Veteran Nigerian entertainer, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, has reacted to the recovery of exotic vehicles allegedly belonging to the former governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom.

Naija News recalls that the asset recovery committee set up by the new Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, had raided an automobile shop reportedly belonging to Ortom.

Alia had accused the former governor’s administration of looting, maintaining that he “met no single car or truck in the government house”.

The committee was said to have seized some vehicles during the operation and used towing vans to pull out others, after attempts to drive them away failed.

Reacting to the development via his Twitter handle, Charly Boy lamented that he was disappointed with Ortom.

He berated Ortom for constantly condemning the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari whilst also getting involved in questionable acts.

He wrote, “See as Ortom go fall my hand.

“How come dem discover over 30 cars for ur garage, wetin you dey take am do.

“Na only u alone wan ride 30cars, una don craze be dat.

“Before, I bin like U small as u dey follow us tackle Buhari, I no know say u fk up pass

“I hope all the salaries U dey owe, say u pay before u leave.

“Kai, U no just try at all.

“APC/PDP who thief pass?

“Der Fathers.”

Says Dispute Was Resolved By Committee In 2015 And Urged Parties To Honour Resolution

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, has affirmed that the ruling of the Bankers’ Committee regarding the contentious issue between Ecobank Nigeria Limited and Honeywell Group over an alleged N5 billion debt still stands.

Sanusi said the Bankers’ Committee, acting as a consensus-based body, has the authority to make binding decisions for banks.

“The Bankers’ Committee by consensus, in general, makes binding rulings for banks. All the banks submit to its decisions. It acts almost like an arbitral court but no it is not a court,” he said.

Highlighting the significance of the committee’s rulings, Sanusi said that bankers themselves understand their rules and practices better than the courts, making the committee’s decisions widely respected and followed within the banking sector.

“However, this is a ruling by peers that all tend to abide by because these things go around. Bankers actually know their own rules and practices better than the courts,” he said.

The dispute between Ecobank Nigeria and Honeywell Group over the alleged N5 billion debt seems to have been resolved as early as 2015, following the declaration by the Bankers’ Committee.

According to a report from the committee’s Ethics and Professionalism sub-committee, the agreement for Honeywell to pay Ecobank N3.5 billion as a full and final settlement was deemed valid and should be honoured.

In response to a letter from Ecobank Nigeria, lawyers representing Oba Otudeko clarified that the claims made about decisions from the Supreme Court in case SC/CV/210/2021 on January 27, 2023, affirming the indebtedness of their client or Honeywell Group Plc were false.

The lawyers stated, “The letter falsely alleges that there was a decision of the Supreme Court in SC/CV/210/2021 made on 27th January 2023 ‘affirming the indebtedness’ of our clients and that the decision also ‘commanded,’ our above-stated clients to perform certain acts, neither Dr. Oba Otudeko, CFR nor Honeywell Group Plc was a party to the Supreme Court decision/proceedings and no order was made against them.”

They further clarified that the specific amount of N13,507,052,417.99 mentioned in Ecobank’s letter was not part of any court decision or judgment in Nigeria or elsewhere.

“The sum of N13,507,052,417.99 (thirteen billion, five hundred and seven million, fifty-two thousand, four hundred and seventeen naira, ninety-nine kobo) stated in Ecobank’s letter is/was not contained in the Supreme Court decision or any extant Court decision in Nigeria or elsewhere. No order of the court has also awarded same or any judgment sum (as debt owed) at all in favour of Ecobank as a liability from our clients or any of the Honeywell companies.”

The lawyers concluded that no court order has awarded such a sum as a debt owed by their clients, or any of the Honeywell companies, in favor of Ecobank.

The Bankers’ Committee, in the June 26, 2015 report, with reference number ODA/FMA/BUO/1493, said it received a petition that Ecobank was “attempting to renege on a settlement agreement” on facilities it granted to Anchorage Leisures Limited, Siloam Global Services Limited and Honeywell Flour Mills Plc.

The committee’s report, which was addressed to Ecobank’s managing director and chief executive, said “after several offers and counter offers with respect to the amount for the settlement, the parties agreed at the meeting of 22nd July 2013, involving your bank’s MD/CEO and the Honeywell Group chairman that Honeywell would pay the sum of N3.5 billion in full and final settlement of the indebtedness of the three companies. It was also agreed that Honeywell would immediately proceed to pay the sum of N500 million as a sign of faith towards the agreement.”

According to the report, Honeywell paid the agreed N500 million to Ecobank on July 23, 2013 and completed payment of the agreed N3.5 billion on January 10, 2014. Thereafter, the group requested for a letter of discharge from Ecobank.

However, Ecobank in a November 14, 2014 letter to Honeywell Group, claimed that the N3.5 billion was a partial payment and that the agreement that the sum was in full and final settlement was an “in principle understanding”.

How it all started

On July 23, 2013, Honeywell wrote to Ecobank accepting the terms for the resolution of the claim by the bank as agreed at the meeting held the day earlier and saying, “we confirm our agreement to pay the sum of N3.5billion as full and final settlement of our indebtedness to your bank. As part of the verbal agreement reached at the meeting, we shall immediately pay the sum of N500 million towards the facilities. We propose that the balance of N3 billion be paid in three equal half-yearly payments.”

That same day, Ecobank sent back a response in which the bank said, “please note that the agreement was for a full and final payment of N3.5 billion to be partly paid immediately by – N500 million on Monday, July 22, 2013, and the balance to be paid immediately thereafter before the CBN examiners leave the bank.”

The timing of the payment became a big issue and this saw both parties moving their wranglings to the court on October 16, 2015, via a suit by Ecobank before Justice Tsoho seeking to wind up Honeywell.

However, both parties began to get public attention for their dispute after Ecobank secured an ex-parte motion to restrain Honeywell and Oba Otudeko from operating their accounts in all banks and financial institutions and an order directing their respective banks to furnish Ecobank with details of their accounts in the banks.

This same bank-customer dispute was submitted to the subcommittee of ethics and professionalism of the Bankers’ Committee for adjudication and ruling was issued in favour of Honeywell, but Ecobank in a letter dated November 14, 2014, maintained that “during a recent CBN/NDIC review of the bank, the accounts were flagged and that the CBN had insisted that the amount outstanding be paid without further delay.”

On August 6, 2015, Honeywell filed a suit before Justice M. B. Idris in which it sought an interim injunction to restrain Ecobank from making any representation suggesting that it owed the bank and on August 10, 2015, the interim injunction was granted and both parties ordered by the court to maintain status quo.

Following this, Ecobank filed a preliminary objection on the basis that the Federal High court lacked jurisdiction to hear the dispute and on December 11, 2015, the court presided by Justice Idris held that the Federal High court had jurisdiction to hear the matter. Ecobank immediately appealed this decision.

On October 16, 2015, Ecobank filed two separate suits before Justice Abang. On this same day, Ecobank filed another two petitions before Justice Yunusa who on December 4, 2015, varied the ex-parte orders by granting Honeywell Flour Mills restricted access to its bank’s accounts allowing the company to take no more than N15 million weekly.

On July 13, 2018, justices of the Supreme Court made two rulings, both in favour of Honeywell.

In one, suit number SC.401/2016, which was an appeal by Honeywell against the ruling of a lower court in favour of Ecobank, the justices in the ruling read by Amiru Sanusi upheld the appeal.

In another ruling delivered by John Inyang Okoro, the Supreme Court justices reviewed an appeal brought before them by Ecobank in relation to the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on March 30, 2016, said inter alia, “having resolved all five issues against the appellant (Ecobank) , I hold that this appeal lacks merit and is hereby dismissed. I affirm the decision of the court of appeal delivered on 30th March 2016.”

In doing so, the Supreme Court justice said, “honestly, I have tried to understand the complaint of the appellant in this issue but it appears to be the more you look, the less you see.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, says contrary to insinuations, the lawmakers are not as rich as being projected to the public.

Rep. Kingsley Chinda, the Minority Leader of the House, representing the speaker, said this at an interactive session with the House press corps organised by the ad hoc committee on Media and Public Affairs, in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to him, this arm of government isn’t as rich as being projected.

“You have heard that members go home with N30 million every week or that we earn more than American lawmakers.

“And when you tell people that these are not correct, we can’t achieve success because it is coming from us, but when it comes from the media, people will believe it because it came from you,” Abbas said.

He said one of the cardinal points of the 10th Assembly was putting round peg in a round hole, adding that the parliament remained the unsung arm of government and their success depended on the media.

He described the media as partner in progress of the Nigeria project, while urging the media to reciprocate the gesture.

“If democracy must succeed, the parliament must be strengthened through the media. We are not asking you not to give information but give correct and accurate information.”

Also speaking on behalf of the minority caucus in the House, Kingsley said their role as minority was to ensure that the House stood straight by checkmating the ruling party.

“If criticisms are not constructive that is dangerous to us. Let your information not destroy us, but should right the wrong in the society.”

Rep. Khadijat Bukar-Abba, the Chairman, ad hoc Committee on Media and Public Affairs, said the House would sustain efforts to engage with everyone with a stake in the affairs of the House and the committee.

“Together, we can make the House of Reps and Committee proud in discharging her responsibilities,” she said.

On his part, Rep. Julius Ihvonbere, the Majority Leader of the House, lamented that the lawmakers were not telling their stories as they should.

He said the 10th House would strenthen those that would work on media and media related issues to put their stories out and not a recycling of the usual perspectives.

He said it was unfortunate that some constituents still believe that constituency money were given to lawmakers, adding that even his own constituency believed the narrative.

According to him, this time, there will be an effort to pay attention and define the narrative. we will engage and communicate better.

(NAN)

A young man, Abdulgafar Ayanrinde, who claimed to have dropped out of the University of Ibadan where he studied Law, has been sentenced to six years imprisonment for impersonating a legal practitioner and committing fraud.

Ayanrinde, aged 25, had been dragged before a Magistrate’s Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps in the state and slammed with a two-count charge bordering on impersonation and fraud.

He was said to have impersonated a legal practitioner and duped a Point of Sales operator.

When Ayanrinde was arrested and paraded by the corps in Osogbo recently, he had revealed that he ventured into criminal acts to spite his father whom he claimed to be a prominent Senior Advocate of Nigeria in Ibadan, Oyo State.

He had disclosed that he dropped out of the university at 200 level (Faculty of Law), owing to lack of money.

He confessed to have paraded himself as a SAN and deceived unsuspecting litigants into hiring him.

The NSCDC prosecuting counsel, T. J. Ayayi, had informed the court, upon arraignment, that Ayarinde paraded himself as a lawyer at the premises of the Osun State High Court on May 22, 2023 and also defrauded a female PoS agent of the sum of N150,000 at INEC Area, Osogbo on May 18, this year.

Ayanrinde had also admitted to having presented himself as a SAN to dupe five unsuspecting members of the public of their hard earned money.

He also confessed to stealing an iPhone worth N450,000,00.

The charge had read, “That you Ayanrinde Abdulgafar on the 22nd day of May, 2023, at the Osun State High Court, Oke-Fia, Osogbo, Osun State, in the Osogbo Magisterial District, willfully represented yourself to one Abdulsalam Adbulhafeez Abiodun that you are a legal practitioner and did pretend that you are qualified to act as a legal practitioner, representation which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22(1) of the Legal Practitioners Act, Cap L11, LFN 2004 and punishable under the same section.

“That you (defendant) on the 18th day of May, 2023, at INEC Area, Osogbo, Osun State, in the Osogbo Magisterial District, with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of N150,000. 00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) from one Adeoye Iyanu Seun on the pretence that you would transfer the said sum to her Polaris Bank Account, a pretence which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act – Cap A6 L.F.N. 2004 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

Ayanrinde had pleaded guilty to the allegations.

He was not represented by any lawyer in court.

The prosecutor had urged the court to adjourn the matter in order for him to prepare for the presentation of facts in lieu of the defendant’s guilty-plea.

The presiding magistrate, M. A. Olatunji had adjourned for presentation of facts.

When the matter was mentioned for presentation of facts, the corps prosecutor had proved to the court that the defendant specialized in fraud, impersonation, stealing and obtaining money under false pretence.

However, Magistrate Olatunji found him guilty of the charges and convicted him accordingly.

Delivering her judgement, Olatunji sentenced Ayanrinde to three years imprisonment on first count charge and another three years on the second charge.

The magistrate further ordered the transfer of the sum of N150,000, being part of the proceeds of the crime from the convict’s bank account to one of the victims, Adeoye Iyanu Seun’s account while the Nigeria Correctional Service should provide facility and enabling environment for the academic advancement of the convict while in custody.

Reacting to the judgement in a statement issued on Wednesday by the corps Public Relations Officer, Kehinde Adeleke, the state NSCDC Commandant, Agboola Sunday called on parents and guardians to cater for their children and wards adequately.

He urged youths to embark on productive ventures that add value to their lives, rather than embarking on crimes and criminalities.