Crime

Nigerian Govt yet to decide on Nnamdi Kanu’s case ”very soon”

Published

2 years ago

October 16, 2022

Nigeria’s federal government has disclosed that it would soon come up with a final decision on the on-going terrorism trial of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
This was one of the resolutions at the National Security Council (NSC) meeting held Friday at the State House, Abuja with President Muhammadu Buhari presiding.

Delivering judgment last Thursday, a three-member panel of the appellate court, led by Hanatu Sankey, discharged Kanu, ruling that the federal government flouted the Terrorism Act, Extradition Act and also violated international conventions and treaties guiding extraditions, thus, breaching the rights of the respondent.
The court held that having illegally and forcefully renditioned the appellant, the trial court was stripped of jurisdiction to continue to try Kanu.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, said the Council resolved to take an appropriate step on the ruling and Kanu’s further trial.
He said: “The issue of Kanu was raised and Council was briefed on the state of things on the matter and it was observed that Kanu was discharged, but he was not acquitted. So, the government is considering the appropriate action to be taken on the matter and Nigerians will be notified of the position that will finally be taken in due course.
The Security Council also directed that the Dangote Cement factory at Obajana in Kogi State should be re-opened for business.

The council asked the parties involved to seek judicial determination of the ownership of the cement factory.
Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola, who also briefed newsmen, said the commitment of government towards resolving the issue legally, made the Council to order its re-opening.
Aregbesola said: “The council noted the development in Kogi and has ordered the reopening of the cement factory; it has also advised that all issues relating to that industry or factory should be resolved legally. Nobody must take law into their hands, either as a government or an individual.
“We are committed to guaranteeing and providing employment for Nigerians, so whatever will, in any way, hinder that must be discouraged. So, in that regard, the cement industry in Obajana must be reopened and all issues that are in dispute should be resolved legally.”

Aregbesola also disclosed that the Council had mandated the National Security Adviser and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to set up a strong team to investigate the crude oil theft in the Niger Delta and report back to it.
“Now, on the issue of crude oil theft, the Council has decided that the National Security Adviser should put in place a strong team to investigate all issues relating to the discoveries of either abandoned oil pipelines, or illegal crude oil pipelines, so as to determine, one, the extent of such illegalities and perpetrators of such, and put a report for the Council and the president.
“That is, a committee will be set up by the NSA, in conjunction with the SGF, to investigate this issue of oil bunkering because of the serious economic importance and to ensure that all those involved are brought to book.”
On his part, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor told newsmen that the Council was also briefed that 101 ex-combatants who were taken to Operation Safe Corridor are currently undergoing the process of de-radicalisation at the center.

According to him: “These were ex-combatants that have been in detention for several years, some of whom have served their terms. Others were those that were awaiting trial, but because of the long time that they’ve been involved and in line with the protocol or the procedure for handling anyone who has been exposed to terrorism or related offenses, the procedure for them to be taken through a process of de-radicalisation.”
Irabor also stated that states have no power to procure automatic weapons for their security outfits.
While inaugurating the first batch of personnel of the state’s security outfit last August, Governor Samuel Ortom had said sophisticated weapons would be provided for them.

On his part, Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo, in September said the state would procure arms for operatives of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun.
Speaking on the development, Irabor said the licence for the procurement of automatic weapons – such as AK-47 – lies with the agencies of the federal government.

He said: “Firearms fall into two major categories. You have the automatic weapons and the ones that we may classify as non-automatic weapons, which some of you may even have if you have the appropriate licences – talking about the pump action which are the very common ones, and sometimes even the dane guns some of the hunters use.
“What is involved in the class mentioned has to do with automatic weapons. There’s no state that has been given a licence for that. So, you do not ask for what you do not have power to acquire.”
Others at the security meeting were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao and the Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (retd.).
Also, in attendance were the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Usman; the Director-General of the Department of State Service, Yusuf Bichi; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Samuel Adebayo.

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Crime

2 ladies docked for allegedly obtaining money by fraud

Published

1 week ago

December 16, 2024

Saadatu Sahabo

The police in Lagos have dragged two women, Mmesuma Ofunna, and Blessing Adimekwe, before an Ojo Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, over alleged obtaining money by false pretence.

Ofunna, 22, and Adimekwe, 25, were arraigned before the Magistrate, Mr L K J Layeni, on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence, stealing and conduct likely to breach peace.

They each, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The prosecutor, ASP Simon Uche, told the court that the defendants conspired with others now at large, to commit the offence on Oct. 26 at the Okokomaiko area of Ojo.

He alleged that they had obtained the sum of N70, 000 from one Faith Ahamefule, with a promise not to post her nude photo on social media.

The prosecutor alleged that the defendants later posted the nude photo of the nominal complainant on social media, knowing that their promise was false.

He alleged that they stole the N70, 0000, thereby conducting themselves in a manner likely to breach public peace.

The offence contravenes the provisions of sections 168(d), 287, 314, and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

The court granted the defendants bails in the sum of N500, 000 each, with two sureties each in like sum.

He adjourned the case until Jan. 8, 2025 for mention.

Crime

Mechanic jailed 15 months for pickpocketing passengers

Published

1 week ago

December 16, 2024

Saadatu Sahabo

A Jos Magistrates’ Court on Monday, sentenced a 26-year-old Mechanic, Sadiq Umar to 15 months imprisonment for pickpocketing from passengers.

The Magistrate, Shawomi Bokkos, summarily tried and sentenced the convict after he pleaded guilty to the charge.

Bokkos in his judgment, ordered the convict to pay an option of N100, 000 fine or spend one year in prison.

He also asked him to pay a compensation of N15, 000 or an additional three months in prison in default.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp Ijuptil Thiawur, told the court that the case was reported on Nov.16, at the “A” Division Police station by Moses Pam, Alexander Bakshak and Simon Justice the complaints.

Thiawur said that the convict attempted to steal from them before he was caught in the act and when the driver stopped the vehicle to search him he fled but was caught.

The Police said that the offence contravened the Plateau Penal Code Law.

Crime

Police detain 2 suspected fraudsters, reject N66m bribe in Lagos

Published

1 week ago

December 16, 2024

Saadatu Sahabo

Police rescue 14 passengers from bandits in Jibia

The Zone-2 Police Command in Lagos says it has detained two suspected international fraudsters that allegedly specialised in forging foreign certificates in Lagos and Ghana.

The AIG in charge of the zone, Adegoke Fayaode, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.

Fayoade said that the suspects allegedly offered N66m to the operatives with a view to free them but the offer was turned down.

NAN reports that the same zone operatives rejected a N174m bribe offered by a suspect in November to set him free.

Fayoade said that the suspects simply identified as Elvis, 23 and Kelly, 24, allegedly specialised in forging certificates of different nations and African Universities and defrauding their unsuspecting victims on the internet.

He said that the suspects have succeeded in acquiring exotic cars and erecting mansions in different parts of the country with the proceeds of their loot.

The AIG pointed out that luck ran out of the suspects after detectives at the Anti-Corruption Unit of the Zone received credible information from Nigerians in diaspora concerning some group of boys that specialised in forging foreign certificates.

According to him, on getting the information, he detailed the anti-corruption unit to investigate it and arrest the suspects without delay.

Fayoade said that based on his directives, the detectives stormed Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos waiting for the arrival of the suspects, whom they trailed to a five star hotel at Osapa-London in Lekki Area.

He said that the operatives arrested the suspects at a bus stop while they were about to escape secretly from the hotel, after monitoring their activities.

“Searching their luggage, one certificate of Blue Crest College, Ghana, belonging to Elvis and a student identity card of Academic City College belonging to Kelly were recovered.

“Further search revealed a transcript of an academic record from Blue Crest University belonging to Elvis.

“A letter of English proficiency from the said college and a letter of recommendation from the same Blue Crest College were recovered,” he said.

The AIG said that the suspects made useful statements to the police and confessed that they never got any admission into the school, stressing that they only procured the degree certificates through the help of a female Nigerian resident in Ghana.

“The suspects further confessed that the major aim of doing that is to enable them to get Ghana resident permit, which they got.

“The resident permit is showing them also as a student of Academic City University and that none of them has ever been admitted in the school.

“They claimed they paid a total of 26,000 Ghana Cedis for all the documents procured.

“They confessed that they procured all the documents to evade arrest in Ghana since they don’t have any means of livelihood.

Whenever police intercepted them, they showed their passports that they were students in Ghana.”

Fayoade said that the suspects were also allegedly involved in online romance scam, provision of foreign bank accounts for fraudulent transactions on the internet through what they call ‘Facebook bombing’.

He said the suspects presented themselves as an American soldier by name Captain Donald Rowe, serving in Syria, whom they impersonated on Instagram, using his name to defraud innocent persons.

The AIG said that while detectives were making frantic efforts to get more credible information from the suspects, they started negotiating to bribe the operatives for them to be set free.

“I directed my men to play along and recover the money as an exhibit. Subsequently, the detectives played along and the suspects paid them a sum of N66m, which they collected and kept as an exhibit.

“The Nigeria Police authorities have written to the Ghana embassy to get more information about the result and their suspected partners in Ghana said to be spearheading the fraud.

Fayoade said that they had also spread their dragnets through the International Police, Interpol, to round up their foreign accomplices.