Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Tuesday 21st January 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 21/01/20
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JUST IN: Again, Lassa Fever Hits Ondo, Scores Hospitalised
Lassa Fever
Lassa Fever
Ondo State has again recorded an outbreak of Lassa Fever that has left scores of persons currently hospitalised, SaharaReporters has learnt.
Some medical practitioners, who pleaded anonymity while confirming the outbreak on Monday, said the disease had been recorded in some local government areas of the state including Akure, Owo and Ose.
They disclosed that some of the cases had also been recorded at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, with at least 80 patients placed on admission.
In an interview, one doctor told our correspondent that patients affected by the outbreak tested positive to the disease and has since been isolated from the main wards.
He said, “Yes, it is true. They (patients) were firstly treated for malaria and typhoid fever but unfortunately none of them could respond to treatment despite the drugs administered on them.
“And you know as suspicious as the symptoms could be, it gave us the opportunity to do further diagnosis which made the patients to test positive to the virus.
“But some of the patients are now being isolated at the hospital and we have started making effort to also ensure they survive too.”
It was also gathered that the epidemic outbreak has caused anxiety among other patients in government hospitals.
Commissioner for Health in the state, Wahab Adegbenro, confirmed the outbreak in a chat with our correspondent.
He stated that the state government was already working towards reducing the spread of the virus among patients in the hospital.
He said, “Lassa Fever has always been with us for a very long time and it mostly occurs during dry season but we are already putting modalities in place to curtail it.
“Although, we are currently meeting over the issue, we would soon make our findings public.”
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E2%80%99s-deputy-senate-president-omo-agege EXCLUSIVE: How United States Court Suspended Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President, Omo-Agege, From Law Practice Over Forgery Of $890 Cheque
A document obtained by SaharaReporters has revealed how Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President, Augustine Ovie Omo-Agege, was suspended from practicing law in California, United States, over a case of forgery and fraud.
The document revealed that Omo-Agege committed the offence in 1995, was found guilty and suspended from practicing for two years.
He was also placed on probation and mandated to take a multistate professional responsibility examination before being admitted back to the US bar, according to the court document seen.
After being arrested, a four-count amended charge was filed against Omo-Agege in the Los Angeles County Superior Court with Case number BA111331.
The charge sheet partly reads, “Count 1 of said amended information alleged that on or about March 7, 1992, in the County of Los Angeles, respondent committed the crime of forgery of check in violation of Penal Code section 470, a felony.
“The allegations continue that on or about the date referred to above, respondent signed the name of Elpert Defrietas to a check in the amount of $890 and attempted to pass said check as true and genuine knowing that said check was forged with the intent to defraud the Bank of America, Ahined Mahome and Elpert Defrietas.
“Count 2 of said amended information alleged that on or about March 7, 1993, in the County of Los Angeles, respondent committed the crime of perjury – application for driver’s license in violation of Penal Code section 118, a felony.
“The allegations continue that on or about said date, respondent certified that he had never applied for a California driver license or identification card, when in fact he had applied for license and been issued under the name Augustine Omoagege.”
The court concluded that Omo-Agege was guilty of the charges and convicted him for forgery on November 30, 1995.
On April 12, 1998, the Review Department of the State Bar Court issued an order suspending Omo-Agege from practicing law in California for two years effective May 30, 1996.
After his conviction, the Delta State-born lawyer returned to Nigeria where he soon delved into politics.
To have a smooth sail, he removed Augustine from his name and adopted his middle name, Ovie, perhaps in order to avoid any sort of linkage to his criminal past in California.
Having served as a commissioner under the administration of former Delta State governor, James Ibori, who was jailed in the United Kingdom for stealing huge sums belonging to the state, Omo-Agege rose politically, emerging Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate on June 11, 2019 after defeating Ike Ekweremadu, who held the position at the time.
But before then on April 18, 2018, he was arrested by the police in Abuja for leading armed thugs to snatch and seize the mace of the Senate.
He was soon released on bail, and nothing much had been heard of the case in recent times.
Reacting to the matter on Monday, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to Omo-Agege, Yomi Odunuga, said that his principal had cleared his name from the alleged offences in the United States and can no longer be held for it.
According to him, political enemies of the Deputy Senate President were behind the resurfacing of the matter now.
He said, “There is an ongoing politically motivated propaganda designed solely to defame the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, by publicly harming and destroying his good reputation.
“The DSP has nothing to hide. Yes, he faced a criminal trial in 1996 in California, USA, but ultimately prevailed as he was cleared.
“There is no question about it at all that he came out whole and unscathed, but his wicked and desperate political enemies want the world to believe otherwise.
“Following issues raised in the criminal trial for which the DSP was ultimately acquitted by the Superior Court of California, he was also made to face a professional ethics violations investigation (No. 94-C-14401) by the California Bar, leading to an unjust brief suspension from the Bar.
“By Nigerian law, INEC only requires a candidate for an elective office to disclose convictions (if any) that happened 10 years before his/her nomination.
“So, assuming the DSP’s traducers were even correct about the alleged 1996 conviction (which is not the case at all), where is the perjury, given that the events alleged occurred more than 24 years ago?”
But despite Odunuga’s defense, the document seen by SaharaReporters indeed revealed that Omo-Agege left the US without all his reputation intact.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that a Nigerian lawmaker would be involved in a criminal case abroad especially in the United States – the latest adds to a long list, in fact.
Recall that Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, was found guilty by the US Supreme Court of Georgia in February 2007 of stealing $25,000 from his client and suspended from law practice for 36 months.
Femi Gbaja, as he was known in the case file, accepted payment of $25,000 as a personal injury claims and deposited those funds in his attorney trust account in January 2003.
He failed to disburse the funds to his client; instead withdrawing it, closing his practice and returning to Nigeria where he ran for elections to represent Surulere I Federal Constituency in the House of Representative under the Alliance for Democracy in 2003.
Upon arrival in Nigeria, curiously he adopted a longer version of his surname – Gbajabiamila – ostensibly to peel off his suspicious past.
The Speaker has refused to talk about the matter whenever confronted by Nigerian journalists.
DOCUMENTS: How United States Court Suspended Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President, Omo-Agege, From Law Practic… by Sahara Reporters on Scribd
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Supreme Court Affirms Lalong As Governor Of Plateau State
The Supreme Court has upheld the re-election of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Simon Lalong, as governor of Plateau State.
“The appeal failed and is hereby dismissed,” the judgment read by Justice Paul Galinje held.
Jeremiah Useni, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party had challenged the outcome of the governorship election held in Plateau State on March 9, 2019.
Useni, in his appeal marked SC/1501/19, questioned the election of Lalong on the ground that he was not the valid winner of the exercise.
He said that both the election tribunal and the Court of Appeal failed to properly evaluate his case before affirming that Lalong was duly elected in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act.
Useni therefore asked the apex court to allow his appeal and set aside the judgment of the two lower courts but the request was rejected.
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EFCC Arraigns Mama Boko Haram, Two Others For Conspiracy, Cheating
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday arraigned Aisha Alkali Wakil alias Mama Boko Haram, and two other persons before a Maiduguri High Court on a five-count charge of conspiracy and cheating.
Mama Boko Haram is the Chief Executive Officer of Complete Care and Aid Foundation.
The two other persons arraigned along with her are Alhaji Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyade, Programme Manager and Country Director respectively of the non-profit organisation.
Prosecutor of the case, Benjamin Manji, said the three persons and one Saidu Mukhtar (at large) sometime between June and August 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno State, conspired to do an illegal act of obtaining under false pretence which amounts to an offence contrary to Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Fraud Related offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
The three persons and Mukhtar were also charged with obtaining “with intent to defraud” the sum of N45m from one Mohammed Umar Mohammed of Nyeuro International Limited under “the false pretence” of executing a contract, which is an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (b) of the Advanced Fee Fraud Act and punishable under the Act.
They were also charged with obtaining with the intent to defraud, N1.65m from the same Nyeuro International Limited under the false pretence of executing a contract, which is an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (b) of the Advanced Fee Fraud Act and punishable under the Act.
The fourth and fifth charges were that the three persons and Mukhtar did an illegal act of cheating, contrary to Section 96(a) and punishable under Section 97 of the Borno State Penal Code Laws Cap 102; as well as induced, with the intent to defraud Mohammed of Nyeuro International Limited to deliver 3000 bags of 50kg white beans worth N65m under a false contract, contrary to Section 320(a) and punishable under Section 322 of the Borneo State Penal Code Laws Cap 102.
The three accused pleaded not guilty to all the charges
With the pleas and agreement of Abdulkahi Musa Audu and Habu Waziri, counsels to the first accused (Mama Boko Haram) and second accused (Tahiru Daura) respectively, the court adjourned to February 10, 11 and 12, 2020 for trial.
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E2%80%99s-son-law-other-money-laundering-case Court Refuses To Jointly Try Atiku’s Son-in-law, Other In Money Laundering Case
The Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday refused an application seeking joint trial for Abdullahi Babalele and Uyiekpen Giwa-Osagie charged for money laundering.
Babalele is son-in-law to Nigeria’s former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, while Giwa-Osagie is a lawyer to ex-number two citizen.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission accused the two men of laundering money during the 2019 general elections in which Atiku was a presidential candidate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
While Babalele was accused of laundering $140,000; Giwa-Osagie was charged alongside his brother, Erhunse, for laundering $2m.
The men were arraigned separately in August 2019 before Justice Nicholas Oweibo, who sat as a vacation judge.
Babalele’s case was later transferred to Justice C.J. Aneke, while the Giwa-Osagie brothers’ case was re-assigned to Justice Chuka Obiozor.
At the instance of the defence counsel, Norrison Quakers (SAN) and Ahmed Raji (SAN), Chief Judge of the Federal High Court ordered the transfer of Babalele’s case to Justice Aneke.
The defence counsel later prayed Justice Aneke to consolidate the two cases so that the defendants could jointly be tried.
But prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, objected to the transfer of Babalele’s case from Justice Obiozor to Justice Aneke and also opposed the application to consolidate the two cases.
Ruling on Monday, Justice Aneke said since there was no provision in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 empowering him to turn down a case assigned to him by the Chief Judge, he could not reject Babalele’s case.
The judge however, said he could also not consolidate the two matters because there was no legal provision for the consolidation of criminal cases.
“The court will try both charges separately,” Justice Aneke held.
Meanwhile, the judge adjourned the cases until April 2, saying he was not sure whether he would be transferred from Lagos to another state.
The EFCC accused Babalele of “procuring Bashir Mohammed to make cash payment of $140,000 without going through any financial institution”.
Oyedepo said the money exceeded the threshold stipulated by the money laundering law.
He said Babalele made the transaction on February 20, 2019 in contravention of Section 18 (c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 and was liable to be punished under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.
But Babalele pleaded not guilty to the two counts pressed against him.
In their joint arraignment, the EFCC accused the Giwa-Osagie brothers of conspiring between each other to make cash payment of $2m without going through a financial institution.
The anti-graft agency said the transaction violated the provisions of Sections 18(a) and 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011, adding that the defendants were liable to be punished under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.
But they also pleaded not guilty to the two counts filed against them.
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E2%80%99s Twelve Nigerian Ladies Remain Stranded In Lebanon Despite Claims Of Intervention By Buhari’s Administration
Twelve Nigerian ladies stranded in Lebanon have once again called on the Nigerian Government to help them return home.
The ladies had approached the Nigerian Embassy for assistance in returning home after they got information that government helped a lady escape Lebanon to reunite with her family in Nigeria.
The ladies, who were initially rejected and sent out of the embassy, were accepted after a report by SaharaReporters.
Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Julie Okah-Donli, told SaharaReporters that the agency would look into the matter while Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, tweeted a picture showing the girls with a top official of the embassy in Lebanon.
However, several days after that period, the ladies have revealed that they were yet to receive any update from the Nigerian Government about their return home.
They also lamented that the embassy had placed them under a house arrest as management of the hotel they are currently lodged has been told not to allow them leave the place.
“We have not seen representatives from the Nigerian Embassy to notify us about going home or not.
“We don’t know our fate, all we know is that we were kept here in captive.
“They even instructed the hotel not to let anyone of us out.
“We really want to leave here, we don’t want food and accommodation, all we want is to go back home,” the ladies said in a video obtained by SaharaReporters.
The ladies trafficked to Lebanon had in an old video appealed to the government and well-meaning Nigerians to help facilitate their return to Nigeria.
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Ondo Court Remands Man Who Claimed To Have Abducted Missing Toddler In Prison
The Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State, has ordered the remand of Chibuzor Elike at the Olokuta Correctional Centre for claiming to be in possession of one-year-old Eniola Gold Kolawole, who went missing at Sotitobire Miracle Centre in the Oshinle quarters last year.
Elike, 39, was arrested last week by the police in River State after weeks of investigation.
The arrest of the suspect comes shortly after founder of Sotitobire Miracle Centre, Babatunde Alfa, was remanded in prison custody by the court.
Elike was paraded in court on Monday by the Ondo State Police Command.
In the charge sheet sighted by our correspondent, the suspect was alleged to have threatened Bisola, wife of the embattled founder of the popular church, demanding N800, 000 as settlement for him to release the boy he claimed to have in his possession.
Prosecutor of the case, Adeoye Adesegun, informed the court that Elike committed the offence on December 14, 2019 at about 11:30pm.
Adesegun informed the court that the suspect vowed to kill the boy if the woman failed to pay the money he requested.
He however, told the court that there were five witnesses waiting to testify before the magistrate but would need some time to present all of them.
But in his argument, defense counsel, Isaac Adubazi, begged the court to admit the accused person to bail in the most liberal term, promising that he will not jump any conditions attached to it.
In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Mayomi Olanipekun ordered the accused to be remanded at Olokuta Correctional Centre pending legal advice from Director of Public Prosecution and adjourned the case until February 20, 2020.
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SARS-like Virus Hits China, Three Other Asian Countries
A SARS-like virus is spreading around China and three other Asian countries, according to AFP.
The new coronavirus strain, first discovered in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has caused alarm because of its connection to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002 and 2003.
Wuhan has 11 million inhabitants and serves as a major transport hub, including during the annual Lunar New Year holiday, which begins later this week and sees hundreds of millions of Chinese people travel across the country to visit family.
A third person was confirmed to have died and 136 new cases were found over the weekend in Wuhan, the local health commission said, taking the total number of people to have been diagnosed with the virus in China to 201.
South Korea on Monday reported its first case — a 35-year-old woman who flew in from Wuhan.
Thailand and Japan have previously confirmed a total of three cases — all of whom had visited the Chinese city.
No human-to-human transmission has been confirmed so far, but authorities have previously said the possibility “cannot be excluded”.
Health authorities in Beijing’s Daxing district said two people who had travelled to Wuhan were treated for pneumonia linked to the virus and are in stable condition.
Five other people have been put in isolation and tested in eastern Zhejiang province.
Scientists with the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College in London warned in a paper published Friday that the number of cases in the city was likely to be closer to 1,700, much higher than the number officially identified.
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BREAKING: DSS Transfers 14 Operatives Involved In Sowore’s Rearrest, Court Invasion To Cover Up Scandal
The Department of State Services has transferred 14 of its operatives involved in the December 6, 2019 invasion of the Federal High Court where rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, who was standing trial in a case brought against him by the Nigerian Government, was forcefully rearrested.
Sowore was picked up barely 24 hours after he was released on bail after spending 125 days in unlawful detention.
The incident drew widespread condemnation and exposed the disregard of the President Muhammadu Buhari regime for the rule of law.
Top sources within the DSS told SaharaReporters on Monday that the transfer of the operatives involved in the court invasion and Sowore’s rearrest was in a bid to cover up the shameful incident.
One source said, “They have also transferred Marshal Dekko to an unknown destination to cover up his role.
“At least 60 officers have been recruited to monitor Sowore in Abuja. They have also concluded plans to jail him at all cost.”
Recall that on Sunday, a strange man pretending to be mentally deranged sneaked into the apartment providing temporary shelter for Sowore in Abuja and caused chaos at the place.
Apart from physically assaulting a female activist present at the place at the time, the unknown man also vandalised electronic items inside the apartment.
It took the efforts of several men to overpower the stranger and hand him over to the police.
The incident has since raised fears over Sowore’s safety in Abuja where his stringent bail condition has since restricted him to.
The 48-year-old journalist is also forbidden from speaking to the press as part of his bail conditions – – a situation that clearly infringes upon his fundamental human rights of freedom of movement and association as guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution and Universal Declaration of Human Rights – a historic document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1948.
Sowore was first arrested on August 3, 2019 for planning a series of protest against bad governance in Nigeria tagged #RevolutionNow.
Despite two court orders granting him bail in the weeks following his arrest, the DSS kept him in detention, violating his fundamental human rights in the process.
The DSS finally released him on bail on December 24 after an order from Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
His trial kicks off in February in a case the Nigerian Government has accused him of insulting President Buhari and planning to bring down his regime.
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Man Kills Girlfriend In Jigawa After Being Ashamed Of Impregnating Her
A 29-year-old man, Mustapha Idris, has been arrested by the Nigeria Police Force for killing his 20-year-old pregnant girlfriend.
According to the Jigawa State Police Command, Idris said he killed Nafisa Hashimu because he was scared of what people would think when news of her pregnancy out of wedlock spreads.
Spokesperson for the police in the state, Audu Jinjiri, said Idris and Hashimu, a divorcee, were live-in lovers at Daneji Village before she became pregnant and informed him in excitement.
Idris however, got angry and stabbed her to death.
Her body was found in a bush on the outskirts of Daneji Village about 22 kilometres from Ringim.
The suspect said, “I’m ashamed of how the society will see us after she delivers the unborn child out of wedlock, and thus I decided to terminate her life to stay away from shame.”
Jinjiri disclosed that the suspect would be charged to court to face the wrath of the law.
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