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Ikorodu Bank Robbers Arrested…

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Ikorodu Bank Robbers Arrested…

Chiemelie Ezeobi

As the tenure of Kayode Aderanti, the Commissioner of Police in charge of Lagos State, ends this Monday, the Lagos State Police Command Sunday night revealed that four members of the gang that invaded two banks in Ikorodu have been arrested.
The gang had robbed two second generation banks at Ogolonto on Wednesday, June 24, 2015 and carted away huge sums of money.
Following the furore the robbery operation caused, Aderanti had assured that the command would fish out the robbers.
Before his transfer directive was given, he had announced a N5 million reward for anyone with useful information.
THISDAY gathered that before the police succeeded in arresting the suspects, some soldiers of the Nigerian Army on a stop and search duty in Ondo State had first arrested one of the suspects.
The said suspect was on his way to his home town in Okitikpupa, Ondo state, when he was picked up.
During the stop-and-search, the soldiers were said to have seen bundles of new N1,000 notes with bank seals in his bag.
Being aware of the robbery incident in Lagos, the soldiers detained him and alerted the Lagos command on the development.
Aderanti was said to have immediately facilitated the handover of the suspect to the command for further interrogation and subsequent arrest of the others.
To investigate the incident, the erstwhile Officer In-charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, SP Abba Kyari, was recalled.


Also recalled was DSP James Okeke, who was initially redeployed to another division in the state and armed with four telephone numbers, they were able to trace the present location of the suspects.
Credit : ThisDay

Industrial court quashes YABATECH bursar’s suspension

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Industrial court quashes YABATECH bursar’s suspension
BY GABRIEL DIKE
Relief came the way of the embattled Bursar of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Mr. Olu Ibirogba as the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) sitting in Lagos quashed his suspension by the Governing Council of the institution.
The indefinite suspension of the Bursar by the Chief Ebenezer Babatope led governing council was declared illegal, vindictive and a clear case of victimization by Justice B.B. Kanyip who ordered Mr. Ibirogba to resume work immediately.

Delivering judgement in suit no NICN/LA/582/2013, Justice Kanyip directed the governing council to pay Mr. Ibirogba, his salary, allowances and other perquisites of office intact from the date of the unlawful suspension and when judgment was delivered.
‘’All sums ordered to be paid in this suit including the backlog of the salary and allowances of the claimant are to be paid within 30 days of this judgment’’, Justice Kanyip directed.
Ibirogba, bursar and chief financial officer of YABATECH was suspended by the governing council on October 7, 2013 for accusing the Rector Dr. Kudi Ladipo through a petition to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) of mismanagement of the college funds.
The Bursar took the governing council to the National Industrial Court challenging his suspension and sought five reliefs which were granted in his favour. Justice Kanyip also awarded N250, 000 as general damages and N50, 000 for cost of court action to him.
Ibirogba’s counsel framed two issues for the determination of the court, namely, whether the suspension of the claimant by the defendant (council) is not unconstitutional, wrongful, illegal, and null and void as well as whether the claimant is not entitled to the award of general damages.
The defendant also framed three issues for the determination of the court which are whether the claimant can invoke the jurisdiction of the court to stop the council from subjecting him to discipline, whether Ibirogba’s suspension was contrary to Section 15 (5) of the Constitution, Section 38 (2) of the EFCC Act 2004 and Section 27 (2) of the FOI Act 2011 and whether the claimant is entitled to award of damages considering the circumstances of the case as well as evidence placed before the court.
In resolving the case, Justice Kanyip said the issues involves balancing act on the part of the court of the competing values of the right of an employer to suspend and societal value of not discouraging the fight against corruption.
The judge noted that the argument of the council that Section 27 of the FOI Act cannot protect the claimant because he did not admit giving out information is misconceived and would not amount to treating it with levity.
‘’First, the claimant did not admit to giving out the information, but even if he did, he has the defence of the relevant provisions of the FOI and EFCC Acts. In other words, the argument was an alternative argument. In either case, I am of the firm opinion that the policy prescription of the EFCC and FOI Acts in protecting whistleblowers is one that courts must protect if the higher demand of the fight against corruption is to be met in the country,’’ Justice Kanyip stated.
In the 18-page judgment, Justice Kanyip averred that the governing council erred by querying and suspending Ibirogba because he passed the information to some persons who petitioned the EFCC of the alleged fraud in the college.
Justice Kanyip’s words: ‘’It is accordingly my finding and hence holding that the defendant did not act reasonably and on good ground in suspending the claimant. The suspension is accordingly mala fide, unfair, vindictive, a clear case of victimization.
Credit : The Sun

NFF fires Keshi

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NFF fires Keshi
By George Aluo
The Nigeria Football Federation has terminated the appointment of Stephen Keshi as Head Coach of the Senior National Football Team, Super Eagles.
A statement by the NFF Executive Committee on Saturday said the decision was made, “having thoroughly reviewed the reports/findings of the NFF Disciplinary Committee and NFF Technical and Development Committee, as well as having reviewed the actions and inactions of Mr. Stephen Keshi, in the performance of his duties as Super Eagles’ Head Coach, which we found to lack the required commitment to achieve the Federation’s objectives as set out in the Coach’s employment contract.”
The statement went further: “To this end and pursuant to the provisions of Clause 4.3 of the Employment Contract between Mr. Stephen Keshi and the NFF (The Contract) and the various clauses therein, the Nigeria Football Federation has decided to exercise its option to summarily terminate the employment contract of Mr. Stephen Keshi with the Federation with immediate effect.”
Credit: The Sun

63 years old man infects stepdaughter with HIV

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63 years old man infects stepdaughter with HIV

On Friday, a 63-year-old man, Alabi Ibrahim, was re-arraigned in a court in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and remanded in prison for allegedly infecting his stepdaughter with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Mr. Ibrahim was accused of sexually assaulting the thirteen-year-old girl.

O. Osunfisan, the director of public prosecution, who stood for the respondent in the case instituted by Child Prosecution Network, a non-governmental organization, told the court that the accused, according to a medical report, had infected the girl with the virus.

The accused admitted being HIV positive, during cross examination in the case reference number AB/37C/14, but vehemently denied having sex with his step daughter. He claimed not to know the girl got infected with the virus. He claimed that the girl had earlier been sexually abused by a relative of his wife, before he got married to the victim’s mother. He also claimed that the girl was ‘wayward and corrupt’ and he had wanted to send her away from his house.

The accused told the court that the girl was alleged to have asked her siblings to suck her private part sometime ago.

Ms Osunfisan, while presenting the medical reports, disclosed that the accused had provided a room in their house where he regularly had sex with the teenager. She also stated that the accused did not allow the siblings to share the same room with the victim. She also said that during the rape, the accused would cover the victim’s mouth with pillow so that she won’t cry out.

The victim, in her statement, affirmed that her stepfather had sex with her. She said that she was lured by him into his room under the guise of  supervising her homework. She said the accused had warned her not to tell anybody, otherwise she would be killed.

Mr. Ibrahim claimed that his wife and step daughter wanted him nailed because he resolved to eject the girl from his home. He said his wife had also confessed to him that she was possessed with demons and had transferred the demons to her daughter and they could not be separated.

The Judge, A. Akinremi, in his ruling adjourned the case to July 7 for further hearing, to conclude the defence and address

Police allegedly flee as gunmen shot dead bread seller

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Police allegedly flee as gunmen shot dead bread seller
Thursday night was a sad one to remember as a petty bread seller was shot dead in Benin, capital of Edo state by suspected armed robbers, having collected the sum of N3,500 from the victim.

The victim’s name was said to be Dorcas and she was shot by the gunmen at about 8;45 pm along Mission Road.

Those who saw the scene revealed that Dorcas borrowed some money to improve her business after she was robbed by robbers in June. She was said to have been shot because she grabbed the leg of one of the gunmen and raised her voice for help.

Eyewitnesses said that there was a police patrol van around the vicinity of the scene when the incident occured, adding that after shots were fired, the van drove off.

An eyewitness whose name is Jerimiah, informed journalists that “it was later the police came and took the body away. When the incident happened, the police were said to be at the junction.

DSP Stephen Onwochei, the Edo State Police command spokeman confirmed the robbery. He however rebutted the accounts given by eyewitnesses that policemen were around the scen while the incident occured.

The DSP explained that policemen chased the robbers until the robbers ran into a moat.
He said “our men recovered some bags and clothes inside the moat. Robbers threw victim’s bags inside the moat, we are still investigating the robbrey.

Pension Scam: EFCC Arrests Maina’s Aide

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Pension Scam: EFCC Arrests Maina’s Aide

Ann Igwe, secretary to Abdulrasheed Maina, a former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
A source close to the commission told PREMIUM TIMES that Ms. Igwe was picked up last week and has given “useful information”.
The anti-graft agency is investigating how the biometric contract to streamline pension administration became a conduit for stealing pension fund.
In December 2013, the EFCC uncovered how Steve Oronsaye, a former head of service, and other top directors of the Nigerian civil service colluded to allegedly defraud the nation of N6.2 billion pension fund.
The fund was allegedly stolen through a maze of bogus contracts for biometric enrolment and payment for computer accessories that were never supplied.
It was gathered that between 2009 and 2010, almost N6 billion in fake contracts were awarded and paid for under Mr. Oronsaye’s supervision.
The anti-graft agency said, Innovative Solutions and Project Limited, a company allegedly handpicked by Mr. Oronsaye, received a contract of N63 million for biometric data capture. The contract, however, served as a conduit through which three individuals and five companies got over N705million.
Other companies which had no contract to participate in the biometric data capture exercise but were paid included Frederick Hamilton Global Limited, which received N119,398,500; Xangee Technologies got N153,146,719; Fatidek Venture received N30,056,000; while Obanlado Enterprises was paid N96,765,400.
Credit: Premium Times

Two drug suspects flee court premises, recaptured

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Two drug suspects flee court premises, recaptured

Two drug suspects, who attempted to escape after they were arraigned at the Federal High Court, Lagos, on Wednesday were recaptured minutes after they took to their heels.
Enitan Ibrahim and Kehinde Ogunmola were arraigned before Justice Musa Kurya over alleged illicit dealing in narcotics.
Both suspects bolted from the court premises while Gila Moses, a chief narcotic agent at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, was signing their remand documents.
One of the suspects headed towards a street behind the high court building that ended in a cul de sac.
The second suspect was caught while he attempted to escape through the lagoon.
After the suspects were dragged back to the premises by court security guards who helped Mr. Moses in the recapture, the NDLEA officer, panting and cursing, shoved them into a Black Maria and locked the door.
The suspects said they became scared ‎after witnessing the judge sentence a convicted drug trafficker to 10 years in prison, according to the NDLEA.
In a statement on Thursday, the NDLEA commended the officers for their bravery and ingenuity in foiling the escape.
‎”The gallantry and courage of the officer who re-arrested and prevented an accused from escaping through the waterside is laudable,” said Ahmadu Giade, NDLEA’s chairman.
“I also thank the court security official who apprehended the second accused person.”
In a related development, the agency’s officials at the Murtala‎ Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, seized 8.09 kilogramme of dried weeds found to be cannabis, concealed inside packs of noodles and 1.06kg of a whitish substance that tested positive to methamphetamine hidden inside female hair attachment.
‎The noodles were headed for London while the hair attachments were meant for export to South Africa, according to the NDLEA.
According to Hamza Umar, the NDLEA commander at the Lagos Airport, the suspects include a refrigerator technician and a trader.
Quadri Aregbesola, a refrigerator technician, was caught with the dried cannabis while Emmanuel Nzubeka, a trader, was found with the metamphetamine.
“My profit in this consignment is just N6,000; I feel so sad that the consignment of foodstuff was given to me by a friend,” said Mr. Aregbesola, 47, who said he’s also into courier business.
“It was during search that hemp was found in some packs of the noodles. This is one of the hazards of the job.”
The suspect hails from Lagos State and is married with five children.
Mr. Nzubeka, a shoe seller at the Trade Fair Complex, told NDLEA investigators that the consignment of drugs was given to him by a friend in South Africa.
“My friend in South Africa sent N200,000 to me to buy female hair attachment and send to him,” said Mr. Nzubeka, who hails from Anambra State and married with a child. “He also asked me to send a package of attachment which he could not carry the last time he travelled due to excess luggage. Unfortunately, when I got to the airport, drug was found inside the other package of attachment which he asked me to add to the ones I bought.‎”
Mr. Giade expressed satisfaction with the seizures, describing it as an act of ingenuity on the part of the officers.
“These notable acts attest to the enthusiasm and commitment of officers in getting results even when the situation appears daunting,” Mr. Giade said. “The agency will continue to motivate officers by rewarding outstanding performance.”
Credit : Premium Times

Kano High Court Orders EFCC Not to Arrest Kwankwaso

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Kano High Court Orders EFCC Not to Arrest Kwankwaso

Kano State High Court sitting at Gezawa yesterday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) not to arrest the immediate past governor of the state, Alhaji Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.
The presiding judge of the court, Justice Mohammad Yayaha, ordered all the parties in the suit to maintain the status quo.
He said: “It is hereby ordered that an order directing all parties to maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice is hereby granted as prayed.”
Kwankwaso had through his counsel, Mr. Okechukwu Eze on Wednesday, the called for the court to restrain EFCC from any attempt to arrest him, on the allegation of mismanagement of pension funds.
He said: “My client has been in his house over the threat of arrest by the EFCC and has been denied the liberty to perform his legislative duties as mandated by voters of Kano central district. “
Kwankwaso’s attorney further told the court that the EFCC action emanated from a petition by “unregistered association that has no written address,” as he pointed out that he was in court to halt the likely “anticipation of violation” of his client’s rights. 
Credit : Premium Times

Again, Court restrains Agip in gas plant contract tussle with Arco

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Again, Court restrains Agip in gas plant contract tussle with Arco

A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, on Tuesday, again restrained the Nigeria Agip Oil Company from taking any action on the gas plant maintenance dispute with Arco Group.
Arco Group, formerly Arco Petrochemical Engineering Limited, is an indigenous oil and gas company with over three decades of operations in the country.
It employs of over 400 Nigerian engineers and technicians.
The company had dragged Agip, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Conoco Philips Petroleum Nigeria Limited, and the National Petroleum Investment Management Services to court early in the year, stating that under the Nigeria Content Act, Agip was under obligation to award maintenance contract of OB/OB, Ebocha and Kwale gas plants to it.
Having successfully maintained the OB/OB, Ebocha and Kwale gas facilities for many years, Arco had argued that it had the prescribed equipment, machines and skilled manpower to execute the contract and further prayed the court to grant it several other declarative and injunctive reliefs.
But the court, presided over by Justice Lambo Akambi, directed parties to the case to maintain the status quo in the maintenance contract dispute for which he had previously ordered Agip to stay action until motion on notice was determined.
Justice Akanbi issued the order shortly before adjourning the case to October 26, for determination of jurisdiction.
The judge had given the order following an oral application by the lead counsel to Arco Group and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wole Olanipekun.
Mr. Olanipeku had appealed to the court to restrain Agip from taking any action on the disputed contract to avoid jeopardising the job of over 300 Nigerians.
He particularly prayed the court to issue a documented order for both parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the case.
“My application is very harmless. It is our duty that when a matter is in court we make sure that none of us does anything that will affect the rest,” Mr. Olanipekun argued.
“The humble prayer we are making is that my Lord should advise parties to maintain the status quo. We are talking of about over 300 Nigerians earning their living. We are not saying that counsels should advise their clients, let the advice from the court of law be put in writing”
However, lead counsel to Agip, Charles Ajuya, who had earlier sought for an adjournment of the case, kicked against the oral application, saying counsels should rather be told to go and advise their clients to maintain statuesque.
After listening to the arguments of the two counsels, Justice Akonbi instructed that parties should maintain status quo.
“Since nobody is doing anything to frustrate the matter parties are advised to maintain status quo while the case is adjourned to 26 October 2015″, he said.
The judge had on June 2, ruled against Agip’s objection to the suit, saying the Italian oil firm failed to comply with the process of raising objection to jurisdiction.
Justice Akanbi had agreed with counsel to Arco Group that Agip needed to file a notice of appearance before filing a motion of objection.
The judge had, however, ruled then that despite his dismissal of the objection, he was bound to listen to the issue of objection to jurisdiction, and had called both counsels to address him, saying that it was important to establish jurisdiction to avoid waste of energy.
While adjourning the case, Mr. Akanbi appealed to both parties to continue to maintain the status quo until the October 26 date.
Agip legal team was led by by O.J Irerhime, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, while counsels to Arco Group is led by Wole Olanipekun.
Mr. Olanipekun took over from another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Beluolisa Nwafor.
Reacting to new order of the court, Mr. Olanipekun said that the judge had reaffirmed the key aspect of law, being that when a sensitive issue is before a judge and an order of restraint had been granted, no party should do anything that would affect the ‘res’ (substance) of the case.
By issuing the new order, Mr. Olanipekun said the presiding judge has strengthened the key principle which ensures that the substance of a case in dispute remains intact until the case is disposed of to avoid destroying the major aspect of a matter after ruling had been obtained.
He said the Nigeria Content Act was a very important piece of legislation meant to project Nigerians and create jobs for the citizens.
Oil industry leaders on both sides (oil companies and Nigerian contractors) have continued to show key interest in the outcome of the Arco versus Agip legal tussle because of its long-standing implications to the operations of multinationals and Nigerian companies.
The case is also being seen as a test of the intent and spirit of the Nigerian Local Content Act.
Credit : Premium Times

EFCC returns €10,000 to French victim of love scam

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EFCC returns €10,000 to French victim of love scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recovered and returned
the sum of 10,000 Euros (Ten Thousand Euros) about Two Million, Two
Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira), to F. Mercade, a French citizen, who was
victim of internet love scam.
The fund was wired to the victim through his account in France on the
recommendation of the French Embassy in Nigeria.
Roger Balima, French Police Liaison Officer who confirmed the receipt of the
funds by the victim, thanked the EFCC “for the good job.”
Mercade was duped by two internet fraudsters, Omodara Adedapo Oluseye
and Adesuyi Ayodeji Adedapo after he was deceived into a phantom
relationship that was supposedly alter-bound.
The scam was reported to the Commission via a petition from the French
Consulate in Lagos, on behalf of Mercade.
The petitioner alleged that he met a Nigerian beauty by name, ‘Kate
Williams’ on the internet sometime in 2009 and they developed a relationship
which was to culminate in marriage.
‘Williams’ was to relocate to join Mercade in France, to consummate the
relationship. While Mercade planned the logistics of the relocation, ‘Williams’
who purportedly did some jobs for an unnamed company in Nigeria, came up
with a story that the company refused to pay ‘her’ for job done. ‘She’ sought
the assistance of Mercade and the ‘couple’ contacted a lawyer named
‘James Robert’, to procure traveling documents and also help her claim
money from the company owing her.
Mercade parted with the sum of 25,000.00 Euros, through Western Union, in
processing his brides’ passage with no bride in sight. Eventually, it dawned
on him that he had been scammed.
Investigations into the matter by the Commission revealed that ‘Kate
Williams’ is the pseudonym of Omodara Adedapo Oluseye, a male student of
the College of Agriculture, Akure, who, however, resides in Ibadan Oyo state.
Omodara’s accomplice, Adesuyi Ayodeji Adedapo, assisted in collecting the
money transferred by the victim from the Akure, Ondo State branch of a new
generation bank, using forged drivers’ license.
The duo were prosecuted on a two count charge of conspiracy and obtaining
money by false pretences before a Federal High Court Lagos, convicted and
sentenced on 13th June 2011, to one year imprisonment each without an
option of fine.
Credit : Daily Post

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