The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Man charged with theft in Asaba

    A 24-year-old man, Mr Chidi Paul, was at the weekend arraigned before Asaba Magistrates’ Court 5 for alleged theft.

    Paul, who is standing trial on a one-count charge of theft, pleaded not guilty.

    The Magistrate, Mrs Edith Anumodu, granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N50, 000 with a surety in like sum.

    Anumodu said the surety must be resident in Asaba, Delta State and should provide affidavit of means and deposit two passport photographs to the court.

    Read Also: Uber driver charged with theft

    She adjourned the case till August 20 for definite hearing.

    The Prosecutor, Mrs Blessing Okafor, had told the courts that the defendant committed the offence on August 4 at Stop-abortion Junction, Asaba.

    Okafor alleged that the defendant stole a play station valued at N38,000, one memory card valued at N15,000, four pads valued at N10,000 and 10 DVD cassettes valued at N2,000, totaling N65,000.

    He said the items were entrusted in the care of the defendant by Mr Chucks Michael, the owner of the properties.

    She said the offence contravened Section 390(8)(b) of the Criminal Code Cap C21 Vol. 1 Laws of Delta State of Nigeria, 2006.

  • Ekweremadu: Apologise for supporting IPOB, APC tells PDP

    The Governing All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to offer public apology to Nigerians for supporting the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the past and playing politics with them.

    Reacting to weekend’s attack on former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu in Nuremberg, Germany by members of the group, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu described the reaction of the PDP to the attack as hypocritical.

    Issa-Onilu said the group his under regional identity to perpetuate criminality in the region while receiving the backings of the PDP and its leaders, stressing that the attack on Ekweremadu was an affront on political dignity.

    The statement reads: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) strongly condemns the attack on Senator Ike Ekweremadu, immediate past Deputy Senate President and serving Senator by members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Saturday in Nuremberg, Germany.

    Read Also: Attack on Ekweremadu taboo- Ohanaeze UK

    “Those involved in the despicable actions and the organisation they represent are unworthy in character. No Nigerian should be assaulted in the manner Senator Ekweremadu was. It is an indecent action and it is below the acceptable standard of behaviour expected of our citizens whether in Nigeria or abroad.

    “It is however regrettable that some of the people and organizations who had offered these irresponsible elements open support in the past are raising their voices now. It would be recalled that the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its leaders chose to play politics over a matter that called for collective patriotic actions when IPOB raised a terror group in the South East.

    “It is clear that PDP and its other short-sighted co-travelers who were the main cheerleaders of IPOB owe this country an apology. IPOB hid under regional identity to perpetrate criminality having recruited some misguided elements and miscreants.

    “Are we surprised by the PDP’s hypocritical reaction to the unfortunate attack on Senator Ekweremadu? No! The PDP and their leaders have acted true to type. This is what happens when politicians become myopic and allow narrow sentiments becloud their sense of judgement.

    “We all have a responsibility to collectively rise against evil wherever we find it and in whatever guise it appears. We hope lessons have been learnt from this unfortunate incident.”

  • Man, 31, remanded for allegedly defiling minor

    An Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Ibadan, at the weekend ordered the remand of a 31-year-old man, Mutiu Hassan, in prison custody for allegedly defiling a five-year-old girl.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mr O. Adisa, who did not take the plea of Hassan, ordered that he should be kept in Agodi prison and the case file sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

    Adisa adjourned the case till August 30 for mention.

    Read Also: Anglican Priest jailed five years for defiling minor

    The defendant, who lives at Anfaani Asabari Junction area of Ibadan, is facing a charge of defilement.

    Prosecuting Sergeant Salewa Hammed had told the court that the defendant committed the offence on August 12 at 2pm at his home.

    Hammed said the girl’s mother had sent her and her brother on an errand to buy bread, when the defendant lured her to follow him.

    “Her mother searched for the girl and later found the defendant on top of her under the staircase.

    “She reported the case at Orita Challenge Police Station,” the prosecutor said.

    Hammed said the offence contravened Section 218 of the Criminal Law of Oyo State, 2000.

  • Man who regained sight after 21 years to enrol in school

    Mr Eli Humoshe, the father of the 24-year-old Edmond Eli, who regained his vision after 21 years, said on Sunday that his son, who missed school over the years, will be enrolled for adult education.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Edmond, who went blind at age three, regained his sight at the weekend, following a free surgery offered him and many others at the just-concluded one-week medical outreach.

    The outreach was sponsored by Senator Binos Yaroe (Adamawa South) at the LCCN Referral Centre in Demsa town, the headquarters of Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

    Mr. Eli Humoshe said the blindness had robbed his son of the opportunity to get education, making him a reserved person who hardly talked.

    “As you can see now, he is still quiet and just starring at things.

    “I and overwhelmed with joy and short of words on how to appreciate God, Senator Binos and the doctors for this miracle.

    “My plan for him after he fully recovers is to enrol him in adult education,” said Humoshe.

    The elated father said the problem started when Edmond was just three years in Kpasham village of Demsa Local Government Area, where he returned home claiming that some boys put sand in his eyes.

    Read Also: Man bags seven years for defrauding A’Ibom govt official of N28million

    “We took him to a local clinic and the General Hospital at Numan, where we were referred to Kano but could not go due to lack of money.

    “That’s how we continued to manage him as he completely lost his sight up till now that we heard about the free medical outreach organised by the senator,” Humoshe said.

    Head of the Eye Unit at the medical outreach Dr Ugochukwu Anunwa said the operation was performed by a consultant who identified the cause of the problem as juvenile cataract.

    Anunwa said during the one-week medical outreach about 200 successful surgeries were conducted, mostly for cataracts and pterygium.

    Senator Yaroe said he was also excited and remained fulfilled seeing Edmond and other patients getting the treatment they were yearning for to be like other normal people.

    “I am a very happy person and I am thankful to God and all volunteer medical personnel that came for this outreach.

    “For me, it is like testing the waters and the way people received it.

    “The joy on the faces of beneficiaries and their relations is something that cannot be quantified which encourages me to do more.

    “We are planning to organise another outreach; in fact, we are already talking with some partners in the United States (U.S) that have expressed their desire to also join us in future out-reach,” Yaroe said.

    The senator said he organised the outreach in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Soteria-Afrique Rural Healthcare Initiative, and the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).

    NAN reports that statistics from the hospital showed that 8,030 patients were attended to during the free medical outreach.

  • Suspect arraigned for ‘receiving’ stolen property

    The police in Kano at the weekend arraigned a 28-year-old man, Auwal Ma’aruf, at a Magistrates’ Court for allegedly receiving stolen property.

    The defendant, who lives at Rimin Auzunawa Quarters, Kano, is standing trial on a charge of receiving stolen property.

    Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Yusuf Sale told the court that Usman Nasir of Tudun Yola Quarters, Kano, reported the case at Rijiyar Zaki Police Division on August 13.

    Read Also: ‘Evangelist’ beaten to pulp for allegedly stealing phones

    Sale said on August 7, at about 10:30am, the defendant bought a Plasma TV set valued at N80,000  from one Abubakar.

    He said Khalifa and Abba all of Tudun Yola Quarters, Kano, who were arrested and had confessed to have trespassed and stolen the said TV set, later sold it to the defendant.

    According to the prosecutor, the offence contravenes Section 319 of the Penal Code.

    The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty.

    The Senior Magistrate, Aminu Fagge, ordered the remand of the defendant in prison custody and adjourned the case till August 29 for mention.

  • Man arrested for alleged human trafficking

    The Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has arrested Mr. Oluwomise Modupe for allegedly involving in the trafficking of Folashade Ogunfamuyide to Oman.

    Parading the suspect at the headquarters of the NIS in Akure, the state Commander of the NIS, Mrs. Eunice Aboyade-Yebovi, said the victim was innocently sold into slavery by the suspect.

    She said: “We arrested this trafficker. From our findings, we understand that he has been in the business for some time. He sent victims abroad to an Arabian country to some of his collaborators. They used the victims as ‘slaves’ and he made money from the business.

    Read Also: Human trafficking: 20,000 Edo, Delta girls in Mali, says NAPTIP

    “When this particular case was reported to us, we went into action and through our intelligence gathering, we traced the victim to Oman and we arranged how she would return from the Arabian country to Nigeria.”

    The commander said the suspect had been handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for investigation and prosecution.

    She said: “We have been sensitising our people to let them know that the victims were being sold to slavery. Some of them are assaulted sexually and also face all sorts of maltreatment in the foreign land.”

    The suspect, Modupe, who admitted that he ran an agency for getting job, denied the allegation of being a human trafficker.

    He claimed that he assisted the victim to get a housemaid job in Oman.

    Said he: “The victim came to me to help her get a job abroad and I told her the type of job available. She agreed to do it. I didn’t lure her into it.”

  • Toriola is Team Nigeria’s Captain

    Africa’s most decorated table tennis player – Segun Toriola has been appointed the captain of Team Nigeria to the 12th African Games which kicks off today in Rabat, Morocco.

    The eight-time Olympian will have nine-time African wrestling champion – Blessing Oborududu as his deputy.

    NationSport learnt that Toriola was considered based on his record as the most successful Nigerian athlete at the African Games, having won several medals for the country at the multi-sports fiesta.

    Read Also: Quadri exits Bulgaria Open

    “Apart from being the most successful athlete at the African Games, Toriola’s discipline and conduct at several tournaments stand him out. He is very calm and he has never been involved in any altercation with any official. He is well respected among his teammates and is not an agitator who brings confusion to camp. All these attributes are what prompted the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports to appoint Toriola as the captain and we hope he will lead the team to greater heights in Morocco,” a top official who pleaded anonymity said.

    Oborududu’s experience also fetched her the deputy captain post.

    Team Nigeria was welcomed by the organisers yesterday to the games village, while some events are expected to kick off today.

  • Quadri exits Bulgaria Open

    Aruna Quadri’s unbeaten run at the ITTF World Tour tagged Bulgaria Open came to an end on Sunday as the Nigeria Open champion fell to China’s Zhao Zihao 1-4 in the men’s singles semifinal.

    Quadri who had hacked down top players including Japanese 10-time national champion, Jun Mizutani at the Bulgaria Open, was hailed by the organisers for his display at the tournament to make it to the last four of the $160,000 prize money tournament.

    The Chinese star was required to qualify and he defeated Quadri, the no.10 seed (11-6, 12-14, 11-2, 11-8, 12-10) to book his place in his first-ever ITTF World Tour men’s singles final.

    Read Also: I knew I’ll score against Chelsea, says Ndidi

    A total contrast in styles; the earlier timing, the much shorter quicker strokes of the 22-year-old Chinese pen-holder when compared with the African star, gave Quadri minimal time to exert his renowned powerful forehand.

    Trailing three games to one and ahead 9-8 in the fifth after having led 7-4, Quadri called “Time Out”, but it was to no avail. Zhao Zihao converted on his second match point, the contest ending in anti-climax as the Nigerian star served off the end of the table.

    The Chinese did not give Quadri minimal time to execute his long powerful forehand in the encounter.

    Quadri is expected to arrive in Morocco today for the opening match of the team event which serves off tomorrow.

    In the second semi-final tie, Japanese Tamakazu Harimoto dominant display versus Portuguese Marcos Freitas puts him within touching distance of achieving Gold in Bulgaria.

  • Pastor blames devil, poor tithes for stealing N1.2m SUV

    The pastor of Jesus Miracle Church, 16, Ado-Odo Road, Afan, Sango-Ota, Ogun State, Jeremiah Ehindero, has confessed that he stole a N1.2million Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) because his congregation’s tithes and offerings were not enough to pay off a N650,000 bank loan.

    Ehindero, 41, blamed the devil for his action.

    The Federal Special Anti-robbery Squad (FSARS) at Adeniji Adele Road, Lagos Island, Lagos State alleged that Ehindero stole the Toyota Highlander SUV from a car dealer and sold it at Ore in Ondo State for N600,000.

    The police said they also have in their custody, Ehindero’s suspected accomplices: Lateef Oyetunde, who allegedly purchased the SUV from the pastor, Jamiu Abiodun, 35, and Lukman Moyoyesa, who both allegedly introduced Ehindero to the buyer.

    Read Also: Pastor, two men held for alleged rape

    “I decided to steal the SUV to sell and use the proceeds to repay the N650,000 loan I borrowed from a microfinance bank in Lagos.

    “I borrowed N650,000 from a microfinance bank to renovate my church, with the hope to recover the investment from tithes and offerings, but I was surprised that for three months, no money was realised to repay the loan.

    “When the pressure from the microfinance bank became unbearable for me, the devil told me to steal a vehicle from the car dealer to sell and use the proceeds to repay the loan. I regret my action,” Ehindero allegedly told the police.

    But Oyetunde denied being aware that the SUV was a stolen vehicle.

    He said: “If I had known that the pastor stole the SUV, I would not have purchased it.”

    The police alleged that Ehindero visited a car sales outlet at Sango-Ota, belonging to one Jamiu. He introduced himself as a cleric and requested for a Toyota Highlander SUV to be used for evangelism.

    After the parties agreed a price of N1.2million for the SUV, the dealer allowed him to test drive the vehicle within the area. But the pastor got into the car and drove off, never to return.

    According to the police, Ehindero switched off his phone, removed the SUV’s number plate marked ‘LND 816 CK’ and sped off to Ore, where he sold the vehicle to a spare parts dealer for N600,000.

    After waiting for 24 hours, the dealer reported the case to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, (DCP) in charge of FSARS, Lagos, Mr. Kola Okunola Kamaldeen.

    Following investigation, the SUV was tracked to Ondo State and recovered. The buyer and Ehindero’s suspected accomplices were also arrested on the scene, the police said, while the pastor was traced to his home in Sango-Ota.

    A police source said the suspects would be arraigned after investigation.

  • Sanwo-Olu to inaugurate Omotoso, Igbokwe, Elegushi, others as exco members

    The Lagos State Executive Council will be inaugurated tomorrow, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said.

    The governor said he would not delay the swearing-in of commissioner- and special adviser-designates already cleared by the House of Assembly.

    Sanwo-Olu spoke at the weekend while receiving retired top civil servants under the aegis of the Association of Lagos State Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries (ALARHOSPS).

    The governor said the wheel of governance would be in full gear before the end of the week, in fulfilment of his campaign promise to inaugurate his exco within 90 days.

    Among the commissioner-designates are former Editor of The Nation Gbenga Omotoso,  Lagos State All Progressives Congress Publicity Secretary Mr. Joe Igbokwe, Arc. Kabir Ahmed, Prince Anofi Olanrewaju Elegushi, Mrs. Solape Hammond and Mr. Moruf Akinderu Fatai.

    Read Also: Cabinet nominees: APC women leader hails Sanwo-Olu over inclusion of 12 women

    Others include Assistant Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, Miss Adekemi Olanike Ajayi-Bembe, APC Secretary Dr. Wale Ahmed and former member of the Assembly, Prof. Akinola Abayomi.

    The governor added that newly appointed permanent secretaries would also be sworn in today to complement the activities of commissioners and special advisers.

    Sanwo-Olu said: “Next week, by God’s grace, we are swearing in all other complements of cabinet and also Permanent Secretaries to have the engine of governance on full swing. At that point, we believe that all the campaign promises we made can come to reality and Lagosians can benefit more from the choice they made at the last election.”

    The commissioner- and special adviser-designates are expected to be allocated their individual ministries during the inauguration ceremony, scheduled to start at 9a.m.

    The governor described the body of retired civil servants as “valuable assets” to the state, noting that their actions while in service contributed to the “enviable height” Lagos attained among states in the nation.

    The newly appointed permanent secretaries with their present deployment are: Mrs. Sanyaolu Kikelomo Morenike (Director, Service Matters, Public Service Office); Sodeinde Olalekan Nurudeen, an engineer, (General Manager, Office of Drainage Services); Mrs. Shitta-Bey Titilayo Khadijat (Director, Public Prosecution, Ministry of Justice); Mr. Musa Mooruf Olawale (General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority) and Mrs. Durosimi-Etti Olorunkemi (Director, Administration and HR, Ministry of Water Front Infrastructure Development).

    Others are Mrs. Kalesanwo Olayemi Yewande (Director, Establishments, Local Governments, and Establishment Training Office); Agoro Moruf Olawale (Director, Civil Engineering, LASURA); Mrs. Odeneye Belinda (Director, Environmental Service, Ministry of Environment) and Mr. Olawale Mesewaku Babatunde (Director, administration and HR, Audit Service Commission).

    The appointments were announced in a circular signed by the Head of Service, HOS, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, dated August 16, 2019.