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Speaker 1: Three man panel of Justices at the Federal Court of

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Appeal in Enugu State have upheld the decision of the

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lower High Court that had earlier sentence to staff of

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Guarantee Trust Bank GT Bank on Yekuchi in Wosu to

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seven years imprisonment in line with the enacted Nigeria Law

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of Failed Banks or Recovery of Debts and Financial Malpractices Act,

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which the convict fraudulently used the property of one missus

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Adabimpe Foluke to apply and disperse fifty million niras known

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into the savings account of GT Bank customer and withdrew

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forty million nyers of the money from the beneficial savings

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account for his personal use. This is coming at a

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critical period many Nigerians are doubting the credibility and integrity

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of GT Bank management after a popular human rights activist,

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Martin’s Vincent tots Aka Veri Dagman, was arrested last Friday

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at the exist gate of GT Bank branch in Abuja

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by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC when the

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activist went with his mother to seek clarification over apparent

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unauthorized constant savings withdrawals as loan repayments from his mother’s

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savings asset with the bank, with the activist mother saying

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she never took loan from the bank, and EFCC arresting

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and releasing Baridokman after almost five days in detention without

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specifically stating the alleged offense or offenses committed by the

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activist may have created room for some level of insinuations

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in certain quarters that seize GT Bank management as people

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probably using the state security assets to commit active criminal

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intimidation and oppression of complainers to cover up the bank

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suspected loan fraud and financial malpractices. According to EFCC news

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release made available about an hour ago, the Enugu Division

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of the Court of Appeal has upheld the conviction and

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seven years prison sentence of one On Yekichi in Wosu,

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a former employee of Guarantee Trust Bank, for his commission

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of over fifteen millionlyrus fifty million nirah loan fraud. Inwosu

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was prosecuted by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic

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and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC on a nine count charge

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bordering on forgery and obtaining by false pretense to the

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tune of fifty million neros and was convicted and sentenced

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by Justice R. O. Dougbo On Cogory of Federal High

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Court sitting in Independence Layout, Enugu on January fourteenth, twenty

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twenty one. The convict, who was an account officer of

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one Anyiso Hindu, owner of Phlox Aluminum Odio Full Products Limited,

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used a forged document titled an Application to Mortgage, Consent

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to Mortgage and Tripartide Legal Mortgage to deceive GTB into

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believing that one missus Adebimpe Foluke pledged her property as

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collateral for the said loan to Floxi Aluminium Odio Full

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Products Limited. Investigations revealed that he benefited forty million ners

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from the fraud us and act by directly withdrawing it

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from the account of Floxy Aluminium Odio for Products Limited.

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In the course of his trial, Prosecution Council Assistant Commander

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of the EFCC ACE two Main Force, Dhaka Eku, called

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four witnesses and tended sixteen exhibits which were admitted in

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evidence as Exhibit EFCC one to sixteen. At the end

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of the trial, Justice on Hargory held that the EFCC

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proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted and sentenced

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in Woes who accordingly dissatisfied with the judgment. The convict

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approached the Appeal Court praying it to set aside the

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judgment of the trial court, while Eku, the Prosecution Council,

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prayed the court to uphold the judgment of the High

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Court and dismiss the appeal on the grounds that the

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prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The Court of

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Appeals set aside the convictions from the trial court on

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counts one to eight, but upheld that on count nine.

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Count nine of the charge reads that u on Yekichi

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in Wosu, sometime in September twenty ten in Nungu, within

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the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, while

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being an officer of Guarantee Trust Bank and being connected

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with the grant of loan, knowingly processed and facilitated the

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grand loan of fifty million Nira fifty million nairas point

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oh to Floxy Aluminum Odio Full Products Limited received the

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sum of forty million Ira forty million iras point to

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as personal gratification out of the said loan after it

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was granted thereby committed an offense contrary to section fifteen

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one e unpunishable under Section sixteen one of the Failed

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Banks Recovery of Debts and Financial Malpractices in Bank’s Actcap

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f two, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria. In a

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unanimous judgment of a three member panel of the Appeal

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Court delivered by Justice Sinebabe b Abubakhar, the Court of

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Appeal held that the evidence of the first prosecution witness

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p W one corroborated the confession of the appellant that

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he collected forty million niras from the loan sum of

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fifty million niras granted to the third respondent, Floxy Illuminum

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ODIO for Products Limited. The oppellant has admitted that he

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collected forty million niras from the loan sum, which has

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proved the last ingredient of the offense against the appellant. Consequently,

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the conviction of the appellant on this count nine of

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the charge by the trial court was in order. In

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my humble view, The court said it would be recalled

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that we had reported that the Nigeria Anti Corruption Police,

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Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC may have failed to

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state the alleged crime or crimes committed by a human

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rights activist, Martin’s Vincent aka Veridartmann since five days over

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one hundred and twenty hours. The Anti corruption Police arrested

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him in Abouja when he went with his mother to

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g T Bank to getification from the bank over constant

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apparent unauthorised withdrawals affected by the bank on the woman’s

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savings account. Although Veri Dartmann was arrested alongside his friend

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Stephen Avuara akac pack, but according to the statement issued

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by the activist lawyer’s legal chamber Deji Addie Andreu and partners,

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Stephen Avuara was released shortly after he was arrested on Friday,

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with the chamber insisting that is it on Tuesday, EFCC

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have not been able to state the crime or crimes

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their client Veri Dartmann committed, rather as it. On Monday,

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four operatives of the EFCC engaged the human rights activist

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in ours long questions that borders on why he allegedly

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monetized his social media pages, his public comments about a

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gospel musician, his tax records and his source of income.

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This apparently authenticated the BBC report that the EFCC confirmed

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to it that Veri Dartmann was arrested and detained for

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cyber talking a BBC report, which EFCC swiftly launched media

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war against the British media, tagging the BBC report as

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a fake news and in retaliation, the BBC pigeon replied

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EFCC with a post that its report is correct and

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undoubtedly the crime of cyber talking may not be the

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duty of the EFCC as such as apparently the constitutional

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responsibility of the Nigeria Police Force. And if true that

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the human rights activist was detained for cyber talking, it

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shows that the country ruling political party, the All Progressives

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Congress APC, may have questions to answer. The APC had

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earlier issued threat message to the human rights activist after

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the activist called the Nigeria Senate President, godswill Acpabo out

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over the Senate President traveling to Rome in Italy to

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attend Pope Francis burial while almost daily killings and unabated

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high level of insecurity are observed in several states in

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the West Africa country and furthermore, or EFCC, in a

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statement on Tuesday, only issued an apparent vague statement that

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he received series of petitions against the activist as a

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way to try to justify why the human rights activist

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was arrested and detained, but the Anti Corruption Commission probably

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could not make any reasonable allegation against the human rights defender,

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even when the Commission confirmed in the statement that it

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has been investigating the allegations filed against for Redartment. Before

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the activist was arrested in a commando like style at

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the exit gate of GT Bank, we had reported that

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there is apparent tension in Nigeria over the arrest of

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a popular human rights activist, Martin’s Vincent akaver Redartman or VDM,

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who was allegedly seized by Nigeria’s security operatives in a

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manner that have kept many wondering suspecting acts of oppression

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and intimidation based on threats issued by the ruling political

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party All Progressives Congress a PC against the human rights

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activist after the activists condemned the Nigeria Senate President, Godswill

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Acpabio for traveling to Vatican in Italy to attend Pope

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Francis burial ceremony, while he said the Senate President has

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failed to visit states where almost daily burial ceremonies are

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often held in some states like Plateau, Bernu, Kuara, Enugu

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and Ogan states where gunmen bandits a killing the Senate

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President fellow citizens in large numbers unobated in recent time

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in Nigeria and angered by the talks, the APC South

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South Ternal Organizing Secretary Blessing agbom Here issued seven days

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ultimatum to Veridarkmann to apologize to the Senate President who

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led five man federal government delegation to Rome to attend

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the late Catholic head funeral ceremony, but immediately Veridartmann in

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a video issued the public apology to the victims of

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insecurity in the West Africa country and in the video

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he further accused and condemned the Senate President, sident and

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other Nigeria leaders for being insensitivity to their institutional responsibilities

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of protecting lives, saying in security killing hundreds of people

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often in Nigeria is as a result of leadership failure

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on the part of the Senate President and members of

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the Bola Ahmed Tenubu led government and surprisingly, Dejiadi Yanju,

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the lawyer to the activist, said that Veri Dartmann was

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arrested at Guarantee Trust Bank GTB in Abujo on Friday

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in a more dehumanizing manner and after he was trapped

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at the exit door at the GTB premises for five minutes,

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some security operatives came and cover his face with a

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black cloth before he was led away and for more

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than forty eight hours. Nigeria authority is yet to issue

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statement over the arrest of the human rights activist who

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had on Friday went with her mother to the GTB

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bank to get clarification over the unauthorised withdrawals constantly done

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on his mother savings account. After the activists acts expected

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that someone may have used his mother national identification number

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and I am to take loan from the GTB bank.

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That’s one on lady bringing you bring new in a

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more digital way.