The Nation Newspaper

Tag: fake

  • Fake soldier held for robbery

    Men of Ogun State Police Command have arrested one Joseph Inang, 30, for allegedly parading himself as a soldier and robbery.

    The suspect was arrested in the Ogba Iyo area of Ijoko in Ado-Odo Local Government Area.

    An unidentified military officer who has been trailing the suspect was said to have apprehended him while attempting to defraud some people.

    He was subsequently transferred to the State Crminal Investigation Department (SCID) Abeokuta, for further investigation.

    Our correspondent learnt that Joseph confessed to have stolen the uniform from the house of a friend, who is one of the soldiers posted to the North East to combat Boko Haram.

    He said he used to work as cobbler in a military barrack and had used the uniform to take part in land grabbing activities.

    The spokesman of Ogun Police Command, Mr Muyiwa Adejobi, said Joseph has been using the stolen uniform to rob adding that he would be charged to court at the completion of ongoing investigation.

  • ‘How we’re ridding the bar of fake lawyers’

    ‘How we’re ridding the bar of fake lawyers’

    Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president Augustine Alegeh (SAN) speaks on how the Stamp and Seal policy is ridding the profession of fake lawyers and other sundry issues in this interview with ADEBISI ONANUGA

    Was the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) right to have gone ahead with the Kogi election?

    INEC is an umpire. INEC is not a party at the election. INEC cannot go to court. Even, the Attorney-General of the Federation is  also not a party in the election. So only the parties can go to court and parties can only go to court when there is a decision taken.

    Some suggested that the AGF should have approached the Supreme Court.

    What would be the locus in the matter? It is an election matter with vested parties. He  is not a party at the elections. What is his cause of an action? He cannot go to the Supreme Court to determine academic issues nor go to the Supreme Court to determine something that is real. It is when those with vested interests go to court, that the court can in its own wisdom, invite the AGF as an amicus curiae (friend of the court) to come and offer suggestions.

    So, only the Supreme Court can resolve it?

    That is why I don’t have an opinion. If I have an opinion, I would be taking an opinion against the stand of one of my members. If there is a constitutional provision, and we are interpreting that, I don’t care where you  stand. I would say the constitution says this and it should be followed. But now, there is no provision for me to anchor upon and there is no decision that everybody will be happy about.

    There is this school of thought that Audu’s running mate should step in and conclude the process.

    For me, it is a very simple way out of the problem. But let me play the devil’s advocate. If Audu contested alone, it would be a void ticket. For the deputy governor to go alone without a running mate is not allowed. Each candidate must have a running mate. If you play the devil’s advocate, you would see that there is no perfect argument. There is no perfect situation. They can say okay, let the man name a running mate, the call for nomination has expired. There are layers of challenges and as the law did not provide for it, we all have to be careful.

    What role does doctrine of necessity play in this kind of situation?

    The doctrine of necessity does not operate in a vacuum. It operates in law. It operates on certain parameters. So, you must look at it holistically.

    A committee was inaugurated recently by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to review all anti-human rights laws. Given your experience, what areas of the law would you want that committee to look at?

    Firstly, I want to say that we must understand the functions of the NHRC. The NHRC is set up to protect human rights and ensure that all our laws create an environment that respects human rights. So when a commission now creates a committee to look at human rights legislations, then you start asking what is its own function as a commission because that committee is being given a principal function of the commission.

    They are doing a great job but I will appeal to them to be proactive. It is easier to ensure that those flaws don’t get into our laws than to wait till the end of the day and try and get the laws back to the assembly to amend.

    Your administration set up an investigative committee to look at human rights abuses in the Northeast. Why?

    No, we are not going to investigate human rights abuses. The situation that has occurred is that there have been talks from Amnesty about heavy presence of abuses, that our troops in trying to quell the Boko Haram insurgency, are committing human rights violations. Amnesty claimed to have investigated, Human Rights Commission claimed to have investigated. Our duty is to sensitise the military. We are not having an investigative foray into Maiduguri. We are going to have a human rights workshop with the military where the former Attorney-General of the Federation and the former Minister of  Defence will present a paper that will tell the military and highlight what they have to do.  We have members in all these places, Damaturu, Biu, Gombe, Maiduguri, Mukari, Mubi. Our immediate past chairman of  Mubi branch is today a member of the assembly. They live there, they pay their practising  fees there. It is these practising fees that we used in building the NBA secretariat.

    Why is NBA getting involved?

    Everybody has a role to play in this. But we feel that as a group in NBA, we should do something positive to change the situation. Everybody is complaining but on our part, we cannot accuse the military of committing human rights atrocities and we can also not exonerate them because we have not done any investigation. All we are saying is that we have heard all these hues and cries of the military saying we don’t have atrocities and the civil societies saying that there are  atrocities. We don’t want to choose sides. But what we think we know is that there are rules of war that have long been established. There are rules of engagement that have long been established and cystalised. We owe it a duty to our country to go and remind all our soldiers, those who do not know to educate them; those who were taught and forgotten to remind them and we believe that it would have a positive impact.

    What are your expecations ot the new federal cabinet?

    First, I want to commend the President for appointing not less than 10 of our members as ministers. Second, for our members, we have assured them of our support. We have also drawn their attention to the fact that they are ambassadors of the bar and that whatever they do while they are there would have an impact on the bar positively or negatively; that they should, at all times be above board. That they should be performing ministers at all times and be the top ten at all times. For the AGF Abubakar Mallami (SAN), he is somebody who I know closely and is passionate about the rule of law,  passionate about democratic values and passionate about our judiciary and how to improve upon it. So, when the names of ministers were announced, we were not surprised that he became the AGF. But the most important thing for us to do at this time is to fix our legal system and one of the best ways to fix our legal system is by taking certain legislative interventions. If by the grace of God, these interventions are taken by the new administration, they would make other things fall into place, and then we would have a very good justice delivery system. I congratulate Alhaji Mallami. I wish him the best and I have no doubt in my mind that with his commitment, he will succeed in the office to which he has been appointed.

    How far have you gone with the NBA Pro-Bono project?

    Not as fast as we should be going. We have interviewed some people because we need a client head and an account head to head our pro-bono project and be a Director of our Pro-Bono Services who would have his own office outside our NBA secretariat. We have interviewed but we have not found somebody suitable. So secretariat is still managing it. The head hunting is still on.

    How has the Stamp and Seal policy worked out?

    It has been monumental and the fake lawyers are fighting back. All the fight you see in the press against the seal is from fake lawyers on a daily basis.  For a number of applications received by the secretariat and processed daily, there has been cases of ‘names not found in register’, and any application that comes to us is signed by the branch chairman. I can assure you, as at September when I asked, we have found over 1,000 fake lawyers practicing in Nigeria.

    What has been done to them? Is there any follow up?

    There is none for several reasons. Firstly, there is no time bound to prosecute a criminal matter. So, for us, prosecution is not key. We are implementing a policy that was introduced in 2007 and we are getting resistance. So, let us settle ourselves in-house first. When a house is in disarray, you can’t go out to fight. You have to put your house in order first. Now, the Supreme Court has affirmed it.

    To what extent have you sensitised  judges to accept  this policy?

    The NBA Stamp and Seal Policy was introduced by Bayo Ojo, a former AGF in 2007. So everybody has known about it. The only thing that was missing  was the provision that says “a Stamp and Seal approved by NBA”. NBA has not come out to say this is what we have approved. So, when I came on board, I said we must approve it and we issue a practice license with it.  The one that we have is as good as Naira note. That is their problem as they cannot fake it. It was done in France by people that make mint. Once you put it on your paper, you cannot remove it and when you try to remove it, it would tear your paper.

    Now people go to embassy and they asked them, do you have a practice licence, they say yes and they give them visa. Some others go, including senior lawyers and they asked them, did you bring your practice licence? and they would say they didn’t.  Then they would tell them when you bring it, we would consider your visa application. Then they would walk up to the secretariat. This is the first time in the history of the bar that people are paying practice fee in October and November because the courts are now implementing the Stamp and Seal policy.

    The Supreme Court has made it easy for us and I think we should thank the Supreme Court, not because it said the policy should be enforced but because of the way the judgment came about.

    The judgment has come out in a way that no litigant will be punished. As long as you are working with a lawyer, you will not suffer disability. If I take objection that a lawyer did not put stamp, the court would ask him, where is your stamp? If he has it there, he can then apply it. If he doesn’t have, the court can adjourn to enable the lawyer put his stamp on the document. So it makes us happy.

     

     

     

     

  • Police arrest fake presidential adviser, fraudstar

    Police arrest fake presidential adviser, fraudstar

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command on Monday said it had arrested a 70-year- old fake Presidential Adviser on Defence Matters.

    Presenting the suspect who claimed to be a retired Army Colonel, to the media, the command’s Spokesman, ASP Anjuguri Manzah, said the suspect was arrested on Oct. 18 in Maitama area of Abuja, following a tip-off.

    “Police operatives attached to Maitama Division acting on a tip-off arrested one fake Colonel (name withheld) who claimed to be the Special Adviser to the President on Defence Matters,“nManzah said.

    He said that the suspect, who specialised in defrauding influential people in the society, had gone to the area to meet up with an appointment with a former state governor.

    The spokesman said that the suspect upon arrest confessed to the crime.

    “He also confessed that he only hides under that guise to solicit for juicy contracts or financial favour from his high profile victims,“ he said.

    He said that one fake identification card and five complimentary cards were recovered from him.

    The suspect, who said he worked with the Bauchi State Government up to 1990, said he had been in the business for over three years.

    “I thought it was an easy way to feed my family,“ he said.

    Manzah said that the suspect had been transferred to the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department for further investigation.

    Similarly, the command has arrested a suspect who specialised in producing and circulating fake N1, 000 notes to unsuspecting members of the public.

    Manzah said that the suspect was arrested by police operatives around Royal Park in Wuse two, Abuja, where he had gone to buy mobile phone recharge card.

    He said that items recovered from him include 54 pieces of fake N1, 000 notes.

    Speaking with newsmen, the suspect said he was introduced into the business by a friend who resides in Lugbe, Abuja, who linked him with his friend in Lagos.

    The spokesman enjoined members of the public to be vigilant and always provide the police with information about criminal elements.

    He also enjoined residents to take advantage of the police emergency help lines.

     

  • Fake national ID cards in circulation, says DHQ

    The Defence Headquarters has alerted that fake national identity cards were in circulation. It warned the people against approaching unauthorised agencies and individuals for their national identification registration.

    It said that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) remained the only agency responsible for registration and issuance of the national identity card.

    A statement by the Acting Director of Defence Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar, said:

    “The implication of fake national ID cards in circulation is that Boko Haram terrorists also used similar methods to identify their members who were nabbed by the military.

    “The public should guard against patronising unauthorised agents to obtain their national identification as there are racketeers issuing fake cards for monetary and criminal gains.” The statement said the alert would assist the security forces to contain infiltration of illegal aliens who may acquire the cards to legalise their migration into the country to support the terrorists.

    It therefore, appealed to the public to report any attempt by unauthorised persons to issue cards similar to the national identity cards to the security agencies.

  • NAFDAC intensifies war against fake drugs 

    NAFDAC intensifies war against fake drugs 

    As the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) increased the tempo on the war against fake and adulterated drugs in the country, it said the incidence had been reduced to 11% in the North East.

    This war, the agency said, would be intensified with the return of peace in the region.

    During an audience with a sub-committee set up by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Maidugiri for the celebration of the institution’s  22nd convocation and 40th anniversary, the Director-General of the NAFDAC, Dr Paul Orhii,  yesterday in Abuja said:  ”Even in the North East where we thought that there were many security challenges, we have reduced it (incidence of fake drugs) just by 11 per cent.”

    Orhii also told the delegation that with encouragement from local pharmaceutical industries and the help of cutting edge technologies, the NAFDAC had been able to fight counterfeit medicines.

    “With this, we have been able to reduce the incidence of counterfeit medicines and antimalarial drugs from more than 64 per cent in 2008 to 20 per cent in 2012 and today we have achieved a feat that nobody thought was possible by reducing it to 3.6 per cent.”

    According to Orhii, the NAFDAC became the first regulatory agency in the world to use a TruScan that enables users to underscore and identify counterfeit medicines and also the first country in the world to implement the mobile authentication service.

    He regretted that with the sophistication in printing technology, it has become impossible even for the most sophisticated pharmaceutical security expert to identify counterfeit medicines just by looking at the drug.

    He told his visitors that with the efforts of people like them developing new molecules and turning new medicines, the NAFDAC we would completely eradicate fake medicines in Nigeria.

    Responding, the leader of the delegation and Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Maidugiri, Isa Hussain,  said:“We have identified the NAFDAC as a very important stakeholder in our institution and wish more collaboration.”

    In a related development, the NAFDAC boss  commended the review and production of the National Policy on Food Safety and its implementation strategy to help minimize the incidence of risk associated with physical, chemical and biological hazards in food and water in the country.

    He said this yesterday at the National Food Safety Management Committee (NFSMC) stakeholders’ meeting held in Abuja.

    He said: “With a National Safety Food Policy in place with a functional secretariat, Nigeria will be seen to have come on a par with other countries that had long ago streamlined and unified their food safety laws and subsequently benefited immensely from the implementation.

    “An effective, result-based programme implementation needs funding. The developed work plan has identified that line ministries, its department and agencies are required to provide budgets for food safety. We understand that the development partners have formed a committee to support the implementation of the activities of the policy to avoid duplication of activities funding.

    “I have not heard of food related poisoning in the country for the last three years. We believe that at the end of this donor meeting, all hands would be on deck to ensure that food safety system in Nigeria is on a par with the international best practices. I, therefore, encourage all stakeholders to draw up any available resources to support food safety.”

    In his welcome address, Acting Chairman (NFSMC), Mr. Fubara Chukwu, said millions of people had fallen victim of contaminated food.

    He said, “It is a wake-up call to all Nigerians to reflect on our general attitude to food safety, personal hygiene, environmental sanitation in our homes, neighbourhood, and public places and work towards ensuring improved hygienic and healthy environment.”

  • Applicant arraigned for alleged fake naira notes

    An applicant, Chikezie Chukwu, has been arraigned for allegedly being in possession of fake naira notes and stealing N70,000.

    Chukwu, 20, was arraigned in an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court in Lagos on a four-count charge of obtaining under false pretence, stealing and being in possession of fake notes.

    The Investigating Police Officer, Adewunmi Oderinmade, told the court that the offence was committed on August 22 at 2nd junction Road, Ikotun.

    Oderinmade told the court that Chukwu purchased goods valued at N70,000 from one Esther Ojetokun and paid her with fake naira notes.

    The accused, he said, could not give satisfactory reasons about the fake notes in his possession after his arrest.

    The offence, he said, contravened Sections 285, 312, 370 and 409 of the Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

    Chukwu pleaded not guilty.

    Magistrate M.O Olajuwon granted the accused N50,000 bail with one surety in the like sum. He adjourned the case till September 28.

  • Fake policemen arrested

    Fake policemen arrested

    Two men, Lawal Hakeem, 43, and Abiodun Ibrahim, 32, have been arrested for allegedly impersonating policemen at Mile 2, Lagos.

    Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Commander Olatunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said the suspects were arrested by patrolling policemen because of their “suspicious” movement.

    The suspects, he said, claimed to be police officers on being accosted.

    Disu said: “The RRS operatives continued interrogation, after a while, one of them, Hakeem, showed his cloned police identification card. The RRS men looked at the I.D card critically to discover that it was a fake I.D. Immediately both of them were arrested and bundled into the squad’s vehicle and driven to the headquarters for further investigation”.

    At the station, Disu said, Ibrahim confessed he is not a police officer but Hakeem’s intimate friend. Ibrahim said he was trying to settle a dispute between Hakeem and a motorist when the policemen arrived, Disu added.

    Hakeem, who lives at Shittu Ajiron in Ajangbadi in Ojo Local government area, confessed that he was a police officer before he deserted in July last year.

    “I got enlisted Nigerian Police force on April 4, 1989 with force number; 180939 before I was deserted from the Force last year due to absenteeism from work after the death of my wife. Since that time, things have not been easy for me. I was only parading myself as police officer only to find means of livelihood. I am appealing to the Nigerian Police force to forgive me and I swear I will not do the same again’’, he appealed.

    The Police said the suspects would be charged to court soon.

  • ‘Fake’ Ondo PDP lawmakers may be arraigned soon

    ‘Fake’ Ondo PDP lawmakers may be arraigned soon

    •Assembly Speaker, Clerk in trouble

    TWO Ondo Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers – Abayomi Akinruntan and Malachi Coker representing Ilaje 1 and 11 State Constituencies – may be arraigned in court soon for alleged assumption of office without Certificate of Returns from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The arraignment followed the conclusion of their interrogation by the police.

    Sources said the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Princess Jumoke Akindele, and the Clerk, Bode Adeyelu, may also not be spared.

    The  two lawmakers, who were allegedly sworn in illegally on June 1, had earlier being invited to the Force Headquarters for interrogation over the matter.

    It was learnt that investigation was concluded last Thursday by the police from the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Abuja.

    The probe, sources said, was delayed till last week to enable the clerk make his statement, which he eventually did last Wednesday.

    It was learnt that the investigation, which started on July 8, took the FCID operatives to Akure, the Ondo State capital, on two occasions.

    It also involved the questioning of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Segun Agbaje, and the two Returning officers for Ilaje I and II in the April 11 House of Assembly election, which was adjudged inconclusive by the INEC.

    INEC had declared that the election was marred with widespread irregularities.

    Sources added that the inability to arraign the four persons involved in the matter last week was because the Assistant Inspector General(AIG), who was in charge of criminal investigation at the FCIB, Mr. A. Adeniji, has been promoted to Deputy Inspector General(DIG) and moved to the Force Headquarters.

    It was learnt that the officer deployed to replace him was “yet to be fully briefed” as at yesterday.

    The police started their probe after the Ondo State All Progressives Congress (APC), through its lawyer, Charles Titiloye, petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) that the Speaker and the clerk allegedly conspired to fraudulently swearin Akinruntan and Coker without the Certificates of Return from the INEC.

    The two lawmakers escaped arrest when detectives from the Force Headquarters stormed Akure to pick them few weeks ago.

    They eventually made themselves available for interrogation.

  • ICPC arrests fake medical doctor over visa scam

    ICPC arrests fake medical doctor over visa scam

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arrested a fake doctor in connection with a visa scam.

    George Dawari, according to the ICPC, was arrested on June 5, 2015 on the strength of a petition alleging that he demanded the sum of N450,000 from a couple for the purpose of  procuring a five-year visa to the United States for each of them.

    During a search of the suspect’s residence in Abuja, ICPC operatives recovered some medical equipment, including a stethoscope and medical overall bearing his name.

    He had earlier told the petitioners that he was a doctor and offered to administer drugs on one of them.

    Also found in the suspect’s house were six green Nigerian passports, four of which had been stamped with the United States visas.

    The passports were declared to be fake by the US Embassy after scrutiny.

    The suspect is to be charged to court for violating section 16 of the ICPC Act 2000 and section 321 of the Penal Code.

     

  • Gbonigi: we’re operating fake democracy

    Elder statesman and retired Bishop of Akure Anglican Diocese, Rev Bolanle Gbonigi, has taken a swipe at the nation’s democracy.

    The cleric said the present democratic system was below the expectation of the nation’s founding fathers.

    Gbonigi said Nigeria’s democracy fell short of the values expected in a real democracy.

    He blamed leaders for the state of the nation’s democracy and the economic depression facing the country.

    Delivering a public lecture in Akure, the Ondo State capital, at the weekend, Bishop Gbonigi said democracy is on trial and its success depends on political leaders.

    The retired bishop lamented that the glorious days of democracy in the country started to dim when some selfish politicians joined partisan politics.

    His words: “This class of politicians in order to satisfy their selfish desire dethroned altruism and nationality and  enthroned selfish and tribal and ethnic chauvinism.

    “Consequently, we have counterfeit or fake democracy, instead of the genuine or authentic one we once enjoyed.”

    “Our democracy today lacks basic factors that could make it thrive.

    “The success of the present democratic experience lie with the politicians.

    “The 1999 Constitution, which formed the basis of the current democracy, is seriously faulty, hence the need for the amendment of the constitution.

    “Free and fair election is lacking in Nigeria because there were evidences of rigging in some parts of the country during the last general elections.

    “The principle of federalism, which accounted for the progress and development witnessed during the First Republic is lacking in the present Nigerian democratic practice.”