EFCC Arrests Lagos Maximum Prison Boss, Doctor – TheNigerialawyer

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested
Emmanuel Oluwaniyi, a Deputy Controller (DC) of Nigerian
Correctional Service (NCoS) and Hemeson Edson Edwin, also a DC, for
allegedly giving exaggerated medical reports that warranted a
convicted internet fraudster, Hope Olusegun Aroke, who is serving a
24-year jail term, being given a referral to be treated outside the
facility.

The first suspect, Oluwaniyi, who is the Controller, Kirikiri
Maximum Prison, as well as the second suspect, Edwin, who is in
charge of the medical facility, were arrested by operatives of the
EFCC Lagos Zonal office on Monday.

A statement from the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, on Tuesday
said the suspects have given useful information to the Commission
about their alleged involvement in the crime.

It will be recalled that Aroke, also known as H.Money, had
masterminded a mega internet fraud to the tune of over $1million
while in the prison custody.

The EFCC spokesman stated that he committed the alleged crime
from prison, using a network of accomplices.

“Aroke was one of the two Malaysia-based Nigerian undergraduate
fraudsters arrested by the EFCC towards the end of 2012 at the 1004
Housing Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos, following a tip-off.

“Aroke, who hails from Okene in Kogi state, had claimed to be a
student of Computer Science at the Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan
University, Malaysia.

“However, investigations by the Commission revealed Aroke as the
arrow head of an intricate web of an internet fraud scheme that
traverses two continents.

“When Aroke was arrested, a search conducted by EFCC operatives
on his apartment led to the recovery of several items such as
laptops, iPad, traveling documents, cheque books, flash drives,
internet modem, and three exotic cars – a Mercedes Benz Jeep, One
4Matic Mercedes Benz Car and a Range Rover Sport SUV.

“He was eventually convicted by Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the
Lagos State High Court, Ikeja on two counts of obtaining money by
false pretence, cheque cloning, wire transfer and forgery.

“He was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment on each of the two
counts,” the statement read.

US Indictment: Lawyer Asks Court to Bar Extradition of
Air Peace Boss, Allen Onyema

A Nigerian Lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Johnmary C.
Jideobi, has instituted a suit in the Federal High Court in Abuja
for the enforcement of the fundamental human rights of the
embattled Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Peace, Mr. Allen
Onyema, who is facing fraud allegations in the United States of
America.

The Abuja based legal practitioner in the suite no:
FHC/ABJ/CS/1446/2019 filed on Monday, and a copy obtained by
PRNigeria^[1] prayed the Court to bar
the Federal Government of Nigeria and Attorney General of the
Federation/Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami as well as
other agencies of government from harassing or extraditing Onyema
to the US against his will.

He sought a seven-point reliefs including a declaration by the
Court that the Federal Government and or any of its agencies with
prosecutorial powers as represented by Malami who is the Respondent
“is/are without powers to abridge the fundamental right of Onyema
to freedom of movement as donated by Section 35 of the amended 1999
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

The Legal Practitioner also wants the Court to declare “that on
the authority of Diamond Bank PLC vs. Opara (2018) LPELR-43907(SC)
the Federal Government of Nigeria and or any of its agencies with
prosecutorial powers as represented by the Respondent herein cannot
derogate from the constitutional right to freedom of movement by
attempting to forcefully expel and or extradite Onyema from the
shores of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to any other country of
the world for the purposes of any criminal trial whose substance
arose from underlying civil aviation contracts”.

Also to declare that they “cannot give effect to any extradition
request from any country of the world in so far as the ingredients
or constituent facts of the indictment and or charges underlying
the said request are traceable to or related with or arose from
diverse civil aviation contracts entered into by Onyema through his
duly registered companies with other duly registered companies in
other jurisdictions especially in the United States of
America”.

Jideobi also sought an order of the Court to perpetually bar”
the Federal Government of Nigeria and or any of its agencies with
prosecutorial powers as represented by the Respondent herein either
by themselves, their servants, privies, assigns or any other person
or authority acting either in concert with them, on their behalf or
under them from giving effect to any extradition request from any
country of the world in so far as the ingredients or constituent
facts of the indictment and or charges underlying the said request
are traceable to or related with or arose from diverse civil
aviation contracts entered into by Onyema through his duly
registered companies with other duly registered companies in other
jurisdictions especially in the United States of America”.

He also sought a Court order perpetually barring the Federal
Government of Nigeria and or any of its agencies from attempting to
use or seeking to use harass, threaten to arrest, inviting and or
arresting the Applicant in relation with the civil contract he
mutually entered into through his duly registered companies with
other aviation companies especially in the United States of America
or anything connected thereto.

The Applicant holds the clear belief that the Constitution of
Nigeria alongside the extant Fundamental Rights Enforcement
Procedure Rules, 2009 empowers him to initiate proactive steps to
“protect these highly cherished Fundamental Rights of Onyema now
that there is the likelihood that the Federal Government of Nigeria
through any of its prosecutorial agencies” may abridge these
rights.

According to him, the suit seeks to enforce the beneficiary’s
Fundamental Human Rights to ward off their impending or likely
erosion by the law Federal Government of Nigeria who may lend its
weight to the extradition request the Government of the United
States of America may present to it in violation of the
pronouncement of our Supreme Court in the case relied on.

To this end, Jideobi wants the Court to determine whether having
regard to the provision of Section 46 (1) & (2) of the 1999
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), the
Fundamental Rights of the Air Peace boss to freedom of movement,
protected by sections 35 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended),
have not been endangered and exposed to erosion by the facts and
circumstances revealed in the US charges.

No date has been fixed for hearing.

By PRNigeria^[2]