The Nation Newspaper

Tag: theft

  • Akiolu condemns power equipment vandalism, theft

    The Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu has condemned vandalism and theft of power equipment by those he described as criminal elements within the society.

    Speaking during a visit to his palace by the management of Eko Electricity Distribution Company, led by the company’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Adeoye Fadeyibi, Oba Akiolu said perpetrators of vandalism and theft of power equipment are enemies of the society and all well-meaning people should join hands to stop them.

    According to the General Manager, Corporate Communications, Godwin Idemudia, the Lagos monarch said since improvement in power supply would trigger socio-economic development and create jobs for more people, protection of power equipment should be the concern of all lovers of development.

    The monarch also said he has been doing his best to enlighten his subjects that the Distribution companies have been privatised and as such people should be ready to pay for the power they have consumed.

    He, however, advised Eko Electricity Distribution Company to look within and fish out bad eggs in its fold who, he said, are in the habit of colluding with people to engage in illegal connection and other vices against the company.

    Oba Akiolu also proposed the establishment of a special task force comprising employees of the company with high integrity and security men to monitor power supply situation as well as activities of some workers and members of the public to forestall vandalism, energy theft and other sharp practices.

    He said whenever such a team is constituted, he will be ready to mobilise all the quarter chiefs and Lagos Island residents to cooperate and work with the task force.

  • Farmers get one year each for theft, extortion

    An Upper Area Court in Kasuwan Nama, Jos, has sentenced three farmers, Suleiman Dahiru, Jafaru Musa and Tahiru Adam, to one year for theft, criminal conspiracy and extortion.

    The judge, Mr. Yahaya Mohammed, sentenced the accused after they had pleaded guilty to the three-count charge.

    He, however, gave them an option of N20,000 fine each.

    The prosecutor, Mr. A. Edwin, told the court that on January 7, Salisu Adams reported the case at Barkin-Ladi Police Station.

    He alleged that the accused attacked the complainant on his way from his village, snatched his red Boxer motorcycle and extorted N150,000 from him.

    Edwin added that the case was transferred from Barkin-Ladi Police Station to the State Criminal and Investigative Unit for further investigation on March 15.

    He said during police investigation, the accused confessed to have committed the crime.

    The prosecutor said the offences contravened sections 97, 287 and 292 of the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria.

  • Akiolu condemns vandalism, theft of power equipment

    the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, yesterday condemned vandalism and theft of power equipment by those he described as criminal elements within the society.

    Akiolu made the condemnation when the management of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) led by the company’s Managing Director; Mr Adeoye Fadeyibi visited at his Iga-Iduganran Palace in Lagos.

    The General Manager, Corporate Communications Unit of EKEDC, Mr Godwin Idemudia, quoted Akiolu in a statement as saying that the perpetrators of the vandalism were enemies of the society.

    “All well-meaning people should join hands to stop them,’’ the traditional ruler said.

    The monarch remarked that improvement in power supply being experienced would trigger socio-economic development and create more jobs.

    He said protection of power equipment should be the concern of all lovers of development.

    Akiolu told his guests that he had been doing his best to enlighten his subjects, on the need to pay more for electricity since distribution had been privatised and to ensure improved electricity.

    The monarch advised EKEDC to look inward and fish out bad eggs within its fold.

    He noted that some of the officials of the company were in the habit of colluding with people to engage in illegal connection.

    Akiolu suggested the establishment of a special task force, comprising top officials of the company and security operatives, to monitor power supply situation.

    The traditional ruler said that the task force should also coordinate the activities of members of staff of the company and the public to forestall vandalism, energy theft and other sharp practices.

    He said the palace would be willing to mobilise all quarter chiefs and residents of Lagos Island to work with the task force, when constituted.

  • Ikeja Electric to customers: desist from energy theft, vandalism

    The management of Ikeja Electric has appealed to customers to desist from meter bypass, vandalism and tampering with facilities, including meters, as anyone caught will be prosecuted.

    Its Head of Corporate Communication, Mr. Felix Ofulue, made the appeal when the leadership of the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC), led by its new Chairman, Olatunde Dodondawa, visited the distribution company at its Ikeja head office.

    He stressed that the company was committed to metering customers within its network as soon as possible. According to Ofulue, the company has since launched concerted effort aimed at curbing unethical practices across its network and also encouraged customers to report such practices.

    “Very soon, there will be massive prosecution of those that have tampered with meters, and we are going to step up on that because the rate at which people tamper with their meters is very high. We are not going to accept a situation where something is supplied and it is not paid for,” Ofulue stated.

    Also, he explained that metering is one of the major items to be addressed by Ikeja Electric when handling over estimated billing.He noted that: “With these meters, the customers can regulate their consumption unlike the estimated billing or post-paid where they hardly notice the units consumed. They can manage their own consumption and it makes them to pay for what they consumed. To the distribution company, meters relieve the firm the cost and staff the burden of preparing and distributing bills. With meters, DisCos will collect revenue maximally without estimated billing.”

    He also condemned the increasing vandalism of equipment within its operation, adding that it has forced the company to spend money meant for other electricity development projects on repairs.

    He said electricity materials such as cables and wires, among others, had either been stolen or vandalised.

    Ofulue called on energy reporters to help educate consumers on the challenges of the power sector and the need for customers to pay their bills.

    He maintained that a  lot of electricity consumers in Nigeria are oblivious of the transition that has happened from public to private enterprise and as such do not see electricity as a commodity to be bought and paid for. They, therefore devise multiple ways of engaging in electricity theft through meter tampering or outright bypass.

  • EFCC arraigns First Nation Airlines MD for alleged N1.7bn theft, forgery

    The Managing Director of First Nation Airlines, Mr. Kayode Odukoya, was yesterday arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before a Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos for alleged theft and forgery

    He was arraigned on a four count charge of alleged theft of N1.7 billion and forgery of Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) issued by the Lagos State Government before Justice Mojisola Dada.

    First Nation Airlines and Bellview Airlines are joined in the suit as second and third defendants.

    Prosecuting counsel of the EFCC, Mr M.S Usman,  alleged that the CEO of the airlines forged the Memorandum of Loss of Lagos State Certificate of Occupancy registered as No. 33 at page 33 volume 1011 at the Lagos State Land Registry, Alausa, Lagos, in order that the document be acted upon as genuine.

    The forged document was said to be in respect of a property located at No. 29, Oduduwa St., Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

    Odukoya was further alleged by the EFCC to have used the false document and also gave false information on oath concerning the loss of the Certificate of Occupancy at the Lagos State Land Registry.

    The commission also alleged that on October 7, 2016, Odukoya stole and converted to his own use N1. 7 billion belonging to Skye Bank Plc contrary to Sections 85, 86(1) 278(1)(b), 285, 361(1),(a) (b), 363 and 364(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

    Usman asked the court to remand the first defendant in prison custody and fix a date for trial.

    But counsel to the defendants, John Odubela (SAN) told the court that he has filed application for bail for the first defendant and that he wanted to argue it.

    Odebela assured the court that his client would not jump bail.

    Justice Dada ordered that the defendant be kept in the custody of the EFCC till March 26, 2018 to rule on bail applications.

  • Trader remanded for ‘theft’

    A Sokoto Chief Magistrates’ Court at the weekend remanded a 25-year-old trader, Suleiman Mohammed, for alleged theft of phones and N115, 000.

    Mohammed, 25, who lives at Tsamiyar Dila in Sokoto is facing a two-count charge of criminal conspiracy and theft.

    The Chief Magistrate, Abubakar Adamu, ordered the remand of the accused in prison following the prosecution’s request to allow the police conclude investigation into the matter.

    He adjourned the case till March 19 for hearing.

    The prosecutor, Umar Rabi’u, had told the court that the offences were committed on February 2, at Tsamiyar Dila, Sokoto.

    He said the accused unlawfully entered into the home of Umar Mohammed and stole a Tecno phone and two Samsung phones valued at N100, 000.

    Rabi’u said the accused also stole N115, 000.

    He said the offences contravened Section 288 of the Penal Code.

    The accused, however, pleaded not guilty.

     

  • Court jails herdsman for theft, grievous hurt

    A Jos Upper Area Court at Kasuwan Nama in Jos North Local Government yesterday sentenced a 28-year-old herdsman, Adamu Abubakar, to one year imprisonment for theft and causing grievous hurt.

    The judge, Mr. Yahaya Mohammed, sentenced Abubakar after he pleaded guilty to a two-count charge.

    He, however, did not give the convict an option of fine.

    The prosecutor, M. Labaran, told the court that Yusuf Abdullahi reported the matter at Angwan Rogo Police Station on December 30.

    He said the complainant reported that Adamu Abubakar, 28; Sabiu Ibrahim, 25; Yusuf Sulieman and Lawiza Mohammed at large, attacked him.

    He said the convict and his colleagues injured the complainant in the neck and head, collected N3,000 and phone, worth N10,000.

    Labaran said the convict admitted to the crime.

    The prosecutor said the offence contravened sections 288 and 103 of the Penal Code.

  • Alleged $1.6m theft: Hearing resumes April 16

    A Federal High Court in Lagos has adjourned till April 16, hearing in a case of alleged conspiracy and stealing of $1.630 million involving Emirates Airlines and six others.

    Justice Muslim Hassan fixed the date last Friday after taking the testimony of a prosecution witness, Mr Austin Osobase, who is a Superintendent of Police (SP).

    The offences were allegedly committed on December 19, 2007 at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, when a traveller, Chu Ikem Orji, boarded an Emirates Airline in Lagos enroute China.

    Joined alongside the airline in the three-count charge were Pathfinder International Ltd, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc, Abayomi Adekanbi Abiola, Isiaka Adegoke Adedeji, Awonubi Abayomi, and Jennifer Eze.

    Others were Obinna Onyeukwu Onyenso, Mohammed Yousouf, George Ikpekhia, and Haffeez Azeem.

    In his testimony, Osobase told the court that he investigated the alleged disappearance of the bags.

    Under cross-examination by defence counsel Awa Kalu (SAN), the witness maintained, among others, that the bags containing the money were not loaded in Nigeria.

    Osobase said following Orji’s complaint of non-delivery of the bags, Emirate Airlines’ Sales Manager Alhaji Isiaka Adedeji, on November 1, 2008, wrote a letter of undertaking to the Commissioner of Police, Special Fraud Unit (SFU), promising to produce the bags.

    The defendants were arraigned in March 2012 before Justice Mohammed Idris due to their failure to fulfill the undertaking.

    They filed a preliminary objection challenging the competency of the charge.

    Justice Idris, in dismissing the objection, said there was nothing before the court to enable it conclude that the charge was an abuse of court process.

    Their appeal was also dismissed for lacking in merit by the Court of Appeal, which ordered accelerated hearing of the matter at the lower court.

    The matter was then reassigned to Justice Hassan before whom the defendants were re-arraigned.

    According to the charge, the defendants conspired and stole four bags with tag numbers EK 428682, EK 423683, EK 650162, and EK 650161 on December 19, 2007 at the MMIA.

    The prosecution said the defendants tagged and collected the bags, one of which contained $1,630,000, from Mr. Orji, on the pretext of keeping them intact for onward delivery to him at Guangzhou, China.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty.

     

  • Students arraigned for alleged theft

    Two students, Segun Owoseni and Monday Goodness, yesterday appeared at an Okitipupa Magistrates’ Court in Ondo State for alleged theft of goods worth N120,000.

    Owoseni, 24 and Goodness, 23, of no fixed addresses, pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge of felony, stealing and receiving of stolen goods.

    The prosecutor, Ayodeji Omoyeigha, told the court that Owoseni, on January 3, about 9 am at Apata New Site, Okitipupa, broke into the home of Olaoluwa Fajuwe.

    He said Owoseni stole rice and pepper worth N3,000, a HP laptop worth N100,000 and a laptop bag, valued at N10,000.

    Omoyeigha said the first accused also stole a phone charger, valued at N3,000, a T-shirt worth N2,000 and a rechargeable lantern, worth N2,000.

    He said the value of the stolen items was N120,000.

    The prosecutor said the offence contravened sections 412 and 390 (9) of the Criminal Code, Cap.37, Vol.1, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.

    He said Goodness, on January 5, about 10 am, at 54, Orilowo Street, Okitipupa, bought the HP laptop at N50,000 from Owoseni, knowing that it was a stolen good.

    Omoyeigha said the offence contravened Section 427 of Criminal Code, Cap.37, Vol.1 Laws of Ondo State, 2006.

    The Magistrate, Mr. Chris Ojuola, granted bail to the first and second accused at N70,000 and N30,000.

    He ordered them to produce a surety each and that the sureties must show evidence of a year’s tax clearance.

    The magistrate ordered that the HP laptop be returned to the owner and adjourned the case till February 26 for further hearing.

  • DPO, policemen, seven others held for ‘theft’

    DPO, policemen, seven others held for ‘theft’

    A Divisional Police Officer (DPO), two policemen and seven others have been arrested by men of Uzuakoli Vigilante group in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State for allegedly stealing property of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC).

    The DPO claims to be in charge of the railway police station in Umuahia.

    It was gathered that the suspects, whose names were still unknown as at last night, went to Uzuakoli and vandalised the NRC property. They were, however, arrested by the vigilance group members.

    Leader of Uzuakoli Vigilante group, Chiledum Onwubiko, said his members were patrolling the village last Saturday about 10.30am, when they saw a lorry with about ten men inside, including three armed policemen, heading towards their farm where the NRC packed some rails to replace damaged rail lines.

    Onwubiko said because of a last year incident when some of the rails were stolen by unknown persons, he suspected something fishy was going to happen, and so placed his men on alert.

    One of his men disguised and approached the lorry. On getting there, he realised the men were using oxygen cylinders to cut the rail lines into pieces and packing them into the lorry.

    One of the policemen who escorted the suspects, who serve at the Uzuakoli police station, identified as Stanley, told others to leave the scene, following suspicions that they had been found out.

    He said: “They hurriedly left with the rail lines they had packed inside the lorry, but before then, I had alerted by boys. My boys tried to stop them but they refused, and they were pursued to a point where they couldn’t escape anymore.

    “Stanley pleaded that we allow them to go because the DPO of the station knew of their mission. But we refused to allow them go and insisted that the DPO must come to confirm he was aware of their mission.”

    During interrogation, one of the policemen reportedly shot sporadically to scare their arresters but when this failed, he allegedly injured three of the vigilance members with the butt of his gun. They were rushed to the hospital.

    The police at Uzuakoli were alerted and they took the suspects and their loot to the police station, from where they were transferred to the Umuahia Area Command.

    Efforts to reach the Umuahia Police Area Commander Adaku Uche-Anya, and the spokesman Geoffrey Ogbonna, were unsuccessful.