Court Grants Ex-Niger Gov Babangida Aliyu N150m Bail

Justice Aliyu Maiyaki of the Niger State High Court, sitting in Minna, on May 3, 2017, granted bail to the immediate past governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu and his Chief of Staff, Umar Nasko on a 6-count charge of fraud to the tune of N3billion preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Aliyu, fondly called ‘the chief servant,’ and Nasko, who was also a governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the State in 2015 general election, were after their arraignment on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 remanded in Tunga prison, Minna, while the court adjourned to today for ruling on their bail applications.

In his ruling, Justice Maiyaki admitted Aliyu to bail in the sum of N150million with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must be residents within the jurisdiction of the court and must own landed property worth N200million. The sureties are to deposit their Certificates of Occupancy to the court pending the determination of the case.

Nasko, on the other hand, was granted bail in the sum of N100million with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must be residents within the jurisdiction of the court and must own properties worth N150million. The Certificates of Occupancy of the properties are to be deposited with the court pending the determination of the case.

The case has been adjourned to June 12, 2017 for commencement of trial.

Aliyu, among other things, allegedly diverted N520million from the Niger State Government Security Account domiciled in Zenith Bank account between January and March 2011.

Within the same period, he also allegedly diverted a separate N1.7billion from the same account.
‘The chief servant’ and his chief of staff (Nasko) were also said to have diverted about N1.09billion, which was 16 per cent shares of Niger State in the North South Power Company Limited.




The alleged crimes are in contravention of Sections 97 and 312 of the Penal Code.

Court Orders Police Officer To Vacate Rented Apartment

A Masaka Chief Magistrates’ Court in Nasarawa State, has ordered a police officer, Daniel Jacob, to vacate his rented apartment before June 2.

 The plaintiff, Lin Terngu, alleged that the defendant and his wife, also a police officer, had failed to comply with an earlier court order to pay his rent arrears.

He told the court that Jacob had been deceiving him since he was brought before the court, stressing that he had deliberately refused to pay him.

 “My lord, the defendant and his wife are civil servants, police officers precisely; I don’t know why they had refused to pay me the rent arrears. “I just think that they are being wicked and are not straight forward.

“Since his rent expired in October 2016, he refused to renew his rent amounting to N65, 000 as rent arrears,” he said.

The plaintiff said that although the defendant was served with all the notices, he failed to comply.

He prayed the court to evict the defendant from his property, insisting that he needed his money.

Responding to the allegation, the defendant told the court that he had to face more responsibilities since some herdsmen invaded his community.

 “I will pay him when I have the money because the invasion has made my responsibilities to be much. “Presently, I am taking care of people in my house and this had really affected my finances,” he said.

The trial judge, Mr Victor Manga, ordered the defendant to vacate the apartment and look for an alternative accommodation before June 2.

 He also advised the defendant to look for money and pay his landlord.- Vang

Nigerian Embassy In U.S. Shutdown Over Nonpayment Of 5 Months Salaries

Workers at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington have been on a sit-in, paralysing activities at the mission in the United States, according to Channels TV.

 

The workers said they have not been paid salaries for the past five months, forcing them to embark on the strike.

 

Although some departments of the embassy are said to still be functional, they threatened to report the embassy to the U.S. Labour Department.

 

There were no official functions at the embassy on Tuesday, as the workers only gathered at the lunch room in the basement.

 

The embassy in Washington and the consulate in New York are said to be currently cash strapped, with staff and local workers not being paid for months.

 

A source close to the Presidency said there has been a lot of mismanagement of resources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, causing a lack of concern for staff welfare and difficulty in the missions being able to carry out their functions.

 

In a contrasting report by the News Agency of Nigeria, the report of the closure has been debunked. The swift response claims the Nigerian Embassy in Washington is open and fully operational, acting ambassador, Hakeem Balogun, has said.

 

Balogun told the correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in the U.S. that the report making the rounds that the embassy was shut down was false.

 

Efe visits Ali Baba, who gifts him expensive Remy Martin

Big Brother Naija Winner, Efe Ejeba has been receiving massive support from Nigerian celebrities after winning the live show. He was hosted by ace comedian Ali Baba recently.

The comedian gifted Efe a €160 Remy Martin XO.

Obasanjo's Wife Cries Out: "My Son's Coming Wedding An Occultic Ceremony"

Wife of ex-President, Taiwo Obasanjo has said that the wedding between her son, Olujunwo and Tope Adebutu, daughter of Baba Ijebu, is an occult ceremony which will result in feast of death.

In a statementon Tuesday, Obasanjo said that the May 11 and 13, 2017 chosen by both the Obasanjo and Adebutu family for their children’s wedding was compelled by Satan to lure unsuspecting numerous souls to a banquet of death that would herald in strange holocaust in the country.

Obasanjo who had earlier lost an attempt to use the court to stop the wedding, stated that her plea to family members on the evil consequences of the wedding date and the need to postpone it fell on deaf ears.

She also claimed that her daughter-in-law, Tope and and her mother, Rosemary Dacosta intended to use the wedding to prolong their life and renew their covenant with Satan.

She warned those attending the wedding that immediately after the wedding, there would be strange diseases, multiple road accidents, plane crashes, fire incidents and strange death across the country.

Obasanjo insisted that her son had been bewitched and cast under a spell and that all entreaty to make him see reason why the wedding should be postponed has failed.

She stated that on the day of the wedding, she will led a peaceful protest march at the venue since all her effort to stop the wedding seem to have failed.

” Please I want the whole world to know that I am not mad and I am not against my son’s wedding but the whole truth will be revealed by the almighty God who sees in secret all that is hidden. I have written to the Nigerian Police and the Military Police of my intention to peacefully have a protest as a citizen of Nigeria. Me and my people shall be peacefully singing, dancing and praising God,” she said.

In a separate letter to the Prelate, Methodist Church of Nigeria urging the church to consider rescheduling the wedding, Mrs. Obasanjo said she would continue to pray for the liberation of her son from the spell cast on him.

Source: Eyes of Lagos

Actress Banned From Films For Being ‘Too Sexy’

Cambodian actress, Denny Kwan, has been banned from working in the entertainment industry for a year, over her Facebook posts that was deemed too raunchy.

The 24-year-old actress who has starred in several movies and music videos was banned by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts’ disciplinary council for failing to keep a written promise to dress in a less sexy way.

In May 2016, she was ordered to be ‘educated’ by the ministry about her clothing after raunchy photos of her went viral.

In a statement released through The Phnom Penh Post, the chief of the disciplinary council, Chamroeun Vantha, said that the council members decided to punish Denny Kwan by not allowing her to take part in any activities in the entertainment industry for one year, such as filming, karaoke and singing performances on TV after she violated the code of conduct of artists in the country.

Responding to the ban, Kwan accepted the one-year ban and promise to be less sexy.

‘I know it’s my right to [dress how I want], but our culture, Cambodian people, cannot accept it,” she said. “I will try not to be [as] sexy as I usually am when I post on Facebook.’

According to the rules for girls in Cambodia, women showing their body part is deemed shameful.

FG Begs Prophet TB Joshua not to Relocate to Isreal

The Federal government through the Minister Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Tuesday appealed the founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua (TB Joshua) to reconsider his decision to relocate from Nigeria.

He said the such move will not be in the best of the country.

TB Joshua on Sunday announced that he would relocate from Nigeria to Israel due to “hostile environment”.

He said, “This is the most persecuted ministry in the world. Who are the people persecuting the ministry? My people, Africa. That is why I choose to live a lonely life. If you want to see me, come to this church. I don’t go out. It has not been easy – because I don’t know who is a friend or who is an enemy.

“If you learn TB Joshua is not around, I am in a revival. I live in the church here. I don’t have a house outside.”

“What happened to me from the beginning of my ministry is enough to chase me out of this country.

“But I am still in your midst. Upon the persecution and hatred, I decided to follow the path of love. You show hatred; I show love.

“When I go for a revival, you will see the stadium full but I am not carried away by that. I leave where I’m celebrated to live where I’m persecuted.”

But Mohammed in a chat with journalists during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) in Lagos, described Joshua’s decision as unfortunate.

Mohammed called for dialogue between the pastor and the authorities over whatever challenges he was facing.

His words: “That will be very unfortunate in the sense that if he does move out, it will affect our tourism in Nigeria.

“Pastor Joshua is an important person, he must bear with us. This is his country; if he moves out and go to South Africa, for example, the revenue will go to South Africa.

“It is better that Pastor Joshua sits down with the relevant authority and resolve whatever problem he has. If I have access to him, this is exactly what I am going to tell him.” 

Mexican student designs bra that can detect breast cancer

An 18-year-old student from Mexico has designed a bra that can help in the early detection of breast cancer and has won top prize at the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA).

Julian Rios Cantu said he was inspired inspired by his mother’s battle with the disease which eventually lead to both her breasts being removed.

The bra, otherwise known as EVA, was developed with three friends through his company Higia Technologies, and was created primarily for women with genetic predisposition to cancer.
So how does it work?

Equipped with around 200 biosensors, the bra maps the surface of the breast and is able to monitor changes in temperature, shape and weight.
“Why a bra? Because it allows us to have the breasts in the same position and it doesn’t have to be worn more than one hour a week,” he said in an interview with El Universal.

Rios Cantu says that the biosensors are able to determine thermal conductivity by specific zones. In some instances, heat can indicate more blood flow, which therefore indicates that those blood vessels are ‘feeding’ on something – typically some type of cancer. 

“EVA is a network of biosensors that covers the woman’s breast, takes the temperature data, analyses them, and sends the information to an application or any computer,” Rios Cantu said, as quoted by Infobae.

“As soon as there is a malformation in the breast or a tumour, there is an over-vascularisation; so to more [flow of] blood, the higher the temperature,” he added.

After beating 13 other student entrepreneurs from around the globe, Rios Cantu took home an impressive $20,000 [£15484].

Cobbler burns son with fire, breaks arm for stealing

A 10-year-old boy, Lukman Babarinde, has been battered by his father, Yaya, for allegedly stealing money from a neighbour.

Yaya was alleged to have beaten the victim till he broke his arms after which he asked him to sit on a local stove, stocked with burning coals.

The fire was said to have burnt the victim’s clothes and different parts of his body.

Not done, Yaya allegedly tied up his son with ropes and forced him to kneel.

His sister was said to have later cut off the ropes, after which the victim was rushed to a hospital in the Pagun area, Ibadan, Oyo State, where the incident happened.

When the father of six could not afford the medical bill, Lukman was reportedly taken back home before the intervention of some residents.

In a video clip posted by Hot Naija Videos on Youtube on Tuesday, Yaya was seen being interrogated by a resident who asked him why he adopted such extreme methods to discipline his son.

He said, “I had gone out and when I returned, I was told that he stole somebody’s money. I was surprised because I had given money to him and his siblings to eat. I beat him and asked him not to do that again.
“I then tied his hands and put him on a local stove with ashes underneath. I didn’t know the ashes still had fire. When his clothes caught fire, I saved him. I don’t have the money to take him to a hospital. Please pardon me. It was a mistake and I won’t do such again.”

Yaya’s first daughter, Bidemi, said she cut off the ropes used to tie Lukman, adding that she was shocked  by her father’s action.

She said, “I had gone to charge my phone when the incident happened. When I returned, I saw the boy kneeling with his two hands tied. That was after his clothes had been burnt in the fire.
“I enquired what he did wrong and I was told he stole money. I used a pair of scissors to cut off the ropes and set him free. I also gave him food to eat.”

Bidemi explained that the suspect always gave five of the children N300 for morning and afternoon meals, adding that one of them always followed Yaya out.

The victim’s mother, who did not identify herself, said she had separated from Yaya.

She said efforts by residents and her family members to reconcile them were abortive as he insisted that he was no longer interested in the relationship.

She said, “I went with the five children that I had for him, but he said he must take custody of them. He placed a curse on whoever tried to keep the children away from him and because of that, my family said we should release the children to him.”

The 10-year-old victim, who walked with difficulty and appeared to be in pain, said his father put him in a fire and “burnt my body.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ajisebutu Adekunle, said he would get back to our correspondent, but had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.

NYSC Corp Member Declared Wanted Over N30m Fraud

Again, a youth Corps member, Fidelis Chalokwo, has been declared wanted for scamming 940 students of the Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola of over N30 million.

According to Punch, the 940 students of the institution risked being restrained from sitting for the second semester examination.

The affected students were considered ineligible by the bursary department of the university to sit for the examination because they had reportedly not yet paid their school fees.

According to the Students Union Government on Tuesday, preliminary investigations into the N30m school fees fraud linked Chalokwo, a former student of the university, now performing his NYSC programme in Zamfara, of executing 70 per cent of the fraud.

“More than 70 per cent of the students swindled of their school fees said they paid to Fidelis Chalokwo, who is now performing his NYSC programme in Zamfara,” said Abubakar Lawan, the SUG Vice-President.

He added that Chalokwo who was wanted to account for his crime, claimed he had left the country. The SUG VP said the varsity believed the suspect was still in the country and in Zamfara.

The Dean, Student Affairs, MAUTECH, Yola, Dr. Haruna Lawan, said over N30m was involved, adding that most of the students, instead of using their Automated Teller Machine cards to make the payments, gave cash to the online vendors who turned out to be fraudsters.

He said the least of the school fees involved was N30,700, while other victims of the scams paid as much as N37,800 in school fees which never hit the school account.

However, Chalokwo, posting on his Facebook page, said the management of MAUTECH was trying to cover its ineptitude by using the 940 students to make up for its shortfall in revenues.

He dismissed any wrongdoing on his part.

He said, “The university should instead get the incompetent Flexisaf to account for the 940 failed registration rather than its current manhunt for me and my colleagues. But whatever you want to believe, please, note that my colleagues and I successfully paid your fees and registered for your courses for 2016 session. 

“Let the FLEXISAF ICT explain the rest. It is a pity that the school bursar or management or whosoever is encouraging the manhunt of students cannot have a deep introspection and get the incompetent FLEXISAF to account for whatever losses the school probably must have recorded. The dubious list of 940 failed registration is the worst conspiracy theory ever.”

Ghanaian soccer star was punished for walking off the field in response to racial abuse in Italy

Sulley Muntari, one of Ghana’s biggest soccer stars who plays in one of Europe’s top soccer leagues, is the latest victim of racist abuse from fans, a problem that continues to stalk the sport.

During a league game between Muntari’s Pescara and Cagliari on Sunday (Apr. 30), the 32-year-old Ghanaian claimed he was subject to racist taunts by fans during the game. Muntari asked the referee to stop the match in the late stages of the contest, but was instead given a yellow card for dissent. In response, he walked off the pitch, leaving his team to play the last few minutes a man down.

The incident has once again sparked debate about how racial abuse should be dealt with by referees and league authorities. Despite Italy being home to one of the most popular leagues in Europe, with players from diverse backgrounds playing for all of its top teams, several black players in the league’s top division have been racially abused during games. Mario Balotelli, an Italian with Ghanaian roots, has been a regular target. Balotelli has appeared 33 times for the Italian national team in international competitions.

Muntari has played in Italy for over a decade, and it’s not the first time he’s been the target of racism, either. In 2013, while playing for AC Milan, Muntari and his other black teammates, including fellow Ghanaian Kevin Prince-Boateng, were the targets of racist chants during an exhibition match against a lower-league team in Lombardy. The match was abandoned after the players walked off the pitch in protest. At the time, Italy’s soccer federation described the incident as “unspeakable and intolerable.” Despite promising to “react with force,” racism remains an issue in the Italian leagues.

Muntari says he expected more of the referee. “The referee should not just stay on the field and blow the whistle, he must do everything,” he said after the game, according to the BBC. “He should be aware of these things and set an example.”

Muntari’s chosen response, walking off the pitch, is frowned upon by the sport’s authorities. At Euro 2012, Europe’s biggest regional competition, players were told they’d be booked for walking off the pitch in response to racial abuse. But others, like Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, UN’s high commissioner for human rights, have hailed Muntari’s as an “inspiration,” saying that such drastic actions are necessary in the face of injustices that should have long ago been eradicated from the game.
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Senate urges halt to Nigeria, UK prisoner swap deal

The Senate has enjoined the Federal Government to stop receiving prisoners from the United Kingdom (UK) under the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (TSP).

The upper chamber, which based its decision on the need to regularise the pact, therefore, invited the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami and his Foreign Affairs counterpart, Geoffrey Onyeama, to shed more light on the swap deal with regard to the agreement between the two countries for further legislative action.

They are to appear before the joint Senate committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, and Foreign Affairs, which was directed to report back to the Red Chamber in one month.

The resolutions followed a motion sponsored by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu West).The Senate also directed the committees to invite the Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazzau (rtd), to brief them on his level of involvement in complying with the agreement.

Ekweremadu said: “Based on this agreement, the UK government has commenced the return of several prisoners to Nigeria, and has currently initiated the application for the transfer of more prisoners.

“The United Kingdom government has referred to this agreement as compulsory, whereas the content of the agreement made no mention nor indicated that the agreement was compulsory.”

In another development, the European Union (EU) has expressed concern over the proposed execution of convicts in Lagos State, describing death penalty as cruel, degrading and inhumane punishment.

It also condemned the execution of three Nigerian prisoners in December 2016, authorised by the Edo State government.Head of European Union delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Michel Arrion, who spoke yesterday in his office, said the union maintained that death penalty could never serve as deterrent to criminal behaviours. He added that rather, death penalty represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.

Arrion, who noted that while the EU supports the application of sentences that follow due process, however, reaffirmed the body’s long-standing opposition to death penalty in all circumstances.

He, therefore, called on state governors as well as Nigerian authorities at the federal level to uphold the moratorium on death penalty.Arrion described as unfortunate the increasing number of victims of smuggling and trafficking in human beings as well as those who lose their lives regularly while attempting to enter Europe illegally.He said that in as much as Europe needs migrants, people should do so in a legal manner.

Chinese groom nabbed on his wedding day for paying 200 fake guests to attend his wedding

A man in northern China landed in police custody on his wedding day for inviting and paying 200 fake guests from his side as family and friends.

According to local media in Shaanxi province, the family of the wife realized the truth during conversations with people from the groom's side who said they were 'just friends' and not making clear how they knew him.

The groom identified as Mr. Wang was exposed when the ceremony started without any trace of his parents.

In an interview with regional TV station Shaanxi TV, the fake 'guests' said they were paid 80 yuan ($12) by the groom for the day to pose as family and friends. While some said they are normally taxi drivers and students, and one man revealed a conversation he had with the groom on social media platform WeChat, negotiating a price for him to be there.

The bride also revealed that had been together for three years, but didn't notice anything wrong at first as they had completely different circles of friends.

The motives behind the groom's stunt remain unknown but police are currently investigating.

Nigerian Journalist Shuaibu gets lighter robbery charge in US

Abdullahi Shuaibu, the Nigerian charged with a string of bank robberies in the U.S. two weeks ago, got some relief from prosecutors on Monday  who  amended the charge.

Shuaibu was arrested on April 17 and accused by U.S. authorities of robbing four banks in Manhattan, New York.

When the matter came up for hearing, Shuaibu, who was present in the court, pleaded “not guilty”, through a member of his legal team, Tim Pruitt.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the case has been changed from ‘First Degree Robbery’ to ‘Attempted Robbery’ in the ‘Second Degree’ and ‘Robbery’ in the ‘Third Degree’.

Consequently, the case also moved from Class ‘B’ felony to  Class ‘D’ felony, which is a significant reduction in the charge against him.

NAN reports that with the significant reduction in the charge, Shuaibu’s  jail exposure has also been significantly reduced.

Pruitt, after taking the “not guilty” plea for Shuaibu, sought for an adjournment. The judge adjourned the matter until June 26.

Another member of the defence team, Olayinka Dansalami, told NAN that Shuaibu had a hope of even a lighter sentence and that his legal team was not resting on its efforts.

“With the class ‘B’ offence, Shuaibu could receive a jail sentence anywhere from five to 25 years in jail.
“But with the class ‘D” offence, he can get ‘conditional discharge  ‘time serve’ or ‘probation’ but the maximum sentence is five years in jail,” he said.
‘Time serve’ is a condition whereby an accused is sentenced to the time already served in detention.
‘Conditional discharge’ is where an accused is given another chance but warned to be of good behaviour for a period of  time,’’ Dansalami said.
“The charge against him has also moved to ‘non-violent charge’ from ‘violent charge’. We thank God for the reduction.
“We (defence attorneys) will continue to fight the case vigorously and aggressively despite the reduction of his jail exposure. Our goal is to spare our client of any time in jail.

“His bail condition has also been reduced.
“But we may be able to further reduce the bail if someone can come forth. So, overall, there is a change in circumstances and it is not as serious as before.
“Within the next few days, we will look at a lot of options that will help him.”
According to him, now that the severity of the charge has significantly reduced, it behoves the judge to temper justice with mercy.
“Before, when he was charged with ‘class B’ felony, the best a judge can do is to give him minimum sentence of five years on each of the two ‘B felony charges.
“But now the judge can do something because of the reduction of the charge. The judge has some latitude to lessen the sentence from conditional discharge or time served or probation up to five years.
“So to be clear, despite the fact that the charges have been reduced, our approach to the case remains the same.
“We are not taking anything for granted and we are committed to defend our client to the best of our abilities.’’

Dansalami said one of the best social workers in the State of New York, James Graves, has already been assigned as part of the team to help ascertain Shuaibu’s psychological wellbeing at the time the offence was allegedly committed. - NAN

Aisha Buhari Breaks Silence On President Buhari's Health

Aisha Buhari made her comment known on twitter last night, she said president Buhari's health is not as bad as it's being perceived.

See full comments below;

"I thank all Nigerians for their concern, love and prayers over my husband's health status.

I wish to inform everyone that his health is not as bad as it's being perceived,Meanwhile he continues to carry out his responsibilities

during this period. As it may come to your notice, he is meeting with Minister of Justice and GMD of NNPC this evening.

Long Live Nigerians, Long Live Federal Republic of Nigeria.

More than half of men believe women wear make-up to trick them into thinking they're attractive, study reveals

© Provided by Independent Print Limited

If you covered your blemishes, swiped on some mascara or dabbed on some blush this morning, you probably didn’t realise you would be accused of aesthetic espionage. 

But according to the majority of men, you’re a grade A, male-gaze con artist.

According to a new survey from YouGov, 63 per cent of men believe that the main reason women wear makeup is to trick people into thinking they’re more attractive than they really are.

Because of course, women spend hours upon hours mastering the perfect feline flick just for the sake of men. Yawn.

Surprisingly though, the data revealed that 47 per cent of women share the same view.
While 53 per cent said that women are held to unrealistic beauty standards by the media.

Men however were less convinced with only 30 per cent strongly agreeing that the media presents women with an impossible benchmark.

Unfortunately, people can be very vocal when it comes to their views on women wearing makeup.
But, it’s become somewhat of a double standard. On one hand, women are accused of deceiving men by wearing makeup but going barefaced isn’t quite acceptable either.

Yes, women do use beauty products to cover-up, transform or accentuate their look but their goals are often far less conniving than you might think. 

In contrast to this the data also showed that, despite claims beards act similarly to makeup by disguising facial imperfections or a less than chiselled jaw, only 34 per cent of women believe men grow facial hair just to trick them. - The Independent 

German lady sues hotel to find name of man who made her pregnant

A lady who gave birth nine months after a three-night tryst took a German hotel to court to find out the identity of the likely father of her child.

The lady, who has not been identified, gave birth to a son, Joel, after the encounter in Halle, eastern Germany, in 2010.

She wanted to force the hotel to reveal her lover's identity and address as she was seeking child support.

All she knew about him was that his first name was Michael.

The hotel refused, arguing that it had no legal obligation to hand over the personal data of one of their former guests, according to German newspaper the Abendzeitung.

A court has now rejected her legal bid, saying that she had no legal right to demand the data from the hotel and did not provide enough information to be sure of the man's identity.

The court argued it could also breach the privacy of four men named "Michael" who were registered at the hotel at the time.

The judgment was reached last October but was only recently made public.

According to the court, the father’s right to self-determination of his own information took precedence over the woman’s right to child support.

Publishing its decision under the title ‘Father Roulette’, the court wrote: “This right is affected by the exposure of the data because as a result, the possibility of [the man having] a sexual relationship with the complainant, as the mother of the child, would be irrefutably placed in the room.”

Suspended SGF, Lawal collected N507m bribe – Senate

The final report of the Senate ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East has revealed that contractors paid over N500m in kickbacks to a company linked to the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal.

An interim report, late last year, had indicted Lawal for due process violation in award of contracts under Presidential Initiatives on North East (PINE)

The over N500m discovered by the committee was paid to Rholavision Engineering Limited.

The report presented by the chairman of the committee Senator Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna Central), to Senate at plenary yesterday is expected to be considered today.

Recall that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo-led committee investigating allegations against Lawal last week requested the Senate to produce relevant documents on the matter.

In the final report, the Sani panel submitted that N507m was paid into Lawal’s company account by seven PINE contractors.

It alleged that JOSMON technologies limited which got two contracts, amounting to N530m from PINE, paid N317m to the company of the suspended SGF in 23 transfers.

The panel also said JMI global technologies limited, was awarded eight contracts amounting to N199m by PINE and it paid N30m from Zenith bank account number 114357188 into Rholavision account with ECObank.

Also, Messers Adamawa Borehole and Drilling Company which was awarded contract to renovate seven number of 18 classrooms at Yeskule Girls Secondary School Michika in Adamawa state at N54.8m transferred N18.3m to the suspended SGF’s company.

Another N58m was paid to Lawal’s company by Yuby Ventures limited which was awarded a contract of five number of 15 classrooms at Hausari Primary School in Adamawa.

The panel also uncovered that Barde Brothers multi-Services Limited which was awarded seven contracts for renovation of classrooms in Adamawa state at N145.6m paid N71m to Rholavision in three instalments.

The company also paid another N13m into personal account (no. 0003004417) of the suspended SGF at Diamond bank in three instalments.

The committee said it discovered that the suspended SGF resigned in September 2016, but that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has confirmed that he was the signatory to accounts of the company as at Wednesday, 15th February 2017.

“In the course of its investigation, the committee observed that Rholavision Engineering Limited has become a destination pool for companies that were awarded contracts by PINE and other government agencies to make payments into its (Rholavision) account no. 0182001809 with ECObank, “it said.

The committee recommended that further investigation be carried out by relevant agencies of government on why contract benefiting companies paid over N500m into Rholavision Engineering Limited, a company in which the suspended SGF has interest.

“The banks transaction of Rholavision Engineering Limited and the confirmation by CBN that the Bank Verification Number (BVN) of Babachir David Lawal is still the signatory to Rholavision and 13 other accounts, some with different names.

“The committee is of the opinion that Lawal has contravened the provision of part 1 of the fifth schedules of the 1999 Constitution and the breach the oaths of office as SGF and therefore he should be prosecuted,” the committee stated.

The panel also said that all resources that had been misapplied or stolen by public officials should be retrieved and that anybody found culpable of contravening any of the provisions of the Public Procurement Act and the Federal government financial rules and regulations pertaining to the award of these contracts should be duly prosecuted.

It also said that relevant agencies should ensure that contracts partially executed but fully paid for must be completed by the concerned contractors.

The panel further said that since it was observed that there was no bill of quantities on most of the contracts awarded by PINE under the emergency situation, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) should undertake a revaluation of all such contracts to recover any proceeds from over-inflated contracts.

Court restrains husband from coming close to wife for 12 months

Magistrate (Mrs) Sule Amzat of a Lagos state Magistrate court sitting in Ogudu, Ojota, has restrained one Mr. Jonathan Emoghase from coming anywhere close to his wife and mother of his three children, Janet Ojeikere for the next 12 months over alleged incessant physical assault.

The order which was obtained from the family court last Thursday stated that Mr Emoghase would go to jail for three months if he is found to have disobeyed the order of the court.

The order of the court was sequel to the request of his wife, Janet, made through the Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT).

DSVT Coordinator, Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi said that sometimes in February, Janet Ojeikere, reported a case of physical assault and threat to life by her husband, Mr Jonathan Emoghase.

The incident was said to have happened at their residence, 6 Funmilayo Close, Clemedu Awojaya, Ikeja at about 7. 00 p.m. on January 24.

Janet alleged that her husband, Jonathan, has been physically assaulting her since she married him three years ago.

She claimed that the last time her husband physically assaulted her, she hit her with a stick repeatedly while threatening to kill her.

Janet reported the matter at the Lagos State DSVRT which referred her to the Family Support Unit (FSU) Ketu Police Station which later arrested her husband and charged him to court.

Emoghase was arraigned last Thursday before Magistrate Sule O. Amzat of the family court, Ogudu, Ojota on a two count charge of assault and threat to kill Janet Ojeikere.

The two count charge stated in part; “that you, Jonathan Emoghase, on 24th January 2017 at about 1900 hours at No 6 Funmilayo Close, Celemadu Awojaya in Ikeja magisterial district did assault one Janet Ojeikere by beating her up and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 170 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015”.

Count two of the charge stated that Jonathan Emoghase, on the same date, threatened tom kill Janet Ojeikere by using a stick to beat and wound her and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 230 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

He pleaded not guilty to the two count charge preferred against him by the Police and was subsequently granted bail in the sum of N10, 000.00 by the trial magistrate, Amzat.

Same day, the wife, Janet Ojeikere requested for a restraining order against her husband, pursuant to the provisions of the Lagos State Prevention Against Domestic Violence Law, 2007 bearing in mind that her husband had promised to kill her.

Magistrate Amzat granted her request for a restraining order against Mr. Emoghase and barred him from coming anywhere close to the complainant for the next one year, of which failure to comply will earn him a minimum of three months’ imprisonment.

Reacting to the decision of the family court, DSVRT Coordinator, Mrs Vivour-Adeniyi urged survivors of domestic violence and members of the public not to keep quiet when assaulted assuring that there is help for them especially at the Family Courts of Lagos State.

Man gets 162 years in prison for N12 million fraud

A convicted fraudster, Ikechukwu Ogbu, was sentenced to 162 years in prison by a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Tuesday for defrauding a former manager of the defunct BankPHB now Keystone Bank, Mr. Patrick Edetchukwu, of the sum of N12.3m.

The convict, who is in his mid-50’s and presently serving a jail term for two separate offences, duped Edetchukwu of the said sum on the pretence that he was being detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and needed some money to give the anti-graft officials before he could be released.

The convict had claimed that he was detained by the EFCC for allegedly carrying what he called, $2.5m hard currency into Nigeria sometime ago.

Ogbu was charged alongside Chuks Ibebugbu for conspiring to defraud Edetchukwu.

The two were arraigned by the EFCC on June 10, 2011 on 10 counts bordering on obtaining money by false pretences and stealing.

Justice Lateefa Okunnu, while delivering her judgment, expressed her disapproval of the prison officials that aided the crime by allowing Ogbu to open a bank account and wear regular clothes instead of prison uniform.

“By allowing the defendant wear mufti clothes, the Kirikiri Maximum Prison facilitated the commission of the crime,” she said.

Pronouncing the sentence, Justice Okunnu said, “I have listened to the plea of counsel. I have noted that names of a lot of notable personalities were put on the line during the period when this crime was committed, and I have also noted that the defendant has remained unrepentant.

“I hereby sentence the defendant to 18 years each on counts two to 10.”

Earlier, before the sentence was passed, the prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Mr. Nnaemeka Omewa, had requested for a stiff sentence for Ogbu.

“In just two years of his serving his prison term, he committed this heinous crime; imagine what will occur when he is allowed to live freely in the society.

“I hereby urge Your Lordship to pass maximum sentence on the first defendant,” Omewa said.

However, counsel for the convict, Mr. Olanrewaju Ajanaku, in his plea for mercy, asked for a light sentence, saying that Ogbu was now a changed man.

“I pray that the court should temper justice with mercy, the defendant has been in custody since 2009.

“His wife died in 2014, he has three children who are of tender age, his wings have been clipped and he is now a changed man,” Ajanaku said

Okunnu, however, discharged and acquitted Ibebugbu due to insufficient evidence provided by the prosecution during the trial.