Sexual assault: Pastor Omotosho’s trial in South Africa postponed again

The trial of Nigerian pastor, Timothy Omotoso in South Africa for sexual assault suffered fresh hiccup today as his defence attorney said Omotoso would approach the highest court in the country, in a fresh appeal.

The embattled Nigerian pastor failed in his appeal at the Supreme Court of Appeal against a Port Elizabeth judge’s decision to allow the trial to be heard in the court.

On Monday, state prosecutor Nceba Ntelwa told Judge Irma Schoeman that the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) had dismissed Omotoso’s application to appeal her decision to have the trial heard in Port Elizabeth. Ntelwa said the state was ready to begin the case.

But Omotoso’s lawyer Peter Daubermann said that in the interest of justice, his clients’ instructions were to bring an application to appeal the SCA’s judgment to the Constitutional Court.

“My instructions are to apply for a postponement to allow my clients to exercise these rights,” Daubermann said.

He told the court on Monday that he anticipated he needed at least two weeks to prepare the application for the appeal to the Constitutional Court.

Schoeman postponed the matter till November 21.

Omotoso and his two accomplices, Lusanda Sulani, 36, and Zukiswa Sitho, 28 are facing multiple counts ranging from human trafficking to rape and sexual assault.

They are yet to take a plea. Omotoso has been remanded in prison.

It was the second time Omotoso, 60, and his co-accused, had lost a petition to the Supreme Court of Appeal. 

It was also the umpteenth time the case will suffer some adjournment.

In its judgment, the SCA ruled that the application for leave to appeal Schoeman’s decision was dismissed on the grounds that there were no reasonable prospects of success, and that there was no other compelling reason why an appeal should be heard.

In August, defence attorney for Omotoso and his co-accused, Peter Daubermann, argued that the Port Elizabeth high court did not have the authority to hear the entire matter as some of the alleged offences took place elsewhere in the country and abroad.

Daubermann claimed the authorisation certificate to centralise the case was invalid as some of the alleged offences took place outside the court’s jurisdiction..

- PM NEWS

Ex-Man City boss reveals club to win Premier League title after Liverpool’s 1-1 with Man United

Former Manchester City manager, Stuart Pearce, has said that Liverpool will win the Premier League title ‘comfortably’ this season despite their slip up against Manchester United on Sunday.

Liverpool are currently sitting at the top of the table with six points.

However, former City manager, Pearce believes Liverpool remain ‘clear favourites’ despite their poor performance at Old Trafford.

And he says a six-point lead is still enough to pile the pressure on the defending champions Manchester City side.

Pearce told Monday’s Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, “I think Liverpool will win the Premier League comfortably this year.

“I’m not sure they’ll go unbeaten, but I can’t see them losing more than two games. They’re still clear favourites.

“Those could be against Manchester City, potentially, but if you go into the game against your nearest rivals with a six point buffer, it will put real pressure on Man City to come out and play.

“That might just suit Liverpool.”

- DAILY POST

Zimbabwe Game Park loses 55 elephants to hunger

Zimbabwe wildlife authorities says at least 55 elephants have died of hunger and thirst in the country’s largest natural reserve, Hwange National Park, to the west of the country.

The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo, confirmed the deaths to State broadcaster, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation on Monday.

He said the situation at the game reserve was desperate and the authority was looking for funds to sink more boreholes in the game reserve.

“We can confirm that a total of 55 elephants have died at the national park over the past two months due to starvation. The situation at most of our parks is dire due to the climate change-induced drought,” he said.

The game reserve depends on groundwater pumped from several boreholes.

Another wildlife management official, Samson Chibaya, said the available boreholes were not enough to meet the water demand.
“While we have made efforts to try and convert some of the water pumping stations from diesel to solar-powered pumps, we have seen that some of the water pans are drying up. We are calling for more resources for the installation of diesel pumps to complement the solar pumps,” he said.

Zimbabwe – with more than 84,000 elephants – has the second biggest herd in the world after Botswana but can sustainably manage about 56,000 of them.

- PM NEWS

Riot as customs allegedly kill man in Ogun

At least, one person has been shot dead by an officer of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) at Owode Yewa area of Ogun State, as many sustained various degrees of injuries.

The death, DAILY POST learnt, was as a result of the fracas that broke out between some suspected smugglers and officers of the NCS around 2 am on Monday.

The situation, it was learnt, has generated protest from people of the area.

The killing, DAILY POST recalls, is coming barely two weeks after three students of Ojumo Community High School were reportedly killed, while market women were injured when Customs officers were conveying a ‘tokunbo’ vehicle they said was smuggled into the country.

Ihunbo is a few kilometres from Owode, the scene of Monday’s incident.

But the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun 1 Command, said the officer who fired the shot acted in “self-defence”.

A statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, said officers of the NCS had earlier seized some ‘prohibited items’ from the suspected smuggler, who he said took to his heels.

According to Maiwada, the suspected smuggler later came with his ‘mobilized compatriots’ to attack armed Customs officers.

“In the process, the suspected smuggler and owner of the smuggled items engaged an armed officer in a physical battle in a bid to disarm him in the ensuing struggle.

“The officer appropriately exercised his superior power in self-defence, leading to the death of the yet to be identified smuggler.

“As at the time of filing this report, the deceased have been deposited in an undisclosed mortuary, while the exhibit is secured in Government Warehouse pending further investigation,” Maiwada said in the statement.

- DAILY POST

Judge: I’m concerned that no one is willing to stand as Sowore’s surety

Ijeoma Ojukwu, the judge presiding over the case of Omoyele Sowore,convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, says she is concerned that the activist has not meet the bail conditions granted to him.

While ruling on the application for variation of the bail conditions on Monday, Ojukwu said: “Considering the pedigree of the first defendant as observed in his application, it is rather unfortunate that no one is willing to stand as his surety on those terms.

“On the other hand, it creates an assumption that despite the pedigree of the first defendant, none of his best associates is willing to stand for him. This poses a cause for concern.”

She explained that bail sum is not required to be deposited but when a court makes an order for security, the secure money is later returned to the owner (surety).

The activist has been in custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since August 3 when he was arrested in Lagos.

Femi Falana, Sowore’s counsel, had approached the court seeking a variation to the previous bail conditions which he said could not be met.

Ojukwu reviewed Sowore’s bail conditions and set aside the previous order which directed one of Sowore’s surety to deposit N50m.

She also reduced the bail sum of Olawale Bakare, the second defendant, to N30m instead of the initial N50m.

However, she refused to vary all the other conditions for bail.

Among the other conditions of the for bail are two sureties who must be resident in Abuja and have landed properties within the federal capital territory (FCT).

The court had held that the sureties must deposit original documents of those properties in the court registry.

The judge barred him from travelling outside Abuja and also stopped him from addressing any rally.

- THECABLE

My husband rapes me – Nollywood actress opens up

Nollywood actress, Bose Oladimeji, has disclosed why she wants her marriage of two years dissolved.

Bose revealed that her decision to seek divorce was because of the domestic abuse she has been subjected to over the years.

According to Bose, her husband beats and rapes her each time he comes home drunk.

Speaking to Vanguard, she said: “Yes, I’m ready to go, in fact, I’m not with him right now. I just have to run for my life, my life is very precious to me.

“I can’t just allow someone to kill me like that and I want to address some ladies out there that they should not love a guy because of what he gives them.

“They should be sure the love is genuine and not be fooled by money and comfort. I’m leaving right now, I need to run away for my life. I need to save myself. My life will be in danger if I continue to stay with him, so I’m leaving right now,” she said.

“Whenever he’s drunk he’s out of his senses and starts misbehaving, beating me. He acts very crazy.

“He was taking good care of me and that was one of the reasons I fell in love with him. But what I found odd about him is the forceful way he has sex with. No foreplay, nothing, just to jump on me and forces his way through. No affection, no cuddling, no romance just brutal sex. I was raped like this most nights, and usually followed by beating and insults

“Any weapon he sees around he uses it on me but when he is sober he starts to regret whatever he has done. What I’m saying is that in the process of beating me what if I collapse and die or get injured, what will people say?” Bose said.

- DAILY POST

Court orders forfeiture of Saraki’s houses in Lagos

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, Monday ordered the temporary forfeiture of two properties located in Ikoyi area of Lagos State belonging to the immediate past Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to the Federal Government.

The Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in an ex parte application filed by the Commission’s Lawyer Nnaemeka Omewa approached the Court, seeking an order of interim forfeiture of the properties located at No. 17A McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos, alleging that they were acquired through proceeds of unlawful activities.

The anti-graft spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Monday.

He said, part of the reliefs sought by the EFCC included ” An order of this honourable Court forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria landed property with appurtenances situate, lying and known as No. 17A McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State found and recovered from the respondent which property is reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activity.

“The Commission in supporting affidavits, alleged that the former Senate President acquired the two properties with proceeds of unlawful activity; that while serving as governor of Kwara State, he withdrew over twelve billion cash from the account of the Kwara Government and paid same into his accounts domiciled in Access and Zenith Banks through one of his personal assistant, Abdul Adama, at different intervals.”

In his ruling, Justice Mohammed Liman, ordered the interim forfeiture of the two properties.

He also instructed that the EFCC should publish the order in a national newspaper within fourteen days, for anyone with interest in the properties to show cause, why they should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.

- DAILY POST

18-year-old arrested for allegedly stealing tithes, offerings from church in Lagos

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested an 18-year-old Elikor Ehud, in Ejigbo area of the state for allegedly stealing tithes and offerings belonging to Chosen Vine Ministry, Furniture Avenue.

 DSP Bala Elkana, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in the Lagos Command, made this known in a statement in Lagos on Sunday.

Elkana said that one Pastor Moses Nwoke of the said ministry had reported at Ejigbo Police Station about the stolen tithes and offering from the church altar by unknown persons.

“After a thorough and painstaking investigation conducted by Ejigbo police station, the suspect, Ehud was arrested.

“He confessed stealing the sum of N670,000 from the church boxes and also mentioned one Lucky as his accomplice.

“Efforts are on to apprehend the said accomplice. The suspect will be charged to court,” NAN quoted him as saying.

- DAILY POST

Under-5 mortality high in Nigeria – NPC chairman

Mrs. Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, Acting Chairman, National Population Commission (NPC) on Monday said that under-five mortality was high in the country with an average of 132 deaths per 1,000 births.

Salu-Hundeyin said this during a news conference on the commencement of the data collection for the 2019 Verbal and Social Autopsy (VASA) survey in Abuja.

She said that as a follow-up to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS), 3,215 under-five mortality cases were selected, of with 31 percent were Neonates and  69 percent, children.

According to Salu-Hundeyin, the regional spread of occurrence of death during the period are 614 (20 percent) of total deaths in Southern Nigeria, while 2,601 (80 percent) occurs in the North.

The NPC boss explained that the most common causes of neonatal deaths were birth asphyxia, severe infections such as pneumonia, septicemia, and meningitis.

She, however, ascribed some causes of infant death to religious beliefs, socio-cultural practices, age and education of mother and socio-economic status of the household.

Salu-Hundeyin, who reiterated the preparedness of the commission to promote healthcare of the Nigerian child, called for the deployment of available tools to combat and curb the menace.

The NPC chairman added that the commission would, through the exercise, generate reliable data on causes and determinants of neonatal, infant and child mortality in Nigeria.

She reiterated the importance of the exercise, assuring that it would be used by policymakers and other stakeholders to formulate policies that would reduce Neonatal and child mortality to the barest minimum.

The data collection for the Verbal and Social Autopsy (VASA) survey, which commenced on Oct 19 to Dec 18, was last conducted in 2014.

- PM NEWS