EFCC arraigns ex-NBA chair, court registrar, for N60m fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned the duo of Shehu Mustapha, Registrar Litigation, Adamawa State High Court and Barrister Binanu R. Esthon, former Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Yola Chapter before Justice B.B Aliyu of the Federal High Court sitting in Yola, Adamawa State on a 4-count charge bordering on conspiracy and criminal diversion of funds to the tune of N60million (sixty million naira).

According to a statement signed by the spokesperson of EFCC, Mustapha and Esthon were docked following a complaint alleging criminal conspiracy between the accused persons.

A group of staff numbering five hundred and one were disengaged from Stirling Civil Engineering Company Limited, but had their entitlements withheld by the Company. The disengaged staff, through the former NBA boss, Esthon, instituted a lawsuit against their employer (Stirling Civil Engineering Company Limited) at the Adamawa State High Court sitting in Yola, and had the judgment entered in their favour. According to them, Esthon, in connivance with Mustapha, the registrar of the court, diverted part of the funds meant for the settlement of their entitlements to personal use. 

Count one of the charge reads:

“That you, Shehu Mustapha sometime between 2007-2009 at Yola, Adamawa State within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court with intent to defraud, did obtained money, the sum of N59, 995,000.00 from Alhaji Yusuf Abubakar being the proceeds recovered from the auction executed against the properties of Stirling Civil Engineering Company Limited as judgment debtor delivered by Adamawa State High Court in suit No.ADSY/60M/2007 under the false pretence that the said sum was to be utilized in settling the judgment creditors which you never did instead diverted the said sum to your personal use, thereby committed an offence contrary to the provisions of Section 2 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act LFN 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”

The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them. In view of their plea, counsel to EFCC, A. Y. Muntaqa asked the court for a date to commence trial.

However, L. D Nzadon, counsel to the accused persons, urged the court to admit the defendants to bail adding that, the accused persons would not do anything to frustrate their trial. Justice Aliyu admitted the accused persons to bail in the sum of N5million and a surety each in like sum.

The case has been adjourned to March 14, 15, 16 and 17, 2016 for hearing.

Fayose not recruiting any thugs, APC calling for coup – Aide

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has described the allegation of treasonable comments made against him by the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as not only ridiculous but coming from an unsound mind.

Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Idowu Asdelusi, described as shameless lie, claim by the State Chapter of the APC that the governor was arming ten thugs per local government in the State, saying:

“APC is obviously calling for a coup-de-tat against a governor democratically elected, whose tenure is fixed and mode of possible removal from office is stipulated in the Constitution of Nigeria.”

He‎ said the tone of the press release by the APC really showed the poor state of mind of those running the affairs of party.

"There is no point wrestling with pigs. For people with sound, discerning minds, they would, no doubt, wonder why somebody with a decent background and sound mind would refer to the governor of his state as needing psychiatric attention or not been able to survive in a law abiding society?

"Politics apart, this is madness taken too far and beyond redemption. Governo‎r Ayodele Fayose came and cleaned up the mess left by the APC government of Dr Kayode Fayemi and it's hordes of blood suckers, who made Ekiti State to bleed to a point of coma. He has not only been alive to his duty as the indefatigable leader of the state, but has consistently put smiles on the faces of the people.

He said it was shameful that the same party that ran Ekiti State aground, through reckless borrowing and mismanagement of the State finances could want to present itself as speaking for the people whose future they mortgaged.

He said:

"It‎ was the APC government of Fayemi that came to office and started with bloodletting with the murder of Chief Adeleye Awolumate and ended with no fewer than 12 murders, including a 400 level student of Accounting in the Ekiti State University, Teslim Abiola.

"If the APC goons are piqued that Mr Governor is criticising the President, they can relocate to Abuja and denounce their indiqeneship of Ekiti State. They must know that Governor Fayose, like any other

Nigerian, is exercising his constitutional rights of freedom of speech. He has not breached anybody's rights by constructively commenting on national issues".

“It is obvious that having failed in their efforts to gained access to the Ekiti State Government through the backdoor, they now desired a situation whereby the State Government House will also be invaded by the DSS as it was done in Akwa-Ibom State, but on this one, they will fail as usual.”

“Governor Fayose clearly expressed his minds in the interview they are trying to capitalise on by warning that any attempt to destabilise his government could lead to the downfall of the APC government and he stands by what he said. The governor never said he was going to bring the government of President Mohammadu Buhari down.

“Therefore, Nigerians do not need the apology of a group of shameless hypocrites like the APC in Ekiti State. Rather, what Nigerians need at this time is someone who can look at President Buhari in the eyes and tell him the bitter truth, and that’s exactly what Governor Fayose is doing.

"The APC loudmouths in Ekiti State would do themselves a lot of good by forcing themselves to get over their woeful performance in Ekiti elections and the 'Amalekite-kind' of defeat they suffered in the June 21, 2014 governorship election. For how long would they continue to wall.

Check out The Game's emojis

Rapper The Game created his own emojis just like Kim Kardashian did but his weren't approved probably because of how inappropriate they are. The emojis have gang signs, violence, El-Chapo been chased by the Police, guns, bullets etc. So he decided to give the link to download them for free.

Lassa fever: LASG issues quit notice to street traders

Commissioner for Environment, Dr Babatunde Adejare,  on behalf of the Lagos State Government, yesterday issued quit notices to street traders and hawkers in the state. Dr. Adejare said the measure was  necessary following the recent outbreak of Lassa fever in some parts of the country and Lagos especially because of the impending rainy season. This was done for the benefit of all Lagosians.


Adejare said street traders were not only degrading the state’s environment but that some of them were engaging in armed robbery, child abuse, making the traffic gridlocks worse and vandalising valuable infrastructure in the state.

He said that the state government has given the Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, Brigade and the Task Force, assisted by other law enforcement agencies, the directive to clamp down on all violators of its environmental laws.
He added:

“It is regrettable that the illegal hawkers and street traders have not heeded the enlightenment and advocacy messages from the ministry on the need to keep the state’s environment clean and safe to attract more investors and boost the economy of the state.”

“To halt the spread of Lassa fever, Lagosians must maintain personal hygiene, proper sanitation in their environment, especially, clean-up of the vegetation in their premises, and proper bagging and disposal of waste to keep off the wild vector rats spreading the virus,”. 

Adejare explained that all the agencies of the ministry, the Private Sector Participant, PSP, operators and non-governmental partners, have all  been fully mobilized with human resources and equipment to ensure a 24-hour monitoring and enforcement for a sustainable environment.

He  advised residents experiencing symptoms of headache, sore throat, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain to seek the medical help immediately.
Vanguard

Future's former bodyguard shot and killed in his Georgia home

 

Future's former bodyguard, 27 year old Michael Tanner Phillips, has been shot dead.
Philips was at home in Jonesboro, Georgia, with his pregnant wife on Monday afternoon when an unidentified gunman arrived at the door, Fox 5 reports.

After a loud argument overheard by neighbors at around 1pm, Phillips was shot dead, the report claims.
Recently married, Phillips has played the piano at his mother's church in the city since he quit bodyguard work in 2011.

His highest-profile job was with Future.

On Monday afternoon, Phillips' pregnant widow as well as friends and relatives could be seen weeping outside the property.

Tripican.com: Have You Seen “The Revenant”? Leonardo DiCaprio deserves his Elusive Golden Man

The term “revenant” typically describes a returning vengeful spirit. This aptly describes Leonardo DiCaprio’s role in the titular movie.

Inspired by true events, The Revenant is a visceral cinematic experience capturing one man, Hugh Glass’ epic adventure of survival and the portrayal of how extraordinarily powerful the human spirit is. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption.

Directed by renowned filmmaker, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, The Revenant is arguably Leonardo DiCaprio’s best performance till date. It completely portrays a balanced mix of emotions and easily takes us on the journey of a man who refused to give up in the face of hurt, pain, betrayal and ultimately, when the odds were against him.

The movie also stars Domhnall Gleeson, Lukas Haas and Will Poulter.

It opened in all cinema houses nationwide (Kada, Filmhouse, Genesis Deluxe, Silverbird, Viva and Lighthouse) on Friday, the 22nd of January 2016. If you are a movie buff, then you NEED to see this flick!

As the USA faces aftermath of mega Snow Storm Jonas, Genevieve Nnaji was also snowed in..

The East Coast of the United States of America is presently dealing with the aftermath of snow storm Jonas which shut down most activities including flights, schools and more.
Sadly, 19 people are reported to have died as a result of the devastation caused by the storm.
Genevieve Nnaji is presently in the US on holiday shared these images of her and her brother making the best of being snowed in. She tagged the photo as a #snowfie

Is Mo’Cheddah trying to Tell us Something?

Lover.freak.wife.friend.

I make him laff!!!…yh I’m that funny

Papi takes the best pictures.

Mo’Cheddah is not afraid to show love for the man she calls “papi”, her boyfriend – Bukunyi Olateru-Olagbegi also known as BK.
Well, it seems as though there may be something she is trying to tell us judging by recent Instagram posts where she referred to herself as “wife”

MTO SHOCKER: Chris Brown’s EX-GIRLFRIEND Karrueche . . . Is Dating FUTURE .. . And BREEZY . . . Is REALLY UPSET ABOUT IT!! (We Got The RECEIPTS Too . . . READ EM . . . And You’ll BE CONVINCED)

When we all learned that Chris Brown and Karrueche were BREAKING UP . . . very few believed that she might possibly UPGRADE from Breezy. But it looks like she has.
All signs are now pointing to Karrueche Tran dating hip-hop superstar FUTURE. Here are the facts. Last week, Future posted pics of himself on Instagram, wearing Karrueche's new clothing line. Typically Future is paid THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS to wear people's clothes, but we're told that he did it for Karrueche . . . FOR FREE.
And there's more. A few minutes AFTER Future posted those pictures, Chris Brown responded with a post saying "Fuck You," presumably aimed at his former homie Future. (Future posted his pics on Jan. 12 at 7:12 p.m. PST and Chris responded at 9:30 p.m. PST.)
But there's more. Two days ago, Karrueche posted a pic of herself LYING IN BED . . . and the word "WICKED" . . . which happens to be one of Futre's songs (off his mixtape Purple Reign).
That seems like pretty much all the receipts that we need to believe that something is going on between them two. Congrats to Karrueche for landing herself one of the biggest rappers in the game. But we hope she uses BIRTH CONTROL. Cause Future's fertile as f*ck!!!

MTO SHOCKER: Chris Brown’s EX-GIRLFRIEND Karrueche . . . Is Dating FUTURE .. . And BREEZY . . . Is REALLY UPSET ABOUT IT!! (We Got The RECEIPTS Too . . . READ EM . . . And You’ll BE CONVINCED)

Last week, MediaTakeOut.com told you guys that Blac Chyna was dating Rob Kardashian . . . well now Chyna's confirmed it. A new pic of Chyna and some MYSTERY ARM was released on Snapchat. And look at the tattoo, that's Rob Kardashian.
Chyna is still VERY UPSET with Tyga and would do anything to EMBARRASS HIM. Similarly, Rob Kardashian has a lot of ANIMOSITY towards his family members, whom he believes helped to DESTROY HIM.
So their relationship makes a lot of sense. The two are sort of . . . REVENGE F*CKING their family . . .

Witness claims Metuh gave her $2million cash to invest for him

At the resumed hearing of the case filed by EFCC against former PDP National Publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh for receiving N400 million from the office of Sambo Dasuki, one of the prosecuting witnesses, Nneka Ararume, told the court that Metuh gave her $2 million at his house in Prince and Princess Estate, Abuja, to help him invest.

Nneka who says she is a Wealth Manager with Asset and Resource Management Company Limited, a company reportedly owned by Metuh, said she changed the money to its Naira equivalent through two bureau de change operators and put the money in the company account.

"He gave me the sum of $2m in $100 bills. It was taken to bureau de change operators who would then transfer the money to ARM. From there (Metuh’s house) I proceeded to Mr. Sie Iyenome’s office at Wuse 2 where I gave him the sum of $1m. I also invited Mr. Kabir Mohammed and I also gave him the sum of $1m to transfer the naira equivalent in favour of Destra Investment Limited. Later on the same day, December 2, 2014, Mr. Kabir and Mr. Sie Iyenome confirmed the receipt.” One of the Bureau de change men, Iyenomealso testified in court, confirming that he changed the $1m he received from Nneka and paid it into the account of Nneka's company. EFCC says it has 16 more witnesses to produce that will testify on the $2m investment money. They will be produced in court tomorrow when the case will resume for hearing.

Scores die in suspected Russian strikes in Syria

AT least 63 people, including nine children, have died in air strikes believed to have been carried out by Russian warplanes on a town in eastern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said.
The raids on Khasham near the city of Deir Ezzor on Saturday were among a series of strikes that also hit two other towns in the past 48 hours, killing scores of people, the monitoring group said yesterday.
Russian jets have been bombing around Deir Ezzor as Syrian pro-government forces clash with Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters, who control most of the province.
The group has besieged remaining government-held areas of the city since last March and last week launched new attacks.

Mugabe returns home after death rumours

     

Mugabe

ZIMBABWE’S President Robert Mugabe has returned from his annual month-long holiday and was back to work Saturday, state media said, following rumours that he had collapsed and died in Asia.
Mugabe, who turns 92 next month, met Equatorial Guinea’s President Theodore Obiang Nguema for over three hours on Saturday in the Zimbabwean capital Harare, state-run newspaper The Herald said.

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“President Mugabe and the First Lady Grace Mugabe arrived home on Friday night, quashing false media reports that (he) had suffered a heart attack while on his annual leave in the Far East,” The Herald said.

Massive snowstorm paralyses U.S. E’Coast

AS winter storm Jonas entered its second day, it seemed there was no slowing down for one of the biggest blizzards in United States (U.S.) history.
Up to 85 million people lie in the storm’s path, which spans the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic, affecting residents from New York to North Carolina.
The massive storm has brought several eastern cities to a standstill, effectively shutting down New York and Washington DC.
Official reports suggest that at least 18 people have been killed nationwide in weather-related incidents, while in the past 48 hours, 11 states have issued states of emergency

Oil falls 3% on swelling oversupply

Oil prices fell 3 per cent on Monday as Iraq announced record-high oil production feeding into a heavily over-supplied market. Iraq’s oil ministry said oil output had reached a record high in December. Its fields in the central and southern regions produced as much as 4.13 million barrels a day, the government said.
The oversupply has wiped out much of the gains made in one of the biggest-ever daily rallies last week. Brent crude, the global benchmark, was down 83 cents at $31.35 a barrel at 1247 GMT, losing 2.6 per cent from its closing price on Friday, when Brent surged 10 per cent. U.S. crude traded 85 cents lower at $31.34 a barrel.
A senior Iraqi oil official said separately the country might raise output even further this year. “The news that Iraq has probably hit another record builds on the oversupply sentiment,” said Hans van Cleef, senior energy economist at ABN Amro in Amsterdam. “The oversupply will keep markets depressed and prices low, and on the other hand short positions are in excessive territory,” he said. The closing of large amounts of short positions had caused a huge rally on Friday that was largely undone again on Monday, creating huge volatility in the oil market.

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In a sign investors expect oil prices to rebound, data from Intercontinental Exchange showed speculators raised net positions of Brent crude in the week ending Jan. 19. Fundamental factors remained bearish. Indonesia’s OPEC governor said support among the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for taking steps to prop up crude prices is slim.

Deji of Akure's swag photos at his son's wedding

The #WeddingOfTheRoyals held last weekend in Akure, Ondo state. Deji of Akure who is the father of the groom took some swag photos on the red carpet...more when you continue...

Nigerian twitter come for Blackface for accusing 2face of stealing his song

This morning, former Plantashun Boys member Blackface accused his former band-mate 2face of stealing his song, Let Somebody Love You, and threatening to go to court. Well, some Nigerians on twitter find the whole thing hilarious & are making fun of Blackface.

Ben Murray-Bruce queries increase in Kerosene price

I like this man!

Cradinal Okogie comes hard on Buhari, says "What sort of change is the Pres­ident talking about?"

Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Anthony Car­dinal Olubunmi Okogie, yesterday released a statement criticizing the Buhari-led government. In the statement which was signed by the Director of Social Com­munications of the Diocese, Monsig­nor Gabriel Osu, Cardinal Okogie criticized Buhari for failing to heed court injunctions that granted both Dasuki and Pro-Biafra group leader, Nnamdi Kanu, bail. The respected religious leader asked what sort of "Change" is the President talking about when such acts of judicial disobedience is now the order of the day.


According to Okogie, the belief of many Nigerians is that the government is turning the nation into a police state comprising of the President, the EFCC and the DSS. He alleged that governors, who arm-twisted Okonjo-Iweala into signing reserves held by Central Bank, are today ministers in the All Progres­sives Congress (APC) government.

Photos of Olisa Metuh in handcuffs in court today

Embattled National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh was at the Federal High Court Abuja today. Metuh is standing trial for receiving N400m from embattled former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki. He is also standing trial for destroying the statement he made to EFCC on January 12th. He has received bail for both offences but he is yet to meet the conditions. He is still being remanded at the Kuje prison.