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How NNPC Official, Lover Fraudulently Took Over Man’s Company, Forged Signature To Withdraw N33m From Bank Account

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Anderson and Ikebujo also forged Bakare’s signature and withdrew N33 million naira between April and June 2019.

Documents obtained by the media have revealed how Uchechi Precious Ikebujo, a former Personal Assistant to the immediate past Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, late Maikanti Baru, and her alleged young lover, Anderson Newton Warribo, fraudulently took over the ownership of a company, Apres Engineering Limited from its owner, Micheal Bakare.

Anderson and Ikebujo also forged Bakare’s signature and withdrew N33 million naira between April and June 2019 from the company’s bank account in Sterling bank.

Not satisfied, the duo through their lawyer, Daniel Momoh, wrote to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and removed Bakare as the Managing Director of the company.

They also logged him out of the company’s email without notice.

Speaking to our correspondent, Bakare said the situation made him depressed.

He said he had written a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) but the anti-graft agency did not act timely.

Bakare said, “In 2017, I relocated from Lagos to Abuja, trying to recover from the shock of failure in crude business that went sour. Getting here, I started selling the idea of crude oil logistics when my next-door neighbor in Rocky Base Estate, Karu, called Anderson Newton Waribo, showed interest.

“He told me that he knew a woman identified as Uchechi Precious Ikebujo who could invest in my idea and asked how much. I said all I needed was just office space and so I asked for 7million. We bought office equipment and simultaneously registered the company with the CAC. But I was shocked how Anderson made himself a stakeholder in the company registration without even letting me meet with the angel investor.

“I felt something was not right. I ignored it as I was desperate to get back in business. I, being the idea owner, emerged as the Managing Director with N10 million share capital of N50 million total share capital. After registration of the company and opening of its account, no monetary investment was made and none of these directors showed up at the job. I was really troubled so I started checking, checking only to discover that Anderson and Precious Uchechi Ikebujo are lovers, and both work at the NNPC.

“Ikebujo was at the time the Personal Assistant to the former NNPC GMD while Anderson was employed as her chauffeur for a cover-up. Anderson was living in her mansion in Asokoro while his flat was occupied by his mother and brothers.

“Some contracts came in from the Ministry of Works and there was about N33 million in the company’s account. One night, I got series of debit alerts from Sterling Bank through my phone number. I was worried about how the money was taken without my authorization. I needed to cosign before withdrawals would be made as a signatory to the account.

“I went to the bank and was showed how they forged my signature at the CAC. They lied that I resigned and I gave my shares away to them. I wrote to the ICPC and EFCC but they never responded until I got scared for my life and went underground as I was being threatened.

“Officials of the CAC must have connived with them because CAC never consulted me as MD of my company. The mysterious lawyer involved claimed I signed at his office. EFCC later called me for interrogation. Anderson was arrested and bailed without even inviting me to witness the arrest. The IPO in charge, Joseph Agboola, let him go without even involving Ikebujo. My lawyer, Barrister Tope Oloyede, expressed dissatisfaction with how the case was being treated but the IPO and his colleagues ganged up against him.

“There was no proof that I signed out of the company and most importantly, there was no financial exchange of my N10million share, yet this IPO called Agboola was forcing me to admit it.

“He took about 59 samples of my signature for forensic test and he never got back to me till date. If I called him, he would snap at me and end the call.

“Sterling Bank replied the petition I wrote that it was not in the position to ascertain or authenticate a forged document and that was why they never called me to find out if I thoroughly signed out my position in the company.”

Apart from the fraudulent act perpetrated by Anderson and Ikebujo, the action is also against Nigerian law which forbids public officers from engaging in private practice.

Part I, Fifth Schedule, Section of 2 (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states that “without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing paragraph, a public officer shall not, except where he is not employed on full-time basis engage or participate in the management or running of any private business, profession or trade, but nothing in this subparagraph shall prevent a public officer from engaging in farming.”

Part 2 of the Fifth Schedule of the constitution defines a public servant to include; Chairman, members, and staff of local government councils, chairman and members of Boards of other governing bodies and staff of statutory corporations and of companies in which the Federal or state government has a controlling interest.

Ikebujo refused to comment on the matter and blocked the number used in contacting her by our correspondent.

Culled from the Sahaara Reporters

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Body of O.J. Simpson to be cremated this week; brain will not be studied for CTE

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April 15 (UPI) — The body of O.J. Simpson, who died last week at the age of 76, is to be cremated, a lawyer representing the ex-football superstar’s estate said, adding his brain will not be donated for research.

Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s longtime attorney and executor, told the New York Post that his client’s body is to be cremated Tuesday in Las Vegas.

He said Simpson’s family also gave a “hard no” to scientists seeking to examine the former running back’s brain for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is better known as CTE.

CTE is a rare and little understood brain disorder that is likely caused by repeated blows to the head. According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE results in the death of nerve cells in the brain and the only way to definitively diagnose it is with an autopsy of the organ after death.

Memory and thinking problems, confusion, personality changes and erratic behavior, including aggression, depression and suicidal ideation, are among CTE’s symptoms, the Alzheimer’s Association said.

The disease has been found in those who play contact sports, including football and hockey.

LaVergne confirmed to NBC News on Sunday that at least one person has called seeking Simpson’s brain.

“His entire body, including his brain, will be cremated,” he said.

Simpson died Wednesday following a battle with cancer.

Known by the nickname “The Juice,” Simpson was a NFL superstar during the 1970s, which made him a household name that propelled him into film and television during the next decade.

But his stardom would come crashing down in the mid-1990s when he was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

His high-profile trial lasted months, but ended with his acquittal.

In 2008, he was found guilty on a dozen charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery, and was paroled in 2017 after serving nine years of his 33-year sentence.

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Houston’s Urban South Brewery Celebrates Fourth Anniversary

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Urban South Brewery Houston will host its upcoming Anniversary Party from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7, in the HTX Taproom, starting at 11 AM, celebrating four years of crafting exceptional brews and fostering community culture. This milestone event will be an exciting day featuring live music, food, activities, and a vendor market.

Beer enthusiasts are also in for a treat with the release of four exclusive anniversary specialty beers. Highlights include “Press Start,” a crafted Czech Pale Lager brewed in collaboration with Parleaux Beer Lab. Additionally, beer fans can indulge in “Level Up,” an Old-Fashioned Cocktail Sour Ale infused with orange peel, Luxardo cherry syrup, and subtle bourbon barrel notes. The offerings continue with “High Score,” a robust Double IPA bursting with flavors of Mosaic, Citra, and Chinook hops, and “Game Over,” a decadent Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout layered with strawberry fruit, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk chocolate.

To make the celebration even more memorable, fans can pre-order an Exclusive 8-Bit Beer Box featuring the four-anniversary specialty beers (Press Start, Level Up, High Score, Game Over), a 16oz can-shaped Silipint with discounted refills, and 2 tokens redeemable for draft beer.

The Anniversary Party is open to the public, welcoming families and furry friends. Urban South Brewery invites everyone to join in the festivities and toast to four years of brewing excellence.

For more information on Urban South’s Anniversary Celebration, follow the Houston taproom on Instagram and Facebook.

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$600 Million Showdown: Michael Jackson’s Estate Executors Refusing to Pay Pop Star’s Mom $500k Legal Bill

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Now She is Fighting to Block Music Catalog Sale

The war between Michael Jackson ’ s mother Katherine and the two executors running his estate has heated up. According to court documents, lawyers for the executors, John Branca and John McClain , asked the court to shut down Katherine’s recent demand for $500k.

As we first reported, Katherine filed a motion asking that she be reimbursed $561,548. She said she spent the amount on a team of lawyers to fight the executors over the sale of Michael’s music catalog .

The executors asked the court to approve the music catalog sale in 2022. Katherine quickly opposed the deal. The parties went back and forth in court for months until a hearing was held on the matter.

At the hearing, Katherine testified that Michael did not want the music catalog sold and that he considered it a lifeline. Michael’s children Paris and Blanket told the court they opposed the deal too. Blanket said he opposed on emotional grounds.

The executors fired back claiming Katherine has a pattern of objecting to lucrative deals. They argued the market was hot for the music catalog sale and they needed to take advantage of it.

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The estate said it had every right to make the deal. 

“The Estate was teetering on the verge of collapse, with more than $400 million in debt that encumbered Michael’s most significant assets and little or no liquidity or means to service that debt. Through creative thinking, hard work and business savvy—and, of course, Michael’s extraordinary creative legacy—the Executors transformed the MJJ Business into a profitable enterprise,” the executors said as they argued for the deal to be approved.

Despite the family’s plea, the judge approved the executors’ deal and allowed them to move forward with the sale.

Within weeks, Katherine had filed an appeal of the decision. She argued the executors did not have the authority to sell Michael’s assets.

Recently, the executors argued that Katherine’s appeal should be dismissed. They said they had every right to sell the catalog. No decision has been reached on the appeal.

On February 9, 2024, the estate announced they sold one half of Jackson’s music to Sony for $600 million — a deal that Katherine said should not have gone through.

As part of the appeal, Katherine won a couple of small victories against the estate. As a result, she asked the court to award her the $561k in legal fees.

Now, the executors asked the court to deny the motion for legal fees. In their motion, they argued, “The Petition does not indicate the source from which Mrs. Jackson’s counsel seeks to have the requested attorney’s fees and expenses paid. It is not clear whether she is seeking payment from the probate estate or from the Trust.”

Further, the executors argued, “To the extents Mrs. Jackson seeks payment from the probate estate, the Petition lacks merit because it relies on provisions of the Trust, claiming that payment of legal fees is required by provisions of the Trust authorizing the Trustees to make payments “in [their] absolute discretion, for [Mrs. Jackson’s] care, support, maintenance, comfort and well-being.”

A judge has yet to rule.

Culled from Rada online

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