Connect with us

News

Obanikoro tells court: I’m surprised Dasuki’s security money was tagged as illicit

Published

on

By: Ikenna Oluka

A former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, has expressed his surprise  the Federal Government  tagged  the money  spent by the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, on secret security operations as “illicit”.

Obanikoro said as a result of a petition against him by Dasuki’s successor, Babagana Monguno, he had been under investigations  by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission since 2016.

Obanikoro said Monguno’s petition against him was on the allegation that he failed to properly document the use of a sum of  N4.6bn transferred to an account operated by him.

He, however, noted that it was not a  standard practice to keep record  of secret  security operations, saying he was surprised that Monguno would describe handling of funds by Dasuki as illicit.

He noted that in the course of being investigated by the EFCC based on Monguno’s petition, he had had to “reluctantly” made a refund of N200m to the Federal Government.

Obanikoro said these before the Federal High Court in Lagos where he is testifying against a former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, who was charged with N2.2bn fraud.

The EFCC accused Fayose of taking N2.2bn from Dasuki  for  his governorship election in 2012.

The money was said to have been sent by Dasuki to Fayose through Obanikoro.

While being cross-examined on Tuesday by one of the defence counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo (SAN), Obanikoro said, “The NSA coordinates all the security agencies. Some of their operations are clandestine and are usually not documented.

“It bothers me that clandestine operations of the NSA are described as illicit. It should worry every Nigeria. I am surprised that the current NSA can characterise the funds as illicit.

“The local Joint Task Force on Boko Haram is still being funded by the NSA and the operation started under our watch.”

Obanikoro insisted that the money  which Dasuki asked him to deliver to Fayose in 2014 was  not from an illicit source.

He noted that the money was transferred on Dasuki’s instructions into the bank account of a firm, Sylvan Mcnamara.

But when the defence counsel asked him if he was aware two of his children were signatories to Sylvan Mcnamara’s account, Obanikoro said, “Yes, they were signatories to the account prior to the operation in 2014.

“My children have relationship with the company. I also have relationship with the company.”

GrassRoots.ng is on a critical mission; to objectively and honestly represent the voice of ‘grassrooters’ in International, Federal, State and Local Government fora; heralding the achievements of political and other leaders and investors alike, without discrimination. This daily, digital news publication platform serves as the leading source of up-to-date information on how people and events reflect on the global community. The pragmatic articles reflect on the life of the community people, covering news/current affairs, business, technology, culture and fashion, entertainment, sports, State, National and International issues that directly impact the locals.

Continue Reading

News

Math Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With 2 Students And Getting Pregnant For One Tearfully Reveals The Baby Was Taken Away From Her

Published

on

The UK teacher who had a baby with an underage student while on trial for having sex with another teenage boy broke down in court after revealing her newborn baby girl had been “taken away” from her.

Manchester math teacher Rebecca Joynes, 30, sobbed to jurors over how her baby was taken “24 hours after being born” this past January — and now she only sees her for nine hours a week, Joynes told jurors on Monday, May 13, according to the Manchester Evening News.

“At the moment I have contact with her three times a week for three hours and that’s it,” she said through tears.

Joynes was arrested and released on bail on orders not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 after allegedly grooming her pupil, known as Boy A in court, by buying him a $430 Gucci belt before bringing him to her apartment for unprotected sex.

She was suspended from school and eventually fired, but soon after, she began having a relationship with a 15-year-old boy, known in court as Boy B, whom she had a baby with in January.

Joynes, who has denied having sex with either boy when they were underage, told the court that when she learned of the allegations against her she had gone to the second boy in a “panic” and he deleted all of her phone’s content.

The former teacher denied having a sexual relationship with the second boy until after he turned 16 and she was already suspended from teaching.

According to her narration,

She said he had added her on Snapchat twice, which she only accepted the second time because she thought he “wanted to tell her something.”

Joynes said a friendship developed and he quickly became her “best friend” even though the boy would make flirtatious and sexualized comments toward her when he was drunk.

She told jurors that it wasn’t until after his 16th birthday that he messaged her saying “I’ve left school now” with a winky face.

After she received notice that she had been dismissed from her job, he went to her apartment, where following an emotional conversation, they had sex.

The two then entered a relationship that Joynes described as “quite toxic” telling the court how the teenager was “very controlling.”

After discovering she was pregnant, Joynes hid love notes for the boy to find around her apartment.

The notes eventually led to a piece of baby clothing that had the words “I love my daddy to the moon and back” written on it.

The court was told that she gave birth to their baby girl in January, but following an emergency court hearing, the newborn was taken away from Joynes.

Joynes has denied two counts of sexual activity with Boy A; two counts of sexual activity with Boy B; and two counts of sexual activity with Boy B while being a person in a position of trust.

Her trial is ongoing.

Continue Reading

News

First Man To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died

Published

on

The first Man to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the operation.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which carried out the procedure in March, announced Sunday, May 12, that Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, has died.

They said there was no indication his death was a result of the transplant.

Transplants of other organs from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past, but the operation on Mr Slayman, who was suffering with end-stage kidney disease, was hailed as a historic milestone.

In addition to kidney disease, Mr Slayman also suffered from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

In 2018, he had a human kidney transplant, but it began to fail after five years.

Following his pig kidney transplant on March 16, his doctors confirmed he no longer needed dialysis after the new organ was said to be functioning well.

“Mr Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation,” MGH said in a statement.

Xenotransplantation is the transplanting of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.

MGH said it was “deeply saddened” at his sudden death and offered condolences to his family.

Mr Slayman’s relatives said his story was an inspiration.

“Rick said that one of the reasons he underwent this procedure was to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” they said.

“Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever.

“To us, Rick was a kind-hearted man with a quick-witted sense of humour who was fiercely dedicated to his family, friends, and co-workers,” they added.

While Mr Slayman received the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ to be used in a transplant procedure.

Two other patients have received pig heart transplants, but those procedures were unsuccessful as the recipients died a few weeks later.

In one case, there were signs the patient’s immune system had rejected the organ, which is a common risk in transplants.

Continue Reading

News

Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Arrive Nigeria Today, May 10th

Published

on

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex came into Nigeria for a private visit following an invitation by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa.

The Director of Sports, Defence Headquarters, DHQ, Air Vice Marshal Abidemi Marquis, said the founder of Invictus Games will spend three days in Nigeria and would interact with wounded soldiers and their families.

He said the visit scheduled from 10th to 13th May 2024 would help wounded soldiers in their recovery efforts.

Marquis said: “Because we realised that 80 per cent of our soldiers have been involved in this recovery programme, they are getting better.

“Their outlook on life is positive. You know, when you are engaged in, you experience a permanent disability, you know, issues, it affects your mental health and also your outlook on life.”

Prince Harry and Meghan who are already in Nigeria, First made a visit to children at the Lights Academy in Abuja, Nigeria.

Here are pictures.

Prince Harry and Meghan at Light Academy In abuja

Continue Reading

Trending