Dasukigate: Metuh, Wife Bought N500m Property In Banana Island– Witness

A prosecution witness, Junaid Sai’d, on Tuesday told Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja how the spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, bought N500m property in Lagos.

Mr. Sa’id said the money was allegedly transferred to Daniel Ford International Limited in two tranches of N200m and N300m for the purpose of buying a landed property at Banana Island, Lagos.

Mr. Metuh is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for allegedly receiving N400million from a former NSA, Sambo Dasuki, who is facing trial for his involvement in the $2.1 billion arms deal.

Mr. Sa’id, a member of the team that investigated the case, gave a blow-by-blow account of the activities carried out since the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) petitioned the commission, which include the following:  a correspondence with Diamond Bank Plc to obtain the mandate and statement of accounts for Destra Investment Ltd; correspondences with other banks to obtain mandates and statements of accounts of individuals and companies relevant to the case as well as letters to ONSA and the Central Bank of Nigeria.

 According to him, responses from the CBN and ONSA confirmed that the former was given the mandate to pay N400m to Destra Investment Limited for the purpose of security services.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Dasuki Drags FG To ECOWAS Court, Demands N500m Damages

Former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), has dragged the Federal Government before ECOWAS Court in Abuja over his continued detention. He is also demanding payment of N500 million damages for alleged rights infringement.
This is even as a Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday ordered the government to produce him by February 16.
Dasuki is also urging the sub-regional court to order his release forthwith.
In the suit filed by his lawyer, Robert Emukpoeruo, the former NSA is urging the court to declare among others, that his continued detention in defiance of orders for his bail granted by three courts, and after fulfilling the bail conditions, was “unlawful, arbitrary and an egregious violation” of his human rights.
The applicant also urged the ECOWAS Court to hold that it was, “a most egregious violation of the treaty obligations” signed by Nigeria under and by virtue of its being a signatory to legal instruments, to have unlawfully detained him under a “de-humanizing condition” after he had  been granted bail and met the conditions for his release.
Similarly, the former NSA would want the court to declare that the alleged invasion of his privacy, home and correspondence at his Abuja and Sokoto residences on July 16 and 17, 2015 and the “forceful and unlawful seizure” of his properties, “without any lawful order or warrant” constituted a gross violation of his fundamental rights and offended the country’s treaty obligations as a signatory to the listed legal instruments.

Credit: Sun

Dora Akunyili Centre To Cost N500m

The Anambra State government has said it would improve facilities at the redesigned Professor Dora Akunyili Women Development Center in Awka with N500 million.

The project, which is to be completed in nine months will have an expanded amphitheatre, a football pitch with carpet grass and a parking space that will accommodate about 2,000 cars.

The state Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Frank Offor said the plan became necessary because the old Awka stadium near Awka Main Market has traffic issues, adding that the Dora Akunyili Centre would serve the needs of women in particular.

He said: “The concept of a stadium and amphitheatre in re-designed Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre is because it is in a strategic location on Enugu –Onitsha Expressway and it occupies a spacious area where one can park cars.

“It also has a conference hall and a guest house, though some buildings may be removed to make way for the new design.

“Women will love the center because  they can use it to do so many things. The Amphitheatre existing there now has been redesigned to have a standard football pitch with carpet grass and can host other things for many occasions because it has galleries.

“By the time the proposal is begun, the youth will be happy because it will offer a lot of jobs to them.”
Offor also said that in addition to the Dora Akunyili Center, the state government was working on two other stadia in Awka namely, the old stadium located on Arthur Eze Avenue and a new stadium on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, near Amansea in Awka North local government.

Credit: Vanguard

I Am Unaware Of Lai Mohammed’s N500m Defamation Suit- Metuh

The Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, on Tuesday, responded to media reports that spokesperson of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has filed a N500 against million suit at a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, seeking compensation for alleged defamation of his person by some issues raised by him (Metuh) in response to one of his (Mohammed’s) statements.

Richard Ihediwa, the special assistant to the PDP Publicity Secretary, in a statement on Tuesday,  said neither the PDP spokesperson nor any of his lawyers was aware of any such suit by Mohammed, adding that they have not been served.

Ihediwa said: “The attention of the Office of the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to reports in some section of the media, suggesting that the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has filed a suit against Chief Olisa Metuh…”

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