The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Prison

  • Sales boy to spend Christmas in prison

    A 20-year-old, Amuzat Ahmed, is to spend Christmas and New Year festivities in jail for stealing a motorcycle valued at N230, 000 and a Samsung Galaxy phone, an Ogudu Magistrates’ Court ruled in Lagos yesterday.

    The Magistrate, Mrs. O. Sule-Amzat, who sentenced Ahmed of Imota in Ikorodu, Lagos State to one-year jail, pronounced him guilty as charged.

    The convict had pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing.

    Sule-Amzat held that the convict should serve the one year without an option of fine.

    “The prosecution established that the convict, a sales boy, deceived and lured the caretaker of the motorcycle to a hotel on the pretext of entertaining him,” she said.

    The prosecutor, Lucky Ihiehie, had told the court that the accused committed the offence on September 26 at Ajose Street, Mende, Maryland, Lagos.

    He said the complainant, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed, reported the case at Anthony Police Post.

    “The complainant left his Bajaj motorcycle registered as AGL 232 QH, valued at N230, 000 and a Samsung Galaxy 03 phone valued at N36, 000 in the care of Husseini Saliu on September 29.

    “The accused lured Saliu to a hotel at Mile 12 to entertain him, stole the motorcycle and the phone and ran away.”

    Ihiehie said the accused was arrested at Maryland bus stop on October 26.

    The offence contravenes Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

  • Kogi CJ discharges inmates illegally remanded in prison

    Kogi CJ discharges inmates illegally remanded in prison

    Kogi Chief Judge, Nasir Ajanah, has discharged and acquitted one Gide Garba illegally detained as an Awaiting Trial Inmate (ATM) in the Kabba Federal Prison.

    He also granted bail to another ATM Husseini Embiga also an inmate illegally detained in the same prison.

    Ajanah granted the unconditional release of Garba while reviewing cases of 17 awaiting trial inmates in the prisons on Saturday.

    He said the two accused should not ordinarily be in remand as their offences did not warrant such.

    The Chief Judge said Garba (aka Shingee), was charged with criminal conspiracy, belonging to a gang of thieves and kidnappers but was dumped in the prison.

    He was not taken before any court of competent jurisdiction for five months as required under the constitution.

    “I am therefore left with no choice than to order for his immediate release from detention unconditionally.

    “The accused is hereby ordered to be released forthwith”, he said.

    Garba, a commercial motorcyclist, told the visiting Chief Judge that he took a passenger to Isanlu and on getting there, the passenger pleaded that he should be taken to Kabba and he agreed at a fee.

    On getting to Kabba, he said, the Passenger pleaded with him to wait a little bit for the person he came to see and bought him soft drinks, while they waited only to be arrested a few minutes later by two men while his passenger simply walked away.

    Husseini Embiga, a Tiv farmer in Kogi, charged with criminal trespass and theft of motor battery was released on bail by the Chief Judge on the ground that the offences were bailable.

    “These offences are ordinarily bailable. I am surprised that the trial Upper Area Court could not avail the accused of the opportunity of going on bail.

    “The accused is hereby granted bail in the sum of N2, 000 and one surety in like sum.

    “In view of the nature of the case as presented by the trial Upper Area Court Judge, he is hereby directed to ensure that this case is heard and determined within the next one week,” the Chief Judge said.

    “I am impressed with the fact that there are fewer people awaiting trial and those convicted.

    “Out of the 63 inmates, there are only 19 ATMs that mean that our effort at decongesting the prisons is working very well,” the CJ said.

    NAN

  • Abia: Comptroller speaks on fate of kids born in Prison

    Abia: Comptroller speaks on fate of kids born in Prison

    The Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) zone E, Alloy Uchenwa has spoken on the fate of children who were born while their mothers serve prison terms.

    Speaking at the Abia State headquarters Umuahia, after a meeting with the officers of the command, Uchenwa noted that the law is silent on the issue of babies born in the prisons who automatically become members of the community even without committing any crime.

    The prison boss further added that the law is, though, silent on the fate of such babies, but they were normally released to their parents or relatives after 18 months.

    He said: “But the first few months of birth, the baby would need the attention of the mother.”

    Speaking on the issue of accommodation and logistics challenges being faced by the prisons has been compounded by the 100 Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) members in its zone E custody.

    Speaking with newsmen at the Abia State headquarters Umuahia, after a meeting with the officers of the command, the Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) zone E, Mr Alloy Uchenwa, said, it was a miracle yesterday how the command was able to convey 100 IPOB members to court.

    Uchenwa, who was in Abia State as part of his routine inspection of facilities in commands under his zone, identified logistics as one of the major challenges of the prisons.

    He, therefore, called on individuals, organisations and governments to assist the zone by providing logistics to enable it to convey inmates to court at the appropriate time.

    The ACG equally identified overcrowding/prison congestion as another challenge confronting the prisons, “A situation where more than 90% of inmates are awaiting trial was worrisome.”

    The Zone E prison boss, called for the building of more prison cells to ease the challenge of overcrowding, saying that a situation where cells for 500 inmates were occupied by 1000 prisoners was not the best.

    According to him, the society would enjoy peace only when there is peace in the prisons saying that the zone’s commitment to excellence would not be compromised.

    He disclosed that in his meeting with the Abia State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Ume Kalu (SAN) he raised the issue of prison decongestion with a promise from him to expedite the trial of cases.

    Uchenwa commended Abia prison command for the improvements recorded since his last visit.

    He said that of particular interest was the reform which has helped the inmates to enrol in classes which have helped most of them to write WASCE even as others were taking courses in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

    He commended the prison personnel while describing them as disciplined officers and men and assured that their promotion would remain regular even as the 2017 promotion would soon be released.

    On the issue of lack of adequate medication and food for inmates, he said the inmates would not be satisfied with the service because all the inmates need is freedom.

  • Court remands five for ‘buying’ two ladies for prostitution

    Court remands five for ‘buying’ two ladies for prostitution

    Five persons have been remanded to prison custody for allegedly buying two females for the purpose of using them for prostitution in Libya.

    The accused persons, Osaro Rasheed (47), Caroline Oyasiri (52), Christopher Erhahon (50), Hellen Osarobo (46) and Roland Egbon (52) were arraigned before an Oredo Magistrates Court.

    They were arraigned on a three-count charge of procurement for prostitution, human trafficking and illegal entry.

    Names of their victims were given as Everln Oghagbon aged 23 and Mary Osarobo aged 23.

    The accused persons were alleged to be engaging in ‘exporting’ their victims to Libya for prostitution and other sexual exploitation.

    Prosecutor Patrick Agbonifo told the court the accused persons ‘did fraudulent entry of their victims to Libya of which they are not citizens or permanent residents, in order to obtain financial and material benefit’.

    He noted that the offences which were committed in May 2016 are contrary to and punishable under section 27, 14(b) and 26(1) of the trafficking in persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015.

    Presiding Magistrate, Chief Magistrate F.E Akhere referred the case file to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.

    He adjourned hearing of the case to November 24th, 2017.

    Read Also: Man in court for allegedly seducing married woman

  • Prison officers seek Comptroller-General’s suspension

    Prison officers seek Comptroller-General’s suspension

    SOME officers of Nigeria Prison Service (NPS) have called for the suspension of Comptroller-General of Prisons Ahmed Jafaru for alleged abuse of office.

    They urged President Muhammadu Buhari to order an immediate probe of Jafaru’s administration.

    The officials, who described themselves as “Aggrieved Prison Officers”, accused Comptroller-General of Prisons of diversion of funds to fixed deposit accounts, alteration of age and staff recruitment that did not follow due process.

    The officers alleged that workers’ salaries became irregular after he allegedly moved funds into a fixed deposit account.

    Jafaru was also accused of directing that part of staff salaries be paid through Nigerian Prison Micro-Finance Bank, which they said has offices only in Kaduna, Enugu and Ibadan.

    The directive, according to them, meant prison workers had to travel long distances at huge risks to get their salaries.

    The officers also accused the Comptroller-General of recruiting 2,000 warders without following due process, adding that there were plans to recruit 6,000 more.

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    “If he is not immediately called to order, it is the same process that he used for the illegal recruitment in 2015 that he will use again for the proposed recruitment,” they said.

    According to them, efforts to get the Interior Minister to call Jafaru to order failed as “the minister gave us cold shoulders”.

    They asked the Comptroller-General to release the staff nominal roll detailing senior officers’ positions and offices.

    They claimed that in one nominal roll, Jafaru’s date of birth is stated as July 21, 1957, but in another nominal roll, it is July 21, 1959.

    The officers also alleged there is high mortality rate in the prisons due what they described as sharp practices on award of “ration and gas contracts” and project executions.

    But spokesman of the NPS, Francis Enobore, described issues raised in the petition as false and unfounded.

    Reacting to the issues one after the other on a telephone conversation with The Nation, Enobore said: “The accusation of the irregular payment levelled against the Comptroller-General cannot be true. Everybody knows that salaries are paid directly from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to individual staff accounts. The CGP does not control the salaries of any staff. He does not control the regularity of payment.

    On the poor feeding of inmates: “That cannot be true because the Federal Government made provision of N450 per prisoner per day. Yes, some people may argue that N450 per prisoner per day may not be adequate. But it would interest you that the position before now was N200 per prisoner per day. It is during the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari that the feeding amount was increase from N200 to N450 per prisoner per day.

    “We constituted a Ration Monitoring Committee because CG Prisons felt concerned about the way prisoners are fed, and the way they are provided for in the prison.”

  • Help inmates pay fines to decongest prisons – controller urges

    Help inmates pay fines to decongest prisons – controller urges

    Lagos State Controller of Prisons, Mr Tunde Ladipo, on Sunday called on well-meaning individuals and groups to assist inmates in paying fines imposed on them to decongest prisons.

    Ladipo made the appeal in an interview in Lagos.

    He said that a number of inmates were still in prison for inability to pay fines.

    Ladipo urged that prison congestion should be the concern of all stakeholders in the interest of the society.

    The controller appealed to stakeholders to come together and fashion out more ways to reduce congestion in the country’s prisons.

    He said that the command was holding meetings with the Lagos State Judiciary and some other stakeholders to ensure speedy trial of inmates,” Ladipo said.

    He said that the Federal Government was concerned about prison congestion and was making efforts to address it.

    According to the controller, the recently launched plea bargain option will also help to decongest prisons.

    “We are having meetings with stakeholders, for example, Lagos State Judiciary, because it is of utmost concern,’’ Ladipo said.

    He advised officers and men of the Nigeria Prisons Service to be God-fearing and dedicated.

    “They have to be focused; they need to have the fear of God because our work is service to humanity,” he said.

    NAN

  • Another 14 IPOB members remanded in prison

    Another 14 IPOB members remanded in prison

    A Magistrate Court sitting in Aba North Local Government area of Abia State presided over by Ogbonna Adiele on Wednesday remanded 14 members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Aba Federal Prison.

     Recall that Adiele had on the 18th of September remanded 7 accused IPOB members: Chinonso Ude (30years), Maduabuchi Echereodo (25years), Ugochukwu Ikechukwu (32years), Okechukwu Daniel (20years), Ifeanyi Sunday (33years), Okezie Jeremiah (26years) and Chizuruoke Nwauzo (27years) in prison custody following charges on terrorism, kidnapping and use of offensive weapons against them in charge sheets; 132C/2017 and MAN/133C/2017.

     The 14 fresh members of IPOB, Anthony Nnamani(20 years), Chima Chukwumere(22 years), Kingsley Sunday (21 years), Michael Onyedikachi(26 years), Eze Okereke(25 years), Christian Sylvester (45 years), Etim Effiong Ade(22 years), Emmanuel Onwukwe(29 years), Ndubuisi Ukoha(29 years), Ogbonna Nwaji(24 years), Salvation Stephen (22 years), Chizoba Nwosu(21 years), Ejike Elom(21 years) and Kelechi Anusie(26 years) were  arraigned on 8 count charges: Conspiracy, Murder, Arson, unlawful Association, Unlawful Assembly, Stealing with other two charges dealing on burning of the Ariaria Divisional Police Headquarters building and the cars at the premises.

    While the Police Prosecutor, Gabriel Ogbonna urged with the court to commence trial since according to him, the court has the jurisdiction to hear the matter, counsel to the 1st, 2nd and 5th accused persons, Barrister Charles Onuchukwu objected to the prosecutor’s position as he stressed that the court doesn’t have the jurisdiction to hear cases of murder as contained on count 2 of the charge sheet.

    Onuchukwu also argued that the issue of “holding charge” was unconstitutional and unknown to law.

    The trial magistrate after listening to the argument of the prosecutor and counsel to the accused persons ordered that the accused persons were remanded to prison custody and ordered that the case file be transferred to the office of the Attorney General for advice

    The case was adjourned to 4th of October for report of compliance.

  • Court remands NCRI boss in prison

    Court remands NCRI boss in prison

    The Acting Executive Director of National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI), Badeggi, Niger State, Dr. Samuel Agboire, has been remanded in prison by a Federal High Court in Minna, for recruiting 34 workers illegally.

    He was accused by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), of not following the Federal Character Commission (FCC) Act of 2004 when he recruited the workers.

    Justice Yellim Sulaiman Bogoro gave the order yesterday when Agboire was arraigned on a three-count charge.

    He said he would remain in prison until the determination of his application for bail.

    ICPC said Agboire refused to comply with the FCC establishment act and extant circulars by employing 34 workers at NCRI and failed to provide information to the FCC as required, therefore committing an offence contrary to Section 14 Sub-section 3 (a) and punishable under Section 15 Sub- Section 1 of the FCC Act.

    He was alleged to have failed to comply with the directive issued by the FCC in a circular of September 1, 2014, reference FCC/CAM/S.18/1c, on procedure for recruitment into the federal public service in connection with his employment of 34 workers at NCRI and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14 Sub-section 3 (b) and punishable under Section 15 Sub-section 1 of the FCC Act Cap F7 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    Agboire was also charged with abusing his office as acting executive director by employing 34 workers, contrary to FCC Act 2004, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 14 Sub-Section 5.

    He pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge.

    Alhaji Mahmud Magaji, his counsel,  implored the court to grant him bail.

  • Alleged Boko Haram member remanded in prison

    Alleged Boko Haram member remanded in prison

    A Lokoja Chief Magistrate Court has ordered the remand of a suspected Boko Haram member, Mustapha Adinoyi over alleged involvement in terrorist activities and illegal possession of firearms.

    Chief Magistrate Levi Animoku, who gave the order after the state Counsel had arraigned the accused in Lokoja, described the alleged offence as “a fearful one”.

    He said that Boko Haram activities had claimed lives of many Nigerians adding, that ”Bail is not granted as a matter of course. The offence is grievous and carries high penalty.

    “The presumptuous of innocence notwithstanding, I refuse the bail of the accused. Consequently, the accused shall be remanded at the Federal Prisons, Koton-Karfe,” he said.

    Animoku, thereafter, adjourned the case until Oct. 17 for mention.

    Earlier, the prosecution led by Mohammed Abaji of the state Ministry of Justice told the court that Adinoyi was arrested following intelligence reports by a joint team of the Nigerian Army and the DSS.

    Abaji said that Adinoyi’s handset and SIM card analysis further revealed that he had several meetings with one Dauda Momoh also known as “ General”, a Boko Haram commander on the wanted list of the DSS.

    He said that the accused also took the commander to the house of another member of the gang, one Abdulfatai where two single barrel guns, one toy gun, six assorted SIM cards and other weapons were recovered.

    The counsel prayed the court to take cognisance of the offences of criminal conspiracy contrary to Section 97(1) of the Penal Code and belonging to terrorist group contrary to Section four of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act 2013.

    The alleged offences also included illegal possession of firearms contrary to Section three of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act CAP R11 2004.

  • Court remands 7 IPOB members in prison custody

    Court remands 7 IPOB members in prison custody

     An Aba North Chief Magistrate Court presided over by Ogbonna Adiele on Monday ordered that seven suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, who were arraigned before it in connection with the burning of the Ariaria Police Divisional Headquarters in Aba, Abia State should be remanded in Aba Prisons.

     The trial magistrate after listening to the argument of counsel to 1st, 2nd and 6th accused persons, Barrister Charles Onuchukwu challenging the powers of the court to assume jurisdiction over the matter which bothered on murder and terrorism ordered that the accused persons should be remanded at the Aba Prisons.

     The suspected IPOB members identified as Chinonso Ude (30years), Maduabuchi Echereodo (25years), Ugochukwu Ikechukwu (32years), Okechukwu Daniel (20years), Ifeanyi Sunday (33years), Okezie Jeremiah (26years), Chizuruoke Nwauzo (27years) were according to the charge sheets MAN/ 132C/2017 and MAN/133C/2017 arraigned on 12 count charges.

     The Police Prosecutor, Gabriel Nnamdi Ogbonna told the court that the accused persons were responsible for the death of one Assistant Superintendent of Police; Cyril Nwosu attached to Ariaria Police Division as a Station Officer when they allegedly attacked the police facility, unlawfully burning of exhibit vehicles, stealing of Police properties including unserviceable pump action guns, carting away of motorcycles, unlawful assembly, being members of proscribed IPOB, burning of police facility, being in possession and use of offensive weapons and explosives etc.

     The matter was adjourned to September 27 for compliance after the trial magistrate ordered the prosecutor to transfer the case file to the DPP (Department of Public Prosecution) for advice.

     In an interview the prosecutor, Ogbonna said “We came to court today 18/09/17 with about seven suspects now accused persons. The first accused person is Chinonso Udeh and 6 others. On charge number MAN 133/c/2017 Chinonso Udeh and others. The charge was mentioned, based on count 2 of the charge which concerns murder charge against one Assistant Inspector of Police Cyril Nwosu at Ariaria. The lawyers made objection on that case and said the charge that the court has no power to function on that matter. So after the argument, I told the court that the court has right to order and direct what should be done. Based on the argument of the suit, the court adjourned that matter to 27th of Sept which is a date for ruling. And that the charge number MAN 133/c/2017, the same Chinonso Udeh that was three count charges which bothers on terrorism and IPOB issue.”

     The Police on Saturday paraded the suspects at the Aba Area Command of Nigeria Police Force (NPF) before newsmen after they were arrested on Friday less than 48hrs after the burning of the Ariaria Police Divisional Headquarters.