Politics

Dep Speaker, Wase, wants Sen Abaribe jailed

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The Senate Minority Leader Eyinnaya Abaribe was pilloried on Thursday by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Reps, Ahmed Wase over his failure to produce Nnamdi Kanu to face prosecution.

Abaribe had stood as a surety for the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader after Kanu was accused of secessionist agitations.

Ripples Nigeria further reported in 2019 that Abaribe and two others had stood as sureties for Kanu before he was granted bail by the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 25, 2017.

They are now grappling with the burden to produce him to enable continuation of his trial.

The inability of the three sureties’ to produce Kanu, made the judge, Justice Binta Nyako, order them on November 14, 2018, to each pay into the court’s account the N100m bond within two months.

Abaribe had also told the Court of Appeal in Abuja that his standing surety for the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, was illegal.

He, therefore, urged the court to relieve him of the suretyship for Kanu.

However, Wase opined that the Abia South senator should be imprisoned just as Senator Ali Ndume, who stood surety but failed to produce former Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) Chairman Abdulrasheed Maina, who jumped bail.

This was a sequel to the Point of Privilege Order raised by a member of the House, Sada Soli.

In the point of privilege, Soli expressed displeasure at House Minority Leader Ndudi Elumelu’s remarks at a closed-door executive session last week that some APC members plan to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Wase said, “I see someone as Abaribe, a leader in the Senate, championing that. Yes, there are many flaws. He bailed Kanu Nnamdi and during the EndSARS (protests), we knew what happened. Kanu then, was the one who was asking for the heads of Tinubu, destroy this, destroying that in the nation.

“But we have allowed him. He knew what happened to Ndume. Ndume, for bailing Maina, was taken to prison for not producing him, but we allowed this man to go as an opposition person.”

Entertainment

NIDCOM secures retrial for Nigerian wrongfully jailed in Cote d’Ivoire

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The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has revealed that the retrial of a Nigerian, Itunu Babalola, said to have been wrongfully incarcerated in Cote D’lvoire, is to commence under a new, unbiased prosecutor.

This was contained in a statement signed by Mr Gabriel Odu, the commission’s Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit officer, in Abuja, on Friday, March 19.

According to him, following painstaking investigations by the commission and the Nigeria Mission in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, it had now been confirmed that Babalola, a Nigerian living in Abidjan, was wrongfully charged and incarcerated for a crime she did not commit.

Also, the Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa said the Charge D’Affaires of the Nigerian Mission in Côte D’Ivoire, Mr Mohammed Gana, had sent officials of the mission to Bondoukou, a city eight hours away from Abidjan when the case was first brought to his attention.

Gana was quoted as saying that plans were underway to engage the services of a lawyer, to prove the innocence of Babalola at the Court of Appeal.

Ripples Nigeria gathered that the accused had spent two out of the 10-year jail term passed on her, for an offense she did not commit.

“Reports indicate that the new prosecutor, assigned to the case, has given assurances of a fair and unbiased review and retrial of the case, to secure the release of Babalola.

“The reports also indicate that the former prosecutor, in collaboration with the police, allegedly twisted the case and accused Babalola of human trafficking hence her conviction for 20 years, although the sentence was reduced to 10 years from which she has served 2 years so far.

“Babalola, whose family is from Oyo State, Nigeria, has been living in Bondoukou, Cote d’Ivoire, for a long time but got entangled in a legal battle, when she reported the burglary of her house to the police.

On efforts made to secure her bail, the prosecutor said it is only the court that can grant her bail, as she has already been convicted, we will continue to monitor the case as it unfolds,” he said.

Entertainment

Two Nigerians jailed in the UK for Covid-19 loan fraud

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Two people of Nigerian descent, Timilehin Olasemo and David Akinneye are currently in jail in the UK for fraudulently claiming about £500k in loan meant for businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The two Nigerians who exploited the UK Government’s Coronavirus Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) by using the identities of eight innocent people to fraudulently obtain £489,000 have pleaded guilty to the crimes.

Due to the absence of the economic activity occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK Government initiated a scheme to support struggling businesses.

In a statement published on Wednesday by the Metropolitan police, Olasemo and Akinneye were said to have connived to benefit from illegal loan applications worth £489,000, and had received over £250,000 at the time of their arrest.

Olasemo, 39-year-old, who is said to be a human resource executive, was charged to court over “conspiracy to commit fraud”, and impersonation and sentenced on Wednesday to three years and two months in prison

David Akinneye, aged 33, is described as her accomplice, and was sentenced to five years and six months in prison.

“Akinneye was the first out of the two to be identified during ongoing enquiries into organised criminality by officers of the Met’s North West London Economic Crime Unit. Olasemo was identified from evidence seized during Akinneye’s arrest,” the statement reads.

“On Friday, 16 October, officers from Met’s North West Economic Crime Unit, part of the Metropolitan Police Service’s Central Specialist Crime Command, arrested Olasemo at her home address. She was charged and remanded in custody the same day.

The investigating officers identified that £489,000 worth of fraudulent loan applications were made using ten identities. Of this, £297,000 worth of loans were successfully obtained by the pair and dissipated. The remaining amount was successfully stopped by the banks.

“It was discovered that Olasemo had obtained and used the personal details of eight individuals in order to fraudulently apply for the loans. She had stolen these identities after accessing employee records containing personal information during her employment.

“The fraudulently obtained monies was paid into the business bank account before being dispersed into mule accounts and later withdrawn from cash machines. Throughout this process, Olasemo sought advice from an accomplice named Olufumi David Akinneye.

Akinneye provided Olasemo with guidance in relation to laundering the proceeds of the frauds and safe addresses to use as correspondence for accounts. He also acted as a middle-man between people who were willing to sell on their bank accounts for use in fraud and other fraudsters who needed mule accounts to receive money obtained from diversion frauds.”

Speaking on the conviction, Chris Collins of the Metropolitan’s north west economic crime unit, said: “Today’s result serves as evidence of the zero-tolerance approach the MPS takes to individuals found guilty of fraud.”

“We will continue to crack down on individuals who are found to be exploiting government schemes for their own monetary gain,” he added.

Meanwhile, Akinneye, who was arrested in August 2020, was also found guilty of being involved in a romance scam.

Politics

Ekiti State govt publishes name, photo of man jailed for life for sleeping with 14-yr-old girl

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The Ekiti State government on Saturday, February 27, published the name and photograph of a man who is currently serving a life imprisonment for sleeping with a 14-year-old girl in its offenders list, making him the fifth person to have the name and photographs published.

The man, Lateef Afere Oluwaseun, aged 39, and a native of Aramoko Ekiti, living at Number 38, Anaye Street, Aramoko Ekiti, before the sentence, is currently serving a life imprisonment at the Ado Ekiti Correctional Centre for sleeping with a 14-year-old girl.

He has therefore had his name and photograph registered in the Offenders Register of the state Ministry of Justice.

According to a statement from the ministry on its Facebook Wall on Saturday by Olalekan Suleman, Special Assistant to the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the naming and shaming is in furtherance of the zero tolerance policy of the state government for violence against women and girls.

According to the statement: “The Ministry of Justice, Ekiti State, today published the details of another convicted offender. 

“Lateef Afere Oluwaseun from Aramoko-Ekiti was recently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by an Ado-Ekiti High Court for sleeping with a 14-year-old girl.

The ministry will continue to prosecute offenders and will also ensure persons convicted do not benefit from the governor’s powers of early release from prison.”

Politics

Nigerian int’l fraudster, Invictus, jailed 10 years for $11m fraud

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Nigerian international fraudster, Obinwanne Okeke, also known as Invictus, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Virginia Court in the US for defrauding Americans of $11m.

Okeke was sentenced on Tuesday by Chief District Judge, Rebecca Smith, for his involvement in a ‘computer-based intrusion fraud scheme that caused approximately $11m in known losses to his victims’, according to the prosecutors.

The lead prosecutor, Raj Parekh, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said of the verdict:

Through subterfuge and impersonation, Obinwanne Okeke engaged in a multi-year global business email and computer hacking scheme that caused a staggering $11 million in losses to his victims.

“Today’s sentence further demonstrates EDVA’s and FBI’s worldwide reach in vigorously pursuing justice on behalf of American victims and others and holding international cybercriminals accountable, no matter where they commit their crimes.”

According to court documents, the 33-year-old Okeke and others had, between 2015 to 2019, engaged in a conspiracy to conduct various computer-based frauds.

The syndicate obtained and compiled the credentials of hundreds of victims, including victims in the Eastern District of Virginia.

As part of the scheme, they engaged in an email compromise scheme targeting Unatrac Holding Limited, the export sales office for Caterpillar heavy industrial and farm equipment.

In April 2018, a Unatrac executive fell prey to a phishing email that allowed the syndicate to capture login credentials.

They then sent fraudulent wire transfer requests and attached fake invoices.

Okeke participated in the effort to victimise Unatrac through fraudulent wire transfers totaling nearly $11m which was transferred overseas.

Okeke was also said to have engaged in other forms of cyberfraud, including sending phishing emails to capture email credentials, creating fraudulent web pages, and causing other losses to numerous victims.

Okeke was at one time, listed on the Forbes 30 under 30 category for his business exploits and described as an inspiration to Nigerian youths.

Entertainment

Woman jailed for 10 years for gang-defiling neighbour’s daughter

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A 27-year-old Kibera woman convicted of aiding the defilement of her former neighbour’s 11-year-old daughter after promising her a trip to Kitengela has been jailed for 10 years.

Kibera chief magistrate Joyce Gandani  found Juliana Rehema guilty of conspiracy to defile and gang-defilement.

Rehema will serve three years for the conspiracy offence and seven years for the gang-defilement. Both terms will run concurrently.

She committed the offences on May 19, 2019, in Kibera after she lured the minor into her house, intending to have her defiled by her (Rehema’s) boyfriend, who escaped to Uganda and has never been found.

She committed the offence in Silanga village in Kibera, Nairobi, after administering a substance on the minor that left her unconscious for six hours.

The girl conceived from the act, according to the judgment.

Common intention

Charges against Rehema read that “on May 19, 2019, having a common intention to (defile) the child, was in company of another who defiled the minor, contrary to section 10 of the Sexual Offences Act of 2006”

Rehema had, a day earlier, met the child, who was on her way home from school, and invited her to her house.

The girl told the court that Rehema told her that she would take her to “Dreams” in Kitengela. The judgment did not reveal what “Dreams” is.
She sought her mother’s permission without telling her that she was to visit Rehema. They had agreed with Rehema that she would go at 9am and return at 2pm.

However, the victim arrived at the convict’s house at 2pm on the fateful day where she found her with a man who was a stranger to her.

The woman served the girl tea. She was hesitant about taking the tea but Rehema pleaded with her, and she agreed.

At that point, Rehema told her she must have sexual intercourse with the man and threatened to kill her if she told anyone thereafter.

Half naked

The girl blacked out during the argument, while sitting on a chair and regained consciousness at 8pm, half naked on Rehema’s bed. The man was missing.

The victim returned home around 9pm and her mother asked her why she was late. She said she had just returned from a school trip.

The girl’s mother told the court during Rehema’s trial that she went to her daughter’s school the following day to ask about the trip, and was told there was none.

The victim only told the truth after she was punished by a teacher during questioning.

She was taken to a hospital where she was examined and found to have been defiled.

Rehema was arrested after police concluded investigations. The victim’s mother told the court that she had seen Rehema talking to her daughter the day before the crime occurred, but did not bother to find out what they were talking about.

The magistrate said although she considered Rehema’s plea for mitigation, she also considered that the minor conceived during her molestation.

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