The presidential election in Liberia is set for a runoff as none of the candidates will be able to score 50 per cent of votes after final tabulation of results. As at 9 p.m. Nigerian time, results in 95.6 per cent of the polling units had been announced by the National Elections…

The transfer of over $800 million to accounts controlled by Dan Etete from a Nigerian government account was fraudulent and in contravention of Nigerian laws, the federal government told a UK High Court. The money was part of the $1.1 billion paid by Shell and ENI for OPL 245, considered…

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, with one of the major subjects of discussion being the Malabu OPL 245 scandal. Tuesday’s meeting comes about five days after Mr. Kachikwu told journalists that ongoing investigation and prosecution of…

Lionel Messi scored two goals to help Barcelona defeat Real Madrid in the Spanish League match played on Sunday night. Casemeiro put Madrid ahead in the 28th minute before Messi equalised four minutes later. Ivan Rakitic made it two for the visitors before Sergio Ramos was sent off for the…

The anti-graft EFCC has appealed a court order to unfreeze a Skye Bank account belonging to the former first lady, Patience Jonathan. An official of the anti-graft agency confirmed this to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday. “We have appealed the order,” Wilson Uwujaren, said in a telephone interview. The Federal High…

The presidency on Tuesday gave the clearest indication yet that it would not succumb to the Senate and remove Ibrahim Magu as chairman of the anti-graft EFCC. The Senate recently refused to screen presidential nominees for the position of the resident electoral commissioners, saying it would not do so until…

After repeated denials in various countries, Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Royal Dutch Shell, on Monday finally admitted it had foreknowledge that the $1.3 billion itself and ENI paid to Nigerian government for the OPL 245 oil block licence would ultimately be used to settle convicted former Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete.…

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, on Wednesday blasted conservative northern leaders who discourage attitudes and activities that, he said, would have developed the region. The emir spoke while delivering the keynote speech at KADINVEST 2.0, an event organised by the Kaduna Sate Government to encourage investments. Giving examples of…

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on Tuesday pledged that the budget of the National Assembly will be made public in 2017. Mr. Dogara stated this at an interactive session with newspaper editors at his office in Abuja. “We will definitely open the books,” he said, while…

Multinational oil giant, Shell, set up an Intelligence network made up of some of Europe’s top spies which gathered information on some of the top actors involved in the infamous Malabu oil scam during the negotiations leading to payment of $1.1 billion for OPL 245, an investigation by UK-based Finance…

Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, EFCC, has filed fresh corruption charges against two multinational oil firms, Shell and Eni, for their roles in the Malabu $1.1 billion scandal. The charges were filed at the FCT High Court on Thursday afternoon against the oil majors and nine other individuals and firms. Some of…

Nineteen years after it was first awarded to a controversial firm, OPL 245 has reverted back to the federal government. The block, considered the richest in Africa, is estimated to contain over 9 billion barrels of crude and even larger volume of gas reserves. For comparison, at Nigeria's current OPEC…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured a court order mandating the return of OPL 245 to the Nigerian government. The order was granted by Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court on Thursday morning, pending "the conclusion of investigations..." by the EFCC. OPL 245, considered the…

He may be the owner of Abuja's most luxurious building and a friend to several Nigerian government officials, past and present, but the noose is tightening on Aliyu Abubakar in Nigeria and in Europe. [caption id="attachment_219312" align="alignright" width="248"] Aliyu Abubakar[/caption] About a week after Nigeria's anti-graft agency, EFCC, filed money…

A few days after Nigeria commenced prosecution of persons involved in the OPL 245 scandal, Italian officials are also set to commence prosecution of Italians and firms involved in the shady deal. As part of their findings, Italian prosecutors said officials of Italian oil giant, Eni, may have received $50…

Eighteen years after Nigeria's richest oil block, OPL 245, was controversially awarded to a new company, the then petroleum minister has been charged for crimes related to the block. Dan Etete was petroleum minister in 1998 under the military dictator, Sani Abacha, when the block was awarded to Malabu Oil…

The anti-graft EFCC has filed fraud charges against Nigeria's former Attorney-General, Mohammed Adoke; a former petroleum minister, Dan Etete; and a controversial businessman, Abubakar Aliyu, and others for their roles in the ‎Malabu $1.1 billion shady deal. The 9-count charge was filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja on Tuesday,…

Whenever 44-year-old Umeh goes to Billstrasse, Hamburg's main district for used electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), his main task is how to get the best deals for used products. Crammed with various shops and garages, about half of which are devoted to sale and transportation of used goods, Billstrasse is…

At least eight more senior judges in Nigeria are being investigated for corruption and may be arrested anytime from now, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt. The eight are part of 15 judges that are being investigated by the State Security Service for alleged corrupt practices. Already, seven judges were arrested between…

Officials of Shell, the multi-national oil firm at the heart of one of the largest oil heist in Nigeria, have been questioned by Dutch investigators for their roles in the deal. PREMIUM TIMES had reported how Shell and Italian oil giant, Eni, agreed to secretly pay $1.3 billion to Malabu…

Nigeria will join the Saudi Arabia led coalition of Muslim countries against terrorism, President Muhammadu Buhari has said. Mr. Buhari stated this in an interview with Aljazeera Television. "We are part of it because we have got terrorists in Nigeria that everybody knows which claims that they are Islamic," the…

On Thursday, January 28, Ibrahim Magu, the acting chairman of Nigeria's anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), received a letter. The two-paragraph letter from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, made only one request from the anti-graft chief. Signed by…

The Nigerian government is set to retrieve one of Africa's richest oil blocs from oil giants, Shell and Eni, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt. Not only will the two oil giants lose OPL 245, should President Muhammadu Buhari approve the recommendations, they will also be fined billions of dollars for illegal…

A British Judge on Tuesday refused to release $85 million (N17 billion) to Malabu, a fraudulent company controlled by Nigeria's former petroleum minister, Dan Etete. In refusing to release the money to Malabu, Justice Edis of the Southwark Crown Court declared that he was not sure the administration of President…

British court will on Tuesday, December 15, decide whether  $85 million (N17 billion) frozen by UK authorities should be released to a fraudulent company, Malabu Oil and Gas, controlled by ex-convict, Dan Etete. The money, frozen at the request of Italian authorities, is part of the $1.092 billion paid by…