Report from EFCC on how Lagos state Speaker Spent funds on foreign trips and his wife.

EFCC today March 18th revealed how Lagos Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji, squandered money on his wife, foreign trips and how on August 1, 2011, N4.4m was paid to him as “cost of allowance”; and his personal assistant and orderly pocketed N1.2m and N1.1m respectively.

Premium Times reports

The trial of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, continued Tuesday with the prosecution witness detailing how the defendants allegedly laundered millions of Naira.

Adebayo Adeniyi, the EFCC witness, told the court how the defendants collected N13.5 million for honorarium, N4.5 million for renovation of the Speaker’s residence, and N1.5 million for the Speaker’s Guest House every month for six consecutive months.

Mr. Ikuforiji and Oyebode Atoyebi, his aide, are facing a 54-count amended charge of money laundering amounting to over N600 million.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, accused the Speaker and his aide of receiving the money from the Lagos State House of Assembly without passing through a financial institution.

The trial was adjourned last January for the prosecution to provide a summarized version of the monies collected by Mr. Ikuforiji and his aide.
But on Tuesday, Godwin Obla, counsel to the EFCC, said that he would rather continue with his previous method to avoid any grounds for appeal.

It was a painstaking effort that required Mr. Obla to go through each of the transactions with the witness. The judge admitted that, but overruled the defence’s plea that the prosecution tabulate the relevant sections of the transactions.
“We’ve lost time. We vacated three days for that exercise to be done,” said Ibrahim Buba, the trial judge.
“What I understand the prosecution to be doing is trying to go through the records viz a viz each count of the allegation. They are entitled to do so.
“It is indeed difficult, if not laborious,” Mr. Buba added.

2011 TRANSACTIONS
Mr. Adeniyi continued his testimony by stating how the Lagos House of Assembly paid millions of naira to Mr. Ikuforiji; his wife, Mayowa; his orderly; his personal assistant; as well as the state’s Deputy Speaker.

All the monies were collected by Mr. Atoyebi and paid for in cash, the witness said.
On July 14, 2011, N5.4 million was paid to Mr. Ikuforiji for a trip to San Diego, California; his personal assistant and orderly collected N1.3 million and N1.2 million respectively, according to Mr. Adeniyi.

On August 1, 2011, N4.4 million was paid to the Speaker as “cost of allowance”; his personal assistant and orderly pocketed N1.2 million and N1.1 million respectively. Two days later, N10 million was paid to the Speaker for Ramadan, the witness said.

On August, 2011, N6.4 million was paid to Mayowa Ikuforiji, the Speaker’s wife; and N1.3 million to the wife’s orderly, the witness said.
Between January and June 2011, N13.5 million was paid as honorarium, every month, to the Speaker, Mr. Adeniyi added.

He said N4 million and N1 million were also paid monthly, within the stated period, for the renovation of the Speaker’s official residence and guest house respectively.

Asked why there were columns with Cheque Numbers in the cash register, Mr. Adeniyi responded that: “What they do is that a cheque is raised in most cases in the name of the Permanent Secretary and cashed from the bank.
“It is this cash that is eventually paid and registered in this document, the details of payments.”

2010 TRANSACTIONS
“Basically, these cash payments are supposed to be made through a financial institution, paid to the beneficiaries, not through cash payments. Cash payments stall the tracing of the monies.
“We discovered that some of it was paid into the account of the first accused person. Some of it was used for his credit card and other personal matters,” he added.

During cross examination by Wole Olanipekun, counsel to Mr. Ikuforiji, Mr. Adeniyi said that he was not aware what the Speaker used the monies for.

“Our investigation is not focused on knowing whether he spent the money on his personal house.
“From our investigation, we did not go in depth into who approved the disbursements, we were particular about the cash disbursement which was above the threshold of transactions by a Permanent Secretary.

“Any payment must be made through e-payment, most especially when it is above the threshold,” Mr. Adeniyi said.
When shown one of the cash registers by the defence lawyer, Mr. Adeniyi said that he could not “remember seeing it.”

Mr. Obla objected to that line of questioning, insisting that the defence must tender the cash register as an exhibit before it court be used for cross examination.
The judge, however, said that the defence was at liberty to use any document that had been brought before the court.

“You cannot file a document and your witness said he cannot remember seeing it. If it was filed by the defence, it is a different ball game altogether,” the judge told Mr. Obla.
“Once you have provided this document, it is for them (the defence) to use it at their own time during the trial, not at your own time,” the judge added.
The trial was adjourned till April 28 for continuation of trial.

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Puppy love? Miley Cyrus shares shy photo while snuggling with her dog after getting caught kissing Benji Madden

She was caught 'making out' with Benji Madden on Thursday, as MailOnline exclusively reported.

And perhaps Miley Cyrus was feeling a little coy in the throes of her potential new romance, because she spent Saturday morning uploading shy, flirtatious photos of herself snuggling up in bed with one of her beloved pooches.

The 20-year-old - who is an avid 'selfie' aficionado - could not help but share intimate images of her resting place along with her fluffy pals who get to sleep with her every night.

Coy? Miley Cyrus posted a cutesy, enigmatic snap of herself being cuddled by her pooch on Saturday after rumours of her kissing Benji Madden at a Halloween party on Thursday

In one snap, Miley is conservatively dressed in a T-shirt as she lays back on her pillow with her dog Mary Jane adorably resting her paws around her neck.

'I love waking up to this,' she wrote as a caption alongside the photo that apparently documented her regular morning routine.

The Wrecking Ball songstress shoots the camera a cute, sleepy smile as she enjoys the furry nice hug.

And another: The 20-year-old singer shared yet another photo of her snuggle buddy on the same day

In another, the cute dog appears to be fast asleep on Miley's arm as she peeks over her head to barrel the lens.

And, giving the world first-hand insight into where she lays her head at night, the star even posted yet another snap of her actual bedroom.

'I'm so in love,' the singer wrote, adding: 'best sleeping partners in the world,' in reference to the three pups resting on her luxurious bed.

And this is where she sleeps! Miley incidentally showed the world where she rests her head with her dogs

Miley revealed her expensive tastes in the intimate share, as a giant Chanel blanket covered her bedspread as well as a Chanel cushion for good measure.

The sleepy snaps were posted just two nights after Miley was caught locking lips with Paris Hilton's ex boyfriend, rocker Benji Madden, suggesting she has moved on from her ex fiance Liam Hemsworth.

MailOnline exclusively reported that during a Thursday Halloween party that took place in West Hollywood nightclub Bootsy Bellows, a source saw the twerker 'making out' with Benji, and added that 'they seemed really into each other.'

Proud: The singer seemed to love her Lil' Kim costume which she wore to a party at Bootsy Bellows in West Hollywood on Halloween Thursday where she was seen making out with Benji Madden

Miley, who looked 'amazing' in her Lil Kim outfit, was introduced to Benji through a friend at Adam Lambert's Halloween Party Powered by CIROC, says the source.

'Soon they were flirting and talking very closely. Then they shared a kiss. They left Bootsy Bellows together around 1 am,' an eyewitness who was at the event tells MailOnline.

'They tried to be discreet by sharing a car with some other friends but it was clear they were leaving as a couple.'

Leaving together: The Wrecking Ball songstress was spotted leaving the club with Benji as well as a few other friends after partying

It was certainly an eventful night for the young star, as TMZ also reported that at one point Miley was seen being passed a suspicious looking rolled-up cigarette by pop star Adam Lambert.

Benji is the second person Miley has been romantically linked to since she split with Liam this summer; last week she was rumoured to be seeing Theo Wenner, who was once linked to Liv Tyler.

The performer has been on a media blitz since her headline-making VMA performance where she rubbed a foam finger all over her body and stuck her tongue out suggestively as she danced on stage.

Hiding: The star was seen with her purple wig hiding in the car which also incidentally transported Benji

Ready for Halloween: Earlier in the night, Benji showed up at the nightclub in costume with a friend

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Going underground: The outlaws of New York's thriving subculture as seen by one photographer who spent years in city's underbelly

After graffiti artist Banksy argued last week that New York has lost its edge, a new book by photographer Tod Seelie is a poke in the eye to all those critics who claim the city has become too corporate and mainstream.
Bright Nights: Photographs Of Another New York compiles a decade and a half of Seelie’s adventures exploring the city’s rich underbelly of alternative and underground culture.
The New York documented by Steelie is one where people regularly climb bridges, party in railroad tunnels, and sail homemade rafts on the Hudson River.

A ruckus band perform at a squat in Alphabet City, Manhattan in 2012: A new book by photographer Tod Seelie is a poke in the eye to all those critics who claim New York City has become too corporate and mainstream

People on-board a makeshift raft sail round the southern tip of Manhattan, 2008: Bright Nights: Photographs Of Another New York compiles a decade and a half of Tod Seelie's adventures exploring the city's rich underbelly of alternative and underground culture

View of Manhattan from the top of the Williamsburg Bridge, 2011: The New York that Steelie documents is one where people climb bridges, party in railroad tunnels, and sail homemade rafts on the Hudson River

Steelie fell in love with the city and all its wild possibilities after moving from Rocky River, Ohio. Although the city he documents is a far cry from the picture postcard version on sale to tourists in Times Square. 
His New York is an underground haven for people at society’s edges, who come alive at night to party in abandoned spaces, to make music and art and noise and mess.
‘I hope what happens is when you take in all these images and the subject matter and the aesthetic and you pile them together, you get a sense of this world that's kind of swirling right underneath a lot of people’s feet in New York,’ Seelie told Slate.com.
He moved to the city to attend the Pratt Institute in 1997 and became immersed in Brooklyn’s burgeoning art and music scene.

Setting up for a secret dinner in the Freedom Tunnel, Manhattan, 2007: Steelie's New York is an underground haven for people at society's edges, who come alive at night to party in abandoned spaces

Burning car in Bushwick, Brooklyn, 2007: The city documented in Steelie's book is a far cry from the picture postcard version on sale to tourists in Times Square

Crowd dancing on a rooftop during a Fourth of July party, Bushwick, Brooklyn, 2006: The city that never sleeps is still there although if you want to find it perhaps you need to look a bit harder and travel a bit further

Although many of the DIY venues he once frequented have now closed due to rising rents, Seelie believes it remains possible to enjoy an alternative lifestyle in New York - even if you need a regular pay-cheek to help fund it.
‘Some people may think that to do some of the stuff you see in the photos you have to have no job, never work. In fact, the opposite is true.
'A lot of the people in the photos have day jobs, and this is what they do at night. It's really about what you're passionate about, what you do, what you like to make happen on your own,’ he said.
A lot of Seelie's photographs involve a high degree of risk as safety is often questionable and the police are never too far away, but for Steelie it is simply a matter of weighing risk and reward.

Callie crowd surfing during a Spank Rock show at Bodega, Bushwick, Brooklyn, 2009: Many DIY venues have closed due to rising rents, but Seelie believes it remains possible to enjoy an alternative lifestyle even if you need a pay-cheek to help fund it

Vogue dance battle at La Escuelita, Manhattan, 2012: An alternative lifestyle is still achievable says Seelie, even if most people have to work to supplement it

‘I try really hard not to get caught. It's just one aspect of life where you have to evaluate it for yourself. Maybe something's too dangerous, something's too risky, or something's just too stupid - but maybe it's totally worth it,’ he said.
Many people will view Seelie’s adventures as things they simply wouldn’t dream of doing – or perhaps are too scared to try – but it is somehow reassuring to know that somewhere out there in the night there are people crowd surfing in high heels or playing in a mutant brass band.
Seelie's photographs prove that the city that never sleeps is still there, it's just that if you want to find it you might need to look a bit harder and travel a bit further to the outer boroughs than some of those people so quick to say that New York isn’t as good as it once was.
Bright Nights: Photographs Of Another New York by Tod Seelie is available to buy now.

Seelie's book documents the photographs he has taken over the past 15 years of a very different New York to the one seen by most of its residents and visitors

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