News
Court jails Boko Haram ‘victim’ after 10 years in detention
Justice Peter Odo Lifu of the Abuja Federal High Court has sentenced a Boko Haram terrorist victim, Ali Kolo, to nine years imprisonment after more than ten years in the detention.
Kolo, who was shot in the right leg by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State, was on Thursday found guilty of failure to report activities of the dreaded group to security agents.
The Boko Haram victim was put on trial by the Federal Government on a four-count charge but pleaded guilty to one count which bordered on concealment of information on the activities of the terrorist group in Borno State.
The lawyer, a Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice, tendered the extra-judicial statement where the convict admitted failure to relay information on the terror group to the appropriate quarters as well as an investigation report which indicted him for refusal to help the Federal Government in curbing the activities of terrorists.
The Federal Government lawyer, consequently, pleaded with the judge to impose a jail term of 10 years on the defendant based on his guilty plea, and his confession in his statement to the military, as well as the investigation report that indicted him.
However, the defendant who was 37 years old when the terrorists shattered his right leg with bullets, informed the court that he was shot with an AK-47 gun while on his way to report the terrorists to the military.
The defendant, through his lawyer Mrs Usman, explained that his journey to report the terror group was cut short because he landed in the hospital as a result of the gun injury and pleaded with the judge to be lenient with him.
In his judgement, Justice Lifu agreed that the defendant didn’t report the activities of the terror group to the military but held that it was due to circumstances beyond the control of the convict.
Justice Lifu consequently, sentenced him to nine years imprisonment and ordered that the sentence should start from 2017 when the defendant was arrested and clamped into detention.
Justice Lifu held that by prison law, the convict had already spent more than 10 years in detention and must therefore be immediately released from custody to enable him attend to his injury occasioned by Boko Haram gun shots.
Although the government lawyer expressed reservation at the verdict of the court, Justice Lifu stood his ground that the convict was not found guilty for Boko Haram membership or training in weapons but was convicted only for concealment of information.
The judge held that the convict had suffered enough and must be released immediately upon his signing of warrant for his release, adding that keeping him in prison would amount to double jeopardy.
In another development, Ibrahim Buba, a Borno State based bricklayer, was jailed 10 years for failure to relay information on the activities of Boko Haram to the military.
Bubba, also known as Baba Gana, had in his defence claimed that he ran from Borno to Mubi in Adamawa State and later to Onitsha in Anambra State when the terrorists were after his life, having recognizing some of them.
The convict admitted knowing two of the terrorists and that he did not pass information to the military and instead ran to Onitsha where he was apprehended in 2023 while engaging in bricklaying job.
He pleaded for leniency, prompting Justice Lifu to impose a 10 years sentence on him as against 20 years demanded by the prosecution.
Justice Lifu ordered that the 10 years jail term should start from March 24, 2023, when the convict was arrested and detained.
The African Democratic Congress has raised the alarm over an alleged plan to arrest its National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State.
The party said it had received what it described as “credible reports” of plans to arrest the former Osun State governor in the days leading to the poll.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on X on Wednesday, the ADC said it was concerned that the alleged arrest could be aimed at disrupting the party’s election activities.
“Given the pattern of intimidation, harassment and misuse of state institutions that has increasingly characterised the conduct of this government towards the opposition, we cannot afford to dismiss these reports,” Abdullahi said.
Aregbesola, who served as governor of Osun State from 2010 to 2018 and later as Minister of the Interior, is currently the National Secretary of the ADC.
The party said there were established procedures that should be followed if any security agency had lawful reasons to question its national secretary.
“Ogbeni Aregbesola is a former Governor of Osun State, a former Minister of the Federal Republic and the National Secretary of the opposition political party. If any security agency has a lawful reason to invite him, there are established procedures for doing so,” it said.
The ADC argued that arresting Aregbesola on the eve of an election in which the party is participating would raise questions about the motive behind such an action.
“An arrest on the eve of an election in which his party is participating would invite only one reasonable conclusion: that the purpose is to prevent him from leading and coordinating the party’s election activities,” the statement said.
The party consequently put the Federal Government and security agencies on notice, urging them to avoid actions that could undermine the credibility of the election.
“The eyes of Nigerians are on Osun,” Abdullahi said.
“Whatever happens before, during and after Saturday’s election will be judged not by the explanations offered afterwards, but by the actions taken now.”
The ADC also warned the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government against taking any action that could trigger political tension in the state.
“The APC Federal Government must be wary of doing anything that could plunge Osun State into needless crisis,” the party said.
The party further called on the government to respect democratic principles and ensure that political parties are allowed to participate freely in the election.
“Nigeria is still a democracy, and the government would do well to remember that before Saturday,” Abdullahi said.
The Niger State Police Command has confirmed the recovery of nine dead bodies on the Wawa-Lumma road in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger.
The victims were suspected to have been killed by bandits while travelling on the road.
The Spokesperson for the Niger Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Minna.
He said that a team of police and military was dispatched and evacuated the bodies after information was received on Tuesday.
He said clearance operations had been intensified with a view to securing the area from any security threat.
“Police and military tactical teams were mobilised to the scene; the bodies recovered, while clearance operation was intensified to secure the area,” he said.
NAN
Nigerian streamer, Peller has dragged his parents for attending his wedding ceremony with their partners.
Peller had his white wedding, which was attended by many dignitaries over the weekend.
Peller’s parents, who have separated from each other, attended the ceremony with their respective partners.
Expressing his frustration over the development, the TikTok streamer, in a video on Wednesday, revealed that he had confronted his parents for turning his wedding into a party despite his earlier warning.
“I’m tired, I’m tired of all these things. I changed it for them oo, no be small.
“Because I told them to invite just a few people, but my mummy dey carry her own boyfriend come, my daddy carry his own girlfriend come.
“All of them just turned my wedding to party. Polygamy is very hard, I’m from a polygamous family”, he said. (sic)
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