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Tag: imprisonment

  • Senate summons CG Prisons over imprisonment of under-age

    Senate summons CG Prisons over imprisonment of under-age

    The Senate on Wednesday summoned the Controller-General, Prisons, Mr Ahmed Ja’afaru, to appear before its Committee on Interior, to explain why under-age offenders and infants should be confined with adults in the nation’s prisons.

    The upper chamber also urged various security agencies involved in the arrest and detention of juveniles to ensure that they were not incarcerated beyond 48 hours.

    These resolutions were sequel to a motion on “Illegal Confinement of Under-age Offenders/Infants in the Same Prison with Adult Prisoners” brought by Sen. Victor Umeh (APGA-Anambra) at plenary.

    Umeh noted that he was traumatised by the gory pictures of under-age children languishing in prison as contained on pages 13 to 15 of the Nation Newspaper of Saturday, March 31.

    According to him the report was captioned “Kids Behind Bars: World of Under-age Languishing in Prison”.

    The lawmaker alleged police prosecutors encouraged under-age offenders to inflate their ages during arraignment in courts, assuring them that such practice would lead to their release.

    He expressed concern that the repercussion of keeping infants in prison with their mothers was enormous as it would deny them proper upbringing.

    The lawmaker, therefore, advocated that separating under-age offenders and the innocent infants from regular prisons as prescribed by law, would go a long way in protecting their mental health and development.

    The prayers of the motion were unanimously adopted by the lawmakers after a voice vote by Senate President Bukola Saraki.

  • JUST IN: Court sentences Developer to 2,670 years imprisonment for duping 133 tenants

    An Ebute-Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, has sentenced a property developer, Alhaji Ayobami Oseni, to 2,670 years imprisonment for duping 133 accommodation seekers of N25 million.

    Chief Magistrate O. O. Olatunji convicted Oseni following his plea of guilty to 267 counts of conspiracy, obtaining under false pretenses and stealing.

    He sentenced Oseni to 10 years imprisonment with no option of fine on each of the 267 counts.

    The sentences, which are to run concurrently, take effect from April 26, 2017 when Oseni was remanded in prison custody following the revocation of his bail.

    Thus, the convict should spend only 10 years in jail, but if the one year he has spent in remand is deducted, his prison time reduces to nine years.

    Oseni was prosecuted by the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) and the Lagos State Real Estate Transaction Department (LASRETRAD).

     

    More details soon…

  • Falana knocks police over Melaye’s arraignment, imprisonment

    Falana knocks police over Melaye’s arraignment, imprisonment

    Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), on Thursday criticized the Nigeria Police for arraigning Kogi-West lawmaker, Senator Dino Melaye in court on a stretcher.

    Falana said in a statement on Thursday that the degrading and humiliating treatment meted out to Melaye was a violation of his fundamental human right.

    The senior advocate said, “The arraignment of Senator Dino Melaye in a stretcher in Abuja on Wednesday and Lokoja on Thursday morning is unacceptable in a civilised society.

    “It is particularly degrading and humiliating as it violates the fundamental right to the dignity of his person guaranteed by Section 34 of the constitution and Section 7 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.”

    Falana, however, stated that Melaye’s ordeal was a reflection of the suffering ordinary Nigerians faced in the hands of security agents on a daily basis.

    He, therefore, called on the National Assembly which has protested against Melaye’s arrest, to use the opportunity to call on the relevant agencies to turn a new leaf.

  • Vietnam Court sentences Nigerian man to 18 years imprisonment over import scam

    A Southern Vietnam court has sentenced a Nigerian to 18 years in prison over a fake customs enforcement scam, state media reported on Friday.

    Michael Ikechukwu Leonard, 45, was convicted on Thursday of “deceiving others to steal their assets” in a scam which targeted wealthy Vietnamese women.

    The court in Can Tho city determined that Leonard gained his victims’ trust on messaging apps, using various alter egos, including a U.S. army officer.

    The convict was said to have promised to send his victims valuable presents, including laptops and jewellery from the U.S.
    Local accomplices, Huynh Ha Binh, Huynh Ha Uyen and Nguyen Tran Quynh Nhi would then contact the women, claiming to be customs agents and demand fees or fines for the non-existent shipments.

    They successfully conned a woman in Can Tho out of 28,500 dollars, leading to their arrest.

    It is unclear how many women were duped by the gang in total.

    Leonard’s accomplices received sentences ranging from 12 to 15 years.

  • BREAKING: Kebbi Accountant General, Dakingari sentenced to 70 years imprisonment over N1.6bn Fraud

    The Court of Appeal Kebbi Division has sentenced a Kebbi State Accountant-General Mohammed Dakingari, to 70 years imprisonment after finding him guilty of N1.6bn fraud.

    The Court upturned the judgment of a Kebbi State High Court which discharged and acquitted a Kebbi State Accountant-General, Mohammed Arzika Dakingari, on charges of conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence preferred against him and one other by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

    He, among other things allegedly used his office as the Accountant-General, Kebbi State for personal enrichment to the tune of N1.6billion. Dakingari was charged alongside Musa Yusuf, Managing Director, Beal Construction Nigeria Limited; a company owned by him (Dakingari) and used in award various contracts to himself. Dakingari’s stake in Beal Construction Limited is contrary to civil service regulation which forbids serving officers from owning businesses.

    Findings by the EFCC at the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, showed that Mohammed Bashir Mohammed, Anwal Sadat and Nasir Mohammed, all sons of the Accountant-General, are directors of the company (Beal Construction), while two of his brothers, Abduallahi Mohammed and Habibu Mohammed are the other two directors. The construction company operates two accounts at EcoBank and Unity Bank with Dakingari and Yusuf as signatories to the accounts.

    However, Dakingari was discovered to operate with two signatures, one in his official capacity as Accountant-General of the state and the other as owner of Beal Construction Company Limited.

    Analysis of the accounts revealed a total credit of N1.3billion between May 2012 and September 2013, with most of the receipts coming from the Office of the Accountant-General and the Kebbi State Ministry of Finance. Some of the contracts executed for the state for which Beal Construction Company received huge payments included the supply of furniture to 66 secondary schools in Kebbi State valued at N987million; the connection of water and drainage system at Kebbi Central Mosque valued at N110million and the building and partitioning of Mohammed Maira Secondary School valued at N247million. Upon the conclusion of investigation, the EFCC filed a 20-count charge of conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence and abuse of office against Dakingari and Yusuf. The trial court in its determination of the case convicted and sentenced Yusuf to six months imprisonment while it discharged and acquitted Dakingari.

    Dissatisfied, the EFCC approached the Court of Appeal asking it to set aside the judgment of the lower court and convict Dakingari as charged. The appellate court in its well considered judgment allowed the appeal by the EFCC, convicted and sentenced Dakingari to 70 years imprisonment each on 10 of the counts preferred against him by the anti-graft agency. The sentence is, however, to run concurrently.

  • 40-year-old serial pedophile bags 8 years imprisonment for defiling two minors

    By Murphy Aigbe, Bayelsa

    A Magistrate Court sitting in Yenagoa has sentence a 40-year old man, Goodness Ogiode to 8 years imprisonment over two count charges of unlawful carnal knowledge of two minors.

    The serial Pedophile, an indigene of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area Council, who reside along Sandfill area of Kpasia community, was arrested on 15th September 2017 and immediately charged to Court.

    The prosecuting counsel and Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Barr. Dise Ogbise-Erhisere told the court that the accused is a serial sexual predator and has violated two minors.

    He was therefore charged with a two-count charge of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a 4-year old girl and unlawful carnal knowledge of a 5-year old boy.

    Delivering the judgment on the two-count charge, the magistrate convicted the suspect after he pleaded guilty to the charges.

    Expressing delight over the judgment, Dise Sheila Ogbise, chairperson of FIDA Bayelsa said it is victory for FIDA Bayelsa and a warning signal to pedophiles, child molesters and abusers.

    Ogbise-Erhisere, who is also the complainant in the matter told reporters that she was happy with the speedy dispensation of justice in the case.

    She explained that on Friday 15th September 2017, she got a distress call from a concerned neighbour on the defilement of a boy.

    According to her, she was informed by neighbours that he is a serial molester of children where the mother of the 4-year-old girl caught him having carnal knowledge with her daughter.

    She narrated how she reported the matter at the Ekeki Police station and subsequent arrest of the accused.

    The FIDA chairperson thanked members of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Bayelsa State chapter for their role and the various medical examination they carried out on the victims as well as the police force for the prompt arrest and prosecution.

     

  • Guard to spend 4 months in prison for `sleeping on duty’

    Guard to spend 4 months in prison for `sleeping on duty’

    A security guard who left his duty post for the comfort of his bed has been sentenced to four months imprisonment by a Karmo Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja.

    The court sentenced the security guard, one Zakaria Jacob, to four months imprisonment for sleeping at his duty post, when thieves burgled his employer’s premises.

    Jacob, 32, of Waru Apo village, Abuja, stood trail on a count charge of negligent conduct.

    The convict pleaded guilty to the one count charge agreeing that his negligence paved way for burglars to gain access and steal property.

    The judge, Mr Abubakar Sadiq, however, gave the convict an option to pay N20,000 fine, and warned him to be more committed to his work.

    Prosecuting counsel, Dalhatu Zannah, had told the court that one Okandza Pieme of 350 Williams St., Utako, Abuja, lodged a petition on the matter at the Utako Police Station on June 3.

    Zannah said the complainant employed the convict to work as security guard in his house.

    He said that the convict was expected to be on duty at the time the crime was committed.

    Zannah said that the convict was sleeping and abandoned his duty post which paved way for burglars to gain access into the complainant’s apartment.

    He said that the burglars made away with the complainant’s laptop, three Samsung cell phones, valued at N610,000, cash and some other valuable items

    The prosecutor said that all efforts by the police to recover the stolen items proved abortive.

    Zannah said the offence contravened Section 196 of the Penal Code