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Court Grants EFCC’s Application To Continue Metuh’s Trial in Absential

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Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, sitting in Maitama, Abuja has ordered that the trial of Olisa Metuh, former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, would henceforth continue in his absence.

The judge gave the order on Wednesday, May 23, 2018 while ruling on an application by Silvanus Tahir, counsel to the EFCC, urging the court to continue with the trial in the absence of the embattled erstwhile spokesperson who collapsed in court on Monday while making his way to the dock.

Tahir, in his application argued that Metuh had acted in defiance to the judge’s order to remain where he was seated while the proceedings went on.

He also argued that the defendant had in the past employed all manners of delay tactics to frustrate his trial.

On the other hand, Metuh’s counsel, Emeka Etiaba, SAN, wanted a long adjournment to enable his client to recover to continue his trial adding that “prosecution is only for the living”.

In his ruling, Justice Abang held that, ” The application by the prosecution deserves to succeed”.

Relying on Section 266 (a) and Section 352(4) of the ACJA, 2015 Justice Abang said the court was disposed to proceed with the trial in Metuh’s absence, considering his previous attempts to scuttle and frustrate the trial.

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The judge noted that Metuh deliberately ignored his lawful directive instructing him to remain seated and not to go into the dock. He said the defendant chose to go into the dock and fell down in the process and was screaming to give the impression that he was in pain.

The court also granted an application by the prosecution to summon the General Manager of Channels Television, Abuja and a presenter with the station, Maupe Ogun- Yusuf to appear before the court in respect of what he called “prejudicial statements” made by a lawyer, Ben Chuks Nwosu on Tuesday edition of ‘Sunrise Daily” aired on the station.

The judge in granting the application ordered the duo to appear on May 25.

In the meantime, the matter has been adjourned to Thursday, May 24, for continuation of defence.

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Crime & Court

Ex-Oyo PMS Boss, Auxiliary Paraded for Murder, Other Crimes

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Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Hamzat Adebola, on Thursday, paraded the former Chairman of the Park Management System, Lamidi Mukaila, commonly known as Auxiliary.

The arrest came following months of pursuit after the Department of State Services detained Auxiliary at his Olodo residence in Ibadan, the state capital, on the penultimate Tuesday.

Mukaila had been on the run since the police declared him wanted for his alleged involvement in a string of armed robbery, kidnapping, and murder cases.

Adebola, addressing the media while parading the suspect at the state police command, emphasised that Mukaila would face charges in court.

He stated, “Discreet intelligence-led search commenced for the sacked PMS chieftain with the help of technology, collaborative efforts with sister services and community policing, many locations were identified, traced and combed for months until his recent arrest in a concerted effort with our sister services.”

The Commissioner outlined the extensive list of exhibits recovered from Mukaila’s possession at his Diamond Hotel residence around Alakia-Isebo Egbeda under Egbeda Local Government Area.

The recovered items include one AK-47 Rifle, four AK-47 magazines, 84 live AK-47 Ammunitions, 19 pump-action rifles, one Barreta pistol, seven cut-to-size guns, one English-made Barrel Gun, 724 live cartridges, 25 cutlasses, Seven Jack knives, 33 mobile phones, one Samsung laptop, charms, one Mazda Bus, one Toyota Sienna, and a cash sum of N3,450,000.00.

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Continuing, the Police chief affirmed that Mukaila would be charged to court for the offenses committed.

He expressed gratitude to the public for providing credible information to help curb crime in the state.

Adebola also reiterated the commitment of the command to deal decisively with any criminally motivated individual or group aiming to regress the state into the historical dark ages of the “Wild West.”

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Crime & Court

Mother of 5 Convicted for Forging Late Abba Kyari’s Signature

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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.

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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.

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Crime & Court

EFCC nets 64 suspected internet fraudsters in Osun raid {Photos}

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Investigators of the Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, made a significant breakthrough on Wednesday, as they apprehended sixty-four suspected internet fraudsters in Osun State.

The crackdown targeted Ede, Osun State, where the suspects were allegedly engaging in various fraudulent activities.

According to Dele Oyewale, the Head of Media & Publicity for the EFCC, the arrests followed actionable intelligence gathered by the agency.

Among the items seized during the operation were 18 exotic vehicles, 18 laptops, 112 mobile phones, three PlayStation games, five motorcycles, and a trove of incriminating documents.

These seizures underscore the scale and sophistication of the suspected cybercriminals’ operations.

The EFCC stated that the suspects will face legal proceedings once investigations are concluded.

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