The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Albert Maga

  • Court sentence man for stealing church property

    Court sentence man for stealing church property

    A 27-year-old driver, Ishaq Bala, who broke into a church and stole drums and iron rods, was on Tuesday sent to jail for  two years.

    A Mararaba Grade 1 Area Court in Nasarawa said Bala, who resides at Mararaba, was found guilty of all the three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, housebreaking and theft brought against hyim.

    The Judge, Mr Albert Maga, held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the defendant was guilty of the offence.

    “He is hereby sentenced to two years imprisonment for the three-count charge,” he said.

    Maga, however, gave Bala an option of N10,000 fine, warning him to desist from committing crime.

    The accused was first arraigned on Aug. 18 on the three-count charge to which he pleaded not guilty.

    Earlier, the Police Prosecutor Agabi Auta told the court that Pastor Habila Dasat of Cocin Church, Base 4, Aku Village, Mararaba, had lodged a complaint against the accused  on Aug. 15 at`A’ Divisional Police Station.

    Auta said the accused and three others, now at large, broke into the church through the fence and stole a set of drums and some iron rods.

    “The security guard was able to get hold of the accused, while others ran away but the stolen items were recovered from him.”

    The offences contravened Sections 97, 288 and 347 of the Penal Code.

    NAN

  • Court docks student for theft of TV set

    Court docks student for theft of TV set

    A 19-year-old student, Monday Joseph, was on Tuesday arraigned in a Mararaba Grade 1 Area Court sitting in Aso Pada, for allegedly stealing a plasma television set and other items.

    Joseph, a resident of Aku village in Mararaba in Nasarawa State, is facing a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, house-breaking and theft.

    The prosecutor, Agabi Auta, told the court that one Murktar Yahaya of Aso Mararaba, reported the matter at the ‘A’ Division police station on Sept. 5.

    Auta said that at about 1.30 a.m. while the complainant was sleeping in his room, the defendant and three others now at large, broke into his room.

    He said the accused and the others threatened to kill the complainant if he failed to comply with their order.

    He said that they tied the complainant’s mouth to prevent him from shouting, took away his plasma TV set, four phones, a wrist watch and a DVD player, all valued at N71, 000.

    “They were in the process of running away with the stolen items when one of the neighbours who heard some noise raised an alarm.

    “The accused was caught and taken to the police station while the three others ran away to an unknown destination,” he said.

    Auta said that the offences contravened Sections 97, 348 and 288 of the Penal Code.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that section 288 stipulates a three-year jail term for offenders, if convicted.

    The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    The Judge, Mr Albert Maga, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 and a surety in like sum.

    He said the surety must reside within the jurisdiction of the court, must be gainfully employed and must show evidence of tax payment to the Nasarawa State Government.

    Maga adjourned the case until Sept. 28 for hearing.

  • ‘My wife chased me out of my house’

    ‘My wife chased me out of my house’

    A 55-year-old civil servant, Ezekiel Daniel, on Thursday approached a Mararaba Grade 1 Area Court in Aso Pada, seeking the court’s intervention to end his 12-year-old marriage to his wife, Janet.

    The petitioner alleged that Janet chased him out of his house.

    Daniel informed the court that he got married to his wife sometimes in 2005, according to the native law of Kwara and the marriage was blessed with two children.

    He said sometime in 2014, his wife seized his car key, locked the entrance and refused to allow him in, adding that he later chased him out of the house.

    “For three years now I have been living in a rented apartment and I have been boarding commercial vehicle to go to work since then.

    “My wife is uncontrollable when she is angry, abusive, disrespectful and nags over things that are not worth making issues from,” the petitioner said.

    “My wife quarrels and fights with our neighbours over little things, thereby bringing shame and disrespect to me.’’

    He begged the court to dissolve the marriage as he no longer loves Janet.

    “Please terminate the marriage as it has broken irretrievably and all effort to resolve the matrimonial issues has not yielded any good result,” he begged the court.

    Janet, 45, denied all the allegations made by her husband saying that he did not tell the court the main problem facing the marriage.

    She said her husband was just trying to tarnish her image by saying all this and leaving out the problem.

    Janet added that she still loves her husband and begged the court to give them time to settle.

    The Judge, Mr Albert Maga, adjourned the matter until Sept. 21 for report of settlement.

  • Welder bags 18 months imprisonment for stealing bag of garri

    Welder bags 18 months imprisonment for stealing bag of garri

    A Mararaba Grade 1 Area Court at Aso Pada, Nasarawa State, on Monday sentenced a 23-year-old welder, Usman Abubakar, to 18 months imprisonment for stealing a bag of garri.

    Abubakar, who resides at Shopping Centre Mararaba, was sentenced on a count charge of theft.

    The judge, Mr Albert Maga, sentenced the convict after he pleaded guilty to the crime and begged for leniency.

    The convict said that hunger led him to crime.

    “It was hunger that led me to do it, I have stayed without food for days and I needed money to buy food.

    “Have mercy on me and I promise never to do it again,’’ he pleaded.

    The judge, however, gave the convict N5,000 option of fine.

    Earlier, the prosecutor, Agabi Auta, told the court that one Anjenu John of Aku village, Mararaba, reported the matter at the ‘A’ Divisional Police Headquarters Mararaba on Aug. 25.

    Auta said: “The defendant went into the complainant’s shop located along Darika Jummat Mosque, Mararaba and stole a bag of garri valued at N15, 000.

    The prosecutor added that the defendant was in the process of taking away the bag of garri when he was apprehended by the complainant and handed over to the police.

    He said that during investigation, the defendant confessed to stealing the item with a view to selling it and get money to buy other food items.

    Auta said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 287 of the Penal Code.

  • Driver remanded for break-in, theft of church drums

    Driver remanded for break-in, theft of church drums

    A Mararaba Grade 1 Area Court in Aso Pada, Nasarawa State, on Friday remanded a 27-year-old driver, Ishaq Bala, in Keffi Prison, for allegedly breaking into a church and stealing drums.

    The accused, who resides at Mararaba, is standing trial on a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, housebreaking and theft.

    Although the accused denied the charges, the judge, Mr. Albert Maga, ordered his remand and adjourned ruling on his bail application until Aug. 31.

    Earlier, Police Prosecutor Agabi Auta told the court that a pastor, Habila Dasat, of Cocin Church, Base 4, Aku-Village, Mararaba, had on Aug.15, lodged a complaint against the accused at the ‘A’ Divisional Police Station.

    Auta alleged that at 9.40 p.m., the accused and three others, now at large, broke into the church through the fence and stole a set of drums and some iron rods.

    “The security guard was able to get hold of the accused, while the others ran away; the stolen items were recovered from him.”

    The offences contravened Sections 97, 288 and 347 of the Penal Code.

     

  • Court grants divorce to woman abandoned for seven years

    Court grants divorce to woman abandoned for seven years

    A Grade 1 Area Court, Aso Pada, Mararaba in Nasarawa State, on Thursday dissolved the 14-year-old marriage between Maureen Eke, and her husband, Chukwunoye Emmanuel, over abandonment.

    The court’s president, Albert Maga, said that all efforts to reconcile the two parties proved futile, adding that the court had no choice but to dissolve the union.

    “Both parties are no longer husband and wife, they are free to marry any other partner of their choice, without any hindrance or molestation,’’ he said.

    The petitioner, Maureen Eke, 39, a housewife, who resides at Mararaba, filed the suit seeking for the dissolution of her 14-year-old marriage over abandonment.

    She had informed the court that she married the respondent sometimes in 2003, under the law and customs of Imo, adding that the marriage has not produced any issue.

    The petitioner claimed that the respondent abandoned her since 2010, and was living with her parents ever since.

    “All effort to persuade my husband to come back and assume his full responsibility had proved abortive.’’

    She urged the court to dissolve the marriage as it had broken down irretrievably.

    In his submission, the respondent did not deny the allegations by the petitioner.

    He said that the petitioner’s parents had refunded his dowry and pleaded with the court to grant his estranged wife her request.