Tag: Prison

  • Alleged rape: Chrisland’s supervisor sent to Kirikiri prisons as court revokes bail

    Alleged rape: Chrisland’s supervisor sent to Kirikiri prisons as court revokes bail

    Justice Sybil Nwaka of an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Tuesday revoked the bail of Chrisland School Supervisor, Adegboyega Adenekan, who is standing trial for allegedly defiling a two-year-old pupil of the school.

    Justice Nwaka revoked Adenekan’s bail for one day after expressing concerns that he might become a flight risk and not come to court at the next adjourned date fixed for today (Wednesday).

    The judge took the decision after Adenekan was led in defence for over an hour by his counsel, Olatunde Adejuyigbe (SAN).

    At the end of his defence, the trial judge declined to let him go back home in line with the bail he has been enjoying but rather sent him to Kirikiri Prisons.

    “My intuition is telling me that the defendant may not appear tomorrow for the continuation of his trial. For his own security, I am hereby revoking his bail and order that he be remanded in Kirikiri Prisons until the next adjourned date,” the Judge ruled.

    The defendant is facing a lone count charge of child defilement before the court.

    During resumed proceedings yesterday, Adenekan told the court that he found the allegations that he defiled a pupil of the school as “false and highly embarrassing.”

    The defendant told the court that he had built a teaching career spanning over 23 years and that no parent has ever accused him of child defilement.

    When the defendant was asked how he met the victim’s mother, the school supervisor said he knew the woman as one of the parents of pupils at Chrisland School, Ajah, Victoria Garden City.

    He said he became aware of the allegation against him on November 14, 2016.

    Adenekan said: “It was on a Friday around 8pm , I received a call from an unknown number and she introduced as a parent in the school. She outrightly told me that I had sexually abused her two-year-old daughter.

    “I was shocked at the allegation. She now further went on to tell me that we should keep the matter between the two of us and not tell anyone.

    “She ended the call and thereafter sent me a message that read: ‘I want you to still be friendly with my child’.

    Adenekan claimed to still have on his phone the text message sent to him by the girl’s mother.

    He also claimed to have told his wife about the discussion he had on my phone.

    The defendant told the court that he was also threatened by the father of the girl.

    Adenekan said he reported the matter to the Head Teacher and a meeting was convened, with the girl’s mother in attendance.

    “During the meeting, it was concluded that the child should be examined by the school’s hospital. The mother refused. She later called her husband who gave his consent,” he said.

    Adenekan said it was the girl’s mother that made arrangement for a polygraph test to be conducted on him by Halogen Securities in Maryland and that he consented because he had nothing to hide.

    “I was shocked when the report of the Halogen test came back and it said that I was lying. I strongly believe that the child’s mother and the security company that conducted the test fabricated the results.

    “The child was in pre-school 1 when I met her. I only stand at the door of their class and say, ‘hello children.’ The class teacher and the two class assistants are usually there. I have never been alone with the child in question. I have never taken her out of the class to my office,” he said.

    When asked if he defiled the child, he said, “I have two daughters – age 14 and 16. I would never allow someone do such to my children. I have been married for 18 years. My wife is even here. I have no special relationship with the child.”

    When the school supervisor was asked if he knew the child drew his penis, he said, “I heard she drew a penis but that is between her and her mother. I have never exposed my penis to this child neither have I fingered her or put my penis in her vagina. I am very sure everything is fabricated,” Adenekan said.

    The two-year-old girl in her testimony had earlier accused the defendant of defiling her.

    She had told the court, “Mr Adenekan put his wee wee (penis) in my bum bum (vagina).

    State Prosecutor, B.T Boye had called about six witnesses who testified before the court while the defence had called two teachers of the school who described the defendant as a role model.

    Adenekan was forced to open his defence after the court dismissed his application in which he submitted that he had no case to answer.

    Justice Nwaka adjourned till today for cross-examination of the defendant.

  • Court sentences yahoo boy to 35 years in prison

    Court sentences yahoo boy to 35 years in prison

    A Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on Tuesday sentenced an internet fraudster, Temitope Charles, to 35 years in prison without an option of fine.

    The Presiding Judge, Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar, while delivering Judgement on a criminal charge brought against the convict by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), pronounced the convict guilty and sentenced him to seven years in prison on each of the five-count charge.

    Abdulgafar directed that the prison sentence should run concurrently.

    The Judge agreed that EFCC had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, noting that the evidence of the only prosecution witness, Olamide Sadiq, who is an operative of the commission, was very strong and reliable.

    ” The evidence of PW1, Olamide Sadiq, was left unchallenged by the defendant; all the chats and text messages were printed from his email address in his presence.

    “I have considered the testimonies of the PW1, this honourable court is of the opinion that the PW1 is a witness of truth, the accused person indeed was in possession of fake documents, the prosecution has sufficiently link the defendant to the email address,” Abdulgafar said.

    Earlier, Defence Counsel, A.B Bakare, had urged the judge to temper justice with mercy, saying that his client was a first time offender.

    Prosecuting Counsel, Sessan Ola, opposed to the request and asked the court to sentence the convict according to the provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act.

    Ola said: “going by the provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, the minimum punishment for this type of offence is seven years and maximum of 20 years, the court can not use its discretion outside the same.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that sometime in March, the EFCC had arraigned Charles before the court on a five- count charge bordering on internet fraud.

    Charles was allegedly caught with some documents indicating that he wanted to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

    One of the five-count charge read: “the suspect, who is also known as Teresa Simon, was said to have been apprehended on February 28, 2019, in Ilorin in possession of documents containing false representation with intent to defraud, an offence said to be contrary to Sections 6 and 8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act,”

  • Court sentences 2 ‘yahoo boys’ to 1 year in prison each

    A High Court, sitting in Ilorin on Thursday sentenced two applicants to one year in prison each for posing as white women to swindle job seekers.

    The presiding judge, Justice Sikiru Oyinloye sentenced Johnson Okuselu, 23 and Saheed Olanrewaju, 25 after they pleaded not guilty without an option of fine.

    Oyinloye said the sentence followed a plea bargain agreement, entered upon by the prosecution and defence counsel and the evidence admitted into court.

    ”Following the accused acceptance of guilt, I therefore sentence you to year in prison each in Oke-kura prison yard.

    ”The sentence will begin from April 28,” the judge held.

    Earlier, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Counsel, Mr A.A. Adebayo told the court that sometimes in April, Okuselu pretended to be Ms Blessed Saviour, a white woman, who promised to provide a job in the U.S. to one Omni Guzman.

    Adebayo said that the defendants used a gmail account; blessed.saviour000@gmail.com. to scam innocent people.

    The offence, he added, contravened the provisions of sections 95, 321 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 322 of the same law.

    Testifying, Mr Akanbi Sadiq, an investigator with the EFCC, told the court that on April 28, operatives of the commission, arrested the defendants at the Ilorin International Airport.

    He said that when they were arrested, operatives seized an IPhone from Olanrewaju.

    ” When we searched the phone, we discovered that the defendant also created another email, using the name James Kaik, with email address, captainjameskaik@gmail. com.

    “Using the picture of a white man, they deceived people into v=believing that they can get jobs for them,’ he testified.

  • Lagos pardons 14 inmates, coverts death row for 20 others to life imprisonment

    The Lagos State government, through the Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, on yesterday pardoned 14 inmates of the Maximum Security Prison, Kirikiri who have been imprisoned for over 20 years for various offences, while 20 others on death row had their punishment converted to life imprisonment.

    Speaking while handing over the order for the release of the inmates signed by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to prison authorities, the State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Adeniji Kazeem (SAN) said the development was pursuant to constitutional provision which provides for the constitution of an Advisory Council and grants the Governor power to grant clemency to convicted persons on the advice of the Council.

    Prerogative of Mercy is a right recognised under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended); Section 212(2) of the Constitution provides that the powers conferred on the Governor under Section 212(1) shall be exercised by him after consultation with the Advisory Council of the State on the Prerogative of Mercy as may be established by the law of the State,” Kazeem stated.

    He said the inmates were considered to benefit from the prerogative of mercy after due examination of their case files, which revealed that they have been reformed and ready for re-integration into the society.

    Kazeem, who is also a member of the council, specifically congratulated the inmates, and advised them to be of good conduct outside the prison.

    Also speaking, chairman of the council, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo said aside its power under the Constitution, the setting up of the Council also serves as a way of de-congesting the prisons.

    He equally congratulated the beneficiaries of the clemency by the governor, and urged them to avoid acts that led to into prison in the first place.

    On his part, the Controller of Prison Incharge of Kirikiri Maximum Prison, DCP Emmanuel Oluwaniyi commended the state government especially the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice for the efforts to de-congest the prison.

    Oluwaniyi, newly deployed to the state, said it was particularly gratifying that he was commencing his stewardship in the state on a good note with the release of inmates who are due to be re-integrated into the society, just as he equally admonished them to be of good conduct outside the prison.

    Aside Oyewo and Kazeem, other members of the Lagos State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy are Mr. Adedotun Adetunji, Mrs Musili Onasanya, Mr. Olumide Oniyire, Mr. Chris Okoye, Mrs. Bolatumi Animashaun, and Mrs. Yemisi Ogunlola (Secretary).

  • Inmate who gave birth to twin dies

    Inmate who gave birth to twin dies

    The Nigerian Prisons Service, Cross River State Command, has disclosed the Awaiting Trial Female (ATF) inmate of the Afokang Prison in Calabar (name withheld), who was delivered of twin on April 17, has died.

    A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the Command, ASP Effanga Etim, said she gave birth through Caesarean section to a boy and a girl but died on April 19 due to complications.

    The Command debunked reports that she gave birth inside the prison, insisting she delivered at the General Hospital in Calabar, where she had been receiving regular ante-natal care.

    The statement reads: “The Nigeria Prisons Service, Cross River State Command has received with dismay media reports insinuating that an Awaiting Trial Female (ATF) inmate of Calabar Prison was delivered of twins inside the prison facility.

    The report is not true as the said inmate was remanded by a High Court in Calabar on 5th November, 2018 with six (6) month-old pregnancy for the offense of child stealing.

    While in prison, she had been under regular ante-natal care at the General Hospital, Calabar.

    ‘’On the 17th of April, 2019 by 1:30pm when her labour began, she was admitted in the same hospital and a caesarean section was carried out on her.

    With the intervention of the Cross River state Commissioner of Health, and the efforts of the Prison authority to provide the funds needed for the caesarean section, the said inmate was delivered of twins: a boy and a girl.

    ‘’However, due to complications arising from the caesarean section, she was referred to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) for further management, where she died on 19th April, 2019.

    The Command wishes to state emphatically that for the past four (4) years, there has not been any delivery in the Calabar prison infirmary.

    Albeit, the infirmary is well equipped to handle health emergencies that may arise with nine (9) medical experts comprising of a medical doctor, registered nurses/midwives and community health workers as well as back-up medical personnel stationed in the State Prison Headquarters, any emergency beyond the infirmary is referred to government hospitals outside the prison.

    The Nigerian Prisons Service, Cross River state command, is pained over the loss of the said inmate after a combined effort by the prison authority, the Cross River state government and medical personnel in the General Hospital, Calabar. I assure the public that the health and welfare of prisoners.”

    Etim said the babies are in the care of the state government at the moment.

  • Sudanese ousted president, Al-Bashir sent to prison, two brothers detained

    Sudanese ousted president, Al-Bashir sent to prison, two brothers detained

    Sudan’s military rulers have transferred ousted president Omar al-Bashir to prison and also detained two of his five brothers Abdallah Hassan al-Bashir and Al-Abbas Hassan al-Bashir.

    Following the dramatic end to Bashir’s rule of three decades last week, he was moved late Tuesday to Kober prison in the capital, a family source said without revealing his name for security reasons.

    Witnesses near the prison in north Khartoum said there was a heavy deployment of soldiers and members of a paramilitary group outside.

    The 75-year old’s whereabouts have been unknown since a military takeover on Thursday, when the country’s new rulers said he was being held “in a secure place”.

    The army council said it has also decided to integrate the Popular Defence Force into the army. The PDF is a type of reserve unit frequently used to support units of the regular army.

    Amnesty International called for Bashir to be “immediately handed over to the International Criminal Court” in The Hague where he faces charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to the conflict in Darfur. He denies the charges.

    His case must not be hurriedly tried in Sudan’s notoriously dysfunctional legal system. Justice must be served,” said Amnesty’s Joan Nyanyuki.

    Bashir’s detention has failed to pacify protesters, who launched anti-government demonstrations in December and have for days been camped out in front of Khartoum’s army headquarters.

    Scores of doctors in white robes marched from Khartoum’s main hospital towards the sit-in, carrying banners and chanting: “freedom, peace, justice.”

    Journalists held a separate rally, along with university students and scores of women from a Facebook group who call themselves “the Information Network of the Revolution”.

    The women — who include doctors, lawyers and teachers — are renowned for monitoring security agents who target protesters and publishing their information online in order to hold them to account.

    Later in the evening crowds of protesters flocked through Khartoum to join the sit-in chanting “revolution, revolution”, an AFP correspondent reported.

    Sudan’s military rulers have made some concessions, including the sacking Tuesday of prosecutor general Omer Ahmed Mohamed, but demonstrators fear their uprising could be hijacked.

    We faced tear gas, many of us were jailed. We have been shot and many have died. All this because we said what we wanted to,” Fadia Khalaf told AFP.

    Khalid Mohamed, a medic, said: “We got Bashir out, but we still have to get rid of the regime”.

    Officials say at least 65 people have been killed in protest-related violence since December, with some of the dead memorialised in a Khartoum mural.

  • 23 inmates sit for 2019 UTME at Ikoyi Prisons

    No fewer than 23 inmates of the Ikoyi Prisons School on Wednesday participated in the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)

    A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who monitored the examination reports that the inmates showed enthusiasm on siting the examiners who had also turned up early enough to administer the examination for the candidates behind the bars.

    The Principal of the facility’s school, ASP Ibikunle Idris, told NAN that a total of 25 of the inmates actually registered for the examination but that 23 sat for the examination.

    According to him, out of the 25 that registered, nine of them were however discharged before the date for the examination.

    Idris however stated that out of the nine that were discharged before the examination, seven of them came back to the facility to join others in taking the examination.

    “Two of the nine that were discharged did not show up for the examination.

    “But I must say the examination is a huge success. By our judgement, it was 100 per cent hitch free.

    “The systems and the backups were all working at their best and on our part, we ensured the candidates were well relaxed while they wrote the examination.

    “With the level of preparations we had for them prior to this examination, we will not expect anything short of 270 and above score.

    “We would want to commend some NGOs such as the Good News Baptist Church and other volunteers who joined hands with us in preparing the inmates, including our own staff and inmates. It was a joint effort,” he said.

    The Principal added that the Controller General of Prisons, Ja’afaru Ahmed, the former Controller of Prisons, Lagos Command, now Assistant Controller General of Prisons, Tunde Ladipo, had both showed great commitment in the overall welfare of the inmates.

    “One of their cardinal focus has been to give support in the general welfare, empowerment and reformation of the inmates.

    “The current Deputy Controller of the Ikoyi Prisons too, Tolu Ogunsakin on his own, has ensured that the inmates are given the best support in a bid to ensure that they carry on with their lives successfully whenever they regained freedom,” Idris told NAN

  • 446 Nigerians languishing in UAE prisons – Ambassador

    446 Nigerians languishing in UAE prisons – Ambassador

    Mohammed Rimi, Nigerian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, says 446 Nigerians are currently serving different terms in the UAE prisons.

    Rimi broke the news during President Muhammadu Buhari’s town-hall meeting with Nigerians in the Emirates on Tuesday.

    The ambassador said the 446 Nigerians are serving different jail terms for crimes ranging from possession of hard drugs to engaging in robbery.

    “Although there is no exact record of our citizens in the UAE, owing to the inability to register them on arrival, the number of Nigerians resident in the country is estimated at about 10,000. Out of this number, about 2,017 are students in various universities,” he said.

    “It is disheartening to state that 446 Nigerians are currently serving different terms in prisons across UAE on account of committing various crimes including possession and consumption of hard drugs and engagement in armed robbery.”

    Rimi also said in the spirit of forgiveness, tolerance and accommodation, the UAE government granted amnesty to all irregular residents in the country.

    “In 2018, 5,774 standard passport were issued by the embassy, out of which, 3,164 were specifically issued during the amnesty programme. Further 1,346 emergency traveling certificates were issued to Nigerians to facilitate their return home,” he said.

    He added that 5,021 Nigerians were granted amnesty to enable them live and pursue their legitimate businesses in the Emirates.

  • Kolade Johnson: Court remands killer inspector in prison

    Kolade Johnson: Court remands killer inspector in prison

    An Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Friday ordered the remand of Olalekan Ogunyemi, ex-police inspector charged with murdering 36-year-old Kolade Johnson.

    The magistrate, Mrs A.O. Salawu, ordered that Ogunyemi, be remanded at Ikoyi Prisons, pending advice from State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

    Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Kehinde Olatunde, had told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 31, at 5.10p.m., at Onipetesi Estate, Idi-Mangoro, Lagos.

    Ogunyemi, 45, who resides at No. 17, Alhaji Ede St., Igando, was docked on a count charge of murder

    He said that Ogunyemi used his Ak47 rifle to gun down 36-year-old Kolade Johnson.

    The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    Section 223 stipulates a death sentence if convicted.

    Olatunde, informed the court that he had a remand application order by the police to remand the defendant for the next 30 days.

    The plea of the defendant was not taken by the court.

    Counsel to the defendant, Sola Adeyemi, had urged the court to instead remand the defendant for the next 14 days as against the application of the prosecutor.

    Magistrate Salawu granted the application of the prosecutor and ordered 30 days remand and adjourned the case until May 6.

    Recall that Kolade, father of one, was shot dead by Ogunyemi, who served in the Anti Cultism Unit of Lagos State Police Command.

     

  • N5.6m fraud: Court sentences native doctor to 97 years in prison

    Justice Angela Otaluka of the FCT High Court Apo, on Wednesday sentenced a 43-year-old native doctor, Clement Joseph to a total of 97 years in prison over N5.6 million fraud.

    Joseph, also known as “Dr Omale”, was arraigned by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a seven-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence.

    Delivering judgment in the case, Justice Otaluka held that the prosecution had proved its case against the defendant and subsequently found him guilty as charged in all seven counts.

    She, therefore, sentenced him to seven years on court one without any option of fine and sentenced him to 15 years each on Counts two to seven without any option of fine.

    The judge, however, ordered that the sentence is to run concurrently, excluding the two years he had spent in prison custody before being convicted.

    Also, Justice Otaluka ordered the convict to make a restitution of the sum of N5. 6 million to Mrs Bola Akinbola, the nominal complaint in the case.

    In his allocutus before the sentence, counsel for the defendant, Johnbull Adara, urged the court to temper justice with mercy, adding that the court should take into account the fact that the convict has been in custody since August 5, 2016.

    While pleading that the court should give minimum sentence to the convict, Adara urged the court to consider the fact that Clement is a first-time offender.