Blog

NAN-H-27
Trial
By Sandra Umeh
Lagos, Nov. 8, 2016 (NAN) A Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday fixed Dec. 2 for continued trial of a former Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Ibrahim Abdulsalam.
Abdulsalam was charged alongside six others over alleged stealing and conversion of NAMA’s N6.8 billion.
The other accused are: Adegorite Olumuyiwa, Agbolade Segun, Clara Aliche, Joy Adegorite and two companies – Randville Investment Ltd. and Multeng Travels and Tours Ltd.
The accused are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Babs Kuewumi adjourned the case following the absence of prosecution counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, who informed the court of his non-availability, in a letter.

Oyedepo informed the court that he was before an appellate court for another case.

The EFCC had on April 7 arraigned Abdulsalam, three directors of the agency and the wife of one of the directors.

They, however, pleaded not guilty.

The charge was later amended to include the other accused.

Thus, all the accused were re-arraigned on April 12.

They pleaded not guilty, and were admitted to bail in the sums of N20 million each with two sureties each in like sum.
In the charge, the EFCC said that, on Aug. 19, 2013, the accused conspired to induce NAMA to deliver N2.8 billion to Delosa Ltd., Air Sea Delivery Ltd. and Sea Schedules Systems Ltd.
The anti-graft agency said that the delivery was in the pretext that the money represented the cost of clearing NAMA’s consignments.
The EFCC added that, from Jan. 2, 2013 to Dec. 17, 2013, the accused converted for private use, N191 million belonging to NAMA.

 
The commission said that the accused also converted NAMA’s N728 million and other sums from 2013 to 2015.
According to the EFCC, the offences contravene the provisions of Sections 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Act. (NAN)
UNS/IGO
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(Edited By Ijeoma Popoola)

NAN-H-48
Cases
By Sunday John
Lafia, Nov. 8, 2016 (NAN) The Chief Judge of Nasarawa State , Justice Suleiman Dikko, has threatened to sanction Magistrates and Area Court Judges who unnecessarily delay cases and remand accused persons indefinitely in custody.

Dikko gave the warning on Tuesday at Lafia Prison at the commencement of his four-day working tour of prisons across the state.

He expressed displeasure following the discovery of some accused persons charged with minor offences who had been in prisons for over a year without conviction.

“How can you keep a person accused of minor offence for over one year in prison without either convicting or releasing such a person.

“If I come for any other prison visit and still find out such cases, I would be left with no option than to release the accuse for delay of justice,” he added.

Dikko attributed the delay of justice administration in the state to the action and inaction of some stakeholders in the judicial system.

He explained that all this measures were to ensure that judicial officers rise up to their responsibility by avoiding delay in order to decongest the prisons.

According to Dikko, the purpose of the visit is to ensure that inmates wrongly sent to prison were set free in accordance with the relevant laws.

He also urged the welfare department of the prisons he visited to get the phone numbers of inmates that were granted bail but were still in prison to contact their family members.

Dikko urged the police, prisons authority and other stakeholders to rise up to their responsibilities in order to sanitise the system and ensure speedy administration of justice in the state.

He also assigned counsel to inmates awaiting trial that had stayed in remand for many years and lacked money to access legal services.

Earlier, Godwin Ochepa, Deputy Controller in charge of Lafia prisons, said the prison which was supposed to accommodate 300 inmates was currently having 617.

He said that 513 out of the 617 inmates were awaiting trial while 104 were convicts serving various jail terms.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the Human Right Commission in the state, officials of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, executives of the Nigeria Bar Association and some judges accompanied the chief judge on the visit. (NAN)
SDJ/AOS/OJO
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(Edited by Bayo Sekoni/Mufutau Ojo)

NAN-H-28

Uniform
By Boboye Moronke Tinuola
Lagos, Nov. 8, 2016 (NAN) For allegedly beating up a police officer and tearing his uniform, a tricyclist, 41-year-old Aniekan Akpabio, was on Tuesday brought before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

The accused, a tricycle rider, who lives at Block 3, Room 2, Mopol 20 Barracks, Ikeja is being tried for assault.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Donjor Perezi, told the court that the offence was committed on Oct. 18 at Ikeja.

Perezi said that the accused was riding a tricycle without a number plate and was stopped by the police at a check-point.

“When he could not give any detailed explanation about the tricycle, a senior officer ordered one Sgt. Solomon Epson to take the suspect to the police station but on the way, the accused diverted to another place.

“When the police officer tried to take over the steering of the tricycle, the accused parked, beat him up and tore his uniform,” he said.

The offence contravened Sections 117 and 172 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs O.A. Layinka, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

She adjourned the case to Dec. 5, for mention. (NAN)
MTO/PIO/PIO
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Edited by Idonije Obakhedo

NAN-HG-12
Women
By Rabiu Sani Ali
Hadejia (Jigawa), Nov. 7, 2016 (NAN) A social activist, Hajiya Maimuna Yakubu, has advised husbands to support efforts at empowering their wives for the improvement of their socio-economic lives.

Yakubu gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Hadejia, Jigawa.

She stated that the call is important as it is aimed at improving the economic status of mothers and check domestic abuse as well as encourage easy access to family healthcare.

Cue in audio

“A lot of the challenges we have in social development when you come to the issue of reproductive health, access to justice, access to services, where we have high maternal mortality rate and we have high illiteracy level in our community, is because the woman is not
empowered.

“And research has shown that women that women that are educated and have some means of livelihood take charge of their lives irrespective of whether their husbands support them or not.

“And by the time you empower a woman; you are going to empower the whole family because she going to transfer that skill to her children.’’

Cue out audio

Yakubu lamented the low level of empowerment among rural women in especially the northern parts of the country.

She attributed the trend to lack of support from the men.

According to her, it is unfortunate that some men have failed to support their wives in uplifting the living standard of their families.

She stated that it is situations such as this that exposes a lot of to poverty, abuse and disparity.

Yakubu, therefore, stressed the need for comprehensive advocacy to create awareness and promote attitudinal change as well as mobilise women to participate fully in women empowerment programmes at the grassroots.

According to her, development organisations in collaboration with federal and state governments have initiated various programmes aimed at encouraging women empowerment.

She then urged husbands to allow their women to participate in such programmes.

“The appeal we are always making is for men to allow their women to access services, to get skills that will translate into income generation and also to allow them use those skills to actualise her dreams.

“A lot of us have dreams, but because of the tradition and the fact that some people hide behind religion, they stop their wives from being productive in the community.’’ (NAN)
RSA/LAB/YEE
Edited by Lydia Beshel/Emmanuel Yashim
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NAN-AE-3

Sensitisation

By Vivian Emoni

Abuja, Nov. 8, 2016 (NAN) The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, (NESREA) says it is committed to sensitise Nigerians on the need to preserve air quality for healthier environment in the country.

Dr Lawrence Anukam, Director-General of the agency made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

Anukam said that the sensitisation of Nigerians on air quality would help to address air quality problems in the country.

He said that the agency would also sensitise the public on the environmental and human health implications of air pollution and on the extant environmental and human laws related to air quality.

The director-general explained that air quality could be described as the condition of the air in an environment.

He said that air quality was being determined by assessing a variety of pollution indicators.

Anukam explained that good air quality was a requirement for preserving the exquisite balance of life on earth for humans, plants, animals and natural resources.

He said that poor air was that which occurred when pollutants reached high enough concentrations to endanger human health as well as the environment.

Anukam said that a two-day stakeholder’s forum, which the agency organised, would create an avenue for constructive deliberation on ways to tackle air quality menace in the country.

According to him, the forum will highlight linkages to climate change; evaluate the environmental and health implications of air pollution and proffering solutions for a way forward.

He said that the World Health Assembly (WHA) identified air pollution as the world`s largest single environmental health risk and had caused up to 8 million global deaths annually.

According to him, there are high levels of mortality being recorded as a result of the inhalation of noxious and toxic emissions from stationary and mobile sources of air pollution.

He said that good policies and standards on clear fuels and complying with environmental laws and regulations would also address air pollution.

Anukam, however, called on various stakeholders to develop air quality monitoring systems, adding that the essence of the monitoring was to characterise and observe the quality of the environment. (NAN)
VOE/MO
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Edited by Morayo Omolade

NAN-H-47

Burglary

By Boboye Moronke Tinuola

Lagos, Nov. 8, 2016 (NAN) A 19-year-old boy, Mudashiru Ibrahim, on Tuesday appeared in an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court over alleged burglary of a shop and theft of goods valued at N530,000.

The defendant, an unemployed who lives in Agege, a suburb of Lagos, is being tried for conspiracy, burglary and stealing.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Donjor Perezi, told the court that the offences were committed on Oct. 21 at 115, Oniwaya Central School Road, Agege, Lagos.

Perezi said that the defendant and others (still at large) burgled one Mr Simeon Egbeogu’s shop and stole 5 rolls of cooper wire valued at N280,000 and 5 cartons of fridge pipes valued at N250,000.

Perezi also said that the security men at the shop caught them in the act but that the others escaped.

The prosecutor said that the offences contravened sections 285, 308 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A.O Layinka, granted the defendant bail of N350,000 with two sureties in like sum.

She then adjourned mention of the case until Dec. 12. (NAN)
MTO/HAS/IS
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Edited By Hajia Sani/Ismail Abdulaziz

NAN-H-25
Tiles
By Moronke Boboye
Lagos, Nov. 8, 2016(NAN) For allegedly obtaining N800,000 under the pretext of supplying tiles to a site, a 27-year-old man, Friday Agbor, on Tuesday appeared before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court.
The accused, a business man who lives at 12, Ogundaji St., Ologolo area of Jakande , a suburb of Lagos, is being tried on a two-count charge bothering on obtaining by false pretences and stealing.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Donjor Perezi, told the court that the accused committed the offences between August and September 2016 at 7, Ilare St., Oshodi, Lagos State.
Perezi said that the accused collected N800,000 from one Prince Ayodele Adepitan under the pretext of supplying tiles to his site.
“The accused disappeared since he collected the money and all efforts to find him failed, until he was sighted and apprehended,” he said.
The offences contravened Sections 285 and 312 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The chief magistrate, Mrs A.O. Layinka, granted the accused to a bail of N800, 000 with two sureties in like sum.
She adjourned the case to Dec. 12 for mention. (NAN)
MTO/DUA/PAD
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Edited by Dada Ahmed, controlled by Peter Dada

NAN-ELS-2
Intrusion
London, Nov. 8, 2016 (Reuters/NAN) Britain’s Prince Harry issued a rare statement on Tuesday to criticise the media for intruding into the private life of his new American girlfriend, actress Meghan Markle.

He said the press had subjected her to “a wave of abuse and harassment”.

British newspapers have been running daily stories about Markle, since news emerged that the 35-year-old actress was dating the prince, 32, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth.

In the unusually forthright statement issued by Harry’s office which confirmed the relationship for the first time, the prince’s Communications Secretary said they had strive to keep defamatory stories from appearing in papers.

“He has rarely taken formal action on the very regular publication of fictional stories that are written about him. And he has worked hard to develop a professional relationship with the media.

“But the past week has seen a line crossed. His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public.

“The smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments,” the statement said.

Harry has spoken out before about his dislike of the press and the statement said that while he appreciated he lived a privileged life, he felt he had to speak out.

“It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm.

“He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game – it is her life and his,” the statement added. (Reuters/NAN)
ERO/IS

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Edited by Emmanuel Okara/Ismail Abdulaziz

NAN-S-9

Eagles

By Victor Okoye

Abuja, Nov. 8, 2016 (NAN) Captain Mikel Obi, Ahmed Musa and 18 others on Tuesday took part in the Super Eagles’ first training session at the National Stadium, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mikel and Musa were among the latest arrivals at the team’s camp on Monday night.

The team were separated into three groups and began with a light walk-out and head-tennis training under the watchful eyes of Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr and Coach Salisu Yusuf.

Mikel, Odion Ighalo, Ogenyi Onazi, William Troost-Ekong, Moses Simon and John Ogu made up the first group.

The second group had Victor Moses, Musa, Kenneth Omeruo, Kingsley Madu and Uche Agbo.

Kelechi Iheanacho, Alex Iwobi, Musa Mohammed and Wilfred Ndidi were in the third group, while goalkeepers Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Daniel Akpeyi trained separately.

NAN observed that Ezenwa was very sharp in goal and displayed good reflexes, while his counterpart, Akpeyi was a little jaded and lacked match fitness.

Mikel showed some sign of class and precision in his touches and passes, while Victor, Iheanacho and Iwobi were in excellent form.

The trio of Leon Balogun, Brown Ideye and Shehu Abdullahi who were nursing knee and ankle injuries were engaged in light ball work.

NAN, however, reports that Goalkeeper Dele Alampasu, Elderson Echiejile and Oghenekaro Etebo have yet to arrive at the camp.

The Super Eagles are expected to hold another training session later on Tuesday.

The Super Eagles will lock horns with Algeria in crucial Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Saturday. (NAN)

VO/MO/

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Edited by Morayo Omolade

NAN-H-45
Flirt
By Oluwatope Lawanson
Lagos, Nov. 8, 2016 (NAN) A middle-aged man, Ebenezer Olotuyemi, has told an Agege Customary Court that his wife, Folashade, flirts about with different men.

Olotuyemi made this known when he testified in a divorce petition filed by his wife seeking dissolution of their 15-year-old marriage on Tuesday.

The respondent, who denied the wife’s allegations, wholeheartedly agreed to the dissolution of the marriage.

He told the court that the petitioner had been unfaithful, that she flirts about with different men, having caught her red handed.

He alleged that his wife had a questionable character that was why he refused to legalise their union.

“My wife has a care free attitude, not submissive and does not listen to corrections.

“She dresses in outrageous attires which l do not like and whenever l try to correct her she doesn’t obey me and flair up,” the respondent alleged.

He further alleged that the wife was into politics which is against his will and leaves home at odd hours for political campaigns at the expense of her matrimonial duties.

Folashade,38, a trader had urged the court to dissolve her marriage to her husband, citing threat to life.

The petitioner, a resident of Kokumo Str., Aguda, Ogba, Lagos, alleged that her husband, was troublesome, ungrateful and that he had been threatening her parents life.

She told the court that when they were evicted from their house, her father accommodated them in his home.

“Later my husband saw it as an abomination to be living in his in-laws house.

“My father gave him money to go look for an alternative accommodation.

“My husband became rude to my parents;  constantly abused my father in public and threatened to beat him,” Folashade told the court.

She claimed the respondent forcefully took the children away and later dropped them at a friend’s shop when he could no longer take proper care of them.

“The children were always being beaten and maltreated by their daddy and had to run away from the house on two different occasions.

She described the respondent as violent and hot temper, “too temperamental”.

The petitioner urged the court to dissolve the union and to award her  custody of the children.

The President of the court, Mr Philip Williams, urged the couple to maintain the peace, reminding them that children from broken homes were always stigmatised.

Williams adjourned the case till Nov. 24 for judgment. (NAN)
LAW/OFN
Edited by Felix Nwadioha