Tag Archives: Theft

Former lawmaker, Chidi Duru arraigned for theft

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A former member of the House of Representatives, Chidi Duru, was arraigned Monday before a chief magistrate court at Tinubu, Lagos, on a four-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.

Mr. Duru, who represented Ahiazu-Ezinihitte Mbaise Federal Constituency between 1999 and 2003, was arraigned alongside a lawyer, Smart Iheazor.

According to the police prosecutor, both men on January 11, 2017, allegedly invaded the head office of the First Guarantee Pension Limited (FGPL), in the company of others still at large, with the intent to forcefully take over the management and assets of the Pension Fund Administrator.

Messrs Duru and Iheazor, who are lawyers with 28 and 30 post-Bar experience respectively, were also accused of carting away valuables from the company’s premises at 65, Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun, Ikeja Lagos.

The charge sheet marked No. 12/02/2017read: “That you, Nze Chidi Duru ‘M’, Smart Iheazor, ‘M’ and others now at large, on the 11th day of January 2017, at No. 65 Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos, in the Lagos Magistrate District, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit stealing and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 409 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

“That you, Nze Chidi Duru ‘M’, Smart Iheazor ‘M’ and others now at large, on the same date, and place in the aforementioned Magistrate District, did steal (3) three office files, (1) one HP Laptop valued at the sum of 250,000 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) property of First Guarantee Pension Limited (FGPL) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 285 of Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

“That you, Nze Chidi Duru ‘M’, Smart Iheazor ‘M’ and others now at large, on the same date, and place in the aforementioned Magistrate District, did conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause breach of the peace by wilfully and unlawfully invading First Guarantee Pension Limited (FGPL) offices with an intent to forcefully takeover the management and assets of the company and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 111(d) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

“That you Nze Chidi Duru ‘M’ and Smart Iheazor ‘M’ on the same time, date, and place in the aforementioned Magistrate District, with intent to defraud, did introduce yourselves as Vice Chairman/Secretary, respectively, of First Guarantee pension Limited (FGPL) and acted same in an attempt to takeover the management and assets of the company and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 378(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos state, 2011”.

Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the offences.

Mr. Duru reportedly collapsed in police custody on Friday night.

Before his arraignment on Monday, his lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, told the court that his client was still ill having just been discharged from the hospital a few hours before attending the court proceedings.

The police prosecutor, however, objected to Mr. Etiaba’s claim, noting that the doctor at the police hospital, where Mr. Duru was
hospitalised, had certified him fit.

After listening to both counsels, Ade Adefulire, the magistrate, ordered the defendants to take their pleas.

Afterwards, Mr. Etiaba urged the court to grant the accused bail on own recognisance, noting that both were senior lawyers, and that Mr. Duru was a former member of the House of Representatives.

The defence lawyer also said their offences were bailable ones.

The prosecutor, however, objected to the bail on own recognisance, insisting that they should be given sureties as they reside in Abuja, and not Lagos.

The magistrate granted the accused bail in the sum of N500,000 each with one surety each in like sum.

The matter was adjourned till March 9, 2017 for trial.

Electricity Distribution Companies Lament Energy Theft

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Electricity distribution companies in the country have raised alarm over what it described as rampant energy theft among consumers, especially in rural communities.

The DISCOS also denied extortion in the electricity billing system, noting that consumers were billed based on what was read on the grid.

Representative of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) , Adeniyi David while speaking at the lunch of a new crime reporting and security-management system targeted at tracking and reporting criminal activities, noted that bypass of meters was still at an alarming rate in Nigeria.

“Billing is not based on what consumers are consuming. If you see anybody stealing power, know that he is the one causing the problem; energy theft is the problem. Bypassing of meter is still a problem in the country. If people are reporting the theft and vandalism, then the problem will be low,” he said.

Also, the CEO of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Ernest? Mpwaya, noted that the firm had to leverage on technology in order to deliver better services.

He assured that the company would integrate its in-house measure of responding to vandalism of its facilities with the new application, said survival and sustenance of the business was key.

Mpwaya said that the new initiative would provide the firm with additional capacity and visibility to be able to interact with the customers.

The initiative, which involves sending security reports and complaints through Hawk Eye Application, was also intended to reduce the high-level of vandalism of power as well as oil and gas facilities which had negatively impacted the power sector.

Speaking at the launch weekend in Abuja, the chief executive officer of Hawk Eye, Kayode Aladesuyi, disclosed that the free application could equally be used to report security threats and potential dangers in any part of the country.

He said that the firm which developed the application was undertaking the pilot phase of the roll-out with electricity distribution companies to curtail damages done to their facilities and help them improve on their service delivery.

He expressed sadness at the situation where about 150 persons were said to have been electrocuted in 2015, and said that residents can use the opportunity of the application to inform their neighbours of areas that posed risk for them.

According to him, the action of people stealing power can, as well, be reported through the new application.

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3 Ecobank Employees Docked For Stealing N2.8m From Customers’ Accounts

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Three Ecobank employees were arraigned in Lagos on Tuesday for allegedly stealing N2.8 million from customers’ accounts.

 

 

The accused persons – Oluwatoyin Adetunji (41), Oluwatosin Obademi (32) and Olushola Ogunshina (39) – are facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, forgery and stealing before a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos Island.

 

 

The prosecutor, Insp. Nurudeen Thomas, told the court that the accused persons between July 10 and 14, 2015, forged signatures of several Ecobank customers and stole the sum of N2.8million from their accounts at Iyan-Ipaja branch of the bank.

 

 

He said that Adetunji and Obademi, were cashiers while Ogunshina was Information Technology personnel at the bank.

 

 

According to the prosecutor, Obademi and Ogunshina claimed that the Adetunji came to them with the deal and promised to pay them N350,000 each.

 

 

Thomas, said that the offences contravene Sections 285, 361 and 409 of the Criminal Code of Lagos State, 2011.

 

 

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs K.B Ayeye, granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties each in like sum, and adjourned the case to Feb. 22 for hearing.

 

(NAN)

Why Power Supply Is Not Improving As Expected- Buhari

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President Muhammadu Buhari says that sabotage and theft of gas are undermining the efforts of the government to increase power supply in the country.

The President, who said this in a question and answer interaction with the Nigerian community in Tehran, the Islamic Republic of Iran, noted that “although some improvement in power had been recorded in the recent period,” sabotage of pipeline installations continues to be a problem.

He told his audience that Nigeria had everything it takes to generate enough power. “Power is a running battle because the saboteurs are still there. We have the potential. We have gas, we have qualified people but we are contending with a lot of saboteurs who go and blow up installations. When gas is pumped to Egbin and such other power stations, thieves and saboteurs such as the militants cut those supplies.”

He also cited another factor as the reduced role of the government in the sector due to the privatization of the institutions under the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN in the process of which, he said, the facilities “have been sold to a number of interest groups.”

He gave the assurance that the Military task-forces with representation from the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Police and the secret services will be reconstituted to secure the pipelines. “Supplies will become steady; there will be less sabotage as we secure the pipelines,” he said.

Credit: ChannelsTV

Lagos Secondary School Bursar Docked For N705,000 Fraud

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A secondary school bursar, Richard Olaleye, who allegedly defrauded the school of N705,000, on Thursday appeared before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court.

Olaleye, 44, who resides at No. 9, Salami St., Maidan, Mile 2, a Lagos suburb, is facing a two-count charge of stealing and fraudulent use of accounting.

According to the prosecutor, Insp. Simon Imhonwa, the accused committed the offences between June, July and August 2015 in the school located at No. 27, Mary St., Irawo, Ikorodu.

Imhonwa said the accused, who was in charge of payments and accounting records of the school, converted a total sum of N705,000 from the school’s coffers to personal use.

He said the accused in an attempt to cover up the fraud, destroyed several receipt booklets belonging to the school.

“The alleged missing fund was discovered following a quarterly audit done by officials of Pillar Private School,” Imhonwa said.

He said the offences contravened Sections 285 and 335 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 335 provides a seven-year imprisonment for offenders.

In her ruling, Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case to Nov. 23.

 

(NAN)

5 Directors Arraigned Over N655 Million Theft

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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has charged five directors in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to court for allegedly stealing N655 million and $100,000.

The officials were arraigned before an Abuja Federal High Court, Maitama, presided over by Justice Baba Yusuf.

Those charged include a former Director of Finance, Yusuf Agabi, Deputy Director of Finance, Akpore Okeroghene and Director of Finance, Ayinla Abibu.

Others are Deputy Director of Accounts, Idowu Adewale and another Deputy Director, Accounts, Ntu Ngozi.

The five senior officials are accused by the ICPC of stealing N655 million and $100,00 from the ministry’s account, between December 2013 and December 2014.

The commission, through its counsel, Paul Bassi, filed a 22-count charge against Mr. Agabi, who is alleged to have defrauded the government of N458 million.

The second accused person, Mr. Akpore, was arraigned on a 5-count charge of fraudulently obtaining N33 million, while Mr. Ayinla is docked on a 10-count charge of fraud totalling N147.5 million.

The fourth and fifth accused persons, Mr. Adewale and Mrs. Ntu, were arraigned on allegations of fraudulently obtaining the sums of $100, 000 and N19 million, respectively from the ministry’s account.

All offences contravene Section 13 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, and punishable under Section 68 of the same Act.

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