metro

Lagos hoodlum caught selling phone to robbed victim’s wife

Published

2 years ago

November 17, 2022

A former bartender, Jones Adewoye, has narrated before a Lagos High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos State, how a hoodlum, Felix Ayeye, was arrested while attempting to sell the phone he stole from him to his wife at their residence in the Ajah area of the state.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Adewoye was on his way home when Ayeye and his gang members mugged him at a dark spot.

During the attack, Adewoye, who was the first prosecution witness to testify before the court on Thursday, told Justice Modupe Nico-Clay that the hoodlums led by Ayeye allegedly stabbed him with a dagger and robbed him of his phone and other items worth N78,000.

He explained that Ayeye, who is facing two-count bordering on conspiracy to commit robbery and armed robbery, was arrested while attempting to sell his stolen phone to his wife.

During the proceedings, the prosecuting counsel, Titilayo Olanrewaju-Daudu, said the offence committed contravened Sections 299 and 297 (2) (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge. Consequently, Justice Nico-Clay adjourned the case till November 10 for trial.

READ ALSO:

At the resumed hearing, Olanrewaju-Daudu announced her appearance, while H. O. Ogungbamila appeared for the defendant.

Adewoye, who was led in evidence-in-chief by Olanrewaju-Daudu, told the court that Ayeye, who was remanded in prison custody for the crime, had been sending threatening messages to his wife.

He said, “The incident happened in February 2019. I was returning from work around 5.30am when I alighted from the Uber car and crossed to a dark street at Ajah. My earphones were on and my bag was at my back.

“Suddenly, a torchlight was pointed at my eyes and the defendant broke a bottle on my head, used a dagger to stab my back twice, took all my things and left me on the floor bleeding.

“When I got home, I told my wife to help me get a small phone to contact my company. She was trying to help me buy a small phone when she returned to inform me that someone wants to sell a Samsung phone for N25,000.”

Adewoye said after he realised that the phone was exactly like his stolen phone, he asked his wife to contact a mobile policeman.

He said, “When the person who wanted to sell the phone to my wife came to my house, he didn’t change his clothes after he and his gang robbed me. So, I told the mobile policeman that he was the one that robbed me but he denied.

“He said someone gave him the phone to sell. The policeman asked him to get the person who gave him the phone but as the argument was going on, my SIM and memory cards fell from his pocket.

“His family members pleaded with me and asked how much was the things he stole from me, I said N200,000. The family brought N60,000 but I rejected it. I told them the matter was already with the police and there was nothing I could do.

“But in 2020, the defendant started sending messages to my wife from prison threatening that when he leaves the prison, he would deal with my wife.”

The case was adjourned till November 30, for the continuation of trial.

metro

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

Published

6 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

The federal government has unveiled a proposed budget of N47.9 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year.

Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

Bagudu revealed that the council had approved the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2025-2027.

READ ALSO:

According to the minister, the government has pegged the crude oil benchmark at $75 per barrel, with an oil production target of 2.06 million barrels per day (bpd).

The budget also sets the exchange rate at N1,400 per dollar and aims for a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.4%.

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

metro

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

Published

6 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told FIJ that they have arrested Timber Wabote, the former executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCMB), on the grounds of a failed $35 million Bayelsa refinery project fraud.

Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s spokesperson, confirmed this to FIJ on Thursday.

“It is true,” Oyewale responded to FIJ’s inquiries.

Wabote is accused of misappropriating public funds for a refinery project that should have improved local energy production.

Vanguard reported that the NCDMB under Wabote paid $35 million to support the development of energy infrastructure in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa, yet there was nothing to show for it.

The EFCC picked Wabote up following the arrest of Akintoye Adeoye Akindele, the Managing Director of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, for alleged misappropriation, money laundering and diversion of $35 million in public funds.

READ ALSO:

“NCDMB under the watch of Wabote allegedly paid the $35 million to Akindele to build a 2,000 barrel per day (BPD), refinery, jetty, gas plant, power plant, data centre and tank farm at Brass free trade zone (FTZ), Okpoama Community in Brass LGA of Bayelsa State,” a source with the EFCC had explained.

Since December 2020 when the payments were made, Akindele abandoned the project with little or nothing to show for the huge sum he received.

Preliminary investigations showed that Wabote’s NCDMB financed 17 different projects, including the 2,000 BPD refinery in Brass LGA.

There has been a series of public fund misappropriation cases in the energy sector in recent times.

FIJ earlier reported that members of the House of Representatives summoned three ministers to defend how over $2 billion was spent on renewable energy with not much to show for it.

A recent FIJ report also recently detailed how residents of Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa, have not had power in their homes since July due to the vandalisation of the Ahoada-Yenagoa transmission towers caused by unidentified persons.

The Bayelsa state government told FIJ it was the federal government’s responsibility to provide electricity for residents. The state has no renewable energy options reliable enough to power its capital despite the multi-million-dollar NCMB energy project.

Transparency in the energy sector has become necessary at a time when Nigerians have suffered power instability due to frequent grid collapses.

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

metro

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

Published

6 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

Yahaya Bello

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has requested an adjournment in the new case against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, stating that the 30-day window for the previously issued summons is still active.

The commission has granted administrative bail to his co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, and asked the court for an extension of time for Bello to appear.

At the resumed hearing before Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, EFCC Counsel Jamiu Agoro noted that the court’s order from October 3rd had not yet expired.

“In that wise, we feel it will not be appropriate for us to take proceedings while that 30 days is still running. So we have discussed and agreed to come back on the 27th day of November, 2024, my lord,” he told the court.

READ ALSO:

He also mentioned that the previously set date of November 20th was not convenient for the prosecution counsels.

Counsel to the second defendant, Aliyu Saiki, SAN, confirmed that his client had been granted administrative bail by the prosecution and had no objection to the adjournment request. The third defendant’s counsel, ZE Abass, concurred.

The prosecution counsel also requested the court to allow the notice of hearing to be pasted on the last known address of the first defendant.

After hearing from all counsels, the judge granted the EFCC’s application for adjournment and the issuance of the hearing notice.

“I have considered the application for adjournment by the complainant and issuance of hearing notice and the submission by the second and third defendants. The application is granted,” she said.

Justice Anenih then adjourned the case to November 27th for arraignment.

The former governor, alongside Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, are being prosecuted as 1st to 3rd defendants, respectively, in a fresh 16-count charge instituted against them by the EFCC.