Alleged elecion fraud: Amaechi, Fayose indicted .

Nigerian newspaper headlines on Wednesday, October 19, have focused on the anti-corruption war, the crisis in the All Progressives Congress, amongst other top stories. According to The Punch, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, a former minister of state for defence, has told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that he gave the sum of N2.3bn to the Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state in the run-up to the Ekiti state governorship election in 2014. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Newspaper Headlines Obanikoro was said to have also told operatives that N60m was converted to dollars at N168 to a dollar and given to Fayose. The minister told operatives of the anti-graft commission, who continued his interrogation in Abuja on Tuesday, October 18, that he personally handed over N5,357,357 to the governor on an occasion. A top operative of the commission, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said Obanikoro told his interrogators that the money was transferred to Fayose on the instruction of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, (retd.) Moving over to anti-corruption war against the judiciary, Justice John Inyang Okoro, one of the Supreme Court judges whose home was recently invaded by the DSS, has alleged that his travail in the hands of the operatives was in connection with alleged desire of the Presidency and All Progressives Congress to win at all cost, election appeals in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Abia states, Vanguard reports. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Newspaper Headlines He also said the $24,000 and £10,000 recovered in his house by the operatives was balance of the estacode he received on foreign trips for three years Justice Okoro, in a letter written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of  National Judicial Council, NJC, Justice Mohammed Mahmoud, dated October 17, 2016, said the recovered money was exclusive of those he received from international conferences attended since he joined the Supreme Court three years ago. READ ALSO: APC crisis: Tinubu failed to heed warning – Adebanjo But in a swift response, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the transport minister, described Justice Okoro’s claim as a figment of his imagination, The Sun reports. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Newspaper Headlines The statement read:  “This accusation from Justice Okoro against Amaechi is a figment of his imagination, concocted to obfuscate and politicize the real issues for his arrest and DSS investigation of allegations of corruption against him. “The claims by Justice Okoro against Amaechi are blatant lies, bereft of any iota of truth or even logic.  Amaechi did not, and has never approached Justice Okoro in respect of the cases Okoro mentioned or any other case. “This is a cheap attempt, albeit, political move to drag the name of Amaechi into something he knows nothing about. Justice Okoro should face his issues and leave Amaechi out of it.  He will be hearing from our lawyers.” Still on the anti-corruption war, one of the embattled Judges, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, yesterday said he would no longer preside over the criminal charge the federal government preferred against the detained former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, retd, The Guardian reports. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Newspaper Headlines Justice Ademola was among the seven Judges whose homes were “invaded” and thoroughly searched by operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, between October 8 and 9. He said the DSS, which investigation culminated into the criminal charge before him, specifically accused him while in custody that he collected “huge sums of money” from Dasuki. On economic matters, the Central Bank of Nigeria has said bank customers who do not earn foreign exchange (forex) will henceforth not be able to secure dollar-denominated loans, The Nation reports.