The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, arraigned one Wilson Daphey (aka Jefrey Guiseppe) before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on a nine-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretense and money laundering. Daphey allegedly manipulated and obtained the sum £120,150 from one Ms Petra Goschenhofer with the assistance of Evans Nnamdi Aguh, Christopher Chinedu Ajufo, Ifeanyi Enuma and Ojinanaka Kingsley Chukwuma, all of whom are currently at large. Count two of the charge read: “That you, WILSON DAPHEY (AKA JEFREY GUISEPPE) between November 2018 and December 2019 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud over the internet, presented yourself to one Ms Petra Goschenhofer whom you met on Instagram as American civil engineer, who lives in Rome but currently (end of September/beginning of October 2018) in Dubai for a construction project, and in that assumed character obtained a total of sum of £69,880 and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 22 (2) (b) (ii) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015.” The defendant pleaded ‘not guilty‘ to all the charges. In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, Deborah Ademu-Eteh, prayed the court for a trial date and the remand of the defendant. The defence counsel, E.O Clement, however, moved the bail application of the defendant. Justice Olajuwon adjourned the matter till May 17, for ruling on bail application while the defendant remains in EFCC custody.

  The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will publish the personal particulars of candidates in the three off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa, lmo and Kogi States scheduled for November 11, 2023.   The electoral body made this known in a statement signed by its spokesman, Festus Okoye on Thursday. He said that the 18 political parties nominated candidates for the Kogi governorship election and 17 parties for Bayelsa and Imo states. Okoye also confirmed that all the political parties sponsoring candidates for the three elections have submitted the duly completed Forms EC9 containing personal particulars supported by sworn affidavits as well as EC9B containing the names of their candidates.   The INEC National Commissioner said, “As required by section 29 (3) of the Electoral Act 2022, the Commission shall publish the personal particulars of the candidates in the State Headquarters and Local Government offices in the three States tomorrow Friday 12th May 2023.” The electoral body appealed to Nigerians to scrutinise the list, particularly, “any aspirant who participated in his/her party’s primaries with reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided by the candidate is false can challenge the nomination at the Federal High Court as provided in section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022.”

  A 34-year-old woman, Nofisat Abolanle, was on Thursday arraigned before the Ogba Magistrates’ Court sitting in the Ikeja area of Lagos State for allegedly stealing an Automated Teller Machine card belonging to one Ibrahim Oluwole. She was said to have used the card to transfer N790,000 to her bank account. Abolanle was arraigned before Magistrate M.O Joseph on two counts. The police prosecutor, Inspector, Patricia Ojeh, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on February 9, 2023. The charge read, “That you, Nofisat Abolanle, and others now at large on February 9, 2023, around 4pm at Ladipo Mushin, Lagos State in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit stealing and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015. “That you, Nofisat Abolanle, and others still at large on the same time and date, time and place, in the aforesaid Magisterial District, did steal UBA ATM card, property of one Ibrahim Oluwole, which you fraudulently used to transfer N790,000 to your Access Bank account, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015. However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges against her. The Magistrate, M. O Joseph, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum. The case was adjourned till June 21, 2023.

  The Governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku, has reportedly approved N2 billion for the purchase of luxury vehicles. The vehicles are for himself, his deputy and their wives. This is coming barely 18 days to the end of his tenure. Quoting an unnamed source, Premium Times reports that the approval was made during the last State Executive Council (SEC) meeting chaired by Mr Ishaku.   Politics Nigeria reports that the source claimed that Mr Darius and his wife will get over N1.3 billion worth of exotic cars while his deputy and his wife will receive cars worth N750 million. “Governor Darius Ishaku in our last SEC meeting asked the council to approve a memo he presented for the purchase of vehicles for himself, his deputy and their wives and it was speedily approved without any argument,” the source was quoted to have said. He added that it was argued at the meeting that since Mr Darius and his deputy assumed office in 2015, they had been using old vehicles inherited from their predecessors and that they therefore deserve new vehicles as they prepare to step down. By the proposal, the governor will get two Toyota Land Cruiser SUV, two escort Toyota Hilux and a utility vehicle while his wife will get a Land Cruiser SUV and an escort vehicle. Similarly, the deputy governor, Haruna Manu, will receive two lower versions of Land Cruiser SUV and one escort vehicle while his wife will get one SUV and a utility car.

  A cold war which might not be unconnected to the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is brewing between Rivers and Bayelsa states as the governor of the former, Nyesom Wike has ordered the demolition of the property of the later located in Rivers State. Bayelsa is among many states controlled by the PDP that have opposed Wike’s antics and governor, Douye Diri, is a pro-Atiku man and won the state during the February 25 election for the PDP candidate. He had, during the height of the PDP crisis, reportedly rebuked Wike’s antics and the demolition order in which the state government has served the building owned by the Bayelsa State government is being perceived as an extension of their political differences. Wike, through the Permanent Secretary, Alozie Nwala, of the Ministry of Lands and Survey of the Rivers State government, ordered a service of eviction notice on April 19 on the property located in the Old GRA, Port Harcourt. Nwala who signed the eviction notice on the property located at 5 and 9 Akassa Street, Golf Course Extension Layout, Port Harcourt, said the property is defacing and endangering the urban renewal project of the state government.   The notice on the 12-flat property read, “That in contravention of the covenants and conditions contained in the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) issued to Bayelsa State Government in respect of Plots 34 & 35 (5 Akassa Street and Plot 37 (9 Akassa Street ) Golf Course Extension Layout, Port Harcourt, notice is hereby given by the Rivers State Government that occupants of the said property should vacate. “Take notice that occupants of the mentioned properties are given 14 days from date of this notice to vacate buildings thereon. “The said buildings not only constituting public nuisance, but also defacing Rivers Government’s Urban Renewal Infrastructural Development Policies as relates to the Golf Course Old GRA Layout. “Take further notice that at expiration of this notice, Rivers State Government will take possession of the properties.” But the staff of the Bayelsa State government accused Wike of bypassing appropriate channels to carry out any remedy he wishes and not embark on immediate eviction and demolition moves. The Head, Protocol for the Bayelsa State Government, Smith Noah, who spoke to journalists, explained that, “Some people came to paste a notice that we are causing nuisance and defacing the environment. So the Rivers State Government is giving us 14 days to pack out. “We are not staying here on our own. We are Bayelsa State government workers. We were thinking that if there is anything that the Rivers State Government wants to do with us, we have an office here and the Rivers State Government knows the office,” he said. He added that, “Ordinarily they would have served the Bayelsa State government if there is any reason for us to vacate this place. “Unfortunately, a few days ago, we heard information that they are coming to demolish this place. So, we informed our superior and they said we should wait until they have already served the Rivers State Government with a court order. “Yesterday (Wednesday) I was assigned to do a job at the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. On my way my neighbour called that more than 50 vans came to vacate us. “When I came back the officials said they were giving us till this morning (Thursday) to park out. “I have been here for five years now. But you can see we are removing our things instead of somebody to come and destroy our property.   “Bayelsa was created out of Rivers. So if Rivers has any good intention for Bayelsa, the right thing to do is settle with our Governor (Douye Diri) and not give us occupants this punishment,” he said. Also speaking, another occupant, Bridget Allison, told journalists that, “People that came here yesterday said the Rivers Government is coming to demolish this place. “Even to pack out from this place now we need money because we don’t have anywhere to go. “I am a staff of the Bayelsa State Government and have been living here for almost 11 years now. You know things are so difficult now. Let the Bayelsa State Government come to our aid,” he said. Officials of the Rivers State government did not respond when contacted.

  The sexual offences and domestic violence court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, has sentenced Sunday George, a 26-year-old electrician, to life imprisonment for raping his neighbour’s 12-year-old daughter. George was charged to court for committing the crime in his room and bathroom at their residence in Lagos. Abiola Soladoye, the trial judge, on Thursday, convicted and sentenced the defendant, saying the prosecution team sufficiently proved the charge of the defendant against George.   In her ruling, Soladoye said the testimony of the survivor of the rape incident was “chilling, cogent, convincing and truthful”. The trial judge said the defendant is an “irresponsible adult and a pathological liar” whose testimony was an afterthought and lacked credibility. “The defendant defiled her by having sex with her in the bathroom and told her not to tell anyone. He had sex with her on several occasions in the bathroom and anytime she goes to watch movie on the defendant’s phone in his room,” the judge said. “Identifications in criminal cases are very germane. The survivor, in this case, identified the man in the dock as their neighbour who defiled her severally in the bathroom and his room. “The defendant denied rubbing the survivor’s breast and watching movies with her on his phone in his room, this is an attempt to lie his way out but he failed.   “The defendant is an irresponsible adult and a shameless paedophile, whose denial of having any sexual relations with the survivor is an afterthought. “Upon careful review of the evidence before this court, the defendant is hereby found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.” The judge directed the Lagos government to write George’s name in the sexual offenders register.

  The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned hearing in the suit filed by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu until Sept. 14. (NAN)

  A four-man dreaded gang of kidnappers, which specialised in transborder crime, has been shot dead by security operatives in Anambra State. This is coming less than 24 hours after the news of the killing of two suspected kidnappers at Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State the joint security team at Umusiome-Nkpor road, at about 8:45pm on May 7. The Wednesday gang was said to be operating from Imo State into border towns in Anambra, and the leader popularly called “Odumodu”, was shot dead by a team of security forces. It was gathered that the deadly kidnappers operated from a camp in Imo State. Christian Aburime, the Press secretary to Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, disclosed this to journalists in a press statement on Wednesday. Aburime said Odumodu and his criminal gang were gunned down today by security forces in Anambra State, while on operation. He said, “The dreaded Odumodu, leader of a criminal gang, operating from Imo state into border towns in Anambra, was gunned down by the gallant Anambra security forces, with four other members. “One AK-47 and four Pump Actions were recovered from the criminals by the gallant security forces.”

  Eighteen days to the expiration of his tenure, President Muhammadu Buhari has sought the approval of the Senate to obtain $800 million loan from the World Bank. Buhari, in a letter to the Senate read during the plenary by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan said the upper chamber should note that the Federal Executive Council approved an additional loan facility to the tune of $800 million to be secured from the World Bank for the National Social Safety Net programme and the need to request their consideration and approval to ensure early implementation. He said the senate might wish to know that the programme is intended to expand coverage of shock responsive safety net support among the poor and vulnerable Nigerians, as this would assist them in coping with basic needs. According to him, the upper chamber might wish to note that the federal government of Nigeria, under the conditional cash transfer, would transfer the sum of N5,000 per month to 10.2 million poor and low income households for a period of six months, with a multiplier effect on about 60 million individuals. Buhari explained that in order to guarantee the credibility of the process, digital transfers would be made directly to beneficiaries’ accounts and mobile wallets. He argued that the NASSP, being a social intervention programme, would stimulate the informal sector, improve nutrition, health, education, and human capital development of beneficiaries’ households.

  A Federal High Court Abuja, on Wednesday stopped the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) from further imposing fines on broadcast stations in the country. In a judgment, Justice James Omotosho voided the N500,000 fines imposed by the NBC on 45 broadcast stations on March 1, 2019. Justice Omotosho was of the view that the NBC, not being a court of law, lacked power to impose sanctions as punishment on alleged erring broadcast stations.   The judge held that the NBC Code, on which the commission relies to impose sanction, is in conflict with Section 6 of the Constitution that vested judicial power in the court of law. He said the court would not sit idle and watch a body imposing fine arbitrarily without recourse to the law, adding that the commission did not comply with the law when it sat as a complainant and at the same time, a court and a judge on its own case. The judgment was on a suit marked:FHC/ABJ/CS/1386/2021 filed by a group, the Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda.