Crime
Court remands businessman for alleged terrorism, cultism
A Makurdi Chief Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday ordered that a 30-year-old businessman, Dzakitor Dzawua, be remanded in a correction centre for allegedly terrorising traders at the Gboko Main Market with a pistol.
Dzawua, who lives at N0 16, Lese Gatier Street, Gboko Local Government Area of Benue, was charged with criminal conspiracy, being in possession of property suspected to be stolen, membership of unlawful society to wit cultism, illegal possession of firearms and act of terrorism.
The Magistrate, Mrs Roseline Iyorshe, did not take the plea of the defendant for want of jurisdiction.
Iyorshe adjourned the matter until Jan 23, 2023, for further mention.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Insp Godwin Ato, told the court that the case was transferred from the Divisional Police Headquarters, Gboko to the State CID, Makurdi on Nov. 14, via a letter dated Nov 13.
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Ato said on Nov. 8, one Felix Orban of Behind Tekon Filling Station, Gboko, had arrested and brought the defendant to the ‘B’ Division Police Station, Gboko and accused him of terrorism.
Orban reported that on the same Nov 8, he received a distress call from Gboko Main Market that the defendant was seen in the market armed with a pistol and terrorising traders.
Prosecutor said police investigation revealed that the defendant belonged to a notorious cult group called red skull confraternity.
According to the prosecutor, members of the confraternity were Solo Kume, Terna Godwin, Aondohemba alias Pastor and Terhemba alias Sky Boy all of the various addresses in Gboko and now at large.
Ato said further police investigation led to the recovery of one locally made pistol with two live ammunition, five solar inverters, one solar generator, three solar clippers and some electrical cables from the defendant believed to have been stolen.
The offences, he said, contravened the provisions of the Penal Code Laws of Benue, 2004, and the Abduction, Hostage-taking, Kidnappings, Secret Cult and similar activities prohibition laws of Benue, 2017 as well as the Robbery and Firearms Act, 2004.
Court remands businessman for alleged terrorism, cultism
The Anambra State Police Command has foiled a cult initiation ceremony in Nawfia, Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.
Spokesperson for the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Awka.
According to Ikenga, the operation was carried out by police operatives around 9:30am on June 15, leading to the arrest of six suspects at the scene.
Recovered during the raid were one Jojef pump action gun, two cartridges, and a golden-coloured Lexus SUV with registration number ATN 202 AE. Other items found include two cutlasses, two scissors, a cap bearing the inscription of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity, charms, and substances suspected to be hard drugs.
“They are currently undergoing police interrogation to get more insight into their modus operandi, after which the case will be charged to court on the conclusion of the investigations,” Ikenga stated.
The police spokesperson reassured residents of the command’s unwavering commitment to fighting cultism and other related crimes across the state.
An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Wednesday, remanded two persons, Olaitan Fasasi and Kehinde Tobiloba in a correctional facility over alleged attempted murder.
Fasasi, 40, and Tobiloba, 26, whose addresses were not provided, are being charged with conspiracy, attempted murder and membership of a secret society.
The Magistrate, Mr L.A Owolabi, did not take the plea of the defendants for want of jurisdiction.
Owolabi directed the police to forward the case file to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.
He thereafter adjourned the case until May 31 for mention.
The Prosecutor, Josephine Ikhayere, told the court that the defendants committed the offences at about 5.02p.m on Feb. 15, at Mushin, Lagos.
She said that Fasasi, Tobiloba and others now at large, attempted to commit murder by shooting at a resident, Alfred Ademola.
“They armed themselves with a locally made gun. They belong to Eiye Confraternity, a group proscribed by law,”, she said.
Ikhayere said that the offences contravened Sections 230(1) and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2012.
He said that the actions of the defendants also contravened Section 2(3)(a)(b)(c)(d) of the unlawful societies and Cultism Law of Lagos State Law.
An Area Court in Jos, on Tuesday, sentenced one Jeptha John, to three months imprisonment for stealing a Redmi mobile phone valued at N165, 000.
The judge, Shawomi Bokkos, sentenced the John after he pleaded guilty to the offence.
The judge, however, gave the convict an option to pay N20, 000 fine and N50, 000 restitution to the complainant.
Bokkos said that if the convict defaulted in paying the restitution, three months should be added to his sentence to make it six months imprisonment.
Earlier, the police prosecutor, Insp Monday Dabit, told the court that the case was reported at the B Division Police Station, Jos, on Dec. 1, 2024, by Ms Nerat Danjuma.
He said that the complainant alleged that the defendant trespassed into her house and stole her mobile phone valued at N165, 000.
The prosecutor further told the court that the offence contravened the Plateau State Penal Code, Law of Northern Nigeria.
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