruna The actress, Haruna, a resident of Kabuga Quarters was initially arrested on Friday by the Head of Surveillance Department of Kano State Hisbah Board, Malam Aliyu Usman. She was then detained in the custody of the Islamic police until early Monday when she was brought before the Sharia court sitting in Sharada area of the state. According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed against her, she was alleged to have consistently posted indecent videos in which she was dancing seductively and making sexual comments on her social media handles and YouTube channel. The accused person pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of obscenity and indecent act, which contradicts section 355 of Penal Code Law 2000. The presiding judge, Justice Ali Jibril Danzaki thereafter convicted her a
1 comment
Read more