Abuja High Court summons Borishade, two others

Aviation Nigeria

An Abuja High Court on Monday ordered Babalola Borishade, a former minister of Aviation to appear before it unfailingly on July 9.

Justice Abubakar Umar gave the order, after Borishade, Tunde Dairo and Rowland Iyayi, a former managing director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency failed to attend their trial.

When the matter was called at the resumed hearing, EFCC Counsel, Mr Daniel Penda, told the court that the counsel to the accused persons, Mr Kehinde Ogunwumiju, had served him with a letter seeking for an adjournment.

He said the adjournment was sought to allow Borishade attend the birthday ceremony of Chief Afe Babalola (SAN).

Penda told the court that only the fourth accused, George Eider, the Managing Director, Avsatel Communications Ltd, who is standing trial alongside Borisade, was in court.

Umar, who frowned at the absence of the accused and their counsel, said that they were disrespectful to the court.

"The counsel should have come to court to explain the absence of the accused persons. But he chose not to. This is highly disrespectful. I am ordering that the three accused persons and their counsel appear in court unfailingly on Tuesday July 9'' Umar ordered.

Reports indicate Borisade is standing trial alongside Iyayi, Dairo and Eider, an Australian over the alleged mismanagement of the N5.2 billion Aviation Safe Tower contract.

They were arraigned by the EFCC on a 15-count charge of bribe-taking and forging aviation contract documents on Nov. 19, 2009.

Source: NAN

Customs intercept $2.7m from 5 suspects at MMA

Aviation Nigeria

The Murtala Muhammad Airport Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 2.7 million dollars (or N432 million) from five suspected money launderers while attempting to travel abroad.

The Public Relations Officers of the command, Mrs Thelma Williams,  told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos that the arrests were made between January and March 2013.

She said that the command also arrested 12 suspects with 13.8 million (N2.2 billion) dollars from September to December 2012.

Williams said that there was no law banning travellers from taking money out of the country but the money must be declared by the traveller before being taken out.

“From 10, 000 dollars there must be a declaration. We have a form there on which travellers make a declaration stating the source of the money they are carrying and what that money is meant for. We’ll leave one og the forms here and send a copy to EFCC.

“They would go with a copy because there are some countries that would ask travellers to produce that.

“Sometimes we even have letters from some of these countries. They want to know if so, so person passed through our airport and if he made such a declaration so that it won’t look as if it is a fake declaration.

“You don’t pay any amount of money to declare. The money is yours; it’s just for you to declare. I have so, so amount of money with me that I am travelling out with.

“I think why they are running away from this declaration now is because government is interested. Sometimes it could be money laundering. Government is interested.

“Those that are running away I want to believe are those that are laundering the money,.“

Williams advised the travellers to make sure that the amount they would go out with is well declared, adding that the money should be changed at a registered  commercial bank and Bureau De Change.

She said that the five suspects and the monies involved had been handed over to the EFCC for further interrogation.

Williams said that the command also generated N2.3 billion in April 2013 up from N2.2 billion it recorded in the corresponding period of 2012.

She said that agents’ compliance with the law at the airport had resulted to increase in revenue collection.

Aviation firm takes DPR to EFCC over unpaid helicopters

Aviation Nigeria

An aviation services firm, Obike Systems Consults Limited, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), as well as the National Assembly Committee on Upstream sector of the oil and gas industry to investigate the refusal of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to release funds to contractors engaged to wet lease three helicopters for the offshore monitoring of oil terminals.

The firm said since 2010 when it secured approval for the contract to supply three helicopters for the offshore monitoring of oil terminals to be managed by the the DPR, it was yet to be paid for the job it had carried out, despite budgetary release of funds to the DPR.

Addressing reporters in Lagos at the weekend, the chief executive officer of Obike System Consults Limited, Navy Captain Jerry Ogbona (retd), said he had to petition relevant anti-graft agencies and the National Assembly to draw attention to the act of the DPR.

Ogbonna said since 2010, when over N2.17 billion had been allegedly budgeted for the three helicopters, the DPR was yet to release substantial amount to several contractors handling several segments of the project.


He explained that for the past three years officials of the DPR have been frustrating efforts to release money for the firm to complete the job of bringing in three helicopters, for which he secured a bank guarantee as advance payment for the lease.

He said :" In 2012, we got two helicopters from a Tunisian firm to facilitate the project. It was an eleven seater helicopter to enable us move material and men offshore for the job, yet the DPR will not pay us.

The important thing here is that in 2010 government budgeted N1.19bn for this project, in 2011 government budgeted N489m and in 2012 government budgeted N300m.

The  important thing is that government has been making all these monies available all these years, a total of N2.17bn has been budgeted for this project and has been made available through the ministry of finance but the DPR had always said that the money has been mopped up.

Passenger Nabbed At MMIA Lagos With $767,500

Aviation Nigeria

A passenger was again arrested, Friday, by the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for being in possession of $767, 500, the source of which he could not disclose.

The passenger, identified as Yusuf Taofeeq Olanrewaju with passport number A03758685, was arrested while trying to board an Emirates Airline flight EK782 to Hong Kong via Dubai, UAE.

Olanrewaju, who was discovered to be a frequent traveler, and the money found on him,  were later handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.

NCS Public Relations Officer at the airport, Mrs. Thelma Williams,  said though Olanrewaju declared the money found on him  on the prescribed forms CDF1A and CDF1B, he could not explain satisfactorily how he got the money. Further investigations, according to Williams, disclosed that he had a record of travelling with huge amounts of money.

“ Upon investigation, the passenger , Yusuf Taofeeq Olarewaju, was noted as a frequent traveler and was found with some currency as follows: On April 27, 2012, he was found with $182,000 , which he took to Hong Kong. On May, 26, 2012, he traveled with $228, 000 to Hong Kong. 

“On July, 21, 2012, he traveled with $395, 000 to Hong Kong. On September 15, 2012, he traveled with $525, 000 to Hong Kong. On November 3, 2012, he traveled with $10, 000 to China. And this present case, January, 10, 2013, when he traveled with $767,500 to Hong Kong,” the Customs spokesperson explained.

SOURCE: THEWILLNIGERIA