Man bags seven months jail sentence for raping his 14-year-old sister in Anambra

A 21-year-old man, Chinedu Eziuzo has bagged a seven-month jail sentence for raping his 14-year-old sister in Adazi-Enu, in the Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra state.

Eziuzo who was arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State, committed the crime in 2021, but was arrested on May 30, 2022.

The Judge, Dr Nnamdi said the sentence would commence from the day of his arrest.

Asides the seven-month jail sentence. Eziuzo was also handed a non-custodial sentence of community service of not less than three hours daily.

Filmmaker Seun Egbegbe regains freedom after years in jail

Filmmaker Olajide Kareem, aka Seun Egbegbe, has regained his freedom after spending three years and six months in prison.

The movie producer was jailed on February 10, 2017, after fraudulently obtaining N39 million, $90,000, and £12,550 from over forty Bureau De Change Operators in Lagos between 2015 to March 2017.

Egbegbe, who was the boss of Ebony Production, allegedly swindled the BDC operators out of money by claiming that he had naira to change into foreign currencies and vice versa.

Federal High Court, Ikoyi, found him guilty of just one of the 44 Counts charges against him.

Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo declared that 43 of the 44 Count charges were crumbled because of a lack of witnesses to substantiate their claims.

Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo then sentenced the filmmaker to jail. After 42 months in jail, Egbegbe was set free yesterday October 11, 2022.

Shoe trader charged after allegedly beating his wife who eloped with another man

A shoe trader identified as Joshua Kimanzi Lingi, has been arraigned before a court in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, for assaulting his wife.

He reportedly assaulted his wife after she eloped with another man. The incident occurred while she was doing laundry on the ground floor of a residential building in Mathare North.

The Standard reported that he grabbed and tried strangling her before snatching her mobile phone after neighbours responded to her cries for help.

Her attempt to get her phone back did not yield results as Lingi allegedly smashed it against the stairs before leaving the vicinity.

The mobile phone is said to be worth Ksh28,461.

A police report read;

“At about 11 am on the material day, LMN said she was on the ground floor of the residential building doing laundry when her estranged husband pounced on her from behind then grabbed and strangled her.”

Lingi was arrested after the case was reported to the police by his wife.

While appearing before the court, Lingi through his lawyer denied the allegation levelled against him, and also claimed that she destroyed the phone and later pinned the blame on him.

He also told the court that his wife left him and eloped with another man.

Lingi further pleaded with the court to be lenient on him since he has been providing for his children who are not in his custody.

He was released on a Ksh20,000 bond pending a hearing on January 19, 2023.

Man, 40, nabbed for allegedly killing minor

A man has been arrested by the Adamawa State Police for allegedly killing a minor in the state.

Barnabas Abduneza, 40, a resident of Kpasham, a village in Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State, allegedly attacked the deceased and her mother on September 29, in Kadamti village, leading to the death of the minor and grievous bodily harm on the mother.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Sulaiman Nguroje, who shared the story in a statement on Saturday morning, October 8, said:

“Following the attack on a woman and her child in Kadamti village of Numan Local Government Area on the 29/9/2022 which resulted to the death of the baby and severe injury on the mother, the Command operatives attached to Numan Division, Men of operation Farauta and good Samaritans swung into action and apprehended one in connection with the offence.

“The suspect, Barnabas Abduneza 40 years, a resident of Kpasham village, Demsa Local Government Area, was arrested following credible information.”

Professor drags estranged wife to court for renaming daughter after Ataoja of Osogbo

A Nigerian academician, Professor, Adekunle Oloki, has approached a District Customary Court in Osun State, for an order asking his former wife, Kafayat Oyetunji, to reverse his daughter’s name.

In a court paper filed before the customary court, Oloki accused Kafayat, who is now married to Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun Oyetunji, of changing his daughter’s name Nadirah Lawal-Oloki to Nadirah Oyetunji.

Kafayat was said to have given birth to Nadirah for Oloki before both of them parted ways.

Guardian reports that in a motion filed by his counsel, Asafa Olaore, Professor Oloki claimed that the defendant took their daughter to live with her at Ataoja of Osogbo’s palace, her new matrimonial home without his consent.

“The defendant has changed my daughter’s name from Nadirah Lawal-Oloki to Nadirah Oyetunji.

I have more than sufficient wherewithal necessary to take proper care and nurture my daughter to any standard.

If granted the custody of my child by this Honourable Court, I am quite ready to continue taking full responsibility for the total needs, education and well-being of my child.

My daughter is a United States citizen and I have commenced moves to make her acquire full citizenship” the ccademician told the court He urged the court to direct his former wife to allow him access to his daughter.

But the respondent’s counsel, S. B. Ajibade, said the plaintiff has never been denied access to his daughter, saying, “he (Oloki) has run away since 2015 and abandoned his responsibility.”

The President of the Customary court, K. B. Adeyinka has adjourned the matter to December 14 for hearing.

Islamic cleric sentenced to life imprisonment for r*ping minor in Lagos

Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence, Ikeja, Lagos State, has sentenced an Islamic cleric, Abdulsalam Salaudeen, to life imprisonment for defiling a minor who he was teaching Islamic studies.

Police prosecutors told the court that the incident happened in January 2019.

The 43-year-old cleric was caught on camera defiling the minor.

He was arrested and then arraigned in court where the tape was presented in court as evidence against him.

Delivering judgment on the case on Thursday, October 6, Justice Soladoye described Salaudeen as an unworthy cleric who must be weeded out of society to serve as a deterrent to other predators.

The judge also ordered Salaudeen’s name to be put in the s*x offenders’ register.

U.S. court grants Justice Dept expedited appeal in Trump case

U.S. appeals court has granted the Justice Department’s request to expedite its appeal of a lower court order appointing a special master to review records the FBI seized from former President Donald Trump’s mar-a-lago, Florida estate.

The Wednesday October 5 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to fast-track the government’s appeal is a setback for Trump, who had opposed the request.

Last week, the Justice Department had asked the 11th Circuit to address concerns it still has with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s appointment of Senior Judge Raymond Dearie, who is tasked with reviewing more than 11,000 records the FBI found inside Mar-a-Lago in order to remove anything that may be privileged.

Judge Cannon’s order blocks the Justice Department from relying on those records for its ongoing criminal investigation until Dearie’s review is complete.

In its filing, the Justice Department said this prohibition is hampering its probe, and that it needs to be able to examine non-classified records that may have been stored in close proximity to classified ones.

Those non-classified records, the department said, “may shed light” on how the documents were transferred to or stored at the Mar-a-Lago estate, and who might have accessed them.

Trump is facing a total of 19 legal actions – about half of which allege improper conduct during his presidency.

Most of the cases fall under three themes: financial wrongdoings that made him more money; his role in the January 6 2021 insurrection; and his alleged interference in the 2020 election.

Trump has denied wrongdoing in most of these cases. He has filed motions to dismiss several of them and has filed countersuits in some cases.

Court clears ex-EFCC boss Ibrahim Magu and Prophet Omale of money laundering charges

Justice Halilu Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory High Court has exonerated the former acting chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu and Prophet Emmanuel Omale of the Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry of N573million Money laundering claims.

Recall that the Justice Isa Salami-led presidential investigation panel that investigated Magu after he was asked to step aside, claimed in its report that an investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, revealed that the ex-EFCC boss paid N573million into Omale’s church’s account and the said money was used to purchase a property in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, UAE.

Omale had approached the court to challenge the claim. In the ruling delivered today October 5, Justice Halilu noted that the evidence before the court showed that Omale’s bank admitted error in its report to the NFIU, of entries in the Divine hand of God Prophetic ministries account.

The judge further held that the bank claimed that the purported N573 million was wrongly reflected as a credit entry in Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry’s account by its reporting system, which it recently upgraded.

Justice Halilu noted that the bank admitted the error, which occasioned incalculable damage to the reputation of Pastor Omale, his wife and their church both within and outside the country.

The judge further awarded the sum of N540 million Naira as damages in favour of the church.

R. Kelly ordered to pay victims at least $300K in restitution

A federal judge ordered disgraced R&B superstar R. Kelly to pay more than $300,000 to one of his victims in a decades-long scheme to use his fame to s*xually abuse young fans.

A restitution order by U.S. District Judge Ann Connelly that was still being finalized is meant to cover the cost of treatment for herpes and psychotherapy.

The victim, referred to only by a pseudonym, Jane, has accused the jailed Kelly of giving her the *exually transmitted disease during one of their encounters.

Kelly, whose lawyer claims he only has 28,000 dollars in his account, could also pay tens of thousands of dollars more for herpes treatment and counseling for a second victim once the final tally is calculated.

The Grammy-winning, multiplatinum-selling songwriter appeared at the hearing in federal court in Brooklyn via video from a lockup in Chicago on Wednesday, September 28, and only spoke to exchange greetings with the judge and to turn down an offer to say more.

None of the victims were in attendance.Donnelly sentenced Kelly in June to 30 years in prison, after a jury convicted him of racketeering and other charges.

Prosecutors said the 55-year-old Kelly exploited his stardom and wealth over more than two decades to lure women and underage girls into his orbit for s*x.

Kelly was also convicted last month in Chicago on separate charges of child pornography and luring underage girls for s*x.

He is awaiting sentencing in that case, and also faces various state charges in Illinois and Minnesota.

On Wednesday, after ordering Kelly to pay $300,000, Judge Donnelly denied prosecutors’ requests to compensate Jane for lost income, and provide any compensation to a third victim known as Sonja.

Court stops Peter Obi’s supporters from converging at Lekki toll gate

Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the Labour Party and its supporters not to converge at the Lekki toll gate for the rally it plans to hold in the state on October 1st, 2022.

The court also directed the Inspector General of Police and the Lagos State Police Commissioner to ensure compliance with the order.

The judge issued the orders today while ruling on a motion for injunction brought by 10 plaintiffs, who are asking the court to, among others, restrain the LP, its presidential candidate Peter Obi, his vice Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, one Julius Abure, and their loyalists from holding the rally.

The court also held that while the rally cannot stop at the Lekki toll gate, it can pass through the venue to access Falomo Bridge and other venues at which the rally plans to meet.

A preliminary objection filed by the defendants seeking to stop the court from hearing the motion on the grounds that it lacked jurisdiction could however not be entertained as all parties to the suit had not been served.

The court adjourned the hearing of the substantive suit to November 4th.

In the suit, 10 plaintiffs through their Romeo Ese Michael, Esq. asked the court to, among others, restrain the LP, its presidential candidate Peter Obi, his vice Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, one Julius Abure, and their loyalists from holding their rally, until the hearing and determination of their Motion-On-Notice of September 12, 2022.

The plaintiffs include Adedotun Ajulo Esq., Salamatu Suleiman Lewi Esq., Hakeem Ijaduola, Esq., Ogunbona Akinpelu Esq., Owolabi K. Oluwasegun, Esq., Mogbojuri Kayode Esq., Wuyep Mantim Nadom Esq., Dimimu Mabel, Esq., Kolawole Salami, Esq. and Mr. Wale Abe Lawrence.

The 1st to 10th defendants are Obi, LP, Baba-Ahmed, Abure, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Commissioner of Police (Lagos State Command), Director-General (Department of State Services), Lekki Concession Company (LCC) Limited, Attorney-General of Lagos State and The Governor of Lagos State.

In the substantive suit, the plaintiffs argued among other things that a repeat or celebration of the “infamous” EndSARS protest of 2020 under the political guise of “#Obidatti23 Forward Ever Rally” will cause a breakdown of peace and will result in post-traumatic stress disorder for them and the public.

House help in court for allegedly stealing N1.6m jewellery

A house help, Blessing Ochong, 27, as brought before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing her employer’s jewellery worth N1.6million.

The prosecution counsel, Inspector Glory Goodday, told the court on Monday, September 26, that the defendant, who resides at 56 Igbehinadu St., Bolade Oshodi, committed the offence on August 8 at no. 3 Irepodun St., Oke-Ira, Ogba, Lagos.

Goodday told the court that the gold jewellery and a wedding ring worth N1.6million belonging to the complainant, Mrs. Zainab Okwuosa, went missing after the defendant finished cleaning her room.

The prosecutor said the case was reported at the police station, and the defendant was arrested. The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Magistrate, Mr. M. A Adegbaye, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. Adegbaye adjourned the case until October 12.

Lagos teenager stabs friend to death over food

A teenager, Daniel Akindele, has allegedly stabbed his friend, Ayo Bameke, to death during a fight over food at Abattoir Complex in the Agege area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Akindele and Bameke, alongside other friends, usually visited the complex to play football.On the day of the incident, our correspondent learnt that the duo and their friends visited the complex as usual.

Bameke was said to have left his friends to buy food.He later returned to meet his friends at the complex and was said to be eating when Akindele, who was also hungry, requested to share in the food.

The request reportedly created an argument that degenerated into a scuffle between the two friends.

During the scuffle at the front of the Harmony Abattoir Management Services Limited, Bameke allegedly used a pair of scissors to injure Akindele.

A security guard with the company, Segun Ijaola, while speaking to our correspondent during a visit to the scene, said Akindele overpowered Bameke, collected the scissors, and stabbed him in the chest.

He said, “The teenagers were four in number and between the ages of 14 and 15 years. They are always together. Around 11am on that Saturday morning, they were in front of the Harmony Abattoir Management Services Limited.

One of our female workers was on her way out to get something at the slab when she saw one of the boys (Bameke) lying on the ground.

“While trying to ascertain what was wrong with the boy, she beckoned on the three friends to ask what happened.

In the process, she discovered that Bameke had been stabbed in the left side of his chest with a pair of maternity scissors.

Upon realising that Bameke was lying motionless on the ground, Akindele tried escaping but the woman apprehended him.

“While questioning him, Akindele started confessing. He said Bameke was the one that used scissors to cut his hand before he collected the scissors and used it to stab the left side of his chest.

Bameke was immediately rushed to Merit Hospital, Agege, by our company’s workers, but he was pronounced dead by the medical doctor. The corpse was taken to a mortuary.”

It was gathered that policemen attached to the Abattoir Police Station arrested the three friends, but during investigation, two of the suspects were released, while Akindele was detained.

During a visit to the station, an officer, who declined to give a progress report on the matter to our correspondent, said the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, for further investigation.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident.

Hundeyin said, “Akindele was arraigned before the Yaba Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on September 13, 2022, on the charge of murder. The magistrate ordered the teenager’s remand thereafter.”

Police arrest roadside mechanic who specializes in stealing vehicles in Niger state

Operatives of the Niger State Police Command have arrested a 33-year-old mechanic, Mustapha Yusuf, who allegedly stole a customer’s vehicle in Minna.

Spokesperson of the command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, who disclosed this in a statement on Frieday, September 23, 2022, said the suspect confessed to have stolen other vehicles and sold them in Kaduna state.

“On 18/09/2022 at about 1530hrs, based on technical intelligence, Police operatives attached to Niger State Police Command’s Intelligence unit arrested one Mustapha Yusuf aged 33yrs ‘m’ of Barkin-Sale area of Minna,” the statement read.

“The suspect was trailed and arrested at a hotel in Gabasawa area of Kaduna State for being suspected to have stolen a vehicle in Minna.

“Recently, on 14/09/2022 at about 1750hrs, a complainant reported an incident of car theft at GRA Division, that on the same date at about 0900hrs, he parked his Toyota Pontiac Vibe vehicle with Reg. No. MNA 974 SK at Dutsen-Kura, by London street, Minna and when he returned afterwards, the vehicle was missing from where it was parked “Upon preliminary investigation, the said Mustapha Yusuf who is a road-side mechanic and has been responsible for the maintenance of the vehicle for the past four years, was suspected for the missing vehicle.

“The investigating team made a concerted effort to locate the suspect in Minna, but he was nowhere to be found.

He was finally apprehended in Kaduna State with the said vehicle after four days and during interrogation, he confessed that he stole the car from Dutsen-Kura and drove to Kaduna and Zamfara States to sell the vehicle, with the use of imitated key which he made from the original key.

“He further confessed that he had stolen a Honda Accord vehicle at F-lay out area of Minna few years back, and a Toyota RAV4 jeep from Barkin-Sale in the year 2019.

He said all the vehicles were taken to Kaduna for disposal.

“The suspect is still under investigation and he will be arraigned in court for prosecution as soon as investigation is concluded.” he added.

The PPRO advised members of the public to tread with caution and identify whom they entrust their property to for maintenance and other purposes to avoid being dispossessed of such property.”

Decomposed body of missing South African woman found under bed of neighbour who helped search for her

The decomposed body of a South African woman, was found under the bed of her neighbour who had been helping search for her.

33-year-old Annelise van Rooyen, had been missing since April 24, 2022 in Cape Town and was found on September 19.

The suspect, Jaun-Paul van der Westhuizen, 32, allegedly misled the family by saying he saw her in different places.

The decomposing body of the victim was found when the accused’s brother was looking for stolen items. For about five months the man allegedly attributed the sickening stench that his family and friends complained about to dead rats that he was struggling to find.

While speaking to cops, Van der Westhuizen allegedly incriminated his friends Florenzo Steyn, 31, and Marshall Baartman, 27.

They all appeared on a murder charge in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, September 22, 2022.

The prosecutor read the docket in court: “The deceased went missing in April, and she was found on 19 September.

Her body was under the bed of accused number one. It was decomposed. Accused number one made an admission to the captain that the deceased went to his home with accused two and three to smoke.

He wanted to have sex with the deceased who tried to run; they strangled her and then put her under the bed.

The State has indicated that they are opposing bail for all accused. The victim’s mom, Marlene, 53, says:

“This man has been coming to home, I treated him like a son. He helped us with the search and he would come and tell me that he saw Annie in Wynberg and other places and all along he knew what he did The heartbroken mom says her daughter was last seen walking to a nearby shop.

“We had been everywhere looking for her and then on Monday when Jaun-Paul’s brother was looking for stolen items in his bungalow he found the body and called people,” she explains.

“We knew it was her because of the top she wore the last time I saw her. I picked her clothes that morning.

She was not wearing the tights and shoes she had on.” Marlene also tells the Daily Voice that her daughter was mentally challenged.

“She had a mind of a child, if you complimented her top, she would have taken it off.

Jaun-Paul took advantage of that and took her away from her 16-year-old son.

Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg had confirmed that cops are investigating a murder case.

Photos of Professor who ordered assault of her female police orderly, police confirm her arrest and that of another culprit

The Nigerian police force has confirmed the arrest of a Professor who reportedly ordered the assault of her female police orderly.

The legal practitioner and human rights activist, Prof. Zainab Duke Abiola and her domestic staff comprising the house maid, one Rebecca Enechido and a male suspect currently at large, reportedly caused grievous assault of a female Police Officer, Inspector Teju Moses.

A statement released by Police Spokesperson, Adejobi Olumuyiwa revealed that the Mbaise born activist grievously assaulted her orderly in company of some accomplices on Tuesday 20th September, 2022 at her residence in Garki, Abuja, due to the refusal of the orderly to breach professional ethics by carrying out menial and domestic chores at her house.

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba has directed the express prosecution of the arrested suspects who are currently in Police custody, as the preliminary investigation shows overwhelming evidence of culpability on the part of the Professor and her domestic staff.

The IGP has equally tasked the investigative team to ensure that the fleeing suspect is arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.

The statement read;

Ref No. CZ.5300/FPRD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.4/177

22nd September, 2022

The Director of News…………………………….

PRESS RELEASE

GRIEVOUS ASSAULT ON WOMAN POLICE: IGP CONDEMNS ACT, ORDERS EXPRESS PROSECUTION OF CASE

As Professor, Other Culprit Arrested

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), NPM, fdc, has strongly condemned the grievous assault of a female Police Officer, Inspector Teju Moses, by her principal who is a Legal practitioner and human rights activist, Prof. Zainab Duke Abiola and her domestic staff comprising the house maid, one Rebecca Enechido and a male suspect currently at large.

Zainab Duke, an Mbaise born activist, grievously assaulted her orderly in company of some accomplices on Tuesday 20th September, 2022 at her residence in Garki, Abuja, due to the refusal of the orderly to breach professional ethics by carrying out menial and domestic chores at her house.

The IGP has directed the express prosecution of the arrested suspects who are currently in Police custody, as the preliminary investigation shows overwhelming evidence of culpability on the part of the Professor and her domestic staff.

The IGP has equally tasked the investigative team to ensure that the fleeing suspect is arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.

It is pertinent to clarify that the suspect, Prof. Zainab, who name-drops the IGP, his family members, and other officers in the top hierarchy of the Force has no acquaintance with the Police in any form as erroneously peddled on social media.

The Inspector-General of Police who similarly ordered the withdrawal of all Police personnel attached to the Professor, expressed consternation at the fact that an individual who claims to be an advocate for Human Rights could stoop so low to violate the rights of another individual, a police officer tasked with ensuring her protection.

CSP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra,

FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

FORCE HEADQUARTERS

ABUJA.

22nd September, 2022

Man arrested after his girlfriend’s lifeless body was found in her apartment in Akwa Ibom

A man named Godwin Essang has been arrested after his girlfriend, identified as Uwakfon Sunday Akpan, was found dead with a broken neck in her apartment in Akwa Ibom State, on Tuesday, September 13.

According to her relative, who is a human rights activist named Levite Akpan, the suspect had called Levite’s mum to inform her that Uwakfon had passed away after complaining of headache.

He said Essang claimed he gave Uwakfon paracetamol and left for church only to return to meet her dead.

Levite said his mum doubted the story so she some relatives to Uwakfon’s house where they found her lifeless body with ”wounds all over and her neck broken.”

“My mum doubted his story because when she spoke with Uwakfon, she didn’t sound like one who was sick.

Some relatives went to my cousin’s house and found her lifeless body with wounds all over and her neck broken. We quickly invited the police and Godwin was arrested.”

“We need justice for Uwakfon Sunday Akpan,” Levite wrote.

Godwin Essang has denied the allegation.

RCCG pastor sentenced to two years imprisonment for issuing $1.6m dud cheque

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced a pastor, Ayodeji Ibrahim Oluokun, to two years in prison.

The assistant pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), City of David Parish, Victoria Island, was jailed on Tuesday, September 21, 2022.

Oluokun’s conviction came, consequent on his arraignment by the Lagos Zonal Command of the EFCC, alongside his company, Peak Petroleum Industry Nigeria Limited, on an amended six-count charge bordering on issuance of dud cheques, stealing and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of $1.6 million on January 19, 2019.

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, in her judgment, held that the prosecution had successfully proved the charge of issuance of a dud cheque against the defendants.

Taiwo, however, discharged and acquitted the defendants of stealing and obtaining money under false pretences.

“The defendant issued two cheques in the sum of 1.6 million dollars to the nominal complainant, which was dishonoured because there was no fund in the defendant’s account. Issuance of a cheque for lack of credit is a strictly liable offence,” said Taiwo.

“If the defendant was truly expecting some money till the end of July 2014 as claimed by him, he would have waited till he received the money before issuing the cheque on June 24, 2014,”

The judge said the first defendant knew all of these and still went ahead to issue the cheque dated June 24, 2014.

“It is hereby in the view of this court that the defendant was deliberate in issuing the dud cheque. He is hereby found guilty of counts one and two of issuance of dud cheque.

“The defendants, however, are discharged and acquitted of stealing and obtaining money under false pretences as the prosecution failed to establish the facts against them,” she said.

The judge thereafter sentenced the first defendant to two years in prison or payment of a fine of N2 million, and the second defendant to a fine of N2 million.

She ordered the convict to make restitution of 1.6 million dollars to the nominal complainant within 18 months.

The defence counsel, Mr Edoka Onyeke, in his allocutus, prayed the court to grant the convict a non-custodial sentence, adding that he was a pastor and could use his pastoral work as service to humanity, through community service.

“My lord, apart from the defendant being a first offender, if he is incarcerated, he will not be able to carry out the necessary things on behalf of the second defendant so as to make the restitution easy.

“The first defendant is a pastor of a church. This is a very good opportunity for him to engage in community service instead of a custodian sentence so as to preach the word of God.

On a final note, the defendant has promised to involve the nominal complainant in order to make the restitution,” Onyeke said.

Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Samuel Daji, however, urged the court to convict the defendants as charged.

He argued that the convict and the nominal complainant had not been on talking terms, thereby making the terms of restitution difficult to meet.

He also prayed the court to order the defendant to forfeit his property in order to pay up the debt.

“My lord, from the evidence before this court, the defendant is not committed. It has been nine good years my lord. A dollar was N150 at the time the loan was granted to the defendant.

The defendant does not even greet the nominal complainant unless it is of utmost necessity. “There is an evidence that the defendants never want to settle this case.

The defence counsel said he is a pastor. My lord, the more reason he should be given a custodial sentence in order to serve as a deterrent to others.

“The court has stated mandatory sentence. We shall be asking for restitution. I shall be urging the court to order the defendant to forfeit his property so as to use it to pay his debt,” Daji said.

The EFCC counsel had submitted that the defendant issued a Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Ltd. cheque of 1.6 million dollars payable to GOSL Nigeria Ltd.

He said when presented for payment, the cheque was dishonoured on the ground that there were no sufficient funds standing to the credit of the account on which the cheque was drawn.

The offences contravened Sections 1(1) (b) of the Dishonoured Cheques (Offences) Act, Cap D 11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and Section 285 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State and section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences.

Court order won’t stop negotiations with ASUU – Ngige

Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment has said that the court order directing the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to suspend its strike will not prevent negotiations with the lecturers on their demands.

The Minister said this while receiving members of the Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) in his office in Abuja.

Ngige also said “the government will order the vice-chancellors and pro-chancellors to reopen the universities in line with the court order.”

He said;

“The ruling is in the best interest of the nation. It is a win-win situation for all of us- government, students, lecturers- all Nigerians indeed.

I have just gotten the court order asking ASUU to go back to work. It is a sound judgment. It is no victor, no vanquished.

“You doctors in academics are for now members of ASUU, but, you are here, even though you have dissociated yourself and are working. We want to thank you for working and teaching your students.

“The court ruling does not preclude us from going on with further negotiation and consultations. The pro-chancellors met Mr. President and made some demands, such as topping up government offers and seeing whether there could be some bailout.

“Mr. President (Muhammadu Buhari) said in considering it, he will consult stakeholders. So, he is going to consult everybody.”

Nnamdi Kanu must not die in custody, Ohanaeze warns

Apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has warned the Federal Government against allowing the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to die in custody of the Directorate of State Services (DSS).

This comes after his brother Emmanuel Kanu and attorney Ifeanyi Ejiofor had raised the alarm on Kanu’s health condition following a routine visit at the Department of State Service cell.

They said the Biafra leader is critically ill and has not been allowed access to his doctors by the DSS.

Ejiofor said Kanu “is currently suffering from gastrointestinal illness, which necessitates the constant use of antacids and other available medical treatments.”

“The DSS has refused to allow him to have even the smallest amount of prescribed painkiller, which could have given him short-term respite.”

Reacting in a statement titled, “Nnamdi Kanu Must Not Die in Prison,” Ohanaeze described the report as worrisome to any fair-minded patriotic Nigerian.

Signed by the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, the pan-Igbo body warned the Federal Government that nothing untoward should happen to Kanu in detention.

According to the statement, the group’s President General, Ambassador George Obiozor, has on several occasions advised President Buhari on Kanu’s issue beyond the courts or the use of force, stating that it requires a political solution.

The statement read,

“The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, and several eminent Igbo have repeatedly appealed to the heart of Mr President to release Nnamdi Kanu on the premise of a political solution.

The only living legend among those that fought for Nigeria’s independence and the Minister of Aviation in the First Republic, Chief Mbazulike Amechi, presented the request to Buhari when he visited Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, as his last wish.

“Earlier before that, Mbazulike had also met the President in Aso Rock, Abuja for the same reason. In the interim, common sense will ask – why deny Nnamdi Kanu the necessary access to a medical doctor? This is very curious and raises a lot of questions.

“Finally, it is common knowledge that the incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu has rather contributed to the enormity of insecurity in the South-East and one wonders what will happen if, by the utter carelessness, negligence or unnecessary victimisation, something untoward happens to Nnamdi Kanu.”

Court dismisses PDP’s suit seeking disqualification of Tinubu and Peter Obi

The opposition party which claimed that the Electoral Act 2022 did not make provision for a “place holder” or temporary running mate, asked the court to declare that Tinubu and Obi be disqualified unless they contest alongside their previous running mates; Kabiru Masari and Doyin Okupe respectively.

In the lawsuit which has INEC, APC, Tinubu, Masari, Labour Party, Obi and Okupe as defendants, the PDP also asked the court to determine if “by the combined interpretation of Section 142(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sections 29(1), 31, 33 of the Electoral Act 2022, the first defendant (INEC) can validly accept any change or substitution of the 4th (Masari) and 7th (Okupe) defendants as running mates of the 3rd (APC) and 6th (Labour Party) defendants”.

Ruling on the case after respondents in the suit challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter, Justice Donatus Okorowo stated that the lawsuit is not within the court’s jurisdiction.

He went on to dismiss the case he said lacks merit and an abuse of court process.

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