Crime

Six suspects arrested for harassing Assembly member in Kogi

Published

4 months ago

January 11, 2024

The Kogi State Government said six persons have been arrested in connection to the harassment of a member of the National Assembly who came on a courtesy visit to the Governor in his Lugard House office in Lokoja, the state capital on Tuesday.

The Governor has subsequently banned unauthorised persons from accessing the Government House while calling for the immediate prosecution of the culprits.

This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Onogwu Mohammed.

He said the lawmakers from Kogi State in the Senate and House of Representatives, had visited Governor Yahaya Bello to congratulate him on the peaceful and credible conduct of the November 11 governorship election and to pledge their loyalty to him and the incoming administration.

“Shortly after the fruitful discussion, the Governor received with rude shock the news of the harassment of some of the lawmakers on their way out of the Government House and swiftly ordered the arrest of the culprits,” Mohammed said.

The Governor charged security agencies to investigate the issue thoroughly and ensure that the offenders face the full wrath of the law.

His directive to the heads of security agencies reads, “Information just got to me as I left the office to the residence that one man called Suleiman and others embarrassed Senator Jubrin Echocho in the Government House.

“I’ve directed CSO to arrest all those involved in such a stupid act and bring them to justice immediately. I will never condone acts of hooliganism and indiscipline.”

Meanwhile, the Senator representing Kogi East in the National Assembly, Isah Echocho narrated how thugs attacked him inside the Government House, Lokoja, Kogi State.

The lawmaker, in a telephone interview, said the incident happened on Tuesday immediately after a meeting with the governor.

Echocho said himself, Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) and other All Progressives Congress federal lawmakers from the state had gone to pay homage to the governor after the festive season.

He said the thugs singled him out from other legislators and pounced on him, accusing him of being responsible for APC’s poor performance in the last governorship election in Kogi East senatorial district.

Though APC’s Usman Ododo won the election with 446, 237 votes, his main challenger, Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party, who came second, won the majority of his 259,052 votes in Kogi East Senatorial District.

Both Ajaka and Echocho are from the Kogi East Senatorial District.

Narrating how the incident happened, the senator said, “I was attacked by thugs in Government House Lokoja but the police rescued me.

“What happened was that all APC senators and the House of Representatives members from the state visited the governor on a courtesy call for the New Year.

“Being one of them, I was not left out. We went up and we had some brief meeting with the Governor, though he expressed dissatisfaction over APC performance in Kogi East (my senatorial district) in the last governorship election.

“I told the Governor that I tried all I could to convince my people to vote for the APC. I campaigned vigorously for APC in Kogi East but the people were resolute in voting for another candidate despite my efforts.

“It is not as if APC performed woefully in the election in Kogi East. There were pockets of LGs and wards that we won. There was no other thing I could have done beyond what I did. We exchanged pleasantries with the governor, took a group photograph and left.

“As we were coming out, in front of the Governor’s Office, the thugs pounced on me that I was responsible for APC’s failure in Kogi East.

“To my surprise, they brought out knives and other weapons to attack me but police officers around were able to rescue me inside my vehicle and we zoomed off. I thank God I didn’t suffer any injury. The police were able to provide sufficient security.”

When asked if the governor was aware of the attack, he said, “The Governor cannot descend so low and send thugs to attack me.

“The Governor spoke with me after the attack, and he assured me that the thugs would be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law, but I told him not to worry since I’m safe.”

Crime

Mother of five jailed for forging late Abba Kyari’s signature

Published

20 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

The Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Gwagwalada, Abuja, has sentenced a mother of five, Ramat Mba, to one year imprisonment for her involvement in an employment scam.

Mba also forged the signature of the late Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to the former President, Muhammadu Buhari.

The presiding judge, Honourable Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, had last week deferred the sentencing of the convict till Thursday but directed that she should be remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission had arraigned Mba in June 2022 on a 5-count bordering on cheating, fraud and forgery, contrary to Section 13 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Sections 320(b), 366 of the Penal Code Cap 89 laws of Northern Nigeria.

n the course of the trial, the commission, through its prosecutor, Hamza Sani, had led Mba in evidence before the court on how the convict committed the offence sometime in 2020 when she collected N4.5 million from several job seekers, promising to secure jobs for them with the ICPC and National Air Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).

Also, the documentary evidence tendered showed that the convict fraudulently forged the letterhead of the Office of the Chief of Staff to former President Buhari and his signature.

The letter, addressed to the ICPC Chairman, was a request for the recruitment of three individuals by the commission.

However, the late CoS, in a written correspondence that was also tendered in court as an exhibit, distanced himself or his office from authorising the letter.

The spokesperson for the ICPC, Demola Bakare, revealed the development in a statement on Friday.

Bakare revealed, “The trial judge, Justice Muhammad, in his judgment on May 9, 2024, convicted the mother of five children on counts 1, 2, 3 and 5 that border on cheating and forgery, while she was discharged on count 4 which borders on felony.

“Justice Muhammad, during the sentencing on Thursday, pronounced a six-month jail term or N100,000 option of fine on counts 1, 2 and 3 on the convict.

“The presiding judge, who stressed the status of the convict as a first-time offender and a mother, also sentenced her to one-year imprisonment or N150,000 option on fine on count 5 which borders on forgery.”

Crime

15 worshippers die in Kano mosque attack — Police

Published

23 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

The Kano State Police Command on Friday confirmed the death of 15 persons in the mosque attack in Gadan village in Gezawa Local Government Area of the state.

A man on Wednesday allegedly sprayed the mosque with petrol, locked its doors, and set it on fire, trapping worshippers.

The state Commissioner of Police, Usaini Gumel, told the News Agency of Nigeria in a telephone interview that so far, 15 out of the 24 victims of the incident died.

Initial reports said one worshipper had died from the attack but the death toll later rose after more victims died while receiving treatment at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano.

Gumel said that the incident occurred during a dawn prayer at a mosque in Gadan village, leaving 24 worshippers injured.

He said the injured victims were currently receiving treatment at the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano.

The suspect, Shafi’u Abubakar, 38 is currently in police custody.

The motive behind the attack was believed to be a family conflict over the sharing of family inheritance.

The commissioner said that the police are continuing with their investigation into the attack.

Crime

Buying pre-registered SIM cards criminal, NCC warns

Published

1 day ago

May 17, 2024

Anita Anyanwu

The Nigerian Communications Commission has warned Nigerians against buying pre-registered SIM cards, citing the illegal nature of the practice, and could attract severe consequences.

In an advisory note sighted on its X platform on Friday, the telecom regulator emphasized that the use of pre-registered SIM cards compromises the accuracy of consumer information.

“Buying pre-registered SIM cards is criminal and may lead to imprisonment, implication in identity theft, financial fraud, kidnapping and armed robbery,” part of the advisory noted.

The NCC explained that using a pre-registered SIM card undermined the reliability of data collected on consumers, making it challenging for authorities to identify and apprehend the actual perpetrators of crimes.

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The warning aims to educate the public on the risks associated with pre-registered SIM cards and encourage compliance with legal guidelines to enhance national security.

The commission urged to follow the proper procedures for registering SIM cards to avoid any legal consequence.

The NCC made the linkage compulsory, directing all telecommunications operators to enforce complete network barring on all phone lines for which subscribers fail to link their SIM cards to their NINs.

There have been two phases of barring SIM cards not linked to NIN by the telcos – the first occurred on February 28 and the second one occurred on March 29.

The regulator, however, has extended the deadline for linking SIM cards to NIN (last phase) to July 31, 2024, from April 15. This extension applies to subscribers with more than four SIMs.