NIMC Director arraigned for allegedly raping 2-year-old in his office

The Imo State Director, National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, Ikenna Unegbu, has been arraigned before a Magistrates’ Court sitting in Owerri, the State 
capital, for allegedly defiling a two-year-old girl in his office, according to the Nation.

The incident was said to have happened on February 5, 2020 in Unegbu’s office at the NIMC.


The complainant, who is also the mother of the victim, Chinonye Obioma, told the court that her little child was defiled on February 5, 2020 by the Director.

She explained that the Director had taken the child from her in the guise of consoling her after she (Obioma) scolded her (the child) for pouring water around the office.

“My daughter went into the office twice with biscuits and groundnuts, only to come out from the Director’s office the third time, crying,” she told the court, according to the newspaper.

Obioma further said that on her way home, she noticed abnormal movement and posture of her baby after she urinated.

“When I asked her what happened, she mentioned that Uncle Police (the suspect) removed her pant, and put his stick (penis) inside her bumbum.

“I went home in tears, seeing reddish, swollen vagina, remains of sperms, tissue paper gummed on her private parts.

“I called Oga Ikenna (suspect) to enquire what he did with my daughter, and he harshly denied knowledge of the incident.”

The child’s mother, who runs a photography stand within the commission, explained further that the next day on February 6, she took her baby to the Federal Medical Center, Owerri and Police Hospital to carry tests on her daughter.

She said the doctors confirmed through medical reports that the little girl’s hymen was broken.

She told the court that the medical reports showed that the baby sustained serious injury after her abuser had penetrated her.

The Magistrate, Her Worship Odionyenma, ruled that the suspect be granted bail for re-arraignment on March 19, 2020.

The judge further said that the constitution gives protection to both the complainant and the accused.

According to the judge, evidence would be properly studied to ensure justice was served.

- DAILY POST

UK court jails Nigerian pastor who sexually assaulted children for 20 years

A Birmingham crown court in the United Kingdom on Friday sentenced Michael Oluronbi, a Nigerian pastor, to 34 years in prison. 

Oluronbi was convicted of raping some children for a period of 20 years. He was said to have committed the act during religious bathing rituals he claimed would wash their sins away and cleanse them from evil spirits.

Oluronbi, who was arrested at Birmingham airport while reportedly attempting to abscond to Nigeria, was charged with 15 counts of rape, seven counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault.

During his trial, the convict was said to have blamed the devil for his misdeeds. His victims included six women and a man; five of them were members of his church, whom he started abusing since they were children.

Oluronbi, who is also a pharmacist, would rape the victims and abort the pregnancies with the help of his wife.

While testifying in court, one the victims said the convict made her question if her life was worth living.

Delivering the ruling, Sarah Buckingham, the presiding judge, said the matter was “one of the worst cases of sexual abuse of multiple children to come before the courts”.

She described Oluronbi as an arrogant, selfish and vain man, as the religious bath was meant to satisfy his sexual urge.

“The children feared you and this enabled you to continue your grip,” the judge said.

“Your offending has had an extreme and severe impact on all of your complainants. Any attempt to suggest otherwise would be without foundation.

“You abused your position of trust – they trusted you like God.”

Juliana, Oluronbi’s wife, was  convicted for aiding and abetting rape, helping with abortions of the victims, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

A court statement said some of the victims were raped repeatedly, which resulted into pregnancies that were terminated.

The convict, who was said to have cultivated the habit of laughing in court while giving evidence, admitted to the court that he was “revered and feared by his victims, kept a vice-like grip on many of them and continued to abuse them well into adulthood.”

- THECABLE

Liverpool fight back against Bournemouth after successive defeats

Liverpool recovered from a goal down to beat Bournemouth 2-1 at Anfield and move 25 points clear at the Premier League summit on Saturday.

A contentious ninth-minute opener from Callum Wilson gave the Cherries an advantage with Liverpool fans afraid the losing streaks could continue following successive defeats to Watford and Chelsea.

However, the two African giants in the Liverpool squad came to rescue.

Mohamed Salah marked his 100th league appearance for the Reds with the equaliser and Sadio Mane’s clinical finish later put them in front.

Jürgen Klopp’s side dominated the second half, too – but did require a pivotal James Milner clearance off the line – and did enough to post an all-time record 22nd consecutive home win in the English top flight.

Team news

Adrian continued between the posts due to Alisson Becker’s muscle injury, while Milner was deployed at left-back and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started in midfield.

Andy Robertson was omitted from the matchday squad as a precaution.

- PM NEWS

Oyo chief magistrate Adio jailed for stealing GTB money

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan zonal office, on Friday, March 6, 2020, secured the conviction of a former Deputy Chief Registrar of the Oyo State High Court, Mutiat Omobola Adio.

Justice Muniru Olagunju found her guilty of a one-count charge of stealing in a case preferred against her by the anti-graft agency.

The convict, who was also a Chief Magistrate in the state, was accused of stealing a sum of N22,375,913 from Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, an offence that runs contrary to section 390(11) of criminal Code, Cap.38, Law of Oyo State.

This is the second time in less than two years that the former top government official would earn jail term for fraud-related offences.

On 18 May 2018, she was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for obtaining under false pretence a sum of N9.2 million from one Abiodun Olonade, a Nigerian resident in Ireland.‎ The sentencing was without an option of fine.

Adio, in the latest criminal charge, was said to have abused her office as the secretary of a Cooperative Society of the Oyo State Judicial Officers by inflating the total sum approved for loan facilities granted her members by the GTBank, and converting the difference to personal use. She was said to be the facilitator of the N90m loan.

She pleaded “not guilty” to the offence when she was first arraigned on April 25, 2017, necessitating the commencement of her trial. The prosecution, led by Dr. Ben Ubi, called five witnesses, while she called two in her defence.

After listening to arguments from the parties, Justice Olagunju declared her guilty of the offence and sentenced her to five years in prison without an option of fine.

She was also ordered to pay back the sum of N20,935,000 to the GTBank, the victim of her crime.

- PM NEWS

Man Utd vs Man City: Michael Owen predicts EPL Derby

Former England and Real Madrid striker, Michael Owen, has predicted that this weekend’s Manchester Derby will end in a draw.

Manchester United host Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Red Devils have already beaten Pep Guardiola’s men twice this season at the Etihad.

But Owen, who famously scored the winner in United’s 4-3 win over City in 2009, feels the points will be shared.

“Recent Carabao Cup winners Manchester City travel across Manchester for their derby clash with United in the match of the weekend.

“They’ll be in a confident mood heading to Old Trafford but from the three matches between the sides this season, Manchester United have already won two.

“However, in what is sure to be a closely fought contest, I think the bragging rights will be shared with a goal and a point apiece,” Owen wrote in his Bet Victor blog.

- DAILY POST

Two British Airways staff test positive for coronavirus

Two British Airways staff have tested positive for coronavirus and are recovering at home, according to reports.

The staff, said to be baggage handlers at London’s Heathrow Airport, bring the total number of infected persons in the UK to 163.

The airline has encouraged its staff to take unpaid leave as the disease keeps spreading around the globe.

“Public Health England (PHE) has confirmed that two members of our staff, have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus,” British Airways said in a statement.

“The welfare of our passengers and colleagues is our top priority. A dedicated team from Public Health England is in place at Heathrow to respond to any incidents.”

The airport is also cleaning surfaces and providing hand sanitisers to workers “to protect themselves and our passengers.”

A spokesman for Public Health England said that Heathrow already has enhanced monitoring for certain flights and that while it won’t comment on individual cases, in any positive test the department conducts contact tracing, aimed at locating everyone the person has made contact with.

British Airways, the biggest operator at London Heathrow, has already scrapped all flights to China, taking steps to slow down on destinations in Europe, Japan and South Korea.

The carrier this week announced that it would scrap change fees on all new bookings made between March 3 and March 16, to spur travelers to book tickets.

- THECABLE

Biafra is buried – Ex-APC presidential aspirant, Garba tells Nnamdi Kanu, others

A former All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba, has declared that Biafra is dead and buried.

Garba urged pro-Biafra agitators to ignore the secession move and look for something better.
He was reacting to the commendation that greeted the decision of the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe to oppose the senate’s approval of $22.79bn external loan requested by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Senate had approved the loan after a heated debate which led to a closed-door executive session.
Speaking during the debate, Abaribe had tackled the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan for “shutting out the rest of the senate members on the approval of the loan.”
Abaribe had said: “We are going to pass a loan of $22.7billion for which we are being denied the privilege to express our reservations. You are putting us in a very impossible position.

“There are some aspect of this loan that we object to. I want to ask on behalf of our colleagues here that we take these items one by one and vote on them.”
“I want to quote one popular saying that he who goes a borrowing, goes a borrowing.”
However, Garba in a tweet, wrote: “Our brothers from the South East are happily celebrating Senator Abaribe for his effective representation, you know why?

“Because he joined party politics, won election through the law. So he represents Most of you can too, just stop following the buried Biafra trust in Nigeria.”

- DAILY POST

More troubles for Fayose as N200m property linked to sister

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has linked a property worth N200m located at No.44, Osun Crescent, Maitama, Abuja to one Mrs Moji Oladeji, the elder sister of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose.

According to Punch, Olugbenga Falai, a banker revealed this at the continuation of the N2.2bn fraud trial of former governor on Friday, while testifying as the sixth prosecution witness.

Fayose, alongside a firm, Spotless Limited, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Both defendants have entered a no-guilty plea to the N2.2bn fraud charges pressed against them by the anti-graft agency.

In one of the charges against Fayose, the EFCC had alleged that he purchased a property known as No.44, Osun Crescent, Maitama, Abuja for N200m in the name of “your elder sister, Mrs Moji Oladeji.”

Led in evidence on Friday by the prosecuting counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Falai told the court that though he now works with Ecobank, he was in the employment of Skye Bank, now Polaris, as of 2016.

Falai, who said he worked in the real estate department of Skye Bank, narrated to the court how the bank put up for sale a property known as No.44, Osun Crescent, Maitama, Abuja for the sum of N200m.

He said after an offer and a counter-offer, Skye Bank eventually issued a letter offer to one Signature Integrated Limited in respect.

“The receipt was issued in the name of Signature Integrated Limited while the Deed of Assignment was in the name of Mrs Moji OIadeji.”

Falai told the court that Skye Bank received the N200m payment “from a Zenith Bank account named Still Earth Limited.”

He said the N200m was transferred.

The Head of Operations at the Ado Ekiti branch of Zenith Bank, Johnson Abidakun, who testified on Thursday in the case as the 5th prosecution witness, had told the court how Fayose allegedly enlisted the services of the bank to move N200m cash from his residence at Afao Ekiti in April 2016 and the money lodged into the account of Still Earth Limited.

Under cross-examination by Fayose’s lawyer, Mr Ola Olanipekun (SAN), on Friday, the sixth witness, Falai, said he could not tell if there was any transaction between Still Earth Limited and Signature Integrated Limited to which Skye Bank offered the N200m property.

Justice C.J. Aneke adjourned further proceedings in the matter till May 18.

- PM NEWS

Amaechi’s mother, Appolonia kidnapped as gunmen demand N20m ransom

Gunmen have kidnapped Madam Appolonia Amaechi, the mother of Ikechukwu Amaechi.

Amaechi is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of TheNiche Newspapers.

The kidnappers have demanded N20million as ransom for the 79-year-old grandmother.

Madam Appolonia, a retired teacher, was abducted on Tuesday, March 3.

She was forcefully taken from her home at Ahiazu in Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State around 8:30 pm.

Her son, Ikechukwu, narrated the incident to DAILY POST Friday night.

“It is true. My younger sister called and was crying. I asked what the issue was, and she said that they kidnapped my mother in the village,” Amaechi explained in a down tone.

“That my mother had just finished dinner and was in the living room watching television when three men with guns and faces covered came in and went straight after her.

“That she was crying and shouting, and they bundled her into a car they drove into my compound and left.”

Asked who was at home during the attack, the journalist replied: “My younger brother’s wife, my young cousin in SS3, among those to sit for WAEC this year. You know the way village setting is, so my cousin, a school principal was around.”

The publisher confirmed that the abductors have made contact. He recalled that they called him through his sister-in-law’s phone which they took when they stormed the residence.

“It was the phone they used in calling me the following day that they wanted to talk to me. I said okay. They confirmed that they were kidnappers and have my mother.

“They said I should talk to her. I spoke to my mother and asked where she was. She said that they were inside the bush and that the Tuesday night rain fell on her.

“She said at a stage, they gave her umbrella as a shade. I asked if she had eaten anything, she said that they gave her N100 cracker biscuit.

“So, they took the phone and told me that if I want to see my mother, I should bring N20million. We’ve been talking since then and I have informed the security people. That is where we are”.

The kidnappers are insisting on the requested amount even as their location remains unknown.

Madam Amaechi is said to be diabetic and has been in captivity without her drugs.

- DAILY POST

UNILAG seeks reversal of convocation suspension

The management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) says the disruption of its 51st convocation will have an “adverse effect” on the goodwill that the institution enjoys.

TheCable had reported how Adamu Adamu, minister of education,  asked the institution to suspend the ceremony after Wale Babalakin, chairman of the governing council of the university, accused the management of not following due process in reaching its decision on the programme which was slated for March 9 till March 12.

Babalakin was said to have disagreed with the management over the choice of Isa Pantami, minister of communication and digital economy, as convocation lecturer.

The chairman of the governing council was said to have preferred a former president of Ghana.

In a memo issued after its emergency meeting on March 4, the management highlighted the disadvantages of not going ahead with the convocation as planned.

“That there is a directive of the Minister of Education, communicated to the Vice-Chancellor by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) that the 2019 Convocation Ceremonies be suspended,” read the memo seen by TheCable.

“This directive was based on a letter from the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Dr. B.O, Babalakin SAN, which led the Honourable Minister to surmise that the 2019 Convocation Ceremonies have not received the requisite concurrence and blessings of the Governing Council of the university.

“That the goodwill the university has always enjoyed and our current ranking as number one in Nigeria and number eight in Africa will be adversely affected by any disruptions.

“Following these, senate unanimously resolved to enjoin the council to urgently take ALL necessary steps to ensure the 2019 Convocation Ceremonies hold as scheduled from March 9 t0 13, 2020 so that the brand “UNILAG” built over 58 years is sustained and not brought into disrepute.”

- THECABLE