by Admin | May 18, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode was on Monday re-arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos, over charges bordering on laundering N4.6 billion. Fani-Kayode was re-arraigned alongside former Minister of State for Finance, Sen. Nenadi Usman and Yusuf Danjuma, former National Chairman, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON). Also charged is a company, Jointrust Dimentions Nigeria Ltd. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) re-arraigned the accused on 17-counts charge of money laundering. Their re-arraignment was sequel to the transfer of the case file to a new trial judge, Justice Mohammed Aikawa. The charge, which was previously before Justice Sure Hassan, was re-assigned to Justice Aikawa following an application by counsel to Fani-Kayode, Mr Norrisson Quakers. Quakers had urged Hassan to withdraw from the suit alleging that he (judge) would be biased as he previously worked for the EFCC. Meanwhile, before the re-arraignment of the accused, defence counsels, Mr Wale Balogun (SAN) and Mr Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN) had informed the court of their application seeking transfer of the case from Lagos division. The application was however, opposed by the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, who argued that the pleas of the accused ought to be taken first. The trial judge then ordered that the pleas of the accused be taken. The accused persons however, pleaded not guilty of the charges. Justice Aikawa then adjourned the case till June 7 and June 9 for trial and decision on the application to transfer the case. In the charge, the accused were alleged to have committed the offences between January and March 2015. In counts one to seven, they...
by Admin | May 18, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI A police sergeant attached to Ipakodo Police Division has been arrested after confessing to selling police arms and ammunition to suspected militants in Lagos. It was gathered that the suspect, identified as Sergeant Sunday Odu, attempted to shoot himself dead at the station, but was prevented by a team inspecting the armoury. A source told Punch that the sergeant had been detained and put in a cell at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, where the case was being investigated. The source said that the incident happened on Thursday, saying Odu indicted another policeman, whom he claimed connived with him in selling the arms. “A police audit team, led by an assistant commissioner of police, went to the station on Thursday. It was a verification exercise to know the situation of arms and ammunition at the station. “They attempted to bribe the team, but they insisted on doing their job and going on with the inspection of the armoury. “During the audit, they discovered that they had sold many of the arms and ammunition. To be precise, about 162 arms had been sold. Immediately the situation was discovered, the armourer, a police sergeant, cocked his gun and wanted to kill himself. “But the team quickly seized the gun from him and handcuffed him. He has been taken to the SCIID. After much interrogation and beating, he confessed that he sold the arms and another policeman was involved,” said the source. Also, a source at the SCIID confirmed that the policeman was in custody, adding that the number of ammunition sold was large. He said, “I...
by Admin | May 18, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI A 24-year-old student, Chijioke Samson, who allegedly broke into a house and robbed a woman, Mrs Modupe Adebayo of her wedding ring and laptops at gunpoint with others still at large, was on Monday brought before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court. Samson, who resides in Ikotun, a Lagos suburb, is facing a three-count charge bordering on unlawful possession of firearms and stealing. Although the accused denied the charge, the prosecutor, Insp. Simeon Imhonwa told the court that the accused committed the offences with others still at large on April 3 at about 9.30 p.m. at No. 21, Ore-ofe St., off Governor’s Road, Ikotun. He said the accused broke into the complainant’s house and robbed her of her wedding ring, two laptops, a phone, all valued at N575, 000 and N108, 000 cash. “The accused was apprehended by the police in his escape bid while accomplices fled in an unmarked car.’’ According to Imhonwa, police recovered one locally-made gun with two live cartridges from the accused. The offences contravened Sections 295, 296 and 297 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (revised). The Chief Magistrate, Mrs B.O. Osunsanmi ordered that the accused be remanded in prison and directed that the case file should be sent to the State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice. Osunsanmi adjourned the case until July 24 for mention. Source: P.M...
by Admin | May 18, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI They were abducted by unknown assailants while driving along the Lokoja-Abuja expressway. Dr. Niran Ikuomola, permanent secretary of the Ondo State Hospital Management Board, was kidnapped along with his driver on Sunday evening. They were abducted by unknown assailants while driving along the Lokoja-Abuja expressway. Our correspondent reported that the doctor and his driver were en route to the federal capital city for an official engagement. Roland Arohunmolase, the secretary of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), confirmed the abduction. He explained that the kidnappers used Dr. Ikuomola’s driver’s phone to contact another doctor in order to inform him of his kidnapping. “They used his driver’s phone to contact another doctor to inform us of the kidnap case. As I speak with you, we are making frantic efforts to ensure the safe release of the permanent secretary and we have reported the matter to the police commissioner. “It’s not clear but I heard them saying the family should pay the sum of N70 million before he would be released with his driver,” Mr. Arohunmolase said. He explained that the members of the NMA in Ondo State have been directed to pray for the safe release of the permanent secretary. Another source disclosed to our correspondent that the kidnappers have contacted Dr. Ikuomola’s family, but the family has been unable to contact the victim. “His telephone line has been switched off since yesterday and we cannot get access to him,” said the source. “Members of his family and friends have reported the case to the police for immediate investigation.” Our correspondent’s effort to contact the doctor’s wife proved abortive...
by Admin | May 11, 2017 | Blog |
Follow @NigeriaPI A three-term member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Adams Jagaba, on Wednesday denied any connection with the alleged bribe which the then Chairman of the House’s Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, Mr. Farouk Lawan, was said to have received from billionaire businessman, Mr. Femi Otedola, in 2012. Jagaba denied, among others, claims, all of which were credited to Lawan, that a certain sum of $620,000 from the bribe allegedly received from Otedola was reported and handed over to him with a covering letter by the ex-chairman of the House’s ad-hoc committee on petroleum subsidy. The lawmaker representing Kachia/Kagarko Federal Constituency of Kaduna State in the House of Representatives also said Lawan never visited him (Jagaba) at about 3am on April 24, 2012 as claimed. The 57-year-old Jagaba, who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1999 and subsequently in 2011 and in 2015, refuted the numerous claims credited to Lawan before Justice Angela Otakula of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Lugbe, Abuja, on Tuesday. Jagaban had appeared before the court as the fourth prosecution witness in Lawan’s ongoing trial. The Federal Government is prosecuting Lawan before the court on three counts of a corrupt collection of $500,000 out of the $3m bribe he allegedly requested from Otedola. Lawan was accused of accepting the bribe in exchange for the removal of Otedola’s company’s name, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, from the list of firms indicted by the House committee for allegedly abusing the fuel subsidy regime in...
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