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Court Acquits Former Lagos Speaker, Ikuforiji Of Money Laundering Charge

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Adeyemi Ikuforiji

Ex-speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji and his former aide, Oyebode Atoyebi, were on Monday, acquitted by Justice Mohammed Liman of a Federal High Court in Lagos, of 54 counts of money laundering.

Delivering judgment, Justice Liman held that the prosecution failed to discharge the burden of proof placed on it by the provisions of the law.

The News Agebcy of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ikuforiji is charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside Atoyebi on a 54-count charge bordering on alleged N338.8 million money laundering.

They had each pleaded not guilty and were allowed to continue on an earlier bail granted to them in 2012 when they were first arraigned.

On March 17, 2021, the EFCC had closed its case after calling the second witness for the prosecution.

Prosecution called a total of two witnesses in support of its case.

Meanwhile, Justice Liman was later transferred out of the Lagos division and the case suffered several set backs.

On May 4, 2023, defence counsel Mr Dele Adesina (SAN), had opened the case for the defence.

The defence had called three witnesses, ncluding the first defendant (Ikuforiji).

Among others, Ikuforiji had testified how he was being prosecuted on a faceless petition.

He had told the court that the instant case arose from a petition written by an unknown person, alleging that he had stolen about N7 billion from the Lagos House of Assembly.

Parties adopted their final addresses on May 17, while the court reserved judgement.

Justice Liman first struck out count one of the charge, on grounds of discrepancies in the timeline .

The court then asked a pertinent question as to what was the substantive law at the time the defendant was charged.

The court held : “Charging a person under a law that was non existent at the time of an alleged offence runs foul of the law.

“The Money Laundering Prohibition Act of 2004/2011 requires clear ievidence of intent and the actual act of laundering money.

“It is difficult to prove the offence of money laundering without the predicate offence; the prosecution has failed to prove this.

“The prosecution has not proved the offence of money laundering beyond reasonable doubts. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

“Consequently, the defendants are acquitted of all the allegations of money laundering levelled against them in courts two to 54 of the charge,” he said

NAN reports that the defendants were first arraigned on March 1, 2012 before Justice Okechukwu Okeke on a 20-count charge bordering on misappropriation and money laundering.

They had each pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bails.

The defendants were, however, subsequently re-arraigned before Justice Ibrahim Buba, following a re-assignment of the case.

Buba had granted them bail in the sum of N500 million each with sureties in like sun

On Sept. 26, 2014, Justice Buba discharged Ikuforiji and his aide of the charges, after upholding a no case submission of the defendants.

Buba had held that the EFCC failed to establish a prima-facie case against them.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, the EFCC through its counsel, Mr Godwin Obla (SAN), filed the Notice of Appeal dated Sept. 30, 2014 challenging the decision of the trial court.

Obla had argued that the trial court erred in law when it held that the counts were incompetent because they were filed under Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 which was repealed by an Act of 2011.

EFCC further argued that the lower court erred in law when it held that the provisions of Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and 2011, only applied to natural persons and corporate bodies other than the Government.

The commission had also submitted that the trial judge erred in law when he held and concluded that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses supported the innocence of the respondents.

In its judgment, the Lagos Division of the Appeal Court, in November 2016, agreed with the prosecution and ordered a fresh trial of the defendants before another judge.

Following the decision of the Appeal Court, the defendants headed for the Supreme Court, seeking to upturn the ruling of the Appellate court.

Again, in its verdict, the apex court also upheld the decision of the appellate court and ordered that the case be sent back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge.

According to the charge, EFCC alleged that the defendants accepted cash payments above the threshold set by the Money Laundering Act, without going through a financial institution.

The commission accused the defendants of conspiring to commit an illegal act of accepting cash payments in the aggregate sum of N338.8 million from the House of Assembly without going through a financial institution.

Ikuforiji was also accused of using his position to misappropriate funds belonging to the Assembly.

The EFCC said that the defendants committed the offence between April 2010 and July 2011.

The offences, according to the EFCC, contravenes the provisions of Sections 15 (1d), 16(1d) and 18 of Money Laundering Act, 2004 and 2011.

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Nuclear war expert reveals safest part of the world to live after atomic bomb blast if WW3 broke out –

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If World War 3 broke out and nuclear bombs were launched, most of the world would be in serious danger—but according to nuclear war expert and investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen, there are only two places on Earth where people might actually survive: New Zealand and Australia.

Jacobsen, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and respected voice on military and defense issues, explained that if a full-scale nuclear war happened, about five billion people could die within just 72 minutes. She said a nuclear attack would throw the world into what’s called a “nuclear winter.” That means huge clouds of smoke and ash would block sunlight, drop temperatures, and destroy agriculture around the globe—especially in the middle parts of the world like the U.S. Midwest and Ukraine. These places would be buried in snow and ice for up to ten years…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

Without crops, most people would starve. On top of that, radiation from the blasts would damage the ozone layer so badly that just being outside in the sun would be dangerous. People would likely have to live underground to survive.

But Jacobsen said that Australia and New Zealand are located in a part of the world that might escape the worst of the cold and radiation. They could still grow food and survive while the rest of the world fights over scraps. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

She also gave a chilling timeline: a nuclear missile launched from Russia could hit the U.S. East Coast in just 26 minutes and 40 seconds. A missile from North Korea could reach the U.S. in about 33 minutes. That means the U.S. president would only have around six minutes to make a life-or-death decision using the “nuclear football”—a briefcase with a set of launch options known as the Black Book.

The terrifying part, Jacobsen said, is that these timelines aren’t guesses—they’re based on hard science and haven’t changed since the Cold War. She warns that if a nuclear war ever does break out, the decisions will have to be made in minutes, and the damage will last for decades.

 

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China Blasts ‘Destructive’ US in Brutal Response as Tariff War Heats Up –

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China is telling the United States to stop acting like it’s being treated unfairly by the rest of the world. In a recent article from China Daily, they pushed back strongly against Donald Trump’s claims that other countries are cheating the US in global trade. China is saying that the US is not a victim at all, and the real problem lies within the US itself.

According to the article, the US has been living a lifestyle it can’t really afford. It buys more things than it produces, borrows money to keep its economy going, and has moved a lot of its manufacturing jobs to other countries. China argues that the US is now blaming other nations for problems it created on its own. For example, when the US sees a trade deficit — which means it buys more from a country than it sells — it assumes it’s being cheated. But China says this is a misunderstanding of how trade works.

They explain that just because the US buys more goods from other countries doesn’t mean it’s being taken advantage of. In fact, the US makes a lot of money by selling services, like tech, finance, and media, to the rest of the world. So overall, the US actually benefits from global trade more than it wants to admit…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

The article also criticizes the US for starting a trade war based on this false belief. Donald Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods, making it more expensive for American businesses and shoppers to buy them. China responded by raising tariffs on US goods too. Instead of helping the situation, this back-and-forth has only made things worse for both sides. China describes these tariffs as reckless and harmful, saying they don’t solve anything and only create more problems. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

China is also frustrated because while the US complains about unfair treatment, it still expects to have the biggest say in how global trade is run. China believes the US wants to make all the rules, but doesn’t want to play by them. That kind of attitude, they say, is not helpful.

The article finishes by saying that instead of complaining and making threats, the US should work together with other countries to build a fair and modern trade system. One that benefits everyone, not just a few powerful countries. China’s message is clear: stop blaming others, take responsibility, and start acting like a real partner in the global economy.

 

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Vladimir Putin Offers to End War If Trump Agrees to This One Shocking Deal –

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On April 22, a report from the Financial Times, shared by Reuters, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to stop the war in Ukraine but only if the front lines stay where they are right now. This idea was brought up as part of talks with former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is trying to play a role in negotiating peace.

According to the report, Putin had this conversation in St. Petersburg earlier this month with Steve Witkoff, who is known to be close to Trump and is acting as his special representative in the talks. During their meeting, Putin reportedly said that Russia might be willing to give up its claims to certain parts of Ukraine specifically, areas within four regions that are only partially controlled by Russian forces and still have Ukrainian troops in them…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

What Putin seems to be suggesting is a deal where Russia would stop advancing, and the war would basically freeze in place. That means the land Russia already controls would stay under its control, but they wouldn’t push further into Ukraine. In exchange, Russia would no longer demand the rest of the territories they originally wanted.

This is a big shift, if true, because until now, Russia has been fighting to take over more of Ukraine. Freezing the war could be seen as a way to stop the bloodshed without either side officially “winning.” But it’s important to note that neither side—Russia or Ukraine—has officially agreed to this yet, and Ukraine has said many times that they want all of their land back, including Crimea, which Russia took in 2014. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Trump’s involvement in the talks is also a major detail, since he isn’t currently president. However, with the U.S. elections coming up, it shows that behind-the-scenes discussions are already happening about what the future of the war could look like depending on who’s in charge.

So far, there hasn’t been an official confirmation from the Russian or U.S. governments about the offer, and Ukraine hasn’t made a public comment on this specific report. But if these talks are real, they could be an early sign that both sides are looking for a way to end the war—even if it means making big compromises.

 

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