PDP, Jegede drag Akeredolu to Supreme Court

 PDP, Jegede drag Akeredolu to Supreme Court

Akeredolu and Jegede

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State said it will appeal against the Appeal Court judgment dismissing the petition against the declaration of Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu as governor.

This is contained in a statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei, and made available to newsmen in Akure on Wednesday.

The party and its candidate in the Oct. 10, 2020 governorship election, Eyitayo Jegede, had approached the Court of Appeal to nullify Akeredolu’s election.

However, the appellate court said in a unanimous judgment on Wednesday that the petition by PDP and its candidate lacked merit.

In concluding her lead judgment, Hon. Justice Theresa Orji-Abadua said the appeal was partially dismissed and partially allowed.

“To the ordinary man in the street, the judgment was inconclusive and we must approach the Supreme Court to help the Appeal Court to conclude the judgment.

“The kernel of the Eyitayo Jegede/PDP petition was whether or not a gross violation of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) should be allowed to stay.

“Whether or not Mai Mala Buni, as a sitting Governor of Yobe State can double as National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, to sign the nomination of Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) for the governorship election.

“While the Court of Appeal acknowledged that it was a violation of the Constitution, it still went ahead to dismiss the appeal.

“We are still studying the details of the judgement, by virtue of the fact that it was delivered via Zoom. But we have sufficient grounds to appeal the decision of the court.

“We are confident the Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the land, will do justice,” the statement added.

Lauretta Onochie: PDP fires warning to Lawan, Gaya

PDP National Publicity Secretary Kola Ologbondiyan: signed the report

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged Senate President Ahmed Lawan to respect Nigerians by immediately returning the nomination of President Muhammadu Buhari’s aide, Lauretta Onochie, proposed to the Senate as a National Commissioner in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to Mr. President.

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The PDP asserted that Senator Lawan will have nobody but himself to blame for the ridiculing of his tenure in office if he failed to return the nomination as demanded by Nigerians.

Consequently, the PDP also asked the Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Kabiru Gaya, to resist the attempt by Senator Lawan to drag him into public ignominy and odium by engaging him to do an incredulous, irresponsible, and dirty job of returning a confirmation of Onochie to the Committee of the Whole Senate.

The PDP charged Senator Gaya to immediately stand down all deliberations that concern Onochie before his committee.

The PDP in a statement released on Wednesday said:

“Senator Lawan must know that Nigerians are now holding him directly answerable for gross misconduct and impeachable act of perfidy for sending Onochie’s already rejected nomination to the Gaya’s Committee, in utter violation of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and total derision for the sensibility of Nigerians.

“Our party reminds Senator Lawan that the reasons that forced his hands to stand down Onochie’s faulted nomination eight months ago have neither changed nor abated. The reasons are still sticking and they are not far-fetched.

“In case Lawan needs to be reminded, paragraph 14 of the 3rd schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) forbids a person involved in partisan politics to hold office as a member of INEC.

“Relying on the above in demanding for a litmus of respect for the supremacy of the 1999 Constitution, the PDP holds that Onochie, as a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Ward 5 Onicha Olona, Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta state and who is also public campaigner for the APC and President Buhari, cannot, by any stroke of imagination, be appointed as an INEC official at any level and under any guise whatsoever.

“If anything, our party assures Senator Lawan that his desperation to appoint Onochie into INEC through the backdoor is an act of rebelliousness to the 1999 constitution as well as impudence to the sensibilities of Nigerians, which must never be allowed to stand.

“Therefore, the PDP directs our members and other democratically minded members of the National Assembly, across party lines, to activate and deploy all legislative instruments at their disposal against Onochie’s confirmation as a National Commissioner of INEC.

“The PDP also directs all our members and all lovers of democracy across the country to get ready to use all legitimate means including civic action against Senator Lawan and the APC leadership in the Senate if they do not rescind their attempt to confirm Onochie at all costs.

“The intent and purpose of the PDP are to preserve the sanctity and credibility of INEC and our party will never allow Senator Lawan and his APC to smuggle a fox into INEC sheep pen in their bid to corrupt and further desecrate the commission and derail our national effort towards the free, fair and credible electoral process in our country.

Our party also cautions Buhari Presidency to end its ignoble attempt to compromise the Senate and our electoral system in its bid to perpetuate its misrule beyond 2023.”

PDP: World Bank report exposes Buhari’s lies

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the report by World Bank that 7 million Nigerians have been pushed into poverty in the last year, has clinically belied the integrity posturing of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The opposition party said the world bank report came in the face of the recent claims by President Buhari that his administration has lifted over 10 million Nigerians out of poverty in the last two years.

The PDP asserted that the report by the World Bank has further vindicated its position that President Buhari runs an uncoordinated and clueless administration that thrives on lies, false performance claims, deceit, and perfidious propaganda.

The statement added that:

“Nigerans can now clearly see why the APC and President Buhari’s handlers are always in a frenzy to attack our party and other well-meaning Nigerians whenever we point to the poor handling of the economy and on the need for President Buhari to always be factual on pertinent issues of governance in our country.

“Unfortunately, it indeed appears that Mr. President enjoys living in denial while watching millions of Nigerians go down in abject poverty, excruciating hunger, and starvation as our country now ranks 98th out of 107 in Global Hunger Index under his watch.

“Otherwise why would Mr. President claim that his administration has lifted over 10.5 million Nigerians out of poverty while official figures even from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show worsening poverty rate with 142.2% growth in food inflation and over 82.9 million Nigerians being unable to afford their daily meals due to the failure of the administration to take practical steps to grow and protect the food sector?

“Under President Buhari, Nigerians are now subjected to the worst form of poverty and hardship, with collapsed purchasing power, occasioned by a voodoo economy management that has wrecked our productive sectors and pummeled our naira from the about N167 to a US dollar in 2015 to the current over N500 per dollar.

“It is unfortunate that Mr. President will choose to always bandy fictitious figures and false performance claims, when he has, in a space of six years, destroyed our national productivity and reduced our country to a beggarly nation, a laughing stock and object of pity among the comity of nations.

“The PDP invites Nigerians to note President Buhari and APC’s similar false performance claims in other critical sectors, including power, transportation, road infrastructure, health, education, agriculture, security, aviation among others, where the Buhari administration has been bandying fictitious figures with no tangible project to point at.

“Our party counsels President Buhari, his handlers as well as their party, the APC, to note that Nigerians have seen through their deceitful clams.

“The PDP, once again, urges Mr. President to end his false performance claims and get more competent hands to manage the economy before every Nigerian is turned into a street beggar.”

Agbakoba submits 5 critical areas for amendment in 1999 constitution

Olisa Agbakoba: suggests five areas for amendment in 1999 constitution

Olisa Agbakoba, a senior advocate of Nigeria has sent a memorandum to the Senate Committee on the review of the 1999 constitution suggesting five critical areas to amend.

In the memo, shared with P.M. News, Agbakoba, who was the founding leader of the Civil Liberties Organisation, welcomed the constitutional amendment as it is designed to create a stronger constitutional framework. T

He then shared his thoughts on five areas out of the 17 being proposed by the National Assembly.

Legitimacy, Referendum and a New Constitution.

There is a strong perception that the Constitution is not legitimate because “we the people” was enacted by General Abdulsalami Abubakar’s Military Government. To legitimize the Constitution people have called for a referendum and a new constitution. If this is not possible, the legitimacy question may be resolved by amending the “We the people” military clause in the Constitution and reenacting it as “We the people,” as amended by the National Assembly. This may help the legitimacy issue and cool down calls for a referendum and a new constitution.

Ethnic Nationalities

Legitimacy can also be conferred on the Constitutional reform process by full involvement and incorporation of the leaders of our traditional and ethnic nationalities. The constitution reform process will gain very strong imprimatur and legitimacy by coopting these leaders. Prof. Ben Nwabueze has indicated that ethnic nationalities are the true representatives of Nigeria. To quote him, “Nigeria has no territory other than the traditional territories inhabited by its constituent nationalities from time immemorial – Yorubaland, Igboland, Hausa land, Tivland, Kanuri, Ijaw etc. It is the ethnic nationalities that ceded or granted sovereign powers of government over their territories to Britain which makes them (i.e. the ethnic nationalities) the original and primary stakeholders in the Nigerian state”. I believe that giving a prominent seat to the leaders of our traditional and ethnic nationalities will be a substitute for yet another wasteful national conference.

Supremacy of the Constitution:

Our Constitution has always been weak. The Constitution must be supreme and inviolable, otherwise our democracy will never be strong. Prof Ben Nwabueze has suggested that a Declaration of Invalidity in respect of constitutional infractions, should be included as a new sub-section 1 (4) of the Constitution which deals with the Supremacy of the Constitution. The new section 1(4) will provide a drastic consequence for constitutional infractions.

Independent Institutions Consolidating Democracy

Our Democracy will always be fragile without strong and independent institutions. South Africa enacted chapter 10 of its constitution titled: Institutions consolidating democracy, to guarantee the independence of critical institutions. In our case, the closest we have to chapter 10 of the South African constitution, is Section 153, but it falls short of the South African model. We need to amend Section 153 of our constitution to provide for independent institutions such as the EFCC, Police, Accountant General, INEC, Judiciary etc. The strategy is that these institutions will be completely independent of Executive control.

Restructuring and Devolution of Powers.

Calls for restructuring have in my personal view become a catch-all phrase that has introduced more confusion than solution. I believe the simple way to go is by regional autonomy. Regional autonomy refers to the governance and administration of a federating unit in the interest of the local people, according to their aspirations. Nigeria is made up of multi-ethnic nations managed by a central authority. This model has proved unsuccessful. Europe understood that diversity is best managed by regional autonomy. Switzerland has four ethnic groups. Each of them shares the Presidency through four cantons that make up their federating units. According to Prof. George Obiozor, even though Quebec is the only fully French-speaking province, yet Canada is bilingual for the sake of Quebec. On the other hand, Yugoslavia mismanaged its diversity and the result was the emergence of six distinct countries. The same fate befell Czechoslovakia, now the nations of Czechs and Slovaks. The same is true of the centralised Russian Federation that splintered into more than 15 nations.

Ethnic Nationalism, the basis for successful nation-states, finds full expression in the reunion of Communist East and Capitalist West Germany. This is a perfect case of similar ethnicities easily living together. On the other hand, different ethnicities must live in balanced diversity. Regional autonomy resolves our diversity challenge.

Devolution of powers is a related concept to regional autonomy. Devolution means transfer of powers from one level of government to another and vice versa. There is no question that a transfer of power is needed in our country from the Federal to the States. The Federal Government is overburdened with legislative powers and must shed some to the Federating units. I suggest three new legislative lists as follows -the Federal list, State list and Shared list. Nigeria operates on the principle of cooperative federalism. The shared list will accommodate cooperation between federal and state government.

I have enclosed patterns of distribution of powers within Federations based on a study of 28 Federal Constitutions a rough guide on my suggested legislative lists are simply a rough guide.

Patterns in the Distribution of Some Powers within Federations

(Based on a Study of 20 Federal Constitutions)

– Currency: always federal

– Defence: always federal, sometimes – shared

– Treaty ratification: almost always federal, sometimes – shared

– External trade: usually federal, occasionally – shared

– Interstate trade: usually federal, occasionally – shared

– Intrastate trade: usually States, sometimes – shared

– Major physical infrastructure: usually federal, sometimes – shared

– Primary/Secondary education: usually states, rarely federal

– Post-secondary education and research: no clear pattern, usually States

– Income security and Labour matters: mix of federal and shared

– Pensions: shared and federal

– Health care: usually States, sometimes shared

– Mineral resources: no clear pattern but in Nigeria states suggested

– Agriculture: no clear pattern but States recommended, Federal for policy only

– Environment: usually shared States

– Municipal affairs usually States, occasionally shared

– Court system”: usually shared, occasionally federal, rarely States

– Criminal law: no clear pattern but generally state

– Police: usually shared, rarely federal

– Customs/excise taxes: almost always federal.

– Corporate and personal taxes: usually, shared, sometimes federal

– Arms, ammunition and explosives – Federal

– Aviation, including airports, safety of aircraft and carriage of passengers and goods by air – Shared

– Awards of national titles of honor, decorations and other dignities – Federal

– Bankruptcy and insolvency – Shared

– Banks, banking, bills of exchange and promissory notes – Federal

– Borrowing of moneys within or outside a country – Shared

– Census – Federal

– Citizenship, naturalisation and aliens – Federal

– Commercial and industrial monopolies, combines and trust -federal

– Control and Capital issues – shared

– Copyright – Federal

– Creation of States – shared

– Currency, coinage and legal tender- Federal

– Customs and excise duties – Federal

– Deportation of persons – Federal

– Designation of securities in which trust funds may be invested – shared

– Diplomatic, consular and trade representations – Federal

– Elections- shared

– Evidence – shared

– Exchange control – Federal

– Export duties – Federal

– External affairs – Federal

– Extradition – Federal

– Fingerprints, identification and criminal records – shared

– Fishing and fisheries including fishing and fisheries in rivers, lakes, waterways, ponds and other inland waters – shared

– Immigration and emigration – Federal

– Incorporation, regulation and winding up of bodies corporate, including co-operative societies, local government councils and bodies corporate – shared

– Insurance- shared

– Maritime shipping and navigation, including-

(a) shipping and navigation on tidal waters;

(b) shipping and navigation on the River Niger and its affluents and other inland waterways or inter-State waterway- shared

– Meteorology – Federal

– Military (Army, Navy and Air Force) – Federal

– Mines and minerals, including oil fields, oil mining, geological surveys and natural gas – usually shared, sometimes Federal

– National parks – shared

– Nuclear energy – shared

– Passports and visas – Federal

– Patents, trademarks, trade or business names, industrial designs and merchandise marks – shared

– Posts, telegraphs and telephones – shared

Prisons – States

– Public holidays – shared

– Railways – shared

– Regulation of political parties – shared

– Taxation, of incomes, profits and capital gains, etc – shared

* Supreme and Constitutional courts are almost always established in the constitution and are thus not a head of power. In some federations, municipal, or local governments are also constitutionally established.

Gov. Diri says Nigeria, ripe enough for change

Governor Douye Diri

Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa has said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will in 2023 bring about the desired change Nigerians are yearning for.

Diri also advocated the strengthening of the party at all levels in order to wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the center in the 2023 general elections.

In a statement on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, the governor noted that the PDP was the only reliable alternative party that could provide purposeful leadership at this point in time.

Diri, who decried the worsening insecurity in the country, said it behooved on the PDP to rescue the nation.

His words: “Nigeria is ripe enough for change. We have experienced the change that the APC brought and now it is time to change the change.

“PDP is the only veritable and reliable alternative party for now. So, you and I have been given the mandate to rescue this nation. We have the best times to bounce back to the national scene.

“Our appeal is that the APC should allow the people to determine who becomes their president in 2023. We don’t want Nigeria to go down,” he said.

Diri also cautioned that the party and country’s interests should be placed above personal considerations in the choice of a presidential candidate, noting that political power should be utilised to positively impact lives as it was ephemeral.

On the proposed use of electronic registration of party members, he urged the zonal leadership to prevail on the national leadership to kick-start the process.

While commending the zonal leadership for its role in getting Edo back into the PDP fold, Diri said South-South would remain a stronghold of the party.

While highlighting some of key projects being undertaken by his administration, particularly in the area of road infrastructure in the last one year, he assured the people that they would be ready for inauguration next February.

The projects include the construction of the Yenagoa-Oporoma and Sagbama-Ekeremor senatorial roads.

The construction of a media complex to accommodate the state-owned radio, television and newspaper outfits, establishment of technical colleges and the renovation of schools, among others.

In his remarks, the PDP National Vice Chairman, South-South, Chief Dan Orbih, commended the Diri administration for enhancing the state’s security architecture with the provision of operational vehicles.

Orbih, who expressed concern over the security situation in the country, urged the governor to collaborate with his colleagues in the zone to put in place a security network to protect lives and property.

He also applauded the development strides of the governor in the area of infrastructure development, noting that the achievements of the PDP governors would boost the party’s campaign strategies.

Orbih, however, condemned in strong terms the recent nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari of a known APC member as a commissioner in the Independent National Electoral Commission, describing the development as a threat to the country’s democracy.

Gani Adams writes UN, AU, reports Fulani herdsmen killings, invasion in Yorubaland

Gani Adams , Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland writes UN, AU on killings by Fulani herdsmen in Yorubaland

By Abankula

The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams has sent an alert to the United Nations, the African Union and others, on the killings of his people by “murderous Fulani herdsmen”.

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The letter titled, URGENT NEED TO STOP KILLINGS BY FULANI HERDSMEN IN YORUBALAND, was sent to the Secretary General, United Nations (UN), The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and the Secretary of State, United States (U.S.)

Other recipients were the British Foreign Secretary, European Union (EU) Member States and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Read the letter:

Your Excellencies,

This is to bring to your attention ‘a clear and present danger’ threatening the fragile union of our great country, Nigeria.

Senseless killings and massacre of Nigerians, almost on a daily basis, are tragically sliding toward an anarchical terminal point.

The inability or apathetical attitude of the Federal Government, pitiably as it is, is already compounding an already gory situation.

While you already know, through diplomatic sources and the media, what is going on in world’s most populous black nation, Nigeria, I want to urgently alert you that an agenda bordering on pogrom is gradually being executed in Yorubaland.

For your information, Yorubaland – in Western Nigeria and some parts of North-Central and South-South – has a population of more than 60 million people.

Yoruba people are in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kogi, Kwara, Edo and Delta States.

We are peace-loving people, believing in one Nigeria but sadly, that belief, today, is shaking, due to the invasion of our space by murderous killer herdsmen.

Today, the blood of innocent Yoruba men and women – the recent being the killing of scores of people in their sleep in Igangan, a rural community in Oyo State on June 6, 2021 – flows endlessly and those mandated to ensure protection of lives and property seem helpless. Or, according to popular belief, complicitous.

To begin to give statistics of prominent Yoruba people who have been murdered by these killer herdsmen and their collaborators will take too much space in this missive seeking your urgent intervention.

But, for emphasis, on July 12, 2019, between Kajola and Ore along the Ondo-Ore Expressway, Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, daughter of Yoruba leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, was murdered.

On November 26, 2020, a first class traditional ruler in Ondo State, the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Israel Adeusi, was murdered between Akure and Owo. The attackers came from the bush and shot him dead.

On December 11, 2020, a philanthropist who returned from overseas to help grow the Yoruba economy, Dr. Fatai Aborode, was tortured and killed in Igangan, Oyo State by people suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.

On January 18, 2021, Dr. Amos Arijesuyo, Deputy Registrar Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), was shot dead on the Ife-Ilesa-Akure Expressway.

The peace, stability and tranquility of Yoruba people in this geographical space called Nigeria are being tested by blood-thirsty maniacs through invasion of our land.

In our space, these herdsmen are accused daily of committing rape, kidnap and murder.

Some family members in Yorubaland have been put under serious pressure through payment of ransom – running into millions of naira – demanded by these conscienceless, unscrupulous and ruthless murderers.

Now, the agitation for them to leave our land has reached an alarming crescendo and the backing (that is the belief of our people) given to them by the Federal Government to continue to lay claim to the fact that ‘nobody can chase anybody away from any part of the country’, is not helping matters.

The invasion of Igangan, a rural community in Ibarapaland, Oyo State on June 6, 2021, leading to the massacre of scores of residents by these same band of roving killers, who prefer to stay in the forest because of their murderous intent, seems to be the last straw.

The patience of our people seems stretched to full limit because no one is safe anymore.

If not for the sake of conquest and murderous greed to grab land – as it is being done in Benue and some states in the North – what, I pray, will propel anyone or a group of killers to attack innocent residents of Igangan in the night, shooting them dead while sleeping?

The palace of the traditional ruler of Igangan, several houses and a petrol station were torched in this fit of lunacy.

When I was installed as the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland by the Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, I vowed to defend Yoruba people anywhere they may be in the world.

So, it is because of the psychopathic killings going on in our land that I’m writing this letter to you to please intervene in this murderous quagmire.

We have a situation in which the Federal Government appears overwhelmed and is fast losing grip of its constitutional mandate to protect the land.

Obviously, Nigeria is on the precipice, cascading downward in a dangerous and suicidal manner.

Words of wisdom seem to have taken flight.

Because we live in a global world, I am drawing your attention that any crisis that happens in Nigeria may have a negative effect on the rest of the world.

And it may happen soon because all the security establishments are already showing signs of virtual ineffectiveness.

Today, tens of millions of Nigerians, especially, Yoruba people, no longer have a sense of belonging.

Every attempt by our people to protect themselves against these marauders is being frustrated by the Federal Government.

When South-West governors mooted the idea of establishing the security network ‘Amotekun’ solely for the protection of our people, the Attorney-General and Justice Minister, Abubakar Malami (SAN), openly declared Federal Government’s opposition.

It is an understatement to declare that Justice has taken flight from the country. This singular tragedy has already compromised Nigeria’s existence because our people no longer belief in a system without fairness, equity and objectiveness.

You will recall that a former Chief of Army Staff and Defence Minister, Lt-Gen. T.Y. Danjuma, in May 2018, accused the military of collusion with bandits to kill innocent Nigerians.

Danjuma, a man who should know, said inter alia: “The Armed Forces are not neutral. They are conniving with bandits that kill people. They facilitate their movement. They cover them. Nigerians must defend themselves.”

The situation has got to a level in which some leaders of these killer herdsmen openly threaten governors who have banned open grazing, insisting there will be no peace unless Fulani herdsmen – armed with sophisticated weapons – are allowed to go from one state to the other.

In the process, farms are destroyed and farmers killed.

I want to say that nobody wants war but our people will not sit idle while they are being slaughtered like chickens.

I am raising this alarm because what is going on is provocative enough and the bubble may burst soon.

The North has enough land to accommodate the nomadic nature of Fulani herdsmen, so why come down south to destroy people’s farms?

Why, if not for ulterior motive, use the peripatetic and crude nature of the job to kidnap, kill and carry out criminal activities in forests?

Your Excellencies, if something urgent is not done, these series of attacks will soon have a negative effect on Western countries’ investments in Nigeria.

Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.

Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams

15th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland.ada

US-based Nigerian, Bernard Okorhi jailed over $10m scam

Brenard Okorhi jailed in U.S. for fraud

Nigerian, Benard Emurhowhoariogho Okorhi, has been sentenced to serve 75 months in U.S. federal prison for his role in an international fraud conspiracy.

Okorhi, 42, is the 11th member of the fraud gang to be jailed. He was initially living in Ghana, operating a business known as Coolben Royal Links LTD.

His gang used compromised email accounts to steal from businesses and romance scams on internet dating sites to trick individuals into wiring money overseas.

The scheme was estimated to have cost residents of the U.S. approximately $8 million dollars.

The total scheme was estimated to have netted over $10 million worldwide during criminal enterprise’s five-year lifespan.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr., announced the sentence on Wednesday.

Evidence presented in a Memphis, Tennessee court revealed that Okorhi and others, some U.S. citizens, some residents of Ghana and Nigeria–created fake profiles on online dating services to entice people looking for companionship into fraudulent relationships.

Once the victim was fully involved, the scammers would develop elaborate storylines that always required the victim to send financial assistance to his or her beloved.

The group also compromised the email networks of many businesses, redirecting wires intended to pay for services or goods to bank accounts under the control of the scammers.

The money was subsequently moved through a number of bank accounts before ultimately being sent to Africa.

Okorhi, Maxwell Peter, and Babatunde Martins were arrested overseas and extradited to the United States for prosecution.

Okorhi was extradited from Canada in 2018.

Several of their alleged co-conspirators remain at large, including Dennis Miah, Sumaila Hardi Wumpini and Okorhi’s brother Victor Daniel Fortune Okorhi.

Ayodeji Ojo has been arrested in Nigeria and is awaiting extradition.

On June 11, 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Okorhi to 75 months in federal prison.

The following individuals have been found guilty by a jury or entered pleas of guilty for their part in the scheme:

Babatunde Martins of Nigeria, time served (approximately 3 and a half years);

Maxwell Peter of Ghana, 55 months;

Olufolajimi Abegunde of Atlanta and Nigeria, 78 months;

Javier Luis Ramos-Alonso of California and Mexico, 31 months;

Rashid Abdulai of New York and Ghana, 12 months;

Dana Brady of Washington, two years’ supervised release;

James Dean of Indiana, two years’ probation;

Marie Zamora of Utah, two years’ probation;

Edchae Caffey, 18 months’ probation; and Ahmed Alimi, 14 months’ probation.

The FBI led the investigation.

The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, as well as the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Accra, the FBI Transnational Organized Crime of the Eastern Hemisphere Section of the Criminal Investigative Division, the FBI’s Major Cyber Crimes Unit of the Cyber Division, and FBI’s International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center all provided significant support in the case.

U.S. Marshals Service, INTERPOL Washington, the INTERPOL Unit of the Ghana Police Service, the Republic of Ghana’s Office of Attorney General, and Ghana’s Economic and Organized Crime Office, also assisted in the investigation.