News
Betrayal In Uniform: NSCDC Officer Tosin Faces Trial For N12.4m Job Racketeering
By Henry Gabriel
In a shocking turn of events, a trusted officer of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mrs Olagunju Comfort Tosin, finds herself in the hot seat as she is arraigned in court over a staggering fraud amounting to N12.4 million.
The charges were deceiving Nigerians with false promises of employment.
Mrs Comfort, once regarded as an upstanding member of the NSCDC, is set to face Court 3 of the Federal High Court Abuja on Wednesday, where the truth behind her alleged job racketeering scheme will be exposed.
It is alleged that Tosin collected a substantial sum of money from innocent individuals under the pretense of securing employment for them since 2020, little did they know, it was all a carefully orchestrated fraud.
The Inspector General of Police, through legal counsel Princewill Ele Esq, has filed a four-count charge against Mrs Tosin, an NSCDC Officer with service number – 36161.
The case, assigned file number FHC/ABJ/CR/183/2024, outlines the grave nature of Tosin offenses.
The first count accuses Tosin of obtaining N12.4 million from Nigerians through false pretenses, promising them positions within the Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps.
This charge falls under section 1 (1) (c) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.
As the trial unfolds, the second count reveals a shocking revelation. Mrs Tosin conspired with others to commit criminal acts, constituting an offense punishable under Section 97(1) of the Panel Code Act, 2004.
The extent of her deceit and manipulation becomes clearer, leaving those affected by her actions even more devastated.
Count three sheds light on the breach of trust committed by Mrs Tosin, entrusted with the responsibility of securing employment with the NSCDC, she shamelessly converted the sum of N12.4 million for her own personal gain.
This violation of the law, which prescribes the mode in which such trust should be discharged, constitutes an offense punishable under sections 311 and 312 of the Penal Code Act 2004.
The fourth and final count brings to light the true nature of Mrs Comfort’s actions, where she fraudulently and dishonestly induced some Nigerians to part with their hard-earned money, she cheated them out of the substantial sum of N12.4 million.
This act of deception caused immense damage, and she now faces charges under sections 320 and 322 of the Penal Code Act 2004.
The court proceedings commenced on April 25, 2024, and the fate of Tosin hangs in the balance and she appears in court on Wednesday.
The Northern Youths Consultative Forum for Justice (NYCJ) has urged Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara State, citing a complete breakdown of governance, law, and order.
In a statement issued on Monday in Kano, NYCJ President Dr Sanusi Rano described the situation in Zamfara as “organised abandonment of duty” by elected officials.
“What we are witnessing in Zamfara is not governance. It is betrayal of the people,” Rano said, pointing to the absence of a functional state House of Assembly and allegations linking officials to criminal activities.
The group highlighted the suspension of 10 lawmakers who spoke out against the deteriorating security situation, arguing that their removal has left Zamfara without a legally recognised legislative body.
“This is a dictatorship of silence,” said Rano, adding that the lack of checks and balances has deepened the state’s crisis.
“The same hands that should protect Zamfara are profiting from its destruction,” Rano stated.
Calling for decisive action, the group demanded the appointment of a non-partisan administrator to rebuild the state’s institutions.
“If this is not done now, Zamfara risks becoming a permanent state of anarchy, which threatens our democracy,” Rano warned.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme of a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Monday, sentenced the husband of late gospel singer, Osinachi, Peter Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.
Nwachukwu was found guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of the deceased ( his wife) on April 8, 2022.
The judge held that the prosecution had proven the burden of proof placed on it by the law and subsequently found the defendant guilty.
Nwachukwu was arraigned on June 3, 2022 by the Office of Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), on behalf of the Federal Government, on a 23-count charge .
The charge was on culpable homicide punishable with death, criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, criminal intimidation of children, spousal battery, among others.
In the course of trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two children of the late Osinachi, who testified as fourth prosecution and fifth prosecution witnesses, PW4 and PW5 respectively.
The prosecution also tendered 25 documents as exhibits before the court.
The defendant testified for the defence and further called four other witnesses and tendered four exhibits in his defence.
Shortly before sentencing, the defendant, counsel , Reginald Nwali, in his allocutus pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgment.
Similarly, the prosecution counsel, Mrs Aderonke Imala, urged the court to give force to the law as stipulated.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1, while he was sentenced to two years imprisonment each on Counts 2, 3, 8,9, 12, 13, and 18.
The court sentenced the defendant to six months imprisonment on Count 10, three years imprisonment in Count 11, while he was fined the sum of N500,000 and N200,000 respectively on Counts 6 and 7 respectively. (NAN)
A group of lawyers under the banner of the Guardian of Democracy and Rule of Law staged a massive protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja on Monday, demanding a judicial inquiry into the tenure of Mele Kolo Kyari, the former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).
The protesters, led by Barrister Benjamin Theophilus, submitted a petition alleging widespread corruption, tax evasion, abuse of office, and misappropriation of public funds during Kyari’s leadership.
The petition highlighted several contentious issues, including inflated costs of refinery rehabilitation contracts, fraudulent crude oil allocations, mismanagement of the AKK Gas Pipeline Project, fuel subsidy fraud, and questionable crude-backed loans.
According to the petition, NNPCL under Kyari spent over $4 billion on rehabilitating the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, far exceeding an initial private-sector proposal of $1 billion for all three facilities.
“Kyari is alleged to have collaborated with consultants and contractors to conceal the actual cost of contracts and evade taxes,” the petition stated, noting that the refineries remain inefficient despite the expenditure.
The lawyers also accused Kyari of overseeing the diversion of crude oil allocations under the pretext of “pipeline security” at a rate of 80,000 barrels per day, with no transparent accountability mechanisms.
The $5 billion AKK Gas Pipeline Project was similarly flagged for irregularities in contract awards and execution, with little progress despite significant funding.
Further allegations include fuel subsidy fraud, with NNPCL reportedly increasing petroleum imports in 2020 during a global decline in fuel consumption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The petition also criticised crude-backed loans totalling $21.565 billion since 2019, which it claimed disadvantaged Nigeria by ceding trading profits to international traders.
The protesters called for a judicial commission to investigate Kyari’s tenure, probe payments to refinery contractors, and examine past audit failures.
They also urged the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to investigate suspected tax evasion and fraudulent declarations, while advocating for the recovery of any misappropriated public funds.
The Federal Ministry of Finance has yet to respond to the petition, and NNPCL officials were unavailable for comment at the time of reporting.