Dauda Lawal Testifies Against Magu

                   

A former Executive Director with First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Dauda Lawal, appeared before the Justice Ayo Salami-led presidential panel on Saturday to give evidence against the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu.

Lawal is currently standing trial before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly receiving $25m out of the $153m loot traced to a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

A source close to the panel said the former banker was invited as part of a probe into the investigative deficiencies of the EFCC under Magu.

He said Lawal was asked to testify without prejudice to his ongoing corruption trial.

It was learnt that while the former banker was giving his testimony, Magu walked into the venue at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa around 12pm, three hours before he was scheduled to appear.

A top source said, “Lawal appeared before the panel to clarify some allegations he had made in the past against the EFCC some of which had been reported to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation. This was without prejudice to his ongoing corruption trial.

“However, Magu strolled in around 12pm even though he was expected to arrive at 3pm. The panel members were initially reluctant to let Magu witness the hearing but he pleaded and was permitted to do so.”

Lawal, however, repeated the allegations he made against the EFCC in a counter-affidavit he filed before Justice Muslim Hassan of a Federal High Court in 2017.

The EFCC had frozen Lawal’s accounts and applied for the permanent forfeiture of his funds which the ex-banker challenged.

In a counter-affidavit he deposed to which formed the basis for his invitation by the panel, Lawal said the EFCC detained him for 11 days in 2016 and promised to release him only on the condition that he return some funds.

On how he received the $25m, Lawal said he received a call from a friend, Stanley Lawson, March 2015 to help collect the money, which he subsequently paid into an account provided for him.

“I had no idea of the origin of the said funds and only acted in the course of normal banking business,” he said.

The former banker said the EFCC allegedly compelled him to provide funds he never received.

Lawal said in the affidavit, “Having been invited and subsequently detained in Lagos for 11 consecutive days and without access to members of my immediate family, the EFCC investigators kept suggesting and insisting that there was a shortfall of $40m, which I had yet to account for.

“They were alleging that I had in fact taken $65m as opposed to the $25m, which I stated that I had received. The EFCC investigators interrogating me made it clear that the only way that I could/would leave detention is if I made their suggested shortfall available to them.

“Because I never had this EFCC invented $40m to give, I had to use my personal connections to source for and raise about 50 per cent of the said amount while I was in detention. I managed to borrow some of the money from the bank where I am an executive director and surrendered it to the EFCC through my legal counsel and was eventually released from detention on May 20, 2016.
“Consequently, in a three-week period between May 13 and June 6, 2016, I was made to surrender to the EFCC Recovery Account at the Central Bank of Nigeria the total sum of N9.08bn.”

We’ll no longer condone allegations – Magu’s lawyer

Meanwhile, Magu’s lawyer, Mr. Wahab Shittu, says his client will no longer condone allegations levelled against him.

Shittu said this in a statement on Sunday titled, ‘Re: Magu faces questions over assets declaration – Fresh Propaganda Against Our Client Prejudicial to Panel Proceedings’.

The statement was in reaction to media reports that Magu was facing fresh investigation for failing to declare his assets before the Code of Conduct Bureau as required by law.

The lawyer said they were shocked by several false and defamatory imputations not arising from the proceedings of the panel.

He said, “Take notice that our client can no longer fold his hands in the face of these sustained malicious attacks to prejudge him in the public space. Our client will henceforth, point by point reply to all false allegations orchestrated against him in the public space on a daily basis as well as present his comprehensive defence for the world to see.”

It’s absurd for person on trial to testify against Magu – Ex-EFCC boss lawyer

When contacted on the telephone, a lawyer to Magu, Mr. Tosin Ojaomo, said it was immoral and absurd for Lawal who is standing trial, to give evidence before a panel against Magu.

Ojaomo said, “It is absurd that Dauda Lawal who is standing trial and has returned money believed to be proceeds of crime is being used as a witness. This is against the principle of natural justice. This is what we have been complaining about.”

https://punchng.com/ex-banker-facing-153m-diezani-loot-trial-testifies-against-magu/

“Nonsense, Stupid Excuses” – Regina Daniels Slammed For Pushing PA Into Pool

Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels got in a heated argument with one of her PAs and out of anger pushed her into the pool.

According to her, it was unintentional and shouldn’t be judged by her actions. Regina blamed it all on her pregnancy hormones for causing such a mess.
Reacting to this, an Instagram user who was never convinced about her actions labelled her reasons as ‘nonsense and stupid’.

Oba of Benin Welcomes His Youngest Prince Idugbowa Ewuare 11.

Benin palace was thrown in a festive mood as the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare ll welcomed his youngest prince Idugbowa Ewuare 11. Iyase of Benin Kingdom (Prime Minister), Chief Sam Igbe disclosed the news to newsmen as the Benin Traditional Council initially broadcasted the birth of a new Prince of the Kingdom to Oba Ewuare ll, Oba of Benin. READ ALSO: Divorce About To Happen? Actress, Lizzy Anjorin Puts Up Newlywed Husband For Sale An immense festival held at the royal residence on 25th July to invite the infant sovereign who’s naming ceremonial was seen by the aristocrats, chiefs and dignitaries. The new Prince Idugbowa Ewuare is the second to be destined to the ruler on the seat. Watch video below:

 

Burna Boy Buys Himself A New Monkey Pet, Check The Name- Videos

Nigeria’s self-acclaimed African Giant Burna Boy has shocked all his fans after he disclosed he has gotten himself a new pet which is a monkey.

Burba Boy took to his social media page to share a video of himself and the new pet he acquired for himself. Burna Boy shared a video of himself with his monkey pet having fun.

Burna Boy seen smiling and happily playing with his new pet, the monkey. The monkey was seen also enjoying itself with his new owner as he jumped all over Burna Boy.

Burnaboy acquires a monkey, names him seven pic.twitter.com/eB2tnsXnhK

— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) July 26, 2020

These Historical Facts Are Almost Too Weird To Be Real, But They’re All True

History is a vast subject to be sure. And with so little time to cover it all, plenty of things get swept aside in favor of the bigger stories like World War II and the Louisiana Purchase. Those things are certainly interesting stories, but they’ve got nothing on these wacky facts we dug up.

Turns out there’s a lot more to history than we previously thought.
1. Albert Einstein could have been president of Israel when it was formed, but he declined.
2. Before dentures were invented, teeth were pulled from the mouths of dead soldiers for use as prosthetics.
3. Roman Emperor Gaius, also known as Caligula, made one of his favorite horses a senator.
4. There’s a giant mushroom in Oregon’s Malheur National Forest with a root system that covers over 2,200 acres, making it the largest living organism in the world.
5. In 1929, researchers at Princeton University claimed that they had turned a living cat into a telephone.
6. Heroin was once a perfectly acceptable medicine prescribed by doctors for everything from coughs to headaches.
7. While Pope Gregory IX was in power, he declared that cats were to be associated with devil worship and had them exterminated in droves.
8. It’s believed that the disappearance of those cats cats helped rats spread the bubonic plague, or Black Death, that killed hundreds of millions of people in the 1300s.
9. Chinese women used to painfully bind their feet to make them appear smaller and more feminine.
10. The shortest war in history was the Anglo-Zanzibar War. It lasted just 38 minutes.
11. Former North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il was said to be a great lover of music and composed six operas while he was in office.
12. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was actually never straight to begin with. The foundation began to sink when they started on the second floor.
13. Researchers believe that the famous Guanajuato Mummies’ terrible expressions are the result of the victims being buried alive
14. Ronald Reagan is best known for being President and acting in numerous films, but he was also a prolific lifeguard, who saved 77 people from drowning.
15. Klerksdorp spheres are strange objects that have been dug up near Ottosdal in South Africa. The spherical objects are billions of years old and no one has been able to fully explain the markings on their sides.
16. A famous native American named Blackbird was said to have loved his horse so much that he was buried sitting on top of it.
17. Before there were alarm clocks, there were “bosoms-up”, who were hired to shoot dried peas from a blow gun at people’s windows in order to wake them up in the morning.
18. The largest bird ever to exist had a wingspan of almost 20 feet. It lived 60 million years ago.
19. Russian mystic Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin reportedly survived being poisoned, shot, and stabbed numerous times before he was finally drowned in the Volga river.
20. People in Spain used to employ a form of torture called the Spanish Donkey. Victims had to sit high up, straddling a board while torturers tied increasingly heavy weights to their legs. Ouch!
21. Speaking of torture, the Mayans used to sacrifice people by pulling their still-beating hearts out of their chests.
22. The use of the word “hooker” as a term for a prostitute actually originated with Civil War General Joseph Hooker, who brought prostitutes along on campaigns for his men.
25. Like many ancient royalty, King Tut’s parents were related. They were actually brother and sister, according to DNA taken from his mummified body. He was also disabled and probably had malaria.
26. Russian dictator Joseph Stalin often had photos retouched to remove people who had died or been removed from office.