News 10
Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Alleged N14m job scam: Police drag psychiatric hospital staff to court Moses Oyediran, Enugu
ÏÏÏThe Police in Enugu State
have dragged a hospital staff, Mrs. Stella Achara to an Enugu High Court over alleged employment scam to the tune of N14 million. Achara, the personal secretary to the Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Dr. Jojo Onwukwe is facing charges of Advanced Fee Fraud. It could be re-called that she was earlier docked before a magistrate court sitting in Enugu East for a related offence, from where she was remanded in Enugu prison. The case was later withdrawn from the lower court for lack of jurisdiction. However, the Police have now filed fresh charge against the suspect at the Enugu High Court. In the charge, No. E/197C/2017, signed by Mr. Damian NjokuUmeh, the officer-in-charge, legal prosecution, Enugu State Police command, she was accused of defrauding job seekers to the tune of N14m. According to the police, “Stella Achara in or about the years 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 at Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu in the Enugu Judicial Division did by force pretences and with intent to defraud, obtain from one Nwatarah Hope “f ”, Stella Egotanwa “f ”, Ogbe Onyinye “f ”, Nwufo Ifeoma “f ” Aforka Clementina “f ”, Ikemefuna Ebonyi “m”, Stella Onyeji “f ” Mbah Loveth Ifeoma “f ”, Okoh Perpetua “f ”, Uche Onyia “f ”, Egbo Nonye, Igbokwe Patricia “f ” and Nwaizugbe Chioma “f ” the total sum of N14 million (fourteen million naira), by falsely pretending that you have power to procure employment for them and what you will employ them as staff of federal neuropsychiatric hospital, New Haven, Enugu, which presentation you knew to be false.” Her conduct is said to have amounted to “obtaining property by false pretenses contrary to section 1 (1) (a) and punishable under section 1 (3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Fraud related offences act, No 14
Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2006.” Achara’s ordeal started following multiple reports against her at both the Enugu Area Command and the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Nigeria Police by over 50 job seekers, who claimed that they paid money to her for a job that never came. Consequently, the police launched investigation, during which they claimed several
signed and unsigned appointment letters were recovered from the suspect’s home. Among the job seekers, who have been enlisted as prosecution witnesses are: Nwatarah Hope, Nwufor Ifeaoma, Ikemefuna Abonyi, Stella Onyeji, Mbah Loveth, Okoh Perpetua, Uche Onyia, Egbe Nonye, who claimed to have paid the suspect N185,000, N450,000, N600,000, N450,000, N350,000, N250,000, N350,000 and N350,000, respectively.
Passengers stranded as aviation unions shut down Kenya Airways Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo
ÏÏÏKenya
Airways passengers in Nigeria were on Tuesday kept waiting for long hours following the action of members of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) in conjunction with the Nigeria Labour Congress who disrupted the airline’s operation for hours. To press home their demands, passengers of Kenya Airways were stopped from completing their travel formalities at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos at the airline’s check-in-counter.
Oyo State Governor, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi and Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai, during a courtesy visits to the governor, ahead Chief of Army Staff Annual conference in Ibadan, Oyo State… on Monday.
The unions took over the counters and crippled all activities of the airlines both in their offices and counters. On the reasons for their action, the National General Secretary of NUATE, Olayinka Abioye, said the disruption at the counters was as a result of the failure by Kenya Airlines Management to own up to their promises agreed over several dialogue to resolve the lingering issues bordering the welfare of Nigerians working with the Airline. He said, after due diligence with the Management in consonance with the International Labour Organization (ILO) collective bargaining principle, Management of the Airline had defaulted all licit arrangements which degenerated to the last option. He said “this would have taken place earlier but we had to reach KQ Management in Nairobi, Kenya and following the Commissioner of Police, Airport Command intervention truncated the picketing of the Airline to this day”. Explaining further, Abioye pointed out that, “the Kenya Airline defaulted in the incremental welfare programme for her workers, review of the terms and conditions of Nigerian workers in the Airline which has lasted close to two years, denying workers of their annual leave which goes against the Nigerian working rule that stipulates that workers are given 30days annual leave with full pay, amongst other reasons for the grounding of their operations and hoisting the NLC flag at their counter. He said this arrangement will last until the meeting all their workers’ demands”. Passengers who were stranded expressed displeasure over the development, saying that the airline would have to do something quickly for them to leave the country as they have urgent appointments to meet in Kenya. All efforts to get the reaction of the Management of Kenya Airlines on the matter was unsuccessful.
N2bn scam: Court grants Oronsaye leave to travel
Andrew Orolua, Abuja
ÏÏÏJustice Gabriel Kolawole of
the Federal High Court, Abuja has granted a former Head of Service, HoS of the Federation, Stephen Oronsaye, who is standing trial for a N2 billion pension fraud, the permission to travel to India for medicals and to return for continuation of his trial in January 2018. Oronsaye is standing trial
along with Osarenkhoe Afe, managing director, Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited, and both are alleged to be complicit in several contract awards during his tenure as HoS. Ade Okeaya-Inneh, SAN, lead counsel for Oronsaye at the proceeding of December 12, 2017, moved the motion dated November 11, 2017 and filed on same day, applying that he be granted the said permission. In granting the application, the
trial judge ruled that: “The DCI litigation of the Federal High Court, shall release the international passport of the defendant through his counsel, and he is permitted to travel to India from now till on or before January 31, 2018 and return his passport to the DCI pending the determination of the criminal charge”. Earlier in the course of proceeding, Justice Kolawole upheld the objection of Oluwole Aladedoye, counsel for Afe, challenging
the admissibility of a document which the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, sought to tender at the last sitting of December 5, 2017. The document, which included the audit report of the Office of the HoS, made by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, was in response to the request of the investigative team probing the pension fraud in the HoS office. The prosecution had sought to tender the document,
which came with a cover letter dated June 25, 2016 and signed by the Auditor General of the Federation.Aladedoye, in raising an objection to the admissibility of the evidence to be tendered, cited Section 83 of the Evidence Act, noting that while he did not object to the admissibility of the letter which was signed, he “objected to the admissibility of the accompanying document as it has no author, and was no signed by anyone”.