On Monday, October 14, 2024 a team of operatives of the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, comprising four officers were at Urban Radio 94.5FM, Enugu to invite one Favour Ekoh, host of Prime Time, a programme running at the Station.

Ekoh is being investigated by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the EFCC in an alleged N700 million Ponzi scheme fraud involving about fifty (50) victims. According to the victims, Ekoh allegedly lured them into investing in a scheme “Life Trading” in a company, Leverage Index Limited, where they were offered returns on investment of 10 percent of their capitals after a period of time.

The victims alleged that after investing their money into the company located at No. 1 Colliery Street, Okpara Avenue, Enugu State, the company closed its office with no return on investment or principal returned to the victims. Ekoh allegedly invited the victims into the business and she remained the only link the victims could hold.

At the Radio Station, operatives of the Commission, holding a warrant of arrest for Ekoh, identified themselves as officers of the EFCC. They informed the Managing Director of the Station, Bamikole Owoyomi, about their mission. However, in a rather strange twist, a staff of the Station called the Chairman of the Radio Station who ordered that the gate of the building be locked in and out, thereby holding the officers hostage. Faced with such hostility, they called for a rescue team which eventually arrested Omoyomi, Ekoh and the two security guards that locked them within the premises of the Station.

Ekoh had to be trailed to the Station for an arrest because the nature of the fraudulent dealings necessitated a sting operation that would foreclose her escape or going underground. She was neither arrested while on air nor any disruption of the lawful activities of the Radio Station took place. No equipment of the Station was tampered with and she has since been released after being allowed to make a Statement at the Enugu office. Owoyomi and the two security guards were arrested for obstruction of justice as they initially prevented the operatives from carrying out their official duty. They also made statements to that effect and had since been released.

The EFCC holds the media in high esteem both as the fourth estate of the realm and critical stakeholder in the fight against economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption, but the precipitate and unlawful obstruction of officers of the Commission from carrying out their duties, by staff of the Radio Station, is unacceptable. Besides, the professional credentials of Ekoh, a principal suspect in a Ponzi scheme to the tune of N700m affecting 50 innocent Nigerians, are questionable. The Commission hereby calls on the International Press Institute, IPI, and the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, to investigate the conduct of the Station in the light of integrity and ethical professional practice.

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Last Wednesday, October 9, a storage base in Russia’s Krasnodar region was attacked by the Ukrainian military. Less than 24 hours later, the Khanskaya military airfield was targeted.

This information is reported by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. The first attack, on the Krasnodar base, reportedly destroyed nearly 400 Shahed drones. “The destruction of this storage base will significantly reduce the ability of the Russian occupiers to spread terror,” the Defense Ministry said.

The next day, Ukrainian forces struck the Khanskaya military airfield, a location that Moscow uses to refuel aircraft as well as launch attacks on enemy territory. According to the Kiev Post, the base housed 37 L-39 training aircraft, 12 Su-34 fighter bombers, four Su-35S fighter jets, two Diamond DA42 reconnaissance aircraft, and two Mi-8 helicopters.

Although many videos are circulating on social media showing significant black smoke rising from the warehouses, the extent of the damage has not yet been determined.

(MH with Manon Pierre – Source: L’Indépendant – Illustration: Unsplash)

Justice M.O Dawodu of an Ikeja high court has issued an interim order restraining social critic, Martins Otse, aka VeryDarkMan, from further circulating or publishing any defamatory video or comments against legal expert, Femi Falana.

Ruling on an ex parte application on Monday, October 14, the presiding judge ordered VeryDarkMan to delete “defamatory comments and videos” concerning Falana from all his social media pages.

While giving the ruling on Monday, the judge also ruled that the Falanas can serve VDM court papers through his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju. The court also held that Falana has 14 days to file the pre-action bundle on VDM’s lawyer and gave the order for VDM to delete any defamatory post against Falana on his page within 14 days from when this order was given.

Recall that on Tuesday September 24th, VDM released a purported audio conversation between Bobrisky and a male friend in which Bob claimed he spoke with Falz while he was in prison and that Falz and his dad, Femi Falana, SAN, tried to get him a presidential pardon for an exchange of N10 million.

VDM, in his reaction, expressed disgust at Falz and his father for associating with Bobrisky and even asked if Falz ‘dey do’’, a comment some have interpreted to him questioning Falz’s sexuality.

The Falanas have since denied helping Bobrisky to facilitate any presidential pardon. Falz in a statement from his father’s chambers on September 25, confirmed that Bobrisky reached out to him on May 4 to ask for N3 million to secure a VIP section in the prison. He said he refused to give Bobrisky any money. Falz stated that VDM’s comment portrayed him to be a homos£xual, one to pervert the cause of justice and a complicit in the upturning of justice for financial gains.The rapper also argued that VDM also portrayed him as a fake human rights activist without contacting him to hear his side of the story.

Femi Falana denied ever speaking to Bobrisky or having any dealings with him. He has also stated that his chambers never charge a dime to secure a presidential pardon.