Alleged N115m Fraud: Ex-SEC DG Gwarzo to make no-case submission

The suspended Director-General of the Securities and Exchange
Commission, Dr. Mounir Gwarzo; and the Executive Commissioner,
Zakwanu Garba, on Thursday informed an FCT High Court Maitama that
they would make a no-case submission in the charge filed against
them.

The duo were arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and
Other Related Offences Commission before Justice Husseini
Baba-Yusuf, on five counts bordering on fraud.

The defendants, through their counsels, Abdulhakeem Mustapha
(SAN); and Robert Emupkoeruo respectively, informed the court of
their intention to file no-case submission.

This they prayed after the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Adesina
Raheem, had informed the court that the prosecution was closing its
case against the defendants with the testimony of the fifth
prosecution witness (PW5), Taiwo Olorunyomi.

The defendants’ counsels stated that they were making the
submission pursuant to Section 302 of the Administration of
Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

Earlier, while being cross examined by Mustapha, Olorunyomi told
the court that the office of SEC executive commissioner and that of
the D-G were different.

He stated that the President was to appoint the D-G based on
recommendations of the minister (of Finance) and confirmed by the
Senate.

According to him, a person could not occupy the offices of
executive commissioner and D-G at the same time, adding that Gwarzo
was an executive commissioner before May, 2015 when he was
appointed SEC DG.

“He has spent two years (as executive commissioner) by the time
he was appointed Director-General,” the witness said.

Olorunyomi, who said he had been an investigator since 2005,
told the court that an investigator was supposed to critique all
material evidence for or against a defendant under
investigation.

He, however, said he was seeing Exhibit D9 shown to him for the
first time in the court, saying that the six SEC officials who
signed the document confirmed that the payment made to Gwarzo was
correct.

The witness was asked by the senior advocate to read the
political office holders affected by Certain Political Officer
Holders Salaries and Emolument Act.

The witness stated that the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian
Ports Authority, Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) and SEC
were not listed in the Act.

While being cross examined by counsel for Garuba, Emupkoeruo,
the witness stated that the team of investigators concluded that
Exhibit ICPC 3 (extract from SEC Board meeting of July, 2002) was
illegal.

According to him, “the major document we looked at, to conclude
that it is illegal, is Exhibit ICPC 19 “(Certain Political Officer
Holders Salaries and Emolument Act).”

He told the court that office of executive commissioner was for
a fixed period of time, adding that when the first defendant left
the office of executive commissioner that tenure came to an
end.

After listening to their submission, Baba-Yusuf adjourned until
March 18 for adoption of addresses on the no-case submission by the
defendants.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the ICPC accused Gwarzo
of committing fraud to the tune of about N115m in June 2015, when
he held forth as SEC Director-General.

It alleged that the suspended D-G received the sum of
N104,851,154.94 as severance benefits when he had yet to retire,
resign or disengage from the service of SEC.

It added that he conferred a corrupt advantage upon himself when
he received the sum of N10,983,488.88 in excess of car grant
payable to him.

Garuba, on the other hand, was accused by ICPC of allegedly
conniving with Gwarzo to commit the fraud.

(NAN)

Counter Insurgency: Campaigns in Support of
Military

Recall that on January 8th 2019, we announced that we would soon
launch a campaign to seek the support of the citizens for our
troops, especially in the fight against insurgency.

Today marks the fulfillment of that promise as we are here to
formally launch the NATIONAL CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF THE MILITARY.
It is a follow-up to the hugely-successful National Campaign
Against Insecurity which we launched on Feb. 16th, 2016, with the
punchline: ”If you see something, say something.”

Why are we launching this NATIONAL CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF THE
MILITARY? Because we believe that the men and women in uniform who
are risking all, including making the supreme sacrifice, to keep us
safe deserve the support and prayers of all Nigerians, not
vilification, insults and other acts that are capable of dampening
their morale.

And why are we launching the campaign now? Because, as our
gallant men and women in uniform clear the remnants of the
home-grown insurgency called Boko Haram, they are confronting a
fresh crisis, a global insurgency.

A faction of Boko Haram has aligned with the global terror
group, ISIS, to form ISWAP, the Islamic State’s West African
Province. In other words, ISIS now has a strong foothold in
West
Africa – with Nigeria in the forefront of the battle against
them.

With ISIS largely dislodged from Iraq and Syria, there is
undoubtedly a flush of fresh fighters and weapons to ISWAP.

Therefore, our military is fighting a global insurgency, without
the kind of global coalition, including the United States, that
battled ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

Those who do not understand the fresh threat facing our nation,
nor appreciate the sacrifice of our troops, have now made it their
past-time to wage a campaign of disinformation against the
military, especially in the social media. Doctored videos and
pictures purporting to show massive military casualties are
willfully circulated online. Such unpatriotic acts are discouraging
and demoralizing our troops, and must stop forthwith.

Let me state that those who engage in this act of disinformation
are few, and do not represent the majority of Nigerians who
appreciate the patriotism and the sacrifice of our gallant troops.
That’s why we are launching this campaign, to mobilize the majority
of the good people of Nigerians, irrespective of their political,
religious or ethnic leanings, to show support for our military.

It is high time that everybody joined in supporting this global
war (against insurgency). It’s not unusual, as a matter of fact
it’s usually the practice, that when a country is faced with this
kind of challenge, people will sink their differences and work
together.

The NATIONAL CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF THE MILITARY will be
multi-faceted. It will include the production and airing of special
jingles on radio and television, social media intervention and
advocacy. In fact, the jingles are ready, and will be airing on
radio and television starting this week. Also, the materials for
newspaper and social media are also ready.

We also want to enlist the support of the media for this
campaign. The media should indeed play the lead role in the
campaign.

We are happy to note that some television stations have already
started airing their self-produced TVCs in support of the military.
We thank them for this and we urge others to join them.

We also want to appeal to the media to show utmost
professionalism in reporting the insurgency. They must seek
official clarification before reporting casualty figures, and must
realize that the military will not release the identities of
soldiers who have paid the ultimate price without first notifying
their families. They must also not reveal national security as well
as military plans, since such acts can put our troops in harm’s
way.

Lai Mohammed
Minister of Information