The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested Emeka Mba, the Director General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission over an alleged N15 billion fraud.
Mr. Mba was arrested on Monday morning in Abuja and taken to the EFCC’s headquarters where he is currently being interrogated.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Tuesday secured the conviction of an internet fraudster, Egbeniyi Oluwafemi (aka Raymond Morrison, Mavis Mar and Markus Fred), for defrauding a foreigner.
He was sentenced to two years imprisonment by Justice A.M Liman of the Federal High Court, Benin, Edo State.
The Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) has given reasons it had not paid some newspapers outfits the security compensation over the disruption of circulation of newspapers by the military in June 2014.
In a statement on Saturday by Mr. Feyi Smith, Executive Secretary of NPAN, the body reacted to the press release issued by the Tribune, New Telegraph newspapers and others.
The Statement:
“Our attention has been drawn to statements issued last night by the Nigerian Tribune, Peoples’ Daily and New Telegraph Newspapers claiming that they did not receive the compensation for the military disruption of circulation of newspapers by the Federal Government.
The embattled former Minister of State, Bashir Yuguda, has told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that he gave a total of N600million cash to six chairmen of the Contact and Mobilisation Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2015 general election.
He listed the beneficiaries as Bode George (South-West); Amb. Yerima Abdullahi (North-East); Peter Odili (South-South); Attahiru Bafarawa (North-West); Jim Nwobodo (South -East); and Ahmadu Ali (North-Central).
The managements of four newspapers on Friday dissociated themselves from the 12 media houses said to have collected N10 million each from the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki, in March this year.
The four newspapers are African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, publishers of the Tribune titles; Peoples Media Limited, publishers of Peoples Daily; Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited, publishers of New Telegraph, Saturday Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, and Independent Newspapers Limited, publishers of Daily Independent newspapers.
A former Director of Finance in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Shuaibu Salisu, has stated that $47million was withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 11 suit cases.
The latest revelation throws more light on how an estimated at $2billion meant for arms procurement was allegedly diverted by senior government officials and politicians during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan.
The management of Peoples Media Limited, the publishers of Peoples Daily, has dissociated itself from being part of the 12 newspapers companies who allegedly collected the sum of N10million each from the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki.
The publisher of ThisDay Newspapers, Nduka Obaigbena, had said he received N120 million in March 2015 on behalf of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and 12 newspapers who asked to be compensated for the “unlawful seizure and stoppage of circulation by armed soldiers in Abuja and several cities”.
The Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Thisday newspaper, Nduka Obaigbena, has said the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki, paid him N670 million as compensation for attacks on his newspaper’s offices in Abuja and Kaduna in 2012.
He said he also received compensation for the illegal seizure of newspapers by men of the armed forces.
Mr. Obaigbena made the disclosure while responding to an invitation by the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) in connection to the ongoing probe into the usage of $2.1 billion arms procurement fund by the office of the NSA under Mr Dasuki.
Some leading Nigerian newspaper outfits received N10 million each from the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki through the chairman of ThisDay, Nduka Obaigbena according to SaharaReporters.
Listed outfits include: ThisDay, Vanguard, Sun, The Nation, Daily Trust, People’s Daily, Leadership, Daily Independent, Nigerian Tribune, Guardian Newspapers, Business Day, and New Telegraph newspaper.
Former Minister of Finance, and Co-ordinating Minister for Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was said to have illegally approved the transfer of N61.4 billion from funds recovered from late dictator, Sani Abacha, to the Office of the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, few weeks to the 2015 presidential election.
According to a letter signed by Okonjo-Iweala, the former Finance minister signed off the transfer of the funds but requested then President Goodluck Jonathan to directly demand accountability from the then National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki.
Nigeria Gists 