The Nation Newspaper

Tag: jail

  • Bill seeks 10-year jail term for land grabbers

    •Bureau makes N3.148b in four months

    BILL seeking 10 years imprisonment for land grabbers, popularly known as Omo Onile, is pending before the Lagos State House of Assembly, Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau, Mr. Bode Agoro, has said.

    The bill is expected to be passed into law in the third quarter of the year.

    It is titled “Bill for a law to prohibit forcible entry and occupation of landed properties, violent and fraudulent conducts in relation to landed properties in Lagos State and for connected purposes.”

    Agoro, who was giving account of his one-year stewardship under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, said the attacks on government allottees by Omo Onile were unbecoming, adding that the government would no longer fold its arms and watch.

    “The incessant complaints and constant agony being felt by people of the state necessitated the Lagos State House of Assembly to embark on the bill. This law will definitely go a long way in stopping this terrible menace in our society. Let the Omo Onile be warned because we are determined to win the battle against them. We are coming for them and we are facing them squarely,” Agoro said.

    He regretted that Omo Onile have constituted themselves into nuisance, disturbing public peace at will.

    Agoro said between January and last month, the bureau realised N3.148 billion from land sales.

    Between last May and March, it generated over N8 billion; Governor Ambode signed 5,625 Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) within the same period. Agoro attributed the feat to the government’s strong will, immense capacity for hard work and desire to accelerate the process of issuing land title.

    “The need for the acceleration of the titling process is that a high number of property owners in the state have realised the importance of having titles for their lands, especially the business community, as registered land titles are major documents needed as collateral for obtaining facilities from financial institutions,” he noted, adding that the Directorate of Land Services, a department in the Bureau, has also introduced a new form, known as IC, which incorporates the passport photograph of the purchaser to be affixed on the deeds of agreement.

  • Bill seeks 10-year jail term for land grabbers

    •Bureau makes N3.148b in four months

    Bill seeking 10 years imprisonment for land grabbers popularly known as Omo Onile is pending before Lagos State House of Assembly, Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau Mr. Bode Agoro has said.

    The bill is expected to be passed into law in the third quarter of the year.

    It is titled “Bill for a law to prohibit forcible entry and occupation of landed properties, violent and fraudulent conducts in relation to landed properties in Lagos State and for connected purposes.”

    Agoro, who was giving account of his one-year stewardship under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, said the attacks on government allottees by Omo Onile were unbecoming, adding that the government would no longer fold its arms and watch.

    “The incessant complaints and constant agony being felt by people of the state necessitated the Lagos State House of Assembly to embark on the bill. This law will definitely go a long way in stopping this terrible menace in our society. Let the Omo Onile be warned because we are determined to win the battle against them. We are coming for them and we are facing them squarely,” Agoro said.

    He regretted that Omo Onile have constituted themselves into nuisance, disturbing public peace at will.

    Agoro said between January and last month, the bureau realised N3.148 billion from land sales.

    Between last May and March, it generated over N8 billion; Governor Ambode signed 5,625 Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) within the same period. Agoro attributed the feat to the government’s strong will, immense capacity for hard work and desire to accelerate the process of issuing land title.

    “The need for the acceleration of the titling process is that a high number of property owners in the state have realised the importance of having titles for their lands, especially the business community, as registered land titles are major documents needed as collateral for obtaining facilities from financial institutions,” he noted, adding that the Directorate of Land Services, a department in the Bureau, has also introduced a new form, known as IC, which incorporates the passport photograph of the purchaser to be affixed on the deeds of agreement.

  • Five journalists jailed for blackmail in China

    A court in central China’s Hunan Province on Monday, handed five journalists of a newspaper and its website, prison terms of up to 12 years for blackmail.

    Zhang Huanrui, vice president of Modern Consumer News, and four of his subordinates were found guilty of blackmailing half a dozen government departments and officials for 815,000 Yuan (125,000 dollars), by threatening them with negative news reports, said the Yanfeng District People’s Court in Hengyang city.

    “The defendants used the potential consequences of the negative reports to coerce the agencies.

    “They told officials to pay money, promising in return to delete negative reports or not to conduct follow-up reporting,’’ the court said.
    Zhang was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while one subordinate was given a six-year jail term.

    Two of them were sentenced to two years, four months and 20 days behind bars.

    However, the other was given a three-year suspended sentence.

     

  • Cultism: Court jails two Ekiti varsity students

    Cultism: Court jails two Ekiti varsity students

    Two students of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Akintunde Olumide and Oladapo Olaoluwa are to spend the next three years in jail after being found guilty of involvement in cultism.

    The three-year imprisonment verdict was slammed on them by Justice Monisola Abodunde of an Ado Ekiti High Court who held that the prosecution has proved a case of stealing, assault and membership of a secret cult group against the accused beyond every reasonable doubt.

    Police prosecutor, Femi Falade, told the court that the accused committed the offence on July 13, 2013 at a hotel in Iworoko -Ekiti.

    He said that the accused were brought on a three -count-charge of stealing, assault and secret cult.

    Falade said the offence was punishable under Section 355,4(1) of Criminal  Code Laws of Ekiti State 2012 and Secret Cults (Abolition and Prohibition).

    The prosecutor called four witnesses to prove his case, while the defendant counsel, Emmanuel Oluwole, also called three witnesses to prove his case.

    Justice Abodunde said that the accused made a confessional statement as a member of Black Axe Confraternity at the Criminal Investigation Department during interrogation.

    She added that the Police found in their custody, small cutlass, black head warmer, black T-shirt, black trousers during investigation.

    The judge held that the short cutlass cannot be measurable with the one used for agriculture or weeding grass.

    “It is not a tool for education, it is a weapon of danger and indiscriminating, which should not be seen within the school premises,” she added.

    Justice Abodunde said the exhibit recovered from the accused made the case weighty and voluminous.

    She therefore found the accused guilty as charged and convicted them accordingly.

    The judge resolved two of the issues in favour of the accused and used the last count to sentence them to three years imprisonment without any option of fine.

    She added that this would serve as deterrent to other students in higher institutions, to always face their studies and shun secret cult activities.

     

     

  • Policeman remanded for defiling minor

    Policeman remanded for defiling minor

    A 37-year old police officer, Umar Babatunde has been remanded in prison custody by an Egor Magistrate Court for having unlawful carnal knowledge of a 9-year-old girl in Benin.

    Babatunde was alleged to have committed the offence on November 2 at No 12,  Omokaro Street off Siluko road in Benin.

    Investigating Police officer (IPO), Sergeant Vivian Akhionbare told the court that the accused has been dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force since November last year when the case was reported.

    The accused pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge on unlawful carnal knowledge preferred against him.

    State Counsel, Mrs O.R. Ewemade, said the offence contravened section 218 of the criminal Code Cap. 48 Vol. ll laws of the defunct Bendel State of Nigeria 1976 as applicable in Edo.

    Presiding Magistrates, Mrs Igho Braimoh, remanded the accused in prison, and ruled that bail would be considered in the course of trial.

    She adjourned the case till May 11 for hearing.

  • Cambodia sentences Facebook user for comments

    A Cambodian Court has sentenced a university student to 18 months in prison for calling for a colour revolution on Facebook in 2015.

    Kong Raya, 25, was convicted of incitement by Phnom Penh’s Municipal Court on Tuesday, local media reported.

    Kol Preap, Executive Director of Transparency International Cambodia, said the sentence was a clear message to Facebook users, who numbered over 5 million, or 34 per cent of the population in 2015, according to USAID.

    “This particular case of Kong Raya could generate concern among Facebook users on their possible consequences for expressing political opinions or personal views on controversial issues, especially from now leading up to the elections in 2017 and 2018,” he said on Wednesday.

    The term colour revolution is usually used to describe non-violent democracy movements in former Soviet republics in the early 2000s.

    Online discussion of such movements has led to political crackdowns in countries like China.

    Kong Raya had asked his friends on Facebook in August 2015 if they would dare to make a color revolution with me,” according to the Cambodia Daily.

    He was arrested two weeks later by police from the Interior Ministry, the newspaper said.

    Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power since 1997 but effectively in control for 30 years, has found that his Cambodian People’s Party is less popular with today’s youth than previous generations.

    Facebook has become a popular forum for political discussion in Cambodia, particularly among young people who are dissatisfied with alleged corruption in the governing party and the opposition.

     

  • UNN graduate jailed seven years for selling fake drugs

    UNN graduate jailed seven years for selling fake drugs

    A 35-year-old woman, Clara Onah, was Wednesday sentenced to seven years in prison by the Federal High Court, Lagos for selling fake drugs.

    Onah, from Enugu State, was charged by the National Agency for Food, Drugs, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on behalf of the Federal Government.

    A graduate of Microbiology of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a post-graduate student of Mass Communication, Onah resides at No 12, Mosalashi St., Alagbado Lagos.

    She was arraigned on February 15 and pleaded guilty to a five-count charge bordering on possession and sale of fake drugs, offences committed on January 26.

    The prosecutor Mr. Shamaki Umar had told the court that the accused sold fake brand of 200 mg of Amazon Amagyl Metronidazole tablets to members of the public.

    The accused was remanded in prison pending the review of facts.

    Wednesday, Umar reviewed the facts of the case and presented the laboratory analysis of the confiscated drugs which showed that they were fake and contained 20 rather than 200 milligrams

    The convict’s counsel Mr. Chinedu Moore in his allocutus pleaded for leniency and urged the court to temper justice with mercy. He submitted that apart from the fact that she was sick, she was also a first time offender who did not have the intent to manufacture or sell fake drugs.

    Amidst sobs the woman herself also pleaded for mercy, saying she didn’t know the drugs were fake.

    But the prosecutor urged the court to award her the maximum sentence according to the law.

    He said: “When she was asked to show the operatives of NAFDAC where the drugs were being manufactured, she took them to an unknown address that does not exist. When they eventually traced her residence, they discovered items she used in manufacturing the drugs such as weighing scales and labels.

    “With all intent and purposes my lord, she was manufacturing them herself. Therefore, I urge my lord to award maximum sentence as provided by law so as to serve as deterrent to others.”

    In his judgment, Justice (Prof.) Chuka Obiozor said: “I will give you a second chance as a first offender but those who took your drugs and died had no second chance”.

    He reprimanded the convict for being a 2:1 graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka who chose to deal on fake drugs instead of staying in the village to find something worthy to do, if she could not get a decent job in Lagos.

    The judge said: “Clara Onah, you are hereby sentenced to seven years imprisonment at the women wing of the Kirikiri Maximum Prison on each of the count charges. They are to run concurrently starting from January 26, when you were arrested and detained.

    “The convict was also fined N50,000 on count five. The prosecution should hold on to the exhibits pending the elapse of the time of appeal of this judgment. At the elapse of appeal window, the prosecution should destroy it.”

    The offences contravened the provisions of section 1(1) (a), 3, and 3 (1) of the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs Unwholesome Processed Foods, (Miscellaneous Provision) Act Cap 34, Laws of the Federation, 2004.

  • Man jailed for stealing slippers, belts

    Man jailed for stealing slippers, belts

    A 23-year old man identified as Maxwell Oronsaye has been jailed by an Oredo Magistrate Court for stealing slippers and belts worth N52,000.

    The convict was accused of breaking and entering into a shop belonging to one Luma Amaka.

    Police Prosecutor, Sergeant Thomas Ojo, informed the Court that the convict committed the offence on February 22, at  Ugbor quarters in Benin City.

    Maxwell pleaded guilty to the two-count charge filed against him.

    The offence contravened section 413, 390 of the Criminal code Cap 48 Vol. II laws of the defunct Bendel State of Nigeria 1976 as applicable to Edo.

    Presiding Magistrate, Mrs J.O. Ejale, convicted Maxwell to two years imprisonment with hard labour without an option of fine.

  • Fake NDLEA ‘narcotics superintendent’ jailed

    Fake NDLEA ‘narcotics superintendent’ jailed

    The Federal High Court in Lagos Thursday sentenced Okoro Anthony to four years imprisonment for falsely claiming to be a National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) official.

    The agency said he deceived unsuspecting public by claiming to be a Deputy Superintendent of Narcotics.‎

    Forged NDLEA letter headed papers, letter of employment and letter of compensation were found on him, the prosecution said.

    Justice B. Kuewumi sentences him after he pleaded guilty to the charge.

    The NDLEA prosecutor, Mr. Fingere Dinneys, said Anthony was arrest at Alaba Primary School, Alaba, Lagos.

    He was charged with “unlawful assumption of name, character and designation of an officer of the NDLEA.”

    The alleged offence, the agency said, contravenes Section 15 of the NDLEA Act of 2004.

    The prosecutor, while reviewing the facts of the case, tendered Anthony’s confessional statement and exhibits recovered from him.

    The judge said the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and handed him a four-year jail term.

  • Woman jailed for stealing N263, 200

    Woman jailed for stealing N263, 200

    A 27-year old woman identified as Loveth Enginna has been jailed for 12 months for stealing the sum of N263, 200.

    She was jailed by an Oredo Magistrate’s Court presided over Mrs. J.O Ejale.

    The money belonged to Trust Fund Micro Finance bank.

    Police Prosecutor, Sergeant Thomas Ojo informed the Court that the offence was committed between May 2013 and Aug. 2013 at No. 6 Adesuwa Grammer School in Benin.

    Sergeant Ojo said the offence contravened section 390 (9) of the criminal Code Cap. 48 Vol. ll laws of the defunct Bendel State of Nigeria 1976 as applicable in Edo.

    Magistrate Ejale convicted Loveth to one year imprisonment or an option of N50, 000 with hard labour.