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Allies paralyse Rochas Okorocha
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in his desperation he ran to sokoto daura and even to the vice president but help has refused to come he said1 political allies have taken to the streets to jubilate for paralysing imo state governor rochas okorocha in the fight to take control of the ruling all progressives congress apc1 they said that they have made okorocha politically irrelevant in their determination to rescue the party from imminent collapse in the state1 dr theo ekechi who spoke to newsmen after a close-door meeting with the apc national leadership on thursday in abuja said the stakeholders had overwhelming evidences against okorocha1 this he said had made it impossible for the governor to get attention from any quarter in the state and in the south-east region1 he cannot run to any political figure in the state because none is with him he cannot approach any clergyman in the state1 there have been wide jubilation in imo because we have rescued the party from gov. okorocha we have made it impossible for him to get help from anywhere the imo stakeholders and bigwigs have said1 ekechi said rochass inaction was responsible for the problems facing the party in the state and the south-east generally1 in a petition submitted to the partys national leadership the stakeholders chronicled what they described as the governors sins and appealed for state of emergency in the state1 he called on the partys national chairman to bring to the notice of president muhammadu buhari the crisis in imo before it completely gets out of hand1 ekechi alleged that the state was being mis- managed under okorocha adding that the governor was running the state like a personal estate1 he also alleged that the governor was harassing and intimidating perceived opponents in the state. nan1 -
NAFDAC returns to seaports, borders
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he said many are currently ill most likely due to unwholesome foods drugs and abuse of narcotics and controlled substances such as codeine tramadol pentazocine etc. these are partly due to exclusion of nafdac from our ports since 2011. the recent documentary on codeine abuse brought more attention to the issue.1 officers of the national agency for food and drug administration and control nafdac have returned to seaports and land borders to control importation of unregulated products1 according to the agency this is to effectively control importation of unregulated products falsified and substandard drugs unwholesome foods narcotic drugs and hazardous chemical substances and foods into the country1 nafdac said it received the notice on wednesday may 16 2018 in a letter dated 29th march 2018 from the office of the vice-president professor yemi osinbajo as part of the pebec reforms1 in a statement signed on thursday the director general of nafdac professor christianah mojisola adeyeye said thousands of nigerians have died because of falsified and substandard medicines1 he also noted that the development became even more necessary following a recently released documentary on codeine abuse1 the agency is collaborating with relevant ministries departments and agencies mdas and with the active support of the office of the national security adviser onsa presidential enabling business environment council pebec and ministry of transport1 he further stated that apart from the dangers posed to public health drug abuse weakens and slows down economic and national development as well as increases the threats to national security1 the need for return of nafdac officials to the ports and borders has been emphasized in different fora by the new nafdacs dg but received a boost in the communique issued by the office of the national security adviser at the end of the national chemical security training conference in abuja on 16th march 20181 the theme of the conference was towards a secured importation distribution storage and use of chemicals in nigeria the statement noted1 the agency expressed gratitude to the office of the nsa the chemical society of nigeria the pharmaceutical manufacturing group of the manufacturers association of nigeria pmgman among other key stakeholders for recognizing it as a key player in the national security architecture1 it therefore promised that with the help of nigerian customs service the shippers council and other sister agencies it will ensure that products that pose danger to the population are controlled at the point of entry1 in addition the presence of nafdac at the ports and borders will reduce significantly the evasion of payments of statutory fees for importation of regulated products thus increasing the agencys internally generated revenue and that of the federal government the agency stated1 -
Kaduna LG Polls: APC wins 14, PDP 4 in final update
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kaduna state independent electoral commission on thursday gave an update on the results for 18 chairmanship seats out of the 23 local governments in the just concluded may 12 local councils polls1 the chairman of the commission dr saratu dikko who confirmed the results in kaduna said the all progressives congress apc won 14 local government chairmanship seats while the pdp won fourseats1 dikko said the commission would hold elections in the remaining five local government areas on june 2 20181 according to her the apc won in birnin-gwari giwa igabi ikara kaduna north sabon-gari kagarkokubau kudan lere makarfi sanga soba and zaria whilethe pdp won in jemaa kachia kauru and zango-kataf1 the ksiec had initially given sanga to pdp1 according to her kaura jaba and kajuru local governments would hold fresh elections on june 21 this conclude the confirmation of the result she said adding that the outstanding elections in four wards in chikun and two wards in kaduna south local governments would also hold on the same day1 she said certificates of return would be issued to the winners on saturday may 19 20181 -
Cash, jewellery, designer bags seized from Malaysian ex-PM Najib
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we have sealed the bags but we know they contain money and we know they contain jewellery1 dozens of designer handbags stuffed with cash and jewellery were seized during malaysian police raids on luxury properties linked to former prime minister najib razak on friday as a corruption probe gathered pace1 in the taman duta home of najib the police said they seized 52 luxury handbags. the handbags included 16 from chanel 10 from gucci eight from versace and five from oscar de la renta the straits times reported1 the operation also yielded a haul of ten luxury watches including several rolexes a hublot and a patek philippe as well as rm537000 s181000 and 2.87 million sri lankan rupees s24400 in cash1 according to straits times the haul was in addition to the 284 boxes containing luxury handbags and 72 bags filled with jewellery cash of various denominations watches and other valuables that were seized late on thursday night after the police raided three apartments owned by datuk seri najibs family in pavilion residences a posh condominium development in kuala lumpurs shopping district1 at one of these apartments the police took what was likely to be their biggest haul loading five police trucks with hundreds of orange boxes containing hermes birkin bags. a birkin costs anywhere between us12000 s16105 and us3000001 the discovery adds significantly to the peril faced by najib who just last week had seemed to be cruising toward an election victory before a stunning upset1 the raids made good on a pledge by the new government headed by 92-year-old prime minister mahathir mohamad to investigate najib1 officers had previously declined to comment on the searches1 but amar singh head of the malaysian police commercial crime investigation unit on friday confirmed the raids were linked to investigations into accusations that najib his family and cronies looted billions from a state investment fund he founded1 i cant give an estimated value of the items amar told reporters at the upscale kuala lumpur condo complex where the raids were carried out1 officers removed hermes birkin and louis vuitton bags as part of a trove whose value they said they could not yet estimate because of its sheer volume1 he said 72 of the bags were filled with large amounts of various currencies including malaysian ringgit us dollars watches and jewellery1 the amount of jewellery is rather big he said1 footage captured by local media showed cardboard boxes and suitcases sealed in plastic wrapping being loaded into a black police truck. it took five trucks to remove all of the seized items reports said1 just last week 64-year-old najib was widely expected to lead his powerful barisan nasional national front political machine to victory extending a more than six-decade reign that had made it one of the worlds longest-serving governments1 but his coalition accused of ballot-box stuffing and gerrymandering was unexpectedly trounced by a diverse alliance that rallied public support against najibs suspected corruption and increasingly repressive tactics1 the handbag discovery will add to public scorn for najibs wife rosmah mansor who has long been reviled by malaysians for her perceived haughty demeanour and reported vast collection of designer bags clothing and jewellery collected on jet-set overseas shopping trips1 her reputation contributed to voter perceptions of rot in a ruling establishment that had lost touch with economically struggling and middle-class malaysians1 mahathir had already barred najib from leaving the country in the wake of last weeks election over allegations that he oversaw the looting of billions of dollars from sovereign wealth fund 1mdb in a breathtaking and complex campaign of fraud and money-laundering stretching around the world1 the police actions have fuelled speculation in malaysia that najib would soon be taken into custody but so far there has been no indication that his arrest was imminent1 mahathir and anwar ibrahim the former opposition leader who was jailed under najib but freed on wednesday indicated this week that they expected charges to be filed against najib soon1 -
Kenyas UASU ends strike
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university lecturers in kenya grouped under the universities academic staff union uasu have ended a strike over low pay after reaching an agreement with authorities a union official said allowing classes to resume after being suspended since early march1 strikes by public workers in the country have become more frequent in recent years often over low pay and other grievances1 constantine wasonga secretary general of the union said the union had reached an agreement with the inter public universities councils consultative forum ipuccf which negotiates lecturers welfare with the government1 as the strike is now over all students are invited to resume their studies immediately wasonga said1 he did not provide details of the agreement but said negotiations with the government would continue1 aside from the pay issue the lecturers had also demanded access to services available to other public servants like car loans and higher quality medical insurance1 some public workers accuse the government of president uhuru kenyatta of neglecting them and failing to curb widespread corruption that they say swallows money that could be used to raise their pay1 government officials deny the accusation1 -
Mike Pompeo phones Buhari
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u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo called nigerias president muhamadu buhari and reaffirmed the longstanding relationship between the u.s. and nigeria u.s. department of state said1 spokesperson for the department ms heather nauert said pompeo during the call also underscored buharis visit to the u.s. on april 30 and recognised nigerias leadership in africa1 nauert said on may 17 secretary pompeo called nigerian president buhari1 the secretary noted the longstanding relationship between the nigerian and american people and underscored the themes of the april 30 official working visit of president buhari to the white house1 he recognized nigerian leadership across the african continent on priorities we share countering terrorism and other threats to peace and security creating economic opportunity fighting corruption and advancing democracy and stability1 the secretary welcomed continued cooperation in advancing our nations mutual prosperity1 the news agency of nigeria nan recalls that buhari visited the u.s. on april 30 at the invitation of president donald trump and held bilateral meetings with the u.s. counterpart at the white house1 the meetings which also had cabinet members from both sides focused on security economy and the fight against corruption. nan1 -
Impeachment: Kano lawmakers settle differences
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gov. abdullahi ganduje has waded into the crisis that almost engulfed the kano state house of assembly following a threat by aggrieved lawmakers to impeach the speaker and his deputy1 the spokesman of the aggrieved legislators and former speaker of the house alhaji kabiru rurum announced at a news conference in kano on wednesday night that the lawmakers have agreed to shelve their plan to impeach the speaker alhaji yusuf ata after the governors intervention1 we wish to inform you that the executive governor of kano state dr abdullahi ganduje as well as party leadership in the state have waded into the crisis that engulfed our assembly1 they also ensured that the crisis ended in an no winner no vanquished1 as loyal legislators of this honourable house who respect the supremacy of the leadership of the executive governor and party leaders in our state we wish to state that we are in agreement with the decision taken he said1 he said the concerned members were fully in support and in agreement with the decision taken during the meeting which took place on tuesday night may 15 at the government house kano presided over by gov. abdullahi ganduje1 he said the agreement reached at the meeting are as follows 1.that yusuf abdallah ata fagge constituency should remain as speaker. 2. that kabiru rurum rano constituency to serve as deputy speaker. 3. that mohammed bello butu-butu rimingadotofa constituency to serve as majority leader. 4. that bappa babba dan agundi kano municipal constituency to serve as chief whip. 5. that sanusi usman bataiya albasu constituency to serve as deputy majority leader. 6. that ayuba labaran durum kabo constituency1 he therefore appealed to all members and the general public to remain calm and assured them of their commitment to the rule of law and total discharge of their legislative duties in the interest of the electorate1 he said the house would reconvene on thursday may 17 for deliberation1 -
Make Ekiti rejoin progressives, Buhari charges SW leaders
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as we approach the 2019 elections the return of ekiti into the fold of progressive states is important as the election of july 14 is going to be a key pointer to subsequent elections he said1 president muhammadu buhari has challenged south west caucus of the all progressives congress apc to bring ekiti state back into the fold of progressive states1 the independent national electoral commission inec has fixed july 14 for the conduct of the governorship elections in ekiti state1 the president said members of the party must work together in the state to ensure that the will of the people was not subverted1 i know ekiti fairly well and ekiti people are well known for their forthrightness candour and integrity1 all of these values seem to have been lost and we must restore these values and return ekiti to its pride of place in the comity of states1 i know ekiti fairly well and ekiti people are well known for their forthrightness candour and integrity.all of these values seem to have been lost and we must restore these values and return ekiti to its pride of place in the comity of statesbuhari1 the president who gave the challenge during a dinner meeting with the caucus of the party in the south west on wednesday night said they could achieve this by ensuring electoral victory for the apc gubernatorial candidate kayode fayemi in the forthcoming governorship elections in the state1 president buhari who reiterated his determination never to interfere in the internal affairs of the party at any level commended his minister of solid mineral resources kayode fayemi for reaching out to his co-contestants who lost out in the saturday primaries1 he therefore enjoined all members and supporters of the apc in ekiti state and beyond to see the july 14 governorship elections as a collective mission to rescue ekiti and promote development1 chief bisi akande who spoke to state house correspondents after the meeting assured that the caucus would do all it could within the electoral process to secure victory for the apc candidate in the july 14 election1 among those at the dinner were vice-president yemi osinbajo national leader of the apc and former lagos state governor asiwaju bola tinubu chief bisi akande chief segun osoba and the national chairman of apc john odigie-oyegun1 all the 33 governorship aspirants along with fayemi and former governor segun oni partook in the dinner1 governors at the meeting included ibikunle amosun ogun abiola ajimobi oyo and the nasarawa state governor tanko al-makura who was the chairman of apc ekiti governorship primaries committee1 some members of the national assembly ministers and stakeholders from the south west were also in attendance1 -
NEC doubts NNPC, monitors petrol lifting
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according to yari the stations will be recertified according to their needs before they recommence operation1 the doubt over the quantity of daily petrol consumption has prompted a decision to effect the closure of filling stations that are 10 kilometres on the border to monitor actual consumption1 the committee arrived at the decision after its meeting with nigerian national petroleum corporation nnpc and department of petroleum resources dpr officials presided by vice president yemi osinbajo in abuja1 the sub-committee queried the claim by nigeria national petroleum corporation nnpc that it was lifting 60 million litres of petrol per day at present from a previous claim of 30 million barrels per day1 we have so many international partners that are saying that even if we are feeding nigeria cameroon ghana and niger we cannot take more than 35 million litres gov. abdulaziz yari of zamfara and chairman nigeria governors forum said1 he told state house correspondents that the closure of the stations was to monitor the volume of petrol being distributed across the country1 the sub-committee of the national economic council nec on remittance to federation account on wednesday directed that the filling stations be closed down immediately1 so we are taking decision now that any filling station that is 10 kilometres on the border side should be closed down by dpr1 and we are going to direct the minister of finance in collaboration with dpr and nnpc to put a tracking device to every truck to know where that truck is heading1 the tracking will also show where the trucks are discharging the fuel because we are suspicious of the number the governor stated1 he said that the committee had asked the nnpc to furnish it with how much it remitted to the federation account as proceeds from petroleum from 2015 to date and how much was outstanding1 on the cost of recovery which nnpc used to replace subsidy the governor said that nec was surprised that subsidy re-entered the trade after efforts of president muhammadu buhari to stop the practice. nan1 -
Passenger arrested after trying to break into plane at Melbourne airport
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someone was running on the tarmac1 an irate passenger who reportedly missed his scheduled flight was arrested at melbourne airport on thursday after attempting to break into a jetstar airways plane1 the video footage showed the man bashing and pulling frantically on the planes door trying to get inside1 according to local media the man was hours late for his original flight and became aggressive towards jetstar staff1 they alleged the infuriated man then pushed a crew member and ran through the terminal gate onto the tarmac where he was able to access the stairs leading to the plane.1 we were sitting waiting to get on the flight and people went oh my god what is going on a witness said1 the incident was captured on video by a traveller inside the terminal1 this man was trying to get up the stairs he was physically fighting with the staff punching and scratching them. the man was eventually restrained by baggage handlers and arrested by the police.1 it was believed at least two jetstar employees suffered injuries1 a spokesperson for the airline said baggage handlers went above and beyond1 we praise our crew for safely handling this incident and restraining the passenger until police arrived1 the man has been banned from any future jetstar or qantas flights and is set to face charges. xinhuanan1 -
Porn-star hush money: No respite for Trump
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trump who denies any sexual relationship with daniels tweeted this month that the agreement was made to stop the false and extortionist accusations1 the us governments ethics watchdog on wednesday referred president donald trumps apparent hush-money payment to a porn star to the justice department for possible investigation1 a footnote in the 92-page document claims that the expense was not required to be reported on trumps 2016 disclosure form but in the interest of transparency says that cohen was reimbursed without interest last year for an amount in the range of 100000-250000 dollars1 contradicting the footnote the us office of government ethics notified the justice department that the payment meets the disclosure requirements for a reportable liability under the ethics in government act1 the letter by the office to deputy attorney general rod rosenstein said that trumps financial disclosure reports were being provided because you may find the disclosure relevant to any inquiry you may be pursuing regarding the presidents prior report which was filed in june 20171 the letter constitutes a referral by the ethics office of a possible false financial filing1 daniels had previously described a 2006 liaison with trump before signing a non-disclosure agreement shortly before the november 2016 presidential election1 the 130000-dollar 2016 payment to stephanie clifford better known as adult performer stormy daniels was made by trump lawyer michael cohen who seems to have only been reimbursed last year according to the presidents 2017 financial disclosure form released wednesday1 trump had claimed in early 2018 that he had no knowledge of cohens payment to daniels1 rosenstein a year ago appointed robert mueller as special counsel to lead the federal probe into russian election meddling moscows contacts with trumps campaign and trumps possible obstruction of the investigation1 cohen was the target of raids last month in an investigation by the us attorneys office for the southern district of new york after a referral from mueller1 citing the federal criminal investigation cohen this week told a new york court that he would refuse to testify citing his right against self-incrimination under the us constitutions fifth amendment in a lawsuit filed by daniels seeking to have the non-disclosure agreement cancelled1 daniels attorney argues that the contract was invalid because trump never signed it and alleges that cohen falsely accused her of lying1 trump was a television star and newly married to his third wife first lady melania trump at the time of the alleged daniels encounter.dpanan1 -
Israel hits Hamas targets in Gaza Strip
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the israeli army said its jets targeted hamas positions in the northern gaza strip early thursday in response to machine gun fire aimed at an israeli border town1 one palestinian was moderately injured from the strikes the gaza health ministry said1 the strikes were conducted in response to the heavy machine gun fire that targeted the city of sderot and the numerous shooting attacks that targeted idf soldiers throughout the daythe israeli army said in a statement1 the strikes come days after 60 palestinians were killed by israeli forces along the gaza border during protests there1 the protests fuelled by a us embassy move to jerusalem and over a decade of blockade on the coastal enclave made monday the bloodiest day in gaza since a 2014 war between israel and hamas which still controls the territory1 israel says that hamas the islamist group which most of the west considers a terrorist organization is using the protests as a mask to breach the israeli border fence and attempt attacks on israeli civilians. dpanan1 -
Ramadan: Masari wants Muslims to pray for peace
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labaran quoted gov. masari as saying i am calling on muslims in the country to use the ramadan period to pray for the nation and its leadership1 gov. aminu masari of katsina state has urged muslims to utilise the holy month of ramadan to pray for peace unity and prosperity in the country and the world in general1 muslims the world over commenced fasting in the holy month of ramadan on thursday1 ramadan is the ninth month of the islamic calendar and is observed by muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the quran to prophet muhammad1 fasting is the third pillar of islam in which muslims observe 29 or 30 days of abstinence from eating drinking and sexual intercourse from sunrise to sunset with the hope of earning allahs blessings1 the governor made the call in a statement by his senior special assistant on media abdu labaran on thursday in katsina1 as a period of devotion there is no better time to dedicate to nigeria than now in view of the insecurity challenges threatening its corporate existence1 as a period of intense devotion and introspection it is incumbent on us to use religion for the advancement not the dismemberment of our nation1 this we can do by imbibing the lessons which the month of ramadan seeks to teach us especially showing love to one another regardless of religious inclination assisting the less privileged and placing our collective interest over and above individual considerations1 we must remember that a nation is only as good as its leadership which means we cannot wish evil for our leaders and expect prosperity for the nation1 masari called on nigerians to continue to support governments effort at improving the living conditions of people and moving the country forward. nan1 -
Missing out on Ronaldo my biggest transfer regretWenger
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the frenchman had arsenal in the running to land the portuguese star as he prepared to leave sporting but saw manchester united beat him to a deal1 arsene wenger considers missing out on cristiano ronaldo to be his biggest transfer regret at arsenal as the portuguese could have changed history in north london1 having spent 22 years at the gunners helm the frenchman has suffered plenty of recruitment near misses in his time1 some iconic figures have slipped through his grasp with various factors conspiring against arsenal as they endeavoured to land both promising and proven stars1 source goal.com1 -
Saraki meets Buhari over alleged plot by IGP to implicate him
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saraki meets buhari over alleged plot by igp to implicate him1 the president of the senate is to lead the leadership of the upper legislative chamber to meet with president buhari over the alleged plot which saraki disclosed on the floor of the senate on wednesday. saraki had raised the alarm on the floor of the senate over a plot by the igp to implicate him using ‘coerced’ cultists1 “my distinguished colleagues1 there is an issue which i need to bring to your attention very urgently. last night1 my state governor1 dr. abdulfatai ahmed revealed to me an information at his disposal that a group of suspects who had been in police cells for several weeks for cultism and whose investigation had been concluded with prosecution about to commence under the state law based on the advice of the director of public prosecution dpp and the ministry of justice were ordered to be transf1 -
Breaking: Dino Melaye gets bail
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details coming2 a kogi state high court in lokoja has granted bail to senator representing kogi west dino melaye who is standing trial on gun-running allegation1 justice nasir ajana gave the ruling based on an application by the defence counsel chief mike ozekhome1 ajana admitted melaye to bail to the sum of n10 million with one surety in the like sum1 ozekhome argued that the continued incarceration of senator melaye would jeopardise his health condition which he said was deteriorating1 melaye however was not in court as he is still receiving treatment in hospital1 -
Kebbi Govt gets $60m loan for construction of rural roads
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the government has already released n374 million for the completion of yauri power sub- station as well as the repairs of yauri-birnin yauri-zuru power lines to actualise uninterrupted electricity supply1 gov. atiku bagudu of kebbi says on wednesday the state government has secured a 60 million dollar loan from the world bank for the construction of 500 rural roads across the state1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the roads construction and rehabilitation would cover all the 21 local government areas of the state1 bagudu said that state government had already paid its counterpart fund for the project which was designed to transform rural areas and ease transportation difficulties1 he also added that government would support the construction of the dilapidated jega-koko-yauri federal road1 bagudu made the disclosure in birnin kebbi when he received the emir of yauri dr muhammdu zayyanu who paid him a courtesy visit1 he also ordered the immediate release release of fund approved for the evacuation of waterways in yauri emirate topave way for smooth marine transportation and reduce boat mishaps1 on the problem of signals for transmission the state television programmes the governor assured the emir that the problem would soon be over1 my administration has released n700 million for the contract to digitise the television station including the sub stations in yauri zuru and koko1 earlier the emir had appealed to the governor to tackle the problems of potable water supply good roads and electricity in his domain1 i am here to show solidarity and forward the incessant complaints i receive from my subjects on the problem of potable water supply electricity and roads he said. nan1 -
N14m SURE-P fraud: Trial of ex-Perm. Sec continues June 1
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a special offences court in ikeja has fixed june 1 for the adoption of final written addresses in the trial of clement illoh ex-permanent secretary in the federal ministry of labour and productivity for alleged n14 million fraud1 illoh is being prosecuted by the economic and financial crimes commission efcc for allegedly stealing n14 million from the defunct federal governments subsidy reinvestment and empowerment programme sure-p1 at the resumption of proceedings on wednesday justice oluwatoyin taiwo granted the prayers of the efcc counsel mr nnaemeka omeha seeking an adjournment to enable the prosecution regularise its application1 the judge thereafter acceded to his request for an extension of time and consequently adjourned the case1 the defendant was arraigned on oct. 16 2017 by the anti-graft agency on a three-count charge bordering on stealing by conversion of property to the tune of n14 million1 it was allegedly sourced from the from the nigerian maritime administration and safety agency nimasa1 he had pleaded not guilty to the charges with four prosecution witnesses testifying during the trial1 illoh was responsible for supervising numerous programmes including sure-p and allegedly awarded fictitious contracts to himself via his company and friends1 the offences contravened sections 279 1 b and 285 6 of the criminal law of lagos state 20111