In an apparent move to push-back against the 10-day nationwide protest, planned by some interests groups in Nigeria to commence on August 1, to call attention of the Nigerian government to the biting hunger in the land, scores of youths poured into the streets of Lagos, on Monday, declaring that the state would not be part of the event.

The Nation reports that the said youths who came from different locations converged on the Lagos Island area of the state to express their support for the Tinubu-led administration, while calling on other youths to “shun violent protest.”

Alluding to the 2020 #EndSARS protest that led to the destruction of property and loss of lives in the state, the youths frowned on its recurrence and would stop it from happening again.

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Hadi Sirika, former Minister of Aviation in the government of Muhammadu Buhari, will on Thursday begin to face his accusers – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over the allegation of fraud regarding a contract award of N2.7billion while in office.

The former Minister, who is being arraigned alongside his daughter, Fatimah, and two other suspects, one Jalal Hamma, and Al-Duraq Investment Ltd, on charges of abusing their positions to launder over N2.7 billion, is expected to appear before Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The Minister, said to be undergoing investigations over an N8,069,176,864.00 money laundering allegation, involving Engirios Nigeria Limited, reportedly, owned by his younger sibling, Abubakar Sirika was arrested by operatives of the anti-graft agency was brought into its Abuja office on Tuesday, April 23 and where he was detained.

It is not known whether the two cases are related, but The PUNCH quoted a source as saying: “The N8,069,176,864.00 aviation ministry contract fraud was carried out in connivance with his younger brother, Abubakar Sirika, through the latter’s company.”

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The report, which said that Sirika was particularly being investigating for conspiracy, abuse of office, diversion of public funds, and contract inflation, as well as criminal breaches of trust and money laundering amounting to N8,069,176,864.00 during his tenure in office.

Abubakar Sirika, was said to have been arrested and detained by the commission in connection with N3,212,258,930.18 paid to his company, Engirios Nigerian Limited’s, bank account by the former minister without a trace of work done on any of the contract items to date.

“Where was Wike in 2003 when a national honour was given to me as a result of developing Abuja? Where was he? Is it because of these fake opportunities that they have in the country that lead them to come on television and start harassing the citizens? When you talk of integrity we never go into shady deals.”

These were the exact words of Linus Ukachukwu, Abuja based billionaire businessman, as he fired back at Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), over the issue of demolition of a large piece of land in Abuja, belonging to him and his brother, Nicholas Ukachukwu.

Wike had described them as landgrabbers, who acquired the property through the back channels, using corrupt officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), a move which he vowed not to condone under his administration of the capital city.

Ukachukwu, who appeared visibly angry at being so tagged, stated that the Minister was far behind in rating considering what he and his brother had contributed in the development of the FCT for decades now, for which they had won individual awards from the government.

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Ukachukwu, while appearing on African Independent Television (AIT), accused Wike and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, a former FCT Minister, and later Governor of Kaduna State of colluding with Lebanese developers to seize his land.

Hear him: “As far back as 2003, I had a national honour as a result of what I had been doing in the housing sector in Abuja. In 2005 my brother had a similar honour. How can you call Linus Ukachukwu and Nichoas Ukachukwu land grabbers? We need a serious apology from Wike.

“Where was Wike in 2003 when a national honour was given to me as a result of developing Abuja? Where was he? Is it because of these fake opportunities that they have in the country that lead them to come on television and start harassing the citizens? When you talk of integrity we never go into shady deals.

“This land was given in the nineties. I gave the documents showing the ministerial approval to AIT. Along the way because of the size of the land, El-Rufai came in and intimidated the first person (allotee) that they gave that land and did all manners of things to try to take that land from him. At the end of the day, they went to EFCC, went to court and the court discharged the guy and said that there is no forgery on the document.

“They went to court of Appeal, EFCC lost and they gave up and gave the Certificate of Clearance to the initial person that the land was allocated to. That was when we now came in and acquired some of the property and discovered that while the matter was still in the court, that El-Rufai went and gave part of the plot to Sunrise without even revoking our rights.

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“So, you can see the impunity. Some of these leaders you need to stop listening to them because they are just bunches of liars. He took part of the land and gave it to Sunrise, (Lebanese) without revoking our title.”

Ukachukwu, who revealed how Mohammed Musa Bello, Wike’s immediate predecessor, set up a committee to address the dispute, he which he said, discovered that the original title held by him and his brother remained legitimate, he stated that the former Minister then suggested they should surrender the portion of land already developed by Sunrise and focus on developing the remaining area.

Stressing that contrary to Wike’s claim, the land dispute had been settled in his favour approximately seven months prior to the end of the last administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, under which Bello served, he said the latest action was instigated by the same Lebanese, who met the Minister and pushed him into the matter.

Hear him: “Along the way, these Lebanese went to Wike and called for a meeting. My brother went for the meeting and in that meeting, Wike started intimidation, he didn’t even want my brother to talk, but Ukachukwus cannot be intimidated because Wike does not have address even to intimidate anybody.

“If he can intimidate, it is not me because I made my money through the grace of God and sweat. I never stole and I never worked for any government. In that meeting, he didn’t even want my brother to talk until my brother raised his voice and said you cannot bring me for a meeting and tell me that I cannot talk and that only my lawyer can talk.”

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