Monday, 4 April 2016

El-Rufai 's son Bashir living large [PHOTOS]



Photographs of Bashir, one of the sons of Nigeria’s former FCT Minister, Nasir El-Rufai and current Governor of Kaduna State shows him partying hard and living large...



















Source -Breaking Times

Fuel Scarcity leads to fire outbreak in Awolowo road Ikoyi (Photos)




There is a building currently in fire along Awolowo road Ikoyi Lagos state.

The building is said to be beside sterling bank and opposite Oando Filling Station

The fire reportedly started after an attempt was made to siphon fuel from a commercial motorcycle.

According to twitter user, the fire has been brought under control

More pictures below




Bride collapses as police arrests groom, a suspected armed robber on wedding day




It was a very disgraceful turn of events when a wedding ceremony at Aldersgate Methodist Church in the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis on Saturday, April 2, 2016 ended abruptly after policemen besieged the church's premises and arrested the groom.

The arrest is in connection with a robbery case at Aniamote, a community in the Wassa Amenfi District in the Western region.

The suspect, Aaron Ackah, is alleged to have robbed a Chinese Small Scale Miner of an amount of Gh¢18,000 (N930,000) after inflicting knife wounds on his left hand.




A.civilian, who led the police to the wedding venue at West Anaji told Starr News’ Western regional correspondent, Emmanuel Ohene Gyan the couple had just completed the exchange of vows and were about wearing their rings when two plain-clothed police officers from Bogoso stormed the place and whisked the bridegroom away after using one of the invitation cards to confirm his identity.

The joy and excitement that had filled the venue of the ceremony was cut short as many of the awe-stricken guests started weeping and wailing.




The bride, Rebecca Buah, was reported to have collapsed after the arrest. The suspect, Ackah, 30, has since been taken to Prestea for further investigation. Starrfm reports.

"F**k with Wizkid, you f**k with us" Davido reacts to Wizkid vs Linda Ikeji's fight



Davido who was spotted hanging out with Wizkid after their show in Congo Brazzaville has taken sides with Wizkid in his fight with Linda Ikeji

The musicians who used to be rivals have obviously resolved their issues as Davido posted a video with Wizkid and where he said "Money Nigga, F**K the blogs"


In another picture he took with Wizkid in a private jet showing the f**k you sign he captioned it "IT'S NOT EASY TO BE AT THE TOP!! WITH MY BROTHER@WIZKIDAYO !! ! F**k with him u F*ck with us!!"
Money Nigga, F**k the blogs
A video posted by Davido Adeleke (@davidoofficial) on 

BUSTED! Saraki's Multi-Billion Hidden Assets Finally Exposed



#PanamaPapers: Hidden family assets of Senate President Saraki Uncovered In Tax Havens
At least 4 assets belonging to Saraki family, tucked away in secret offshore territories, have been uncovered.

But the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, failed to declare them to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) as required by Nigerian laws.

This revelation, made possible by internal data of the Panama-based offshore-provider, Mossack Fonseca, was obtained by the German newspaper - Süddeutsche Zeitung - and shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) with PREMIUM TIMES and over 100 other media partners in 82 countries, could worsen Mr. Saraki’s case.

He's still battling to extricate himself from allegations of corruption.

Mr. Saraki is yet to respond to PREMIUM TIMES’ request for comments. His spokesperson, Yusuph Olayinonu, did not return calls or respond to a text message seeking comments.

But in a written response to ICIJ, the Senate President insisted, through his UK lawyers, that he “declared his assets properly in accordance with the relevant legislation,” and that the charges against him “are both unfounded and politically motivated.”

Last September the CCB slammed false asset declaration charges on Mr. Saraki, accusing the Senate President, among other things, of failure to declare his assets in full.

Under the code of conduct law, a public office holder is required to declare his own assets, those of his wife as well as assets in the names of his children below the age of 18.

In his declaration form, Mr. Saraki listed property owned by his wife, Toyin Saraki, to include a plot of land at Lekki valued at N5 million, which he said was a gift he received in January 1989.

Mrs. Saraki was also listed as owner of a property at 15 Bryanston Square, London W1 and 69 Bourne Street, London.

While the first, which rental income was put at £48,000 with a value of £900,000, was acquired in January 1989, the second, which value was put at £2m and had rental value of £150,000, was acquired for business in April 2000.

However, a fresh investigation by PT and its media partners, has uncovered a hidden London property in the name of Toyin Saraki but which was left out among the assets declared by the Senate President.

The hidden property is located at #8 Whuttaker Street, Belgravia, London SW1W 8JQ. It has title number NGL802235.

Similarly, the Senate President stated in his assets declaration form that his wife held an account in Eco Bank Broad Street, Lagos, where she had N1.5 million at the time he became governor in 2003.

She also maintained an account in Coutts & Co Strand, London, where she owned £450,000 and $125,000 in addition to $3 million in Northern Trust International Banking Corporation Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner.

Mrs. Saraki was also listed as maintaining substantial shares in European and American Trading Company, Tyberry Corporation and Eficaz Limited just as she held 500,000 shares, valued at £500,000, at P.C.C (U.K) Ltd. He was however silent on the number of shares the former first lady had in Haussmann and Tiny Tee (Nig) Limited.

Elaborate as the declaration in the name of Mrs. Saraki appeared to be, PT can authoritatively report that apart from the undeclared London property, three additional overseas assets in the name of the wife of the Senate President were hidden from the authorities and are missing from the assets declaration form.

Investigations reveal that Mrs. Saraki owns secret companies in some notorious tax havens.

The hidden assets
The first, Girol Properties Ltd, was registered on August 25, 2004 (a year after Mrs. Saraki’s husband became governor of Nigeria’s north-central state of Kwara) in the British Virgin Island (BVI).

Company documents show that Mrs. Saraki owns 25,000 numbers of shares with a par value of US$ 1,00 each, and was appointed the first and only director of the company.

It however remains unclear what businesses Mrs Saraki transacted with the company. Mrs Saraki however, in a letter to ICIJ, through her lawyers, denies ever owning any shareholding in Girol Properties.

The second company, Sandon Development Limited, was registered in Seychelles Island on January 12, 2011 and has Mrs. Saraki and one Babatunde Morakinyo, (a long-term personal aide and friend of Mr. Saraki) of 11 Okeme Street, Lagos, as shareholders.

While incorporating that company, documents show, Mrs. Saraki bought a curious service from Mossack Fonseca & Co, the Panamanian firm that helped her to register the firm.

Perhaps to avoid being identified as the beneficial owner of Sandon, the Senate President’s wife asked Fonsecca to provide nominee directors for the company. Nominee directors are sometimes used in tax havens to conceal real owners of companies and assets.

She then made an undertaking indemnifying the Panamanian company “in respect of all claims, demands, actions, suits, proceedings, costs and expenses whatsoever as may be incurred or become payable by you in respect of or arising out of any member or employee or associate of your company or associated companies holding any office, directorship or shareholdings in the company or by reason of or in consequence of any act or decision made by any such person or company in connection with the management and/or administration of the said company.”

Shortly after the company was incorporated, Mrs. Saraki used it, in July 2011, to buy the property on Whuttaker Street, Belgravia, London SW1W 8JQ.

The property, acquired from Renocon Property Limited, a company registered in the British Virgin Island, was never disclosed to Nigerian authorities as required by the country’s code of conduct law.

The third hidden company in the name of Mrs. Saraki is Landfield International Developments Ltd., a company registered in the British Virgin Islands on April 8, 2014. It’s registration number is 1819394 while its registered office is 1 Akara Blog., 24 De Castro Street, Wickhams Cay 1, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Island.

According to Mossack Fonseca, the registered agent of the company, Mrs. Saraki, at least until January 27, 2015, was sole shareholder and beneficial owner of the company which had two nominee directors – Glaisd Alie Limited and NewGombe Limited – both appointed on September 2, 2014. Its agent says Landfield is authorized to issue a maximum of 50,000 no par value shares.

“In so far as is evidenced by the documents filed at the Registered Office, the Company is in existence and, in good standing,” Mossack Fonseca recently said of Landfield in response to an enquiry by one Laura Templeman, a Senior Associate for Ogier Group, a law firm based in the British Virgins Island. “According to the documents filed on the Company’s file as at 27th January, 2015, there are no actions, pending or threatened against the Company and no action has been taken to wind up the Company or to appoint a receiver or manager.”

Mrs. Saraki claimed she sold her shares in the company to a third party in January 2015, but PT is yet to sight any document to that effect.

In July 28, 2015, Mrs Toyin Saraki, who was the first lady of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011, was interrogated by Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in relation to awards of contracts during her husband’s tenure as governor.

The EFCC has not taken further actions since her interrogation, and nothing has been heard of the case since then.

A troubled husband
Mrs Saraki’s husband, Bukola, who is Nigeria’s third most powerful official by virtue of his position as Senate President, is facing a 13-count charge of alleged false declaration of assets.

He is being tried by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, a special court that tries public officers for any contravention of the Code of Conduct for Nigerian public officers as spelt out in the Fifth Schedule of the Nigerian constitution.

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) were established to enforce “a high standard of morality in the conduct of government business, and to ensure that the actions and behaviour of public officers conform to the highest standards of public morality and accountability.”

The Code of Conduct Bureau had on September 16, 2015 slammed charges on Mr. Saraki, accusing him of offences ranging from anticipatory declaration of assets, to making false declaration of assets in forms he filed before the Bureau while he was governor of Kwara state.

The Senate President was also accused of failing to declare some of his assets, acquiring assets beyond his legitimate earnings, and operating foreign accounts while being a public officer – governor and senator.

The offences, the charge said, violated sections of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended.

Mr. Saraki is also said to have breached Section 2 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act and punishable under paragraph 9 of the said Fifth Schedule of the Constitution.

The Senate President has denied wrongdoings, saying the case was politically motivated and that he was merely being persecuted for emerging the President of the Nigerian Senate against the wishes of his political party, the ruling All Progressives Congress, which preferred a different candidate.

But this fresh revelation regarding hidden assets in tax havens might fuel the allegations against Nigeria’s third most powerful official and strengthen the prosecution’s case against the politician.

The Saraki family and ownership of offshore companies
Apart from Toyin Saraki, another member of the Saraki family popped up repeatedly as PT and its partners conducted a year-long investigation into the leaked Mossack Fonseca internal documents, which contained 2.6 TB files, involved 214,488 entities, and revealed hundreds of details about how former gun-runners, contractors and other members of the spy world use offshore companies for personal and private gain.

Laolu Saraki, brother to Senate President Saraki, also has several footprints in offshore financial havens, documents show. A number of shell companies are connected to the younger Saraki.

He is sole shareholder in some of the companies while sharing ownership with some business partners in others.

For example, documents show that Laolu is the owner of Polly Capital Holdings Ltd registered in Niue, a small island nation in the South Pacific Ocean.

Another document showed that after some years, Laolu brought in another person as co-owner. The company is now co-owned with a certain Richard Pembroke, who has 25,000 equity shares, just like Laolu.

Laolu’s other offshore companies are co-owned with his associates. Among the co-owners are Kojo Annan, son of former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan; Obi Asika; Olufela Ibidapo who are all known figures in Nigeria.

Laolu and Kojo Annan hold equal shares of 25,000 in Blue Diamond Holding Management Corp. The duo, along with Mr. Asika, also own Sutton Energy Limited, registered in the British Virgin Island.

Mr. Asika owns 15,000 units of shares, the same amount owned by Laolu Saraki and Kojo Annan. Mr. Asika was a Senior Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan, and is closely connected to the Sutton Group.

Mr. Asika’s profile on the website of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), of which he is Board member, refers to him as Founding Partner & Executive Director, Sutton Group from June 1999 to October 2002.

The connection between Mr. Annan and Mr. Asika seems clear, as Mr. Annan sits on the Board of Mr. Asika’s another company,Dragon Africa. Additional documents show that the trio – Laolu, Kojo and Asika – also co-own Sapphire Holding Ltd., a company located in Samoa, a tiny Island of an estimated 194,320 people in the South Pacific.

Company documents also indicate that Ensol Limited (Environmental Solutions), registered in the Republic of Seychelles, with registration number 028376, partly belongs to Laolu.

The company is co-owned with Ama Annan, a relative of Kofi Annan (former UN Secretary General), who was appointed director on May 19, 2006 but ceased to be director on July 2, 2008.

Another Nigerian, Olufela Ibidapo, was then appointed to replace her on January 4, 2010.

Mr. Ibidapo is the current Head of Corporate Affairs at Heritage Bank, a successor bank to the defunct Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, largely owned by the Saraki family but whose operational license was revoked by the Central Bank of Nigeria in January 2006 following the re-capitalisation policy in the banking sector.

The bank however returned with a new name (Heritage Bank) in 2012 following the order of the Federal High Court, compelling the central bank to restore its operational permit after it declared that it had amassed the required capital base to return to business.

It however remains unclear why the Saraki’s incorporated the offshore companies linked to them or what businesses they transacted with the entities.

While that may not be the case with the Sarakis, some business people in Nigeria and elsewhere are known to have created Shell companies offshore for a host of dodgy business reasons, which include hiding assets, avoiding tax or as fronts for illegal deals. Shell companies are however not entirely illegal, and not all owners use them for dubious purposes.

We have done nothing wrong – the Sarakis
Mr. Saraki and his wife denied any wrongdoing. Responding to separate written demands for comments, the couple maintained that it is not illegal to hold shares in offshore companies.

In a letter to ICIJ by the London-based law firm of Discreet Law, Mr. Saraki said he declared his assets properly in accordance with the relevant Nigerian legislation.

Mrs. Saraki, in a separate letter to the ICIJ through another London-based law firm, Harbottle & Lewis, also insisted that she “made all required disclosures in relation to her shareholdings.”

In their separate letters, the couple threatened to sue should the ICIJ and its partners proceed to publish information about the undeclared offshore assets, with Mrs Saraki saying any publication concerning her private financial information infringes on her privacy and breaches the Data Protection Act 1998.

Will Fitzigibbon (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists), contributed reporting to this story.

LOL! Fear of The Women of The Night


If the 'mama them' warn you not to cut down a tree, just respect yourself and leave it there. Benin thinz!

Graphic photos from this morning's robbery in Marina, Lagos




Residents of Abiku Oki street in Marina, Lagos woke up this morning to a unexpected robbery attack. According to reports, a group of five men stormed the street around 6:05am to rob one of the fashion stores that sells men clothing accessory. 
 
Although they succeeded in breaking into the store, some security men were able to run after them and caught one of them. One of the security guys sustained injuries though..see graphic photos below:
The thief that was caught
The wounded security guard



The burgled shop...

Sunday, 3 April 2016

PDP responsible for fuel scarcity, says Tinubu



The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has asked Nigerians to hold the Peoples Democratic Party responsible for the ongoing fuel scarcity across the country.

According to Punch, speaking to journalists in Lagos on Saturday, Tinubu said the PDP destroyed Nigeria during its 16-year rule.He said
 “We want to stay focused and redirect Nigeria. We want to reverse the decay of 16 years. We are hearing comments from the PDP left and right. We are saying we want to clear the mess they created. For 16 good years, the PDP destroyed the country. We should not be lamenting over petrol queues today if they had seen what was necessary and done what was necessary for this country.
“We can’t be emotional and live in self-denial. They should have done the Awolowo Road and the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. If they put priority on our railroad, if they put priority on electricity generation and distribution, we will not be in this mess today.”

Photos from Waje's daughter's 17th birthday party



 Waje's daughter Emerald turned 17 last week and the songstress threw her a birthday party .Guests included fast-rising act Ycee.


Popular Blogger, Emeh Achanga welcomes baby girl, Jasmine (photos)




I have some great good news for you.....There is a new mum in town...whoop!

One of my favorite bloggers, Emeh Achanga  has welcomed a baby girl..she is too cute..her name is Jasmine.

Meet Jasmine's father below:


Congratulations Emeh!

How an Ex Commissioner slumped, died at cyber cafe




A former Commissioner for Lands and Housing in Ondo State, Alhaji Abbas Aidi, yesterday, reportedly slumped and died at a cyber cafe in Akure.
He was said to have died after receiving an important letter that he had been expecting for a long time, though it could not be confirmed what the letter was about from family source who kept sealed mouth over his death.

 The late Alhaji Aidi was a commissioner for Lands under the late Chief Adebayo Adefarati administration in the state. Family source said that the politician was hale and hearty till yesterday morning as he was said to have driven himself to a cyber cafe in Akure metropolis before he reportedly slumped and died.
 Vanguard gathered that he was waiting to receive some letters sent to him via his mail to be printed when the unexpected happened to him. It was learnt that while the cafe administrator was busy printing the letters the politician reportedly developed some complications. Vanguard was told that the former Commissioner slumped after collecting the letters from the cafe administrator. He was said to have been rushed to a nearby hospital where he was confirmed dead by medical experts. 
Late Aidi haailed from Ikare area in Akoko South West area of the state and had worked as a banker for many years in Kaduna and Kano states before he ventured into politics. The deceased has been buried according to Islamic rites at his hometown, Ikare-Akoko in Akoko South West Local Government Area.

Laura Ikeji releases fun photos amidst Linda ikeji versus Wizkid beef | Fans query her



Some Nigerians just have no chill!
 
As we all know, Laura Ikeji, the younger sister of blogger Linda Ikeji is the talkative type..she doesn't take nonsense. When anyone be it a celebrity or whosoever throws a jab at her or her elder sister, Linda, she reacts immediately...unlike Linda, who used to ignore many of the online tantrums, Laura was the mouth piece and verbal defender.

Anyways, many of her fans kinda expected her to react today to the online drama that occurred between her elder sister and Wizkid...but she didn't. Instead she shared photos from her ongoing vacation with captions like "Having an awesome time....hehehe fun Sunday...having so much fun here"

 
Of course, her fans began to query her...








But really what do Nigerians want..when she talks, you people will say she is a talkative and now that she is keeping mum, you are still complaining, lol!

Kaduna Youths beat up Pastors, destroy Churches


image
Not less than 15 young men, invaded a church located in Ungwan Boro area of Kaduna city, at
the weekend, beat up the pastors and destroyed parts of the church buildings, including windows.

Although, Kaduna State Police Command did not say why the youths were aggrieved, it said
the suspects were youths who usually go to swim at a dam near the churches.

According to the Police Spokesman, DSP Zubairu Abubakar, one Akim Samuel has been
arrested in connection with the attack on the pastors and destruction of the churches. A
statement issued yesterday by DSP Abubakar added that police have intensified efforts to arrest the fleeing suspects in order to bring them to justice.

The statement said;
“On April 1, 2016, at about 19.30 hours, Pastor Yusuf Joseph and Mrs. Juliana Adebayo of Cherubim & Seraphim Holy Michael, and Agbara Oke Church of Ugwan Boro, reported at the Sabo Tasha Police Station that on the same date, some unknown youth, numbering about 15, who normally come to swim at Firoro Dam, stumbled on their churches, beat them up, destroyed the glasses of the window and destroyed some parts of church buildings. The scene of the crime was visited by the DPO for on the spot assessment. One Akim Samuel of ECWA Good News church, Ungwan Boro was arrested. Preliminary investigation reveals that the perpetrators are Christian youths. However, efforts have been intensified to arrest the fleeing suspects for full scale investigation and prosecution."