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EFCC re-arraigns lovers for alleged N17.5m charcoal fraud

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The Ibadan zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, re-arraigned one Alice Peace John, alongside her boyfriend, Fadi Alloush before Justice Bayo Taiwo of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan for fraud in the sale of charcoal.

The duo were dragged to the court on three-count charges of conspiracy, stealing and obtaining the sum of N17, 500, 000.00 (Seventeen Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira only) under false pretences.

One of the charges read, “That you Fadi Alloush and Alice Peace John between the 18th October, 2019 and 23rd December, 2019 at Ibadan, within Ibadan Judicial Division of this honourable court, did commit an illegal act to wit: stealing of the sum of N17,500,000 (Seventeen Million and Five Hundred Thousand Naira only) , property of Coco-Dor Nigeria Limited and Houssam Nasreddine.”

The offence is contrary to Section 390 of the Criminal Code Laws, Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, following which prosecution counsel, Dr. Ben Ubi, applied for a trial date, while defence counsel, Olukunle Kamisi prayed the court to allow the bail earlier granted the defendants subsist.

Justice Taiwo granted the defendants’ prayer.

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According to the judge, “The bail shall subsist and that in the event where there is delay on the defendants’ part, their bail will be revoked.” He adjourned the matter till October 8, 2020 for trial.

It could be recalled that the defendants were initially arraigned before Justice Iyabo Yerima of the Oyo State High Court on March 17, 2020 but had to be re-arraigned on Wednesday following the reassignment of the case to Justice Taiwo.

The defendants’ journey to the dock stretched from January to December 2019, when the victim, Houssam Nasreddine transferred a total sum of N17, 500, 000.00 to the account of the first defendant, John, for the purchase of charcoal from Iwere lle, Oyo State for export, which the defendant bought and loaded in containers at the Hapag LLOYD Shipping Company, Apapa, Lagos for exportation, but rather than sell the goods in the name of the rightful owner, she allegedly connived with her boyfriend, Alloush and transferred the ownership of the goods and sold them off.
The petitioner added that all efforts he made to retrieve either the charcoal or his money were frustrated by the defendants.

 

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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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