YAHOO EXECUTIVE JAM SCAMMER !! $8m fraud: Ajudua swore with son’s life not to defraud me – Bamaiyi

A former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, on Friday told an Ikeja High Court that Fred Ajudua, alleged serial conman, defrauded him in spite of swearing with his son’s life.

Bamaiyi made the disclosure while being cross-examined by Ajudua’s counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo, at the resumed hearing in allegedly swindling of Bamaiyi of 8.4 million dollars at the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons by Ajudua in 2004.

Friday’s session was the fifth in the proceedings in which Bamaiyi was cross-examined by the defence since giving his evidence-in-chief on Nov. 26, 2018.

Responding to Ojo’s question on why he did not ask for receipts from Ajudua as proof of receiving the funds, Bamaiyi said that he trusted Ajudua not to defraud him.

He noted that his trust was further strengthened when Ajudua swore with his son’s life not to defraud him.

“I trusted him completely; you don’t understand the concept and level of trust I had.

“I’m a father and a grandfather. I understand these things. If as a father he (Ajudua) swears that his only son should die if he should defraud me; that is more than sufficient receipt.

“When he defrauded me, I initially kept quiet. It was after he ran away for six years that I decided to complain. By God, I never knew I will find myself in court,” Bamaiyi said.

The former army chief said that the funds given to Ajudua for payment for the legal services of Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), were brought to him in prison by family members, friends and staff.

He said that prison rules allowed money meant for the payment of legal representation to be brought into the premises of the prison, adding that he recorded every money brought to the prison in his diary.

“Sometimes money was put in our food containers. The money is counted in the presence of the prison officers, so it was not hidden.

“My lord, I said it before and let me repeat it, when visitors come with the food containers, he who brings the food will taste it so that they will not poison the inmate.

“The food container has food on top; that is the one they will taste. Money is kept underneath the container.

“To me, the counting of the money is a record; the prison authorities knew about this money and constitutes records to the prison authorities.

“I can remember the specific amount each person brought; my former ADC, Timothy Chechet, brought one million dollars on two different occasions,” he said.

He said the individuals who brought some of the foreign currencies, gave statements to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirming that they brought money to the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons.

Explaining the source of the funds, Bamaiyi said that the money was given to him by friends who did not want their identity disclosed.

He also said that the funds were sourced from his personal savings, property and farming businesses, adding that some of the funds were withdrawn from his account at the defunct Nal Merchant Bank.

Following the revelation, Ojo requested for a copy of Bamaiyi’s statement of account, saying that the prosecution had not frontloaded a copy of the statement to the defence.

On his part, the prosecuting counsel for EFCC, Mr Tope Banjo, said that an additional proof of evidence containing the requested bank statement would be filed in court by the prosecution at an adjourned date.

The Judge, Justice Josephine Oyefeso, adjourned the case until Sep. 16 and 19, 2019, for continuation of trial.

According to the prosecution, Ajudua was incarcerated at the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons over alleged fraud while Bamaiyi was incarcerated over alleged involvement in the attempted murder of Mr Alex Ibru, late publisher of The Guardian Newspaper.

The prosecution alleged that Ajudua had alongside some accomplices, approached Bamaiyi in the prison in 2004.

The defendant had allegedly convinced Bamaiyi that he could hire the legal services of Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) to help secure his freedom from Kirikiri, and Ajudua allegedly fraudulently collected 8.4 million dollars as the legal fees.

When the alleged fraud came to light, the law chambers of Afe Babalola and Co. issued a disclaimer disassociating itself from the case.

- PM NEWS 

‘Doctors kidnapped’, policemen shot as gunmen hijack ambulance in Ondo

An ambulance conveying medical equipment was attacked at the boundary between Ondo and Edo states on Friday.

TheCable gathered that some medical officials were inside the ambulance, a white Toyota Hiace bus, when it was attacked.

A source said the ambulance was conveying drugs used in treating lassa fever patients to an undisclosed location, when the attackers struck.

“The team was traveling in the bus (ambulance) to deliver the medical equipment meant to fight the Lassa Fever when the gunmen struck on Benin road,” the source said.

“They ambushed, and attacked the medical team and later shot at the security personnel in the vehicle as I was told, they kidnapped those in the ambulance.”

TheCable could not reach Femi Joseph, spokesman of the Ondo police command, as of the time this report was filed. His telephone line was out of reach.

Ondo is among the states where the government is tackling insecurity.

Earlier in the week, Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor, narrated  how suspected kidnappers targetted his convoy.

He said his security aides had to open fire before the suspects fled.

- THECABLE

Police parades pastor for allegedly raping lady in Cross River

The Cross River State Police command has paraded Pastor Hossana Okoi of Gate of Testimony Church Sierra Leon for allegedly raping a lady.

Also paraded was a 400 level student of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Calabar, Nnamdi Kingsley Ikezue, allegedly arrested with arms and army uniform.

The Command similarly paraded twenty-five other suspects arrested for various crimes in the state.

Parading the suspects, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Austen Agbonlahor, said Pastor Okoi had claimed that his church was located in Sierra Leone and that he was arrested after a lady reported to the police that a pastor, who was supposed to pray for her had raped her and threatened her with a gun not to report the incident.

He said the command was ready and has strategized to stamp out criminals in the state and solicit support from traditional rulers to join hands in the fight.

“We shall stop at nothing in ridding the state of criminals. I want to equivocally state that the command has assiduously strategized an onslaught on these criminals across the state and we will never renege on this no matter whose ox is gored.

Among those paraded were nine for robbery; 10, cultism; five, sundry fraud; one for possession of firearm, while N409, 500 cash was recovered as well as ammunition and cartridges.

However, Pastor Okoi told reporters during an interview that he was framed up by the lady in question. He said, “I am a Nigerian but I am the pastor of Gate of Testimony based in Sierra Leone.

“I came to Nigeria and I met the lady, who said she was going to a wedding. I did not know her from Adam, but I offered to take her there and gave her N500 to drink water.

“Later, we met at a joint and we drank and that is all that happened. I did not take her to anywhere and I don’t know why she decided to frame me up.”

But Nnamdi Ikezue owned up to being a cultist, explaining, “I am having the army uniform because, I was at the Nigerian Military School, Zaria, before I got admission into the University of Calabar to study Medicine and Surgery in 2014. I am a cultist and I still use the military uniform and my gun, which I acquired to protect myself.”

He, however, regretted that the devil was behind his ordeal, because, according to him, “At the level I am now, I am not supposed to be in cult.”

- DAILY POST

Drogba, Makelele to join Lampard at Chelsea

Frank Lampard is set for an emotional return to Chelsea, as the club prepare to formally offer him the manager’s job and will bring some of his former team-mates, SportsMail reports.

Derby County will not stand in Lampard’s way, provided Chelsea are respectful in their pursuit and pay a £4million compensation.

Negotiations between Chelsea and their all-time leading goalscorer to become Maurizio Sarri’s successor, will take place once permission is granted by the Championship side.

Lampard’s imminent return has seen a growing determination at Stamford Bridge, to bring back more of the club’s legends.

Petr Cech is set to return in a technical role, although no final decision will be made until his Arsenal contract expires on June 30.

There is also a long-standing desire to bring Didier Drogba back to the club in some capacity, while former midfielder Claude Makelele, who quit as manager of Belgian side Eupen on Friday, has also been linked with a return.

Lampard would bring Chelsea academy graduate Jody Morris and former coach Chris Jones with him from Derby.

- DAILY POST

Ronaldo’s celebration of season spoilt by US rape court papers

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo’s celebration of his exploits in the 2018/ 2019 season has been soured by reports that he has been served with court papers related to a rape lawsuit in the United States.

A motion filed in federal court in Nevada on Friday said “the parties have agreed to deem Defendant effectively served,” meaning Ronaldo has officially received court documents in the case, allowing it to move forward.

Five-time world player of the year Ronaldo is accused of rape by Kathryn Mayorga, who claims the Portuguese soccer star assaulted her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009.

News of the rape lawsuit came as Ronaldo took the unusual step of cataloguing his achievements in the 2019 season on his Instagram account, a move some Twitter critics slammed as an open campaign for Ballon D’Or or FIFA World Player of the Year title.

Ronaldo, 34, has a record 171 million followers on Instagram and the post already attracted 5.3m likes.

Ronaldo, the former Porto, Manchester United and Real Madrid player, has strongly denied the rape accusations against him, insisting his encounter with Mayorga was consensual.

The legal process in the civil case had been held up as “federal court’s rules on serving foreigners” meant an identical state-level case needed to be dropped, Mayorga’s attorney said last week.

Former model Mayorga made the accusations against Ronaldo, who now lives in Turin, in a complaint filed last year.

She said that while she had agreed to a financial settlement with Ronaldo shortly after the alleged incident, her emotional trauma at the time did not allow her to participate in the mediation process.

Mayorga’s attorney added that the model agreed to an out-of-court settlement to keep her name from going public, but was inspired to speak out by the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment.

Ronaldo’s lawyers have said that the non-disclosure agreement signed with Mayorga was “by no means a confession of guilt”.

Following her renewed accusations, Las Vegas police reopened an investigation last year.

- PM NEWS