Banker, two others, remanded in prison for alleged N135million theft

An Ikeja High Court, Lagos on Tuesday remanded a 28-year-old female banker, Tejumola Okemakinde, and two others in prison custody, over an alleged N135 million theft.
Justice Olutoyin Ipaye ordered the remand of Okemakinde and her alleged accomplices, Ige Egbeyemi, 50 and Olukayode Adeoye, 32, in prison, after their arraignment.
They are to remain in prison pending the hearing of their bail applications fixed for November 11.
Okemakinde lives at 26, Animasaun Street, Ijeshatedo; Egbeyemi is of Plot 3, Block 4, Flat 2, Iba Housing Estate, while Adeoye, lives at 30, Felicia Kokosho Street, Opebi.
The defendants and their companies— Povyte Ventures Limited, Whales and Chase Limited and Tenumola Onike Enterprise Limited were charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that they are facing a 34-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, forgery, uttering and use of false documents.
Counsel to EFCC, Mrs Fadeke Giwa, alleged that they had committed the offences between May and September 2011 at Apapa.
Giwa said they had conspired with one Irene Egbeyemi (now at large) to steal the money belonging to LilyPond Containers Limited.
She accused them of forging various documents and bank cheques to facilitate the theft.
According to her, the monies were deposited in the defendants’ accounts domiciled with Guaranty Trust Bank, First Bank of Nigeria Plc and Stanbic IBTC.
Giwa said their alleged offences contravened Sections 275, 285, 363, 364 and 401 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011.
They pleaded not guilty to the charge. (NAN)

Pistorius to face additional gun charges

South African Olympics and Paralympics track star, Oscar Pistorius will face two additional gun-related charges at his trial for the murder of his girlfriend.
The trial is due to start in March next year, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Pistorius, who is on bail, says he acted in self defence mistaking his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp for an intruder when he shot and killed her on Valentine’s Day at his up market home in February.
Steenkamp was shot in the head, arm and hip by her boy friend.
The additional charges related to incidents prior to the February shooting in which Pistorius was alleged to have fired a gun in a public space.
This will form part of the prosecution’s overall murder case against Pistorius.
Prosecutors have portrayed Pistorius as a cold-blooded killer and said they were confident that their case, which will have to rely heavily on forensics and witnesses who said they heard shouting before the shots, would stand up to scrutiny.
“The new charges relate to the contravention of the Firearm Control Act, but I cannot go into the details,’’ Nathi Mncube, spokesman for South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority told Reuters.
He could not say if the additional charges might delay the existing March 3 start date for the trial.
Pistorius’ lawyer Brian Webber confirmed his client would face additional charges but declined to comment further.
The 26-year-old double-amputee known as “Blade Runner’’ for the prostheses he wears in competition appeared in court in August when his trial date was set for next year.
A lesser charge of having 38 rounds of unlicensed ammunition at his home was also presented on that occasion.
South African media have reported one previous incident in which Pistorius allegedly fired a gun at a restaurant and another alleged incident in which he fired shots through a car sunroof while in the company of a former girlfriend.
Pistorius was born without fibulas and had both his legs amputated below the knees before he turned one year old.
He was one of the most celebrated athletes of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics in London, progressing to the Olympics 400-metre semi-final and winning Paralympics gold over the same distance.
His arrest and upcoming trial have riveted South Africa and made headlines around the world and, if convicted, he could face life in prison.
PM News

SSS arraigns Ozekhome’s kidnapper, Kelvin, two others

A kidnap kingpin, Kelvin Eziegbe, and two members of his gang, Frank Azuekoh and Haruna Momoh, who recently abducted a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, were on Tuesday arraigned before an Abuja Chief Magistrate’s Court by the State Security Service.
Eziegbe and his gang members were accused of masterminding and perpetrating kidnappings in the entire South-South region as well as parts of the Federal Capital Territory.
The three, who were brought to the court under heavy security, were docked before Magistrate Usman Shuaibu under a First Information Report dated October 28, 2013.
The FIR stated, “That between February 2, 2012 and September 24, 2013 at Kokori, Asaba, Warri, Port Harcourt and Benin City, in Delta, Rivers and Edo states respectively and along Benin-Abuja road, Abuja FCT, you Kelvin Eziegbe, Frank Azuekoh and Haruna Momoh conspired with Rufus Ovwigho, Ese Oghenerojakor and others now at large to kidnap for ransom the persons of Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Chudi Nwike (Dr), Hope Eghagha (Prof) and many others.
“That you did ambush and attack a Federal Prisons vehicle conveying some members of your criminal gang which resulted in the death of some police and prisons officers.
“That you further conspired to unlawfully import prohibited firearms from Libya for the purpose of kidnapping, robbery and related criminal activities and you thereby committed the offence of (1) criminal intimidation punishable under Section 397 penal code, (2) kidnapping punishable under Section 274 penal code, (3) robbery punishable under Section 298 penal code, and (4) criminal conspiracy to commit felony punishable under Section 97 penal code.”
But the accused persons denied the charge.
The SSS prosecutor, Cliff Osagie, thereafter informed the court that investigations into the criminal activities of the suspects were still ongoing and would be concluded in a short while.

Punch

Boko Haram: 35 bodies ‘in army uniform’ at morgue

Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam seems to believe that Boko Haram fighters are better equiped than soldiers — going by his call for better guns for troops battling the insurgency in his state.
Gaidam also cited “poor intelligence” and inadequate support of the military action as part of the reasons why the insurgency thrives.
He said if the war must be won, soldiers must be given superior arms and ammunition as well as better intelligence gathering.
Damaturu, the capital of Yobe, was the scene of last Thursday’s deadly attack by the Boko Haram in which many soldiers and insurgents died.
Gaidam donated N1million to each of the widows of the dead.
The governor, inspected the areas destroyed by the insurgents. He was accompanied by the Joint Task Force (JTF) Commandant in the state, Col. Aliyu Abdullahi and Police Commissioner Sanusi Rufai.
He said: “It appears to me that the security operatives, the police and the army and every other security personnel, were taken unawares. I have been taken round and based on what I have observed, we don’t have enough intelligence all over the state to give information. If our security operatives were on 24 hours alert, some of these things would have been averted and these boys would not just come to the town and start shooting.
“I have also observed that some of the weapons used by the insurgents are superior weapons in capacity, which are much higher than the ones obtained by the military or the police in Yobe State.
“I wish to call on the Federal Government to prevail on the Defence Headquarters to ensure that they provide high profile capacity weapons to the army, if this insurgency is to be averted or stopped.
“The military, the police and other security men in Damaturu only have AK 47 rifles. Maybe a few high profile weapons are there with the military. We need more of trained personnel on ground and more equipment to fight the insurgents.
“The Federal Government is interested in seeing the end of the insurgency but if the type of weapons used by the military and police in this place does not change, I think the chances of defeating this insurgency is very remote. They must be provided with high-profile weapons.”
The governor added: “How can you have a smaller weapon and somebody has a rocket launcher that can destroy a building, let alone a human being. If the Federal government provides the required weapons for the security agencies, the problem will be over within weeks.”
The tragedy of the invasion of Damaturu came to the fore yesterday. It emerged that no fewer than 35 bodies in military uniform were deposited at the morgue.
Twenty soldiers are hospitalised in Jos, the Plateau State capital, it was also gathered. Many insurgents were killed by the troops.
Thursday’s attack in Damaturu was the first raid in a major urban centre in several weeks by the insurgent group waging a four-year Islamist uprising.
Police and residents said large numbers of Boko Haram fighters, some in vehicles and others on foot, stormed Damaturu after dark.
Armed with guns and explosives, they attacked and torched four police buildings, sparking a fierce, hours-long gun battle with the security forces.
“We have received lots of bodies in the last three days from the attacks. I counted 35 bodies in military uniform,” said a senior official at the Damaturu Specialist Hospital, who requested for anonymity.
An army officer based in Jos, the Plateau State capital, said 20 soldiers had been admitted at a hospital there, suffering from “gunshot wounds sustained in the battle against Boko Haram in Damaturu”.
“They were brought here for security reasons and better medical facilities,” said the officer, who also asked his name to be withheld.
The military rarely discusses troop fatalities following Islamist attacks
Contacted by the AFP, Yobe State military spokesman Capt. Lazarus Eli did not deny reports that dozens of soldiers were killed during the clash.
“We do not have any data on the death toll,” Capt. Lazarus said.
Boko Haram has repeatedly worn military uniforms as a disguise during attacks and it was not yet clear if the bodies were those of insurgents or troops.
The day after the attack, witnesses and local officials did not say the insurgents who staged it were disguised in uniforms.
Nigeria’s sweeping offensive against Boko Haram has entered its fifth month and the military has described the group as being in disarray and no longer capable of attacking major population centres.
But the success of the operation remains unclear and the attack in Damaturu, apparently carried out by a significant number of insurgents in a heavily fortified city, has cast further doubt on the effectiveness of the military offensive.
There are, however, signs that Boko Haram has been pushed back into the Northeast, its historic stronghold, after carrying out attacks across the wider North through much of 2011 and 2012.
President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa States in May and vowed to permanently end the uprising.
Jonathan must decide whether to extend the emergency measures when the six-month mandate expires next month.
The conflict has killed thousands since 2009.

Vice Admiral Akhigbe passes on at 68

Less than 24 hours after family members of the former Chief of Naval Staff, CNS, Vice Admiral Mike Akhigbe debunked a story published by a newspaper, reports have emerged that he passed on Monday, in a United States Hospital.
Born in 1945, Akhigbe, a former Vice President, Chief of General Staff and military Governor in Ondo and Lagos State, was said to have died after suffering cancer. His elder brother, Chief Joseph Akhigbe, while debunking the earlier news of the former CNS’ death, had stated that he was stabilising in the hospital.
The family had described as untrue and a shocking embarrassment, the news about his death insisting that Akhigbe was recuperating.
According to him: ‘’My brother is stabilizing in an American hospital and not even London as erroneously reported. As I speak to you now, the report in my opinion is pure speculation, the paper said he died in a London hospital but my brother is in an American hospital stabilizing.
“The wife, son-in-law and his daughter are with him. My immediate younger brother in Abuja who spoke to the wife in America confirmed to family members that the Admiral is stabilizing; the news of his death is totally untrue,” Akhigbe (Joseph) was quoted to have said.
Although details of the time and date that the former naval chief, could not be ascertained, military sources who confided in The Nation, acknowledged that he died on Monday.