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Court Sentences Metuh To 39 Years Imprisonment

Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday, sentenced former Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, to a total of 39 years imprisonment.
Metuh’s sentencing, which came after four years of trial, was sequel to his conviction in a money laundering charge against him by the Federal Government.
But Metuh, however, is to serve to seven years imprisonment on corruption charges regarding his activities preceding the 2015 presidential election which his party lost.
Justice Abang, delivering judgment at the proceedings which lasted over six hours, convicted Metuh on all the seven counts, including the fraudulent receipt of N400million from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November, 2014, and use of the money for political activities of the PDP and for his personal purposes.
The court also convicted Metuh for transacting with a cash sum of $2million without going through a financial institution.
The judge agreed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) successfully proved that the transaction violated the anti-money laundering law which pegs the maximum cash transaction an individual undertake outside a financial institution at N5million.
Metuh and his company, Destra Investment Limited were arraigned on a seven-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N400million received from the former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
They were also accused of laundering the sum of $2million and conversion of public funds into private usage.
EFCC had in a seven-count charge it entered before the court, alleged that the N400million was electronically wired from an account that ONSA operated with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to Metuh, via account no. 0040437573, which his firm operated with Diamond Bank Plc.
It told the court that the fund, which was released to Metuh and his firm by detained former NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), was part of about $2.1billion earmarked for the purchase of arms to fight insurgency in the North-East.
Besides, the prosecution alleged that Metuh was involved in an illicit transaction that involved the exchange of $2million, in violation of extant financial regulations.
But the former PDP spokesman claimed that the said funds were for a national assignment as directed by the then President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
However, delivering judgment in the case, Justice Abang held that the prosecution was able to establish the ingredients of guilt in all the seven-count charge against Metuh and his company.
Justice Abang, accordingly handed down the minimum years as prescribed by Section 15 of the Money Laundering Act.
For count one, the judge sentenced Metuh to seven years imprisonment; count two, seven years; count three, five years; count four, seven years; count five, three years with a fine of N25million; count six, three years with a fine of N25million; and count seven, seven years imprisonment.
The sentences, which are to run concurrently, according to the judge, comes into effect from the day the judgment was delivered, meaning that Metuh will serve all sentences simultaneously, thereby staying only seven years in jail, from yesterday.
While the court ordered the winding up of Destra Investment Limited and the balance in the firm’s bank accounts to be forfeited to the Federal Government, Justice Abang, in addition, imposed a fine of N375million on Metuh.
The judge also directed Metuh to pay the fine of N375million to the Federal Government.
He also ordered Destra Investments to pay N25million to the Federal Government.
He ordered the accounts of Destra in Diamond Bank and Asset Resource Management to be closed and their proceeds forfeited to the Federal Government.
Meanwhile, a group of lawyers has charged the Federal Government to deploy the same energy used in the investigation and prosecution of a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, to those in the present administration that have allegations of corruption and fraud on their heads.
Metuh was sentenced to seven years imprisonment, yesterday, by a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Okon Abang after he was found guilty of money laundering charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Reacting to the judgment of the court, lawyers under the aegis of Coalition of Public Interests Lawyers and Advocates (COPA) said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration could prove its doubters wrong if and when individuals in the administration that have cases hanging over their heads were given a similar treatment like Metuh’s.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Barrister Pelumi Olajengbesi, said: “There is a kind of blood flow that moves in the Federal Government whenever an opposition is being prosecuted.
“What we are saying is that this same energy should be transferred to people who are within the government.
“We are saying that the energy used in prosecuting Olisa Metuh, that energy should be used to investigate all of these (alleged) corrupt elements in the government.”
He stressed that: “We have (Godswill) Akpabio there, who has a lot of questions to answer with the EFCC. Federal Government has not done anything about it.”
The EFCC, in 2018, said the case of alleged fraud involving Akpabio was not over after he (Akpabio) reportedly said that he was a man of peace that had no case to answer with the EFCC.
Olajengbesi also mentioned the current Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Mr. Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah, who he alleged was arrested outside the court premises in 2016 by the EFCC after the police withdrew a case of forgery against him.
Ogah had, however, faulted the reported arrest, saying he was never arrested and the report of his so-called arrest was “false, wicked and fabricated”.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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