SENATE, AGF, NDLEA AGREE TO HALT BURUJI'S EXTRADITION TILL...

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the authorities of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Saturday agreed with the Senate to halt the alleged abduction of the senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Buruji Kashamu, to the United States.

Kashamu had alleged penultimate week that the anti drug agency was conniving with the authorities of the US government to abduct him from Nigeria, through unlawful means.

Kashamu’s lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede, had in a petition to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, claimed that NDLEA operatives had perfected strategies to forcefully take him to the US in order to answer drug related charges.

He had urged both the NDLEA and the office of the Attorney-General to drop the alleged plan and follow the rule of law in prosecuting Kashamu.

It specifically directed the two government establishments to stay any further action on Kashamu’s alleged drug charges in America, pending thorough investigation of issues raised in Kashamu’s petition against them.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, said the parties had resolved to halt further action on the matter pending the determination of the suit on the matter at the court.

Anyanwu said, “The Senate, AGF, NDLEA have unanimously agreed to stop further harassment, intimidation, abduction and extradition of Kashamu until the conclusion of the matter at the law court.

“We had also agreed that the rules of law and due process must be followed in the case.”

BURGLAR'S HEAD STUCK IN BURGLARY PROOF

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at a plaza on Plateau Club Road, Jos, Plateau State the head of a suspected burglar got stuck between burglarproof bars while he was trying to escape with items he stole from a shop within the facility.

The 32-year-old suspect, Solomon Clement, had entered the shop through the roof in the night.

He was said to have stolen seven pieces of suits, two blankets, 13 pairs of shoes and three pieces of bed sheets after which he tried to escape with the loots through the window. He had forced his body out of the window but was unfortunate as his head was trapped between the burglarproof bars.
He struggled in vain to free himself, until daybreak when the police were alerted of the incident. He was arrested, while the stolen items were recovered.

He said, “That was not the first time burglars attacked shops here. We normally close around 6pm. I suspect they connive with insiders, who might have been giving them information. Most times, they (burglars) break the bars. It was God that orchestrated the man’s (Clement) arrest. I learnt that he had entered through the roof. It was the security man who was moving around the complex that saw him with his head stuck. The shop is owned by one Daniel. I learnt he stocked the shop with suits and shoes recently.

“I want the police to handle this matter seriously and mete out appropriate punishment to the suspect. Maybe through that, others would learn to desist from the act.”

An eyewitness, who identified himself only as Julius, said Clement was freed after a welder was employed to cut the bars.

“He was there for hours. We called the police from the A Division who arrested him. We had to get a welder to cut the bars,” he said.

The Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abuh Emmanuel, said investigation was ongoing into the incident. He added that the suspect would be charged to court when the investigation was concluded.

He said, “The suspect, Solomon Clement, is from Agwa Mission, Gudu-Wada, Jos. People in that area alerted the police and he was arrested. Seven pieces of suits, two blankets, 13 pairs of shoes and three pieces of bed sheet, stolen from the shop, were recovered. The suspect is under investigation.”

LOVE CONQUERS ALL! FOLUKE DARAMOLA, KAYODE SALAKO NOW MARRIED

Star actress Foluke Daramola and her lover Kayode Salako have survived the odds that heralded their relationship four years ago. They were formally joined together as a couple today at the registry in Ogudu, Lagos.

We gathered that the event was a private one. Only a few close family members and associates were privileged to attend. The reception was held at Sunrise Chinese Restaurant, Ikeja.

Excited bride said  "I  give God the glory for everything. I also thank my husband and everyone who stood by us and are praying for us."

From the display message of the newest bride's Blackberry Messenger bbm, the couple may be planning something for Monday, February 15 , 2016 to mark the fourth anniversary of the relationship.

Wike suspends Commissioner for Finance, Accountant-General

Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers on Friday suspended the Commissioner for Finance and Accountant General of the State.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant to the Governor (Electronic Media), in Port Harcourt.

It said that Dr Fred Kpakol, the commissioner and Sir Abere Dagogo, the accountant general, had been suspended by the governor.

It said the suspension took immediate effect, but did not give any reason for the suspension of the two senior government officials.

50YR OLD PASTOR RAPES 18YR OLD GIRL says I wish the ground opens up, swallow me

Pastor Oprite Amakiri  (50),  General Overseer of Agape Baptist Church, has been arrested and detained at the Rumuolumeni Police Division in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State for raping 18year old member of his church.

Amakiri was said to have told about 200 members of his church that he had been battling waist pain for the past two years and stressed that God told him that a girl between the age of 12 and 18 years old would be needed to massage his waist for him to be healed.

The pastor (Amakiri) decided to visit the home of his victim’s sister to get massaged while the owner of the house (victim’s sister), who is a roadside trader, had gone to work.

It was learnt that the pastor raped the girl on three occasions and threatened to deal with her if she dared expose his deeds to anyone, including her elder sister.

Not satisfied with the development, the victim (names withheld) slammed the door against the pastor on the fourth day and stopped him from gaining access into the room for another round of sex.

Angered by the girl’s effrontery, the randy pastor called the elder sister of the victim and told her that the 18-year-old girl was trying to stop ‘God’s prophecy’, an action that forced the naïve victim’s sister to abandon her wares and rushed home with dissatisfaction.

On getting to her house, the rape victim told her sister how she had been defiled on four occasions by the pastor. It was at that point that the trader raised the alarm and Pastor Amakiri was arrested.

The errant pastor confessed to the crime and said nobody should blame it on the devil and that he (Amakiri) should take the blame because he actually planned and executed the rape of the teenager.

“The elder sister to the girl I raped is a choir member of my church. It was after choir practice one Thursday that I informed the sister that I would like to visit her house for a serious discussion and she obliged me.

“The following day, I paid her the visit and requested that she allow her younger sister (his victim), to massage my waist, that I had been having ache on it in the past two years and every treatment, drugs and injection had failed.

“She then went and discussed with the younger sister, who accepted to help me. So, we had the first massage treatment that day while the elder sister was around and nothing happened between me and the little girl.

The cleric, whose wife is a health worker in Degem Locl Government Area of the state, explained that he could not tell his wife to massage him because she only came home from her work place once a week when she was off duty.

Amakiri, who has four children, stated that it was during his fourth attempt at raping the girl that he met a brick wall and since then, he had not regained his freedom.

“I sincerely regret my actions. It is like the ground should open up and swallow me. Don’t blame the devil for what has happened, blame me because I was tempted and I did it,” he added.

The victim, who simply gave her name as Goodness, told newsmen that she never knew the pastor that was respected so much by members of his church could think of having sexual intercourse with her.

She said the pastor had warned her on each occasion he forcefully had carnal knowledge of her not to disclose what happened to anybody, including her elder sister.

“I was in the house when the pastor came and asked me to massage his waist. On the first day, I massaged him, nothing happened between us. But on the second day, while I was massaging him, he began to touch my breast and raped me.

“I tried to escape, but he held me and warned me never to tell anybody what he did to me. He has raped me three times,” the victim said, adding that she used vegetable oil to massage the pastor’s waist.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ahmad Mohammad, said the randy pastor had confessed to raping the girl on several occasions, adding that Amakiri would be charged to court at the end of an ongoing investigation into the matter.

He said the teenager would be taken to the hospital for a comprehensive medical check-up to ascertain that the pastor has not infected her with HIV or any other sexually transmitted diseases.

Money Laundering: Prosecution Opposes Ex-Gov Akwe Doma’s Document

The trial of Aliyu Akwe Doma, a former Nasarawa State governor, and two others, continued on  Wednesday,  February 10, 2016, before Justice A.A. Okeke of the Federal High Court sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, with the prosecution counsel, Femi Phinhero, SAN, objecting to the prayer of the defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo,  seeking to tender a document titled ‘‘Annual Report in the Office of the Accountant-General of  Nasarrawa State of December 31, 2007-2011’’ , during the cross-examination of a prosecution witness, Solomo Katsa,  a former director of finance. 

Akwe Doma alongside Timothy Anjide and Dauda Egwa, a former Accountant-General are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a 10-count charge bordering on money laundering and financial crimes.                   

The accused persons between January, 2007 and December, 2009 allegedly conspired and fraudulently laundered state funds to tune of  N8bn, an offence contrary to section 14(1)(a) of the Money Laundering  (Prohibition) Act 2004 and punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act.

At today’s sitting, the prosecution counsel told the court that tendering of a document, during cross-examination of the witness, implied that the defence counsel wanted to contradict or discredit the statement of the prosecution witness.

Phinhero further argued that the document could only be admitted if it emanated from the witness.

According to him, there must have been an earlier reference to the document by the witness for the document to be admitted, such that the defence could then take him up on it.  

Addressing the issue of certification of the document, the prosecution counsel also stated that the document was not in conformity with the Section 104 of the Evidence Act.  

He said: ‘‘Apart from the first page of the document that is stamped, the entire document has no stamp. The implication is that the other pages are not certified, so they cannot be certified true copies for the purpose of tendering.’’ 

However, in his response, Ojo told the court that the position canvassed by the prosecution counsel was misconceived, adding that it was alien to any Nigerian.

‘‘It is inconceivable that in Nigerian law that a document cannot be tendered through a party cross-examining a witness who is relevant to the party's case,’’ he said. 

According to him, the relevance of a document should determine its admissibility either during examination in- chief or cross-examination.

Ojo further told the court that Section 232 of the Evidence Act, as argued by the prosecution counsel, could not be relied upon in this case.

‘‘The purpose of cross-examination is not only to contradict a witness being cross-examined, but to elicit from the witness such facts that are supportive of the case of the cross-examining party,’’ he added.

Justice Okeke adjourned to February 15, 2016 for hearing on the application filed by the defence and March 9 to 11, 2016 and  April 29, 2016 for ruling on the admissibility of the document,  respectively.

Dangabar, Conspired with Bank to Launder Police N24b Pension Funds- Witness

Mustapha Gadanya, the fourth prosecution witness (PW4) in the ongoing trial of the seven persons accused of complicity in the over N24billion scam in the police pension office before Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja on Thursday, February 11, 2016 told the court that, the accused conspired with banks to launder police pension funds.

The accused persons are: Esai Dangabar, Atiku Abubakar Kigo, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, Mrs. Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula, Sani Habila Zira, Uzoma Cyril Attang and Christian Madubuke.

Gadanya, whose evidence started yesterday, told the court while being led in evidence today by counsel to EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, that the first accused, Esai Dangaba’s bank statement was obtained and analyzed.

According to him, the analysis revealed that, the bank statement did not reflect the investments as seen in the pay deposits advices recovered from the accused office.

“The bank was helping accused to launder money. Funds were kept in the bank’s suspense account and later fixed, never entering his company account”, Gadanya told the court.”

The witness further stated that, several funds discovered in the first accused account (close to a billion naira) had been withheld by the Federal Government. 

“Investigations revealed that several hundreds of millions fixed as investment deposits made by the first accused person through his companies AMT Global Concept and Damule Nigeria Limited were made when he was a director in the Police Pension Office”, he said. 

Documents in support of the claim were tendered in evidence and admitted by the court as exhibits.

Giving further details of the complicity of Dangabar in the matter, Gadanya said, the accused was also discovered to be the managing director and the sole signatory of Damule Nigeria Limited, the company where he had his wife and two sons listed as directors. 

The witness also named two properties located at Utako and Jabi which Dangabar bought worth hundreds of millions naira, one from a senator, in the name of his company Damule Nigeria Limited which he said had been forfeited temporarily to the Federal Government. 

Justice Baba adjourned to March 17 and 18, 2016 for continuation of trial.