Crime Facts

Police Arrest Suspected Robbers, Drug Dealers, Others In Abia

  The Abia State Police Command has arrested several suspects including an armed robbery suspect, an alleged electricity transformer thief, and eight accused of engaging in illegal drug trade. The Abia State Police Command has arrested several suspects including an armed robbery suspect, an alleged electricity transformer thief, and eight accused of engaging in illegal drug trade. This was contained in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Maureen Chinaka, on Wednesday. The arrests were said to be part of operations by the command during the period of July to September 2023. See the full statement below: PRESS BRIEFING AND PARADE OF CRIME SUSPECTS AND EXHIBITS BY POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, ABIA STATE POLICE COMMAND, ASP MAUREEN CHINAKA LLB Anipr HELD ON WEDNESDAY, 4TH OCTOBER, 2023 Good day, ladies and gentlemen of the press. On behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP. Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, psc, fwc, MNIM, fdc, I extend a warm welcome to you all to this press briefing and the subsequent parade of suspects. Under the leadership of the CP Kenechukwu Onwuemelie and members of his management team, Abia State Police Command remains committed to implementing effective administrative and operational strategic initiatives to ensure improved service delivery, thus contributing to the creation of a secure environment for socio-economic activities to thrive in the state. In the period from July to September 2023, the command achieved significant milestones in curtailing incidents of armed robbery, kidnapping, vandalism of government property, among others. During the period, several suspects were arrested, and various exhibits were recovered. Some of the exhibits include firearms of different specifications, vehicles, railway sleepers, illicit drugs, among others. Also, some kidnap victims and trafficked children were safely rescued. The cases have been duly presented before the courts. However, as we transit into the month of October towards the end of the year 2023, I would like to highlight the following achievements recorded by the Command: 1. *ARREST OF SUSPECT FOR IMPERSONATION/STEALING/VANDALISM OF ELECTRICITY TRANSFORMER* . Suspect: One Francis William (male), 34 years Exhibits: One vandalized electricity transformer On September 11, 2023, at about 1800hrs, based on credible information, Ndiegoro Divisional Police Headquarters, Aba apprehended a dismissed police officer while attempting to steal an electricity transformer owned by Aba Power Company at National High School Port-Harcourt Road Aba. The suspect was found dressed in police camouflage attire, wearing a fez cap, and in possession of a fake police warrant card. He was arrested, and the stolen property was recovered. The case has been charged to court, and the suspect is remanded in correctional custody . *UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF FIREARMS* Suspect: One Chukwuemeka London (male), 35 years Exhibits: One locally made long single-barrel gun and one locally made short single-barrel gun On September 20, 2023, at about 1400hrs, a report was made to Ugwunagbo Police station that one Chukwuemeka London, was illegally in possession of firearms. The police arrested the suspect and recovered the firearms. The suspect and exhibits were transferred to State CID Umuahia for further investigation and prosecution. 3. *RAID OF CRIMINAL HIDEOUTS/BLACKSPOT* Suspects: One Kelechi Kalu (male, 25 years) One Nnanna Nwogu (male, 35 years) One Chika Ugochukwu (male, 33 years) One Ndubuisi Chikere (male, 38 years) One Check Bowel (male, 45 years) One Ugochukwu Monday (male, 20 years) One Grace Chika (female, 27 years) One Owe Mary (female, 20 years) Exhibits: Large quantity of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp, some quantities of Tramadol tablets, Tiazopam tablets, Refnor tablets, Simnor tablets. On credible intelligence regarding criminal activities at Ehere Secondary school, Aba, police detectives conducted a cordon, search, and arrest operation on September 24, 2023. The successful operation led to the arrest of suspects involved in illegal drug trade. Large quantities of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp and various hard drugs were recovered. The suspects have been charged to court after a thorough investigation and were remanded accordingly. 4. *UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF FIREARM/ARREST OF SUSPECTS* Suspects: One Chinedu Ukachukwu (male) 23 years One Chibueze Nwokocha (male) 25 years One Steve Okafor (male) 17 years Uche Awa (male) 23 years One Chisom Chijioke (male) 17 years Exhibits: One cut-to-size locally fabricated single-barrel short gun, six live cartridges On September 24, 2023, personnel from the Counter-Terrorist Unit intercepted a tricycle with five male occupants. A search led to the discovery of a cut-to-size locally fabricated single-barrel short gun, loaded with live cartridges. The case is under investigation by the Monitoring Unit Umuahia. 5. *RESCUE OF KIDNAP VICTIM* Suspects: Izu Dike Victim: Sylvanus Emenegu (male) Exhibits: One motorcycle One mattress Two POS machines On October 1, 2023, Isiala Ngwa Area Command received information about a kidnap victim held in captivity in a building in Uratta in Isiala Ngwa North LGA. Police operatives carried out an operation in the area leading to the rescue of the victim, one Sylvanus Emenegu ‘m’, who was abducted on September 30, 2023. The kidnappers fled upon sighting the police. Exhibits, including a motorcycle, foam, and two POS machines were recovered at the scene. The victim was released to his family for medical attention. . *ADDITIONAL ARREST OF ARMED ROBBERY SUSPECT* Suspect: One Tochukwu Iheoma (male) 28 years Exhibits: Two locally fabricated single-barrel pistols Three live cartridges ATM cards (belonging to Zenith and UBA banks) On October 2, 2023, at approximately 0800hrs, our operatives received credible information and swiftly moved to apprehend a suspect named Tochukwu Iheoma, 28 yrs resident of Umuochala Village in Nighauzor, Obingwa LGA, Abia State. During the operation, our officers successfully apprehended Tochukwu Iheoma, who was involved in violent crimes. Further investigation revealed that the suspect was in possession of two locally fabricated single-barrel pistols and three cartridges. Moreover, it was discovered that the suspect had stolen ATM cards belonging to Zenith and UBA banks from a victim during his previous criminal acts. The matter is still under investigation and will be charged to court. 7. *RECOVERY OF STOLEN VEHICLE AND ARREST OF SUSPECTS* Suspects: One Princewill Jumbo (male) 49 years One Chukwuma Egwim (male) 40 years

Alleged N4.8bn Fraud: EFCC To Arraign Businessman Today

  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will arraign businessman Chief Cletus Ibeto alongside his company, Ibeto Energy Development Company, on Thursday, October 5, on a 10-count charge bordering on allegations of obtaining by false pretences, fraudulent conversion of property, criminal breach of trust, forgery and deception. The duo are to be arraigned before Justice Ismail Ijelu of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, alongside another company linked to ibeto, Odoh Holdings Ltd. Channels Television obtained a copy of the charge which was signed in April 2023 by the Head, Legal of the EFCC, Gbolahan Latona. Count 1 of the charge says that Chief Cletus Ibeto, Ibeto Energy Development Ltd and Odoh Holdings Ltd between June 2016 and May 2017 within the jurisdiction of the court by false pretence and with intent to defraud, obtained from Dozzy Oil & Gas Ltd and Sir Daniel Chukwudozie, the sum of N4.8bn purporting same to be consideration for 22.6536 hectares of land which he claimed to have at the end of Reclamation Road Layout, Port Harcourt, Rivers State by a deed of sublease executed by Odoh Holdings and Ibeto Energy Development Ltd when he only had 7.9 hectares of the said land. Count 2 states that the defendants obtained N2.5bn from their victim as consideration for a non-existent 14.1 hectares of land while count 3 claims that they forged certain documents. In Count 3, the defendants on or about January 30, 2018, allegedly with intent to defraud forged a Deed Of Sublease between Odoh Holdings Ltd and Ibeto Development Ltd purportedly, registered as No 47, Page 47, Vol. 280 of the Lands Registry, Rivers State wherein they claimed that Odoh Holdings Ltd acquired leasehold interest in respect of 22.6536 The offences are contrary to Section 1 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act 2006, Section 365(3d) and (e), and Section 366 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.   The offence carries a punishment of no less than seven years and no more than 20 years imprisonment without the option of a fine.

States borrow N46bn from banks to pay salaries

  State governments borrow about N46.17bn from three banks to pay salaries between January and June 2023, according to findings by The PUNCH. The findings were based on an analysis of the half-year 2023 financial statements of Access Bank, Fidelity Bank, and Zenith Bank Group. The PUNCH observed that the states borrowed the most from Access Bank in six months, with a record of N42.97bn loan. It was followed by Zenith Bank (N1.78bn borrowed) and Fidelity Bank (N1.42bn borrowed) within the six-month period. According to the H1 2023 financial statement of Access Bank, the outstanding balance on the salary bailout fund was N58.84bn by June 30, 2023, from N101.81bn in December 2022. The amount of N58,842,651,795 represents the outstanding balance on the state salary bailout facilities granted to the bank by the Central Bank of Nigeria for onward disbursements to state governments for payments of salary of workers of the states. The facility has a tenor of 20 years with a 2 per cent interest payable to the CBN. The bank is under obligation to on-lend to the states at an all-in interest rate of nine per cent per annum. From this creditor, the bank has nil undrawn balance as at 30 June 2023,” Access Bank noted. For Fidelity Bank, the H1 2023 financial statement showed that the outstanding balance on the salary bailout fund was N80.65bn by June 30, 2023, from N82.07bn in December 2022. The bank noted “FGN Intervention fund is CBN Bailout Fund of N80.65billion (31 Dec 2022: N82.07bn). This represents funds for states in the Federation that are having challenges in meeting up with their domestic obligation including payment of salaries. The loan was routed through the bank for on-lending to the states. The bailout fund is for a tenor of 20 years at 9 per cent per annum.” It added, “The bailout fund is for a tenor of 20 years at 7 per cent per annum and availed for the same tenor at 9 per cent per annum until March 2020, the rate was reduced to 5 per cent for one year period due to Covid-19 pandemic to March 2021 after which it was extended to February 2023. CBN on August 17 2022 further reviewed the rates in response to economic outlook and approved the following order; All intervention facilities granted effective July 20, 2022 shall be at 9 per cent per annum while all existing intervention facilities granted prior to July 20, 2022 shall be at 9 per cent per annum effective September 1, 2022.” According to the H1 2023 financial statement of Zenith Bank, the outstanding balance on the salary bailout fund was N125.14bn by June 30, 2023, from N126.92bn in December 2022. The bank noted, “The Salary Bailout Scheme was approved by the Federal Government to assist state governments in the settlement of outstanding salaries owed their workers. Funds are disbursed to banks nominated by beneficiary states at two per cent for on-lending to the beneficiary states at 9 per cent. The loans have a tenor of 20 years. Repayments are deducted at source, by the Accountant General of the Federation, as a first line charge against each beneficiary state’s monthly statutory allocation. This facility is not secured.” The PUNCH findings show that the loans occurred despite the slight increase in the revenue allocation to states. The PUNCH had earlier reported a N540bn increase in the amount shared between the Federal Government, states, and Local Government Areas. This was according to an analysis of the communiqués issued by the Federation Account Allocation Committee between January to July for 2022 and 2023. In 2022, a total of N4.96tn was shared for the first seven months of the year. By 2023, a total of N5.5tn was shared for the first seven months of the year. However, The PUNCH has also reported that about 25 states in Nigeria suffered a drop in their internally generated revenue and battled cash crunch in the first quarter of 2023. Data obtained from the budget implementation report of each state showed that 25 states earned N182.26bn in Q1 2023. This was a shortfall of 3.07 per cent or N5.77bn from the N188.03bn made in Q4 2022, based on a quarter-by-quarter analysis. Although there are 36 states in Nigeria, Rivers and Sokoto have no data for Q1 2023 yet; Akwa Ibom has no data for Q1 2022, while Kwara, Edo, Kaduna, Lagos, Bauchi, Zamfara, Yobe, and Ogun have no data for Q4 2022. Therefore, the figure for IGR was limited to 25 out of the 36 states in the country. The PUNCH findings showed that the 25 states projected an IGR of N219.56bn for Q1 2023 but only made about N182.26bn, which means that they had a revenue performance of 83.01 per cent. This also means that the revenue underperformed by 16.99 per cent as it failed to hit the states’ revenue target.

Naira among Africa’s worst currencies, falls by 40% –W’Bank

  The Nigerian naira is among the worst-performing currencies in Africa, the World Bank has said. It noted that the currency weakened by nearly 40 per cent against the US dollar since a mid-June devaluation. The global bank explained in its report titled, ‘Africa’s Pulse: An analysis of issues shaping Africa’s economic future (October 2023 | Volume 28).’ It stated that, “So far this year, the Nigerian naira and the Angolan kwanza are among the worst performing currencies in the region: these currencies have posted a year-to-date depreciation of nearly 40 per cent. The weakening of the naira was triggered by the central bank’s decision to remove trading restrictions on the official market. For the kwanza, it was the decision of the central bank to stop defending the currency as a result of low oil prices and greater debt payments.” Other currencies with significant losses so far in 2023, according to the World Bank, included South Sudan (33 per cent), Burundi (27 per cent), the Democratic Republic of Congo (18 per cent), Kenya (16 per cent), Zambia (12 per cent), Ghana (12 per cent), and Rwanda (11 per cent). It noted that parallel exchange market rates are also compounding inflationary problems for some countries in the African region. In June 2023, the Central Bank of Nigeria directed Deposit Money Banks to remove the rate cap on the naira at the official Investors and Exporters’ window of the foreign exchange market, and allow the free float of the naira against the dollar and other global currencies. Since then, the naira had fallen from N473.83/$ to around N800/$ officially. Highlighting the widening difference between the parallel and official exchange rates of the naira, the bank stated that this had been the case from March 2020 until June 2023. It said the parallel rate premium increased to 80 per cent in November 2022, and then to about 60 per cent in June 2023, as the Central Bank’s interventions to restrict foreign exchange demand and keep the exchange rate artificially low were met with declining FX supply from oil revenues. The unification and liberalisation of the exchange rates in June 2023 allowed the NAFEX rate to converge to the parallel one, closing the gap, it said. It added, “However, resistance toward the increasing pressure on the Nigerian naira coupled with limited supply of FX at the official window has led to the reemergence of the parallel market premium.” Nigeria’s growth rate would decelerate from 3.3 per cent in 2022 to 2.9 per cent in 2023, the Washington-based bank highlighted It stated that the country’s oil production had remained below OPEC+ quota amid capacity issues and lower international oil prices and while non-oil economic activity, particularly industry and services still supported growth, policy actions to remove fuel subsidies and unify the exchange rates might be weighing on these activities in the short term. The World Bank noted that activity in Nigeria’s manufacturing and services sector contracted in August. “Weak business confidence and rising input costs are driving the contraction of activity,” it said. It stresses business confidence appears to have weakened in Nigeria. Commenting on the recent reforms of the new administration of Bola Tinubu, the global bank disclosed that purchasing power of households was expected to suffer in the short term. It said, “The incoming Tinubu administration implemented a series of reforms that included the removal of fuel subsidies and the devaluation and unification of the exchange rate system. Petroleum prices have more than tripled since the subsidies were lifted at the end of May. “The naira has weakened by nearly 40 per cent against the US dollar since the mid-June devaluation. Although these measures are intended to improve the fiscal and external accounts of the nation, their inflationary effects in the near term can erode the purchasing power of households and weigh on economic activity.”

Tinubu’s Certificate Not Fake, Presidency Breaks Silence On Chicago Saga

  The presidency has dismissed claims that the certificate President Bola Tinubu presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2023 elections was forged. Chicago State University (CSU) had released the academic records of President Bola Tinubu to his political opponent, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, following the order of a court. Powered By VDO.AI Video Player is loading. PauseUnmute Fullscreen ad Atiku, the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 election, had requested the documents to back his allegation of forgery of CSU certificate against Tinubu. The allegation of forgery was one of those dismissed by the presidential election court in the suit Atiku filed to challenge the election of Tinubu. Despite the court’s ruling, Atiku continued his case at the US court, hoping to get official documents to back his claim and possibly include them in his appeal at the Supreme Court. Through his lawyers, Atiku sought these key things – an example of a CSU diploma issued in 1979; Tinubu’s diploma issued in 1979; example of a CSU diploma that “contains the same font, seal, signatures and wording” as Tinubu’s diploma issued in June 1979 and CSU documents certified and produced by Jamar Orr, an associate general counsel at CSU at the time. The university registrar had made an oral deposition of the documents, but there were different interpretations. Reacting on Wednesday, President Tinubu’s media aide, Temitope Ajayi, argued that CSU affirmed under oath that Tinubu attended and graduated from the institution and that the school does not handle replacements for lost certificates. He said there was no truth in the forgery claim, adding that no person can forge a certificate he already has. Taking to his account on the X formerly known as Twitter, the presidential media aide wrote: “We should be clear. “In the deposition made by the Chicago State University, there was nowhere the University said the certificate presented to INEC by President Tinubu is fake. The University insisted under oath that President Tinubu graduated with honours and even at that, replacements for lost certificates are done by vendors not the University. “The claim that President Tinubu submitted fake certificate to INEC does not make sense. A man can not forge the academic records he possesses. You can only forge what you don’t have.”

NRC Suspends Workers Collecting Fares From Passengers Without Tickets

  The Nigeria Railway Corporation has suspended members of staff who were caught negotiating with passengers on the Lagos-Ibadan Train Service without obtaining tickets. A long viral post had trended on the social media showing the yet-to-be-identified staff collecting money from passengers who did not obtain tickets prior to the take-off of the train. A post by one Daramola E. Adenike @Dara4Enjoyment on X (formerly Twitter) had trended for days on the microblogging site and WhatsApp where the user narrated how several passengers in one of the coaches did not obtain tickets but the NRC officials collected cash from them. The post read: “On my way to Lagos from Ibadan today, some NRC employees lured us to board the train without tickets. Initially, they acted like they were taking us to the ticket counter only for them to lead us to the railway without official ticket. They collected cash on transit. On 2nd October 2023, my friends and I were going back to Lagos after a weekend getaway in Ibadan. “We arrived at the Train Station around 03:40pm. While we were walking to the entrance of Obafemi Awolowo Train Station Ibadan, a uniformed NRC official approached us. “He asked if we had the tickets and I told him we were on our way to get tickets. He then asked how many we are and I told him that we are five (5). “He told us to follow him. We were confident we could trust him because he was wearing a uniform and identified as a staff. My friends and I followed him thinking he was leading us to the ticket counter only for us to pass through screening and head towards the railway. “I immediately told him that we do not have tickets to board the train but he said I shouldn’t worry that it would be sorted. “He handed me over to another uniformed staff who led us to Coach 7. I told the lady the same thing that we do not have tickets and she said she was aware and it would be sorted. “While pacing and looking for a staff, I saw new people come into the train and I approached one of them. I asked him if he has a ticket and he said yes. I asked him when he got the ticket and he replied, ‘just now’ This ruled out my assumption that we were too late. I saw the uniformed staff that led us into the train and asked him about the tickets. His response was that we are a group of 5 so if we go to the counter to purchase the tickets we would not be able to sit together. “I was shocked. He couldn’t even make something believable up. I went back to my seat. I still had my money with me so I would wait and see what happens next. “Few minutes after the train started moving, they started collecting cash from people on Coach 7. I paid N18,000 cash for 5 persons. Over 60 persons paid N3,600 each without tickets.” Our correspondent reports that the practice has been rampant with the staff collecting cash from some passengers who arrive a little late to the train station. Meanwhile, the NRC has suspended the officials involved pending an investigation into the case. Spokesman of NRC, Mahmood Yakub in a statement said the NRC frowned at the act of the staff and said an in-depth investigation had commenced. He said, “The public is invited to note that the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) seriously condemns such act of misconduct which is a flagrant disobedience to laid down rules and utter betrayal of the confidence reposed on such workers, especially at this time that the Federal Government is making all efforts at revitalising and modernising the Corporation. This misconduct is regrettable and unacceptable as it negates the tenets and norms of the Corporation. The Corporation has therefore placed the identified erring officers on immediate suspension pending the outcome of the in-depth investigation already on-going by the Management Committee set up to look into the issue. “Our esteemed passengers and the general public are assured that this unwholesome attitude and image dent to the Corporation by any staff will not be tolerated nor treated with any levity. Accordingly, disciplinary proceedings in line with the Extant Rules citing relevant sections of the NRC General Rules and Public Service Rules (PSR) will definitely be visited on all those found wanting or connected to this irresponsible act. The management of NRC wishes to use this medium to enjoin all our intending passengers on LITS and other train corridors to insist and demand for boarding ticket(s) after making appropriate payment at the designated stations or book online appropriately. Please note that the electronic ticketing system is been deployed and will be available on both the Lagos – Ibadan Train Service and the Warri – Itakpe Train Service (WITS) by end of October, 2023.”

REPORT: Ibe Kachikwu, ex-minister, indicted in Diezani’s UK ‘bribery’ case

  Ibe Kachikwu, a former minister of state for petroleum resources, has been mentioned in the criminal charges levelled against Diezani Alison-Madueke. Alison-Madueke, who was Nigeria’s minister of petroleum resources between 2010 and 2015, is charged with receiving bribes in the form of cash, luxury goods, flights on private jets and the use of high-end properties in Britain in return for awarding oil contracts. In the court process seen by TheCable, Kachikwu was mentioned alongside Benedict Peters, Aiteo chief executive officer (CEO) and Haruna Momoh, a former managing director of pipelines and product marketing company (PPMC). Other Nigerians mentioned in the court process are Olatimbo Bukola Ayinde and Doye Agama. According to the court process, Kachikwu was bribed in August 2015 “with the intention of influencing his capacity as a foreign public official”. The document added that the act was contrary to sections 6 and 11 of the Bribery Act 2010. Alison-Madueke appeared before a Westminster magistrates’ court on Monday but did not take her plea. Michael Snow, the district judge, granted her bail in the sum of £70,000. Snow, however, imposed other conditions on the former minister after deeming her “a flight risk”. The conditions include an 11 pm to 6 am curfew, an electronic tag to be worn at all times and a £70,000 surety to be paid before she could leave the court building. Meanwhile, the former minister is also being investigated over allegations of bribery and money laundering in Nigeria. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had alleged that Alison-Madueke stole $2.5 billion from Nigeria’s coffers when she was a minister. She has denied all allegations levelled against her. Dele Oyewale, the EFCC spokesperson, said the commission has obtained a warrant of arrest and initiated extradition proceedings against the former minister. Source: TheCable

eNaira threat to financial stability- CBN report

  A new report has raised concerns about Nigeria’s central bank digital currency, eNaira, indicating potential risks to financial stability despite its success in narrowing the country’s financial inclusion gap. Launched nearly two years ago under the stewardship of former Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele, eNaira is set to mark its second anniversary in October. While the CBN championed eNaira for enhancing financial inclusion and expanding the size of banks’ deposit base, its report, titled “Economics of Digital Currency” obtained by The PUNCH, warns about stability risks due to the conversion of bank deposits into eNaira. The report noted, “Since its inception, bank deposit conversion to e-naira has exhibited an average monthly growth of 78.3 per cent and totalled about N1.66bn [$2.1 million]. “Furthermore, eNaira in circulation as a ratio of average banking system liquidity has averaged 0.1 per cent, reaching highs of 0.2 per cent in each of May and August 2022,” the CBN report noted. According to the report, the impact arises from the fact that funds converted by customers into eNaira are held within wallets domiciled with the CBN, rendering them unavailable for lending activities by commercial banks. As of December 2021, the CBN minted a total of N2bn in eNaira. This milestone, coupled with the nuanced challenges faced by commercial banks due to the eNaira’s issuance and exchange processes, has sparked discussions within the financial sector. It noted that the sluggish growth is attributed to the slow adoption rate among individual users, evident in the low number of active consumer wallets, totalling 10,420. The report revealed that the number marked an improvement from previous months, reflecting 187,190 wallets activated for use as of July 2022. Despite these efforts, challenges persist, hindering the broader adoption of the eNaira in Nigeria’s digital financial landscape. Further, the apex bank noted that eNaira can also negatively affect banks’ overall profitability via reduced non-interest income. The CBDC also comes with increased cyberattack risks, the report said.

Pastor, Brother To Die By Hanging For Murder In Akwa Ibom

  The Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Essien Udim have sentenced two brothers – a pastor and a motorcyclist – to death by hanging for killing a farmer over a parcel of land. The convicts are Uduak Udo Umoren, 48-year-old pastor and his 34-year-old brother, Emmanuel Udo Umoren, popularly called ‘okada’. They were found guilty for the murder of one Iboro Akpan Joe, a 45-year-old farmer and trader from Ikot Otu in Essien Udim Local Government Area of the state. It was gathered that Joe had accompanied his sister-in-law in Adiasim Ikot Ekon to her late husband’s farm to assess how much she could sell the land and use the proceeds for his burial. While on the farm, Emmanuel’s wife reportedly saw them and invited her husband to the land on the claim that someone was trying to bury a charm on their family land. Emmanuel alongside his wife, her son and brother in-law were said to have attacked Joe with a machete and stabbed him on the farm. Joe was said to have been beaten to a stupor and dragged to his family compound close to the farm, despite pleas from his sister-in-law and his wife, who heard him cry for help and rushed to the scene. It was learnt that at the family compound, the two brothers continued to beat Joe until the Youth President of Adiasim Ikot Ekon Village and other members intervened, and rushed him to a hospital in Ikot Ekpene, where he was reportedly rejected. He was taken back home and died three days after. The presiding judge, Justice Winifred Effiong, found the two brothers guilty of murder and sentenced them to death by hanging. The court ruled that the prosecution team from the state Ministry of Justice proved the case beyond reasonable doubt that the brothers intentionally killed Joe.

Students to undertake drug test before admission – UniAbuja

  Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’allah has disclosed that students who intend to study in the university must undertake and present a drug test before admission. Na’allah, who made this known at the 27th Pre- Convocation briefing in Abuja on Wednesday said the institution is working with NDLEA to help students involved in drug abuse and to rehabilitate them. He said drug status of students is important in order to help students to be free from drugs.   Though he said the students would not be sent out from school if involved in drug abuse, but rather be rehabilitated in collaboration with the NDLEA. The vice chancellor also disclosed that 7,128 undergraduate students would be graduating at the school’s convocation slated for Saturday, on Oct. 7. He listed those that would be graduating to also include 100 PhDs, 326 academic Masters and 346 Professional Masters. He said 40 students would be graduating with First Class , 474 with Second Class Upper, 944 Second Class Lower, 174 with 3rd Class and One Pass degree. He, however, said the university had banned Pass degree going forward. He added that the university would also confer Honorary Doctorate Degree of Letters on Prof. Toyin Falola of the University of Texas, Houston for his role in the development and growth of the institution and other African universities at large. The vice chancellor also explained that the institution would be introducing Russia Language as part of the general courses that students must pass before graduating. This, he said is to make new knowledge available to students. “The university has developed into a global university with the offering of different languages, which include Japanese, French, Portuguese among others. “Efforts are though being made to bring in full some of the foreign languages as degrees programmes but the varsity has made it a compulsory in General Studies that every student must study and pass a foreign language before graduation. “We are going to offer Russia language in addition to the foreign languages we offer. Students are made to offer and pass one of these foreign languages,”he said. While noting the efforts made by the university to achieve its mandates, he said it has embarked on fund raising for alumni, philanthropists and also identifying foundations that would help in sponsoring researches, trainings and others. He also disclosed the National Universities Commission (NUC) had approved 26 new academic programmes for the university. According to him the university will now offer some of the new courses starting from 2023/2024 academic session. The courses include Nursing, Communication and Media Studies, Pharmacy, Tourism and hospitality, Agricultural engineering, among others.