Crime & Court
Mother of 5 Convicted for Forging Late Abba Kyari’s Signature
A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Abuja has delivered its verdict in the case involving Mrs. Ramat Mba, a mother of five children, accused of forging the signature of the late Abba Kyari, former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Presiding over the case, Justice Ibrahim Mohammad deferred Mrs. Mba’s sentencing until Thursday, the 16th of May, 2024. However, he directed that she be remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had initially arraigned Mrs. Mba in June 2022 on a 5-count charge including cheating, fraud, and forgery, contravening various sections of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 200 and the Penal Code Cap 89 laws of Northern Nigeria.
During the trial, ICPC’s Prosecutor, Mr. Hamza Sani, presented evidence detailing how Mrs. Mba allegedly deceived job seekers by promising them employment with government agencies such as the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), National Space Research Development Agency (NASRDA), and the ICPC.
Specifically, Mrs. Mba was accused of fraudulently inducing a job seeker to pay N700,000 into her private account under the guise of securing employment at the National Space Research and Development Agency.
Moreover, documentary evidence revealed that Mrs. Mba forged a letterhead from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President and Abba Kyari’s signature.
The forged letter, addressed to the Chairman of ICPC, requested the recruitment of three individuals by the Commission.
However, a correspondence from the late Chief of Staff distanced his office from authorising such a letter.
In his judgment, Justice Ibrahim Muhammad convicted Mrs. Mba on counts 1, 2, 3, and 5, related to cheating and forgery, while she was discharged on count 4, which pertains to felony.
The Lagos State Police Command has summoned three officers accused of extorting N1 million from members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the Surulere area of Lagos.
Footage of the incident, which went viral on social media late Friday, shows the officers confronting the corps members, reportedly over the absence of a physical copy of a driver’s license. The video was shared by social media user Oluyemi Fasipe, who claimed that the officers threatened the corps members with firearms and forcibly took them to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, the Area C Command of the Lagos State Police, where they allegedly extorted the sum of N1 million.
“Dear @BenHundeyin, Your officers today in Surulere extorted 1 million naira from three corps members,” Fasipe wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They were threatened with firearms, kidnapped, and taken to the KAFARU OLUWOLE TINUBU HOUSE AREA C POLICE COMMAND of the @LagosPoliceNG where they were robbed.”
Fasipe added that the entire incident stemmed from the corps members’ inability to present a physical copy of a driver’s license, a situation he described as “evil.”
In one of the videos, the officers are seen inspecting the vehicle’s documents, with the situation escalating as additional officers arrived. One officer can be seen entering the car and demanding that the corps members stop recording the incident, while also prohibiting them from contacting their families.
In response, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the officers involved have been summoned, and an investigation is underway.
“The men have been summoned, and their trial has commenced,” Hundeyin wrote on X. “We urge the complainants to visit the Complaint Response Unit at the State Headquarters to testify at the ongoing trial.”
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended an 80-year-old grandfather, Aremu Shojobi, for possession of 14 kilograms of cannabis.
The arrest was made by the Lagos State Strategic Command of the Agency last Friday, at Shojobi’s residence in the Iyana Ipaja area of the state.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
According to Babafemi, during questioning, the octogenarian confessed to being involved in the illicit drug trade for the past 25 years.
Shojobi further revealed that he sources his cannabis supply from the Republic of Benin and operates from his home, selling to customers daily between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
The agency has intensified its efforts to curb the illicit drug trade, and Shojobi’s arrest is seen as part of their ongoing crackdown on drug dealers in Lagos and beyond.
Police operatives in Lagos State have apprehended two individuals for allegedly trafficking newborn twin girls.
The arrest was made in the Berger area after a “Good Samaritan” alerted officers from the Ojodu Police Division.
Benjamin Hundeyin, the spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, confirmed the arrest in a statement released on Friday.
According to him, the suspects were found with two baby girls, approximately six days old, during a routine check on September 9, 2024. The suspects were traveling from Abia State at the time of their arrest.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were on their way to deliver the babies to a nurse in Lagos, who had been arranged by the mother of the twins. The deal was set to be completed once the suspects arrived in the state, Hundeyin disclosed.
“Upon questioning, the suspects confessed to the crime, stating they had been paid ₦150,000 to transport the babies to Lagos,” the police spokesman said. “They further revealed that the mother sold her newborns because she believed she could not provide proper care for them.”
Hundeyin added that efforts are underway to apprehend other individuals involved in the conspiracy. The arrested suspects were arraigned on Thursday, September 19, 2024, for their role in the illegal sale.
Meanwhile, the case has been transferred to the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command.
The twins have been placed in the care of a motherless babies home, where they are receiving proper care and medical evaluation.
The Lagos State Police Command continues to investigate the matter and has urged members of the public to report any suspicious activities involving child trafficking.
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