There seems to be more trouble for former Petroleum Resources Minister Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is probing her involvement in a $115m (N23,299,705,000billion) 2015 election bribery scandal.

The anti-graft agency has detained two bankers in connection with the scandal.

Already, EFCC has launched a manhunt for Ugonna Madueke, the former minister’s son.

Besides, four companies implicated in the bribe-for-results scandal during the 2015 general elections are under probe.

The companies are: Northern Belt Gas Company Limited; Auctus Integrated; Midwestern Oil and Gas; and Leno Laitan Adesanya.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Rivers State (now in Cross River State), Gesil Khan and four others are undergoing interrogation over the N681million the allegedly got from the bribe.

She allegedly got N185,842,000 from the deal.

The other suspects and the alleged bribe against their names are
Fidelia Omoile (Electoral Officer in Isoko-South Local Government Area of Delta State) -N112,480,000; Uluochi Obi Brown( INEC’s Administrative Secretary in Delta State) - N111,500,000; a former Deputy Director of INEC in Cross River State, Edem Okon Effanga - N241,127,000 and the Head of Voter Education in INEC in Akwa Ibom, Immaculata Asuquo - N214,127,000.

During its preliminary investigations, the EFCC discovered that the N23.29billion was shared to INEC officials in all the 36 states, some individuals and Non-Governmental Organisations(NGOs), which deployed election monitors.

Arrested by the EFCC are Fidelity Bank Managing Director Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo and the bank’s Head of Operations, Mr. Martin Izuogbe.

The list of all beneficiaries, who received funds through Fidelity Bank branches nationwide, was being compiled last night.

A source in EFCC, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said: “We are looking at a case of conspiracy between Fidelity Bank and the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to bribe INEC officials to rig the 2015 presidential election nationwide.

“There was a time Diezani invited the MD of Fidelity Bank Nnamdi Okonkwo and told him that the owners of the four companies will come and drop some money and the MD should keep the money separately and await instructions on what to do.

“The companies gave these amounts to the MD of Fidelity Bank as follows: Northern Belt Gas Company Limited ($60m); Auctus Integrated ($17,884,000); Midwestern Oil and Gas ($9.5m); and Leno Laitan Adesanya ($1.85m).

“On her part, Diezani sent $25.77million(approximately $26m) to the MD with all the funds totaling $115million (N23, 299,705,000billion).

“A day or two before the presidential election, she gave a distribution list to the Fidelity Bank Plc MD and instructed that the $115million be changed into Naira and shared to INEC officials in the 36 states, some individuals and NGOs.

“The MD said there was no way the bank could meet up with the conversion of the $115million into Naira and distribute at the same time. Diezani pleaded with the MD to use the Naira in the bank’s vault. She said if the bank changed the dollars later, it could make Naira replacement. That was how the money was distributed to INEC officials in 36 states, some individuals and NGOs.

“The MD instructed the bank’s Head of Operations, Martin Izuogbe, to communicate with all Fidelity Bank branches to effect the distribution of the cash to alter the presidential election poll results.”

The source added: “We have arrested and detained the MD of Fidelity Bank since Monday. But we picked up the Head of Operations on Wednesday.

“They are undergoing intense grilling and we may not release them until we have completed investigations.

“About N681million out of the funds was disbursed to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Cross River State and four others.

“It is obvious that more Resident Electoral Commissioners and INEC officials will soon be invited for interrogation.”

On the manhunt for the son of the ex-Minister, the top source added: “Ugonna Madueke was at the meeting in her mother’s house when everything was perfected with the MD of the bank. He allegedly gave some instructions too.

“We are looking for him for interaction.”

The EFCC shocked the embattled Resident Electoral Commissioner for Cross River State, Gesil Khan, with the video evidence which was retrieved from the CCTV tape showing how the transactions were carried out in a bank.

She allegedly got about N185,842,000 from the deal, which she denied.

The development has set the stage for the grilling of the REC and four others, The Nation learnt.

About a fortnight ago, the EFCC arrested some top INEC officials in connection with massive bribery during last year’s elections.

The other suspects and the bribe against their names are Fidelia Omoile( Electoral Officer in Isoko-South Local Government Area of Delta State) - N112,480,000;

Uluochi Obi Brown (INEC’s Administrative Secretary in Delta State) - N111,500,000; a former Deputy Director of INEC in Cross River State, Edem Okon Effanga - N241,127,000 and the Head of Voter Education in INEC, Akwa Ibom, Immaculata Asuquo - N214,127,000.

Besides, some sensitive election materials meant for the 2015 presidential and senatorial polls were retrieved from the homes of some of the suspects.

EFCC operatives also recovered also many documents on financial and landed properties from the homes of the embattled INEC officials .

Some of the documents include receipts of payments made into their accounts.

The suspects allegedly got the bribe in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states. There are indications that many INEC officials and ad hoc workers benefitted from the bribe.

A top EFCC source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The actual amount involved in the deal was N681million. When we began investigation, the REC denied involvement in any transaction relating to the scandal.

“Each time we questioned her, she refused to own up. We had no choice but to confront her with a CCTV clip of how she went to a bank to identify one Peter Popnen (who is on the run) to collect N185,842,000.

“At this stage, she had no choice but to admit. She is still in detention pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigation. If she hadn’t wasted time in owning up, the investigation would have reached a convenient bend to admit her to bail.

“The truth is that with modern technology, there is no hiding place for any political thief again.”

There was confusion in some parts of Kaduna on Wednesday following the killing of six persons over a girl palaver. The incident occurred at the Badarawa Kwaru and Ungwan Yero, all in Kaduna North area.

It was gathered that six persons were feared killed while scores sustained varying degrees of injuries.

The Kaduna State Command of the Nigerian Police Force confirmed the incident. The Police PRO in the state, DSP Zubairu Abubakar said several suspects had been arrested in connection with the crisis.

He said, “So many arrests were made, but I cannot tell you the number of people arrested until I find out from the office. However, calm has returned to the two communities.”

As of the time of this report on Wednesday, there was heavy presence of soldiers and police who forced some residents of the area to remain indoor as several gunshots were fired into the air at interval.

Eyewitness accounts said the fight started between two men on Sunday night over a lady.

A source told Punch that a man from a neighbouring Kwaru community came on a motorcycle to Unguwar Yero to see his alleged concubine, who is the wife of a man in Unguwar Yero.

He said, “The woman was the girlfriend of the Kwaru man, who used to give her money when they were dating. But the lady in question married another person. But after their marriage, the lady and her ex-boyfriend were still dating.

“On that Sunday evening, the Kwaru man came as usual to look for his concubine. They met as usual, but the husband, who was already suspecting his wife, trailed her to where they were standing. So, when he accosted them, the Kwaru man stabbed his concubine’s husband in the stomach.

“The husband later died before he could be rushed to the hospital. But what got people of the area angry was that, when Governor Nasir el-Rufai visited the place, he begged the people to be patient, without taking any action to bring the culprit to book.

“That was why Unguwar Yero people also started attacking people suspected to be Hausa-Muslim.”

Sources say six people have so far been killed as a result of the fall out of the adulterous affair.

A Lagos-based lawyer, Olajide Sipe, is in a critical condition at a private hospital after he was tortured and shot at by some soldiers on the 7th Avenue, FESTAC Town in Lagos.

It was learnt that the officers were deployed in the community to guard the NNPC pipelines.

They were, however, said to have left their duty post for the Mobil Filling Station on 23rd Road to coordinate motorists queueing to buy fuel.

Punch reports that the lawyer was driving home in his Toyota Camry when he was held by a gridlock on the road. The soldiers were reported to have stopped a bus on the the road.

Olajide was said to have advised one of the officers to park the bus by the roadside to free up the gridlock they created. As he drove off, the soldiers reportedly mounted a motorcycle and began to chase him. It was said that they shot at him, but the bullets hit the car’s back tyres.

They were said to have waylaid him on 72 Road, where they tortured him, rendering him unconscious.

Narrating his ordeal to Punch, Olajide, who is married with a child, said his only 'crime' was that he advised the soldiers.

He said, “I went to buy bottles of water for my family and on my way back, I got to Mobil Filling Station and I discovered there was traffic, which was caused by a bus on the road.

“A solider stood in front of the bus and was telling the driver something. I was in my car when I advised him that he could have asked the driver to park by the roadside, instead of inconveniencing other road users.

“He asked who I was to advise him. I told him I was only trying to give a solution, but he started drawing closer to me with his gun. I was alarmed.

“Another officer stood at the front of my car and started kicking one of its headlights. He had a jerrycan in his hand with which he smashed my windscreen. As I drove off, I saw that they had become four and had mounted a motorcycle and were chasing me. I was afraid.

“When I got to 7th Avenue, I made a U-turn, but because they were coming with speed, they couldn’t do that. I looked back and saw one of the soldiers, kneeling down and aiming his gun at me. He shot at my car twice. The bullets deflated the two back tyres.”

He said he pulled up and came down to pacify them, adding that the men pounced on him.

A witness, who did not identify himself for security reason, said the officers would have killed the lawyer who is an Ogun State indigene but for the intervention of a senior military officer.

He said, “What caught people’s attention were the gunshots. They used planks to hit his head and one of them carried a big stone to smash his skull.

“He was stabbed two times in the body. One of them wanted to use a dagger to cut him when a military officer, who was passing by, intervened. He showed them his ID card and that was when they left him. As they were going, they vandalised his car.”

It was learnt that residents, who knew the victim, rushed him to the Mercy Gate Hospital, a private medical facility in the area.

The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Solomon Ekundayo, said the victim sustained serious injuries.

The case was said to have been reported at the FESTAC Police Division.

A family member, Bunmi, asked the government to give justice to his brother, saying the officers should be fished out and punished.

He said, “Those officers wanted to kill him. They were posted to the 7th Avenue to check activities of pipeline vandals; they had no business at any filling station. We want them fished out for punishment.

“We also want the military authorities to clear my brother’s medical bills, repair his car and compensate him. The case should not be swept under the carpet.”

Lagos Police PRO, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident and that investigations has commenced.

The spokesperson for the Senate Unity Forum, Senator Kabir Marafa, on Saturday evening urged Nigerians to discountenance the ongoing plans by the Red Chamber of the National Assembly to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau/Conduct of Conduct Tribunal Act as it would be a wasted exercise.

He went ahead to alleged that the amendment is to introduce immunity clause for the Senate President.

Marafa, an APC Senator representing Zamfara Central, who stated this in an interview with Punch in Abuja on Saturday, also described the proposed amendments as “dead on arrival.”

“What my colleagues are trying to do is laughable because it’s an effort in futility. It is a constitutional issue. Are they trying to amend the Constitution of Nigeria with an act of the National Assembly?

“The sections they are trying to amend are clearly stated in the constitution and could only be reviewed through a legally acceptable constitution amendment process.”

Marafa described his colleagues who had been sponsoring some bills in the Senate in recent times to save Bukola Saraki as “new comers who lack basic parliamentary knowledge and experience.”

He said, “They had listed for amendments, Public Officers Protection Act; Administration of Criminal Justice Act; Code of Conduct Bureau Act and the Code of Conduct Tribunal Act.

“Their intention is to alter all these constitutional provisions just because of an individual. How can you anchor bills amendments around an individual?

“I don’t know how they want to alter the constitution to extend immunity clause to the senate president when it is only the president, vice-president and the governors that are covered in the constitution.”

Marafa said he refused to contribute to the debate on the CCB/CCB amendments on Thursday on the floor as doing so would amount to a waste of precious time.

He said, “I refused to talk because I know they are embarking on an exercise in futility. It’s a mere jamboree and sheer waste of tax-payers money.

“Nigerians would definitely wait for them at the public hearing and they would be told that trying to make laws around an individual is a waste of the nation’s resources.”

Marafa appealed to stop making themselves a laughing stock in the public by trying to carry out legislative activities with the sole aim of frustrating the trial of Bukola Saraki at the CCT.

He added, “Instead of learning the ropes, even senior lawyers among the new senators are jumping the gun by initiating bills to save their boss [Saraki] from criminal prosecution.

“All of them should be dragged before the Senate Committee on Ethics for smearing the image of a reputable institution like the Senate.”

Gallant troops fighting the Boko Haram sect on Sunday announced that it had uncovered the storage facility been used by the terrorist group to hide food at Biggoro, Warpaya and Aura, North of Kumshe in the notorious Bama area of Borno State.

The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, said in a statement that the storage contained large quantity of foodstuff when it was discovered.

Mr. Usman also said the troops also found that the terrorists were mounting sentries on tree tops to help them gather intelligence on the advancement of Nigerian soldiers, and were dislodged.

He added, “The surprised dawn attack yielded positive result as the troops discovered well concealed observation posts on trees in the villages constructed by the terrorists to give them early warning of troops movement or approach."

I guess Femi Fani-Kayode has moved on from this saga after his initial outburst, but one lady who talks like him and was close to him in their school days, Kemi Olunloyo, is adding more fire. Wahala!

In a recent chat on Frankly Speaking with Jola Sotubo, Kemi Olunloyo had said:
“Fani-Kayode was dating Bianca, Fani-Kayode was in Cambridge, I’ve seen Bianca in Fani-Kayode’s room many times, loved up and everything. They dated.

“So when this thing happened, Femi called me when he needed someone to defend him. Everybody didn’t want to get involved, but I stood up for Femi. It’s true, they went out, and she got pregnant twice.

“The first pregnancy was a miscarriage; they were supposed to get married, they were engaged already, but Bianca didn’t want to go out with Fani-Kayode anymore so she had an abortion.

“I’m saying it on camera now, she had an abortion,” Kemi disclosed.

The woman in the middle of the saga, Bianca Ojukwu, has reacted to fresh claims by Kemi Olunloyo that she had two abortions for Fani-Kayode.

Reacting to the story, Bianca, in a statement issued by her media aide, Uchendu Onuoha on Wednesday said Kemi was mentally challenged and needed urgent and crucial psychiatric help.

The statement reads: “The attention of Her Excellency has been drawn to an interview granted by a media character Ms Kemi Olunloyo, a deportee from Canada, and a fugitive from justice in the United States of America, whose sole existence centres around online character assassination.

“Her victims have ranged from Bishops, General Overseers, Presidents, Ministers, Hardworking Musicians and real media personalities down to her own family members including her mother, father, stepmother and siblings.

“It is rather unfortunate that it has become the practice for anyone seeking publicity to add Her Excellency’s name to their stories, fantasies or delusions, and none more so than this mentally unstable internet troll whose insane need for attention is well known to Nigerians.

“This unhealthy obsession with Her Excellency for some time now, a situation most public figures can identify with, has been glaringly evident in her posts, and is indicative of a more serious underlying condition.

“It is quite clear that her delusions and fantasies have become her reality, and her lack of gainful employment and hours spent online focusing on other people’s lives have exacerbated her already strained sanity or lack thereof.

“It is obvious that Ms Olunloyo needs urgent psychiatric attention.

“Her Excellency extends her sincere sympathies to Ms. Olunloyo’s family, and urges those who are able, to ensure that this mentally challenged individual receives the crucial psychiatric help she is so desperately in need of in order to contain her excesses.”

Claims that Fani-Kayode and Bianca had "things" were first made by him. Is Femi and Kemi lying? Hmmm!