Metro

Fire Guts Market In Lagos, Good Worth Millions Of Naira Destroyed

Published

2 years ago

November 17, 2023

The stockfish section of the popular Oyingbo market was has been gutted by fire and goods worth N120 million were destroyed and looted.

Vanguard’s visit to the scene of the incident showed that about seven shop recently stocked with stockfish were raised down as the ashes of the commodity were seen scattered around the market.

Although, cause of the fire could not be ascertained, traders who spoke to VANGUARD correspondent said that the fire started after midnight but was put off after more than two hours of battle to tackle it.

Speaking, one of the affected shop-owners Mr. Davidson Okenwa said that he got a call at about 12:30. A M that the market was on fire and that four of his shops were affected.

Okenwa also said a total of seven shops belonging to him were completely burnt and looted as goods worth more than N70 Million were destroyed in the inferno.

He said: ” Around 12:20 A M this morning, I got a distress call from that market and I rushed from my house in Ijegun . On getting I discovered that four of my shops were completely burnt while others were looted.

” I am in a state of distress right because I took a facility from the First City Monument Bank, FCMB. I am totally at a loss at to what to do. The total value of Stockfish destroyed in the fire is over N70 million because I only took delivery of the goods only a day before the fire incident happened.”

Speaking on the development, Greg Ilobinso, a major dealer in the Stockfish trade based in the East, said that the need to have a fire service station at the market for quick intervention cannot be overemphasized adding that the loss at the runs into millions of Naira.

Ilobinso also said that until the Lagos Government sees the need to safeguard the lives and property at this particular market, the government and the traders will keep losing money.

Ilobinso called on insurance companies to come up with market insurance products with a view to minimizing the losses to victims of such incidents.

“I was informed of the situation this morning by some of my customers and I share the pain of the traders whose shops were affected and I hope the Lagos State Government in its magnanimity come to the aid of the victims and cussion the effect of the losses of the affected shop-owners.

“Imagine if somebody was sleeping inside any of the shops, that would have been worse than what we are talking about now.”

Metro

Student Pastor Arrested In Umuahia For Allegedly Defiling Teenage Girl

Published

23 hours ago

November 12, 2025

Editor

A 31-year-old student of a Theological institution in Umuahia South LGA of Abia State has been arrested by the police for allegedly defiling a 15-year-old girl.

The suspect, who was identified as Pastor Moses Ifeayichukwu Gabriel, was arrested through the help of
Behind Bars Defenders, Abia State office.

It was also alleged that the victim became infected after being defiled.

The development was made known by Abia State Director of Behind the Bars Defenders, Ochiegbu Marvelous and the organization’s Public Relations Officer, Nony Philip, through a press statement.

According to the statement, the ugly action of the Pastor was brought to the attention of Behind Bars Defenders by the mother of the victim.

“Acting swiftly, the organization reported the matter to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ubakala Division, Abia State, who ensured the suspect’s prompt arrest on November 6, 2025.

“Following his arrest, Pastor Gabriel was transferred to the Gender Desk Unit, State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Umuahia, for proper investigation and prosecution”, the group said

Behind Bars Defenders, which condemned in strong terms all forms of defilement, rape, child abuse, and sexual exploitation, called on the Abia State government, law enforcement agencies, religious institutions, and the general public to intensify efforts to protect children and vulnerable persons from sexual and gender-based violence.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of Abia State Police Command, DSP Maureen Chinaka confirmed that the incident was reported to the Ubakala Police Divisional Police station.

The PPRO, who said that a preliminary investigation was conducted on the matter, said the case had been transferred to Gender Section at the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, where more investigations were ongoing.

Metro

Woman Arraigned For Falsely Accusing Husband Of Defiling Daughters In Enugu

Published

23 hours ago

November 12, 2025

Editor

The Enugu State Police Command has arraigned a 29-year-old mother of two, Chisom Okonkwo, for allegedly making false claims that her husband, Okonkwo Ozioma, defiled their two daughters.

The case followed a viral social media post on November 5, in which Chisom accused her husband of sexually assaulting their children and threatening to kill her if she revealed the incident.

Mr Okonkwo denied the allegations and requested legal representation before making any statements to the police. According to court documents, the charges against Chisom include defamation of character and giving false information to the police.

Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Chisom Okonkwo, sometime in the month of August 2024, along Adoration Junction, opposite Dan-Legal Hotel, Emene, Enugu, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did defame the character of one Okonkwo Ozioma by shouting in public that he defiled your two daughters, which has exposed him to hatred, contempt and ridicule, thereby damaging his reputation and committing an offence contrary to Section 323 and punishable under Section 325 of the Criminal Code, Cap 30, Vol. II, Revised Laws of Enugu State of Nigeria, 2004.”

The second count reads: “That you, Chisom Okonkwo, on October 27, 2025, at the State Intelligence Department (SID), Enugu, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did give false information to police detectives that Okonkwo Ozioma defiled your two daughters, leading to his arrest and detention, knowing the information to be false, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 154(1)(a)&(b) of the Criminal Code, Cap 30, Vol. II, Revised Laws of Enugu State of Nigeria, 2004.”

Under Nigerian law, making false accusations of sexual assault can attract severe penalties, including charges of perjury, public mischief, or filing a false police report, offences that carry significant prison terms or fines.

In Lagos State, the law prescribes up to life imprisonment for making a false accusation of rape. If such an accusation is made under oath, it may constitute perjury, which is punishable by up to 14 years’ imprisonment under Section 118 of the Criminal Code Act.

False reporting of crimes also attracts sanctions for public mischief or wasting police time, with penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment in some jurisdictions.

Beyond criminal charges, a person wrongfully accused of rape may also pursue civil action against the accuser for damages.

Metro

Court Convicts Two National Assembly Staff Over CBN, FIRS Job Scam

Published

23 hours ago

November 12, 2025

Editor

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of two staff members of the National Assembly, Mustapha Mohammed and Tijjani Adam Goni, for defrauding job seekers of N4.8 million through a fake employment scheme at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The case followed a petition (ICPC/P/NC/1056/2022) filed by the victims, Saifudeen Yakub and Aminu Abubakar, who alleged that one Mustapha Mohammed, currently at large, claimed he could help secure employment for them at the CBN for N4 million each, with appointment letters to be released in April 2021.

Investigations revealed that the petitioners paid N3 million into a Zenith Bank account belonging to the first defendant and later transferred another N300,000 each to an Access Bank account under the name Badraddin Mohammed for purported medical screening.

In a statement on Wednesday, ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, said the defendants were arraigned before Justice B.M. Bassi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court No. 55, sitting in Asokoro, Abuja, following thorough investigations by the Commission.

According to prosecuting counsel, Fatima Abdullahi Bardi, the defendants were charged with a five-count offence bordering on advance fee fraud, forgery, and conspiracy to obtain money under false pretence, contrary to the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and the Penal Code.

Profit taking, rising tension wipe out N2.83 trillion from equities
Counts 2 and 3 accused the defendants of conspiring to forge an employment letter dated June 28, 2021, purportedly issued by the CBN, while Counts 4 and 5 involved a forged employment letter dated June 11, 2021, allegedly from the FIRS.

One of the charges read: “That you, Ibrahim Suleiman Umar (m), and Tijjani Adam Goni (m), on or about June 2021 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired to forge a letter of employment dated 11th June 2021 purportedly issued by the Federal Inland Revenue Service in favour of one Mustapha Muhammad, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 363 and punishable under section 364 of the Penal Code.”

Under Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, which allows for plea bargaining, the defendants pleaded guilty to a lesser charge after agreeing to refund the full sum of N4.8 million to the ICPC Recovery Account.

They were subsequently convicted on a one-count amended charge of making false statements, contrary to Section 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

Justice Bassi sentenced each of the defendants to pay a fine of N100,000 after they refunded the total amount defrauded to the ICPC.