The High court presided over by Justice Esther Ikponmwen in Benin, Edo State has ordered the arrest of the commissioner for works in Edo State, Mr. Osarodion Ogie.
Ogie stood as surety for Hon. Philips Shuaibu after he was arraigned and granted bail over allegations bordering on forgery.
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Read court order on Philip Shaibu
The High Court, presided over by Justice Esther Ikponmwmen in Benin City, Edo state on the Thursday, 14th of January, 2014 issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Philip Shaibu, the APC lawmaker representing Etsako Federal Constituency in the National Assembly over his absence from court.
Shuaibu is facing 6-count charge instituted against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged forgery of his tax documents in 2006, while contesting for Etsako constituency 2 seat in the State House of Assembly.
The accused was alleged by ICPC to have in November 2006 lied to officers of the Edo state Board of Internal Revenue that he was an employee of a the firm, Zaknote Nigeria Ventures limited from 2003 to 2006 and fraudulently obtained a tax clearance certificate from the revenue board.
The case which had been ongoing since 2013 before Justice Esther Edigin of the Benin High Court was however reassigned to Justice Esther Ikponmwen after the former withdrew from the case.
At the resumed hearing yesterday, counsel to ICPC, G. O Igbadumhe in his application urged the court to issue the warrant of arrest for the accused for his failure to appear in court.
In granting the application, Esther Ikponmwen ordered that the accused be produced in court by the authorities of Nigeria police on the next sitting day, which is next week Thursday, 21-1-2016
Ahead of the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, the member-elect representing Etsako Federal Constituency of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has said the leadership of the All Progressives Congress did not impose the choice of House leadership on the lawmakers.
Femi Gbajabiamila
The immediate past Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, had polled 154 out of the 183 votes cast by members who registered for last Saturday’s mock election organised by the party.
The camp of the Chairman, Committee on House Services and a contender for the top position, Yakubu Dogara, had walk out of the exercise, rejecting the outcome of party primary.
But Shaibu told journalists in Benin on Monday that the action of the aggrieved lawmakers would not affect the emergence of Gbajabiamila as Speaker, which he said was “an internal arrangement.”
The lawmaker-elect said, “It is not affecting anything; it’s an internal arrangement. As I speak to you, both those that walked out and those that are in, we are working together to produce a Speaker of our own. We freely have chosen Honourable Femi Gbajiamila and Honourable Muhammed Monguno as our Deputy Speaker.
“There is no going back about it. These people were not imposed on us. They were chosen by us; they were not influenced by anybody externally. We decided and we cast ballot to choose them and the wish of the majority, which is overwhelming, has to have its way.”
Shaibu, who was the immediate past Majority Leader in the Edo State House of Assembly, argued that decision of the party to nominate the former Minority Leader as its sole candidate was a clear “reward” for his performance as a leader in the House and urged other lawmakers to support the move of the party to reposition the House.
By Gabriel Enogholase
BENIN— A Benin High Court was, yesterday, told by a prosecution witness, Mr. Okharedia Ihimekpen, that the Majority Leader of Edo State House of Assembly, Mr. Philip Shaibu, never graduated from the University of Jos, UNIJOS, saying he was expelled from the university.
Similarly, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zaknote Ventures Nig. Ltd., Mr. Zakari Ayonote, told the court that Mr. Shaibu was never his staff or an employee of the company.
The Majority Leader is being charged by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, for criminal falsification of his tax clearance certificate, falsification of University of Jos certificate and the claim that he worked for Zaknote Ventures Nigeria Ltd.
Giving evidence before the court presided over by Justice Esther Edigin, Ihimepken, a journalist, who said he was the one that petitioned ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, said during investigation, he found out that Shaibu did not graduate from UNIJOS as he allegedly claimed, and that he falsified his tax clearance documents to Edo State Board of Internal Revenue.
He added that Philip Shaibu, as his investigation revealed, was never a staff of Zaknote from 2003 to 2006, as he claimed.
Zakari Ayonote, who was the second prosecution witness, told the court that the accused person was never a staff of his company of which he is the Managing Director/CEO.
He added that he only loaned some money to him to enable him contest the Presidency of National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, when he was introduced to him by a former member of Edo State House of Assembly, Mr. Luqman Muhammed.
He denied ever giving the accused any document to obtain tax clearance from Edo State Board of Internal Revenue.
Under cross-examination by Mr. Ken Mozia (SAN), counsel to Mr. Shaibu told the court that most of the staff in his company were casual workers and were paid in cash.
He also denied ever applying for tax clearance for any of his staff, saying none had ever requested him to do so.
He also claimed that he gave letters of employment and Identity cards to then.
Meanwhile, prosecuting counsel to ICPC, Mr. Igbadumhe, informed the court that some of his witnesses were being threatened, adding that he was advised by the court to apply for summons to be served on witnesses, who were unwilling to appear voluntarily.
The case has been adjourned to today for continuation.
By Ehi Ekhator, Naija Center News.
Philip Shaibu and four others who were accused of attacking a fellow members of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Momoh Razak was on Friday arraigned before Oredo Magistration court.
The case was presided over by P.E Asemota Esq with charge no. MOR/559C/Commissioner of Police Vs Philip Shaibu, Sunday Aghedo, Eboise Emmanuel, Promise Ogiso and Ernest Arasomwan.
The two count charges were read before them and they all pleaded not guilty. Philip Shaibu and Sunday Aghedo who was the first and second accused person were granted bail with the sum of N200,000 each on self-recognition, while 3rd, 4th and 5th accused persons were granted bail in like sum with one surety each with affidavit of means and proof of gainfully employed or house within jurisdiction.
Three other boys who were arrested in connection with the attack were also arraign before the court. Naija Center News investigation revealed that one of the boys arreated lodged in an hotel very close to the scene with his room key intact. While one ISVA staff of UBTH and the other were passer by. They claimed they were arrested along the road going their different ways and the police swoop on them and arrested them.
Though many PDP members have accused the state governor, Com. Adams Oshiomhole of masterminding the attack, sources revealed to Naija Center News that, our earlier report accusing Hon. Shaibu and Tony Kabaka was under reported.
The sources disclosed that almost all the honorables, Hon. Uyi Igbe, Tony Kabaka, Hon. Shaibu, Hon. Momoh and many others all belong to Black Axe which make the fight almost a cultist fight instead a political saga.
