ICPC moves to Recover N840m from Ex-President of Customary Court of Appeal

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
Commission (ICPC) has requested a Federal High Court, Abuja, to
order the interim forfeiture of N840 million traced to a retired
President of the Benue State Customary Court of Appeal, Mrs.
Margaret Igbeta.

The Commission, in an ex-parte motion filed at the court, said
that the order would stop Mrs. Igbeta from accessing the money
alleged to have been obtained through fraudulent activities in the
course of her official duties.

ICPC noted that the request for the interim forfeiture is
pursuant to Section 48 (1), (2) and (3) (a) and (b) of the Corrupt
Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and Section 6 (6)(a)
of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as
amended.

The retired President of the Customary Court of Appeal was
accused of operating a proxy fixed deposit account in the name of
her maid, one Theodora Atsu, with Ecobank Plc, where she
accumulated N870, 321, 492.15 between 2008 and 2019.

She was said to have opened the account with her passport and
the name of Atsu on the 5th of March, 2008, with an initial deposit
of N8 million.

She subsequently made several other huge deposits including
N123, 745, 925.57 and N5 million, in the months of March and May,
2008.

It was also noted by the Commission that the money was far above
her legitimate earnings both as a judge and President of the
Customary Court of Appeal within the period that the account was
operated and would have used to meet the infrastructural needs of
the citizens and development of the nation.

ICPC therefore prayed the court to grant the order in the
interest of the nation.

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Aregbesola Pledges continuity of policies, Reforms of
his Predecessor

The Honourable Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji
Aregbesola, has assured that he will continue with the policies and
reforms embarked on by his predecessor, saying that they are in
line with the “SET” objectives of President Muhammadu Buhari-led
Administration, which are improving security, economic
revitalisation and entrenching transparency in the conduct of
government business since governance is a continuous process.

The Minister gave the assurance at a reception in honour of the
former Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. (rtd) Abdurahaman Bello
Danbazau, held in Abuja, yesterday.

Aregbesola acknowledged that the former Minister has done
creditably well, particularly in the area of repositioning the
services under the Ministry, through ensuring that the services are
given the needed support to aid them in the maintenance of internal
security, in line with the mandate of the Ministry.

He added that the former Minister was able to provide the
Ministry with a befitting office complex for the Honourable
Minister, noting that all the reforms and policies that General
Dambazau initiated while in office were to ensure the provision of
internal security for Nigerians, so as to provide conducive
environment for foreign investment, thereby improving the economy
and ensuring transparency and good governance for the
citizenry.

Aregbesola who emphasised the main function of government which
is the protection of lives and properties of Nigerians, assured of
the Ministry’s total commitment to President Muhammadu Buhari’s
Administration to move the country to the next level by ensuring
collaboration amongst relevant security agencies through the
sharing of information with the view to arresting all forms of
security threats.

He observed that there is no meaningful development that will
take place without adequate security. “Therefore, Nigerians must
begin to see security as everyone’s business if only the country is
to move to the next level of socio-economic development”.

The Minister pointed out that corruption is also a cankerworm
that Nigerians must fight headlong, as there is no country in the
world that can attain meaningful development with corruption. “We
must together fight this menace and ensure transparency in all our
dealings,” he said.
He emphasised that the issue of Security, Economy and
anti-corruption does not begin and end on President Muhammadu
Buhari’s table alone. “It belongs to you, me and all Nigerians. We
must all join hands with President Muhammadu Buhari to address
these issues, politics and sentiments apart. We must begin to have
a rethink that it is a battle that all Nigerians irrespective of
their status in the society must together join hands with
government to do away with them. We must together join hands as a
team to move the country to the next level,” he affirmed.
..
Earlier, the former Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdurahaman
Bello Danbazau thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for granting him
the opportunity to serve, particularly in a Ministry that housed
para-military officers.
He said it accorded him the opportunity as a retired military
officer to learn more.

He dedicated his successes while in office to God, who elevated
him to the peak of his career, both in the military and in
academics and that it behoves on him now to serve the people.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Barr. Georgina
Ekeoma Ehuriah, MON in her welcome address eulogised the former
Minister, describing him as “a workaholic boss” whose innumerable
achievements had led to the actualization of President Muhammadu
Buhari’s Change Agenda in the sector.

According to her, “these can be seen from the outstanding
successes recorded by the Federal Fire Service through the
acquisition of firefighting equipment, the Nigeria Prisons Service
which culminated in the Nigeria Correctional Service and the
Nigeria Immigration Service among others”.
Ehuriah added that his monumental achievements in the promotion of
internal security cannot be forgotten in the history of Nigeria too
soon. “Many a man would have buckled under the pressure of the
hydra headed security challenges confronting our beloved country
but you fought like the General that you are and just yesterday,
you gave a passionate treatise replete with strategies to be
deployed to achieve peace in the North East and Lake Chad area”.
She said
SIGNED
Mohammed Manga
Director (Press & Public Relations)