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Court discharges ex-Aviation Minister Oduah,after pleading guilty

Justice Muazu convicted the companies based on their guilty plea, issued an order winding them up, and further ordered that the N1.2 billion paid as restitution and the N780 million recovered during the investigation be forfeited to the FG.

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A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama on Thursday discharged former Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah and her ex-aide, Gloria Odita, from the alleged N2.5billion fraud case brought against them by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (OAGF).

Justice Hamza Muazu issued the discharge order after the prosecution informed the court it had discontinued its case against them and filed an amended charge naming only two firms linked to the ex-minister as defendants.

The firms are Sobora International Limited and Global Offshore and Marine Limited.

When the case was first called in the morning, prosecuting lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo ( SAN) told the court that based on plea bargain talks between parties, the prosecution had filed an amended charge.

When the issue of representation for the firms arose, lawyers for the parties sought time to address it, following which the judge stood down proceedings until later in the day.

In the amended two-count charge, Sobora International was accused of unlawfully possessing N838 million, while Global Offshore was alleged to have unlawfully possessed N1.629 billion.

When the case was recalled in the afternoon, the ex-minister stood as the representative of both firms and pleaded guilty, on their behalf, to the amended charge.

Following the guilty plea entered for the two firms, Oyedepo urged the court to convict them and issue an order winding them up.

Oyedepo also urged the court to order the forfeiture of N1.2 billion, paid as restitution by the companies (as detailed in a bank draft submitted to the court), and N780 million recovered by investigators during the investigation, to the Federal Government.Lawyer to the companies, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), did not object to Oyedepo’s requests, which the judge granted in his ruling.

Justice Muazu convicted the companies based on their guilty plea, issued an order winding them up, and further ordered that the N1.2 billion paid as restitution and the N780 million recovered during the investigation be forfeited to the FG

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Katsina Flood Sweeps Away Siblings Returning From Islamiyya School

Fighting back tears, the children’s father, Malam Salisu Arabi, described the loss as the most painful moment of his life.

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Two brothers, Muhammad Salisu, 12, and Abdurrahman Salisu, 7, lost their lives after they were carried away by flood in Janbago, a community in Katsina State.

The victims, were said to be returning home from a nearby Islamiyya school when downpour, accompanied by strong winds, turned the streets into raging torrents.

The Daily Trust reported that their bodies were later recovered from different locations after frantic search efforts by residents.

The incident plunged the entire community into mourning as sympathisers thronged the family residence to console the bereaved parents.

Fighting back tears, the children’s father, Malam Salisu Arabi, described the loss as the most painful moment of his life.

“They left home that day like every other child going to Islamiyya school. I never imagined that the same rain we all witnessed would take away my two children,” he lamented.

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An alleged fake university discover in Lagos

The university was operating from a three-bedroom apartment at Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State.

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Photo:Students of the university during the raid by NSCDC. Credit: NSCDC

The proprietor of an alleged fake university in Lagos , has been arrested by operatives of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NCDC).

The NSCDC Badagry Area Command, who enforced the arrest, said that the university was operating from a three-bedroom apartment at Ilado, Olorunda Local Council Development Area of Lagos State.

The command also rescued 106 students of the institution from across Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries with promises of admission into a foreign university.

According to the corps, the operation was carried out in the early hours of Monday following days of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance by NSCDC operatives

” The suspected institution was operating without an official name, registration, signboard or recognised campus, while allegedly presenting itself online as a distance-learning centre affiliated with a foreign university,”said NSCDC.

Investigations revealed that the rescued youths, mostly between the ages of 19 and 24, came from several Nigerian states, including Kogi, Oyo and some northern states. Others reportedly travelled from neighbouring countries such as Niger, Cameroon and Togo after being recruited online.

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Ayo Fayose Gets Presidential Portfolio As REA Board Chairman

Fayose will head the board of REA, with Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar and Engineer Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta appointed as members and non-executive directors,” said Onanuga.

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President Bola Tinubu has appointed the former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, as chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) Board.

The President also appointed Major General Junaid Bindawa as chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.

24 others were also appointed to 10 federal government agencies and commissions.

The appointments were contained in a statement issued by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, in Abuja.

According to the statement, “All the appointments take immediate effect.”

“Fayose will head the board of REA, with Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar and Engineer Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta appointed as members and non-executive directors,” said Onanuga.

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