The Nation Newspaper

Tag: charged

  • Driver charged with breach of peace

    A 21- year- old driver, Chukwudi Obieze has been arraigned for breach of peace.

    Obieze was brought before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court for allegedly threatening one Emmanuel Jideofor with broken bottles in order to gain access in to a motorpark.

    He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    The charge sheet reads in part: “That you Chukwudi Obieze ‘m’ on the April 8, 2015 around 10am at  Iddo Faka Bus Park Ltd , Ebute Meta, in the Lagos Magisterial District intimidated and threatened one Emmanuel Jideofor ‘m’ in order to break into the motor park and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 56 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”

    The police prosecutor, Sergeant Cousin Adams, told the court that the defendant committed an act punishable under Section 56 and 66 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State .

    The defence counsel,  F.S Oladele, pleaded with the court to grant the defendant bail in the most liberal terms .

    The presiding magistrate, K.O Ariyo, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N50,000 and two sureties in like sum .

    The case was adjourned till May 6 for mention.

  • 59-yr-old trader charged over alleged assault

    A 59-year-old trader, Makinde Nojeem, on Friday arraigned at a Badagry Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly assaulting one Mrs Peace William by inflicting injuries on her face, hand and chest.

    The accused, whose address is unknown, was arraigned on a one-count charge of assault.

    The Police Prosecutor, Insp. Innocent Uko, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Feb. 15 at Coconut area of Badagry, Lagos State.

    Uko said that the accused and the victim had a disagreement over the amount of coconut the former sold to the latter.

    “The victim went to buy coconut from the accused and an argument started after the victim accused the coconut seller of cheating her.

    “During the heated argument, the accused pushed the victim, slapped her and inflicted injuries on her face, hand and chest,” he said.

    The prosecutor noted that the offence contravened Sections 170 and 171 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

    The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    The counsel to the accused, Mr Demola Akano, pleaded with the court to admit his client to bail.

    He gave an assurance of his client’s presence in court for further hearings.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mr Abiodun Etti, granted bail to the accused in the sum of N100, 000 and a surety, who must provide evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

    The case was adjourned till March 24, for further hearing.

  • Prophetess charged with setting daughter on fire

    Police operatives in Lagos have arrested a prophetess with the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) in Epe, on the out skirts of Lagos for allegedly setting her nine-year-old daughter on fire.

    It was gathered that the cleric, Bose Oluwole, 37, claimed she was trying to deliver her from witchcraft. It was alleged that she committed the offence on Ijebu-Ode Road in Odomola, Epe.

    Eye witnesses reported the matter to the police in Epe which rescued the victim, Damilola.

    She was reportedly rushed to Epe General Hospital.

    Residents alleged that the suspect poured kerosene on Damilola and set her ablaze.

    Police sources said during interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to the crime, saying she set the girl ablaze in obedience to God’s instruction to cleanse her of demonic spirits.

    In her alleged confessional statement, the suspect said: “I saw in my vision while praying that my daughter is from the witchcraft world. When I prayed to God over it, I received the instruction through Holy Spirit to burn my daughter’s body in order to deliver her from the evil society.”

    After investigations, the suspect was charged before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court in Lagos, on a two-count charge of attempted murder.

    The offence, the police prosecutor, Inspector Emmanuel Nwankpoma, said, is punishable under Sections 171 and 228 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

    The defendant pleaded not guilty, but Magistrate C. J. Momodu directed that the matter be transferred to Family Court 2 because of the victim’s age.

    The magistrate in charge of the Family Court, Mrs. O. O. Oshin, ordered that the defendant be remanded in Kirikiri Prisons, Lagos, till June 2 for mention.

  • Guilty as charged!

    Guilty as charged!

    • CJN is right that our prosecution agencies usually place the cart before the horse

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mariam Mukhtar, has identified one of the weakest cogs in the judicial wheel when she openly denounced the way in which the nation’s prosecutorial agencies routinely charged suspects to court, only to then embark on a frantic search for the evidence needed to convict them.

    Speaking at a special session organised by the Supreme Court to mark the commencement of the 2013/2014 Legal Year, Justice Mukhtar claimed that such agencies used holden charges to detain suspects in order to buy time to conduct investigations which ought to have been completed before the suspects were charged. The CJN explained that the practice had helped to contribute to the very high number of cases pending before the nation’s courts, as well as the length of time it took to conclude cases.

    There is little doubt that Nigeria’s various prosecutorial agencies are guilty as charged. Even when allowance is made for the operational and other challenges that they face, there can be no justification for their adoption of tactics and strategies which defy the most fundamental tenets of justice.

    The Nigeria Police is notorious for arresting individuals and charging them to court without a shred of evidence to back up its claims, only to resort to endless requests for adjournments while desperately searching for evidence it should have secured in the first place. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is no slouch when it comes to shooting first and talking later, either. Ever since its inception in 2003, it has been synonymous with strong-arm tactics – midnight raids on the homes of suspects, laying siege to their places of work, and trial in the media.

    Because undue emphasis is put on charging suspects rather than securing cast-iron evidence against them, the investigative process is often carried out in a perfunctory manner. Crime scenes which should be cordoned off are left open, with the consequence that fingerprints, DNA samples and other crucial evidence are hopelessly tainted, if they can be found at all. Instead of conducting the painstaking forensic accounting that is vital to obtaining concrete evidence of financial crimes, prosecution agencies resort to the crude strategy of seizing files and computers, most of which are irrelevant to the case at hand.

    When the suspects finally appear in court, the inadequacy of such methods is brutally exposed. Perhaps the most notorious example of prosecutorial perfidy is that of Dr. Peter Odili, the former governor of Rivers State, who was able to secure virtual immunity from prosecution, thanks to the EFCC’s incredible inability to vacate the injunction he had obtained against it. The fact that only one ex-governor has gone to jail is a sad testimony to the inefficiency of these methods and the danger their continued use poses to the justice system.

    The failure to establish watertight cases against suspects makes it easier for them to escape on legal technicalities, thereby weakening public faith in the judiciary, which in turn strengthens the desire to resort to self-help. As criminals realise that indictments are no guarantee of successful prosecution, they will become even more emboldened in their criminal activities. When others see suspects virtually getting away with murder, they will be tempted to pursue careers in crime.

    If this situation is to be halted, Nigeria’s prosecution agencies will have to rethink their approach and seek to play by the rules of the game. Investigations must be carried out in a thorough and comprehensive manner. Full use should be made of modern technologies and international assistance. Prosecutors must stop raising public expectations unnecessarily by conducting trials in the media. The human rights of suspects must be fully respected. Functional judicial systems are based on prosecution, not persecution.

     

  • Oil firms, others charged with N2.9b subsidy scam

    Hearing will resume at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos today in a case instituted by the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Police against those indicted in a N2.9 billion oil subsidy scam.

    They were arraigned last Thursday before Justice Mohammed Kurya on a seven-count charge.

    The accused are: Geacan Energy Limited and its Managing Director, Chinyere Anike Nweze; Petroleum Brokers Limited and its Managing Director, Ogundipe Olaniran, and two oil marketing firms.

    According to the police, they were investigated, following a November 1, last year petition addressed to the Commissioner of Police, SFU, Mr Tunde Ogunsakin, by the Presidential Committee on Verification and Reconciliation of Fuel Subsidy Payments.

    It was gathered that the committee conducted 100 per cent verification of shore tank certificates and sales proceeds for all the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) imported into the country in 2011, under the Petroleum Subsidy Fund Scheme. In the process, it discovered some infractions in the importation made by Geacan Energy Ltd in April and October 2011, via the vessels: MT AIDIN and MT BRAVE, for which about N2.9 billion was paid to the company as subsidy.

    SFU alleged that Nweze, Olaniran and others at large, had obtained the N1.6billion as fuel subsidy from the Federal Government by pretending to have imported petrol into the country.

    The oil firms allegedly aided Geacan Energy and Petroleum Broker Limited to falsely obtain another sum of N1.3billion on the pretext that Geacan Energy Limited had imported and sold 17,837.160 litres of petrol from January 2011 to April 2011.

    The charges read in part, “That you Geacan Energy Ltd, Chinyere Nweze ) (F), the Managing Director/CEO of Geacan Energy Ltd, Ogundipe Olaniran (M), the Managing Director/CEO of Petroleum Brokers Ltd, and other persons now at large, on or about the months of April, 2011, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, with the intent to defraud, made forged import and vessels documents with which you obtained the payment of fuel subsidy of N1.323, 162,160.76 from the Federal Government of Nigeria, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 1(2 (c) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004 with section 3(1) of the same Act.”

    The judge adjourned the case till today.

  • Lawyer, six others charged with attempted robbery

    A 35-year-old woman, said to be the self-styled leader of a seven-man gang, has been arrested by operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) in Ikeja, Lagos.

    The suspect, Chioma Ezekwe, who claimed to have studied law at the University of Lagos, was arrested during a foiled attempt to rob a hotel in Ijaiye area of Lagos on Monday.

    Chioma, popularly called Chao, and suspected members of her gang, reportedly trailed a businessman who lodged at the hotel. The man was said to be carrying over N8 million which he intended to use in a business transaction with a man at the hotel.

    Trouble came for the suspects when a worker of the hotel, who suspected their moves tipped off the police, which arrested them.

    Police sources said: “When we received the call, we rushed there and subjected everyone to a search. In the process, we recovered two guns and twelve live ammunition from Chioma’s car. This led to the arrest of other members of her gang who had positioned themselves strategically to strike. They include: Michael Madu, 52; Okechukwu Jerome, 28; Amadi Igwe, 41; Raymond Chukwuka, 24, and Ignatius Okeredi, 27. One of them is on the run.”

    Chioma allegedly confessed to have made arrangement for the weapons but said the bone of contention was a disputed land.

    “We were not there to operate as robbers, but to settle a score over a land. I am a graduate of law. I was called to Bar in 2000 and I currently run a non-governmental organisation. Therefore, I cannot condescend so low to being a robber,” she said, refusing to speak any further.

    The suspects were yesterday charged to court on a three-count charge of robbery, conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms.

  • Man charged with stealing PHCN metre

    Man charged with stealing PHCN metre

    A 43-year-old man, Theo Ifeka, has been charged before a Yaba Magistrates’ Court in Lagos with allegedly stealing Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) metre worth N18,000.

    He was arraigned on a two-count charge of impersonation and stealing before Magistrate P.A. Ojo.

    Ifeka, a resident of 10, Oyebo Street, Iwaya, Yaba, Lagos Mainland, was said to have committed the offence on January 28, at 3pm, on 28 Shobande Street, Akoka,

    Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Felix Ifijen told the court that the PHCN metre marked 77/S25/113173 belonged to Mr Kola Bello.

    He said: “The defendant presenting himself as a PHCN official had gone on a routine inspection of metres in the area. Ifeka presented a forged identity card, indicating that he was a staff of PHCN and was at the complainant’s house on routine inspection.

    “He then told the complainant that the metre had been tampered with and needed to be taken to PHCN office. The defendant removed the metre and absconded with it. The matter was reported to the Police and they tracked the defendant tracked down in the course of investigation.”

    Ifijen said the offence contravened Sections 279 and 378 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011.

    The defendant, pleaded not guilty and was granted N250, 000 bail with two “responsible sureties” in the like sum each. Magistrate Ojo adjourned the case till March 14, for trial

  • Ex-legislator, 88, charged with fraud

    A former member of the Western House of Parliament, Olusola Alaba (88) was yesterday arraigned before an Ikeja High Court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for an alleged fraud of N1.4million.

    The prosecutor, Mr Francis Usani told Justice Lateefat Okunnu that Alaba, on June 20, 2011, fraudulently obtained the sum of N1, 490,000 from Mrs Olutoyin Ogundipe.

    Usani alleged that Alaba obtained the money by claiming that it represented the cost of a three-bedroom flat at Plot 8 Oladimeji Alo Street, Lekki Phase One, Lagos.

    Alaba was alleged to have forged four international passports in the names of Babatunde Salvage; Anthony Okundalaye; Lateef Alli and Magnus Obe to facilitate the fraud.

    The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 1 (2) (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006 and Section 467 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State 2003.

    The defendant pleaded not guilty.

    His counsel, Mrs Mercy Emuveyan urged the court to remand him in EFCC custody pending the filing of his bail application.

    Mrs Emuveyan prayed the court to consider his age, health and status as a former legislator.

    Justice Okunnu ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC custody and adjourned the case till March 26.

     

  • 50 hotels charged with non-payment of fees

    No fewer than 50 hotels have been taken to court for alleged non-payment of licence fees by the Lagos State government.

    Those charged at the Magistrate’s Court, Igbosere, Lagos include Moorhouse Sofitel Hotel, Chesney Hotel Limited and Chillovelle Hotel Limited.

    The prosecutor, Lagos State Solicitor-General Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN), also on Tuesday, withdrew the charges against Protea Hotel Westwood Limited, Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel Limited and Hotel Bon Voyage Limited.

    These hotels, Pedro said, have complied with the law.

    Also charged was FourPoints by Sheraton, which the prosecutor said proposed an out-of-court settlement.

    Pedro said about 50 hotels had been identified for prosecution, adding that they would be charged in other magisterial districts as their names are compiled.

    The state alleged that the defendants, along with their managing directors and other directors, are “carrying on or keeping” a hotel in the Lagos Magisterial District without a licence.”

    It claimed that in carrying out their businesses, the hotels on or about December 5, last year, refused to comply with the Hotel Licensing Law of Lagos State, Cap H6 (2010).

    The offences contravene Sections 4(1) of the Hotel Licensing Law and are punishable under Sections 21 and 122.

    Magistrate F. O. Aigbokhaevbo issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the Managing Director of Chilloville Hotel following Pedro’s application. She ordered that he should be produced on February 7. Mrs. Aigbokhaevbo also fixed the same day for report of settlement with FourPoints by Sheraton.

    On why the charges were filed, Pedro said: “We are concerned with the arbitrariness of violating laws of the land. The hotel may feel that someone is challenging the law, but in as much as the House of Assembly has passed the law and the governor has signed it, the law has become operative.

    “You cannot stop its operation just because somebody is challenging it in court. The law will continue to operate. It is when the court declares it null and void that it will stop operating.”

    On the case pending in court, Pedro said: “There is a dispute between the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government on who has the right to control and regulate tourism activities. The position of Lagos is that it is the state’s responsibility, because the issue of tourism control is not on the Exclusive List.

    “The only thing the Federal Government has over tourism is to control traffic of tourists through people coming into the country for purposes of tourism. Anybody coming to Nigeria should obtain visa. We believe that is the limit of their power over tourism. Hotel control should be the responsibility of the state. We’re in the Supreme Court to determine that.”

  • Team Kwara charged to win more medals

    Team Kwara charged to win more medals

    The chairman House Committee on Sports, Kwara State House of Assembly, Adamu Ibrahim Sabi has charged the state contingents at the ongoing National Sports Festival to be good ambassadors and win more laurels for the state as the game progresses.

    Sabi, while addressing the Paralympians during the Committee’s oversight visit to Lagos, venue of the 18th edition of the games, praised the special athletes for making the state proud at the festival.

    He said the state was aware of the athletes’ selfless service, adding that they would be rewarded during and after the games.

    The chairman charged the Management of the Sports Council and the State Ministry of Sports to embark on grassroots sports development and scout for talents, as part of preparation of the state for the 2014 festival.

    Sabi also urged Tertiary institutions in the state to give priority to sports to ensure the sound development of the students.

    Also speaking, Special Assistant to the Kwara State governor on Sports, Toyin Olokoba assured the athletes of govenment support, adding that having taken note of the lapses witnessed during Team Kwara’s preparation towards Eko 2012, those lapses would be corrected ahead of the next edition to be hosted by Cross River State.

    Earlier, a Board Member of the state Sports Council, Haruna Maigidansanmo stressed the need to adequately motive the athletes to achieve results and called for increase in the subvention of the council among other things to be able to perform effectively.

    Also speaking, the Head of the Organising Committee of the state Sports Council, Jimoh Oke explained the challenges facing the council, in which he employed the state Assembly to come to their aid.

    Responding on behalf of the athletes, the captain of Paralympics table tennis, Issa Abdulllahi thanked the state government for the motivation and support before and during the games.

    He charged the state government to provide their needs in the areas of equipment, increment in their allowances and permanent employment to keep them from begging after winning medals for the state.

    Sabi was accompanied by a member of the Committee, Hassan Oyeleke, and the House of Assembly Director of Information, Sunday Adeleke.