The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Court

  • Court rejects Nyame’s bid for bail

    A HIGH Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Gudu, Abuja, yesterday rejected an application for bail filed by former Taraba State Governor Reverend Jolly Nyame through his counsel Mr. Olalekan Ojo.

    At resumed hearing yesterday, counsel to the defendant Mr. Olalekan Ojo brought an application of 29-paragraph affidavit with two medical reports from Jalingo, urging the court to release the defendant on bail due to health reasons.

    Ojo said: “I urge this honourable court to grant the defendant bail on health grounds because as it is, he is suffering from hypertension and diabetes.”

    But, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the application for bail because the two medical reports cannot be relied upon.

    “My lord the defendant did not state that the prison authorities are unable to take care of his ailment and so I urge my lord to dismiss the application for bail,” Jacobs said.

    Justice Adebukola Banjoko rejected the defendant’s application for bail because his medical reports tendered in court were contradictory.

    Justice Banjoko said the defendant’s medical reports were contradictory and they didn’t relate in anyway.

    “His health ought to be taken care of by the prison authorities,” Justice Banjoko said.

    The judge added that the defendant failed to prove that the medical team in the Kuje prison lacks medical facilities.

    On May 30, Justice   Banjoko convicted the ex-governor on 27 out of the 41 counts contained in the charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in July 2007.

    The breakdown of the sentence is as follows: 14 years upon conviction for the offence of criminal breach of trust; seven years for receiving gratification; five years for obtaining valuable public properties without consideration and two years for criminal misappropriation.

    The judge said the sentences would run concurrently, implying that the ex-governor may end up spending 14 years in prison.

    Justice Banjoko, who said the defendant betrayed his claim to be a clergyman and reverend, wondered why it was only the ex-governor that was prosecuted in view of the level of impunity displayed while Nyame was in office.

     

     

     

  • Woman docked for flogging man with wire

    A 28-year-old woman, Aishat Akande, who allegedly flogged a man with a wire was on Wednesday docked before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court.

    The accused, an hair dresser, who resides at 7, Somoye St., Ijaiye, a suburb of Lagos, is being tried for conspiracy and assault.

    The Prosecutor, ASP Clifford Ogu, told the court that the offences were committed on June 19 at Ijaiye in Lagos.

    Ogu said that Akande and others at large allegedly flogged one Mr Sunday Adeko for urinating beside a shop in their domain.

    He said that the accused and others allegedly descended on him and flogged Adeko with wire, adding that in the course of beating him, the wire heat Adeko in his eyes and blood gushed out of his eyes.

    Ogu said that during police investigation, the accused said that the residents of the area had warned passersby to desist from urinating on the spot because of it’s odour.

    Read Also: Woman appears in court for biting neighbour’s eye

    He told the court that by the act, the accused and others had taken laws of the land into their hands.

    Ogu said the offences contravened Sections 246 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

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

    The Chief Magistrate, Mr J. A Adegun, granted the accused bail of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.

    Adegun adjourned the case until July 10 for mention.

  • Three suspected account hackers arraigned for stealing N1.1m

    Three men, Chibuike Okpara, Chibuzor Ezenwa, and Blessing Nwachukwu who allegedly hacked into a man’s bank account and stole N1.1 million, were on Wednesday brought before an Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

    The trio Okpara, 45; Ezenwa, 39; and Nwachukwu, 28 is being tried for a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.

    According to the prosecution, the accused conspired and hacked into the bank account of the complainant, Seun Akingbade, and withdrew N1.1 million.

    Police Insp. Cousin Adams told the court that the accused committed the offences on Sept. 20, 2017 at Alaba International Market on Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

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    The offences violated the provisions of Sections 287 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. (Revised)

    The accused pleaded not guilty and were granted bail in the sum of N500,000 each.

    The Magistrate, Mrs A. Kusanu, who gave the ruling, also granted the three men two responsible sureties each in like sum.

    Kusanu adjourned the case until July 30 for mention.

  • Painter bags four weeks imprisonment for stealing

    A Kubwa Grade 1 Area Court on Tuesday sentenced a 30-year-old painter, Abdulmajib Busari, to four weeks imprisonment for stealing a TV and laptop valued N220, 00‎0.

    The Judge, Abdulwahab Mohammed, also ordered that Busari be given 10 strokes of the cane.

    He advised the convict to desist from committing crime and should be of good behaviour.

    Busari was tried for theft.

    Read Also: Police arraign woman over assault

    The Prosecutor, Babajide Olanipekun, told the court that one Oluleye Ogunlowo reported the matter at the Kubwa Area Command, Abuja, on May 27.

    He said Busari broke into the complainant’s room and stole one Samsung flat screen television and one Hp laptop all valued at N220, 00‎0.

    Olanipekun said the offence contravened Section 287 of the Penal Code.

    Busari had pleaded guilty and begged the court to have mercy on him, saying he would not steal again.

  • Police arraign woman over assault

    The police on Tuesday arraigned 27-year-old Joy Orji in a Karmo Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, for assaulting Goodness Obi.

    Orji, who resides at Idu opposite furniture village Karmo, Abuja, is facing a three-count charge of intentional insult, criminal force/assault, contrary to Section 265 of the Penal Code.

    The prosecutor, Mrs Okagha Ijeoma, told the court that the matter was reported at Karmo Police Station, Abuja, on June 17 by Obi of the same address.

    Ijeoma said that on the same date, Orji went to the complainant’s house while she was cooking and intentionally assaulted her, pointing finger at her for no cause.

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    The prosecutor added that in the process, Orji called the complainant all kinds of names, saying she was a stupid and rejected woman.

    She said that Orji also threatened to deal with the complainant, adding that she would continue to suffer all the days of her life.

    However, Orji pleaded not guilty and the judge, Mr Maiwada Inuwa, granted him bail in the sum of N20,000 and one surety in like sum.

    Inuwa ordered that the surety should have a reasonable means of livelihood and must reside within the jurisdiction of the court.

    He adjourned the matter until Aug. 28 for hearing.

  • Court sentences five drug dealers to death

    Five drug traffickers have been sentenced to death and another six sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in north China’s Shanxi Province, the Shanxi Provincial Higher People’s Court said on Tuesday.

    The Changzhi Intermediate People’s Court handed down the verdicts on 32 defendants in three drug-trafficking cases on Monday.

    “Fourteen were sentenced to life in prison and the remaining seven were given jail terms of no less than two years.

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    “In one case, 27 members of a drug ring were found guilty of trafficking methcathinone across provinces between August 2015 and March 2016,’’ the court said.

    Tuesday was International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

  • Teenager charged with theft of N300, 000 iron rods

    A teenager, Ugochi Aliegu, on Monday appeared before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos over alleged theft of iron rods valued at N300,000.

    Nineteen-year-old Aliegu, a resident of Bariga, Lagos, is facing a count charge of stealing, but he pleaded not guilty.

    The prosecutor, Sgt. Modupe Olaluwoye, told the court that the accused committed the offence at 3.00p.m. on June 16 at Kadupe Junction, on Pedro Road, Bariga.

    Olaluwoye said that the accused stole the rod from a construction site belonging to Mr Emeka Ogbuze.

    “He was arrested while trying to sell the stolen rods,” she said.

    Read Also: Court grants bail to ex-governor Yero

    “Upon investigation, it was discovered that it was not the first time the accused had stolen from that site,’’ she said.

    The offence contravenes Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that stealing attracts three years’ jail term.

    “The Chief Magistrate, Mrs O.J. Oghere, granted bail to the accused in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

    Oghere said that the sureties must be gainfully employed and show evidence of three years’ tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

    The case was adjourned until July 4, for mention.

  • Website designer charged with locking up woman in office

    A 38-year-old website designer, Godswill Udofa, was on Monday docked before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly locking up a woman with her guests in an office.

    According to the Prosecutor, Sgt. Godwin Awase, the accused committed the offences on June 28 at Ilupeju, Lagos.

    He said that the accused conducted himself in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace by locking up Mrs Mfon Mtonise and her guests in her office during a meeting.

    “The accused, who claimed that the complainant owed him N100, 000 sneaked to where she was having a meeting with her guests and locked them up inside the office with padlocks.

    “When the complainant and her guests discovered that they had been locked up, they raised an alarm, shouting for help.

    “The accused refused to open the door, claiming that he must collect his money before he would open it.

    “After several hours, the Police arrived the scene, the accused was forced to open the door and he was taken to the station,’’ the prosecutor said.

    The offences contravened Section 168 and 308(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015(Revised).

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Section 308(1) prescribes a five-year jail term for intent to commit felony.

    Udofa, who resides at Ikorodu Road, Onipanu, Lagos, however, pleaded not guilty to the two- count charge of intent to commit felony and breach of the peace.

    The Magistrate, Mrs F.F George, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N250, 000 with two sureties, as part of the bail conditions.

    George ordered that the sureties should be gainfully employed and must show evidence of two years tax payments to the Lagos State Government.

    The case was adjourned until July 10, for mention.

  • Wife caught hubby in bed with their daughter, court told

    An Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court yesterday heard how a wife caught her husband Folorunso Oluwaseun, 52, sleeping with their daughter on their matrimonial bed.

    Oluwaseun, a technician, who lives at 30, Popoola Street, Ishawo, Ikorodu was arraigned on the February 8 on a two-count charge of defilement and sexual assault.

    He pleaded not guilty.

    Led in evidence by the prosecutor, Mr Babajide Boye, a witness, Sergeant Olakunle Orebe attached to the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command said the victim told the police that her mother caught her father in the act four years after he started sleeping with her.

    The witness said the woman was not aware of what was going on until 2016 when she caught the defendant with their daughter.

    He said the woman relocated from Lagos to Ibadan with her other children, a boy and a girl because of the incident.

    Orebe said when the victim relocated to Ibadan, she started teaching in a school.

    When Boye sought to tender the statement of the defendant in evidence, the defence counsel, Mr Worer Obuagbaka, objected to its admissibility on the grounds that it was obtained under duress.

    To untie the knot, Justice Sybil Nwaka ordered a trial-within-trial.

    During the trial-within-trial, Orebe denied forcing Oluwaseun to write his confessional statement.

    He said: “I cautioned him before he wrote the statement and I told him he was entitled to legal representation.  After he wrote his statement, I read the statement aloud to him and he affirmed the contents”.

    Orebe said Oluwaseun was neither handcuffed nor chained when he was brought from Ikorodu to Ikeja.

    “I did not torture, beat, slap or threaten him, he understood the statement when I read it aloud and he signed it. My superior officer, Abimbola Williams an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) read the statement again to him and he affirmed making the statement and the superior officer signed,” he said.

    Oluwaseun gave a different version of how his confessional statement was obtained.

    Led in evidence by Obuagbaka, he said was in his house when the police came to arrest him. He said on arrival at the station, he was told to respect himself or he would be handcuffed.

    He said when they got to the Police Command, he was given a paper to write his statement about what happened between him and his daughter.

    Justice Nwaka adjourned till June 28.

     

  • Man in court for purchase of stolen wrappers

    The Police on Wednesday arraigned a 27-year-old man, Babayo Ahmed, in a Karu Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, for allegedly purchasing stolen wrappers worth N100,000.

    The defendant, a resident of Dutse Alhaji, in the FCT, was arraigned on a count charge bordering on receiving stolen property, an offence he denied committing.

    Read Also: Man docked over alleged armed robbery

    The prosecutor, Mr Vincent Osuji, told the court that the defendant intentionally bought the wrappers from the person who stole them.

    “One Mohammed Hassan of Karu was arrested and brought to Karu Police Station on June 6 for stealing 35 pieces of wrappers, valued at N140,000.

    “In the course of police investigation, he confessed to have sold 25 pieces of the stolen wrappers, worth N100,000 to the defendant.

    “The defendant, however, denied the allegation and all efforts to recover the said wrappers proved abortive,” Osuji said.

    Osuji said that the offence was contrary to and punishable under Section 317 of the Penal Code Law.

    The judge, Abdulmajeed Oniyangi, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N250, 000, with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the matter until July 4 for hearing.