2 Sentenced To Death For Robbing Lady of N2,500 Handbag & Phone In Anambra

Two men who allegedly stole a lady’s handbag, telephone and other personal effects at gunpoint will die by hanging or firing squad, an Anambra State High court has pronounced.

The High Court sitting at Ihiala Local Government Area of the state and presided over by Justice Okey Onunkwo said there was sufficient evidence to convict the duo.

It was gathered that the suspects, Anene Maduka, Ikenna Obi and Osadebe Ezeh on February 2, 2017 allegedly stole a mobile phone, a handbag and N10,000 cash belonging to one Miss Chinonye Ogujiuba of Eziama Uli.          

The Nokia phone was valued at N15,500, while the handbag was estimated at N2,500.

Anene Maduka, charged with the other suspects was, however, discharged and acquitted for lack of evidence.

The identity of Maduka, who was the first defendant in the case, was made an issue in the trial and the court agreed that he was not properly identified even though the victim gave evidence that he was waiting for the others on his commercial motorcycle while the robbery lasted.

In his submission, the defense counsel for the convicts — Calistus Ohanusi and Enright Okilie — had argued that the burden of proof on criminal matters rested on the prosecution who he said did not prove that their clients robbed, or took part in robbing the victim, maintaining that there was no sufficient evidence to convict them.

The Prosecution Counsel, Charity Madukife, submitted that the burden of proof had been discharged by calling eye witnesses; adding that the defence could not fault the evidence adduced.

Delivering the judgment, the presiding judge, Justice Okey Onunkwo, said there was no sufficient evidence against the first defendant (Maduka).

The judge said, "There was eye witness evidence against the convicts, as the victim had raised the alarm after the robbery, leading to the arrest of the culprits at Umudimogo Ihiala, after which they were handed over to the police.”

Justice Onunkwo thereby sentenced them to death by hanging or firing squad.

Pope Orders Ban On Sale Of Cigarettes In Vatican

Pope Francis has ordered a ban on the sale of cigarettes inside the Vatican from next year because of health concerns, a spokesman has said.

"The motive is very simple: the Holy See cannot be cooperating with a practice that is clearly harming the health of people," spokesman Greg Burke said in a statement.

Mariah Carey's Former Security Guard Threatens To Sue Singer Over S-xual Harassment

Michael Anello, a former security guard for Mariah Carey - is threatening the singing sensation with legal action, claiming she sexually harassed him, humiliated him and owes him money, according to TMZ.

The founder of Anello Security & Consulting - who has been an 'Executive Protection Agent' since 2006 - has made allegations that the singer told him he was a 'Nazi skinhead' and that she has an outstanding bill owed to his firm for $221,329.51.

TMZ claims to have seen a draft of a lawsuit prepared by Anello's attorney, which he is threatening to serve Mariah with, but that is thought to be on hold while negotiations are taking place.


The file supposedly claims that the security firm were under Mariah's employ from June 2015 to May 2017, but that there was an agreement in place for further two years.

He also claims she 'wanted to be surrounded with black guys, not white people' when it came to her security team.

In addition, the draft lawsuit allegedly claims the singer committed 'sexual acts with the intent that they be viewed by Anello'.

Specifically, this refers to an alleged incident that took place during a trip to Cabo San Lucas.

It's written that Mariah asked Anello up to her room to move some of her luggage, only to find her 'wearing a see-through negligee that was open'. Anello reportedly tried to leave, but she insisted he move the luggage.

The draft lawsuit says he ended up exiting the room and that there was no physical contact.

Checkout The first lady and ‘only Nigerian’ to own an iPhone X (N2.1million) in Nigeria (Photos)

 first lady/person to own IPhone X in Nigeria.

Apple officially released the iPhone X, on the 3rd of November as announced during the Apple Event few months back.

Nigerian lady, Favour Onyii is, said to be the first to own the new iPhone X in Nigeria and was reportedly purchased for her by her bae.

Her friends took to their various snapchat accounts to celebrate her.

The phone according to her cost a whooping N2million naira.

See photos below;

James Bond Actress Karin Dor Dies Aged 79

German actress Karin Dor, who played an assassin sent to kill James Bond in You Only Live Twice, has died aged 79.

Dor passed away on Monday at a care home in Munich, her son told Bild, after failing to recover from injuries she sustained in a heavy fall last year.

She acted in dozens of films, TV productions and theater plays during a career that began in her German homeland when she was 17.

Monkeypox Victim In Benue Loses Pregnancy

Miss Wuese Aloo, the suspected monkey pox victim in Benue State, has lost her four-month-old pregnancy. This was confirmed at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi.

Wuese said she contracted the disease from her lorry-driver boyfriend, who is nowhere to be found. He occasionally bring goods to Gboko.

A youth corps member, from Cross River State, is allegedly responsible for the pregnancy. He has been quarantined at BSUTH while tests are being conducted

According to the hospital management, the blood sample of the first victim has been taken to Senegal for screening; the result is being expected

Soldiers Neutralize 13 Boko Haram Insurgents In Borno

Troops of 119 Task Force Battalion, 8 Division Nigerian Army, deployed at Kangarwa, Kukawa area of Borno State, have neutralized 13 Boko Haram terrorists in a counter-attack by the troops.

Unfortunately, 1 gallant soldier paid the supreme price during the encounter, while 3 soldiers were wounded in action.

The offensive which began at about 4.00pm and lasted for roughly four hours, necessitated the troops calling for air support to which the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) promptly responded by dispatching an Intelligence Surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft and a Ground Attack Fighter Aircraft in support of the ground offensive.

The fierce counter also saw some insurgents fleeing with gunshot wounds and abandoning logistics and weapons.

The troops also neutralized 2 Hilux vehicles belonging to the insurgents and recovered the following; a Hilux vehicle, 1 Browning Machine Gun (BMG), 1 Anti Aircraft Gun (AAG), 2 General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG), 1 Light Machine Gun (LMG), 2 Rocket Propelled Guns Seven (RPG 7) tubes and bombs, 5 AK-47 Rifles and 550 Rounds of Anti-Aircraft Gun ammunition.

Family members jailed for selling land to multiple buyers

                          

The Lagos State Chief Magistrates’ Court at Ikeja has sentenced three members of a landowning family to 24 months’ imprisonment “with hard labour” for unlawful invasion into a piece of land already sold by their family to one Mr. Augustine Odunwo.

The convicts, who were jailed on August 18 by a court presided over by Mrs. Davies Abegunde, are Remi Akinsanya, Waidi Ogunlaja and Kamilu Ogunlaja.

The court convicted them of four counts bordering on conspiracy, forcible entry into Odunwo’s four acres of land, malicious damage and breach of public peace.

The police had arraigned them on May 27, 2011 for unlawful incursion into Odunwo’s land at Idotun Community, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, saying they were liable to be punished under sections 81, 451 and 517 of the Criminal Code Cap17 Vol II Laws of Lagos State 2003.

Though the convicts had then pleaded not guilty to the charges, the court, at the end of the six-year trial, pronounced them guilty and jailed them for 24 months without an option of fine.

The magistrate said she found the testimony of the police investigator, Jimoh Nurudeen, and that of the victim, Odunwo, compelling and truthful as opposed to the testimonies of the defendants, which she said were contradictory and inconsistent.

The magistrate decried the high-handedness of Lagos landowners who were fond of reselling same piece of land to multiple unsuspecting buyers, saying they did not deserve the mercy of the court.

The magistrate, Abegunde, held, “It is very sad that due to the greed of these lazy landowners, a lot of developments that can accrue to their environment and create jobs for the future generation are forfeited. All they are interested in is to sell one piece of land to as many unsuspecting buyers as they can find.

“This despicable act must be condemned by all, including the defence counsel, because anyone can fall prey to the wickedness and unconscionable acts of these types of landowners, as they abound in Lagos State particularly.

“In view of the above, and having debunked all the paraphernalia of technicality put in the path of the court in its quest to see that justice is done, I have no hesitation at arriving at the conclusion that the prosecution has proved the entire charge against the three defendants herein.

“This is particularly so as their cooked-up defence and the totality of their evidence has been discountenanced, disregarded and found to be entirely incredible and therefore unreliable for this court, while the evidence of both prosecution witnesses, I have found to be reliable and truthful. The demeanor of PW5 is satisfactory and I hold and believe that they are a witness of truth.”

Nigerian Farmers Raise Alarm over Foreign Frozen Chickens

Poultry farmers at the Nigeria Poultry Show in Abeokuta, Ogun State, say the activities of smugglers are crippling the poultry industry in the country.

“You see, because of the smuggled chickens, chickens grown by local farmers don’t have enough market and there is a limit to which they can grow, so most of them are dying in the farms because of excessive weight.”

A farmer and immediate past president of the Poultry Farmers Association, Dr. Ayoola Oduntan, said 75% of the frozen chicken in the country were being smuggled in and killing the local industry.

He said at present, chickens worth N2.5bn produced by farmers are stocked in cold rooms nationwide without market. He said people answered the call by the government to go back to farm, but regretted that the same government was failing to protect them from the hands of smugglers.

He called on the government and other stakeholders to ensure strict enforcement of the existing law which bans poultry products importation into Nigeria.

Faces of Mourners Who Confessed Killing Man With Juju

Like we reported earlier, it was like a 'movie' as some men confessed to the killing of one Mr. Thomas Ezeugwu, a business man residing in Lagos who suddenly slumped and died on Oct. 6.

The deceased's corpse was taken to his village at Nkpologwu town in Uzo-Uwani area of Enugu state for funeral rites and burial, when these five men (mourners) came out as if being pursued by the ghost of the dead man and confessed how they planned and killed Mr. Thomas.

It was gathered that men confessed to going to Omor town of Anambra State to get the charm which they used in killing the man, who according to them was about to sell 20 plots of land without their consent and at that they planned to kill him.

They went further to reveal that they contacted two native doctors who helped them prepare charms that killed the man.

The villagers bounced on them and almost took their lives before the intervention of the Police.

Funmilayo Tejuoso, LASG Fight Over N150m Property

The family of Funmilayo Tejuoso, a former Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, and the Lagos State Government are at dagger’s drawn over the eviction of the family from its residence in the Ikeja area of the state.

While Funmilayo’s husband, Kayode Tejuoso, accused the state government of victimisation, the state Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, said the house was not acquired by the family.

Funmilayo, a serving four-time lawmaker, was asked to quit the five-bedroomed semi-detached house located on Sasegbon Street, Ikeja GRA, after the report of a panel of inquiry on illegal sale of public assets said the house was illegally acquired.


The incumbent Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Wasiu Eshilokun-Sanni, was said to have formally taken over the building on Tuesday.

The Clerk of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Sanni Azeez, and the Director of the Lagos State Staff Housing Board, Mr. Dele Oyewunmi, among others, were reported to have given Eshilokun-Sanni keys to the two wings of the semi-detached duplex, which previous deputy speakers in the state had allegedly used before Funmilayo moved in when she was elected as the deputy speaker in 2007.

After she was impeached in 2009 from the office of the Deputy Speaker, she had remained in the apartment.

Her husband, Kayode, said the house was bought by his family, adding that the eviction was “a sheer political persecution and uncommon vendetta” against his wife.

He noted that Funmilayo, who is representing Mushin Constituency I in the state House of Assembly, had travelled out of the country when policemen from the governor’s office stormed the house and evicted residents.

Kayode, who spoke with journalists on Wednesday, said the property was acquired under the Federal Government’s Property Monetisation and Redevelopment Policy during the administration of a former Governor of the state, Babatunde Fashola.

He said they paid N150m in tranches into the account of the state Ministry of Housing through a firm, Debam Mega Solutions.

A letter, dated March 26, 2010 and signed by the then Permanent Secretary of the ministry, P.O. Bamgbose-Martins, indicated that Fashola approved the sale of the property at N200m with a 25 per cent discount.

Details of the payments also showed that the firm paid in tranches of N13m, N58m, N29m, N10m, N10m, N8m, N8m, N5m and N9m between February 4, 2010 and May 28, 2015.

Kayode said his family was traumatised by the eviction and had been rendered homeless.

He said, “During the administration of former Governor Bola Tinubu, the Lagos State Government adopted the Federal Government’s Property Monetisation and Redevelopment Policy by offering several of its property to civil servants occupying same for sale, as well as companies under redevelopment schemes.

“This policy was continued by the Babatunde Fashola administration as a result of which several officials benefited. My wife and I were equally afforded the same opportunity of acquiring the property, which we chose to do through Debam Mega Solutions Limited in which we have interest.

“At the time the company sought the concession of the former governor, the property housed a dilapidated and abandoned structure. Further to the said application and by the Lagos State Ministry of Housing letter with reference no: MHEST/627, the state government offered to sell the property to the firm at the ultimate agreed purchase price of N150m.

“This amount was eventually fully paid to the government on May 28, 2015, thereby concluding the sale of the property from the government to the company.”

Kayode further explained that upon the acquisition of the right of occupancy over the property, he and his wife rebuilt it.

He said his family had been living in the house peacefully since 2010 until about 11am on Friday, November 3, 2011, when the policemen stormed the building.

He said, “The policemen from the Office of the Governor of Lagos State, led by one Mr. D. Abutu, without an order of court, invaded the property, evicted some of the occupants and imprisoned others, who have remained imprisoned since.

“The property was sealed since that day with armed police officers stationed within and outside the premises while my daughter and others are inside. She is traumatised.

“On Monday, November 6, the policemen took their unprecedented ignominious conduct to horrifying proportions when, acting on the specific instruction of the Lagos State governor, they broke the doors and walls of the house in a Gestapo style.

“They also vandalised the property and harassed the children who are occupying it. Some of our property have been pilfered.”

The policemen were still on the ground as of 12pm on Wednesday when a Punch correspondent visited the area.

A signpost with an inscription ‘Deputy Speaker’s Official Residence’ was also erected on the frontage of the house.

“Contrary to lies being peddled by the state government that the building is the official residence of the Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, the two previous deputy speakers before my wife, Mrs. Funmilayo Tejuoso, were Farouk Oshodi and Toun Adediran, while the two after her were Bola Badmus and Kolawole Taiwo.

“None of them ever lived at 3A Sasegbon Street. A former Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Budget, Mrs. Dawodu, handed the place over to us,” he added.

The state Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Ayorinde, in a statement on Wednesday, however, said the property was bought by a company and not the couple, adding that payments were not fully made.

The statement read in part, “The matter in question does not involve the governor’s office as being erroneously alleged. While a couple has stepped forward to claim ownership of the said property, this is a misdirected claim as the couple did not make any purchase on the property.

“The company that made the purported purchase did so in error and is yet to step forward to challenge the cancellation of the purchase since the company – a certain Debam Mega Solutions – which paid only a portion of the offer price, never completed payments on it that would have entitled its full take-over and access to Certificate of Occupancy.

“The incomplete payment has since been refunded to the company and the property retrieved so that it can continue to serve as the official quarters of the Deputy Speaker of LAHA.”

Kidnappers Of Labour Party Chairman's Mother Demand N100m From Family

The kidnappers of 71-year-old Mrs. Elizabeth Omotosho, the mother of the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Dr Mike Omotosho, have demanded N100m ransom for the release of the septuagenarian.

The victim was abducted by four gunmen at her house on Lobalade Street, Tanke, Ilorin, Kwara State, around 8pm on Sunday.

Hushpuppi Regret Going For Nose Surgery

                    
Controversial Nigerian big boy, Ray Hushpuppi seems to be going through post-surgery complication as he is now bitterly regretting going under the knife.Hushpuppi who shared a photo of him on the hospital bed last week immediately after his nose surgery thanking God for the success has now taken to Snapchat to complain and admonished people against it. See his posts below…