Metro

Appeal Court Upholds Ex-banker’s Seven Years Jail Term

Published

2 months ago

May 8, 2025

Editor

An Appeal Court sitting in Enugu has upheld the conviction and seven years prison sentence of one Onyekachi Nwosu, a former employee of Guaranty Trust Bank, over a N50 million loan fraud.

Nwosu was prosecuted by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a nine-count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N50 million and was convicted and sentenced by Justice R. O. Dugbo Oghoghorie of Federal High Court sitting at Independence Layout, Enugu on January 14, 2021.

The convict, who was an account officer of one Anyaso Chinedu, owner of Floxy Aluminum Odiofele Products Limited, used a forged document titled ‘An Application to Mortgage, Consent to Mortgage and Tripartite Legal Mortgage’ to deceive GTB into believing that one Mrs Adebimpe Foluke pledged her property as collateral for the said loan to Floxy Aluminium Odiofele Products Limited.

Investigations revealed that he benefited N40 million from the fraudulent act by directly withdrawing it from the account of Floxy Aluminium Odiofele Products Limited.

In the course of his trial, prosecution counsel, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE II Mainforce Adaka Ekwu, called four witnesses and tendered 16 exhibits which were admitted in evidence as ‘Exhibit EFCC 1-16’.

At the end of the trial, Justice Oghoghorie held that the EFCC proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted and sentenced Nwosu accordingly.

Dissatisfied with the judgement, the convict approached the Appeal Court, praying it to set aside the judgement of the trial court.

The prosecution counsel prayed the court to uphold the judgment of the High Court and dismiss the appeal on the grounds that “the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.”

The Court of Appeal set aside the convictions from the trial court on counts one to eight but upheld the verdict on Count 9.

In a unanimous judgement of a three-member panel of the Appeal Court, delivered by Justice Zainab Babe Abubakar, the Court of Appeal held that “the evidence of the First Prosecution Witness, PW1, corroborated the confession of the appellant that he collected N40 million from the loan sum of N50 million granted to the third respondent (Floxy Aluminum Odiofele Products Limited).

“The appellant has admitted that he collected N40 million from the loan sum, which has proved the last ingredient of the offence against the appellant.

“Consequently, the conviction of the appellant on this Count 9 of the charge by the trial court was in order, in my humble view.”

Metro

JUST IN: Many Killed As Soldiers, Bandits Exchange Gunfire In Kaduna

Published

2 hours ago

June 25, 2025

Editor

Scores of bandits and some military personnel have been killed following a gun battle in Niger and Kaduna States.

Nigerian Army Headquarters made the disclosure in a statement posted on its official X handle on Wednesday.

The statement said the operations were carried out in Kwanar Dutse Mairiga and Boka, Niger State, and Aungwan Turai, Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State.

The daredevil terrorists had launched an unprovoked attack on the aforementioned areas.

REAS ALSO:Police Neutralise Bandit, Rescue 5 Kidnapped Victims In Katsina

According to the statement, in response to the attacks, “land and air component troops launched several counter-attacks that eliminated scores of bandits in the encounters.

“Sadly, some gallant warriors paid the supreme price in the day-long battles, while four wounded in-action troops are currently receiving treatment for their gunshot wounds. Additional updates later.”

Metro

Police Detain 3 Nsukka Masqueraders For Allegedly Assaulting Residents

Published

14 hours ago

June 24, 2025

Editor

The police command in Enugu State has detained three masqueraders in the Nsukka area of the state for allegedly assaulting law-abiding citizens.

The command’s spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said in a statement in Enugu on Tuesday that police operatives, with the assistance of members of the community, led to the arrest of the suspects on June 23 at 3:30 p.m.

He said that the arrest of the suspects was in connection with the alleged physical assault of citizens by the ‘Oriokpa’ Masquerade group on June 22 as seen in a viral video.

“The suspects, along with others still at large, took advantage of the ‘Oriokpa’ Masquerade celebration to assault several innocent members of the public, inflicting bodily injuries on them.

“One of the victims was hospitalised for treatment due to injuries sustained during the attack.

“The masqueraders initially resisted police arrest and fled the scene.

“However, with the assistance of law-abiding community members, the three suspects were later identified and apprehended,” he said.

The spokesman said that the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Mamman Giwa, had ordered a thorough investigation into the case to ensure that justice was served.

Ndukwe quoted the commissioner as saying that masquerade celebration was a sacred and symbolic aspect of the nation’s culture.

He said that the state police chief, however, decried the actions of those who exploited the occasion to commit criminal acts.

Ndukwe said that the commissioner warned against the use of cultural festivities as a cover for fomenting trouble and committing crimes against fellow citizens, as perpetrated by the ‘Oriokpa’ masqueraders.

“The command is assuring the public that all those involved in the assault of law-abiding citizens will be brought to justice,” he added.

(NAN)

Metro

Edo Police Arrest Four Suspected Cultists

Published

17 hours ago

June 24, 2025

Editor

Edo Police Command said it has arrested four suspected cultists allegedly responsible for cult violence in Auchi and its environs of the state.

In a statement, the command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Moses Yamu said, the suspects, who were arrested during a joint operation, belong to different cultist groups.

The statement reads partly, “On 22/06/2025, operatives of the Command’s Anti-Cultism Unit in a joint operation with Jattu and Auchi Divisions embarked on a house-to-house arrest of cultists.

“These four (4) suspects were arrested in various locations in Auchi; Musa Murphy 25yrs of No 35 Ogeneni area Jattu, Auchi a member of Arobaga Confraternity, Gabriel Moses 25yrs of ECocota-Community, Auchi a member of Aye Confraternity, Michael Ayo 23yrs of No1 Emeke Uzuire, Auchi member of Eiye Confraternity and Philip Sunday 24yrs of Ebira camp, Auchi a member of Vikings Confraternity.”

Yamu expressed the state Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika’s assurance to the “general public of the Command’s resolve to rid the State of cultism while the suspects would be charged to court as soon as the investigation is concluded.”