Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (), Bauchi Command, has arrested eight suspects for allegedly vandalising railway slippers, petroleum pipelines in the state.

NSCDC Commandant in the state, Mr Ileboye Olajide, who disclosed this while parading the suspects on Thursday in Bauchi, said that the suspects were also arrested for allegedly being in possession of fake currency notes.

Olajide said that the suspects were of three categories of offenders apprehended in one week.

“We got information from our people on the field that some people were vandalising railway sleepers at Dangubi village, along Gombe road.

“We immediately moved to the area and caught them with the 33 already removed sleepers. The suspects involved were actually four; two were arrested while two are at large,” he said.

The NSCDC commandant said five of the suspects were involved in vandalism of a petroleum pipeline at Kangere village on Gombe road in Bauchi Local Government Area, saying that they were handed over to the command by the Nigerian Army artillery unit.

He listed the items recovered from them to include: four motorcycles, various 25-litre cans of petrol and about 10 empty cans.

Olajide said that the suspects were caught while siphoning petroleum products, adding that they had confessed to the act.

The commandant added that another suspect was arrested for being in possession of fake 2,000 dollars in his house.

“Information provided by a woman he previously gave fake 100 dollars led to his arrest,” he said.
According to him, all the suspects will be handed over to relevant agencies after the conclusion of investigation for possible prosecution.

Olajide, however, warned that those nursing the idea of vandalising national infrastructure in the state to think twice, as they would not go scot free under his watch.

Five men were remanded in a detention facility by the Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan on Tuesday over allegations of armed robbery.

The suspects identified as Abiodun Solomon (24), Abdulahi Alejolowo (26), Emmanuel Ayobami (31), Kazeem Saka (37), and Taofeek Lawal (35), with undisclosed addresses, are accused of conspiracy and armed robbery.

According to the prosecutor, Insp Olalekan Adegbite, the defendants allegedly committed the offense around 2 a.m. on January 8 in the Olode neighborhood of Ibadan. Adegbite stated that the defendants assaulted individuals in the neighborhood using weapons and proceeded to rob them of their cell phones, jewelry, electrical gadgets, cash, and other valuables.

The prosecutor said that these actions contravened Sections 6(B) and 1(2) of Nigeria’s Robbery and Firearms Laws of 2004.

However, Magistrate Oluwabusayo Osho declined to accept the defendants’ plea due to jurisdictional limitations and instructed that the case file be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal guidance. The matter was adjourned until April 29 for mention.

This incident follows a similar case reported  last Friday, where the Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court remanded three men – Jiya Adams (44), Joseph Abidoye (39), and Femi Adetunji (40) – on allegations of kidnapping. The accused individuals, also without disclosed addresses, faced charges of conspiracy, armed robbery, and abduction.

Magistrate Olaolu Olanipekun adjoined the case till May 13 for further hearing after directing the prosecution to duplicate the case file and send it to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.

The prosecution counsel, ASP Anthony Igori, alleged that the defendants, along with others, attacked an expatriate and proprietor of Saco Nigeria Ltd., Mr. Mohammed Il-Saheed, stole his Samsung cell phone valued at N800,000, and abducted him, collecting a N35 million ransom before releasing him after six days in captivity.

These incidents underscore the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address criminal activities in Ibadan and uphold the rule of law.

Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, Monday, April 15, convicted and sentenced three individuals involved in internet fraud, following their arrest and arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The three convicts, Qudus Temitope Ismail, Kolade Adetola Toheeb, and Abdulmalik Timileyin Khalid pleaded guilty to charges related to online scams.

Toheeb, accused of impersonation, deceived a victim by posing as a football match forecaster named Throndsen Waylen. Using a fake Telegram account and the phone number +23481260084504, he tricked Jake Cooper into sending $200 via PayPal in July 2023. Consequently, Toheeb violated Section 321 of the Penal Code, leading to his conviction under Section 324.

After pleading guilty, the EFCC’s counsel, Mustapha Kaigama, presented the case facts and the defendants’ statements, along with recovered items from their possession at the time of arrest.

Justice Abdulgafar sentenced each defendant to six months’ suspended imprisonment and ordered the forfeiture of phones, laptops, €100, and $200USD recovered from Toheeb to the Federal Government.

The trio’s arrest and subsequent conviction underscore the EFCC’s commitment to combating cybercrime and upholding justice in Nigeria. With this verdict, the court sends a clear message on the consequences of engaging in fraudulent activities online.