News
Journalist Jailed 3 Years For N10.2m Fraud
A Wuse Zone II Magistrates’ Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, sentenced a journalist, Sanusi Inuwa, to three years in prison for N10.2 million fraud.
Inuwa, 47, claims to be the publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Daily Focus newspaper.
The court imposed the sentence after finding Inuwa guilty of defrauding one Mr Hamza Galadima of the said amount.
Magistrate Folashade Oyekan held that the police, who prosecuted the case, proved it beyond reasonable doubt.
She also ordered the convict to pay the sum of N10.2 million to the complainant (Galadima) as compensation or spend five years in prison.
The convict was first arraigned on July 15, 2021, on a five-count charge of conspiracy, breach of trust, cheating, intimidation and defamation of character.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Inuwa had pleaded not guilty to all the counts, and was granted bail in the sum of N600,000.
According to the police, Inuwa jumped bail but was re-arraigned on June 14, 2022, and kept at the Keffi custodial centre until Wednesday.
The police had submitted that one Dr Ado Birchi introduced the convict to the complainant on April 24, 2021, as the publisher of the newspaper.
The police said that Inuwa collected N10 million from Galadima to renew his publication licence, promising to pay back after two months.
“The money was paid into the defendant’s Access Bank account on four different occasions.
“Two months elapsed without the defendant paying the money back as agreed.
“The defendant later handed over documents for one hectare of land at Sabo Lugbe, Abuja, to the complainant, claiming that the land was worth N13 million,” the police added.
According to the police, the convict also collected N250,000 from the complainant, but ran away and started publishing articles to tarnish his image.
The court heard that the land documents were later discovered to be forged by the convict.
According to the prosecutor, Mr Oyeyemi Adeniyi, the convict conspired with one Arma Yau, at large, to perpetrate the fraud, in contravention of Sections 97, 364, 322, 312 and 394 of the Penal Code.
The Association of Scavengers, Scrap Dealers, and Recyclers, Abuja, has publicly dissociated itself from a Federal High Court suit filed by unregistered scavengers and beggars against the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the association’s chairman, Mallam Muntari Mohammed, clarified that the group is a duly registered body, with members holding valid identity cards and engaging in legitimate waste management, scrap trading, and recycling businesses.
He stressed that the association has always complied with the FCT Administration’s rules and regulations, maintaining a clean record.
Muntari noted that the association had formally written to the Department of State Services (DSS) and other relevant agencies to affirm its commitment to safeguarding critical infrastructure and adhering to stipulated guidelines.
He distanced the group from unregistered scavengers, whom he accused of tarnishing the reputation of legitimate operators through theft and other illicit activities.
The chairman addressed the FCT Minister’s recent ban on scavenging, which stemmed from misunderstandings about the distinction between honest scavengers and rogue elements.
“We have never confronted the FCT authorities and will never do so,” Muntari said, emphatically dissociating the association from the court case against Wike.
The Vatican has confirmed that only one round of voting will take place this Wednesday afternoon as the conclave to elect the next pope officially gets underway.
Cardinals from around the world gathered earlier Wednesday in the Sistine Chapel, where they took a sacred oath of secrecy before the chapel doors were ceremonially closed with the Latin phrase “extra omnes,” meaning “everyone out.” The papal master of ceremonies then declared the start of the conclave, invoking a centuries-old tradition whose name comes from the Latin cum clave, meaning “locked with key.”
Wednesday’s solitary ballot marked the opening step in the process to choose the new leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics. Should the vote prove inconclusive requiring a two-thirds majority to elect a new pope, cardinals will resume the process on Thursday, casting up to four ballots daily until consensus is reached.
Each cardinal votes by writing “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” (“I elect as Supreme Pontiff”) on a paper ballot, followed by the name of their chosen candidate. In a quiet and orderly procession, they approach the silver and gilded urn in order of seniority to place their ballots.
As the final vote is cast, the tension rises in St. Peter’s Square, where the faithful and millions watching around the globe await the first sign of smoke from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney. Black smoke will indicate that no decision has been made; white smoke will proclaim that a new pope has been elected.
The last two conclaves, in 2005 and 2013, ended on the second day, with Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis elected after a series of swift ballots, respectively.
As the doors remain closed and Vatican cameras withdraw, the world waits in hushed anticipation for the next chapter in the history of the Catholic Church to be written.
Governor Hyacinth Alia will not honour the House of Representatives Committee invitation scheduled for Thursday, May 8.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, confirmed this to journalists on Wednesday in Makurdi.
The House had summoned the governors of Benue and Zamfara, alongside their Assembly leadership.
Kula stated that the invitation is unconstitutional and the governor will not comply with it.
He explained that Alia has filed a case at the Supreme Court challenging the lawmakers’ invitation.
“Yesterday, the Benue Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the Reps Committee invitation.
“They believe the invitation is based on ignorance and have decided not to attend. They will also challenge it in court,” he said.
Kula added that the governor, independently, has approached the Supreme Court to challenge the invitation’s legality.
He said: “Since the matter is in court, I will not speak further on it.”
Kula also claimed that the civil society group behind the petition is faceless and unregistered.
According to him, the address on the group’s letterhead is fake and lacks credibility.
He said there is a coordinated campaign of misinformation and sponsored protests aimed at destabilising Benue.
In recent weeks, he noted, there have been protests in Abuja allegedly representing Benue people’s concerns.
“These protests aim to provoke a state of emergency in Benue by portraying it in a negative light,” he said.
He claimed the organisers seek to undermine progress and return to a failed political order.
“Their ultimate goal is to create chaos for selfish political gain,” Kula added.
He accused the protest sponsors of trying to remove the governor through disruptive means.
“They will not succeed. Benue people stand firmly with their governor,” he said.
He assured the public that Benue remains peaceful and the government is functioning effectively.
“Governor Alia is committed to fulfilling his mandate and addressing the state’s challenges,” he said. (NAN)