I was paid N25m by Metuh from the arms fund but I sent it to the EFCC, says Sambo’s aide

Abba Dabo, former special adviser on political matters to former Vice President Namadi Sambo, has narrated how Olisa Metuh, spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), gave him N25m to fight criticisms in the traditional and in the social media against former President Goodluck Jonathan. 

Dabo, however, explained that he returned the money to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when he realised it was part of funds for arms purchase allegedly diverted for other purposes by Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA). “On December 16, 2014, Metuh paid N25m through Destra Investment Limited account into my personal account for purposes of publicity for the PDP,” he said. “When it became obvious that former President Goodluck Jonathan will run for office, government officials and party leaders started to meet to review the achievements of the government and prepare for the elections. “In the course of those meetings, a lot of concern was shown in the opposition’s total control of the media. 

The PDP was getting negative publicity, and ministers were told to speak more to the press to enhance the image of the government. “On my part, we set up a media support group and registered it as ‘Media Support System’ to do media work for the party. We commissioned writers to write and be paid to promote the government. “We called it rapid response team, which was successful. It was its success that led to more meetings with Metuh. “Social media was becoming more stringent in the criticism of the PDP. 

Also, Hausa radio stations were vicious in the attack of the government and the party. Chief Metuh thought I could assist in mitigating this; that was why he gave me the N25m five days after the presidential nomination convention. “With that money, we set up a team of facilitators and young IT enthusiasts to run a website called, ‘What’s up Naija’ but we could not register it because the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) wanted it to be ‘What’s up Nigeria.’ “Because the money was linked to the controversial arms deal, I decided to return it. 

On my own accord, I decided the best way out of this rigmarole was to pay back the money. I paid it back to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).” Dabo is the seventh witness to testify against Metuh. Metuh, who is facing a seven-count charge of money laundering arrived at the court a few minutes before 9am, donning a black suit, and was clean shaven — a departure from how he looked when he was at Kuje prison.

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Olisa Metuh released from prison after meeting 300 Million Naira bail condition

News just reaching Info 247 Plus has it that the national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Chief Olisa Metuh has been released on bail.

Metuh was released late Thursday evening of January 28 after he fulfilled his bail condition of the sum of N300 Million Naira and two sureties in like sum by a Federal High Court in Abuju on Friday.

Read Also : Picture of the Lady that that testified against Olisa Metuh

Special Adviser to Metuh, Richard Ihediwa confirmed his release to Info 247 Plus.

He said : “I can now confirm to you that I am with him now, yes, he is fine and he is in high spirit,” Ihediwa said

 Read Also : Olisa Metuh tears up and tries to chew statement   he wrote

Also PDP new director of media  Deji Adeyanju confirmed Metuh release to Info 247 Plus. 

He said “We were able to finish everything in the court at about 7 pm and left immediately,”Adeyanju said.

You will recall that Metuh is facing a seven counts charge of money laundering involving the sum of N400m, part of the $2.1bn arms fund which he allegedly collected from former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki.  His trial has been adjourned to February 4, 2016.

Read Also : Metuh TRIED over alleged destruction of evidence

Meanwhile the PDP has described the appearance of Olisa Metuh in hand cuffs during his trial as an action meant to destroy the image of the the party and present it before the glaring eyes of the world as a party of corrupt individuals even when they were yet to be convicted by any competent court.

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#DasukiGate; Thisday Newspaper owner, Nduka Obaigbena Surrenders Himself To EFCC

The publisher of Thisday newspaper and the owner of Arise TV, has reportedly surrendered himself at on Tuesday morning to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC in Abuja. He is linked to the ongoing Dasukigate. He allegedly received N500m to provide positive coverage of GEJ during the 2015 presidential elections. . 

In a letter to the EFCC, he claimed he received the money on behalf of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), although he denied that the money came from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Dasuki..... 

Obaigbena, 52, is the chairman of Leaders & Company, which publishes ThisDay, easily Nigeria’s most influential newspaper. Obaigbena has often been the subject of intense criticism by local and international media for his closeness to politicians, particularly those of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). In April, an Al-Jazeera Television programme indirectly referred to Obaigbena as a corrupt journalist who blackmailed public officials for financial compensation. He refuted the allegations; Al-Jazeera issued an apology shortly afterwards.

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HOW OLISA METUH BEAT UP BRITISH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL AND DROVE HIM OFF IN CAR BOOT

67-year old Kola Pele, the Vice-Principal of British Nigerian Academy, Prince & Princess Estate, Abuja, who has taught in numerous schools and nurtured many pupils, has narrated how the embattled PDP spokesperson, Olisa Metuh, invaded his school with policemen, beat him up and bundled him inside his car booth.

It was learnt that the school vice principal was going about his duty at the last BNA visiting day when the then National Vice-Chairman (South-East), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, invaded the school with his wife, policemen as well as aides and allegedly assaulted him and other teachers for confiscating his son’s GSM phone.

Metuh, a lawyer-turned politician, allegedly held Pele by the throat and reportedly ordered an aide to put him in his car boot, saying ‘No police IG or SSS can secure your release.’

The incident, which occurred on February 19, 2011, caused panic among the teachers and over 50 pupils that witnessed the incident as the affected teachers later filed a lawsuit seeking N250m for general damages, N10m for punitive damages and N350, 000 for medical bills. The writ was issued by Joseph Dauda (SAN), the Nigeria Bar Association President.

According to Pele, he went to the hostels around 6.30pm to check if the parents had dispersed, when a teacher, Ms. Amuche Igbe, informed him that she saw Metuh’s son, Derrick, a former pupil of the school, giving his GSM phone to pupils to use in violation of the school rules.

The BNA VP explained that Amuche seized the phone, handed it to him and he dropped it in his office. But he said a few minutes after, three jeeps drove into the school premises at top speed and Metuh alighted from the lead car.

“The jeeps drove round and round and this attracted pupils and staff. Metuh alighted and said, ‘who is Pele here’ and I said I am. He said, ‘where is my son’s phone. Before I could speak, he held my throat and pushed me to the ground. He said his boys should put me and another teacher, Babatunde Adedayo, in the car boot and that no police IG or SSS can release us,” Pele said.

According to him, a teacher, Hamzat Muftau, who was pleading with the PDP leader to calm down, was knocked to the ground by one of Metu’s aides.

He alleged that Metuh’s aides forcibly held Mufutau’s hands and took away his office keys and phone in an attempt to get him to release Derrick‘s phone. Incidentally, Derrick is no longer a pupil of the school as he was withdrawn in December 2010 while in Senior Secondary 2.

Pele stated that the teachers, who were apprehensive that he might be killed, advised him to release the phone, adding that the PDP leader had no right to visit the school as his son was no longer a pupil, adding that Metuh’s police aides did not intervene when he was being molested.

He further said that although the incident was reported at Garki Police Station, the Investigating Police Officer identified simply as Felicia said ‘Metuh could not be arrested because he is a big man, but could only be invited.’

Muftau, who corroborated Pele’s claim, stated that she saw Derrick chatting with some female pupils and asked him to leave the school, but instead of leaving, he walked towards the male hostel, saying he wanted to retrieve his phone.

She said, “A pupil offered to get the phone for him, but Derrick insisted on collecting it himself. There is a gap in the gate through which a hand held out the phone, but before Derrick could take the phone, I collected it from the person, but I could not identify the pupil who brought it out.”

Muftau also explained that every attempt to placate Metuh on the day was rebuffed as he insisted on having the phone.

“As I was begging him to take it easy, he said I should just get him the phone, and that it is very expensive and can buy 200 of my own. As I moved closer to him, his aide kicked me in the legs and I fell; he said I was touching his boss. I suffered body pains, but I am better now.”

Another eyewitness, Adedayo, a housemaster, described the incident as a show of shame, which might have degenerated into a serious violence if more staff were around.

“When Metuh grabbed the VP by the throat, I moved to intervene, but he asked his aide to put me and the VP in the boot of his jeep, and boasted that no IG or SSS can release us,” he explained.

When contacted, Metuh said nobody was man-handled, insisting that the allegation was ‘a lie to cover up their (the teachers’) incompetence and stupidity.’

He said, “They don’t have the right to seize someone’s phone. The school never has such rule on a visiting day. During the visiting day, the pupils have the right to use the phone. When he was in the school, my son took my phone and used it there. The rule doesn‘t say anything about using phone on a visiting day.

“Why do they have to victimise a pupil because he left the school? My son and wife were the victims. I don’t want to take issues with them because the owner of the school is my friend. But I welcome the law suit; let them serve me the writ.”

*This article was originally published in Punch on March 11, 2011*.

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Metuh TRIED over alleged destruction of evidence

Chief Olisa Metuh

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today, docked the embattled National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, before an Abuja High Court sitting at Maitama, on a two-count charge bordering on his alleged destruction of evidence against him.

Metuh who pleaded not guilty to the charge, was again brought to court  ‎in handcuffs by prison officials.

EFCC told the court that ‎the PDP spokesman who is also facing another seven-count criminal charge before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja, tore and attempted to chew a confessional statement he made under caution while undergoing interrogation.

 READ ALSO : OLISA METUH TEARS UP AND TRIES TO EAT STATEMENT HE WROTE

The anti-graft agency maintained that the said statement would have been vital to its prosecution of the criminal ‎case pending against Metuh before the Federal High Court.

It said that Metuh, by his action, committed an offence  contrary to sections 166 and 326 of the Penal Code Act.

Meantime,‎ Justice Ishaq Bello has adjourned hearing on Metuh’s bail application till Monday.

It will be recalled that Justice Abang ‎had on Tuesday, granted Metuh bail to the tune of N400million.

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Photos of Alex badeh house seized yesterday by EFCC. 15 cars also recovered from the house

Alex Sabundu Badeh is a retired Air Chief Marshal of the Nigerian Air Force. He is a former Chief of Air Staff and Chief of Defence Staff who served under President Goodluck Jonathan and his name has been mentioned in the raging corruption scandal. Yesterday, the EFCC sealed off one of his mansions in Abuja located at No 19 Kumasi Crescent, Abuja. Many Nigerians are enraged with the report that the sum of N1 trillion has been traced to the accounts of four former service chiefs 

The house was reportedly occupied by his son, Tony Badeh, a pilot, and his family. Tony and his family reportedly got a hint of the EFCC storming the house and he was already out of the country to South Africa with his family when the EFCC operatives swooped on the house. When the EFCC operatives arrived the house, the gateman said he and other domestic staff could do next to nothing and he had to call his boss, Mr. Tony Badeh, who told them not to offer any resistance to the EFCC and allow them entry to the house.

Residents around the area alleged that EFCC operatives had been monitoring the house for two weeks. One of them said the EFCC went away with about 15 luxury cars before sealing off the house.

See the photos below:

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