An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday discharged Miss Comfort Emmason of charges bordering on unruly behaviour and assaulting the flight crew aboard an Ibom Air aircraft from Uyo to Lagos on Monday.

Magistrate Olanrewaju Salami struck out the five-count charge against Emmason after the police prosecution team withdrew the case.

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At the resumed hearing, prosecutor Oluwabunmi Adeitan informed the court of new developments that necessitated the withdrawal.

She tendered an application to the court for the withdrawal of the case, which was admitted by the court.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) on Monday grilled a former Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal over suspicious cash withdrawals of N189billion.

Tambuwal, who was in the custody of the anti-graft agency in Abuja, was expected to account for the questionable cash haul during his tenure.

The Ex-Governor, who arrived the EFCC’s Headquarters around 11:30am, was still facing interrogators on the alleged financial crime at press time.

It was unclear if the Ex-Governor will be detained overnight or not.

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A source in EFCC said: “He is being held over alleged fraudulent cash withdrawals to the tune of N189billion.

“The withdrawals are in flagrant violation of the Money Laundering( Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022.

“We have isolated all the allegations for Tambuwal, it is left to him to respond. “

EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, declined comments on the matter

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has warned Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)’s staff against engaging in corrupt practices.

Mrs Ekere Usiere, ICPC Anti-Corruption Commissioner in charge of Rivers and Bayelsa state offices, gave the warning in a statement issued by NDDC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mrs Seledi Thompson-Wakama, in Port Harcourt on Friday.

According to the statement, Usiere spoke during the quarterly anti-corruption sensitisation workshop for NDDC staff and further warned that anybody caught in act would face the full wrath of law.

She acknowledged the critical role of the NDDC in the development of the Niger Delta region and stressed the importance of holding periodic meetings to sensitise staff against corrupt practices.

“NDDC staff must distance themselves from corruption, as anybody caught will be prosecuted in accordance with the law,” she stated.

Usiere explained that regular anti-corrupt workshops would enable NDDC employees to understand the impact of corruption on development and how to prevent it.

“This workshop themed, “Infractions/Offences in Anti-Graft Laws; Preventive Measures,” serves as an antidote to corrupt practices,” she said.

Also speaking, Dr Evans Peters, Head of Legal Department at ICPC in Rivers, urged the commission to strengthen its Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit to enhance its effectiveness.

He further advised the NDDC to implement a system for continuous review of corruption-prone processes and procedures, and to develop a code of ethics that would include corruption prevention guidelines for staff.

According to Peters, it is an offence for an individual to inflate contracts, award contracts without budgetary provision, and frustrate investigations.

“In addition, any staff who make false statements and returns, fail to report bribery activities, and conspire to provide false information, or engage in similar acts will be prosecuted.

“Every public servant should take the ICPC Act as a Bible and internalise its tenets, as ICPC frowns heavily on gratification,” he said

Peters further warned that proceeds from crime, or anything beyond a worker’s legitimate income, remained subject to seizure by the government, with the offender still liable to prosecution.

“Anyone caught in corrupt practices could be sent to jail. The law does not condone ignorance,” he added.

Earlier, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director of the NDDC, emphasised the importance of adopting measures to tackle corruption and entrench transparency in public service.

Represented by Dr James Fole, NDDC’s Director III of Administration and Human Resources, Ogbuku stated that the workshop formed part of a broader strategy to enhance service delivery in the commission.

“We are passionate about service delivery; hence, we organised this workshop to educate our staff on the need to avoid corrupt acts.

“We want our staff to work with diligence and uprightness while carrying out their duties,” he advised.

Ogbuku noted that the NDDC Board and Management would spare no effort to ensure that ethics and values would be firmly entrenched in the commission.