NGO’s boss arraigned in court for duping physically challenged lady of N1.5m

A 48-year-old man, David Olanrewaju Ajofolowo has been arraigned in Magistrates’ Court 8, Iyaganku, Ibadan, Oyo State on a four-count charge of conspiring with one other person to obtain money from a physically-challenged lady by pretending to want to assist her to process her travelling to India for a hip replacement surgery.

In a suit with charge number MI/1632C/2013, the first count read “that you Olanrewaju David ‘m’ and others now at large on 17th day of November, 2012, at Fidelity Bank, Challenge, Ibadan, in Ibadan magisterial district did conspire with one another to commit felony to wit: obtaining money by false pretence, stealing and forgery and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 516 of the criminal code, cap 38, volume 2 laws of Oyo State of Nigeria 2000.”

Count two also read that the accused and others at large obtained N1.5million from one Raji Tawakalitu Temitope under the pretence of taking her to India for hip replacement surgery, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under section 419 of the criminal code, cap 38, volume 2 laws of Oyo State Nigeria 2000, while count three read that the accused and others at large stole N1.5million, property of Raji Tawakalitu Temitope, which is punishable under section 390 (9) of the criminal code cap 38, volume 2 laws of Oyo State of Nigeria 2000.

In count four, Olanrewaju was also accused of presenting himself to be the Chief Executive Officer of a non-governmental organisation known as ‘Succour’ with the intent to defraud, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 484 of the criminal code, cap 38, volume 2 laws of Oyo State, Nigeria.

Crime Reports learnt that Tawa was given the money by an anonymous donor after her story was published in Sunday Tribune of June 10, 2012, stating her pathetic situation. She had told of how her hips were displaced after her legs became deformed as a result of an accident she had at age seven.

Though the surgery was supposed to be carried out by the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Tawa said she was told at the UCH that there were no facilities to handle her case. This prompted the hospital to refund the N1.5million to her account. The accused, who had presented himself as wanting to help the lady, reportedly asked her to withdraw the money from her account so that he could change it into dollars to process the visa to India and to pay for the flight ticket and treatment.

Having trusted Olanrewaju, who she saw as God-sent, Tawa withdrew the money on November 17, 2012 and gave it to the accused. That was how her travelling became bungled as she no longer got a positive signal from Olanrewaju.

Recently, she came to Sunday Tribune to report the story at the Crime Desk after which she lodged a complaint at the Oyo State Police Command headquarters. The Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Indabawa, ordered the State Intelligence Bureau, headed by Anthony Okonkwo, a Chief Superintendent of Police, to investigate the case. The accused, who was said to have been staying away from home since he was summoned by Crime Reports to state his own side of the story, was arrested by detectives on Saturday, December 21 in the early hours of the day while returning from church where he slept.

During interrogation, he admitted collecting the money from Tawa but said that he used N34,000 from it to obtain international passport for Tawa and himself while he quickly invested the rest in an engine business so that it could yield more money to add to the one given to Tawa. He stated further that he was duped by the man he gave the money to, adding that the man had since been on the run.

After the charges were read to the accused, he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of N2million, a level 13 civil servant as surety and two passport photographs.

The case was adjourned till February 12, 2014 for further hearing.

Culled sun 

Self-acclaimed medical student in diplomatic passport scam •Arrested, charged to court

A 28-year-old man from Ondo State, Ayenimowa Segun; his fiancée, Rukayat Momodu Anikpe and one Ayorinde Alfred Clement were recently arrested by the Special Investigation Bureau of the Oyo State Police Command for being in possession of fake diplomatic passports and obtaining money from victims under the pretence that they would be provided with diplomatic passports.

Revealing this to Crime Reports recently, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Mr Mohammed Indabawa said that his command received an information that the syndicate engaged in deceiving unsuspecting Nigerians into believing that they would provide them with United Nations diplomatic passports under a Non-Governmental Organisation code-named African Governmental Forum.

 “The Special Investigation Bureau (SIB) was detailed to handle the case and the officer-in-charge, Anthony Okonkwo, led his men to arrest one of the suspects, Segun, at No 25, Lobi Street, Challenge area of Ibadan and others.

“Found with them were 14 suspected fake diplomatic passports and one international passport. We learnt that the victims had been up to 20 and he had been collecting money ranging from N400,000 to N1.8million from them, in the guise of procuring Canadian visa, as well as UN diplomatic passports, for them. Close to N14million had been collected from his victim,” Indabawa disclosed.

In his defence, Segun, who said he was studying medicine in Russia, said “based on my experience while studying abroad, I knew we could help some people get study visa to travel abroad.

 “One Roberto Marcos gave me the diplomatic passports. From the information I have, he works with African Governmental Forum under United Nations. The passports of the people sent to Bangkok were seized and the immigration people said it would take up to six months or a year to retrieve the Canadian visa on them. Roberto Marcos then suggested issuing the diplomatic passports to those involved, pending the time he could enter Canada and get the passports back.

“When I got the diplomatic passports in Nigeria, I took them to a lawyer and invited the individuals who owned the passports to hold a meeting. It was during the period of holding the meeting that I was arrested for unlawful possession of fake diplomatic and international passports.

“The money that was paid into my fiancee’s account was for the visa and one of the requirements was that there must be a confirmed return ticket and insurance policy, so the money paid by the people who applied for the visa was for both.” 

One of the victims who refused to disclose her name said Segun promised to process a Canadian visa for her for $4,000. “Later, he changed the fee to $7,000. The total amount of money I gave him was N440,000. He also collected different amount ranging from N1.4million to N1.5million from some of my friends. He was using his friend Clement as the intermediary to collect the money. We later discovered that the money was being paid into the account of his fiancée.

“At the end of the day, we discovered that the international passports we gave him were not the ones he gave back to us. The ones he showed us were laminated ones and the cover was blue. What we are after now is how to get our money back. For me, I took a loan to process the visa and I have to pay back. I also need my passport back,” she said.

In an update to the story, Crime Reports gathered that the three suspects were arraigned in court on a three-count charge of unlawful possession of passports, obtaining under false pretence and forgery. The accused were granted bail while the case was adjourned to Monday, December 23, 2013.

He’s a womaniser and has infected me with STDs -Wife •The women are her friends -Husband

A housewife, Azeezat Ayinde, has  urged an Igando Customary Court, in Lagos State to dissolve her six-year-old marriage to her husband, Mohammed, because he has  infected her with sexually transmitted diseases (STD)

Thirty-two-year-old  Azeezat, a teacher, alleged that Mohammed was a womaniser  which  had led to her constant visits to the hospital  for the treament of  infections.

“I have been in and out of hospital treating STDs like gonorrhea, staphylococcus and other infectious diseases due to my husband’s unfaithfulness.

“My husband used to invite a lady to our home  in my absence.  I have caught them in our room  at different occasions.

“He always tells  me she’s  his friend’s wife  and that he invites him to our place  because she’s  always lonely,’’ she said.

She accused her husband of abandoning her,  adding that ``he goes out and comes back  sometimes after a week.’’

Azeezat said she  was the one feeding their children and  paying  their  school fees.

The mother of two appealled to  the court to dissolve their six-year-old marriage, adding that she was tired of  spending her money treating  STDs.

“I’m  no longer interested in the union, I’m fed up  spending  money  meant for my children’s   feeding on infections,’’ she said.

Forty-year-old Mohammed admitted that  women always come to their house, but he claimed  they were his wife’s friends.

The respondent, who is an engineer, said, ``her friends always visit me whenever  she  was not around, but I never had anything to do with them,’’ he said.

According to him,  he always  stayed back at work because of the  distance  and  return  home at weekends.

“I had always taken  care of our children  until  my wife packed  out of  our home 18 months ago,’’ he said.

Mohammed consented to the dissolution of their marriage, saying he was also  no longer interested in the union.

The court president, Mr R.I Adeyeri, adjourned the case till January 20.

ARE NIGERIA LAWYERS UNINTELLECTUAL, BORING AND BROKE

The practice of law does have positives. There are brilliant moments of triumph and self-actualization as well as the defeat and ennui. If the question had been "ARE NIGERIA LAWYERS, INTELLECTUAL, JOYOUS AND FLAMBOUYANT I'm sure we would have gotten some good write ups too.

However, reminiscing the Ondo State elections debate 2012 brought about this write up, one of the then contenders a SAN and former President of the NBA Rotimi Akeredolu, contrary to what everybody expected, the learned Silk performance was unimpressive and laid back,  it appears as if, years of using legalese and court room theatrics has eroded him of strong political acumen and stagecraft needed on such occasions.

The ability to articulate one’s vision matters. Alluding to the holy book, ‘out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks’! Often, when the mouth is unable to speak sense, the probable cause could be that the heart is shallow. The implication of a shallow heart on communication could include incoherence and uttering mediocre solutions to serious challenges as Ondo State people witnessed during the debate.

This made me to wonder what might have caused the learned silk to perform so miserably, in my quest for answers i dabble into this lawyers personality theoretical, which i believe might be applicable to Nigeria lawyers too.

The law will make you into the worst kind of person.

If you believe that one's personality is shaped by one's life experiences, then you should be very worried about what the practice of law will do to you. I suggest that you should fear the inculcation of the following highly negative personality traits:

Unintellectualism. Contrary to popular belief, the law is not a particularly "intellectual" profession. Most of the reasoning in legal argument is patently casuistic. Legal arguments are often made in a "kitchen sink" fashion, throwing every conceivably plausible argument into a brief, regardless of the relative strength of the arguments or coherence of the submission as a whole. The practice of law is the development of a habit of extreme intellectual dishonesty where the routine is to state one's opponent's arguments as uncharitably as possible in aid of weakening their impact and conceal every possible fact or principle that is against one's interest which one isn't explicitly required to disclose.

Arrogance. A lawyer is surrounded largely by non-lawyers who come to him/her for expert advice. That alone can encourage some arrogance, but even more is necessary for the psychological warfare between lawyers. Lawyers often try to use extreme false confidence (a.k.a. arrogance) to intimidate one another into

tactical concessions, e.g. by making the other lawyer think that they've screwed up, that "things are always done this way," etc. That is a tactic especially used by older lawyers against younger ones. The younger ones need to develop their own armor of arrogance to resist it.

Pettiness. As I've been emphasizing, much of the nastiness in the practice of law is in small-minded disputes about nothing points of procedure and other maneuvering for tactical advantage. Do you really want to practice being the kind of prick who demands that pleadings be thrown out for being one day late? Uninterestingness. The practice of law takes so much of one's time that one can engage in few activities with the rest of one's life. It is also so stressful that one tends to obsess about it. The result is that lawyers can become very boring people, with nothing to talk about except their ugly jobs.

Impatience. Litigation is very stressful. Also, the law is a very deadline-driven occupation, especially in litigation. There's always more work to do than there is time to do it in, and there's always a court and opposing counsel breathing down your throat with respect to strict deadlines. If you miss a deadline, the consequences can be terrible: a lost case, a malpractice claim against you, etc. Don't be surprised when this spills over and you find yourself swearing at people who walk too slowly while crossing the street.

Aggressiveness. Again, the psychological warfare between lawyers rewards this, and not to forget some diabolical clients that will stop at nothing to win a case.

Lawyers are annoying

That lawyers are annoying is one that has more than a grain of truth to it, in my experience. In about two years of actively practicing law, I came across numerous examples of utterly atrocious behavior, often in litigation. It's not always big things -- though big things are the ones that hit the news -- but patterns of obstreperous behavior and downright stupidity that can wear you down over a day-to-day basis. Bickering over stupid document production requests, delays, phantom schedule conflicts... all these things add up. Contemporary lawyering is often an expensive form of childish game-playing with the rules of civil procedure. It's psychological warfare for minute tactical advantage.

Then there are the lawyers in your own firm, who have been embittered by years of this crap and by long hours. And then there are the clients, who want judgements immediately their cases are filed in court, or have been badly screwed through unnecessary adjournment and are consequently distrustful and hostile toward the entire world . Not surprisingly, both groups of people act so annoying.

And it's not just a matter of the pressures of the law turning people into jerks. I think we can easily believe that annoying people select themselves into the practice of law. Autoadmit. 'nuff said.

Then another group is the charge and bail lawyers, lurking around magistrate courts for over night cases: "overnight cases” – roughly meaning persons charged to court as soon as they are arrested or apprehended in the course of committing a crime - usually crimes like stealing, larceny, burglary, housebreaking and the like. Most of these accused persons are usually small time and poor. They cannot afford ‘big shot’ lawyers and many times their families and relatives are even unaware of their arrest and subsequent arraignment.

The Charge and bail Lawyer is often a creation of circumstances – chances are that when he left Law School he was unable to find any Lawyer to employ him, those who will employ him are unable or unwilling to pay him a dime and there will be numerous Seniors who will impress it upon him that he is still learning the trade and as such will only be entitled to some stipend; still others will regale him with tales of how the big lawyers of the day started small and how we all start small and why he should start small.

UDUAGHAN; DELTA RECORDED HIGHEST NUMBER OF PROSECUTED KIDNAP CASES

With the reduction in the spate of kidnapping in Delta State, the governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, has said that the state has recorded the highest number of prosecuted kidnap cases in the country.

The governor made this disclosure on Friday during a courtesy visit to him at  Government House Annex, Warri, Delta State by a delegation of judges from the state led by the Chief Judge, Justice Zai-Laye Dawo Smith.

Uduaghan, who apologised for his inability to host the judges in September, thanked them for the way they have been entrenching law and order, their patience with government in spite of intimidation, adding that the timely prosecution has boosted the economic drive of the state government.

He thanked the bench for synergy with other arms of government, saying the three-point agenda of the state was on course.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation of judges from high courts and customary courts of appeal in the state, Justice Smith, who thanked the governor for promoting security and peace in relation to human and structural developments, said it was a tradition by the judiciary to visit a sitting governor after the ceremonial opening of every legal year.

He prayed God to grant the governor and his team the grace to finish very strong at the end of their tenure.

NBA SEEKS VIABLE AND CORRUPTION FREE JUDICIARY IN 2014

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Saturday expressed the need for corruption-free judiciary in 2014, saying that all necessary machinery should be put in place to achieve it.

The NBA President, Mr. Okey Wali (SAN), made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Wali said as the year was gradually coming to an end, adequate steps should be taken to promote a more efficient judicial system in the coming year.

He said that 2014 should be characterised by a more efficient judicial system with adequate working machinery that would enhance effective justice delivery.

He said at present, judges were still saddled with the rigour of taking down proceedings in “long-hand,” saying that these were some of the problems to be remedied in 2014.

“A major problem which requires redress in the judiciary is the issue of funding, and this simply entails the provision of more working facilities to enhance a smooth operation of the system.

“The Nigerian judiciary is one that I know in this age and time, where judges still take down proceedings in longhand.

“If automated recording devices are provided in all our courts, proceedings will definitely be faster, and this will promote the speedy dispensation of justice,’’ he said.

Wali, however, noted that although some of the delays were caused by lawyers, litigants and judicial officers, such situations could be dealt with following practice direction of courts.

MAN DOCKED FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT

 A 35-year-old man, Kunle Mayford,  has  appeared before an Ojokoro Magistrate’s Court in Lagos State, charged  with sexual harassment of a lady.

Also arraigned alongside Mayford was his wife, Chinyere, who was charged with the alleged assault of her husband’s victim, Miss Morenike Davids.

Mayford, who has no particular means of livelihood, is facing a three count-charge of assault, sexual harassment and theft.

The prosecutor, Inspector Lugard Ahonle, told the court that the accused committed the offences on December14, at   Event Guest House, Baale Villa, Meiran, a Lagos suburb, at 5:30 p.m.

“Kunle forcefully collected a Blackberry phone and a palm-top mobile device from one Morenike Davids,  after which he threatened to beat her up.

“He also harassed the victim sexually and asked her to have sex with him, before her property could be released,” he said.

Chinyere, on the other hand, was alleged to have assaulted  Davids for having her husband arrested.

The alleged offences contravene Sections 171, 262 and 285 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

However, the couple pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The magistrate, Mrs A.O. Layinka, granted Chinyere bail on self recognition, being a pregnant woman and ordered that she should sign an undertaking to always be present in court.

She also granted Mayford bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case till February10, 2014.

EX ICPC BOSS WIFE DIES, TASK CJN TO RESIST TEMPTATION

THE pioneer chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC), Justice Mustapha Akanbi (rtd) has urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Maryam Muktar to resist temptation. Justice Akanbi, ex-president of the Court of Appeal, who spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital when the CJN paid him a condolence visit over the death of his wife, said, “I think with the background training, with everything that we have done together and achieved together; I think you should be able to resist temptation which will bring the standard of the judiciary down.” He said Nigerian judiciary should be the pride of the nation, saying the CJN should not relent in her bid to reform the judiciary. The retired jurist said: “When you phoned to console with me about the death of my wife, I urged you not to relent on the way you are reforming the judiciary. A lot of people will want you to do things which you yourself may not believe is right. “I am taking advantage of the judges who are here. People think things have gone bad in the judiciary and God in His infinite mercy brought this woman to the seat, and she has been doing very well. You have limited time, but one crowded hour of inglorious life is worth more than an inch. “Today, I am enjoying the honour of somebody who has been appreciated by his country and I continue to do that. I am still part of the judiciary; I want the judiciary to be the pride of this nation. When others lose their heads, we must not lose our own.” Earlier, Justice Muktar consoled with the octogenarian, saying “whatever happens, we still have to thank God. She lived a fulfilled life. We will always be there for you and we will always think about what you are doing. We will always stretch our hands of fellowship to you whenever necessary. Death is what every one of us is waiting for and it will come sooner or later.”

PENCOM TO PROSECUTE EMPLOYERS FOR N10.78bn PENSION DEFAULT

The National Pension Commission has expressed its readiness to begin the prosecution of employers who have refused to remit about N10.78bn pension funds deducted from their workers’ monthly emoluments into Retirement Savings Accounts under the Contributory Pension Scheme.

It said it would carry out the threat if the employers failed to refund the contributions with the accruing interests, which had accumulated as of the first quarter of this year.

According to PenCom, the figure was established by the agents employed by the commission to recover the contributions with interests.

XMAS DAY BOMBER KABIRU SOKOTO GETS LIFE SENTENCE

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Kabir Umar, alias “Kabiru Sokoto’’ to life in prison for the bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola, who gave the sentence on Friday, found Umar guilty on the two-count charge against him.

He said “the prosecution has proved their case beyond reasonable doubt in the two-count charge. Umar is guilty as charged.’’

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the judge held that the convict belonged to an illegal organisation, Boko Haram, and facilitated terrorist acts intended to bomb the Police Headquarters in Sokoto State.

He also held that Umar had information about the planning and bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, on December 25, 2011 but failed to disclose such to security agencies.

The first charge is punishable with life imprisonment under Section 15(2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act 2004, and the second charge attracted 10 years imprisonment under Section 7(1) under Terrorism Act, 2011.

The judge described the convict as a “pathological liar’’ who did not “show remorse’’ throughout the trial, saying “the convict has no respect for truth.’’

He commended the prosecution counsel for a job well done, as well as the Department of State Service (DSS) for the diligence in investigating the matter and bringing the trial to a conclusion.

The judge, however, noted that the police had not been able to investigate the circumstance that brought Umar to the Borno Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, where he was arrested on January 14, 2012.

He urged them to investigate the matter with a view to bringing to justice whoever was involved in helping Umar to hide in the lodge, no matter how highly placed.