The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • NDLEA arrests two with 1.6kg drugs

    NDLEA arrests two with 1.6kg drugs

    The Lagos State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two men for unlawful possession of 1.6 kilogrammes of heroin.

    Ogbonna Paul Obioma, 36, an auto spares dealer and Okpoagu Stanley Chijioke, 30, who claimed to be jobless, were arrested at Festac Town in Lagos.

    The state commander of the agency, Mr Aliyu Sule, said the suspects were apprehended following a tip-off. “The command, acting on intelligence reports, seized 18 wraps of heroin weighing 1.6 kilogrammes at Festac Town. The two male suspects found in possession of the drugs have been arrested and will be charged to court,” Sule said.

    Chijioke told investigators: “I was recently deported from India. At present, I am jobless and I need to establish myself. My friend in India told me to collect the drug from a lady at Oshodi in Lagos. I spoke with the lady on the phone and she gave me the bag. I took the drugs to my friend, Ogbonna Paul, to help me look for buyers. It was in the process that we were arrested with the drugs”.

    Obioma: “My friend came to me with the drugs that I should help him look for a buyer. I decided to partner with him because he promised to reward me handsomely.”

    The Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency, Ahmadu Giade restated that drug traffickers have no hiding place in the country. “NDLEA will spread its tentacles wide to cover the airports, seaports, land borders and across the country. Drug barons have no hiding place. We shall trace their hideouts, arrest them and make the country drug-free.”

  • Abducted girls: youths protest in Lagos

    Abducted girls: youths protest in Lagos

    Scores of indigenes of Kibaku, a community in the Chibok town, where 234 girls were abducted from the Federal Government College by Boko Haram sect, yesterday staged a peaceful protest to the Alausa, Ikeja office of the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola.
    The protesters, mostly women and children, under the aegis of the Lagos State chapter of Chibok Youth Association, pleaded with Fashola to convey their grievances to President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State to ensure the safe return of the abducted girls.
    The group’s leader, Mr Yahaya Chiwar, said the group was worried that 13 days after the girls were abducted, there had been no positive news from the government concerning their safety or their chance of being rescued.
    He express dismay that after the parents of the girls searched Sambisa forest, located the camp where the insurgents were holding the girls and reported to the appropriate authorities, no action was taken.
    “Therefore, we have resolved that we cannot remain silent; we are here because of your commitment to security of lives and properties in the state. We believe the nearest authority to us is you; we believe we can express our grievances to you and you can forward our grievances to the relevant authorities, particularly to President Jonathan,” he said while presenting a letter to Fashola for President Jonathan.
    Fashola praised members of the association for their courage and selflessness to stand for their daughters and sisters who were unfortunate victims of the nation’s porous security system.
    “One can only imagine the kind of horror and grief the parents of these girls must be feeling, I am a parent myself and I understand it. If my children are ill, I know the kind of frustration, fear and anxiety that I go through when they are ill, not to mention indescribable emotion that the parents of these girls are going through to know whether they are alive and where they are and what conditions they might be in. even the girls themselves, the kind of fear, it must be a traumatic experience for everyone involved,” he said.
    Fashola encouraged the parents of the girls not to lose hope on the safe return of their children. He promised to deliver the letter to President Jonathan before the close of work yesterday.

  • Rotary lifts the less-privileged

    Rotary lifts the less-privileged

    The Rotary Club of Ogba in Lagos has presented food items to the Pacelli School for the Blind and Partially Sighted Children as well as Modupe Cole Memorial Child and Treatment Home School, Akoka, Lagos.
    The presentation was made in conjunction with Flour Mills Nigeria Plc, makers of Golden Penny pastas.
    Its President, Samson Omodara, said the club was committed to lifting the needy.
    The Pacelli School’s Protocol Officer, Rev Sis Mariam-Therese Inegbu, lauded the gesture.
    She added: “The ‘Daily Miracle’ makes them feel loved as some of them are orphans. We  equip them with morals and daily living skills.”

  • 48 inmates awaiting trial excel at GCE

    48 inmates awaiting trial excel at GCE

    Forty-eight inmates of Ikoyi Prisons in Lagos who are awaiting trial passed the last November/December 2013 General Certificate of Examination (GCE) convincingly, it has been revealed.
    The Deputy Controller of Prisons, Mr. Emmanuel Bamidele disclosed it yesterday when members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, visited the prisons to present gifts to the inmates as part of the activities of their 2014 Law Week.
    Bamidele, who said the 48 inmates were among the 102 others that wrote the examination, added that each of the lucky inmates secured enough credits for admission into universities.
    He said: “When they finally regain their freedom, they can seek admission into any university of their choice since they are awaiting trial.”
    The Deputy Controller of Prisons explained that one key objective of the Rehabilitation, Restoration and Reintegration (3Rs) programme of the prisons is to provide educational opportunities for the inmates so that they can be useful to themselves and the society after regaining freedom.
    He disclosed that out of 1,761 inmates in the prison, 186 are convicted while 1,575 are awaiting trial between five and 13 years.
    Ikeja NBA Branch chairman Monday Ubani raised the hope of the inmates when he disclosed that the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, would visit the prisons soon to release awaiting-trial inmates.
    Ubani, who said his branch was in contact with Justice Phillips and the Ministry of Justice, disclosed that the names of those to be released were already being compiled. “Believe me, it would soon be over for some of you when the Chief Judge visits in May,” he said.
    The Chairman, Law Week 2014 Committee, Dr. Muiz Banire, urged the inmates to take advantage of the vocational training offered them by the prison authorities so that they can become better citizens when they get back to the society.

  • Absence of witnesses stalls Ajudua’s trial

    The trial of Lagos socialite and alleged fraudster, Fred Ajudua, again failed to hold yesterday owing to the absence of prosecution witnesses in court.
    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had charged Ajudua to court for allegedly defrauding two Dutch businessmen of $1.69 million.
    The EFCC had arraigned him with Charles Okorie before Justice Joseph Oyewole in July 24, 2003 for “defrauding” Messrs Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen between July 30, 1999 and February 9, 2000.
    Ajudua and Okorie were re-arraigned by the commission last month before Justice Kudirat Jose on the same charges.
    The EFCC had alleged that the defendants conspired with three men, Abiola Fawehinmi, Steven Joiner and Rasheed Adekunle, who are  now at large, to commit the offences between July 30, 1999 and February 9, 2000.
    The commission also said the defendants deceived the victims that the money was for sundry payments to various government officials.
    The EFCC further alleged that the defendants claimed that the payments would help them to facilitate a contract worth $18 million on behalf of the complainants.
    The offences, the agency said, contravene Sections 1(a) and (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act of 1995 as amended by Decree No. 62 of 1999.
    At the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday, EFCC’s lawyer, Chief Wemimo Ogunde (SAN) told the court that some of the prosecution witnesses who reside abroad were not in the country because the commission was unsure of how the matter would proceed.
    He recalled that the defence counsel led by Olalekan Ojo had last Friday served the commission with a process for stay of proceedings, adding that Ojo called later to say that the process was served in error. That, he said, was why the commission could not extend an invitation to the witnesses to travel down to Nigeria.
    Ogunde subsequently asked for a 21-day period to enable the EFCC get the witnesses to attend the trial.
    Ojo, who opposed the request for adjournment, said it would be wrong for the court to grant such a long adjournment when his client had been refused bail.
    He also contended that the fact that his chamber mistakenly served the EFCC with a wrong process was not enough reason for the commission not to bring its witnesses to the court.
    The trial judge, Justice Jose overruled Ojo’s argument and adjourned the matter till May 23.

  • Suspected serial fraudster in police net

    Suspected serial fraudster in police net

    A FARMER, Godwin Diavel, who allegedly withdraws money from accounts of bank customers, has been arrested by the police in Lagos.

    Operatives attached to the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) arrested the suspect, following a tip-off.

    It was gathered that Diavel, 54, attempted to withdraw N500,000 from a new generation bank’s branch at Ogba on March 20 from the account of Saheed Ademola Adegbola, with a forged signature on the withdrawal slip.

    The suspect confessed that he was at the Warehouse Road branch of the bank three weeks ago, where he got an instrument belonging to the customer and took it to the Ogba Branch where he was caught.

    Police spokesperson at the SFU Ngozi Isintume-Agu said: “Investigation conducted by the bank before the suspect was handed over to SFU detectives revealed several other fraudulent successful withdrawals and attempted ones by the fraudster using various pseudo names.

    “Sometime in February, the suspect was arrested at Ejigbo branch of the bank where he identified himself as Peter Okoro, while attempting to seek information on another customer’s account.  He was subsequently held and handed over to the Police.”

    “Also on October 4, 2013,” Isintume-Agu added: “he was caught at Opebi branch where he identified himself as Samson Omobo and fraudulently impersonated another customer and attempted to withdraw N300,000.00 from the customer’s account.

    “Similarly, on January 29, the suspect was at Ilupeju branch of the bank and impersonated a customer, Sunday Onwuabaizo and successfully withdrew of N470,000.00 from his account. Again, on November 19, 2013, he was at the Abule Egba branch of the same bank where he impersonated Chinedu E. Onwutaly and fraudulently withdrew N220,000.00. Also, sometime in 2013, he was at Abraka branch of the bank where he succeeded in withdrawing N470,000.00 from the account of Kabiru Mohammed Baday.”

    Diavel, who hails from Oghare in Ethiope West Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta State, said that he goes to the various bank’ branches, picking up used withdrawal slips by customers.

    He said he would take the slips home and study the signatures on them before forging them for presentation. He confessed that it was the cashier at Ogba branch of the bank that discovered that his picture did not tally with the one on the mandate card.  He added that he was unable to answer correctly some of the cashier’s questions.

    The suspect allegedly stated that he had succeeded on several occasions in withdrawing from customers’ accounts in Delta State, adding that he was arrested at Opebi while attempting to withdraw N300,000.00 and was handed over to Police.

    The case was charged to court, but was struck out because the bank did not appear to give evidence.  He also stated that he has no account with the said new generation bank.

    Investigation is on-going, according to the police.  It is strongly believed that the suspect belongs to a syndicate that specialises in forging documents and defrauding unsuspecting people and financial institutions.

    Isintume-Agu said efforts had been stepped up to arrest other members of the syndicate, adding that suspect would soon be charged to court.

    She said the Commissioner of Police (SFU), Umar Farouk Idris has assured account holders of the continued cooperation of the police with banks to secure their deposits against suspected fraudsters like Diavel.

    He enjoined other banks to be on the alert and promptly report suspected persons to the police.

    Farouk also advised account holders to protect their personal information and always destroy used deposit/withdrawal slips before leaving the bank.

  • Man ‘hides’ cocaine in shoes, voltage regulator

    Man ‘hides’ cocaine in shoes, voltage regulator

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has discovered 2.460 kilogrammes of cocaine inside women’s shoes and voltage regulators at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

    A suspect, Nyeaka Chidiebere Anslem, who is married with five children, is being held in connection with the shipment.

    The seizures were made in a consignment of women’s shoes from Brazil on board an Ethiopian Airline flight and a shipment of voltage regulators meant for export to Gabon on a DHL cargo flight.

    The NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Mr. Hamza Umar, who said the shipment was abandoned, explained: “We found an abandoned luggage containing ladies’ shoes that originated from Brazil. During examination, 1.860 kilogrammes of cocaine was found inside the shoes’ soles. Our men at the Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL) section of the airport also detected 600 grammes of cocaine hidden in a voltage regulator. A freight forwarder has been arrested in connection with the cocaine shipment to Gabon.”

    Anslem, 37, who hails from Imo State, said he was given the consignment by a client. He explained: “I am a freight forwarder with over five-year experience. A client gave me a bag containing three voltage regulators and hair attachment to send to Gabon. The NDLEA at SAHCOL, while searching the luggage, dismantled the voltage regulators and found five parcels of substances that tested positive for cocaine in one of the regulators.”

    The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said the agency would continue to keep a close watch over Nigeria-Brazil route, while other African routes are being re-classified in line with current risk levels.

    “The NDLEA will continue to keep a close watch over Nigeria-Brazil route because of the high number of arrests and seizures made on the route. Recent drug seizures on some African routes have equally placed them on a high risk platform. We must continue to adopt effective strategies to prevent the sub-region from being used as a drug hub,” Giade said.

  • NURTW dissolves branch exco

    NURTW dissolves branch exco

    The Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lagos State, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, has dissolved the leadership of its units and branches under Alimosho Branch ‘F’ under Tolani Adedayo.

    The development followed the breakdown of law and order in the area, leading to destruction vehicles.

    A free-for-all broke out when some members of the branch’s executive engaged some residents in supremacy battle. Policemen, Agbede said, had been drafted to restore peace and order.

    The NURTW boss said he was disappointed that the Branch ‘F’ executive members could flout his directive on maintenance of peace and order at motor parks.

    “I have been warning my members on the need to be law-abiding. I’m really disappointed that despite my warning, the branch chairman and his boys engaged in violent activities. A seven-man committee headed by Micheal Odugunle to restore peace in the area has been appointed,” Agbede said.

  • Youth leader hails Tinubu

    Youth leader hails Tinubu

    A youth leader in Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, Mr. Ehizode Kayode Uduebor, has hailed the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing him as a leader par excellence.

    Speaking during a youth programme in Sabo, Yaba, he said Tinubu is a model to coming generations and the youth in general.

    According to him, what Lagos State is experiencing in terms of development was made possible by the APC leader, who he said, raised the state’s internally- generated revenue from a paltry N600 million monthly in 1999 to a whopping N8.5 billion in 2007.

    He said the former governor’s love for humanity informed his involvement in the merger of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and others to form the largest party in Nigeria, which is sure of making a change in the country’s governance.

    Uduebor advised those still in school to study well and ignore distractions, adding that they should make sure they pass their exams with flying colours to get good jobs.

  • FOMWAN gets new leaders

    FOMWAN gets new leaders

    The Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Lagos State chapter, has elected new executives to steer the affairs of the association for the next four years.

    The election produced Dr Sariyu Ashiru as its Amirah (President); Alhaja Rahmata Olaniyan as Naibah Amirah (Deputy President) and Alhaja Rihanat Yusuph as General Secretary. Others are: Treasurer, Alhaja Sekinat Qasim; Financial Secretary, Fausiat Balogun; Public Relations Officer (PRO), Alhaja Rashidat Oyesoro and  Dawah Officer, Alhaja Falilat Alawa.

    In her acceptance speech, the new Amirah called on members to see FOMWAN as service to humanity and rededicate themselves to the ideals and objectives of the association.

    “We all have to brace up and perform well; the uncompleted projects must be completed. Because we are dealing with women, we have to take care of their reproductive health and will also have to take care of the female youth; on education we will create awareness on the need to educate our children so that they can be better citizens in the future,” she said.

    The outgoing Amirah, Alhaja Fatima Gawat, thanked Allah and all members for their support during her administration and promised to give her support to the new administration.