The Nation Newspaper

Tag: jailed

  • Man jailed for assaulting neighbour

    Man jailed for assaulting neighbour

    A 20-year-old man, Okoro Onuwa, has been sentenced to seven months imprisonment by an Oredo Magistrates Court sitting in Benin City for assaulting his neighbour and inflicting bodily injuries on her.

    The convict was first arraigned on July 7, 2014, on two counts bothering on assault even though the offence was committed on June 27, 2013.

    Police prosecutor, Thomas Ojo, identified the victim as one Odigie Stella Maris, and told the court that the convict punched the victim on the head during a fracas.

    Ojo said the victim was injured on her forehead.

    Okoro however pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Presiding magistrate, Mrs. J. O. Ejale, found Okoro guilty in the first count and sentenced him to six imprisonment or an option of fine of N10, 000.

    Ejale also sentenced him to one month imprisonment in count two or an option of fine of N5, 000.

     

  • Adamawa commissioner jailed 10 years for corruption

    A prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Adamawa State and former Commissioner for Finance and Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the state, Chief John Babani Elias, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour over a corruption case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) yesterday in Yola.

    Justice Bilkisu Bello Aliyu in a judgment delivered at the Federal High Court, Yola, in the case instituted by EFCC on behalf of the Federal Government against Mohammed Inuwa Bassi, John Babani Elias and Al-Akim Investment Nig. Ltd, a company promoted by the latter, listed as the 1st and 2nd defendant, acquitted Inuwa Bassi and sentenced John Babani Elias to ten years imprisonment.

    Chief Elias, a prominent sponsor of the PDP, who has since been taken to the Jimeta Prison to serve his sentence, appeared to be high spirits before the Judge Hajiya Bilkisu Bello Aliyu read the verdict.

    The EFCC which secured the conviction in one of the landmark cases of graft involving a political bigwig in the state did so after it amended the charges against the accused to three counts of graft contrary to section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Case of corruption  Section 1 (2) (b) of the same Act.

    The judge in her ruling on count 3 which nailed John Babani, before sentencing him to 10 years without fine, found the accused and his company, Al-Akim Investment Nig. Ltd. guilty of defrauding the Adamawa State government of N31, 500,000 vide his company which he used to divert the said monies meant for the Local Government joint project.

    Although, the court found Elias guilty of conspiracy to cause the payment of N21, 000,000 vide Habib Bank Nig. Ltd, it, however, discharged and acquitted Inuwa Bassi of the said count.

    In addition to the sentences running concurrently, John Elias Babani is to return N51, 000,000 to the Adamawa State Government joint account while his company (Al-Akim) shall pay the fine of N5, 000,000 and be wound up immediately.

    But counsel to John Elias, Andrew Malgwi, of Rickey Tarfa Chambers, said his client would appeal the judgment because it was not comfortable with some aspect of the ruling.

  • Man jailed seven years for rape

    Man jailed seven years for rape

    A 35-year-old man, Stanley Edomwonyi, was on Wednesday in Benin sentenced to seven years imprisonment for raping a nine-year-old girl.

    The State Counsel, Mrs O.R. Ewemade, told the Court that the convict committed the crime on Oct. 24, 2013, at about 6:00 pm, at Block 7, Flat7, S and T Barracks, Ugbowo, Benin.

    NAN reports that the convict was charged with rape which contravened Section 218 of the criminal Code cap 48 vol. II laws of the defunct Bendel State of Nigeria 1976 as applicable in Edo.

    The Magistrate, Mrs Igho Braimoh, ruled that the convict was guilty as charged and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment with hard labour.

  • Seven oil thieves jailed for 12 years

    Seven oil thieves jailed for 12 years

    Seven men were yesterday sentenced to 12 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Lagos for stealing petroleum products.

    Justice Okon Abang found Adedamola Ogungbayi, Olaniran Olabode, Suraju Gasali, Moses Emmanuel, Wilson Bonsi, Okaraodi Uche and Onyeogo Happy guilty of dealing in 1,459 metric tonnes of premium motor spirit (petrol) without licence.

    The judge held that the convicts’ crime amounted to economic sabotage. He described them as “godless”, saying such acts must be punished.

    He said: “The convicts have no sympathy for the corporate existence of this country. The seed of wrongdoing may be sown in secret but the harvest cannot be concealed. Today is the day of reckoning.

    “You call it oil bunkering or pipeline vandalism, but this menace has reached an alarming proportion in this country. Enough is enough.

    “The convicts are godless and lawless, without any particle of sympathy for this country. They are part of the people that have contributed to the economic woes of this country.

    “The convicts planted thorns, they cannot expect to gather flowers; they sowed the wind, and they must gather whirlwind.”

    The judge also ordered that the vessel, MT Good Success, used in committing the crime, as well as the recovered petroleum product be forfeited to the Federal Government.

    Justice Abang ordered the forfeiture of the sums of N66.6 million and $975,000 (about N194m) belonging to the convicts’ company, Hepa Global Energy Limited, domiciled with the First City Monument Bank.

    An affidavit of compliance with the orders of forfeiture must be filed within 21 days of the judgment, the judge directed.

    The convicts, their vessel and company were re-arraigned last August 28 on five counts, along with Padoun Jacob, who was discharged and acquitted yesterday.

    The judge, in setting Jacob free on all the five counts, described him as a desperate job seeker, who became a victim of circumstances.

    He noted that the stolen product had been loaded before Jacob was employed by Hepa Global Energy Limited on February 7, 2014.

    “The guilty should not escape punishment but the innocent should not be punished,” the judge held.

    Rather than life sentence, which is the maximum penalty for the crime, the judge handed each of the convicts a 10-year jail term on each of the counts, and two years on the fifth count. The total of 12 years will run concurrently.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, said the convicts violated sections 19(c) and 17 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

  • Man jailed for defiling neigbour’s daughter

    Man jailed for defiling neigbour’s daughter

    An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on Friday sentenced a 25-year-old unemployed man, Ogboru Godspower, to 14 years imprisonment for defiling a 13-year-old daughter of his neighbour.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mr Tajudeen Elias, sentenced Godspower after he pleaded guilty to the offence.

    “The accused is hereby sentenced to 14 years imprisonment to serve as deterrent to others and to reform him to be a law abiding citizen,” he said.

    The convict was arraigned on Aug. 14 on a one-count charge of defilement.

    The convict, lives at 30, Egbin Sand filled Ijede, Ikorodu in Lagos.

    The prosecutor, Jimah Iseghede, had told the court that the offence was committed on Aug. 8 at Godspower’s residence.
    Iseghede said that the victim was going to take her bath when the accused waylaid her, removed her towel and defiled her.

    “It was a neighbour who saw the accused in the act that alerted the whole house,’’ he said.

    The prosecutor said that the offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

  • Man jailed for abducting three-year-old boy

    Man jailed for abducting three-year-old boy

    A Minna Magistrates’ Court, on Wednesday sentenced one Kabiru Salisu to six months imprisonment for abducting a 3-year-old boy.

    Magistrate Amina Musa said that abduction was a serious crime and one that would have brought agony to the child’s parents.

    Musa, however, said the convict has shown remorse and sentenced him to six months imprisonment without an option of fine

    The convict was arraigned on a 2-count charge of trespass and abduction of a 3-year- old boy.

    The prosecutor, Insp. Alfred Auta, had told the court that one Baba Abubakar, reported the matter at Agaie Police Station on May 16.

    Auta alleged that on the same day at about 2:30 a.m., the convict trespassed into Abubakar’s compound and abducted the child.

    He said the accused was later apprehended by the police and the child rescued.‎

    Salisu pleaded guilty to the charges and begged the court for leniency.

     

  • Man jailed 14 years for stealing N51m

    Man jailed 14 years for stealing N51m

    An Oredo Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Benin City has sentenced a 45-year old man, Gbenga Lawal, to 14 years imprisonment.

    Gbenga was jailed for stealing the sum of N51, 168,230, belonging to Lukas Corporate Business Nigeria Limited.

    The offence was committed between 2008 and 2010 while the convict worked as manager of the company.

    Gbenga was arraigned in 2010 on a seven count-charge of stealing and altering purchase books of the company.

    Presiding Magistrate, Frank Idiake, found Gbenga guilty on count two and seven and acquitted him on other charges bothering on stealing 3,484 cartons of medium stout beer valued at N11, 877, 807m.

    Magistrate Idiake sentenced Gbenga to seven years imprisonment with hard labour each on count two and seven.

    Idiake ruled that the sentence was without option of fine and that the sentence is to run concurrently.

  • Man jailed for theft

    An Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court has sentence a 25-year-old man, Uzoma Duru to two months jail for stealing an electricity generating set.

    Uzoma, a resident of Ondo Street, Ebute Meta on August 16 stole Honda electricity generating set worth N80,000.  The defendant pleaded guilty to two count charges on stealing and forcibly entering.

    Police prosecuting Inspector Moses Uademevoi told the court that defendant broke into the house of one Mr Segun Thomas to steal the set.

    Magistrate Fowowe-Erusiafe sentenced the defendant to two months jail term with 100 hours of community service as option of fine.

  • French woman jailed for murder of eight newborns

    French woman jailed for murder of eight newborns

    Douai, France- A Frenchwoman was yesterday convicted of murdering eight of her newborns over an 11-year period and sentenced to nine years in prison.

    The prosecutor said Dominique Cottrez, a 51-year-old mother of two adult daughters, had stood trial for six days at court in the city of Douai in northern France.

    The prosecutor, while acknowledging her fragile mental state, had called for Cottrez to be sentenced to 18 years.

    He said the murders came to light in the village of Villers-au-Tertre, in July 2010 after the owners of a new home, which used to be the Cottrez family house, discovered two bags with the corpses.

    The prosecutor said few days later, six more bags with the bodies of newborns were found inside Cottrez’s house.

    At the time, Cottrez said she had suffocated the babies because she did not want more children, and did not want to seek out contraception from a doctor.

    He said during the trial, Cottrez explained how she bore the babies at night, often in the bathroom, before strangling them and putting them in bags.

    The prosecutor said the births took place between 1989 and 2000, without her husband or daughters finding out due to her overweight body hiding the pregnancies.

    He said during her documented testimony, Cottrez at first said her father had helped her hide the corpses and alleged that he had raped her as a child.

    The prosecutor said she went on to say that she had an incestuous relationship with him, but later withdrew her statements and said that she had lied.

    Her lawyer Frank Berton said after the ruling that he welcomed the shorter sentence, saying it reflected “hope for Cottrez.

    “This woman was never a criminal. This woman was walled in her silence, walled in her isolation, walled in her obesity.

    Her motives are still unclear, but her lawyers said the decision reflected an understanding that Cottrez suffered from psychological problems and neurotic disorders.

    Forensic evidence presented to the court showed that Cottrez’s husband was the father of all eight.

  • Ghanaian jailed 17 years for illicit drug

    Ghanaian jailed 17 years for illicit drug

    Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday sentenced a Ghanaian, Patrick Mensah (29), to 17 years imprisonment for dealing in a banned narcotic without lawful authority.

    The convict had pleaded guilty to dealing in 27.6 kilogrammes of “vegetable leaves” which proved to be canabis sativa when tested.

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) preferred a one-count charge against him on April 2.

    The prosecution counsel Mr. Orji Kalu said the offence contravened Section 11(c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    Justice Abang said: “I am satisfied that the accused person committed the offence and he is hereby convicted as charged.”

    The judge described Mensah as an ungrateful foreigner for paying back a country which has been accommodating since 2010 with evil.

    He said the sentence would help discourage crime in the society.

    “A decision of the court of law in a criminal matter like this should serve as deterrence to other Nigerian youths.

    “The convict unlawfully dealt in 27.6kg of canabis sativa. The seed of wrong doing is to face the wrath of the law.

    “I hereby sentence the convict to 17 years of imprisonment with effect from today (yesterday). The exhibit shall be destroyed by the NDLEA,” the judge held.

    The prosecution said the convict was caught by NDLEA operatives at Ebule Egba in Lagos, in possession of the outlawed substance.

    NDLEA tendered various exhibits before the court including the bulk of the marijuana seized from Mensah and the confessional statement that he allegedly made.

    Kalu said: “My Lord, in view of the guilty plea of the accused person and all the evidence tendered by the prosecution in this matter, we pray Your Lordship to convict the accused person as charged, in line with Sections 218 and 285(2) of the Criminal Procedure Act.”

    His lawyer G.U. Okaka, in an allocutus (plea for mercy), urged the court not to give him the maximum sentence.

    Okaka urged the court to be lenient with Mensah as he was a first offender, “with no previous record of conviction and for having pleaded guilty to the offence at the first instance”.

    The defence lawyer also urged the court to consider the fact that his client had been in the prison custody for almost a year and had lost touch with his family in Ghana.

    “My Lord, he is deeply remorseful for the offence he committed and has promised to go back to Ghana at the end of his punishment.

    “He has been in detention for the past one year; he has gone through trauma and has lost touch with his family in Ghana as a result of his one year of incarceration.

    “My Lord,  I most passionately urge the court to temper justice with mercy and give him a second chance as he is still a young man,” Okaka pleaded.

    But Justice Okon refused the plea, saying the sentence would serve as a warning to others.