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Court remands judges, 12 others in prison for alleged N500million theft

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A Kano Chief Magistrate Court, Gyadi- Gyadi division, on Wednesday ordered the remand of three Sharia Court Judges, and 12 other judicial workers at the Correctional Centre over alleged theft of about N500 million.

The 15 accused persons are standing trial before Chief Magistrate Mustapha Sa’ad Datti on four-count charge include criminal conspiracy, joint Act, criminal breach of trust by public service, and theft. The offenses are contrary to sections 97, 79, 315, and 289 of the Kano state penal code law and are punishable under the law.

The accused judicial staff of Kano state Shari’a Court of Appeal, including court registrars, cashiers and other workers along with some external collaborators are being prosecuted by the state Public Complaints and Anti Corruption Commission.

Arraigning the accused before the court yesterday, prosecuting counsel, Zaharaddeen Hamisu Kofar Mata told the court that the judicial workers forged letterhead papers of Kano Sharia Court and signatures of the two signatories to court’s Stanbic IBTC bank to fraudulently withdrew N484,067,327:07.

The Anti-corruption lawyer also told the court how the accused perpetrated another financial fraud to criminally facilitated the withdrawal of N96,250,000.00 from Kano State Pension Fund Trustee to the Account of Shari’a Court and subsequently siphoned same amount into different private accounts.

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According to Kofa- Mata, the judicial workers under probe created 15 fake civil servants’ death benefit files and fraudulently convinced and claimed the cash benefits from the pension board.

In the First Information Report (FIR), read before the court, the prosecuting counsel read, ” On 20th August, 2021 an official complaint was received at the Commission from Kano State ministry of justice, that sometimes ago in the year 2020/2021, Bashir Ali Kurawa “M”, Saadatu Umar “f”, Tijjani Abdullahi “m”, Maryam Jibrin Garba “f”, Shamsu Sani “m” and you Hussaina Iman “f” all committed an offence of criminal conspiracy in which Hussaina Imam who used his official position as cashier in the Kano State Sharia Court of Appeal, conspired with the aforementioned persons and one Suleiman “m” (now at large) and forged the letter head papers/sheets of Sharia Court of Appeal, forged the signatures of the two signatories to the Stanbic IBTC bank account 0020667440 belonging to Kano State Sharia Court of Appeal and stole money to the tune of N484,067,327:07, by fraudulently authorizing the bank to transfer the said amount to various bank accounts without the knowledge and/or consent of the authorized body/persons.

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” The act allegedly perpetrated are contrary to criminal conspiracy, joint act, criminal breach of trust by a public servant and theft, contrary to section 97, 79, 315 and 289 of Penal Code. That on 29th August, 2021, an official complaint was received by the Commission from Kano State Ministry of Justice, that sometimes ago in the year 2018 to 2021 Sani Ali Muhammad “m”, Sani Buba Aliyu “m”, Bashir Baffa “m”, Garzali Wada “m”, Hadi Tijjani Mu’azu “m”, Alkasim Abdullahi “m”, Yusuf Abdullahi “m”, Mustapha Bala Ibrahim “m”, Jafar Ahmad “m”, Adamu Balarabe “m”, Aminu Abdulkadir “m”, Abdullahi Suleiman Zango “m”, Garba Yusuf “m”, Bashir Ali Kurawa “m” and you Hussaina Imam “f” criminally conspired, breached the trust in you as a public servant, acted jointly and create 15 fake civil servants’ death benefit files and fraudulently siphoned funds to the tune of ninety six million, two hundred and fifty thousand Naira (N96,250,000.00) that was remitted by the Kano State Pension Fund Trustee to the bank accounts of Kano State Sharia Court Appeal and stole the said amount through eight Sharia Courts under the Kano State Sharia Court Appeal without the consent and knowledge of the authorizing authority.”, Kofar Mata read the FIR.

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All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the defendant lawyers, including Barrister Garzali Datti Ahmad, Sani Yakubu Ibrahim, Mubarak Mai Wada, Bashir Ahmad and Mustapha Hussein applied for the bail of the accused persons.

The defence lawyers in their separate submissions argued that the application was brought pursuant to sections 35 and 36 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and sections 168 and 172 of Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2019 of Kano.

In a counterargument, the prosecuting lawyer, Kofar Mata cautioned the court to consider the huge amount involved in the alleged crime in granting the bail. He urged the to order the defendants to deposit some amount of money and or, valuable property before granting the prayers.

The trial Magistrate Mustapha Datti adjourned the case to 1st February 2023 for hearing and ordered the remand of all the defendants in the correctional centre.

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Okada rider stabbed to death over N100 ticket in Ogun

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A commercial motorcyclist has reportedly been stabbed to death by a transport union tax collection group, popularly known as agberos, following an argument over a N100 ticket in the Ijoko area of Ogun State.

According to reports, the incident occurred on Tuesday night after a disagreement between the deceased and some levy collectors escalated into a violent confrontation.

While it was unclear if the suspect had been arrested, the killing reportedly sparked protests by commercial motorcyclists across Lambe, Agbado and Akute communities.

Some riders were seen confronting levy collectors in parts of the affected areas, disrupting transport activities and forcing many commuters to trek to their destinations.

A motorcyclist said that two persons were stabbed during the altercation, but only one survived.

“They were fighting over a N100 ticket. It started as a small argument before it escalated on Tuesday night. The person who was killed is one of the motorcyclists from Nasarawa,” he said.

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“His colleagues are the ones now confronting agberos in Lambe, Ijoko and parts of Akute.”

Another rider in Akute confirmed the incident, saying tensions had remained high since the killing.

“The man was stabbed to death by one of the agberos during an argument over the ticket. The agbero suddenly brought out a knife and stabbed him,” he said.

“Some riders have refused to work since then, which is why there are fewer commercial motorcyclists around today. The police are aware and arrested some people during another confrontation.”

Violent clashes between commercial motorcyclists and levy collectors are not new in the state. In recent years, riders have repeatedly protested what they describe as extortion and harassment.

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VIDEO: Police bust illegal baby factory in Ekiti

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The Ekiti State Police Command says its operatives have uncovered an illegal baby factory located in Ikere Local Government Area of the state.

The state commissioner of police, Joe Eribo, who disclosed this to journalists, said the command received a tip-off and arrested one Onyechi Oluwadare, alongside four other suspects behind a popular hotel along Ise-Ekiti Road, Ikere-Ekiti.

Other people arrested were, Onuoha Gloria, Victoria Linus, Ihegbogu Mercy, and a pregnant woman, Emmanuel Esther.

 

The statement read in part, “On the 24/01/2026 at about 08:30hrs, the Command received a credible tip-off that the prime suspect, Oluwadare Onyechi, a 43-year old woman, runs an illegal baby gactory alongside four other suspects somewhere behind Inisa Hotel and Suit, along Ise-Ekiti Road, Ikere-Ekiti.

“Upon the receipt of the information, the Command Operatives swung into action, cordon off the premises used for the illegal business, and arrested Oluwadare Onyechi and four other accomplices namely, Onuoha Gloria ‘28 yrs’, Victoria Linus ‘25 yrs’, Ihegbogu Mercy ‘21 yrs’ and a heavily pregnant Emmanuel Esther ’23yrs’.

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“Search was conducted in the premises and six children within the age of 2 and 9 reasonably suspected to be under bondage and exploitation were rescued. Items such as baby delivery materials, some rolls of dexamethasone tablet, and some bottles of Goya oil were recovered from the scene”.

The prime suspect in the alleged baby factory, Onyechi, denied the allegations, saying she only prays in the building for those seeking God’s favour.

The Command’s operatives also arrested one Ibrahim Abubakar, a notorious cattle rustler.

Investigation revealed that Ibrahim Abubakar has over the years, rustled numerous cattle in Ekiti, Kwara and Kogi States and has been on the wanted list of the three States.

During investigation, Ibrahim Abubakar confessed that he is into cattle rustling business and equally mentioned different occasions in the past where he attacked Cattle owners and made away with their cattle.

A large number of rustled cattle numbering two hundred and fifty-five(255) were recovered from him, alongside other 303 cattles recovered from prime suspect, making 558 cattles.

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NAFDAC uncovers fake Goya oil factory, counterfeit alcoholic drinks syndicate in Lagos

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Operatives of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have uncovered an illegal factory producing fake Goya oil in Lagos.

The agency also dismantled a major syndicate involved in the counterfeiting of alcoholic drinks in Lagos, warning that the activities pose grave dangers to public health.

Martins Iluyomade, Director of Investigation and Enforcement at NAFDAC and Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Fake and Substandard Products, said the discoveries were made during surveillance and enforcement operations carried out over the past few weeks.

“We have carried out a couple of activities in recent weeks, and what we discovered was very surprising to us. We felt it was important to speak with Nigerians so they can know what has been going on,” Iluyomade said.

He disclosed that NAFDAC operatives uncovered an illegal operation inside Oke-Arin market, Lagos, where counterfeit Goya oil was being produced locally.

“The original Goya oil is imported into this country through a reputable company, and there are still original products in circulation. But we discovered that some people were faking this product and manufacturing it inside the market,” he said.

According to Iluyomade, the fake oil was produced by burning palm oil and adding chlorine, using crude equipment like stove.

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“They were using a stove. We saw the stove and everything they were using. We also saw a large number of empty bottles they were refilling and repackaging,” he added.

Iluyomade warned Nigerians, particularly, churches and prayer houses, stressing that original Goya oil is never packaged in plastic (PET) bottles.

“Let me say this clearly to everybody—churches, prayer houses, and anywhere this oil is used: there is no original Goya oil packed in plastic bottles. Original Goya oil comes in glass bottles,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to report anyone selling the product in plastic bottles to the nearest NAFDAC office.

“Anywhere you see Goya oil being sold in PET bottles, report it. People should beware, noting that the use of fake anointing oils in religious settings had become widespread and dangerous.

“Some people even drink anointing oil. You are not drinking anointing oil—you are drinking poison,” Iluyomade said.

The enforcement director explained that NAFDAC’s strategy is to halt production at the source rather than punish unsuspecting traders.

“We are stopping the production. Once there is no new supply, whatever is in the market will dry up,” he said.

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“We do not want to compound the problem of market women and others who may not know. But for the producers, it is the end of the road.”

He appealed to religious bodies to cooperate with the agency.

“We are not issuing threats, but it will not be nice for us to arrest people within your premises. Please partner with us and do not allow the sale or use of this product,” he said.

Iluyomade also revealed that NAFDAC had busted a major operation involved in the production of fake alcoholic drinks in Lagos.

“The faking of alcoholic drinks has become seriously endemic in Nigeria because it is one of the easiest products to counterfeit,” he said.

He said a suspect, Mr. Moses Nelson, was arrested in the Badagry area of Lagos and has been charged to court.

“In his house, we found all manner of fake products—virtually every major brand. There was none we did not see,” Iluyomade said.

According to him, the syndicate operated a distribution chain, producing the drinks in Badagry and supplying them to major markets across Lagos.

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NAFDAC also warned distributors against patronising unauthorised suppliers.

“You know the original owners of these brands. Why buy from people you know are not the owners just to make more money? In the process, you are killing people,” he cautioned.

He also advised Nigerians to be wary of unusually cheap products.

“If the normal price is five naira and someone offers it at three naira, you should be suspicious. The little money you want to save, I hope you will not spend it in the hospital,” he said.

Stating that no one has the right to endanger the lives of others, Iluyomade appealed to Nigerians engaged in such illegal businesses to desist.

“We are all Nigerians and everyone wants to make ends meet, but no Nigerian has the right to make ends meet at the expense of the health of another Nigerian,” he said.

“No one has the right to make huge profits while increasing the health burden of this country.”

He assured Nigerians that NAFDAC would sustain enforcement actions nationwide and urged the public to stop patronising counterfeit products and report suspicious activities to the agency.

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