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Electoral Corruption, Worst Form of Corruption- EFCC

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Probing Magu In Order – NBA

The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu has described electoral corruption as the worst form of corruption as it undermines the will of the people and invests power in illegitimate hands.

According to Magu, a government that pays its way into power is hardly expected to be accountable; its priority upon assumption of office would be how to recoup its investment. That is the open sesame to corruption in public life, a phenomenon that has held us down as a nation.

Magu who spoke through the Secretary of the Commission, Ola Olukoyede at the National Policy Dialogue on Eradicating Electoral Corruption (Vote-Buying) at the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, described the timing of the dialogue as apt.

He said the dialogue was critical to “our collective aspiration to clean up the institutions and process of election management for the good governance of our nation”.

He said: “It was in appreciation of the damage, which the incidence of vote buying does to the integrity of our electoral processes that we resolved to play a more active role in stemming the practice in the just concluded general election. The EFCC’s intervention was moderated by our understanding of the pattern of vote buying in the elections that were held in two states, Ekiti and Osun states, in 2018.

“To stem the ugly practice, the Commission decided to employ a combination of preventive and enforcement strategies. Before the political actors became aware that the commission had become unusually interested in the electoral processes, the EFFC held sensitization meetings with critical stakeholders in the financial sector, impressing on them the need not to lend their institutions to be used as vehicles to subvert the will of the people. Some of the stakeholders included bankers and Bureau De Change Operators.

“Our engagement with them was informed by our knowledge of the roles which some of them played during the 2015 general election, helping politicians to move huge sums of money which were intended to be used to compromise election officials and other actors in the electoral process”.

He further explained that the Commission had to engage with law enforcement agencies with anti-money laundering mandate in neighbouring countries to check incidence of illicit financial flows before, during and after the general elections.

He said: “Additionally, we stepped up surveillance of financial system, to track suspicious cash movement which led to some arrests. These measures, we believe, helped to reduce the amount of cash available to politicians for vote buying.

“But the intervention that was most visible to politician actors and the electorates was the unprecedented step to physically police all the polling stations and collation centres to deter prospective vote buyers and sellers. From Birnin-Kebbi to Ilorin, from Sokoto to Awka, from Kano to Abeokuta, from Lafia to Port Harcourt, officers of the Commission were massively deployed across the country to polling units and collation centres to disrupt vote buying and arrest offenders. Some of the officers were kitted in customized EFCC jackets while many wore plain clothes.”

He said the officers made some arrests and seized money running into several millions of Naira.

He said: “While prosecution of a number of offenders are currently ongoing, we have secured the conviction of a local government councillor in Gombe State for vote buying and also finalizing arrangement to file charges against more offenders and those arrested for vote buying and others with large sums of money which purpose they could not explain.

“But beyond the arrests, the presence of EFCC operatives at polling stations and collation centres was a major deterrence to vote buyers. We believe that the fear of possible arrest by the commission dissuaded many who would have turned such voting centres into trading posts for votes.”

The EFCC acting chairman said the EFCC’s intervention was driven by passion to do something to engender public confidence in our electoral process, drawing from our experience of financial infractions in previous elections. It was not the product of any structured blueprint or policy. This is why I welcome this initiative by the ICPC.

He further said: “No doubt, there is a lot that the law enforcement community in Nigeria can benefit from such a blueprint, which should also clearly spell out rules of engagement agencies in the electoral process. Such blueprint when formulated will, hopefully address some of the criticisms against the participation of security and law enforcement organisations in the electoral process.”

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Sanwo-Olu Commends Banana Island Landlords for Compliance With State Building Laws

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Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Saturday commended house owners in Banana Island for complying with the state building laws.

The governor spoke while commissioning projects carried out by the Banana Island Property Owners and Residents Association, BIPORAL.

The projects commissioned were a state-of-the-art administrative office, recreation Park, mini football field and Banana Island Club House.

Sanwo-Olu commended the outgoing executives of the association led by its chairman Frank Aigbogun for a ‘ good working relationship with government officials.’

” Lagos State officials are currently enjoying working relationships with current executives to ensure necessary fees are paid to the government and residents keep within the rules of engagement in the estate. As a government, what we can do is to continue to support you,” Sanwo-Olu said.



He further urged them to continue abiding with building plans of the state government, adding that ‘we are a government for all ‘

While lamenting the lack of maintenance culture in the country, Sanwo-Olu urged them to maintain the facilities .

On the perennial flood experienced by the residents on the road leading to the estate, Sanwo-Olu promised that the Ministry of Environment will carry out inspection of the road with a view to finding lasting solutions.

He however noted that the flood is caused by houses built on the water channel around the area, adding that the government will not hesitate to demolish such houses after inspecting the area.

“Somebody has built a house on a channel of water that is supposed to be flowing to the sea. I plead with you to work with us. I don’t have an interest in demolishing people’s houses or making life uncomfortable for the people but we have to do what we have to do,” Sanwo-Olu said.

The chairman of the estate, Frank Aigbogun said the commissioning of the projects has redefined communal living in the island and was a major step ‘in our vision to create a thriving, secure and healthy community.’

He also pleaded with the governor to accelerate and ensure the access road to the estate is repaired.

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I Regret Obtaining NDA Form For Lagbaja, Says Family Head

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The head of the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja’s family, Pa Tajudeen Lagbaja, has expressed regret obtaining Nigerian Defence Academic (NDA) form for the deceased.

Pa Tajudeen, the younger brother of the late COAS’s father, stated that he would not have bought the form had he known it would lead to his death.

Some family members also alleged that Lt. General Lagbaja may have been killed through diabolical means due to a land dispute in his hometown.

According to TheNation, In 2023 a dispute arose in Ilobu, the headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area in Osun State, when representatives of the Nigerian Army planned to establish a hospital in the community.

Pa Tajudeen told TheNation that he initially obtained the NDA form for the late Lieutenant General.

“Everyone who is born must die. We give glory to God. The year that I obtained NDA form for him, if I had known that he would die before me, I would not have done so. I regret obtaining the form for him. But it is destiny.

“The death that killed Taoreed Lagbaja ought to take me. I took him as one of my children. We are greatly bereaved, we are sad. He constructed a borehole in his father’s compound and other places in the community.

“We can never forget him, his death is so shocking to us. I have accepted the fate, all the promises he made to me have hit a brick wall. He always gave us hope in the family, despite the sorrow, I give thanks to God,” the family head said.

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North: Emergence Of New Terrorist Group, Danger To Nigeria, Says Shehu Sani

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Former federal lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has expressed worries over the emergence of a new terrorist group, Lukarawas in Sokoto State.

Recall that the Defence Headquarters on Thursday confirmed the emergence of the new terrorist group in the North-western part of the country.

Reports indicate that members of the Lakurawa sect are currently making life unbearable for residents of Sokoto State.


Reacting to the ugly development, Shehu Sani in a post on his official X handle recalled how Borno and Yobe State have suffered attacks from the Boko Haram insurgents over a decade.

According to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP chieftain, the emergence of a new terrorist group at the moment would only expand the theatre of operations, citing the unending battle against terrorism in the region.

He, however, expressed confidence that the nation would overcome the daredevil terrorists.


He wrote, “For a country that has been fighting terrorism in multiple fronts for over one decade, the emergence of a new terrorist group in Sokoto will only expand the theatre of operations.

“There is no evil and cruelty that the people of Borno and Yobe have not seen or experienced for over fifteen years. Our country shall overcome and prevail over them”.

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