Metro
Court Grants Cubana Chief Priest N10m Bail
Instagram celebrity, Pascal Okechukwu aka Cubana Chief Priest, on Wednesday, pleaded not guilty for alleged Naira abuse.
He pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The socialite was arraigned at the Federal High Court, Lagos before Justice Kehinde Ogundare on Wednesday.
The anti-graft commission filed a three-count charge against Cubana Chief Priest accused of abusing the naira at a social event, an act said to be contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007.
After pleading not guilty, the court granted him bail in the sum of N10million with two responsible sureties in like sum, who must be gainfully employed with the federal or state government and not less than grade level 16.
The sureties, the court emphasized, should have landed property and the document must be verified by the court.
Cubana Chief Priest is also to submit his travel passport to the custody of the court.
The bail conditions must be perfected within seven days but in the meantime he was released to his lawyer who must give an undertaken to produce him later. Failure to do so, he will be remanded in correctional facility.
The charge filed on April 4 by EFFC’s prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) alongside seven other lawyers representing the chairman of the Commission, are as follows:
Count 1: “That you, Okechukwu Pascal on 13th February, 2024, at Eko Hotel, within the jurisdiction of the court, while dancing during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007”.
Count 2: “That you Okechukwu Pascal sometime in 2020, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007”.
Count 3: “That you Okechukwu Pascal sometime in January 2024, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007”.
Meanwhile, the defendant also informed the court of his pending application to challenge the jurisdiction of the court to hear the charge.
Justice Ogundare has adjourned till May 2nd to hear the application
This is coming days after the EFCC arraigned controversial cross-dresser Idris Okuneye better known as Bobrisky on similar charges for which he was sentenced to a six-month jail term.
The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, has condole with families of the victims of the fuel tanker fire which occurred at the Dikko junction in Niger state on Saturday, charging tanker operators to always adhere strictly to safety standards and observe due protocols in transloading fuel products.
In his reaction to the fuel tanker incident, according to a statement signed by the Public Education Officer, Assistant Corps Marshal Olusegun Ogungbemide, and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), the Corps Marshal described the human losses to the inferno as disheartening and disastrous, warning that such incidents must never be allowed to happen again.
The Corps Marshal expressed worry that despite sustained enlightenment programs carried out by the Corps with the tanker drivers on the need to be safety conscious while transporting petroleum products due to their inflammable nature and the general public to stay away from scenes of tanker crashes, many people could still fall victims of the Saturday’s unfortunate tanker incident. While recalling that 73 burnt bodies have so far been recovered by the rescue teams for final burial as arranged by the Niger State Government, the Corps Marshal revealed that the FRSC teams have been directed to sustain the joint operations with other relevant stakeholders to ensure effective management of traffic at the scenes in order to prevent further incidents.
In the same vein, the accident investigation unit of the Corps will work in collaboration with other agencies to unravel the causes and proffer solutions that could address future occurrence. “Meanwhile, those that sustained various degrees of injury have been taken to different hospitals including Suleja General Hospital for further medical attention as normalcy has returned to the area with free movement of traffic,” the Corps Marshal stated.
Shehu Mohammed stressed the importance of inter-agency collaboration and robust engagement with members of the public including critical stakeholders to ensure that the nation does not witness this level of human losses again, especially when the incident could have been prevented by strict adherence to due diligence. “The nation was yet to recover from similar incident that occured in Jiagawa last year, and having to witness another incident of this magnitude at the beginning of the new year is painful and regrettable,” he further stated.
The Corps Marshal assures Nigerians that the FRSC will continue to work with the relevant stakeholders and members of the public to find lasting solutions to all road-based emergencies and called for involvement of all Nigerians in the joint efforts to ensure safety and security of lives and property of road travelers.
While praying God for repose of the souls of all those that lost their lives to the inferno, the Corps Marshal appeals for support to the families of the survivors in the various hospitals to ensure their quick recovery. He further commiserate with the people of Niger state and commended the prompt intervention of the Executive Governor of Niger State who was physically present at the scene.
In furtherance of its ongoing scheme to excite and reward its subscribers across the country, Globacom, on Friday, in Abuja, held another draw to select winners in its Festival of Joy consumer promotion.
The draw, held at the Gloworld, Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse, had the presence of several observers including Glo subscribers, members of the media and Martin Oteh who led officials of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) to witness the process.
The company had before now presented prizes to winners in several cities since the promo started in October 2024, enabling hundreds of Nigerians who won various prizes to end the year 2024 on a joyful note.
As is the tradition since the start of the promo, the draw precedes the prize presentation exercise, which is to be done on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at the same Glo office at Wuse, Abuja. The lucky subscribers include the winner of a brand new Toyota Prado and winners of tricycle, sewing machines, generators and grinding machines.
Globacom encouraged new and existing subscribers to dial *611# to opt into the promo and to also keep recharging (voice and data) during the promo period, in order to be eligible to win the prizes on offer. New subscribers can participate immediately by purchasing a new SIM, registering it and dialing *611#.
“New and existing customers are to recharge up to N100, 000 cumulatively during the promo period to qualify for the draw for the Prado Jeep, N50, 000 cumulative recharge for Kia Picanto, N10, 000 in a month for tricycle and N5, 000 total recharge in a month to win a generator. For the sewing machine, a total recharge of N2, 500 in a month is required, while for the grinding machine, a recharge of N1,000 in a week will be eligible for the draw”, the company noted.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revoked lands allocated to Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, his Bayelsa counterpart Douye Diri, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen.
The minister’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, said the withdrawal of the R-of-O for 568 allottees followed the expiration of a two-week grace period to pay their C-of-O bills.
He noted that of the 3,273 allottees initially given two weeks in October 2024 to pay their bills, 568 remained in default after an additional grace period expired on January 15.
Also affected are the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Ibrahim Hadejia; former governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, Senate Leader; Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Minority Leader; Abba Moro, Minister of State for Labour and Employment; Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State for Industry Trade and Investment; John Eno, Chairperson/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM); Abike Dabiri-Erewa; late Sports Minister Bala Kaoje; and Regina Akume, wife of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
The fresh revocation comes three weeks after the initial withdrawal of 762 plots of land from their allottees.
