news
Corruption Allegations: ‘Obasa does not operate multiple accounts with our banks’
Officials of Ecobank, Wema Bank and Polaris on Friday denied that Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa is operating multiple bank accounts with them.
Some representatives of the banks spoke before the 9-man House Adhoc Committee on fact finding and investigation on the corruption allegations against Speaker Mudashiru Obasa being circulated on the social media on Friday.
The bank officials stated that it was not possible for an individual to operate multiple accounts with one Bank Verification Number (BVN).
The Committee is headed by Hon. Victor Akande (Ojo Constituency 1).
Present during the meeting were Hon. Rotimi Olowo, Hon. Yinka Ogundimu, Hon. Lukmon Olumoh and Hon. Mojisola Alli-Macaulay.
A Business Development Officer with Wema Bank, Mr. Adekunle Adeleke said that the BVN server did not reserve with any bank, and that it is with the CBN.
“SaharaReporters stated the account number and other details in their reports, but they didn’t state the BVN. What SaharaReporters wrote is not BVN. There are a lot of errors in their report.
“The BVN and the accounts stated in the story are not correct and they don’t belong to the Speaker of the Assembly.
“It is not possible for a BVN to have two dates of births. If they do so, it would be rejected in another bank, they would have to swear to an affidavit so that it would be the same.
“If it should be changed, it would be backed up by marriage certificate or sworn affidavit,” he stated.
Adeleke stressed that the companies stated by SaharaReporters in their reports had no linkage with Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.
He added that the name, signature and other details in the story has no relationship with Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.
“You can write Wema Bank to confirm if the accounts mentioned by SaharaReporters had any relationship with the Speaker.
“The computer system in the bank has a digital footprint that would show any visit to any account. It will show imprint of anyone that checks the account. You can request the details of all the checks, but we will need written request from the owner of the account.
“BVN is a different server, it does not belong to any bank. You cannot punch BVN and get any financial details. It is only the regulator or the anti-corrupion agency that can do so through the CBN,” he said.
Polaris Bank was represented by Mr. Charles Osho and Mr. Rotimi Omotayo, Chief Internal Auditor of the bank.
Mr. Omotayo said that only three of the 64 accounts credited to the Speaker by SaharaReporters were with Polaris Bank.
He revealed that two of the accounts belong to one Mr. Adebayo Adeyemi David, while one belongs to Mr. Ajayi Mudashiru Obasa.
“Mr. Adebayo Adeyemi David is different from Mr. Ajayi Mudashiru Obasa and there is no linkage between the two personalities.
“Rt. Hon. Ajayi Mudashiru Obasa has one account with our bank and the BVN quoted for Obasa is correct. The other person has a separate BVN for the two accounts.
“It is not possible to check someone’s account without authorisation. There is what we call system log. Whoever accesses an account is logged on the system and we can see whoever does that.
“We know those who access any account at any point in time. We can avail you of the information if you require it,” he said.
General Manager of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency (PPA), Mr. Onafowote Fati Idowu, who was also invited by the Committee, revealed that the 40 Toyota Corolla back-up cars bought for the 8th Assembly were with the notice of his office and that the purchase followed the due process.
He said that Certificate of Compliance was issued for the procurement of the vehicles on 30th April, 2019.
“We were communicated and we responded for the process to continue and we approved the purchase of the vehicles.
“The purchase of the vehicles was approved by the Management Committee of the House, led by the Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and the relevant documents were provided.
“Members of the Committee were Hon. Wahab Olumuyiwa Jimoh, Hon. Rotimi Olowo, Hon. Dayo Saka-Fafunmi, and Hon. Setonji David. The purchase was budgeted for and It is in tandem with the appropriate Procurement Law,” he said.
The committee subsequently adjourned sitting to Saturday 6th June, 2020 at 10am.
news
JUST IN : $4.2m COVID-19 fraud : Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Olugbenga Oloyede.jailed four years in US
The Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, Oba Joseph Oloyede, has been sentenced to more than four years in prison in the United States.
Oloyede, 62, who holds dual U.S. and Nigerian citizenship and resides in Medina, Ohio, was on August 26 handed 56 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio in a statement on Tuesday, the monarch, was also ordered to “serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $4,408,543.38 in restitution.
“He also forfeited his Medina home on Foote Road, which he had acquired with proceeds of the scheme, and an additional $96,006.89 in fraud proceeds investigators had seized,” the statement read.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Oloyede led a conspiracy to exploit COVID-19 emergency loan programmes created for struggling businesses.
“From about April 2020 to February 2022, Oloyede and his co-conspirator, Edward Oluwasanmi, conspired to submit fraudulent applications for loans that were made available through the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act,” the statement read.
In April, the duo pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax fraud charges linked to a pandemic relief scam that siphoned over $4.2m in federal stimulus funds.
The court was told that Oloyede, who also worked as a tax preparer, “operated five businesses and one nonprofit, while Oluwasanmi owned an additional three business entities.
“Both defendants used their businesses to submit loan applications using false information.
“They obtained approximately $1.2 million in SBA funds for Oluwasanmi’s entities and $1.7 million for Oloyede’s entities,” the statement added.
According to investigators, “Oloyede submitted fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications in the names of some of his clients and their businesses.
“In exchange, Oloyede would receive 15-20% of their loans as the fee, or kickback, for obtaining the loans for them, without reporting this income to the IRS on his own tax returns.”
The funds were then used for personal gain, prosecutors said.
“Investigators learned that the defendant used funds obtained from these loans to acquire land and build a home and purchase a luxury vehicle,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office disclosed.
In all, Oloyede “caused the SBA to approve 38 fraudulent applications, amounting to $4,213,378 in disbursed loans and advances.”
His co-conspirator, Oluwasanmi, 62, of Willoughby, was earlier sentenced in July to 27 months in prison.
He was also ordered to pay more than $1.2 million in restitution, forfeit a commercial property purchased with fraud proceeds, and surrender more than $600,000 held in financial accounts.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized the significance of the conviction, noting that the case was jointly investigated by the Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General, the FBI Cleveland Division, and IRS-Criminal Investigations as part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Fraud Task Force.
“This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Edward D. Brydle and James L. Morford for the Northern District of Ohio,” the release concluded.
news
BREAKING : Air Peace is set to launch direct flights from Lagos to Brazil, following an agreement reached during President Tinubu’s visit to Brazil
Air Peace, is set to begin direct flights from Lagos, Nigeria to São Paulo, Brazil following an agreement reached during President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Brazil
Details later
A passenger train traveling from Abuja to Kaduna derailed on Tuesday morning, sparking panic among passengers and their families.
The incident reportedly occurred along the Kaduna corridor shortly after the train left Abuja around 11 a.m. on its way to Kaduna.
A passenger on board described the situation as “chaotic,” noting that people were “scrambling to safety in fear and confusion.”
The cause of the derailment remains unclear, but official confirmation indicates about six people sustained injuries, with no fatalities reported.
According to security sources, military personnel have been deployed to the scene to help evacuate stranded passengers.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation has issued a statement on the incident.
-
news5 years agoUPDATE: #ENDSARS: CCTV footage of Lekki shootings intact – Says Sanwo – Olu
-
lifestyle5 years agoFormer Miss World: Mixed reactions trail Agbani Darego’s looks
-
health4 years agoChairman Agege LG, Ganiyu Egunjobi Receives Covid-19 Vaccines
-
lifestyle4 years agoObateru: Celebrating a Quintessential PR Man at 60
-
health5 years agoUPDATE : Nigeria Records 790 new cases of COVID-19
-
health5 years agoBREAKING: Nigeria confirms 663 new cases of COVID-19
-
news3 months agoBREAKING: Tinubu swears in new NNPCL Board
-
entertainment7 months agoAshny Set for Valentine Special and new Album ‘ Femme Fatale’