Crime
Labourer jailed five months for stealing armoured cables
A Lugbe Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, sentenced a 20-year-old labourer, Ishaya Hassan, to five months in a correction centre for stealing armoured cables.
The judge, Mallam Aliyu Kagarko, sentenced Hassan after he pleaded guilty to the offence of stealing and prayed the court for mercy.
Kagarko, however, gave Hassan the option of payment of N30,000 fine, warning him against committing crime in the future.
He said the punishment would have been stiffer if the convict had not saved the court the rigours of a protracted prosecution.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Stanley Nwaforaku, said that one Sgt. Joshua Simon of Defence Intelligence Agency, Asokoro, Abuja, arrested the convict and the case was transferred to the Asokoro police station on Dec. 1.
According to him, the convict, who was a labourer at DIA construction site, on Nov. 11, 2023, dishonestly made away with 28 meters of 12mm armoured cable from the store.
He added that the convict was later caught and handed over to the police for investigation.
The prosecutor said that during police interrogation and investigation, the convict confessed to the crime and the cables were recovered from him.
Nwaforaku said that the offence committed contravened Section 287 of the Penal Code.
An unspecified number of bandits have attacked the headquarters of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Command in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital.
The assailants invaded the Command’s headquarters in the early hours of Monday amid sporadic gunshots.
Operatives of the Command, however, repelled the attack by opening fire on the hoodlums, leading to a gun duel.
It was gathered that the terrorists were on a mission to free some high-profile suspected criminals in the custody of the Command.
According to the NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Jerry Victor, the bandits invaded the Command’s headquarters with sophisticated weapons.
He said the gunmen attempted to break some part of the fence to gain entry into the offices while some of them took different positions around the building.
“The operatives of the NSCDC swiftly responded by opening fire on the hoodlums whose mission was to release some high-profile suspected criminals, including informants of kidnappers in the custody of the Command.”
He also confirmed that no casualty was recorded during the gun battle between the gunmen and the NSCDC operatives.
Gunmen have kidnapped an Anambra State-based priest of the Catholic Church, Reverend Father Christian Ike.
Ike was said to have been taken away by the assailants on Sunday, along Amagu junction, Ndiokpaleke in Ajali community in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The reason for the incident has yet to be ascertained, but eyewitnesses in the area said the priest was returning alongside two other persons from an early morning Mass at St. Michael Catholic Church, when the vehicle he was moving in, was double-crossed by the assailants.
The source said, “The priest and two other persons were returning from St. Micheal Catholic Church, where they attended morning service.
“On getting to Amagu Junction, their vehicle was double-crossed by armed men operating in three vehicles, while the other two other persons escaped the scene, the criminals took away the priest and some personal belongings of the occupants in the vehicle.”
The latest abduction will be the second incident in two months as it would be recalled that another priest, Reverend Father Basil Gbuzuo, was kidnapped near Onitsha, on May 15, by unknown gunmen.
Gbuzuo was later released some weeks later after some undisclosed amount of ransom was paid to his captors.
Confirming the incident, the Anambra State police spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the command has heard about the incident and has deployed its intelligence and operational assets for his possible rescue unhurt.
Ikenga said, “Anambra State Police Command received the information of the abduction of Rev Father Christian Ike and has deployed its intelligence and operational assets of the Command for possible rescue unhurt.
“Eyewitness account revealed by 10:30 am on 16/6/2024, the priest and two others were returning from St. Micheal Catholic Church Ndiokpaleke where they attended morning service, along Amagu Junction, they were double-crossed by armed men operating in three vehicles, while the other two escaped the scene, the criminals took away the priest and some personal belongings of the occupants in the vehicle.
“To this end, the Command has activated its intelligence and operational assets for possible arrest of the assailants and rescue unhurt of the priest.”
He added that further development shall be communicated as it unfolds.
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