The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Utako

  • Court jails man four months for stealing cell phone

    A Karmo Grade 1 Area Court in Abuja on Wednesday sentenced one 37-year-old Chukwu Ndukwu to four months’ imprisonment for stealing a N60,000 phone.

    The Judge, Mr Inuwa Maiwada, however, gave the convict an option of N7,000 fine, warning him to desist from bad behaviour.

    The convict had admitted committing the offence, and begged the court to temper justice with mercy.

    Read Also: Wife to Court: My husband cannot sexually satisfy me

    He blamed the stealing on the Devil.

    Earlier, the Prosecutor, Ijeoma Ukagha, told the court that Mr Suleiman Halilu of Garki 2, Abuja, reported the case at the Utako Police Station, Abuja, on October 4.

    Ukagha said that the convict and two others at large snatched Halilu’s Infinix Hot Note 6 from him when he stopped his car to rectify a fault.

    The prosecutor said that the police recovered the phone from the convict during an investigation.

  • Jubilation at Utako market as Osinbajo inaugurates Trader money

    There was jubilation at Utako market, Abuja, on Thursday as the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, inaugurated the Trader money scheme.

    Trader money is a Federal Government’s initiative aimed at providing two million petty traders across the country with collateral-free loans before the end of the year.

    The ecstatic traders cheered and hailed as the vice president went from stall to stall having one-on-one conversations with the sellers.

    Addressing the crowd, Osinbajo, who spoke partly in Pidgin English, said that with Trader money, petty traders would be empowered.

    “The small small traders, no be big traders; na small small traders we want give money; make them able to sell well; have more money to sell.

    Read Also: YCE to Osinbajo: You’re a good ambassador of Yoruba race

    “We give N10, 000; if pay back in six months, then you get N15, 000; if you pay back, you get N20, 000

    “We want to encourage petty traders so that they will have enough money to do their businesses; we have done one before for the bigger traders, that one is Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), N100,000 to 120,000.

    “If you do well with the N10,000, N15,000, N20,000, then we can increase it; everyone can benefit from this; the president himself has said he wants to make sure that those who are selling in the market:selling pepper, sugarcane, tomato get the money.

    “So, when you are given the money, we urge you to make sure you pay back; there is no interest; you just take it and you pay back in six months; I want all of us to make sure we register so that we can be given the money,” he said.

    Trader money, which had Lagos, Abia and Kano as its pilot’s states, would be inaugurated across the country.

     

  • 20 trapped under rubble of collapsed building in Abuja

    – BUILDING AFFECTED BY THISDAY BOMBING OF 2012

    – NEMA, FIRE SERVICE, NSCDC IN RESCUE OPERATION

     

    About twenty persons were trapped under the rubble of a four-storey building that suddenly collapsed in Abuja on Friday.

    Two corpses were evacuated from the building which is situated within the Jabi /Utako motor park, opposite Panda Shopping Mall, close to Sigma Estate in Abuja..

    The building was affected by vibration and shrapnels during Boko Haram’s bombing of nearby Thisday newspapers office in 2012 and scores of its window glasses remained shattered .

    Read Also:  Four-storey building collapses in Abuja

    Offcials from the Federal Fire Service, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other responders were busy with the search and rescue operation at the scene on Friday evening.

    The usual busy busy traffic around the area was turned into a serious traffic jam because of the situation and the heavy downpour while people driving through Utako to Jabi/Life Camp were particularly affected.

    The cause of the building collapse is yet to be established.

  • Breaking: Four-storey building collapses in Abuja

    A four storey building under construction on Friday collapsed in Utako area of Abuja.

    Workers including some foreigners are reportedly trapped in the building said to have been abandoned for over two years.

    Emergency workers are battling to rescue some of the survivors in the building.

    The National Emergency Management Agency, Fire service, Nigeria security and civil defense corps are said to have arrived the scene.

    No crane is available for evacuation as at the time of this report.

     

     

    Details Later…

  • FCTA begins resettlement of seven communities – Official

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Thursday, has begun the resettlement of seven communities in the territory.

    The Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Mr Umar Jibril stated this at the handing over of a Police Post constructed by the FCDA to the Nigeria Police Force at Shere Galuwi Resettlement in Abuja.

    According to Jibril, the land mass is 900 hectares where 2,276 houses comprising 2,261 two bedroom houses and 74 bedroom houses for the chiefs, four police posts and a police station are being constructed.

    Read Also: Engage in agriculture, FCT FADAMA coordinator urges youths

    “We have Utako, Maje, Jabi Yakubu, Jabi Samuel, Mabushi, Kpadna and Zilu coming here.

    “1,318 houses have been fully completed and in weeks we will see the movement of those who are coming in, the Jabi Yakubu.

    “The FCTA is not leaving anything to chance from this event of today the subsequent activities will eventually correlate to the movement of the first community to be here which is Jabi Yakubu,’’ he added.

    The executive secretary said there is so much activities going on that include renovating and rehabilitating of some building, which were dilapidated over time, especially the infrastructure work.

    He assured the people that the administration will put pressure on the contractors to ensure speedy work toward completion of the rehabilitation.

    Odige Anthony, Director, Public Building said, “at Shere Galuwi resettlement we are expecting to resettle seven villages, which are presently in phases 2 and 3 in the city, development structure is slow there due to their presence.’’

    The director said the administration decided that the resettlement of the villages has to be in phases, adding “because of that they are concentrating on Jabi Yakubu as all arrangements to resettle them have been concluded.’’

    “FCTA said without security it will not be safe to bring them here, the security of lives and property has to be secured, so it was decided that we have to complete and furnish the police post we are handing it over to police so that they can take care of the security.

    “As there are some illegal occupants on the property and having some resistance, with the presence of the police here we can be move out, while the construction will continue,’’ he said.

    Baba Ahmad, Director, Resettlement and Compensation said the completion of Apo resettlement and ongoing work at Shere Galuwi underscores the administration commitment in resettlement.

    Ahmad noted after acquiring the 900 hectares and compensation paid; the government made sure that the communities involved were not short-changed.

    He maintained that the administration is ensuring that the security and lives of the residents is not compromised which was the reason for the building of the police post.

    The post was received by the Mpape Divisional Police Office, CSP Davis Olabisi on behalf of the FCT Commissioner of Police.

    NAN

     

  • Court jails two men six months each for stealing

    Court jails two men six months each for stealing

     A Karma Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, on Tuesday sentenced two men, Richard Christian and Komolafe Shegun, to six months imprisonment each for stealing seven cell phones in a church.

    Christian and Shegun, both 24, were arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing, offences they admitted committing, and begged for leniency.

    The judge, Abubakar Sadiq, however, gave each of the convicts an option of N20, 000 fines and warned them to desist from committing crime.

    Prosecutor Dalhatu Zannah, had told the court that the convicts committed the offences on Feb. 2, at the Mountain of Fire Ministry Church, Utako, Abuja.

    Read Also: Barber in court  for alleged phone theft

    He said that one Miceal Idikuiri of the Mountain of Fire Ministry Church, Utako reported the matter at the Utako Police Station.

    Zannah said the convicts dishonestly entered into the church premises at about 4:36 a.m. and stole the seven cell phones belonging to worshipers.

    The prosecutor said that the convicts admitted committing the offences during interrogation.
    He said the offences contravened Sections 79 and 287 of the Penal Code. NAN

     

  • Court jails businessman for assault

    Court jails businessman for assault

    A Karmo Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, on Tuesday sentenced a 57-year-old businessman, Haruna Isah, to three months imprisonment for causing grievous hurt.

    Isah of Utako village, Abuja, was convicted on a charge of causing grievous hurt. He pleaded guilty and begged for leniency.

    The Judge, Sadiq Abubakar, however, gave the convict an option of fine of N10, 000, and said that it was intended to serve as a deterrent to others.

    The prosecuting counsel, Auhioboh Florence, had told the court that the convict used his goods to block Bamigbade Nurudeen at Utako Market on December 12.

    She said that when Nurudeen asked him to remove the goods, the convict refused and in the process, violently attacked Nurudeen with a broken chair.

    Read also: Police arraign businessman for cheating

    According to the prosecutor, Isah used the chair to inflict serious injury on Nurudeen’s right eye and ran away.

    She said that Nurudeen reported the incident at Utako Police Station on the same day, adding that the complainant also lost N35, 000 during the attack on him.

    “So far the complainant has spent N15, 000 on his treatment,’’ she said.

    The prosecutor said that the Isah committed the offence at about 4.30 p.m.

    She told the court that during police investigation, the convict confessed to committing the crime, and said that the offence violated Section 196 of the Penal Code.

    NAN

  • EFCC arrests woman over N45m herbal cure fraud

    Ibadan Zonal office of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), says it has arrested one Aminat Okiribiti for allegedly conspiring with others to defraud a woman  of her money, under false pretence.

    Mr Ayo Oyewole, the EFCC Head of Public Affairs, Ibadan Zonal Office, told the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Ibadan on Thursday that the suspect had engaged in Advance Fee Fraud.

    Oyewole stated that Okiribiti, with others now at large, had allegedly conspired ,using the pretence of providing cure and spiritual solution to health challenges, to defraud the women (name withheld) of a sum of N45 million.

    He said that Aminat, age 34, married to one Wande Okiribiti (47) who is still at large, had confessed to committing the crime.

    He said she had confessed that some of the money obtained from the victim, was collected by her through her bank account in a new generation bank, located in Ibadan.

    Recounting her ordeal, the complainant said that she met Wande (suspect’s husband) sometimes in October 2014 at Utako, Abuja while in search of a cure for the health challenges of her children.

    According to her, “Wande presented himself as a local herb hawker and a spiritualist capable of providing solutions to all problems and lured me into believing he had the cure to my children’s challenges.

    “I subsequently made different payments as advised, totaling N45 million, but became suspicious at the request for funds transfers, which continued without solution to the problem.”

    Oyewole said that the complainant, having suspected foul play, wrote petitioned the commission, necessitating the arrest of the suspect.

    He urged members of the public to be wary of the age-long tactics to avoid falling into the hands of fraudsters.

    Oyewole said that the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigations were concluded.

     

  • Council chair decries Utako Market rot

    The Chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon Abdullahi Adamu Candido has bemoaned the deplorable state of Utako ultra-modern Market.

    He said the market is generally in a poor state, and “this is not the intention of the initiator of this concept, so we must come back to the real intention of the market.”

    To this end, the AMAC chairman urged the management of the market, the unified managers in the market and associations of the traders to do all it could to fix the market within the next three months.

    Speaking while leading top AMAC officials on an unscheduled inspection of the market, Candido lamented that the market had become very dirty and unorganised, which the council  can’t tolerate any longer.

    He said, “From the findings by the management committee we set up for the market, our assessment has not changed, as the market is still in its deplorable state.

    “Therefore, we have decided that we cannot continue to allow this market initiated with good intention to go the other way round, so we have to ensure that there is proper measures will be put in place, in order to bring back the lost glory of the market.

    “Also, you are hereby urged to ensure that all the identified makeshift shops put in place in the market through fraudulent acts, should be done away with. Get us the payment tellers, and let’s see whose account got money from the concerned traders; and their money must be refunded back to them.

    “Because it was a fraud, and whoever was behind the erection of makeshift shops will be prosecuted, irrespective of status or position, in as much as we have discovered that it was fraud, as it was never designed and approved by the council. We will never allow our traders to be shortchanged.”

    He continued, saying, “I will hand over the market to the standing committee on market of the Legislative arm, because they make the laws, which we abide by. The elected councilors will be working in synergy with the Council Market Management Committee, to tidy up and standardise the market.”