Metro

JUST IN: Supreme. Court Affirms 5-year Jail Term For Lawan Over $3m Bribery Saga

Published

2 years ago

January 26, 2024

Editor

The Supreme Court, on Friday, upheld the judgement that convicted and sentenced the former Chairman of the then House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy probe, Mr. Farouk Lawan, to five years in prison for bribery.

The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel, dismissed as lacking in merit, an appeal the former lawmaker, who has been in prison custody since 2021, filed to challenge his conviction.

Lawan had among other things, contended that he was not allowed to make a plea of allocutus (plea for leniency) by the trial court before it jailed him.

However, in its lead judgement that was prepared by Justice Inyang Okoro but read on Friday by Justice Tijjani Abubakar, the Supreme Court said it was “crystal clear that failure of the trial court to call for allocution, did not vitiate the sentence passed on the Appellant.”

It will be recalled that a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Apo had on June 22, 2021, sentenced the former lawmaker to seven years in prison.

Trial Justice Angela Otaluka, found the four-term lawmaker for Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency of Kano State, guilty of demanding an aggregate sum of $ 3million from Chairman of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, Chief Femi Otedola, to give his company a clean bill of health in the fuel subsidy probe the House of Reps initiated on 2012.

The trial court held that the Defendant acted in breach of section 17 (1) (a), section 8(1) (a) (b) (ii), and section 23 (i) of the Corrupt practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000, and committed an offence punishable under section 8 (1) 17 (1) and 23(3) of the same Act.

The court said it was satisfied that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, successfully established a criminal case against the Defendant, even as it convicted him on all the three-count charges that was preferred against him.

Whereas the Defendant was handed 7 years jail term on counts 1 and 2 of the charge, the court sentenced him to 5 years on count 3.

Justice Otaluka held that the sentence would run concurrently.

Dissatisfied with the verdict, Lawan, lodged six grounds of appeal to challenge his conviction.

He maintained that the ICPC failed to by way of credible evidence, establish a prima facie criminal case against him.

Therefore, he prayed the appellate court to discharge and acquit him of the bribery allegation.

In its judgement on February 24, 2022, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal affirmed the high court’s verdict.

However, the appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-man panel of Justices, reduced Lawan’s jail term from 7 to 5 years, after it discharged and acquitted him of two of the charges that led to his conviction.

The panel, which was led by the Court of Appeal President, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, held that the totality of evidence the Prosecution adduced in the matter, was not sufficient to prove that the former lawmaker demanded and agreed to accept $3m from Otedola.

The appellate court however upheld the case of the Prosecution that Lawan indeed received $500, 000 from the oil mogul.

While it dismissed the first two counts in the charge, the appellate court sustained the last count in the charge which attracts a maximum of five years imprisonment upon conviction.

Metro

Police Arrest Ex-Soldier, Four Others Over Armed Robbery, Kidnapping In Anambra

Published

10 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Editor

The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of five suspected members of a notorious armed robbery and kidnapping syndicate, including a confessed deserter of the Nigerian Army, in Awka, the state capital.

According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the operation was carried out on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Awkuzu.

Ikenga said the operation was carried out after the Command received intelligence on the abduction of a farmer at Isiagu, Awka.

The victim was reportedly released after an undisclosed amount of ransom was paid.

The police spokesperson said that, acting on credible intelligence, police operatives stormed the gang’s hideout at Notoko, Awka, leading to the arrest of the confessed deserter soldier and four other suspects.

Ikenga identified the suspects as 38-year-old Dominic Oraz, a confessed deserter of the Nigerian Army; 30-year-old Michael Nwobodo; 29-year-old Eze Friday; 23-year-old Uche Okolo, and 29-year-old Chinedu Gilbert.

“Exhibits recovered from the suspects include six automatic pump-action guns, 63 rounds of live cartridges, one microscope, five machetes, one military cap, two police teargas canisters, handcuffs, a robber’s rocket launcher, criminal charms, three Motorola walkie-talkies, one jack knife, one power bank and cash sum of N26,000,” Ikenga stated.

He said that during interrogation, Oraz admitted abandoning the military in November 2024.

Ikenga noted that investigations are ongoing, particularly regarding the deserter soldier, in collaboration with military authorities, to guide further police action and prosecution of all suspects.

He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, commended the operatives for the operation and urged residents of the state to remain vigilant and to continue to report suspicious activities to the Police for prompt action.

The commissioner also assured Ndi Anambra of the Command’s unwavering commitment to combating violent crimes.

Metro

Police Arrest Ex-Soldier, Four Others Over Armed Robbery, Kidnapping In Anambra

Published

10 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Editor

Ikenga said the operation was carried out after the Command received intelligence on the abduction of a farmer at Isiagu, Awka.

The victim was reportedly released after an undisclosed amount of ransom was paid.

He said that during interrogation, Oraz admitted abandoning the military in November 2024.

Ikenga noted that investigations are ongoing, particularly regarding the deserter soldier, in collaboration with military authorities, to guide further police action and prosecution of all suspects.

The commissioner also assured Ndi Anambra of the Command’s unwavering commitment to combating violent crimes.

Metro

Enugu Vigilantes Beat Young Man To Death Over Alleged Stealing Of Woman’s Clothes

Published

10 hours ago

August 28, 2025

Editor

Members of the Neighbourhood Watch in Amagu Iwollo Oghe community, Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, have allegedly beaten a young man, Mr. Nosike Madueke, popularly known as Wojuwo, to death over a false theft allegation.

Community sources told SaharaReporters that the vigilante group was led by the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the community, Mr. Chukwuebuka Hillary Ngwueche, also known as Osuofia.

According to one of the sources, the incident occurred on Monday, August 25, 2025, when the local security men attacked Madueke with “dangerous weapons” after he was accused of stealing a box of clothes belonging to Mrs. Nneka Nwankwo.

The source explained that Nwankwo had earlier hired Madueke and his co-workers to repair or dig her septic tank and soakaway, but later raised an alarm claiming her box of clothes had gone missing.

“Instead of handing Madueke over to the appropriate authority, especially the police, they decided to jointly and severally take the laws into their respective hands by arresting Madueke, dragging him to his house for a search, bringing out his clothes, and burning all the clothes,” the source said.

“They tied Madueke on both his hands and legs and started profusely, taking turns by using offensive weapons such as guns, machetes, and irons, to beat him up till he died.”

“This happened in public at Iwollo Oghe Square. How can a trained CSO and his men kill a whole human being on a mere allegation by a woman of stealing her cloth, which was later found,” the source said.

“The young boy was from Imeziolo, Ezeagu LGA of Enugu State.”

According to another source, this marks the third time residents of Iwollo Oghe, either directly or through its purported security outfits, have been linked to the killing of people from the deceased’s community.

“Sometime in 1987, they shot Hyacinth Adinde with a gun and asked the people of Madueke community to do their worst.

“Also, years later, they killed Engr. Christopher Aniagbaoso, and yet they asked the people of the community to do their worst.

“The people of Iwollo Oghe are in the habit of killing the people of Imeziolo on mere suspicious grounds,” the source alleged.

“We call on the Enugu State command to do justice to this case as information reaching us revealed that the men are on the run after killing the young boy,” the source added.

A video obtained by SaharaReporters showed the deceased being beaten with sticks by men believed to be members of the Neighbourhood Watch, who were seen parading him along a community road.

Moments later in the footage, his lifeless body appeared on the ground, surrounded by residents, some of whom lamented, “See how they killed somebody’s only son for nothing.”

According to a source, the case has since been reported to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the Enugu State Police Command.

However, repeated attempts by SaharaReporters to obtain the reaction of the Police Command were unsuccessful.

Calls to the mobile phone of the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, went unanswered, and a WhatsApp message sent to him also received no response as of the time of filing this report.