Photo: EFCC arrest company MD over N4billion fraud

Following over a hundred petitions from across the country on the operations of an alleged Wonder bank and its nefarious activities, the EFCC on Thursday October 6, arrested the Managing Director of “Lets Partner With You Ltd”, Chief. Patrick Shanchi Nwokike at his residence in Enugu, Enugu state.

Petitions from a cross section of Nigerians and cutting across religious, gender, ethnic, economic and social class indicate that the company had over the past five years solicited and obtained deposits of more than N4,000,000,000 ( Four Billion Naira Only) from the general public with promise of mouth watering interest in return.

According to investigations conducted by the Commission, the company has no license to solicit and manage funds for the public nor was it registered with Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, or the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Company, NDIC.

Further investigations revealed that a 10% (Ten percent) interest was for some time paid on invested capital which for no justifiable reason, was suddenly stopped and all efforts by depositors to have at least the capital of their investments returned nor terminate their investments proved abortive.

Many of the complainants alleged that the operators of the scheme especially, Chief Nwokike not only live very flamboyant lifestyles but acquired several personal assets as well as using their deposits for philanthropic enterprise. The company was also found to have over six accounts in about four banks with the CEO of “Lets Partner With You Ltd” and his wife being the only signatories to the accounts.

In his statement, Nwokike who acknowledged that depositor’s funds with his company was about N4,000,000,000( Four Billion Naira Only) , denied operating both money lending and investment business as alleged by the petitioners.

He stated that his company is into partnership business which receives money from interested partners who desires interest from their money after it might have been infused into businesses especially that of small scale traders.

Nwokike argued that the present problem facing his company is as a result of the general economic downturn in the country; an argument punctured by his depositors who said his company started defaulting even before the present economic woes.

Investigation is still on-going to ascertain the extent of the company’s operations, its culpability, likely recovery of funds and possible prosecution.

Police cuff and arrest 102 year old woman...find out why

Edie Simms is a 102-year-old woman with an unusual item on her to-do list. And, thanks to some officers in St. Louis, she was able to cross that off, CNN reports. Simms wanted to be arrested -- handcuffed, and placed in the back of a police cruiser.

"She was so excited that she can ride in a police car and she said, 'Do you think you could put those handcuffs on me?'" Michael Howard of the Five Star Senior Center told CNN affiliate KPLR.

"A St. Louis County car pulled up next to the police and Edie holds up her hands with the handcuffs on. She's just a riot."

Edie has produced over 400 handmade items -- scarves, eye glass cases, pot holders -- for the seniors at the center. Last Friday, she made her usual delivery, but this time she was ferried to the center in the back of a St. Louis PD car.

"We're more than happy to do these type of things," said Sgt. John McLaughlin. "We love it and we get more out of it than the seniors do." Simms couldn't be happier. "It`s a great world if you just open your eyes and look at it," she said. 

N’Assembly invites Buhari over economic recession

The National Assembly has passed a motion to invite President Muhammadu Buhari to address the legislature on efforts being made by his administration to resolve the current economic recession.

The Senate, on Thursday, passed the motion in concurrence with the House of Representatives, which had earlier on September 22, 2016, resolved to constitute an ad hoc committee to liaise with the Upper Chamber, with a view to inviting the President to brief a joint session of the National Assembly on the current economic downturn.

The motion partly read, “That the Senate do concur with the House of Representatives’ resolution passed on Thursday, 22nd of September, 2016, to wit: to invite the President and Commander-in-Chief to address a joint session of the National Assembly to intimate it on plans to get the country out of the recession to enable the House to take further legislative action.”

The Senate unanimously passed the motion when the President, Senator Bukola Saraki, took the vote.

The National Assembly is expected to officially communicate the invitation to the President soon.

Also, the House of Representatives on Thursday backed the Senate, asking President Buhari to forward an economic stimulus bill to the National Assembly on how to lead the nation out of the current recession.

Pastor’s aide defiles three-year-old girl

A 28-year-old man, Bethel Samuel, who is an aide to a new generation church pastor, has been arrested by security operatives from Rumuolumini Police Station for defiling a three-year-old girl.

Samuel allegedly had forcefully carnal knowledge of the toddler when his pastor sent him on an errand to get some money the pastor forgot at home.

The suspect, who confessed to the crime, told newsmen on Wednesday that he did not know what came over him before he held the girl and defiled her.

Blaming his act on the devil, Samuel explained that he committed the crime on Saturday after he failed to find his pastor’s money in the pastor’s room.

His victim, according to him, is the daughter of one of the pastor’s neighbours in Rumuonumini in Obio/Akpor LGA of Rivers State.

Bethel said, “I am the personal assistant to my pastor. We were organising our crusade, going out to paste crusade posters when my pastor called me to say he forgot something at home.

“So, he directed me to go to his house and bring some money. It was there that I saw children playing around. So, I grabbed one of them. That was what happened.

“It was purely the handiwork of the devil. I don’t know what happened; all I know is that I am not happy over what is happening to me.

“I am calling on the parents and the police to have mercy on me. I am promising the government and the parents that if they allow me to go free, I will never misbehave again.”

The three-year-old victim has been taken to the hospital for treatment.

Speaking on the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, told newsmen that the suspect was arrested after the victim’s relations raised the alarm and the matter was reported to the police.

Omoni commended the Divisional Police Officer of Rumuolumini Divisional Headquarters, Mr. Kingsley Chukwueggu, for ensuring that the suspect, who was on the run was arrested.

He pointed out that the suspect would soon be charged to court, adding that the law must be allowed to take its course.

FG puts up N7bn presidential jets for sale

The Federal Government has listed two jets in the Presidential fleet for immediate sale.

The jets: Falcon 7x and Hawker 4000, were advertised on page 35 of Tuesday’s Thisday Newspapers

The adverts showed the performance and specifications of the jets, which indicated that they were still in good condition.

Interested buyers are to inspect the Falcon at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International, Airport Abuja while the Hawker 4000 would be inspected at Cessna Zurich Citation Service Centre, Zurich, Switzerland.

With selling of the air craft, the number of planes on the presidential fleet will be reduced to nine.

President Muhammadu Buhari as part of his campaign promise pledged to sell off most of the planes on the fleet to save cost.

The Presidency on Tuesday confirmed the sale, hinting that some of the aircraft will be given to the Nigerian Air Force for its operations.

Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, made this known in a statement in Abuja.

Shehu stated that the advertisements were duly authorised by the Presidency.

According to him, this is in line with the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari that aircraft in the presidential air fleet be reduced to cut cost.

He said that “when he (President Buhari) campaigned to become President, then being APC candidate Muhammadu Buhari, he promised to look at the presidential air fleet with a view to cutting down on waste.

“His directive to a government committee on this assignment is that he will like to see a compact and reliable aircraft for the safe airlift of government officials that go on special missions.

“This exercise is by no means complete.

“I am sure the Commander of Presidential air fleet will any time from now, call you to a ceremony at which he will hand over some aircraft to the Air Force for their operations.’’

The Presidential Aircraft Fleet contains 10 aircraft.

They are Boeing Business Jet (Boeing 737-800 or AirForce One), one Gulfstream 550, one Gulfstream V (Gulfstream 500) and two Falcons 7X.

Others are one Hawker Sidley 4000, two AgustaWestland AW 139 helicopters and twoAgustaWestland AW 101 helicopter.

Photos: Middle aged woman electrocuted in Lagos

A middle aged woman identified as Mrs Okanlawon Florence was today electrocuted in her residence at Shokoya Close off Dapson Street, Oke Ira Ojodu LCDA  Lagos state. According to reports, the woman died while attempting to turn off her refrigerator following a fire outbreak from a PHCN transformer close to her house. 

The deceased's 14 year old daughter identified as Okanlawon Taiwo was also affected by the fire from the transformer and is currently receiving medical attention at the General Hopital Ifako Ijaye. 
It was gathered that the electrocuted woman died as a result of severe burns sustained. 

Preliminary report gathered by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency LASEMA showed that the fire emanated from a high voltage 25kva transformer ( a 4 building mini transformer) which affected four buildings namely , House number 4, 7, 9a & 9b whose power supply emanate from the transformer .

However, the fire was quickly put out by combined effort of bystanders and emergency response team from the state.

Erisco Foods threatens to fire 1,500 workers, leave Nigeria

An indigenous firm, Erisco Foods, has said it may be forced to shut down its production in the country due to its inability to access foreign exchange from the Central Bank of Nigeria for the procurement of machinery.

The company’s Chief Executive, Mr. Eric Umeofia, said it would lay off 1,500 employees and quit Nigeria for a more favourable business environment if things don’t change.

He said this in Lagos on Wednesday when some of the company’s workers held a protest, lamenting plans by the company to halt operations and lay off workers.

Umeofia said, “It is difficult for indigenous manufacturers to access forex despite CBN’s promise to manufacturers that they will allocate 60 per cent of foreign exchange to them.

“It is unbelievable that for over two months, no forex has been allocated to Erisco Foods whereas the same forex is allocated daily for the importation of finished goods.

“Products that can be easily produced locally like fish head, tomato paste, razor blade are on the forex bids of the various banks.”

He said that the high interest rates charged by commercial banks, importation as well as policy constraints were disincentives to manufacturer’s production in the country.

He said, “The prices of our products are high due to high cost of production and this is in addition that we currently generate our own power.

“We have lost over N3.5bn in our bid to industrialise Nigerian economy and (are) ready to move our production section to another country.”

Umeofia complained that the penchant of Nigerians for imported goods and lack of clear policy against importation of goods that could be manufactured locally were destroying manufacturers.

He said, “We have stock of tomato paste worth over N6bn now and not selling due to dumping and conspiracy against indigenous manufacturers.

“We have complained publicly and officially to all the relevant government agencies with loads of evidence, but regrettably nothing has changed till date.

“We will be forced against our patriotic wish to relocate our operations to a country where there is conducive and favourable environment for manufacturing if within 30 days from now nothing significant is done by the government to address these issues.

“We will lay off 1,500 of our employees in the factory, replicate our $150m investment in another country and from there import tomato paste to Nigeria.”

Erisco Foods has a production capacity of 450,000 metric tons of tomato paste annually for 22 brands with over 2,000 workers.

The company’s workers had in their hundreds held a peaceful protest against the management’s plan to shut its production worth about $150m.

The workers were seen carrying placards and chanting songs around the factory premises in Oregun, Lagos.

The Area Sales Manager, Erisco Foods, Mr. Ayoola Oladayo, urged the Federal Government to save their jobs by intervening in the situation of the company.

He said, “We appeal to the government to save our jobs and families.

“The unemployment rate is alarming and we do not want to be classified as jobless in this harsh economic situation of the country.

“About 2,000 of us will be affected in various factories if the company shuts down.

“We urge the government to assist Erisco Foods and other indigenous manufacturers to continue to contribute to the country’s GDP.”

Mr. Obinna Ezeugwa, another worker, said that the country needed active participation of the private sector to create employment for the citizens for sustainable economic development